Leading Effectively Blog

Change is good. But sometimes...Change Stinks!

Remember the J. Giles tune, Love Stinks?

I've been through diamonds
I've been through minks
I've been through it all
Love stinks

Substitute the word "change" for "love" and this tune then aligns with this post.

My alma mater undergraduate institution, St. Norbert College, has embraced change throughout its 111 year existence. Founded as a school to prepare men for the priesthood, it has evolved to preparing over 500 graduating men and women each year to serve in a variety of global roles. Classrooms were renovated, residence halls built, a dedicated leadership development ropes course created, a new entrance, a new library… Even our beloved icon, a statue of one of founding fathers, Abbot Pennings, was relocated. Now the pictures of kissing the Abbot (or any other pictures with him) are taken in the new library as opposed to outside on a central path.  While perhaps not as much fun, this change does denote a bit more respect for the man while still allowing a time-honored tradition to continue.

Change is good. Change helps us grow. Change helps to keep us from going to hell for doing improper things to the Abbott’s statue (not that I ever did that of course).

Then I read our alumni newsletter and realized… Change Stinks.

The opening article of the newsletter announced the opening of the new Fr. Eugene E. Gries, O.Praem., Residence Hall. Great! I love the change. Love that upperclassmen can live in much better accommodations than the dirty, old, college house I lived in senior year where we would blow a fuse every day with the electric heaters we needed to stay warm; The bad 30-year old purple shag carpet; The floors worn down from a party or two.  No wireless Internet and only two phone jacks that worked with any regularity. The new dorm is a 59,000-square-foot facility, featuring a brick and stone exterior, wireless Internet, cable, utilities, a reflection space… WOW!

I began to visualize this state of the art building and looked to see where it was located. On the river? Where that old parking lot was? Somewhere else in the lovely town of De Pere, WI?

No… it was on the intersection of Third and Marsh Streets. Third and Marsh? Third and Marsh! It can’t be on that block because that is where my house is. Or should I say was? The old heater; the purple shag carpet; the worn down floors. Further, the block of Third and Marsh is also where my husband’s house is/was. Home to a lot of late night tomfoolery, cook-outs, and impromptu hanging out on the porch. We met senior year because we lived next door to each other. We have graduation pictures in front of those homes. We have pictures in my bridal gown and his tux in front of those homes. How could this be?

Should St. Norbert have stopped their growth, development, and change simply because one alumnus (maybe a few more) is sad about losing the decrepit old house? Of course not. Should I be a bit more rational about the demise of the house especially since there were many more negative aspects about it than positive ones? Of course.

But as you think of change efforts within your own organization, remember that what is overlooked most often isn’t the vision, strategy, process, or even communication about the change, but the human side of change. The connection of the change from the perspective of the person impacted by the change (Bunker & Wakefield, 2005). For every four or five people cheering that the new dorm is being built, there will be one or two people in the pipe moving at a slower rate of change acceptance and sad that the house is gone. The leadership challenge is to not ignore those that are slower to accept change, but to connect to the person and their feelings so you can “help individuals in the organization let go, deal with the discomfort, rebuild, and learn" (p.11). Essentially, help me let go to a symbol of my cherished college life.

Change is good. Change helps us grow. But every now and again… Change Stinks!

What Leaders Can Learn from Tom Watson

When Tom Watson beat Jack Nicklaus in the "Duel in the Sun" at Turnberry in the 1977 British Open, the oldest of golf’s four major championships, my Mom was in her second trimester with me.

32 years later, 2 months shy of his 60th birthday, Watson almost won the British Open again, but fell short in a playoff this past Sunday to Stewart Cink.

Greg Norman was my favorite golfer growing up, but I also liked Tom Watson a lot. Watson was a gentleman on and off the course, knowledgeable of the game and respectful of its history and traditions, and was, and still is, a great golfer. I heard Watson interviewed on Saturday, when he held the lead with 18 holes to go. Two things jumped out at me during that interview that I thought could be helpful to leaders, whether they play golf or not.

1) Have a gameplan – Watson was asked how he was handling being almost 60 years old and leading a major. Watson said that for the entire week, he had a gameplan, and he was sticking to his gameplan. Leaders need to have a gameplan, a vision, a mission, strategy, purpose statement, some sort of plan for their own development, for leading others, or for leading their organization. Take the time to think about it. Then document it, make it real, tangible. Don’t just think about it and keep it in your head, document it, write it out, make it real.

2) Believe that you are meant to be in a position of greatness – Watson had great practice rounds that week, he won majors before, he loved the course, he felt his game was in great shape, he thought that he still could win at almost 60, and that he was meant to be there. Leaders need to feel the same; whatever the situation, leaders need to feel like they are meant to be there. If leaders are in good situations, they need to feel they are meant to lead through the good times and push themselves, others, and the organizations forward toward even more prosperous times. If leaders are in not-so-good situations, leaders also need to feel they are meant to be there, that they have the ability, motivation, drive, skills, and all the essential qualities to get themselves, others, and the organization out of the tough time back on solid ground. Many times we shy away from situations. Watson did not.

It would have been a great story to see Tom Watson win another major. Some storybook endings actually happen in life, this one didn’t. But, there is always a lesson to be learned in any story. I hope leaders learn from Tom Watson’s loss to Stewart Cink: Have a gameplan and believe you are meant to be in a position of greatness.

 

View From the Pipe: Is it okay to be happy for the opportunity that retirement presents?

My favorite hockey player, Joe Sakic of the Colorado Avalanche, retired last week after an illustrious 20-year career as not only a great hockey player, but a great captain and leader. The “face of our franchise for the past two decades” is how the President of the Avalanche organization described him. His teammates, fans, and management were in tears of appreciation and adoration at his press conference. This is truly a valued leader to that organization.

This led me to ponder retirement from the view of those in the talent pipeline. How do people within an organization react where their respected and esteemed leader decides to retire, especially when that leader is the face of the company, the brand, the franchise?

There are many who mourn the loss of the leader and wonder how life will go on after they leave. As a Green Bay Packer fan, we are still wondering about life after Brett Favre, even after his successor has been on the job and functioning quite well for more than a year. GE stockholders wondered who would ever live up to the reputation and legacy of their beloved Jack Welch. Anne Mulcahy retired a couple of weeks ago after leading Xerox in a multi-billion dollar and substantial brand image turn-around the past nine years (in addition to being an icon for demonstrating how to effectively break the glass ceiling).

But what about those in the pipe ready to start demonstrating their legacy? Aaron Rogers held a clipboard for three years waiting to show that he was worthy to be a starting quarterback in the NFL. Jeffrey Immelt held and demonstrated excellence in numerous global leadership positions for almost 20 years before being given the CEO reins. Ursula Burns, I imagine, is eager to demonstrate that she can be the role model for African-American female leaders and as exemplary a CEO as Anne Mulcahy.

In succession management, we often talk about what does a person needs to get to the next “level”  without acknowledging that a key criterion is the level needs to be open. The person above you needs to leave, whether by their own promotion, a lateral move, or retirement. So if you are the Aaron, Jeffrey, or Ursula of your organization, is it okay to be happy for the opportunity to shine? The chance to assume the next level (whatever that level may be for you)?

Let me know your thoughts. In the interim, I’ll be seeing how Matt Duchene (the Avalanche’s First round pick this year) does in training camp; excited that they have such outstanding talent on the team yet getting a bit misty eyed as they retire the “19” jersey on opening night this year.

An Insider's View of Harvard B School

 

I am a sucker for any "Drop Everything and Pursue My Dream" story.  That's why I was interested in reading Philip Delves Broughton's book about leaving a successful career in journalism to attend Harvard Business School. Here’s a guy (as John Madden would say) who was Paris bureau chief for the Times of London, married with a one year old son, who chucked it all for a cramped apartment in Cambridge and whopping student loans.  The book is his engaging account of his two years at HBS.  It reminded me of  Scott Turow’s enjoyable 1977 book, One L.,  in which he describes his first year at Harvard Law School.  Both capture the essence of Harvard’s mystique as well as laying bare some of its problems.

There is no question that Broughton respects the Harvard Business School, his professors, and his fellow students by the end of his two years, but the upshot is that HBS isn’t perfect.  My favorite parts of the book are those in which he exposes the seamy side of things—fueled by equally hyped-up doses of insecurity and ambition in his fellow students.  A bit of a fish out of water, he doesn’t fit into their cliques of heavy drinkers, former military officers, or unabashed salary seekers.

Ahead of the Curve was a particularly interesting read for me in view of the recent economic meltdown and the retrospective skewering of corporate leaders that seems to be today’s national pastime.  Many of these CEOs come to speak at HBS while he is there, and Broughton eagerly attends these sessions to see for himself what these captains of industry are like in the flesh.  He comes away impressed by their drive and accomplishments but troubled by the consistent trend he sees of broken marriages and troubled family lives.  Just one example he cites is of a Goldman Sachs exec who delivered a session on values and leadership, then confesses that he has four ex-wives.

The reaction at Harvard to Broughton's book has been all across the board based on responses in The Harbus, an independent newspaper for HBS students.  Some of the responses seem to fit into this category: "I didn't have the same experience or opinion of HBS, but maybe there's something to be learned from the book."  The official response as delivered by Carl Kester, Deputy Dean for Academic Affairs, is a bit, well, uptight, and overly defensive.  It is worth reading, in my opinion, as an example of how not to react to criticism--attempting to pick apart errors of fact one by one and completely missing the the overall message of the book. (On the other hand, the lead paragraph is excellent.  He should have stopped there).

If you are looking for a tidy ending—sorry. While the majority of his fellow classmates seem content to line up in the cattle chute to lucrative banking or consulting positions--what he refers to as “MBA McJobs”, Broughton doesn’t follow suit. He makes a couple of seemingly half-hearted attempt to land one of these jobs but he just isn’t in to it. When you get to know Broughton through the book, the fact that the ending doesn’t tidily wrap up with him in his dream job is testimony that he is different from his classmates in just one more regard.   I did find this entry on his blog which provided me with a satisfactory postscript to the book.

Broughton was also kind enough to respond to my email inquiry in which I: 1. assured him I wasn't a Harvard administrator-stalker, and 2. asked him what he is doing for a living with his Harvard M.B.A.  He said that soon after publication of the book he returned to New York and worked on some business development projects for a variety of media and financial firms.  I was also happy to hear that he is still writing.   Last week I received an email from Broughton (sent to his distribution list) that says "I've just completed a thriller I always wanted to write and am now writing my next business-y book. It's about salespeople around the world - how come they can do what they do, when it's so hard for the rest of us?"