Reading to children can make you a better leader

November 8, 2013 ~ Orlando Ceaser

I was told of the benefits of reading to children. It would aid in their development, help them acquire a love for learning and strengthen the bond between parent and child. But I did not count on the collateral or ancillary advantages I would receive. Of course, I was excited and encouraged by the interaction and the way I was able to connect to my children. But, with each story, nursery rhyme or fable I began to associate their content with the people I managed in the workplace. Their content gave me new insights into executing my role as a leader.

When I returned to work I found that I began to incorporate some of the very language and concepts from the literature I read to my kids the night before. Aesop’s Fables were always good with life lessons. Androcles and the lion taught me the value of helping everyone no matter how small because you never knew when they could help you. The story was about a mouse who returned a favor by saving a lion that was caught in a hunter’s net. The Emperor’s new clothes by Hans Christian Andersen had many applications to corporate culture. The failure to speak to power brought on by fear and ego was a natural metaphor. The practice of using children literature to clarify leadership principles is widespread today with articles and books about the Goldilocks Leadership Style. There are books such as, The Oz Principle by Roger Connors, Tom Smith and Craig Hickman, and Our Emperor’s have no clothes by Alan Weiss and Emperor’s Clothes by Catherine Mc Guinness. They use the aforementioned classic as inspiration for their works.

Reading children stories make managerial principles fresh and exciting. Many people can relate to them and feel connected to the subject. It takes us back to our childhood and the rich and often forgotten lessons from our youth. I read the classic fable of the hare and the tortoise. I walked into work with a new perspective. The morale of the story is that “plodding wins the race,” emphasizing the value of persistence. But when I arrived at work, I placed a different spin on the classic story. I asked my managers, “Who would you rather be the hare or the tortoise?” After a light discussion, I announced that I would rather be a hare that did not sleep. In our fast paced world, a company could seldom afford to hire a large number of workers who always started and finished slowly. We needed people to get out of the starting blocks quickly, master the information around their jobs and get up the learning curve in record time. We needed speed merchants who were confident, with stamina and awareness of the danger of underestimating their competition and the needs of their customers.

Another principle that was reinforced was the idea of performing with a winning attitude, while may have involved faking it until making it was a reality. My daughter was nearly 3 years old and was at the swimming pool with my wife and her mother. She was reciting a book out loud. It was the book I read to her before bed. As she moved to the bottom of each page, she moved her eyes to the top of the next page or turned the page as appropriate. “The man was flabbergasted,” she said. A woman next to her was astonished by her apparent reading skills at such a young age. She did not realize that my daughter had merely memorized every word on every page in the book and turned the pages appropriately, on her way to learning how to read. As leaders we must sometimes show courage and strength in a positive outcome even when we are not 100% certain, until the result is achieved.

I found the following benefits from my bonding moments with my children that I used with my teams that had leadership implications.

1. I listened better because they gave me their undivided attention and asked questions. They wanted to know the why, the back story behind the story. This is similar to the teams we manage. People want to know the content and the context.
2. Children enjoy when you are enthusiastic when reading a story. I was animated and displayed passion in my delivery and interpretation of the story.
3. I had to adapt a reading style that brought each child into the moment. If one child was quiet and the other easily distracted, I had to individualize and customize my reading style, make stronger eye contact and gestures to ensure that both were engaged in the story.
4. I selected stories for them which were my favorites from childhood. This helped reinforce messages that I had forgotten. Some of the fairytales and nursery rhymes were originally written as political satire which helped explain the appeal to some adults. Looking for other ways to use the information helped broaden my perspective.
5. Reading taught me the value of play and including humor in my conversation and interactions with my children and my people.
6. The value of discipline and a set routine, along with the value of commitment to my promises by reading every night I was in town. If I was traveling out of town, I read to them over the telephone to keep my word. When there are challenges there are always ways to improvise to fulfill promises made on the important things in life.

We should look forward to reading to our children or to any children who could benefit from our time and attention. There are organizations such as Real Men Read which place adults in local schools to read to children. The men participating are receiving some of the same benefits I outlined above. The benefits are achieved whether you are reading to your children or any willing child sitting in front of you to hear your passionate delivery of a new book or a childhood classic

Additionally, we know that, “Children are born ready to learn and reading to them stimulates and satisfies their thirst for information. Children cultivate 85% of their intellect, personality and skills by age five. The first months and years of life set the stage for lifelong development,” according the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine, 2000. Reading to them at an early age is a tremendous advantage for them. However, the returns to the adults are exceptionally stimulating. When we think of the input into the creative process that is triggered when we read and visualize the images; the reinforcement of key values and the lessons to help illustrate leadership principles, reading to children should be a consistent and mandatory part of our lives.

Busted while looking for a new job

October 20, 2013 ~ Orlando Ceaser

How would your boss respond if he discovered you were looking for a new job? What would you do if you were busted and caught in the act? What would you say? What would you do? This thought may seldom come to mind, however, you may want to plan some witty comebacks in case you are discovered.

There are more people available then jobs. Many people are trapped in jobs that are below their expectations. Additionally, ambitious employees want to quickly climb the corporate ladder to success. So we find ourselves in a world where individuals are constantly changing jobs or looking to change jobs. People are eager to improve their economic status and to satisfy their egos. Job seekers are using the Internet and social media, along with the traditional job fairs and newspapers. With the heavy traffic of candidates and employers, the Law of Probability predicts your boss could detect your search for a new job.

We hired a manager to help us staff a new specialty sales force. He was waiting to interview one of his former colleagues, who did not know that he had jumped ship. The colleague was waiting to be interviewed. He did not know the name of the person he was supposed to see. He sat in the hall waiting his turn. The door opened and his former colleague stepped out to meet him. The look on his face was priceless, as his knees buckled. Immediately his former colleague placed him at ease by saying that he no longer worked for the same company. The colleague uttered a sigh of relief and said,” I’m afraid that I am going to have to change my underwear.” This made me wonder if it is wise to formulate a few words to share if someone discovered your plans to leave the organization.

Shortly after a merger, I surprised many of my new employees during a session on gratitude. We filled up several pages on a flip chart listing the many benefits of our new organization, which was very helpful for the audience. I wanted them to know that we have a tendency to look at the negative side of change. I also wanted them to remember these things when they received phone calls from recruiters. I reminded them that recruiters were salespeople. The unscrupulous ones were more concerned about placement than the right fit for their clients. I stunned them when I said, jokingly,” I know you are receiving phone calls from recruiters. If you are doing a great job people should be calling you. And when they call, some of you are interested. I know this to be true, because when I call posing as a recruiter, some of you are interested.” It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. A few of the new team members could be heard asking the person next to them,” Would he really do that?”

Everyone in the workplace is technically a free agent and free to move between companies at will. However, if you have indicated a desire to move up in an organization, they may not take kindly to you aggressively shopping your services. Developing a reputation of having a wandering eye could work against you unless you are a phenomenal performer. Companies may not always seem loyal, but loyalty is demanded of their employees. It is flattering for companies to know that someone else wants to hire you. They blush at the positive impact you have on your customers and the industry. If you take a risk and decide to follow up on their interest, think of a way to respond if you are caught.

A sales representative drove outside of his territory to attend a job interview. He entered an office building and waited for the elevator. The elevator doors opened and there stood his district and regional sales managers. Needless to say, they were surprised to see him and he was shocked to see them. The morale of the story is if you are discovered, be ready with a plausible explanation. Telling the truth about the hiring lead is highly recommended. This can lead you into a very candid conversation about your career. If you lied to make room for the interview, you may have complicated the matter by your lack of integrity. It is ideal to make room for an interview during a long lunch, before or after work or on a scheduled vacation day.

Discovery Advantages
Your willingness to consider another company sometimes it is an indication that something is lacking in your current relationship. It may also speak to the power of your brand that others are heavily recruiting you. There are benefits to the word getting out that you are looking for another job. They include, but are not limited to:
• Discovery may stimulate a serious discussion around your status with the firm
• Career opportunities may suddenly develop because the company feels that they may lose you
• Discovery may enable you to discuss your interest, ambition and lack of career opportunities

Earlier, I mentioned how the company would feel if they knew you were constantly looking for job. Many companies will understand this because of the current precarious state of employment. Some companies may not understand and may terminate you. Some companies may be reluctant to hire you if you are always on the market, trolling for better options.

I met a young man and he asked for my business card.” Are you hiring?” He wanted to know.” I am always looking for a better opportunity.” I wondered at that moment about his comment. He was impressive, but should I seriously consider him? If I hired him, would he maintain the same attitude and philosophy while working for me, always aggressively looking for something better? This takes me back to my central question. If you’re looking for another job and you are discovered,” What will you say?”

You might give the response that people often give when they resign. “I wasn’t looking for a job, but they called me.” Don’t be surprised if your employer is not satisfied with this response. It will not make them feel better to know that you did not initiate the process. A company may view this as disloyalty or as cheating in a relationship. Imagine saying to a companion, “Honey, I did not chase her or go after him first. They approached me. They made the first move and I just gauged their interest to see what they had to offer.”

We search for jobs on social media sites, job boards, career fairs and networking functions. Invariably, if you are active or pursue an opening once, there is the possibility that someone will find out. Discovery may not be due to carelessness on your part. Your profile may be seen by people who have connections with people within your organization. There are haters and informers in your company who wish to discredit you or make themselves look good by telling about your interest in a particular job. The fact remains, if you are looking for another job, it may be prudent to think of your response if your activity is exposed.

Want to save the boss’s job? Perform better

September 26, 2013 ~ Orlando Ceaser

Veterans of watching and playing sports and working in business for a living, remember countless regime changes. The owner or senior leadership brings people into a room or connects with them online to make an announcement. The current boss is being replaced, which could mean, demoted, reassigned or terminated. They inform the workers that it was time for a change. They may deliver platitudes and say such things as, “they were a fine individual and have contributed much to the organization.” This decision may not be linked to performance, but it was time to go in another section. This unleashes quite a buzz within the organization. Both positive and negative comments are made about the person and the decision.

Let’s move our focus immediately from the person making the decision and the person being removed. Let’s focus our attention on the people who work for him or her. On Sports Center and the local news media, one by one former players are interviewed.” “He was an excellent manager, a player’s coach, a person of high intellect and sports acumen. He taught me everything I know. She took a chance on me, when no one else would.” The plaudits and accolades go on and on.

In business and in athletics, there may be factors beyond the coach or the leader, which influence performance. However, one point comes out loudly and clearly, if the person was so great and instrumental in career growth to receive such high praise for their leadership,” why didn’t the people perform better?”

The best way to show a coach or a leader what you think of them is through excellent performance on the field, in the field, on the court, in the office, on the plant floor or in the classroom. Results are the measure of a person’s effectiveness. Is it logical to assume that your performance is an indicator of how you felt about them? If they are not getting the best from you and it is not them, then it must be you.

If you are not delivering up to your capabilities, are you in the wrong job or somehow being hampered by underlying issues. Are you compromising the effectiveness of your team, and placing your job and your manager’s job at risk. Bear in mind, it is the role of the manager to diagnose and treat some of these issues. It is commonly said that somebody has to take the heat and the blame when the team does not perform up to its capability. The leader or coach is usually this individual. Managers cannot fire the whole team or replace every individual over night. Somebody must take the field, sit behind desks or operate the machinery. Often it is believed that firing the manager will jolt the team into an accelerated, escalated level of performance. Sometimes this works, but sometimes it doesn’t.

What can be done?

When you bemoan the fact that, “another one bites the dust or another one got away or another quality coach leaves, think of all of the assistance they gave to you. Remember the instructions and wise counsel. There may have been working above and beyond the call of duty to get you comfortable in your job. Think of their families, as you think of your own. Then I want you to inspire and motivate yourself to give your maximum effort. Energized and engage your team members into working to their highest levels of achievement. You are doing this for yourselves, the organization and the manager you claim to admire and respect.

Performing to your highest level can be very self-serving. It enables you to have a greater role in retaining the best manager for you. If you admire the quality leadership of this individual, make sure that when they leave the organization, is because of some of the reason other than the team not delivering its best. The next person who walks through the door, on to the court or field or into the plant, was selected by you as surely as if you were in the interview making get the job offer. Retaining the manager you want may also keep you from getting the manager from Hell who may be lurking in the shadows waiting the right moment to assume the position you provide for them.

You may know him on both sides of this issue. People have come up to them and stated how unfair it was that they were no longer in the role. They went on to say they will never forget the things they taught them and how it made them a better person or manager. These comments were appreciated and well received. I’m curious; if it meant so much to them, why didn’t it show up in their performance. Why did she choose this year to deliver below prior years? Did they do everything within their power to keep the coach? Are there things that they could’ve done differently that could have led to a different result?

The manager, coach or leader is a part of the team. They set the tone for the velocity of the team and their ability to scale higher mountains of expectations. The team can be compared to a chain and sometimes the manager is the weak link in the chain and should be replaced. Sometimes, there are other individuals on the team that are not living up to their potential and the manager must develop them or remove them from the organization. Failure of the manager to make the tough calls may be an indication that they are not strong enough and should be replaced. In situations where the manager is highly regarded for their character, vision and leadership skills, it is imperative that this bears fruit in the performance of the team.

Post blog assignment

The next time you see a news story, where a person is being removed from a job, you may want to ask yourself a few questions and look for the evidence provided to justify the action.

• What did they do to deserve the termination?
• What information was given to support the action?
• What did the people who worked for them have to say about them?
• Was there evidence of being a good person, but not strong enough to make the tough decisions?
• What information was provided about the performance of the team or the department?
• Did you get a sense that the team was performing below its capabilities?

If you want to keep the manager you have, either as your boss or within the organization, you can contribute to this by performing at the highest level of your capability. This may spare you the inconvenience of complaining about the organization or feeling guilty about your culpability in the demise of your beloved leader, manager or coach.

Reputation – Working Capital in a Successful Life

September 16, 2013 ~ Orlando Ceaser

Have you ever heard the phrase,” You are nothing like I expected,” or” You are nothing like I was told?” When you heard these questions, you probably received them with mixed emotions. They could indicate positive feelings about you or an underlying misconception or suspicion about your reputation. Why were they surprised?

If you’re like me, you try very hard to establish and protect your reputation. Your reputation is who you are, what you stand for and what you represent. Many times it goes before you and people say such things as,” Your reputation preceded you.” So it is critical that you do everything to keep your reputation pristine and positive.

Your reputation is like currency. It enables you to incur special favors and treatment, assignments, employment and business opportunities, the benefit of the doubt and information, power and influence. A poor reputation can also work against you and deprive you of many of the finer things in life. Reputation can affect what people think of you; a fine person they would like to work with or I wouldn’t work with them if they were the last person on Earth.

A Bad Reputation

A bad reputation, which could relate to a bad driving record, poor credit history or hard to work with, can haunt your work life. You may lose out on a job. Usually, losing out on a job may never be brought to your attention, but it does happen. Another tragedy is that there are times when a poor reputation, is not your fault. A director was asked to hire an assistant, who competed against her for her current job. She was initially reluctant. She had the usual concerns about this individual potentially sabotaging her agenda. But she was open to using the person’s skills to improve the overall department. She also felt that she could groom the individual to one day take her job or a similar assignment. She accepted it as a good a challenge.

Shortly after the person joined her department, she began hearing negative comments from members of the team about some of his remarks. He was undermining her authority. He secretly questioned her decisions and even went as far as to sabotage some of the marketing projects. Additionally, he was personally connected to other directors and began to influence their perceptions of her. He told them she was lazy, incompetent and ineffective, that she was in a job that was over her head. They believed him because he knew marketing and worked closely with her every day. He was eventually reassigned, but the damage had already been done to her reputation. He wanted her out of the job, so he could take her place. He could not beat her in the interview, but he was committed to poisoning her reputation.

Survey your people. Could any of them one day do your job? Assess their talent and interest and dedicate yourself to ensuring they will be ready for future promotions. The right person will be patient and welcoming your assistance and advocacy. The wrong person may try to sabotage your efforts, so do not be naïve. Prepare for any signs of betrayal, such as silent insidious insubordination, in word or deed. People will come to you in confidence. Take well meaning comments seriously, especially if they are warning you about passive aggressive behavior that is being used to discredit your reputation.

A positive reputation is crucial in validating who you are. It is a reflection of your life’s work and therefore should be guarded as you would your bank account or investment portfolio. The concept of acting above and beyond reproach is necessary to support your reputation. This should be done to establish a history of consistency. You must not cut corners where integrity is concerned. You don’t want anyone to doubt your character.

While you are working hard to protect your reputation, bear in mind, there may be individuals trying to give you a bad name. There are detractors or haters, determined to bring you down and remove you from competing with them for a current or future assignment.

A candidate was almost denied employment because his previous employer misrepresented his reputation during a reference check. The new company was so impressed with him in the interview that they allowed him an opportunity to address the malicious accusations lodged against him. He told his version of the story to address the example his employer had given, which were completely taken out of context. He also supplied the names of the zone manager and director of sales who spoke very highly of the candidate. They even went as far as to discredit his supervisor, which enabled him to get the job. This doesn’t usually happen, but the reputation of the candidate came through loudly and clearly in the interview and in the comments from the zone manager and the director of sales.

A manager was astonished to find out that an employee was interviewing his people, in an effort to gather negative information about him. She was planning to file a lawsuit against her manager. She wanted to prove that the organization tolerated bad behavior on the part of its managers. Since the manager’s reputation was beyond reproach, she failed in her efforts to link him to her lawsuit.

Failing to pay attention to integrity and your reputation is a very costly enterprise. A poor reputation may literally cost you thousands of dollars in lost promotions, salary increases, bonuses, key relationships and important clients. You must do everything in your power to keep your reputation positive and of the highest caliber. This involves monitoring and managing your personal and professional image. Just as there are agencies to monitor your credit and issue credit reports, you must find a way to monitor your reputation. You must set up a process, a mechanism or system to collect image data on yourself. There are a few simple techniques you should consider. You have heard them before and they should be repeated because repetition reinforces learning.

Reputation Feedback

Select a few trusted advisors to give you feedback on your character, image, personal and professional leadership. These all add up to your reputation, as you know it. You should gather information the old fashioned way by asking questions in a questionnaire, on the telephone, in a meeting or over a meal. Consider using the following questions.

• Do you feel I am listening to you?
• Do you feel I am treating you and others fairly?
• Have you heard anything that should be brought to my attention?
• What are things I need to change to make things better for you?
• Is there any dissent that has surfaced among your team members?
• What can I do to make you feel a greater part of the team?
• Are my actions in line with my stated values and intentions and your expectations?

Ask different people about the word on the street about you. What are people saying? What have they heard about you? If your company conducts employee surveys, they may drill down to your level to give you feedback. If this is the case, reputation information will be provided to you. If your company provides customer surveys which allow the customer to give data on the company and its representatives, you may get reputation data in this manner. Customer surveys give the perception information which contributes to the corporate image, your personal image and reputation.

360° feedback instruments are available to alert managers to how they are perceived by their people. Climate studies can also be conducted to assess the environment within a team or organization. Personally, you should always be aware of your actions because they are registered somewhere in the hearts and minds of those around you. The collection of your actions will shape your reputation and place you in high esteem or doom you to suffer dire consequences.

• The old adage of “ your word is your bond” should have meaning in your life, as you follow through on your obligations
• Treat people the way you want to be treated
• Remember you are an employee of the company and are always on duty
• Always model the company’s values
• Do not do anything that you would not like to see as a headline in the media
• Cultivate a number of trusted individuals who will advise you on matters that may affect your career
• In personnel matters, preserve the individual’s self esteem
• Cultivate advocate who will defend your reputation and alert you to any assaults on your character

You can bolster your character, image and reputation by sticking to these cardinal principles.

How was the interview? How do you know? Just in time internal feedback

August 23, 2013 ~ Orlando Ceaser

I spoke to Leslie in spin class. Her daughter had just completed an interview. I asked how the interview went. She said, “The interview went well.” How did she know? What information did she use to support her opinion? Candidates strive hard to interview well and look for signs during the interview to gauge their progress. When the interview is over they walk out with a sinking feeling of regret, exhilaration because they think it went well or a numb, not so sure how it went, sensation. What can they look for during the interview to gauge progress in time to insert a course correction? What can they do to reach a desired outcome, whether it is the next interview or an actual job offer?

The Interviewers Lens

The interviewer knows what they are looking for in a candidate. They have a job description and a set of behaviorally based questions that sort out attributes to match traits, characteristics, competencies or skills required for the job. They also have their interviewing style. When I began interviewing I wanted to make the candidates feel comfortable. My approach was professional and light hearted, designed to put the candidate at ease. They in turn were relaxed and gave me all the information I needed. It dawned on me one day that the candidates were so comfortable they probably felt they nailed the interview and were waiting for the job offer. They were probably confused and devastated when they received the “no interest” letter indicating they would not get the job. I decided to change my style. I became more serious, intense and reduced eye contact. I became more of an interrogator and less of a friend. However, I was still professional and gracious in answering questions. The approach still gave me the information I needed, but left the candidates guessing and less sure of the outcome of the interview.

I interviewed an Emmy award winning producer, who was trying to convince me he wanted a career change for an entry level sales representative position. In the middle of the interview, with my new style, he interrupted my note taking. “How am I doing?” he asked. “Excuse me,” I responded. “I usually can tell how I am doing in an interview. But I have absolutely no clue with you,” he asked in earnest. “That is by design,” I said. “Rather than give you something that you think I like and then get more of that from you; I act in the middle of the road so that I can see the real you, which is actually fairer to you in the long run.” I had landed on a style that worked for me and gave me the opportunity to get the most from the candidate’s background. This also reinforced the notion that candidates were evaluating their progress during the interviews, looking for positive signs of performance.

“Interview in Progress”

Here are a few clues that candidates have used to assess their status in an interview.

• Follow up questions – The interviewer asked for clarification or more detail while seeming interested in their background – If the line of questioning is intense and prolonged the interviewers may not understand their answers or are not getting the information they are looking for.
• Laughter – The candidates may receive laughter or a smile to show they are genuinely pleased with their responses
• Challenging remarks – “You mean to tell me that…. Or are you trying to say………I thought you said…These statements suggest the interviewer wants clarity and consistency.
• Body language – The interviewer may lean forward showing interest, a pleasant look as they write notes after a particular comment
• A short interview – The interviewee can tell if the interviewer is under whelmed when they are given less time than in earlier interviews, less time than the earlier candidate or less time than they were told to expect
• Volunteering information on the next steps in the interviewing process , as well as pointers on how to improve performance in the next round with their company
• Additional rapport building questions and conversations at the end of the interview.
• Introducing prospective employees to other people in their company is often a good sign, especially if accompanied by glowing recommendations

The candidates go through many hours of self-study, organization research and mental preparation for the interview. It is reasonable to seek instant feedback by personally monitoring the interview.” How am I doing?” was a favorite question from Ed Koch, the former Mayor of New York City. The comments above may provide some data on progress, but the following words should also be considered.

• Be true to their interview plan and give it the most factual information possible to answer the questions
• If they are not sure about the question or their response, it is okay to ask for clarification or to ask if their answer addressed the question
• Present a consistent view of who they are and their background
• Be poised and confident, so that when they leave the interview, they will have an accurate picture of them (what they choose to do with that picture is up then)
• Do not take the results of the interview personally. They may have many more interviews before they land a job. They need to be in the right frame of mind for the long haul. Sometimes a strong interview may not land the job. It may take a while to get the right job.

Candidates must prepare extensively for the interview, execute their interview plan, answer the questions succinctly and prepare for the next interview. Invariably, their experiences will align with the right employer and they will be hired for the right assignment. How is the interview going? How do you know? Don’t worry about it. You will ultimately reach your goal. You are one interview closer to your goal. You should get the position, hopefully sooner than later.

High roads and burning bridges – Revenge is not an option

July 30, 2013 ~ Orlando Ceaser

One of the hardest words of advice to accept is to take the high road. Someone has wronged you, you are deeply upset, angry, yet someone tries to talk you out of revenge.” You don’t want to burn any bridges,” they also might add to their words of wisdom. You pause for a moment, take a deep breath and realize they are telling the truth. You remember people who sabotaged their own careers to get back at someone. One manager was relentless in his pursuit of a former employee whom he felt did not deserve her job. He stepped over the line in slandering her and was demoted.

Employees are sometimes convinced that the company made a mistake when they hired or promoted someone or when they acted unjustly against them. They wanted to force the company to admit their mistake. In reality, the organization rarely admits questionable decisions due to an error in judgment.
When a person is hired or promoted and you disagree with the decision, there is a strategy you should implement. Additionally, in most infractions on the job, revenge is not advisable. You must receive satisfaction in knowing that justice will prevail, even though you may not be the instrument of that justice. It is best to help the person succeed and recruit them as an advocate. This is otherwise known as, taking the high road.

Don’t pass up a golden opportunity to take the high road, which is often the only productive path available. The high road must be taken, not necessarily out of nobility, but as a strategic element in career survival and growth.

The high road has several advantages. By its very name and nature, it is elevated above the fray, transcending the nonsense and is moving in a positive direction. It has positive visibility and magnetically attracts people to you. When you take the high road there are people in your corner sympathetic to your position. They are your advocate’s. When someone is promoted over you, the high road is lined with people giving you words of encouragement.

If you choose an alternative route, such as driving of the person from your organization; when the person quits, they will confirm your role in undermining their success. This cannot be good for you. You have cost the company money, resources, time and reputation. This will work against your being promoted anytime in the near future. You have effectively elected to burn bridges. If you thought the person leaving the organization would work to your benefit, you are sadly mistaken. Your actions will expose you as not being a team player, petty, jealous and not worthy of a leadership position. Rarely does a person who orchestrated a mutiny or underground dissension get rewarded. That is one of the unwritten rules.

You will be further away from your job with a bad mark against your name. You would have succeeded in poisoning the minds of other employees, which is not the sign of someone considered as management or leadership material. Your worst case scenario is further complicated by resigning from the organization and launching a negative PR campaign. This version of burning bridges can also be, counterproductive. Whereas you may look like a martyr, you are once again viewed as petty, jealous and unworthy of a leadership position.

The road to leadership can be very complicated. There are events along the pathway which stimulate positive and negative emotions within you. Your instinct may say to the strike out against a person or institution for revenge, justice or personal satisfaction. However it is often prudent to suppress these emotions. When you are standing at a fork in the road and one of the branches is elevated and the other is the low road, choose wisely. We are in a world filled with connections and interdependence; burning a bridge may seem like a good idea in the moment, but you may ultimately want to go back down that path. The high road has been proven to be the most judicious route for maintaining your dignity and reaching your destiny.

Leadership and the Ozone Layer – Getting business results without the heat

July 12, 2013 ~ Orlando Ceaser

Managers often talk about the heat generated in many organizations by their superiors. A solar fire storm comes down from on high, whenever Senior Leaders are dissatisfied with results. These measures vary within companies, but usually relate to financial outcomes. When pressured, these leaders want immediate improvement. Their words may be indelicate with crude language and their words and demeanor may be threatening. This intimidating method of getting higher performance has been successful in the past and is a knee jerk reaction to falling profits.

Employees of these fire wielding executives need an ozone layer, like the one that circles the Earth. Science classes from the past and the current discussions on climate change make us aware of the ozone layer. The American Heritage Science dictionary defines it as “A region of the upper atmosphere containing relatively high levels of ozone, located mostly within the stratosphere. It absorbs large amounts of solar ultraviolet radiation, preventing it from reaching the Earth’s surface.” It is essentially a protective layer that prevents the full burst of the sun’s rays from striking the Earth. The earth’s ozone layer does not filter out all of the heat, just the harmful ultra violet rays.

The ozone layer in our context can also be described as a supportive culture that protects employees from intimidation and excessive pressure from people in authority. The ozone layer metaphor is useful in many areas of our lives, but we will use it in a business context.

Like the Earth’s ozone layer, a business ozone layer working effectively, can effectively protect the organizational culture and the results for which leadership is accountable. Middle managers jobs are based on their ability to implement strategy and tactics to achieve share holder and stake holder value. In organization where senior leaders employ an intimidating management style, their managers may be required to serve as the ozone layer for their people.

Managers as effective leaders must regulate the heat to see that if falls appropriately. They know their personnel and realize that some individuals in the organization may need a hole in this ozone layer to feel the additional heat. If they are not performing properly they cannot be pampered and allowed to give less than their best. Some people may need to be shocked into working at expected levels. This must be done in the context of a respectful workplace and honoring them without bullying, intimidation or harassment. There may be a window in the ozone layer to allow them to be excised from the organization, as skillfully as a surgical strike with a laser beam.

When the solar winds cascade down the leadership chain the Middle managers feel the full brunt of the energy surge. One manager recalls being told, “If you are not tough enough to get the job done, we will replace you with someone who will.” Threats are generally a part of the vocabulary of solar expectations. Fear is believed to be a potent motivator. For years we have learned that the KITA (Kick in the Ass) approach only works temporarily and the stick part of the “carrot and stick” approach also has limited sustainability. When people can leave an organization, they will leave if their current organization abuses these methods.

The middle managers know their people are hard working and that some of the shortfall in performance is a shared responsibility. Leaders and the rank and file may have under estimated the size of the challenge. It is therefore, a shared responsibility to fix the problem. Local leaders modify the threats in the message for they realize the negative effect it has on morale and productivity. They know from recent literature that positive expectations and clear focus will allow people to think better. What are needed are calm minds to solve the problems. These leaders therefore, form a force field around their people to shield and buffer them from a direct hit. They usually;

• Gather their teams together and explain the dire situation around performance
• Evaluate the current state to determine how they got there
• Brain storm ideas and establish a list of things they should stop or start doing
• Work to develop strategies and tactics to improve sales and financial performance
• Adjust the tone of the demands from Senior leadership, while developing solutions to address the concerns of upper management

The company achieves its objectives due to the passionate, insightful work of the managers and their teams. People recognize that they dodged a solar bullet and everything is fine until the next crisis.

When Senior Leadership sees the positive results; the reversal of negative trends, increased market share, they are pleased and complimentary. However, they are convinced that their firebombing directives caused the change. Senior leadership are prepared to reach for the flame thrower and use whatever draconian methods necessary to keep their organizations focused on reaching the results required to keep share holders happy. Therefore, with the next crisis they can be predicted to respond the same way, but with greater intensity.

A solution

If the practice of leaders in your organization is to respond the same way to every crisis, the objective should be to eliminate or minimize the number of crises. It is incumbent upon leaders to keep their teams always anticipating competitive and market pressures to prevent the initial crisis. Otherwise the fire drill will repeat itself and they may not be able to blunt the impact and consequences. This will require a change in mindset at all levels of the organization.

All leaders, including middle managers should control the area within their jurisdiction. They should;

• Ensure that their people exceed their stretch goals
• Conduct simulations and “What if” drills to anticipate competitive responses
• Develop a “What else” mindset directed toward other things they should do to tackle or prevent a problem. This mindset will also help generate and evaluate alternative solutions
• Monitor competitive activities
• Ensure that customers are steadily assessed and surveyed to determine their level of satisfaction
• Highly value customer service and customer surveillance as a high priority to provide the kind of market intelligence needed to make better decisions

Leadership needs to construct an environment of innovation and a culture that inspires people to give their best and offer solutions with fear of reprisal and ridicule. Trust and respect will go a long way toward eliminating a culture of fear and intimidation and ultimately produce the ideas and innovations needed to exceed objections.

The ozone layer should be a part of the corporate culture. This will prevent the untoward effects of leadership striking the panic button and forgetting everything they learned about motivating people and driving behavior. Or it will ensure that local measures are put in place to achieve the objectives of senior leaders without torching and scorching the very people responsible for correcting the problems and creating the solutions.

The Company is last – Sacrificed for personal gain – Part 2 of 2

June 4, 2013 ~ Orlando Ceaser

Team

The third dimension uses the team as a factor in selecting talent. Who can work with the team or who is best to lead the team? Blind obligation to the protégé has allowed the wrong person to be hired to manage a team. Incompetent managers destroy a team by firing or chasing away strong talent. So, it is important to wisely consider the impact of a new person on the team. One manager was complemented and received accolades / rave reviews for clearing out the alleged deadwood in his new District. The entire team of nine people could not have been dead weight, especially when some were recently star performers in national contests.

Individuals who hire or promote properly with the team in mind, ultimately make decisions that benefit team and company. If a team is lacking a certain skill set, it is prudent to hire and bring that into the group. The rationale of helping the team function stronger to reach their objectives is an outstanding method of managing / leading the team. It is also, prudent to train appropriate people with the aptitude on the team, to develop these skills.

There are countless examples of high performing teams receiving a new manager. The team performance plummeted when the new person arrived. This happens in sports and in business. The ability of the leader to bring out the best is a talent that should not be undervalued.

Larry Brown, the professional basketball coach was a phenomenal teacher. When he was give a team with young eager players who wanted to learn the basics of professional basketball he excelled. When given a team of veterans his results were not as spectacular. The veterans would view him as a micromanager and his constant instruction was not well accepted. Superstars will blossom in a different system, with a coach who knows how to appropriately challenge them.

If a manager is hired who does not use the right style the team does not develop to its potential and the team and the organization suffers. Regardless of the talent, considering who is best for the team is a valuable tactic in accelerating results. So often we expect the team to conform to the manager or else leave the organization, but it may be wise to hire the manager to match the talent or the team.

Conversely, managers have declined to hire the right person because members of the team were biased in giving feedback about the candidate. Men have said no to women candidates because it might change the culture of their team, especially their meetings. Generation X and Generation Y at a stage of their development were viewed in a negative light. Incumbents felt threatened by their perceived technological advantage and being low on experience, otherwise known as wet behind the ears.

Minorities have been denied access to teams because the manager did not think they would fit in well. A manager has to be mindful in making decisions that are good for the team, but not at the expense of the company’s competitive positive in the marketplace.

Organization

The fourth perspective is who is best for the organization. This should weigh heavily on the minds of the managers / leaders. After all, the company is the reason for selecting talent in order to serve the needs of their clients. This is a prime area where the business case for diversity plays an important role.

Diversity of thought, ideas and perspectives are a valuable asset to any organization. Diversity of age, race, ethnicity and gender are excellent surrogates for diversity of thought. People are different, with different interests and influences which gives them a different perspective. This is vitally important in solving problems in a new way.

If a manager is insecure, they may not like to be questioned, so they use an autocratic, “because I said so style.” They view questions as challenges and may squelch, denigrate or punish those who do not abide by the status quo. She understands the status quo. They view those who persistently question as trouble makers and traitors to the rich tradition of the group.

New managers are prone to this since they have not developed confidence in their competence. Veteran managers are not immune to this predicament for they may feel authority is being threatened, when they are questioned. A company is held hostage if these practices diminish or stymie creative expression. Innovation is necessary to survive in a competitive environment, where similar or superior products are vying for the client’s attention and business.

In a global market place, ripe with generational variation and ethnic/racial diversity, organizations that display this richness may be poised to attract and retain talent and business.

A competitive advantage can be gained by expressing cultural awareness and competency in a business setting. Sometimes you don’t want to be at a competitive disadvantage by a lack of diversity, especially if the competition is portrayed as having better managers.

The four perspectives should be considered in decision making. A manager might focus on the first two steps at their peril. The team and the organization become secondary and morale and the monetary consequences are detrimental to the business. Managers must be held accountable for decisions, so that they ultimately benefit the organization and the shareholders.

An over reliance on steps one and two manifest itself in poor morale, lower employee engagement scores on internal surveys and higher turnover rates. Individuals may not apply to your company, nor interview for a position, or join your company if they find out you have a poor reputation for employee development or have a toxic climate. Candidates are very astute in their research. A manager questioned extensively by a candidate to make sure she was applying for the current manager, rather than the correct territory. She had heard about a particular manager’s harsh management style and she wanted to avoid him.

Focus on the protégé only has enabled incompetence to destroy many teams, lose customers and increased the number of lawsuits for harassment and discrimination. Team focus should not be heavily focused on maintaining the status quo if it has become stagnant and inflexible.

Candidates have gone to other companies and employees quit to join the competition because of a toxic climate and the manager’s insistence to hire and stay with a manager exhibiting pernicious managerial malpractice.

Consider the competition and how they utilize the four perspectives. Do they make decisions based on team and organizational benefits? Are they stuck in personal benefits and rewarding the protégés? Are their decisions for the business, such as minimal customer interruptions, more veteran representatives, competent management to develop the people and the business.

When discussing hiring and promotion decisions with managers, ask the following questions; “How does the person benefit the team and the organization? What skills are they bringing forth that match the needs of the team and what strategy did they disclose that shows an understanding of working to bring out the talents of a diverse team of employees. You really need to know how they are uniquely qualified to add significantly to the bottom line and what in their past or their interview comments convinced you that they are the best person for the job.

The Company is last – Sacrificed for personal gain – Part 1of 2

May 30, 2013 ~ Orlando Ceaser

Managers are hired to grow the organization, protect Company interests, steward its resources and provide value to share holders / stake holders. They achieve this by making decisions that benefit themselves personally, individuals they like, their team or the overall organization. When these decisions are made for the right reasons, everyone wins.

Some people treat Company interests as a latter option. They disregard their primary responsibility and make decisions that may harm the corporation in the long run. This mindset is present in people of power, whether serving as a manager, coach, or politician. My focus for this article will be on those serving as a manager or leader.

These individuals in question view resources, influence and assets as their private property. They selfishly make decisions to stroke their personal egos, enrich their bank accounts and advance their personal careers and the careers of their minions.

Let us discuss the decision making practices of many managers when selecting candidates for hire or promotion as an example of this behavior. There are four perspectives and the company may be last. The four perspectives are:

• Personal
• Protégé
• Team
• Organization

Personal

The personal perspective is highly visible in selecting talent. Manager’s with this dominant mode will hire and promote in their image. The candidate reminds them of themselves when they were that age. Also, they have attributes that remind them of someone they admire. Managers select people based on comfort, familiarity and personal identification. They can relate to the attributes shared in common. They feel the person has the potential to do well and they may personally receive accolades for hiring / promoting such a fine talent.

These opportunities are often blatant examples of nepotism because these individuals are in the same club, group, fraternity, sorority or ethnic or racial group. The person is elevated in stature due to an affiliation of some sorts. The candidate presumably has the qualifications, but affiliation or identification on some level compels them to advocate their candidacy.

The idea of reciprocity comes to mind. Someday the person may repay the favor and help them in some manner. The manager may offer the job to a friend of a friend or the referral of a very important person. The concept is to place the job in the hands of someone who owes them and may pay dividends in the future. There is hope that someone will be grateful for this act of generosity and show their gratitude at the appropriate moment with the appropriate stipend.

The personal focus of this perspective is also evident in their daily practices. A person gains accolades for developing a new program. Mind you, a recently introduced program was not given an adequate chance to work. They therefore, convinced the company to make a make a large financial investment in their new program. They do not want credit for implementing someone’s program, so they develop their own. If this happens frequently, it does not allow the company to establish their brand identity due to the revolving door of new managers with new programs to fit their personal agendas.

The perceived personal benefit is the driving force behind their actions. The manager in this mindset is hiring for personal gain, image and reputation. They are executing their job with a short term personal focus on their career. They will duplicate expenditures; make poor decisions and institute practices that may actually cost the company more money, time and resources.

Protégé

People immersed in the protégé mindset are influenced by what is best for the candidate, rather than the company. These candidates may be worthy people, with a compelling story. The manager feels an obligation to help them complete their story, by making the path easier or more open for them. The manager wants to accelerate the person’s learning curve, but the effect may be catastrophic for the corporate culture.

People are placed on a fast track program. They are placed on a short term basis in a series of departments to give them exposure to the company quickly. This allows the person to check off a box that they have experience in various disciplines. The concept makes sense, but they are never in one department long enough to fully understand how it works. Additionally, they are not there long enough to have an impact on the business and to make a significant contribution. They are viewed as lame ducks or worse, someone passing through on their way to the top with an opportunity reserved for a select few.

The protégé mindset espouses that potential will eventually lead to qualifications, but there is collateral damage when following this approach.

In this category, someone may get a job because of who they know, influence plays a role in their hiring or promotion. Patronage and favoritism are focused on the person who may become the protégé.

When there are problems with the protégé, the hiring managers becomes protective, since they are responsible for the hire. They take it personally and defend the new person. They are prone to ignore criticism, justify the poor performance by blaming others and circumstances. They will castigate the messengers who bring bad news about poor performance, regarding their hiring / promotional choice.

The protégé mindset is replete with hiring friends and family members. The CEO of a Charter School was reprimanded when they found many of his family members on the company payroll in key positions. City governments are notorious for this practice.

Managing Up – Part 2 (The Manager’s Perspective)

March 12, 2013 ~ Orlando Ceaser

Managers can recount individuals and situations where they felt employees did an excellent job of managing up. The person did not seem manipulative, arrogant or self-centered regarding their career. They demonstrated many of the attributes mentioned earlier in the “Do” category and did not participate in the “Don’t” area at all. Many times they shared similar interests, but were not clones or mini me’s from the Austin Powers movie. They direct reports contained some of the following qualities;

Brought something intriguing to the table, with special qualities or contributions
Provided information about the job, concerning the workplace and on the industry
Reliable and could be counted on to follow through on assignments
Performed their jobs well, exceeding expectations
Took an interest in the manager’s job
Make the manager and the team look good, drawing rave reviews from many in senior leadership
Authentic in their approach to the job and their clients
Could be trusted to tell the truth regardless of the consequence

The manager is the manager because they like to get things accomplished. They are aware that some people are inauthentic in relating to them. Because the manager has input into hiring, performance reviews, compensation and terminations, employees tend to be guarded even when they have an open door policy. Many employees genuinely stated their opinions and intentions, whereas others are playing games, telling a manager what they think they want to hear, to win praise and recognition.

The Know System™ for decision-making was featured in the book, The Isle of Knowledge (available on http://www.amazon.com). The Isle of Knowledge is a fable set in the South Pacific with the hero on a journey of enlightenment, to better decisions. He is mesmerized by the journey and the inhabitants on his quest to ask the right questions to make better decisions. The Isle of Knowledge contains a methodology to help people manage up in an easy to follow series of questions.

The Know System is based on the word Know. If you use the four letters in the word Know you will have a system to gather information. Take out a sheet of paper or your computer, smart phone or tablet. Write Know at the top of the page or screen. Begin writing the words that come to mind. Be generous with the rules, but only use the letters from Know. You will arrive at the following words that are useful for this exercise;

Know, Won, Now, No, On, Own, OK, Ow, Wo, Wok, KO

Know

A skillful employee will start off asking questions to learn about themselves (self-awareness) and their manager. What do they know and what do they need to know? They may use Who, What, Where, Why, When and How to gather the information they need on personal and manager goals, values and interests. Who can give them information on the manager when they are conducting their interviews to learn about the manager’s habits and history?

Won

Self awareness will give them their goals and objectives. If they managed up effectively, what would their world look like? How would they feel, what would they gain from it? How can they make it a win / win where the individual and manager’s goals are reached?

Now

What are they doing now to manage up? Are their techniques the right ones? Are their techniques consistent with their goals? Are there aspects of their performance and personality that are forming a barrier? Are they operating with the right priorities and set of objectives?

We recognize there are some things they must remove from their activity list. They must say ‘No” to some things. They cannot say yes to everything and reach their goals. They may reach burnout unless guidelines are put in place. There are sections that are frowned upon by your manager; you may feel it is advantageous to be on the same wavelength. There are procedures you have said yes to that requires a change of heart and direction.

You must be on at all times. Authenticity is required as we stated earlier, but you must also be persistent and consistent. When you are on message, on target and on fire, you create a barrier to ward off those elements that try to distract you. There are negative people who will try to bring you down as well as your manager; you need to make sure you don’t inadvertently toss your manager under the bus.

Own

You will be held accountable for your actions. You are responsible for your career and your daily performance. The relationship with the manager is largely up to you. If you adopt this mindset, you will take the necessary steps to make it a success.

OK, Ow & Wo

If you are doing a poor job at managing up, this Ok performance is not satisfactory in the long-term. Jim Collins in his book Good to Great said “Good is the enemy of excellence.’ If good is the enemy, Ok cannot be far behind. The only time Ok is satisfactory is on a checklist. If you have a list of the areas you want to cover, to manage up effectively, OK will work marvelously, as a confirmation that an item is completed.

Ow is the sound we make when we are in pain. Sometimes pain says we are doing the wrong thing or we are doing the thing wrong. Pain also is the discomfort we go through anytime we do something different or we change. Some of the strategies in managing up maybe new and difficult and the awkward nature may seem painful. Soon they will be a part of your repertoire and beneficial in helping you manage up.

Wo is the sound you hear when people want to slow down a horse. This can apply to us, if we are going too fast, implementing too many techniques. You may need to reduce the list to a manageable number of actions and only add when you mastered a few at a time.

Wok

Sometimes you have to stir things up a bit when you institute variety and change. Just because you have always acted a certain way does not mean that you always have to act that way. Variety is the spice of life and makes flexibility a breath of fresh air. Innovative techniques are ways to endear you to a manager and become an indispensable part of her inner circle.

If you are not successful at managing up, it is safe to say, your failure could knock you out of the running for whatever goal you want to accomplish.

Managing up is a skill set that is built on relationships and high performance. You may institute many of these practices and still not be invited into the manager’s inner circle. You may try them and the relationship with your manager is still distant and cold, but it is your responsibility to make every effort to make this work. The manager has a lot of power and influence over many aspects of your career. You can make a difference in showing them you are an indispensable member of the team, who rallies to make them look good, has their back and able to help them achieve their goals and objectives.