Unaverage Leadership

Conversation ≠ Working

When you see people conversing in your company, what runs through your mind?  Is it conversation ≠ working or conversation = working?  The vast majority of owners and managers pick the ≠ versus =. 

They immediately assume that conversation relates to gossip, personal stories, joking around and lack of performance.  This could be true, but what if they are discussing issues that could result in a better bottom line performance.

How many times have you assumed the worst and waded into the situation to stop the nonsense?  If I am the employee who was trying to help the company and you chastise me for it, then you have encouraged me to move to useless conversation.  The assumption of wasted time can be the spark that triggers a negative behavior cycle.

Just imagine if your company made the assumption that conversation = working.  Everyone would be focused on having conversations that add value to the company.  We all know that this reality is unachievable, but striving for it creates a culture that drives bottom line performance.  It also encourages a culture of trust, respect, and innovation.

I would encourage you to quit assuming and begin an evaluation of the conversations in your company.  The results may shock you enough to initiate a cultural change.

Flickr photo by manueb

They immediately assume that conversation relates to gossip, personal stories, joking around and lack of performance.  This could be true, but what if they are discussing issues that could result in a better bottom line performance.

How many times have you assumed the worst and waded into the situation to stop the nonsense?  If I am the employee who was trying to help the company and you chastise me for it, then you have encouraged me to move to useless conversation.  The assumption of wasted time can be the spark that triggers a negative behavior cycle.

Just imagine if your company made the assumption that conversation = working.  Everyone would be focused on having conversations that add value to the company.  We all know that this reality is unachievable, but striving for it creates a culture that drives bottom line performance.  It also encourages a culture of trust, respect, and innovation.

I would encourage you to quit assuming and begin an evaluation of the conversations in your company.  The results may shock you enough to initiate a cultural change.

Flickr photo by manueb

They immediately assume that conversation relates to gossip, personal stories, joking around and lack of performance.  This could be true, but what if they are discussing issues that could result in a better bottom line performance.

How many times have you assumed the worst and waded into the situation to stop the nonsense?  If I am the employee who was trying to help the company and you chastise me for it, then you have encouraged me to move to useless conversation.  The assumption of wasted time can be the spark that triggers a negative behavior cycle.

Just imagine if your company made the assumption that conversation = working.  Everyone would be focused on having conversations that add value to the company.  We all know that this reality is unachievable, but striving for it creates a culture that drives bottom line performance.  It also encourages a culture of trust, respect, and innovation.

I would encourage you to quit assuming and begin an evaluation of the conversations in your company.  The results may shock you enough to initiate a cultural change.

Flickr photo by manueb

Mission Statement Blues

Picture this - you're on stage ready to share with the world why your company is so great.  The lights go on, the curtain is raised and the first thing that happens is this question - What is your company's mission statement?  It seems to be an impossible request.

Sadly, most of us really have no clue what our company mission statement is.  Even more depressing, it is not the fault of the employee or manager.  It is up to the leadership of the organization to initiate a process that makes a mission statement meaningful.

I know people that make thousands of dollars helping companies develop their mission statement.  The board, management, or key people spend days developing it and walk out of the session feeling that they have accomplished something phenomenal. 

Sometimes it is simple, others take pages, but the common problem is that the mission statement does not connect with employees.  In many cases these mission statements add to the resentment that employees feel towards the organization.

I do believe that mission statements can be valuable, but you need to do your homework and you must live the mission in your organization.  Words are cheap, actions are truths.  Is your mission statement based on words or actions?  I hope you choose action.

Flickr photo by Brian Indrelunas

Forget The Ratings

  Do you dread the annual performance review process in your company?  If you do, I guarantee your employees do also. 

I would also venture to say that most companies use some form of  ratings scale in their performance reviews.  Why?  The common response is that is takes out the subjectivity and makes things measurable.  Well I am sorry to report that subjectivity remains. 

Who truly decides if someone is a 1 vs. 10, low vs. high, exceeds vs. does not meet - the employee, the supervisor, or human resources. 

If you boil it all down, it is all subjective.  I may be above average today, but if you hire talented employees I may soon be average.  The key is that I did not change, so why am I now average vs. above average?  See how subjectivity enters the equation?

I would encourage you to dump your ratings systems and think about implementing a system that encourages dialogue between employees and their supervisors. 

Imagine starting the review process with a question instead of laying down a ratings sheet.  I have experienced both and I can tell you with confidence that rating scales do not work.  Creating a dialogue that is meaningful does work.  If you do not believe me, check out this great site on performance reviews.

Performance reviews should be driving individual growth and performance, which then feeds company growth and performance.  The companies where employees and supervisors look forward to performance reviews, are the companies that are the leaders in their industries.

Flickr photo by joshhikes

Governance - Which Way Will You Go?

In today's complex world, the structure of your corporate governance is critical.  How your board of directors, officers, and trustees provide checks and balances is extremely important to the success of your company.  If you do not think this is true, remember the Enron and WorldCom disasters.  These examples of poor governance forced the passage of Sarbanes-Oxley.  This act was our governments reaction to help prevent the financial disaster that the employees of Enron and WorldCom experienced.

What direction is your company headed?  Have you given thought to your corporate governance structure? If all of your governance is centered in one person, you may want to change this.  The decision making process will always get better results in a group versus an individual.  You may want to consider adding non-family members or non-officers to your governance structure.  Even better, bring in outside experience from areas that can add value to your company.

Letting go of the reins can be scary, but mixing up your governance structure can restart the growth of a company and spread the burden of corporate success.

Flickr photo by Delares (Eliud Martinez)

Fear Fear

It is unfortunate that are so many people driven by fear.  Fear of job loss, rejection, success, public speaking, being overweight, spiders, snakes, love - the list is endless.  With every fear that we have, we miss opportunities for growth, change, and knowledge.

Take a minute and write down your own personal fears.  I am sure that this is something that 99% of us have never taken the time to do.  Now look at that list and ask yourself why you have not taken the initiative to overcome those fears.  Do you not like your answers?  Have you come to grips with those fears?  Is this making you uncomfortable?

Now take that discomfort and multiply it by the number of people in your organization that are experiencing fear due to the culture you have created.  I would venture to say that you have never asked the question of your employees, since it is highly likely that you have not asked yourself this question.

You should fear fear in your organization.  Fear is what holds back the true potential in your organization.

Flickr photo be Seetwist

Welcome To The Microscope

As a leader in your company, do understand that you are under the microscope at all times?  Yes, I mean at all times.  Any time someone in your organization can see, hear, or smell you - the mircoscope is on. 

You are being analyzed for flaws, consistency, honesty, ethics, integrity, and even if you are worthy of the position you hold.  I am sorry to say that there are too many leaders that are clueless to what I just said.  They have let ego and power pollute their leadership.

These polluted leaders are the ones that criticize their employees, down grade them, play games, and complain about how everyone in the company takes advantage of them and the company.  Soon they are always complaining about everyone and no one measures up.

Then when they try to initiate culture change, they wonder why it does not work.  If you want change, then as a leader you better know and understand the cultural microscope you are under.  It all starts with you.  You must exemplify what you are trying to achieve or change.  When you start to get it, then so will those you lead. 

Flickr photo by DarkMark

The Blessed Word - Forgive

I am sure you know people who live in the past.  A victim of circumstance, heredity, society, work, or some other significant event in life.  You feel for the story the first, second,and maybe even the third time, but at some point you start to mutter to yourself get over it.  Take ownership and get on with your life and quit dragging me down.

In your work place do you have victims or owners?  If your culture embraces forgiveness, I would bet you have owners not victims.  The type of employee that steps up to their mistakes, understands that business is not easy, and they live their life in charge of it, fully owning it.

As an owner or manager of a business, do you portray the victim or the owner?  Do you forgive the mistakes of your employees or do you act the victim and never let them forget?  Remember you set the stage at your company.

Forgiveness is not easy at first, but over time and practice it is amazing how it will free the spirit and open new doors.  Forgiveness is not for public display, it comes from deep within your private self.  That is where true forgiveness shines and when your actions start to match the forgiveness given.  This is when the individual changes, and therefore organizations begin to change.  Forgive today and watch the results of this blessed word. 

Flickr photo by yching626

A Two Year's Old Attitude

Why?

The favorite question of a two year old.  Why? The question that gets many employees in trouble.

We tolerate a two-year old's why attitude because we understand they are learning and figuring out how the world works.  In many companies there is no toleration for the why attitude - just do what you are instructed to do.  The best why answer we love - "Because we have always done that way".  I do not know about you, but that answer to my why raises the hair on my neck and I am ready to throttle someone. 

The new employee asks why when they first come aboard. Just like a two year old, they are trying to figure out their job and how they fit into the organization. So why is why so wrong? 

I know I have heard managers and owners ask why their employees do not work harder or why they do not appreciate everything they have done for them.  Why is it O.K. for them to ask why?  Hold On! - a classic line - we should be making more money I just do not understand why we are not.

I firmly believe if organizations and individuals stepped up to the question of why and made it safe, unbelievable things would happen.  So why are you waiting?  Why not try it?

Flickr photo by Jeanette LaBlanc

The Cost Balance

Do you get tired of employees asking for more money and not appreciating everything that your company does for them?  No matter how you balance the package it is never enough.  It can keep you up at night, and it can also start to distort your view of your employees.  You may start to criticize the performance of all employees, even your stars, because of the frustration.

The cost of an employee is expensive and in many cases employees have no idea what the true costs are.  They may fail to realize or remember that wages are just part of the picture.  They forget about taxes, the different kind of insurances that may be offered, retirement benefits, vacation, sick leave, holidays, and many other costs that companies cover for their employees.

This is not a new or novel idea in the business world, but bringing it up for those who have not heard of it has merit.  You may want to consider a yearly statement that is handed out to your employees that reflects all of these costs.  It provides an employee a different perspective on how the company spends resources in relation to each individual.  It also provides the information for a great discussion on how the company tries to balance the costs associated with employees.  The balancing act will never satisfy everyone, but it can bring an appreciation for the process and costs that companies must consider for their employees.

Flickr photo by bebalance