Leading Effectively Blog

Holiday Break

We are taking a break this week

With so many holidays to observe

We apologize to you, dear reader

For not giving you what you deserve

Daily posts of musings

Or weekly at the least

But alas we have family to see

And tons of food on which to feast

Please forgive our blog neglect

Be patient while you wait

We'll be back to posting regularly

Once we've said adieu to 2008

Never, never, never, never give up

I thought about what to blog about. Never give up, my husband said. I thought he meant for me to not give up on coming up with a blog topic, so I thought some more. Maybe that guy throwing his shoes at George Bush, I said.  That would be a good leadership blog. Sort of about what not to do. Don’t throw your shoes at the leader of the free world and all that. Try to keep control of yourself. Be emotionally aware and so forth. Be able to disconnect your hot buttons. Maintain your good reputation. Not prove to people that you are an idiot in ten small seconds. Five, maybe. Stay a bit under the radar if you’re having a non-emotionally-intelligent day. Leave your shoes at home.

Never give up, he said, and I realized that he meant for me to write a blog about that. About not giving up. But Winston Churchill had already said all there is to say about that, really. He had been very clear, when with his jowls trembling, he said it and emphasized it: “Never give up. Never, never, never, never give up.” He actually said it on more than one occasion, sometimes mixing it with another favorite mantra: “Never give in.” I think he meant it.

When you consider the times in which Winston Churchill wrote this, it is clear how powerful it was. People were thinking about giving up on a daily basis. Their social, political, economic, and geographical foundations seemed to be slipping away dramatically right under their very feet. The world as they knew it was unrecognizable. Bombs were dropping. People were dying. Buildings were falling. The fabric of society was peeling apart. I’ll bet for a few of them giving up seemed like a reasonable option. For some of them it may have seemed like they had no other option! And those were the very ones Churchill was talking to. He wanted them to keep that famous British stiff upper lip. He wanted them to keep the faith.

We still have Churchill’s words ringing in our ears. Most of us can remember them even though we weren’t alive to hear them. We’ve really never been a giving-up kind of a country, and that’s very good. It gives us a strong legacy to lean on in these difficult economic times. We need it. All of us do. And it’s our job as leaders to inspire our organizations, both professional and personal, to keep the faith. Never give up. Never, never, never, never give up. It creates a deeply held value for us that mandates a right way to do things.

And what was Churchill talking about not giving up to? Not giving in to? I think it was the evil of entropy. The notion that if you give up or give in for a moment things start slipping away and it’s hard to get them back. Giving up starts that insidious process. I realized that not giving up is the key to everything. Success in anything depends on not giving up. Weight loss. A wonderful marriage. Good parenting. Quitting smoking or drinking. Reaching a creative solution to a business problem. Winning a war. Retrieving a ruined reputation. Regaining health after a heart attack or amputation. Learning to play basketball or skateboard. Completing a dissertation. Anything we try to do, if we give up, it starts slipping back. That’s what Winston Churchill meant. Don’t let it start slipping away. Sometimes you can’t stop it once it starts.

Another famous shoe incident some of us remember: Nikita Khrushchev taking off his shoe and pounding it on the table of a summit of world leaders. All of the most powerful leaders in the world at the table, and in his feelings of anger and impotence he was unable to form words, so he took off his shoe and started pounding. Some of us feel like this right now, with our retirement, our health insurance, our Christmas vacations, and our bonuses slipping away. But we should never give up. It could be worse, no matter how bad it gets. A big part of what helps us conquer anything is just what Churchill said: not giving up. If you want to land on your feet, you can’t give up in the middle of the air.

It is part of the leader’s job to maintain hope, to inspire. Yes, we must be realistic, but realism should include a generous dose of optimism because we really are strong and smart, creative and caring. We are a great nation. We must never give up. Never, never, never, never give up.

Buffett, Clapton, and Extreme Said So

I was surfing through the channels a couple of weeks ago, and stumbled upon a TV show that had business school students ask Warren Buffett questions. One student asked the multi-billionaire, "What courses are MBA schools currently lacking in teaching their students?" Buffett said without hesitation, communication, both written and oral.

I agree with Buffett. The art or communication, through writing and speaking, is definitely a lost art form for many leaders. Employees are working in uncertainty and ambiguity; getting de-motivating news from newspapers, news channels, the Internet, and their own company’s e-mail; unwillingly accepting cuts to 401k or 403b, or salary, or even layoffs. Now more than ever, leaders need to be able to effectively communicate. Here are some points of thought for you.

Leaders need to communicate vision. Top leaders need to communicate their idea, their goal, their plan, their strategy for eventual success. Employees are tired of the continual e-mails and memos and phone messages of bad numbers, not meeting profit margins, expenses over revenue. It’s the perfect time for a switch to the positive. Get your vision out there. Communicate in simple, colorful, easy-to-understand terms. Communicate a metaphor. Get people excited about coming to work for you. Do this through speeches, podcasts, written memos, anything to get your vision out there.

Leaders need to verbally encourage and recognize. Some of my own research stems from Bob Eisenberger of the University of Delaware and Linda Shanock of the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, among others – the more supervisors care for the development and well-being of their employees, the more those employees will reciprocate (return the favor), through dedication and hard work. My own research with Karl Kuhnert of the University of Georgia, Scott Mondore of Strategic Management Decisions, and Erin Page of Russell Reynolds, showed that a climate of such “supervisor support” was indicative of high retention rates of employees. In another study I did with Tracy Griggs of Winthrop University and Scott, those who felt they were supported by their supervisors had better job performance, and showed less signs of managerial derailment behaviors (those behaviors that lead to premature demotion, firing, or burnout). One easy way leaders can show such support for employees: take one minute out of your day, see one of your workers, ask him or her how he/she is doing, hear the person out, verbally encourage the person and recognize him/her for the hard work. The next day, take another minute, do the same thing for another worker. Each day, one minute, one worker. One minute each day. It will go a long way.

Leaders need to communicate authentically. Heed the words of Eric Clapton when communicating: "It’s in the way that you use it." People see right through those who say things they don’t mean. Many more people will believe in what you say, if you say it genuinely. One of Karl’s favorite quotes is from Albert Einstein: "All means prove but blunt instruments, if they have not behind them a living spirit."

Finally, the 90s hair band Extreme was right - it really is "More than words." A full 93% of the emotional meaning behind your communication is nonverbal – your voice tone, your facial expressions, your gestures, your postures, space, touch, the way you dress, your use of time, all say things that can either back up or completely contradict the actual words that are coming out of your mouth. People heed more to the nonverbal cues and behaviors than the words. Use the nonverbals to accentuate, not annihilate, what you are trying to say.

When people are lost and uninspired, or to paraphrase Clapton, when they have seen dark skies never like this, walked on thin ice never like this, words can go a long way. Communicate your vision. Encourage and recognize. Be authentic - think like Clapton's "It’s in the way that you use it." Finally, remember, Extreme's ballad, "More than words" - it’s not just the words, but more importantly, the actions behind those words.

Who You Know

Over at Reading, Writing,& Big Ideas, blogger Ron Bronson has a few ideas about networking that are, refreshingly, not all about sizing people up for your personal rolodex of strategic influence. (Nobody keeps a rolodex anymore -- but you get it.)  Maybe it's not such a bad idea to remind ourselves from time to time that the people around us aren't there to use, to manage, or even to lead. They are there to know.

Zero-sum thinking

Our current economic crisis has moved questions of the morality of greed back into the center of public discourse. Of course, there are those who are satisfied to take a few potshots at the obvious targets (here's one: John Thain, CEO of Merrill Lynch reportedly asked for a $10M bonus while M-L lost over $11B last year and has received $10B in "bailout" funds so far). But this may miss the point.

Self-interest is one of our competing national religions and true believers will not be dissuaded by the apparent contradictions implicit in the current situation. We already have commentators who are saying that the failures can't be attributed to the acquisitive compulsions of those who already have much more than they or their offspring could ever spend.

It reminds me of the film "Wall Street."  In the film, Gordon Gekko, played by Michael Douglas, mentors a young trader played by Martin Sheen. In one scene the character played by Sheen asks, "How much is enough?"

"It's not a question of enough, pal. It's a zero sum game; somebody wins, somebody loses. Money itself isn't lost or made; it's simply transferred.The assumption of the zero-sum game is the problem at the heart of the problem. It conditions people to believe that any gain by one person has to be matched by the losses of others. It is fundamentally a hopeless view of life because it has a static vision at its core. I'm not advocating a naive utopian view or some devotion to "progress" as an alternative. A realistic vision recognizes that the actual creation of wealth is difficult and time-consuming, requiring something with which we may not be very familiar: a commitment to the common good.

In the United States we have been pushing the limits of individualism for decades and we are now experiencing some of the costs. We haven't wanted to pay taxes unless they went to pave the street in front our own house or educate our own children. We didn't want to pay insurance premiums unless we were going to "get our money's worth" from them. In California we somehow hoped to escape the obligation to educate our burgeoning diverse population by using gambling taxes.

The consequences? We've seen our infrastructure fragment. Our public universities and public education decried. Some commentators are predicting increased social unrest in the U.S. due to the wealth disparity that resembles that of some third world countries (U.N.-Habitat report).

The solutions are not simple, but all involve a reinvigoration of the public sensibility and a deepening awareness of our interdependence. This is as much a part of the American cultural history as is Wall Street, and in fact, it antedates it. Sarah Vowell in her new book on the Pilgrims provides the text of a speech by; Gov. John Winthrop to his fellow Pilgrims in 1630: "We must delight in each other, make other's conditions our own, rejoice together, mourn together, labor and suffer together, always having before our eyes our commission and community in the work, our community as members of the same body."

Red Letter Day from Colin Cowherd and a Scarlet Knight

December 1, 2006 was a "red letter day" for me. It was the day I realized I found my purpose in life in terms of a career. That day I figured out that I could reach more people, even have a chance to change the world, if I were to stay at the Center for Creative Leadership. As a then CCL postdoc, my 2-year stint was nearing completion, and I was applying to be a professor at business schools and psychology programs. But there was a full-time research position open here at CCL as well. What lead me to “pull a Clash” (Should I stay or should I go)? It was Colin Cowherd talking about Greg Schiano, and job vacancies at Alabama and Miami.

In late November 2006, Alabama and Miami, two premier, storied college football programs had job openings. Greg Schiano, the football coach of the Scarlet Knights at Rutgers University was the “hot prospect” for each of these jobs. Rumors swirled, and as any good sports radio person should, Colin Cowherd of ESPN radio threw down his opinion. To this day, I remember Colin talking about why Schiano should stay at Rutgers. In my head, this went against everything I thought people should do – shouldn’t people go for the premier job, go for the tough challenge, the glory, not settle for where they are currently?

Schiano was building a massive program (Rutgers was one of those “sleeping giant” programs that Schiano had resurrected), was well-liked at Rutgers, was from the area, and was becoming increasingly successful, leading Rutgers to its first bowl game and ranking in almost 30 years. Colin questioned why Schiano, or anyone for that matter, would want to go to a program like Alabama or Miami – the risk was not worth the reward. There would be too much pressure for winning – winning 75% of your games and a national championship would not be enough (ask recently fired UT coach Phillip Fulmer). There would be too many headaches from boosters, from the president, the AD, and other constituents. The environment is cut-throat and not very supportive. Colin told the listeners that life, and a career, are more than being at the top of a major program and the glory and fame that come with it – you have to think about your lifestyle and your own goals, your family, and how you would fit at that university.

In my head, I started asking myself, why would I leave a great place at CCL, where I honestly think that my work could reach more people worldwide than it could at a university? I love teaching, mentoring students, but I feared the prospects of the “tenure” process at a major university. Looking at my publishing record, I took an honest self-assessment and thought I couldn’t even get interviewed, let alone accept a position at a major university at that point in my career. My coworkers at CCL would support me more than those at a university would. I have more chances to publish articles and books, and there are other means for my research and ideas to reach people worldwide, than it would at a university. I thought, and still think, I can change the world with my research. Plus, my way of life, my goals, and my idea of what a career is, fits working at CCL more than it would at a university. Granted, I won’t get summers off, but the benefits of working at CCL make some professors jealous. I would be comfortable and flourish in CCL’s environment more than anywhere else – it’s a better fit.

What can leaders take away from this? First, when faced with a difficult, personal decision, an honest, self-assessment will help lead you to a decision. I knew that at that time, I could not make it at a major university. Second, fit. Some people want that high profile job, and can handle the headaches, pain, pressure, and the “bad” that comes with the “good” because they realize it is a good fit for them (Nick Saban has Alabama at #1 now, Randy Shannon is re-building the Miami football program…good luck to Lane Kiffin at UT). The more leaders realize what “fits” their life, the better leaders they will be, in all spheres of life (work, home, community, etc).

Three days later, on December 4th, I took the job, and haven’t looked back. I did not “settle” at all by not going for that major university job – in fact, I’m thriving. I’ve been given opportunities at CCL that never would have occurred at any university. During this holiday season, and given the newly confirmed “recession” I hope that we are all thankful for the position we are in, and that we make the most of where we are.

If you have a major decision to make over the next few weeks, give yourself an honest self-assessment, and think about fit…and maybe listen to  Colin Cowherd on ESPN radio.

Scary words (such as "creative leadership")

Earlier this year I spent some time with key HR leaders in a global healthcare firm who were interested in increasing innovation throughout the organization. There was one small problem: I was not to use the word "creative" or "creativity" in the day of learning experiences we were creating. You can imagine this could pose some small difficulty, seeing as the firm who employs me is the Center for Creative Leadership and there are some who might suspect that innovation could be related to creativity in some way.

"What's wrong with creativity?" I wanted to know. "We don't need a lot of off-the-wall ideas that don't give any business value," was the answer. That seemed legitimate to me. Although I'm a great fan of all kinds of creativity for aesthetic reasons, you might want it connected to the purposes of the organization after all.

Perhaps it would be helpful to think of creativity as one dimension of a process of innovation. If innovation is "converting ideas to numbers" (attributed to Ram Charan) or "people implementing ideas to create value" (from innovation network co-founder, Joyce Wycoff) creativity is the individual component of innovation. In that case we can track the trajectory of creative ideas this way: individuals come up with creative ideas, but they have only emotional appeal ("wow! I sure have interesting ideas!") until the person takes initiative to communicate the ideas. Even then, they have only aesthetic value. I mean by that others admire them or may retreat into their own thinking as it is stimulated by the idea. However, it is still a long way to innovation from there.  The flood of ideas from centrifugal thinkers (you know who you are) can be overwhelming. The key is the investment someone or a group of someones makes in a new idea to carry through the waves of resistance or to make it stand out from the din in the marketplace of ideas.

Warren Bennis put it this way: "Innovation— any new idea—by definition will not be accepted at first. It takes repeated attempts, endless demonstrations, monotonous rehearsals before innovation can be accepted and internalized by an organization. This requires courageous patience." If an organization has no way of encouraging and nurturing ideas that can bring high value (and conversely, no way of killing ideas that are parasites for the organization's energy and attention), then creativity is dangerous. It is dangerous precisely because it is like have a billion dollars on a desert island. It can't be turned into something you can eat.

We can help business leaders reduce their fear of creativity to the extent that they have help developing systems and cultures that can handle the foment of creative leaders. A nurturing leadership culture and strict processes of accountability are not contradictory, but necessary for the long-term success of our organizations.

Doug

Clever Like a Fox

I just got back from a program training Egyptian women in leadership.  This was the third time for me.  The women were all wonderful again:  Beautiful both in their headscarves and without, Eager and brilliant in their learning.  It is always a humbling experience to be in the midst of such noble women. 

This time when I went to Egypt it was time for something other than the tourist clichés of Cairo, even though they are wonderful.  I had seen the museums and the pyramids, and I had traveled to Luxor and Aswan and Alexandria and cruised on the Nile.  I wanted something really different.  Egypt has plenty.  No shortage of stuff that’s different.  It’s a real cornucopia of different stuff:  A connoisseur’s dream.  So I recruited a courageous colleague and went to the desert.

The desert is not just a bunch of sand.  That was my first learning.  The geology of the ancient Sahara desert includes, apparently, both volcanoes and glaciers.  And according to many climatologists, the prognosis for this 3,000 mile wide stretch of earth if global warming continues is verdant green again!  Who’da thunk it?  Sorry.  Who would have thought it?  :)

The volcanoes in the Black Desert are numerous and breathtaking.  Take a digital camera if you go, or you’ll run out of film.  The sunrises and sunsets are spectacular, especially in the White Desert, a curious and stunning collection of windcarved calcite monuments reminiscent of a Dr. Seuss book.  That’s where our little safari slept.  The SUV’s separated themselves from one another but some were still visible.  Each little campsite with its own white statues.  Ours were strangely like Mt. Rushmore to me in the dark, so that’s what I called them.  Others were like rabbits, chickens, horses, mushrooms (lots of mushrooms!) sphinxes, nefertittis, and cats.

My colleague Ginny and I had objected to our first driver, so we used my limited Arabic to give our guide some feedback and request a new driver.  “Mish ayzeen Nassar,” I said, and pantomimed how he hollered angrily and waved his arms around.  We were afraid he would have road rage or something.  We didn’t want him at the wheel.  So we got Omda.  He was much calmer.  Apparently we had fired the leader of the safari, though, so he didn’t go away.  I think he and Omda just changed cars.  Anyway, Ginny and I were happier.

I was glad to see our guide Abdul seemed to use a “leave no trace” policy in the desert.  We packed out everything we brought in, except for a few chicken bones and scraps they threw to the desert foxes.  The foxes were really cute, with huge ears.  I heard them all night: chuh chuh chuh chuh chuh chuh chuh chuh chuh as they ran around collecting every morsel that had been left for them by any of the groups.  Except for the tire tracks, in the morning no one would have been able to ever tell we were there.

Ginny asked me later what stories I would collect from our experience in the desert to share with my participants later in the classroom.  I thought for a moment.  Taking care of our real concerns by firing Nasser?  I guess the feedback helped.  He certainly was more amiable later as he walked from his campsite about 100 yards away to ours to eat Abdul and Omda’s good food.  His son Ahmed (about 12, learning the business?) was still with us, so it made sense for him to come.  He also brought his carload of Egyptian tourists and their little table.  I guess he never intended to cook.  Fortunately we had plenty.

Maybe that’s a good lesson.  I wondered what we would have done if I hadn’t spent months before the trip learning Arabic on my 45 minute commute into work.  We still could have done it somehow.  I remember when a friend fired our driver in India because he had been drinking.  There’s always a way.  Anyway I felt vindicated that all that time hadn’t been a total waste.  In the desert they really don’t speak much English.

But no, I think the story I will take is of the foxes.  We saw two of them in the morning, perched on a tiny bit of shade on one of the rock formations, watching us leave.  They had found a way to blend in perfectly with their environment.  I know they didn’t live anywhere else but the desert, because everything else was 40 or 50 miles away.  I asked Abdul how they got water.  “Mayya” is the word for water, but the rest of the sentence was a bit complicated for me.  I had to draw a picture of a fox.  Finally the Egyptian tourists helped and Omda said there are tiny springs around in the desert, plus they can lick moisture from the rocks.  I don’t know.  Abdul said they get water from the campsites.  I didn’t see anyone give them any water.  But anyway, they survive.  Clever like a fox, I guess.

A leader has to be clever to survive in a hostile environment, to fit in even when there is no water.  In this hostile economy we are all learning to do without.  Like the fox, we are patrolling our territory to find something we might use, something we might have ignored in better times.  It takes watchful oversight.  It takes courage.  It takes the ability to learn quickly.  And the ability to just wait.  We have to be clever like a fox.