"...3 fingers pointing back at you"

I heard this phrase the first time when I was a young lieutenant (I mean, majorly wet behind the ears). I was a Signal Corps officer assigned to a Field Artillery battalion in the 4th Infantry Division. I was responsible for all the communications assets and was one of a handful of non-artillery types in the battalion's group of officers. I had gone to speak to my battalion commander about how the other officers and their men were not taking care of the communications equipment and how they wouldn't follow the manuals regarding communications training.

The colonel looked at me and said, "OK, Lieutenant Hall, I'll get on the other officers about this. However, remember, when you're pointing your finger at someone else, you have three more pointing back at you." I didn't get it. First, I'd never heard that phrase before and second, THEY were at fault, not me. At least that was obvious to me.

What I came to find out later was that my men had not properly trained the "gun bunnies" on how to use the equipment and I hadn't done as good a job working with my fellow officers as I could have. It was very uncomfortable to deal with when those officers got chewed out and then they proceeded to let the colonel and others know how the Signal guys had dropped the ball.

I point all this out to say that whenever we're not happy with what other people have done or failed to do, whether they're family, friends, coworkers, or people who report to us, we will be sorely mistaken if we don't take a serious look at our potential role in the problem. What did we do that helped cause the problem? What could we have done to ensure the problem didn't get this far or never existed at all?

Bosses take heed. When you're not happy with your people's performance, ask yourself what role you had to play. Ensure you've done your part and more before you start pointing fingers.

I'll work on my procrastination when I get around to it.

There's never a better time than now. It's just that procrastinators are likely to put off trying to fix their problems with procrastination.

We know it's a bad habit. We know we shouldn't do it. We know we need to be more productive. So how can we master the procrastination problem?

Perhaps the first step we could take is to figure out what is causing the procrastination. Is it just that we lack self-discipline, in general? If so, that's a way bigger issue than procrastination regarding a particular task. For self-discipline issues, I recommend you read Steve Pavlina's blog series on developing self-discipline. Let's take a look at other reasons we may be putting off handling a task or tasks:

Stress: When we're stressed, we often have a tough time focusing on the tasks we need to accomplish. We need to figure out what's stressing us out so we can remove the stress and get back on track.

Overwhelmed: Similarly to stress, when we have too much to do, we don't keep our eyes on the ball very well. We need to take a breath, step back, and prioritize. Every task hopefully doesn't have to be completed today. We can also take a look to see what tasks we might be able to share with others (you know, teamwork).

Don't understand: Often we procrastinate when we don't know how to do the task and are afraid to ask. Intimidation can get in the way, for sure. We don't want to look stupid. I advise others that you don't look stupid when you ask questions. It's when you don't ask questions and then can't get the job done that you look stupid.

People Issues: Sometimes we procrastinate because whoever we have to partner or coordinate with is someone we don't like, someone we have trouble relating to, or someone who makes us feel uncomfortable. Regardless, someone else is in the way. There's no rule that says we get to like who we work with. Often, dislike or discomfort stems from lack of communication. We need to act like mature professionals and put aside our biases because the other person is probably not going away and the task definitely isn't going away.

Are there other reasons that cause us to fall into the procrastination trap? What do you have to overcome to get tasks completed on time?

Building Work Relationships

As managers and bosses, you have lots of responsibilities, right? You have to worry about P&L, customer service, staffing issues, etc.

I have another responsibility to add to your list: relationships. You are responsible for relationships. In this post, I'm not writing about relationships outside the organization, like with customers or vendors. I'm talking about relationships inside your organization. So, what relationships are you responsible for? I'll mention 3 primary ones for today:

Team Members: You have people working for you, people you need to guide, direct, encourage, teach, etc. It's very hard to do a good job at any of these facets of management without having a positive relationship with your people. Oh, you can be a boss without having much of a relationship with your team, but you want folks who are committed to the group and the mission, not just compliant. A positive relationship is required to have committed people...and it's your responsibility to develop it. I know that relationships are two-way, but you are the boss so the responsibility is yours. See my post on coaching and 1:1 meetings for ways to build team member relationships.

Peers/colleagues: All bosses should be busy (let's assume you all are) and don't have a lot of free time at work. Add to it that, more and more often, people work in less proximity to each other (especially managers). It's very easy to have very little to do with your peers. Maybe you get on conference calls with them periodically or you see them at regional or company meetings, but often there are very few times peers get together. So, how do you develop relationships with other managers, most of whom are not physically near you? Pick up the phone. Make an effort to talk with your colleagues, see how they're doing, ask their input on something you're doing, etc. Teamwork doesn't just have to happen in one branch, team or project group. Teamwork can happen when peers and colleagues have relationships established and then can call on each other when the occasion arises.

Bosses: I know I just mentioned, above, that supervisors are responsible for relationships with their people. I do believe they have the primary responsibility. Still, you're a professional, aren't you? You don't have to wait for your boss to establish communication in order for you to reach out. Find out how you can help him or her be successful. Volunteer to help with a project or item that your boss is working on. Be ready to give your input on an issue (even solicit the opportunity)...check in with your boss to see if he or she is doing OK. There's a good chance that your boss is also challenged in relationships with peers and colleagues and could use a friendly, trustworthy ear. You may have the opportunity to be that resource.

Positive relationships can definitely impact an organization, maybe even being a key factor in its success. As a manager and boss, it's your responsibility to help build and encourage those relationships. What other ways can you think of to build relationships inside an organization?

Purposeful management

I like to share with managers who I've trained that they need to manage, do their jobs, and lead people on purpose, not by accident.

I teach about thoughtful management instead of thoughtless doing. I even say I'd rather break the rules on purpose any day, with thought behind my decisions, than just go about my daily routine in a thoughtless manner. I want the managers and their teams to be successful because of their actions, not to just squeak by because of thoughtlessness.

How can one be a purposeful manager?

• Think before you act: Do a quick, cost-benefit analysis and weigh your options, but don't linger. Purposeful managers are decisive.
• Plan: As they say, "failing to plan is the same thing as planning to fail" (sorry, couldn't help myself...had to share it).
• Train and Execute: Ensure you and your team know what they're doing and and then that they follow their training.
• Review: Go back periodically and look at what you and your team has done and not done so you can make corrections moving forward.

I never want to be known as someone who flies by the seat of his pants. As Charles Emerson Winchester, a character from the TV show M*A*S*H, said during one episode: "I do one thing, I do it very well, and then I move on." Ditto to that, Charles, except that we often don't have the luxury of focusing on only one thing at a time. Still, I hope you get the gist of what I'm trying to convey here.

What other ways do you know of to manage purposefully?

Great Meetings? Planning required

In order to run great meetings, you owe it to yourself and the people involved to properly plan.

Examples of poor planning:

• Interviews: I experienced an interview where it was obvious the interviewer had done no preparation before-hand. The person was not familiar with my resume and had not thought out the interview questions at all.
• Staff Meetings: The boss walks into a staff meeting with no agenda and just says "anybody have anything to talk about?"
• 1:1 Meetings: The boss sits down, looks at you, and says, "what's on your mind?" It's really great that the boss thinks enough of you to ask, but unfortunately that's the agenda for the meeting. Evidently, the boss has other things than you on his or her mind.

As I've stated time and again, I know that most everyone is busy. That's a given. That is also no excuse for wasting other people's time (as well as your own). You don't have time? People have never said management was a 40-hour a week job, have they? That's why you get paid the big bucks...to do what needs to be done, even if it takes a little extra time.

What can you do to properly plan?

• Have an agenda. Add to it as the week goes along. One thing I like to do is add notes to my on-line calendar reminder as the week goes by so I'll have my agenda at least partially thought through before I have to "formally" plan the meeting.
• Formulate your questions. Write them down. Then, when you ask the questions or cover your points, record the responses.
• Come to the meeting ready to participate fully. The chances are that it's your meeting so it would be reasonable to expect you to be engaged.

You and your team need to be focused on the mission, revenue generation, and your customers. When you do pull them away from these areas of focus, you need to ensure you're not wasting their time.

What other ways do you plan that help make your meetings more successful?

Listen to your gut

People talk about listening to their gut. What do you think they're referring to? For me, when I say I'm listening to my gut on an issue, it means I'm paying heed to my:

• Intuition
• Experience
• Awareness of the situation

Am I suggesting that we throw reason out the window? No, of course not. You need reason and facts to make an informed decision. It's just that, when you combine those elements with your gut, you often have a strong basis for doing or not doing something.

Once you're used to working with what your gut tells you, then you should be able to "listen" to what it has to share. I know from personal experience that when I don't listen to what my gut's telling me regarding a situation, I'm on shifting sand.

If your gut tells you to take an action, when the facts or reason don't, you may want to go back and recheck those facts or rethink that reason. If your gut tells you, "walk away quickly" from a situation, you need to think hard before you move ahead and go against what your experience is reminding you.

Intuition isn't the be all and end all, but if you listen properly, it can be a valuable component of your leadership toolkit.

What do you think about listening to your gut? When has it helped you out? When has it steered you wrong?

Handling Resistance

Handling Resistance? From whom?

Well, in life, it could mean dealing with resistance from anyone. In a business setting, it could be one of your team members. It could be your boss or a colleague.

If you are trying work down a specific path or build on a idea and you receive resistance, you have several options, don't you?

1. Give up. It is an option, but if you feel strongly or passionately about your cause, it might not be your first course of action.
2. Push back. When resistance is applied against you, you can apply and equal and opposite reaction. Wear the other party down. It may be effective at times, but not the wisest choice of action if you want any kind of buy-in from others.
3. Determine the cause. I like this one. When you are met with resistance regarding an idea or action, you can try to figure out why the resistance has appeared. One of the best ways to find out is by asking questions. Try to get to the root cause.

This reminds of me of a story; yes, another military story. When I was a young lieutenant, I had to take turns performing extra duties with the other junior officers: Duty officer, Pay officer, and Report of Survey officer, to name a few. My first time as a Report of Survey officer, I met with a lot of resistance. You see, a Report of Survey is completed when some equipment is destroyed, damaged, or lost and the Army is trying to figure out if someone is responsible. This way the Army can determine appropriate actions like remedial training, punishment, and/or reimbursement. In this particular case, a sergeant was "signed for" a gunner's quadrant, a tool used to determine the proper elevation that artillery would use when firing against a target. The quadrant was destroyed and no one knew how it happened. There were denials all around. Since the sergeant was signed for the equipment, and there was no evidence as to how the quadrant was destroyed, I determined that the sergeant should pay. The sergeant resisted me because he said he hadn't destroyed it...one of his people had done so accidentally. That was most likely true, but like I said, I couldn't prove it. What I could prove was that the sergeant had not kept proper control of the item. The proximate cause, or root cause, regarding his efforts to secure the equipment was the real issue.

In trying to overcome resistance, what's the root issue, the proximate cause, for it? Ask why the other person doesn't want to go along with your idea. Get specific. Ask what is good about your idea (what they like or, at least, can live with) and what is unacceptable. Keep peeling back that onion until you get to the proximate cause. You may find that it's just one little kernel of disagreement or it's something small that you can fix.

By determining the root cause,

1. You can properly address it with facts and information.
2. Help the other party feel better about the idea
3. Let the person know you value their thoughts and concerns (you may make an ally).
4. Move forward.

My last boss was an expert at determining the proximate cause of resistance, handling the real objections properly, and then moving forward with most everyone feeling good.

What have you done when you encountered resistance? What other ways do you think would be appropriate for overcoming the objections you experience?

Know Your Audience

As professional people, regardless of our type of organization or our position in the organization, we communicate with numerous people both inside and outside of that organizatiaon. We communicate in a variety of ways, primarily:

• In person.
• Over the telephone.
• Via email.

We must ensure that we exhibit situational awareness regardless of our type of communication because others judge us based on how we reach them (see posts: If you look bad and Email).

For instance, when we communicate, we need to think about our message, what we want to say, and how to express it. Not only do we need to consider the medium (like above), but we have to decide how to convey our points. Do we want to come across in a serious manner? Do we want to be clever or funny? What reaction do we want our audience to display? What do we want them to remember about our message or us after the communication is complete? Do we want to provide some type of take-away or follow-up communication after we are done?

Getting back to the title of this post, who is the audience? Are we communicating with superiors, peers, or subordinates? Are we sharing with a seasoned group or some fairly inexperienced people? Do they have a solid understanding of the setting (history, players, etc.) so they can properly frame what we're sharing?

It never ceases to amaze me how little preparation or follow-up we plan or budget for when we communicate. Often we just begin speaking (no notes) or typing (no outline) and hope (or worse, expect) our audience will miraculously understand our thoughts exactly as we intended.

As leaders, we represent our organization, our supervisors and our team. It would be bad enough if we gave others a poor impression of us, personally, let alone radiating that poor impression so it tainted the audience against those we try so hard to serve and support.

Do you have examples of how knowing your audience can have positive effects, as well as how the failure to take our audience into account can have unwanted consequences?

Situational Awareness

What are we talking about when we say "situational awareness"? One might say it's kind of obvious: being aware of the situation. OK, on the surface, that's very true. Let me dig a little deeper and provide some color around detailed situational awareness with some examples.

Pilots train on situational awareness because, to ensure their aircraft, crew/passengers, and cargo are safe as they travel through the air, they need to know about weather patterns, terrain, and other aircraft in the area, just to name a few concerns. They don't want to have an accident because they didn't know all the variables taking place around them.

The military uses something called an Operations Order or "OPORD" to let the troops know the details of the mission, to provide critical information to all concerned, and so the soldiers are able to identify and potential problems. There are five paragraphs in an OPORD. What do you think the first paragraph covers? You guessed it -- the Situation. Under the Situation section, you can find info on enemy forces, friendly forces, and the environment (weather, terrain, civil considerations, etc.).

Professionals, especially leaders, need to be aware of their surroundings -- their situations, too. Out in the world, pitfalls and snares are plentiful. Leaders need to know about the friendly forces (people who can help them accomplish their mission), enemy forces (like competitors), and the environment where, if you are unaware, you can get into lots of trouble. Leaders should be able to analyze their business and situations based, in part, by solid situational awareness.

Do you have any examples of proper situational awareness? Can you share any other possible situations that can derail the efforts of leaders or organizations as they strive to complete their missions?