Preston Leadership Blog

Open Mouth, Insert Foot

Who hasn't put his foot in his mouth? I know I have. This week a nice little reminder of the gravity of the situation at RIM came across my desk and I had to pass it along:

RIM’s Heins Quickly Lodges Foot in Mouth

New CEO drops a quote that will live in infamy

Jan 23, 2012, 1:38 pm EST   |   By Tom Taulli, InvestorPlace Writer

 If a company loses more than 70% of its value in less than a year, Wall Street usually cheers when a new CEO comes on board. But in the case of Research In Motion (NASDAQ:RIMM), things have not gone according to the playbook. The stock was down more than 6% Monday after RIM announced new leadership.

Then again, the new CEO — Thorsten Heins — seems to be a lackey of the former co-CEOs, Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis. Despite the fact that RIM is getting crushed by Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Google (NASDAQ:GOOG), Thorsten actually proclaimed, “I don’t think that there is a drastic change needed.”

Lots of leaders feel that they must fill every moment of silence with their own sweet voices. There are people who virtually never stop talking. I've railed about this before because it drives me bonkers.

Now, if everything they said was intriguing, insightful, visionary and witty, I could listen all day long. The problem is, I suppose, a difference of opinion. They must have thought their words were all those things, but alas I did not.

It's hard to listen for more than 10 minutes when the content is either full of minutia, scattered all over the place, or full of self-aggrandizing. 

Mr. Thorsten, the new CEO of RIM is either totally out of touch or allowed his mouth to continue after his brain stopped paying attention. No need for drastic change? Seriously?

Which Role Do You Play?

As we go about our busy lives, demands on our time and attention pull us in many different directions. We switch back and forth between various roles: executive, father, team member, coach, brother, colleague, etc. It happens continuously.

In the 90’s, my afternoon commute served as a transition period between my professional and personal lives. It wasn’t always easy, but listening to loud rock and roll in the car on the way to pick up my son from daycare seemed to help.

Imagine an actor in a play, switching costumes and characters several times during her performance. It’s difficult at first, but with practice she’s able to make the transitions quite smoothly. The audience marvels when she shows up on stage as a completely different character.

Our global, always-on business environment is teaching us to switch gears more quickly and eventually with less difficulty. But we shouldn’t leave behind the skills and perspectives we use in one role just because we switch to another.

For example, the negotiation skills we develop at work can be applied to other roles we play outside of work. But it doesn’t end there. We also have perspectives that can enhance a team’s ability to see situations from various angles they may not have considered. Relying on the team leader’s emotional intelligence to bring in outside perspectives is not enough.

Diversity in perspective is part of what makes a regular team a high-performance team. You may have a specific area of expertise but you also have valuable perspectives that others might not have. Bring them with you, but be ready to compromise.

The Feedback Generations

"Let me give you some feedback." That simple phrase often sets the stage for some degree of defensiveness. Most of us, without even realizing it, anticipate a need to defend ourselves when we hear those or similar words. The old fight or flight response kicks in - even when there is no physical threat.

But some of us handle feedback much better than others.  I've noticed that Generations X and Y (a.k.a "Millennials") are, in general, better at receiving feedback than Baby Boomers; and their future looks bright because of it. What can we learn from this?

They Start Young

We Baby Boomers take pride in our independence and self-sufficiency. Men in particular don't tend to ask for help until it's absolutely necessary.  Add to that your mother's advice: "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."

Politeness aside, the idea of giving constructive feedback is something many leaders struggle with regardless of their age or position in an organization.

But a large percentage of post-Baby Boomers grow up with experience on some kind of team. They are more accustomed to feedback and have always had convenient communication technology at their disposal. Virtually chatting with several friends simultaneously hasn't been commonplace for all that long. Some would argue that the proliferation of Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and even e-mail has led to social isolation, but I see it differently.

Requests for feedback and customer experience ratings have become ubiquitous. We are quickly learning about the power of perceptions and the value of viewpoints besides our own. Our always-on, Internet-connected society makes it incredibly easy to request, receive and provide feedback. Certainly there are issues as a result - such as the 'false courage' that plays out as nothing more than passive-aggressive disrespect, but thoughtful constructive feedback is a higher form of social interaction that ultimately serves the common good.

For Generations X and Y, giving feedback feels more like a social obligation. And receiving feedback is just the other side of the coin. We don't have to like it but we should certainly aim to get used to it.

By embracing an open channel of regular two-way feedback, leaders will be more accountable, more informed and more involved with their peers, subordinates and customers. Fortunately for future generations it will seem like old hat.
 
Social networking has connected and re-connected countless millions of people by methods not available only a short time ago. Many a formal and informal support group has been created, opening the floodgates of feedback and constructive criticism. But I hope that society as a whole learns how to give and receive feedback more appropriately (and consistently) in cyberspace. Chances are good that the leaders of tomorrow will have mastered it, and if so their own careers as well as those of the people who report to them will be well-served.

“We Could Do That So Much Better!”

How many times have you experienced bad service and said to yourself, your spouse or your friends, "we could do that so much better!" The truth is that we probably could, if we only had the resources, the experience, the opportunity and…most importantly, the drive. What's common to most lousy service is lack of drive.

What bothers me most, and should bother all leaders, is complacency. When people take their paycheck for granted, service always suffers. OK maybe you hate your job, and maybe you feel that you're underemployed, I get that. But that has absolutely nothing to do with the way you perform your responsibilities and serve your customers.

I was having lunch with some leaders from Green Lawn Fertilizing the other day when this very subject came up. Green Lawn has provided exemplary customer service to thousands of customers for many years. They know the difference between average service and exemplary service. How do they do it in a business that is very competitive and logistically demanding? They are simply driven by results, not effort.

Effort is fundamental to success, but it's not everything. Do your best and oftentimes you get the result you want, but sometimes you don't - and that's reality. Problems come in when leaders mistake activity (or effort) for results. It's tempting to be sure; Herculean efforts should not go unnoticed, but results are what should generate meaningful rewards. Acknowledging extra effort is not the same as rewarding results.

Examples abound. Let's say Jack is very tired after a long day on his feet dealing with customers who have been inconvenienced. Just before the end of his shift, an equally weary customer presents him with yet another tedious and challenging problem to solve. It takes every bit of his remaining energy (and some extra time) to provide the level of service he is expected (and paid) to provide.

Extra effort is expended and the customer is satisfied. It took a lot of effort for Jack at the time, but the result for the customer was not exceptional. Does he deserve special recognition for digging deep in his 11^th hour? No.

Now Sally encounters an equally challenging customer. She takes a minute to think about the problem and to see things from the customer's perspective. She expends some effort to do this and figures out the best way to thrill the customer. Not a lot of effort, but an optimal result. Reward? Yes! Does Jack feel somehow cheated? These days, perhaps, but he certainly was not.

As leaders, we should maintain our focus on results over effort every time. Employees who are great at their jobs may have learned to excel with nominal effort – good for them. Give them more challenges right away! But employees who toil away and expect recognition because of their struggles just deserve encouragement…not necessarily reward.

The Big Ask

We’ve all had to make a "Big Ask”.

You know, those (usually) rare times when you have to gather up the courage to ask someone for a big favor?

Our hearts race a bit. We rehearse it in our minds or in front of the mirror. The time arrives. Sometimes we chicken out; then we proceed to beat ourselves up – and promise to do it next time.

But sometimes there’s no “next time”; we’ve missed our opportunity!

High Expectations

There is a way to gauge whether you should make a Big Ask. Is what you’re asking for too much to expect? (I’m often inspired by songs and this one comes from a song by Mary Chapin Carpenter entitled, “Not Too Much to Ask” – she’s a great lyricist).

Let’s say you have to ask someone to travel to China on business for the third time, knowing that he didn’t relish the thought of going the first and second time. But he’s a star player and his presence at your Shanghai office is extremely effective – in fact no one else can accomplish what he can accomplish at that location. It’s a critical meeting with some big time decision makers – your star player is the right person to go.

But is it too much to expect?

Sometimes we must ask for things that ARE a lot to expect, but when is it too much? Leaders are often faced with the need to make a Big Ask. But courage is one thing that leadership is all about; courage to have high expectations and to follow through on them.

We shouldn’t be scared to make the Big Ask. We should ask confidently but with compassion. Acknowledge the sacrifice that will be required, and offer to do what you can to ease the inconvenience. I once knew a gifted leader who offered to have someone’s lawn mowed while he was away on an extended business trip.

It’s these small gestures that demonstrate (important concept) our compassion. He knew that the traveling employee took a great deal of pride in his meticulously groomed lawn and that he probably had no mowing backup for a two-week trip. It made the Big Ask more personal and the Big Ask itself easier.

There’s more you can do to make Big Asks easier - and more likely to get the Big O.K.  When is your Big Ask, too much to expect? I’ll write about that next time.

Henry Ford: A leader who (mostly) "got it"

"If there is any one secret of success, it lies in the ability to get the other person's point of view and see things from that person's angle as well as from your own."

-- Henry Ford

Henry Ford didn’t invent the automobile as some believe. What he did was to invent and refine mass production, making cars available to nearly anyone, which changed society forever. Did you know that 15 million Model T’s were built and sold worldwide?

For all his quirks, invasive HR policies, and downright deplorable social views, Mr. Ford employed a lot of progressive leadership ideas for his time.

The quote above essentially sums up the concept of emotional intelligence; which for leadership is a fundamental skill. Think you display emotional intelligence? Take this quick quiz to find out.

Why is emotional intelligence so important to successful leadership?

We will follow leaders who “get it”.  If, among other things, we believe that our leaders understand our point of view and will at least consider it, we are far more likely be influenced by them.  

Of course, emotional intelligence goes much further than this, but my point is that successful leaders think outside themselves. Those who strive to influence others (and all leaders do), work hard to understand things from as many points of view as possible.

It can be difficult to see things from a perspective different from our own. But this is just the kind of challenge that our most successful leaders employ on a daily basis.

Join my Facebook group for leaders who “get it” – your perspective would be valuable.

The Timing Chain

It’s funny to think about the chaos that would ensue without simple timekeeping. Humans invented time so that we could bring some organization into our lives - and synchronize gargantuan tasks that we simply can’t handle by ourselves.

Mastering the art of good timing is an elusive goal – it would seem that luck plays a disproportional part. But it doesn’t have to be that way. By keeping your focus on the right priorities and the end goal, good timing becomes intuitive.

Leadership isn’t ALL about timing but one could argue that sensitivity to good timing can separate the good from the great. Having the emotional intelligence to know when to push hard and when to defer to group dynamics is a learned skill.

When we don’t have the “luxury” of extra time, great leaders needn’t worry because their teams will always rise to the occasion. They trust us not to play games with their energy.

In an engine, timing refers to the synchronization of combustion with the movement of all 4, 6 or 8 cylinders to create a smooth flow of power to the wheels. Belts or chains serve to keep the engine's timing in order, but mess up the timing and the symphony turns into a scrum.

Thankfully, leadership is more forgiving, but again, good timing separates the good from the great.

I knew a leader who was so self-absorbed that he was frequently out of sequence with his team, much like “Michael” on The Office. Sadly, one of his long-term employees was notified of the sudden death of a relative and quite understandably left for the day in a hurry. The team was stunned and what had once been a jovial atmosphere immediately turned to virtual silence.

Blame it on bad timing or maybe a desire to “bring people through it” faster, the leader was too quick to start joking around. Rather than lighten the mood, he was seen as disrespectful of a beloved co-worker. What had once been suspected had now been confirmed: he was so out of touch.

Leaders can ill-afford to wait around until the time is right for every decision – in fact that would not be leading. But what we can do is use our emotional intelligence to think outside ourselves and respect that fact that not everyone experiences things the way we do. Are we so far removed from individual and team dynamics that we let haphazard judgments destroy our credibility in the blink of an eye?