Tuesday, January 31, 2012

A Super Bowl of an Idea: How about dialing back a bit on the sports metaphors?

The Super Bowl is almost here- just a few days away. You can barely turn on the radio or read an article without some reference to the GAME OF GAMES. A rematch of the nail-biting 2008 Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants in which the Giants ruined the Patriots’ dreams of an undefeated season in the final seconds.

It’s also the start of a new year and managers everywhere are giving their employees pep talks about the challenge ahead and the goals in front of them. Often these managers – particularly those who are men – resort to sports metaphors – especially football for some reason – to describe the challenge. Any of these sound familiar?

• It’s a new game
• If we are going to beat the competition, we need to play like a team
• We’re going to have to throw a Hail Mary pass
• Lets’ win this one
• I want to see some home runs from this team
• We’ve got to level the playing field
• I am going to call an audible. The current game plan is not working.
• I need you to bring you’re A-game, if you’re going to be one of our all stars.
• We’re in trouble, team. It’s 4^th and long and it’s late in the fourth quarter
• If we all give it 110%, soon we’ll be doing our victory lap.

Barely a day goes by we don’t hear someone (including, perhaps ourselves) uttering some hackneyed sports metaphor to describe a challenge, a crisis, an opportunity or other business situation. Often times used to rally the team, these sports metaphors may resonate with the football fanatic on “the team”. But all too often they can be an unconscious way of excluding members of your work group who don’t have the same obsession with sports. Using a sports metaphor now and then is quite reasonable. And it can be an easy shorthand way to telegraph your meaning.

But be careful not to go overboard with your sports metaphors. For a large portion of the population – of both genders – the overuse of sports terminology and metaphors to emphasize a point or motivate the work unit can have just exactly the opposite effect. It can cause some employees to feel like they are not a part of the group and it can create an unintended distance between them and the person who is over-reliant on these expressions.

So the next time you’re about to pump up the troops with a tired, overused sports cliché, just remember that not everybody wants to hear you proclaim, “Let’s win this one for the Gipper. What do you say?” I say, no thank you.

Posted by Tim Jones at 1:24 pm

Labels: communication  

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Monday, January 9, 2012

Book Signing, Work Signing

 

This weekend a neighbor hosts a book signing party for his recently published mystery. The book signing is a rite of passage, a public testimony to accomplishment (along with an opportunity to market and sell books), and an opportunity to tell the world “I did it!” when you sign your work with a flourish. Now you can claim bragging rights. You did yourself proud. You can take a bow. 

Can you do the same with the work-at-work you do each day? Can you sign it with a flourish? Is your work something you want to brag about to the world? How would the world review your efforts? Are you glad they’re critiqued in private or disappointed you don’t get written up in Publisher’s Weekly?   

As demands increase exponentially by the nanosecond, we scurry to meet deadlines and hustle to respond to requests. It’s easy to forgo double-checking and proofreading in favor of expediency. Our words sometimes read like nonsensical rhymes, fairy tales that drift away in clouds of confusion. 

And then we have to rework and restate, maybe apologize, maybe hire a lawyer. And we’re glad we didn’t have a signing party. And glad we didn’t brag because we didn’t really do ourselves proud.

Posted by Bernice Johnston at 3:35 pm

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Monday, January 2, 2012

New Year's Resolutions - they're not just for losing weight

It’s January, the month we’re all supposed to make resolutions for what we are going to do more of, less of, or be better at in the upcoming year. And that means it’s a full month before I look back and find that I have failed miserably on most counts.

Many of us make New Year’s resolutions about fitness, nutrition, or becoming a more patient parent. We make resolutions to spend more time with our kids, perhaps finally start work on some long-delayed home improvement project, or perhaps finally committing to read more books and watch less TV.

If you’re like most of us, you spend about half your waking hours (or more) between Monday and Friday at work. But how many of us take the time to think about resolutions to improve our “workplace selves”? So this year, before January slips past you, consider making some resolutions about how you show up at work and interact with the people with whom you spend so much of your time each week.

First rule about resolutions: Don’t make them so hard to adhere to that you give up after only a week or two  My 16-year old daughter, after having spent way too much money last year and saving very little, was intent on saving her money this year and resolved to not spend more than $30 a month. That’s a goal I know she cannot possibly stick with over time. So I counseled her to suggest saving HALF her chore money instead. Not nearly as lofty a goal, but one she is far more likely to be able to stick with over time. Similarly, don’t promise to “leave work by 5pm every day” if you have never come close to that target in the past.

I encourage you to think about making some work-related New Year’s Resolutions for yourself this year. What sorts of things can you adjust on the work front to make you more effective at work, experience more job satisfaction or perhaps simply more pleasure interacting with your work colleagues?

Here are just a few ideas to consider:

• Don’t try to resolve heated, emotionally charged problems over email. Resolve instead to pick up the phone or walk down the hall and talk these things out.
• Once a day, make a point to show appreciation for something another co-worker has done. It could be something they did that helped you, or perhaps something that helped out someone else on the team.
• Resolve not to immediately react with criticism or blame until you are certain you have all the facts as to what happened. It is entirely possible things are far more grey than they appear.
• Pledge to focus on solving problems or preventing them from happening again in the future rather than assigning blame.
• Commit to saying “I’m sorry” when you know blew it. And mean it. Saying sorry does not make you weak. It makes you human.
• Commit to certain blocks of time where you will NOT check your email. If you have a big project that is due tomorrow, consider blocking off time that no one is allowed to intrude upon – no phone calls, and no checking emails.
• On weekends, pledge that you will make at least one of those two days a Work “no fly zone” period where you do not check work emails or work on work-related projects. Everyone (yes, even you) needs time to truly re-charge their batteries.
• Promise to yourself to take a short walk during the day each day. If that’s not realistic, consider two days a week. But find time to clear your thoughts and get some fresh air. Some problems may become clearer after your walk is through.
• Be committed to asking other colleagues for their ideas more. Even if it has nothing to do with their area of responsibility. People love to be asked for their input. And you just may learn something you never considered. The best ideas often come from the most unexpected places. 

So tell me. What ideas do you have to improve how you experience your work, day in and day out? Don’t try to reinvent yourself overnight by coming up with a list of 20 things you must do all at the same time. Baby steps. Consider two or three things that are important to you – changes that will make you more effective, happier or more connected with the people you work with.

If everybody just did one or two things with a little more focused attention at improving the way they work and interact with others at work, the cumulative impact could be powerful.

Good luck coming up with whatever that small change might be – and sticking with it. I hope the New Year for you is one filled with success, fun and growth – both at work and outside of it.

Posted by Tim Jones at 7:27 pm

Labels: leadership  personal & career development  success factors  work challenges  

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Sunday, December 11, 2011

Now Is theTime

Client 1 wants to expand both her existing business and a promising product sputtering along in the slow lane. To do so, her management team needs to acquire new skills, both technical and leadership, to support these plans.

Client 2 wants to step away as the guide and facilitator in his company’s fledgling work on strategic planning. As the person wielding the marking pen and owning the flip chart, he believes he’s getting in the way of his team’s thinking, creativity, and free-wheeling idea generation he wants to encourage. With the plan as a critical path to the success he desires for his small company, he is intent on removing any obstacle that stands in the way – him, as he sees it, in this case.

Client 3 wants to move his company away from the family culture that has characterized it since its inception some ten years ago. As competition heats up and more astute customers seek out the best company to address their intimately personal needs, he recognizes that the easy-going style of the business will no longer serve the market. Shifting to a more structured design and professional approach the changing nature of the business demands without losing the personal touch must also accommodate the disparate viewpoints in the husband-wife partnership.

 As I met with each of these CEOs in the last month or so, several commonalities surfaced. They are focused on the future. They are successful now with no glaring need to change. They are building, not downsizing, nor digging themselves out of trouble. They are excited and passionate about what they want to accomplish.

To me, the most fascinating aspect of the conversations I had with each was the answer to my question: “Why now?” To a person, that answer was “Now is the time.” What a simple yet striking response. They’re optimistic, energized, and determined to take action.

Now is the time. I keep returning to this phrase as I close my year-end books, plan for 2012 both personally and professionally, and think more strategically about the future. Clients have been my foremost source of insight and learning over the decades and I’m delighted to add this phrase to my life today. Now is the time to tackle those pesky gremlins that hide in the corners daring me to fix them or throw them out. Now is the time for me to take action on those fragmented and dusty projects that will make my life immeasurably better and more satisfying but take a bit of effort.

And now is the time for me to wish you a razzle-dazzle finish to 2011 and a sensational 2012!  

 

           

 

           

Posted by Bernice Johnston at 11:49 am

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Monday, December 5, 2011

The Challenge of Keeping Your Highest-Potential Employees

Have you been watching the news lately? Just about every day there are signs that the economy is slowly rebounding. Housing starts are up. Unemployment is inching its way down (albeit at a glacial pace, it would seem). As the economy improves, employees often start brushing off their resumes and begin thinking about what’s on the other side of the fence.

Are you prepared to make sure your top employees don’t jump ship? What are you doing to make sure they are feeling well cared for and supported? A recent article in Chief Learning Officer magazine talks about ways to hold onto your top employee talent. In the article, How to Keep High-Potential Employees, by Ladan Nikravan in the November 16, 2011 issue of CLO, the author writes that the highest potential workers “consistently and significantly outperform their peer groups… exhibiting behaviors that reflect their companies’ values and illustrate a capacity to grow.”

According to a 2011 study by the American Management Association, less than one in four employers evaluated themselves as highly effective at retaining high-potential employees. “Identifying and developing future leaders is an imperative business function”, writes Nikravan, adding “but most companies don’t have formal high-potential programs geared toward identifying and developing their strongest employees.”

The challenge, says Nikravan, is for employers to find the right balance between the need to classify and develop high potentials and ensuring the rest of the workforce remains committed to the organization’s mission. Read the article to learn how smart employers are finding ways to make sure their superstars continue to grow and develop and retain their loyalty, even when things are starting to appear brighter on the other side of the fence.

Posted by Tim Jones at 3:59 pm

Labels: high potential  

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Tuesday, November 1, 2011

On the road to hiring, remember it’s a two-way street

In a soft economy it may not seem very important to ask about hiring issues. But the truth is that companies continue to hire during all sorts of economic conditions – even if only to replace workers who have decided to move on.

When you ask business executives what they look for in their ideal candidate, several criteria often come to the front of the line:

I’m looking for someone with experience.

They need to be able to communicate effectively and think on their feet

I want someone who will be a quick study and won’t require a lot of handholding

They need to be someone with lots of contacts in the industry (a common sales requirement)

It’s critical that they know how to manage their time and prioritize effectively

They need to have great attention to detail and be highly organized

Sound familiar? They are all very reasonable requirements. We use a variety of selection criteria to determine which candidate will be the best fit for our needs. But if you stop there, you’re missing a key part of the equation. Whenever you are looking to hire a new employee, don’t forget to ask yourself this important question: Is this job a good fit for the candidate?

Hiring is a two-way street. If you only focus on your needs as a hiring manager, and ignore whether this opportunity is a good fit for the employee, then even if they accept your offer, chances are high that when a better opportunity comes along, they’re gone with wind. The time and expense of recruiting a new hire is substantial. So the last thing you want to do is hire someone who is not really enthusiastic about the opportunity. In most cases (and yes, there are exceptions) you’re probably better to go without hiring at all than to hire someone for whom this job is a forced fit.

I always ask this question in every in-person interview as one of my final questions: After I have described the opportunity in detail, asked the candidate about their experiences, their goals, and their strengths, I will ask: On a 1-to-10 scale, with 1 being low and 10 being high, how excited are you about this opportunity, as you understand it? If they pause more than one second, that’s a red flag. A pause of more than two seconds and alarm bells should be going off in your head. If they give an answer below an 8.5, that’s another red flag. Any number below an 8 means DO NOT hire them.

From my experience, whatever number they give you is typically about 2 points above how they honestly feel about the opportunity. A response of 7 really means their interest level is probably more like a 5. The one exception is if they say “10”. I follow my 1-10 question by asking ask them why they gave the number they gave. This will give you great insights into how good a fit they see the opportunity as being for their needs. If they are truly excited about the opportunity, typically this will become abundantly obvious in their explanation. They will most likely be able to articulate several specific reasons why they see a strong fit. If they have to stretch for reasons, or if their explanation includes peripheral factors like “it seems like people here are nice”, be wary. This is a big warning sign that they are not really sold on this opportunity and may continue to look for a better opportunity – even if they accept your offer.

Bottom line: If you only focus on how close a fit the candidate is for your needs and fail to probe the other side of the equation, odds are you will be going through this process all over again a lot sooner than you had planned

Posted by Tim Jones at 7:55 pm

Labels: hiring  

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Thursday, October 6, 2011

Business Lessons and Life Lessons from Steve Jobs

Whether or not you have ever purchased a Mac computer, an iPod, an iPhone, an iPad or anything else that came from the visionary mind or Steve Jobs, few people would argue that Steve Jobs and his visionary way of thinking about technology forever changed the way millions of people throughout the world live their lives. His passing this past week marks our nation's loss of one of its greatest business leaders, inventors and thinkers. He is already being compared in the company of Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell. And with good reason. He brought the complex world of computing into our living rooms and kitchens and health clubs and schools. He forever changed our concept of what a phone can do, let alone a computer.

Forbes Magazine published an article this past week entitled The Top Ten Lessons Steve Jobs can teach us - If we'll listen. This is a wonderful read. Here are just a couple brief snippets of portions of these ten lessons:

3. Never fear failure – Jobs was fired by the successor he picked.  It was one of the most public embarrassments of the last 30 years in business.  Yet, he didn’t become a venture capitalist never to be heard from again.  He didn’t start a production company and do a lot of lunches.  He picked himself up and got back to work following his passion.

5. Listen to that voice in the back of your head that tells you if you’re on the right track or not – Most of us don’t hear a voice inside our heads.  We’ve simply decided that we’re going to work in finance or be a doctor because that’s what our parents told us we should do or because we wanted to make a lot of money.  When we consciously or unconsciously make that decision, we snuff out that little voice in our head.  From then on, most of us put it on automatic pilot.  We mail it in.

People like Steve Jobs come maybe once a generation. His passing marks a milestone in our nation's history for innovation and creativity. If you really want to be inspired, watch his speech to the 2005 graduating class of Stanford University.

Posted by Tim Jones at 10:44 pm

Labels: steve jobs  

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