At this point in my career I find them laughable. You can see them coming a mile away. They strut around the organization with such arrogance...um, I mean, confidence...that most employees don't take them seriously anymore.
The sad part is they have no idea they have become a caricature of their former self. They are a running joke, not a leader to be taken seriously.
Stop It...Please
Most leaders landed in their jobs the old fashioned way. They studied hard, worked even harder, and earned their opportunity. Some may have been promoted too soon, and others a bit too late. Regardless of the timing, they have a tremendous responsibility ahead of them.
Yet...somehow their sense of self over powers that early hunger that forged their career path. They act as if the employees should be so excited and grateful just to see them!
Are you kidding me? Sure, some executives cling to their humble roots and create environments where all employees recognize they are just people. But, alas, so many others lose their way and believe they are the reason for the company's success.
Epic. Public. Fail.
Give Me Three Steps
I firmly believe there are three steps that can help executives move from zero to hero, but they require discipline. Massive amounts of discipline.
Step 1
Admit you don't know NEARLY as much as you think you do. Guess who does? Your team on the front line. Close your mouth and start listening to them. Your sheltered executive world is not in synch with reality.
Step 2
Recognize the responsibility you have to lead through turbulent times. Every organization experiences the ups and downs of the business world. When times are stressful, full of change, and rife with anxiety, it is your job to be calm, and honest and direct. Do not hide behind a spreadsheet in a fancy conference room. Communicate far more than you think is necessary.
Step 3
Get the hell out of your office and visit with the team. Do not bring a slide deck, do not spread a message, and please do not attempt to spin every little phrase into an over scrubbed empty promise.
Just be with them.
Your credibility will increase far faster than the next big memo you're so excited about sending to everyone.
How About You
The next time you feel a little (or a lot!) full of yourself, cancel your next meeting, and go spend time listening to the team.
It might turn out that you learn something and actually make a real difference for the people who are relying on you to lead the way.
I'd love to hear from you.
No Excuses.
I think a whole bunch of leaders are scared to do their jobs. I'm serious. The pressure of leading in today's world is scary even for those of us that have been leading for a long time. What are they afraid of? Well, it's actually more like who? It's not their boss, or their customers, or their vendor partners.
They're afraid of their employees.
Myth #1 - Leaders Are Too Busy
Newsflash! Everyone is busy! When leaders try to explain to the team that the reason they are unavailable is they're too busy it is embarrassing. Guess what? Your employees are busy too! Those lame excuses don't cut in 2015. (heck, they didn't cut it in 1915 for that matter)
The cop out strategy that leaders have used for years is the open door policy. Ha! Fail again! This ancient approach was designed for the sole convenience and power of the leader. Think about it...
"Welcome to my office, the one your coworkers just watched you come in to and close the door to speak with me. I'll be here behind my big desk reinforcing that I have all the power. Thank you making me feel better about myself."
Open doors are only good for one thing...walking out of them. When we stop thinking about our own convenience, and begin to place the employees above ourselves we will finally learn what it means to have an engaged workforce. Until that time, we will be trapped in a never ending cycle of corporate spin that isn't fooling anyone.
Myth #2 - Leaders Are Good Communicators
Consider the biggest time killer on every leader's calendar. Meetings. Don't tell me it's focusing on customers, or employees, or the competition. Meetings dominate life. If we're going to break the cycle of dominance that meetings play in the modern world of work, effective leaders will need to schedule time to use the open door policy the way it was intended.
Get off your butt...walk out the door...and start talking to your team members. Really talk with them. Don't parade around as if their life is changing because you've stopped by. They don't care about you that much.
They want leaders who will genuinely listen.
They want leaders who will follow up.
They want leaders who will invest the time to understand what is really happening.
They want leaders who will make decisions to make their work life better.
How About You
Are you comfortable walking the halls of your company? What about the hot spots in your organization? By the way, you have them whether you want to hide in your office and make excuses or not. Get moving...start leading...and make a difference.
I'd love to hear from you.
No Excuses.
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I'm willing to bet you spend so much time dealing with the pressure of your job and feeding the ravenous executive corporate culture machine, that you don't spend much time with the front line staff.
You remember them, right? They're the ones you pass in the hall while your hustling to your next meeting to join the same group of leaders who were in your last meeting.
People First
A year before I left my last organization I decided to try a different approach to connecting with the front line team. I scheduled an hour each month (not a lot of time) to shadow someone. I didn't want the department manager in tow, and I didn't want to sit in a conference room hearing a presentation about the work that was done.
I've worked in hospitals for twenty years, I'm very comfortable on the units, being around patients, and certainly connecting with the staff.
At first the employees were a little skeptical. I think they either thought I was on some sort of secret monitoring mission; or I was about to pull out a powerpoint presentation and help them understand what they should think, feel, say and do.
You Second
It was new...I was the only non-clinical leader doing any sort of rounding like this...and it was spectacular. Once the concept sunk in that I was simply there to learn, the change in the employee's demeanor was obvious. Now they had the power. They could 'show off' what they knew, and I was full of questions. Genuine questions.
Suddenly the lens I saw the organization through did not include me. It didn't include my meetings, my email, task list, or the political minefields that plague every company.
I only had to do two things: listen and learn.
How About You
Do these phrases sound familiar: open door policy, management by walking around, employee engagement, blah, blah, blah. Words matter...if you back them up with action. If they're just tossed out into the universe they quickly become a distant echo.
When was the last time you turned words into action?
I'd love to hear from you.
No Excuses.
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Alarm goes off....hit the snooze button. Grab a shower, grab a coffee, and hit the road. "Good morning everyone." Power up the computer...check the Inbox...review today's calendar and task list. Up and out of your office to round on your employees...the organization's employees...your customers. No big deal...off to a meeting.
Just another day, right? No big deal. Guess what, it's a big deal. Every time you interact with your team, your employees, your customers, is a very big deal. Don't mess it up.
I Don't Feel Any Different
Of course you don't. You're not supposed to, and that's the beauty of leadership. You didn't get this job because you suddenly woke up one day, hit the snooze button and *poof* you morphed into someone else. You were hired to be you. Here's the rub... everyone is watching. Your staff, your organization's employees, your superiors...and that person in the mirror. You are the example. You set the tone. You drive accountability...and so do I. Is that too much to worry about? If so, get out of your job today. You don't deserve to lead. If however you think you have an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of your employees and your organization, hang in there. It's hard to lead; it's supposed to be.
You're Not Alone
One of the things that strikes me about leaders is that they think they are alone trying to figure all of this out. Nothing could be further from the truth. They have resources to help in their organization, their community, and through social media. For example, you all have me to reach out to any time you need me. That's what colleagues do...they step up...just like you do for me.
How About You
Do you realize the power you have when you walk by a group of employees in the hall and don't acknowledge them? What do they think? What happens when you greet everyone...what do you think the employees say about you? Don't kid yourself...they are talking about you because you have the power. It really is a big deal.
I'd love to hear from you.
No Excuses.
pic courtesy of syd
Success. Big title, big office, big responsibility. Leaders must be really important. I mean, just walking through the front door each day is an event, right? A busy calendar, lots of issues, big important bureaucratic list of stuff to accomplish.
Yeah, right.
When was the last time you walked down the hall and the employees acknowledged you by name. I don't mean the hallway that your office is located. When was the last time you rounded on the employees for an hour and everywhere you went someone greeted you with a smile and said your name?
Rounding on employees is not a power-walk-drive-by moment. That's called cowardice. Stop and talk, ask what's going on in their world, offer to support them. It's called leadership.
How About You
Are you going to spend some time out of your office today with the people that make your organization go? Or, are you going to find a lame excuse to hide behind your desk -- again. The employees deserve your time, and you'll learn something you didn't know when you started your day.
Oh, and remember to introduce yourself. They might not recognize who you are the first time.
I'd love to hear from you.
No Excuses.
pic courtesy of NBF
Get the hell out of your office and visit with the team. Do not bring a slide deck, do not spread a message, and please do not attempt to spin every little phrase into an over scrubbed empty promise.
