A Slippery Slope

Posted on June 15, 2012 by Al Watts

I had the pleasure of lunch recently with the former VP of Sales for a $16 million technology company, published author and speaker. Mark Faris freely shares another distinguishing credential: he is a convicted felon for mail / wire fraud and money laundering who did eleven months of hard time away from home and family.  He has one more year of supervised release by the U.S. Probation Office and is still paying monthly restitution.  Mark’s experience was clearly a significant defining moment of his life and career; his passionate purpose today is transforming individuals and organizations to be more honest, accountable and ethical by communicating the importance of morals, principles, and values.  I was anxious to talk with him about his journey and perspective on business ethics.

Here are some take-aways from my conversation with Mark:

  • Too many of us grow up and go to work with a sense of entitlement: entitlement to a big job, big house, big cars and safety nets – that we’re somehow owed, or deserve a comfortable, luxurious lifestyle.  For those who attain that, some are desperate and will do anything to keep it so.
  • For many leaders, it’s about them: “How can I get ahead / win / succeed / look good?  How can I get more recognition, pay and perks?  They’ve lost track of Robert Greenleaf’s admonition that “leaders are servant first” – to teach, guide and develop people so they can accomplish a worthwhile purpose together.
  • Organizations, too, lose sight of their central purpose of meeting legitimate needs and serving customers first.  I met with Mark shortly after hearing John Taft, CEO of RBC Wealth Management U.S., and reading his book “Stewardship.”  A central theme of his book is that the Lehman Bothers, Wachovias and Goldman Sachs of the investment world dig themselves holes that we fall into precisely because they’ve lost sight of their central purpose as agents of customers and stewards of their wealth.
  • Organizations and their leaders are keeping the wrong score cards, or they’re paying too much attention to scorecards versus playing the “game” as it’s supposed to be played.  On the milder side, organizations lose out creating real sustainable value by succumbing to “shortermitis” propagated by Wall Street and analysts.  On the more serious side, pressure to hit the numbers, shore up stock price and maximize bonuses lead to legal shortcuts or outright fraud.
  • Fundamentally, it’s about morals, values and principles.  Whether by family, school, faith, community or other means, internalizing a set of values and principles rooted by fairness, service, civility and honesty that becomes our moral compass is essential.  It’s not enough to just have a set of values or principles.  Some values are better than others; after all, even pirates and murderous gangs have codes that they live and die by.  It’s not enough to merely have virtuous values or state them out loud.  All of the organizations in the news for the wrong reasons the last few years had stated values that sounded right; their lobbies were literally paved and papered with good intentions.  People watch our feet more than they listen to our speech; they learn from what senior leaders do, not what they say.  Behavior is also shaped more by things like recognition and pay, who gets hired or promoted and what training is offered (or not) versus stated values in employee handbooks.

Mark grew up with a strong set of values, but acknowledged that competitive pressures combined with factors above nudged him over the line.  From there things snowballed on a slippery slope to his and his company’s demise.  When I asked him what would have made a difference preventing unethical and illegal practices, he said that defining company values clearly on the front end and paying much more attention to them would have had a huge positive impact.

We both agree with John Taft that our very future depends on the willingness and ability of business leaders to act with integrity as responsible stewards. Unfortunately we also both agree that as much talk as there is about integrity, principled leadership and stewardship, matters don’t seem to be improving and in fact are getting worse. We are confident that there are likely thousands of leaders and hundreds of organizations just in the U.S. today that find themselves on the slippery slope that Mark was on; our entire economy in fact seems to be on a slippery slope.

What to do?  Here are some suggestions:

  • If you haven’t already, as a leader and as an organization articulate your core values, principles, standards and code.  Be certain that everyone knows what they are and what they mean.
  • Find many ways to remind and reinforce organization members what your core values and expectations around those core values are – meetings, reports, training and other venues.
  • Make sure that recognition and pay, hiring and promotion, performance appraisal, training and measurement send signals that are consistent with your stated values.
  • Cultivate “truth-telling” cultures and listen.  Before organizations find themselves in trouble ethically there are always unmined information sources and flags that get missed.  Consider surveys, including inTEgro’s own Organizational Integrity Survey, as supplemental resources for determining where there may be disconnects between intentions and reality.
  • Know that there will be dilemmas – where values conflict, there are no pat answers or where it’s really hard to do the right thing.  Seek help and exercise discernment choosing the best course of action; provide coaching and counsel to others who face dilemmas.
  • Examine your own and senior leaders’ motivations, behavior and communication; what messages do they send?  Are you sure?

Mark Faris and I also talked about how the practices that keep leaders out of jail and their organizations out of ethical hot water are virtually the same that help assure organizational effectiveness and employee engagement.  There is a growing body of evidence that customers and employees now consider an organization’s reputation and trustworthiness as or more important in their purchasing and employment decisions as they do other factors.

For more ideas about how to assure that integrity and stewardship serve as foundations for sound leadership and organizational culture, we recommend Navigating Integrity – Transforming Business As Usual Into Business At Its Best, and Stewardship – Lessons Learned from the Lost Culture of Wall Street, both on the Featured Books page of inTEgro’s web site (http://www.integro-inc.com/Resources/Books_and_Store) You can find Mark Faris’ inspirational autobiography The Wishing Well in inTEgro’s Book Store by clicking “More Books,” and learn more about Mark and his work at http://mpvethics.com/

Are you clear about your values, principles and standards – and what lines you will not cross?  Is your organization?

Are you, or might your organization be, on a “slippery slope?”  How will you regain your footing?

 

“If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don’t have integrity, nothing else matters.”

Alan Simpson

Men, like rivers become crooked by following the line of least resistance.

                                     Edvard Raasted

Once we see that living up to our standards appear to be leading us toward self-destruction, the time has come to question our standards.

Nathaniel Brandon

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Authentic Innovation

Posted on May 29, 2012 by Al Watts

Is anyone getting tired hearing about “innovation?” A recent WSJ article (“You Call That Innovation?” – May 23, WSJ Marketplace) suggested that might be the case.  Among other signs, it referenced how a search of Securities and Exchange filings yielded 33,528 mentions of “innovation” in some form – a 64% increase over five years ago. I used “double buzzwords” for this title intentionally; unfortunately “authentic” and its variations are also getting worn out. Whether we’re talking about innovation, authenticity, quality, process improvement or other hot topics, a problem is that when we tire of the words we often “throw the baby out with the bath water,” then latch on to the next big deal.  (Hey, I still think that “MBO,” or “management by objectives” is a good idea!)

It’s refreshing then, as we begin to tire or burn out on a concept, when someone or something comes along to fire us up again, remind us why it’s important and renews our thinking about it.  That was my reaction to a great new book: “Imagine – How Creativity Works,” by Jonah Lehrer.  I don’t often come right out and say “buy this book,” but seriously, go out and buy this book!  Lola Fredrickson of Fredrickson Communications, a creative force in its own right, introduced me to it.  (Thanks Lola!)  I was impressed by Lehrer’s command of how creativity actually works, copious references to neuro and social science research, fascinating examples ranging from Bob Dylan and Yo Yo Ma to Apple and 3M, and a very engaging writing style.

Here are just a few of my take-aways from “Imagine:”

  • Creativity is not one thing, but distinct brain processes that modern neuroscience technology can now monitor. Loosely, it typically begins with attempts to solve problems analytically, dominated by our left-brain hemisphere.  Then there’s a stumped, or frustrating, stage when the brain is forced to make all kinds of new connections in search of a solution.  If we’re lucky as our brain “rummages through the obscure file cabinets of its right hemisphere,” it makes a right connection.  Neuroscientists have observed that this “aha moment” is accompanied by high electrical activity in a small fold of tissue in our brain’s right hemisphere.
  • The three distinct brain functions are important because they play different roles in the creative process and can be leveraged in different ways.  Attention (and in some cases obsession) comes into play initially, as the mind gathers in any and all information and senses surrounding a focal point.  The “stumped” and frustrating stage is necessary since that is what literally fires our imagination (random brain searches and connections.)  That is why persistence is a partner of creativity (and why some of our most creative inventions originate from very persistent – a.k.a. “stubborn” or “obsessive” people.)
  • Diversity in all forms is a creativity catalyst – diverse experiences, novel locations and cultures, diverse teammates and diverse perspectives.  There are strong arguments here for surrounding ourselves with the unlike-minded, time traveling and living in foreign cultures, and cross-disciplinary activity.  (Lehrer tells how Steve Jobs insisted on clustering all bathrooms at a central location at their headquarters to force interaction across specialties.)
  • Outsiders are gold; because they are not used to seeing or doing things as we do, they are natural sources of creative ideas.  Their “ignorance” about what we know, or naïveté, gives them an advantage.  (How this point was graphically driven home for me on a sailing adventure was the subject of a past article: “In Praise of Outsiders” at http://tinyurl.com/7ecweqd)
  • “Brainstorming” isn’t always as good as it’s made out to be.  While it can be a useful tool used properly, I was surprised to learn of numerous experiments where the quantity and quality of ideas generated by individuals on their own were superior to the results of group brainstorming (including Alex Osborn’s – brainstorming inventor – original experiment!)  As it turns out, criticism – banned from brainstorming – while not always pleasant, is a necessary ingredient for both quantity and usefulness of ideas.
  • Not to discount solo geniuses, but the vast majority of creative, useful ideas are products of teams, not lone inventers.  Not just any teams, but certain compositions of team members are best; research demonstrates that teams with a medium amount of “Q” (a measure of social distance) perform best.
  • Teamwork is important for innovation, but so is alone time (the subject of another past article: “Getting Away To Get At It” (http://tinyurl.com/78e5b9x)  Lehrer recounts several examples, including 3M, Apple and Google, of companies that stimulate creativity by encouraging behaviors that to casual observers would appear a waste of time (pin-ball, coffee breaks, long walks, “bs-ing” in the halls . . .)
  • “Imagine” even helped me change my perspective on distractions.  I’ve always been easily distracted and annoyed by outside sounds and activities; they’re still distracting and annoying, but Lehrer helped me realize that they are also likely the source for ideas.  That’s partially why, and Lehrer supports this with research too, densely populated cities generate a significantly higher rate of per-capita innovations than non-urban areas.

There’s much more in Lehrer’s book “Imagine;” I hope that you get your own copy.  You can order one directly from Amazon at http://www.integro-inc.com/Resources/Books_and_Store – my web page with book recommendations.  You probably know that I collect and use quotations; let me close with a couple of my favorites from “Imagine:”

 

“Hell is a place where nothing connects with nothing.”

T. S. Eliot (Introduction to Dante’s Inferno)

 

“Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere.”

Anton Ego (in Pixar’s Ratatouille)

 

When have you been at your most creative?

How can you apply some of these concepts in your own life / work and organization?

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A Word About The Wise

Posted on April 24, 2012 by Al Watts

by Al Watts and Lola Fredrickson

Who’s the wisest person you know?  Why does that person come to mind, and what are some characteristics of other wise people you know?

Competency, skills and expertise are desirable, but cannot take the place of wisdom.  There are competent, highly skilled and even expert sailors, for example, but not all of them are wise.  A saying among Lake Superior sailors comes to mind: “The Superior sailor uses superior judgment to avoid situations that require superior skills.”  For examples closer to home, think of organizations getting bad press lately that have no doubt been run by smart people;  if they had exercised more wisdom, they likely would have saved a bundle on legal fees.

As we think of truly wise professionals that we know, here’s what comes to mind:

  • It’s not about them; they are relatively ego-less.  Whatever the profession, it’s not about proving knowledge, displaying expertise or being right; there is a genuine focus on whomever they are helping and on arriving at the best solutions.
  • They do more asking than telling, and ask great questions.  They are great listeners.  They ask questions that cause us to think, reflect on our goals, diagnose a situation properly and often arrive at the best solutions ourselves.
  • They’ve “been there and done that,” usually multiple times under many different conditions and circumstances.  An article not long ago described the false confidence that golfers can acquire after a successful afternoon on the driving range or consecutive great rounds at their favorite course.  Golf pros, on the other hand, develop a kind of wisdom that comes from hitting many more shots on many different courses, in all weather conditions and circumstances.  Wisdom does not come from one year of the same experience ten years in a row.
  • They display exceptional discernment and judgment.  Discernment precedes good judgment; it is the capacity for keen observation, sensing subtleties, distinguishing true from false, questioning assumptions and evaluating alternatives.
  • They see the bigger picture.  Amateur chess players typically react to threats or opportunities on a section or two of the game board at a time, and think one or two moves ahead.  The wise, like great chess players, can take in a whole picture and its implications all at once.  Wise professionals and leaders consider the 2nd, 3rd, 4th-order and beyond likely consequences of decisions and actions.  They consider an immediate task or object as well as its context.
  • They see the “smaller picture” too.  They see not only the bigger picture; they focus on details when appropriate, and distinguish important from unimportant details.   
  • They don’t always “go by the book.”  Perhaps because of the above, they are as or more attuned to the value of exceptions than they are to rules.  To paraphrase the jazz great Miles Davis, they “don’t play what’s there; they play what’s not there.”  Wisdom comes into play when there isn’t a rule book, manual or “standard operating procedures” to go by.
  • They are still learners.  Have you noticed how the smartest (at least wisest) people don’t act that way?  There’s a kind of humbleness that comes from a mindset of suspecting there is always another answer or way, and perhaps a better one.  They have curious, questioning minds – a large part of why they are usually the wisest in a group.

What’s the big deal with wisdom, and why be concerned about it?  For one thing, many of our wise human resources are heading out the door from attrition or retirement.  “Knowledge management” was a hot topic a while back, and now “talent management” carries the day.  What about “wisdom management?”  What are we doing to acquire, cultivate and retain wisdom in our organizations?

Whether in-house or contracted, wise resources contribute value that is distinct from merely competent or even expert talent.  Their depth of experience and personal characteristics bring a different dimension to problem solving.  Instead of merely helping solve problems, they help us discern which problems are worth solving or how to avoid them in the first place.  Competent, skilled or expert resources can answer our questions; wisdom helps us make sure that we are asking the right questions.

When facing a challenge in your organization, make sure there’s wisdom on your team.  Sometimes an outside view helps – fresh eyes that have seen a lot and bring new perspectives, making sure that we’re asking the right questions and solving the right problems.  We need to give more thought to the role of wisdom in our work and organizations – when we need it, how to get and grow it, how to leverage it and how to retain it.

In what ways are you wise?  What can you do to cultivate your own wisdom?

How can you cultivate, retain and leverage wisdom in your organization?

 

“The young man knows the rules, but the old man knows the exceptions.”

Oliver Wendell Holmes

 

“Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you’d have preferred to talk.”

Doug Larson

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Is It Time To Part Company?

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Al Watts

What’s the first thought you have about your work or employer when you wake up? Are you energized, enthused and eager to get on with your day, or just hoping to get through it?  If you’re energized and looking forward to the day, you likely reflect the 21% of nearly 90,000 employees surveyed by Towers Perrin’s in 2011 who said they were engaged.  (Only 8% reported being “fully engaged.”)  If you feel anxious, resentful and unmotivated, you probably identify more with the 38% surveyed who said they were wholly or partially disengaged.   For sure the cost of disengagement for employers is high, including lost productivity, less innovation, more conflict and higher health care expenses.  If you’ve been there, you know about the personal toll that it takes too.

I remember an article targeted to employers about “5 Signs That You Made A Bad Hiring Decision.” (CBS New Money Watch, April 4, 2011.) It got me to thinking about the other side of the coin – signs that maybe we’ve gone to work for the wrong employer, or better yet that we shouldn’t sign on in the first place.  Here are my top ten signs that might be the case; they might also serve as indicators for employers of things to shore up if they want a more engaged workforce:

  • Unclear or muddled direction – The organization either hasn’t articulated its mission, strategy and priorities, or it’s hard to buy in to its value proposition.  Is this an organization or unit in an organization with a clear understanding of how it creates value?
  • Lack of fit – Is the organization’s mission one that you identify with?  Can you get behind the goals and are you excited about helping achieve them?  Will you have the opportunity to employ your most motivated skills?  This is about Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s “flow” – when we are “stretched to our limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.”  (Flow; Harper Perennial, 1990)
  • No “center” – What does the organization stand for?  Core values, principles or beliefs are easier stated than practiced consistently, so look beyond a web site or posters on the walls.  Ask others who know the organization or check places like glassdoor.com to learn what a culture is really like.  Dr. Charles Hughes’ research at the Center For Values Research demonstrated that compatibility of individual and organizational values correlates highly with workers’ desire to remain with their employer.
  • Stunted growth potential – Is this someplace where you can learn and grow?  Much of this is linked to an organization’s value proposition and strategy, but not all.  Selfish managers with no interest in your aspirations or inclinations to help you achieve them play huge roles.  How do the organization and your likely boss invest in training or mentoring others?
  • Clueless leaders – Is your immediate supervisor or a sizeable group of managers severely “E.Q.-challenged?”  Do they exhibit significant blind spots and a severe shortage of self-awareness or self-control?  Is there no concept of how much additional workload is too much?  I still remember the sense of dread, cynicism and resignation among employees I interviewed in an organization headed by a modern-day Simon Legree.
  • Poor alignment – Is everyone and everything pretty much “in-sync” with the organization’s stated direction?  Or do you get the sense that as much or more energy is spent arguing, posturing or engaging in office politics than on “keeping the main thing the main thing” and satisfying customers?
  • Confusing “unity” with “sameness” – Unity is great, but that doesn’t mean that everyone should look alike, think alike, act alike or always agree.  Are different perspectives and respectful disagreement encouraged?
  • Lack of truth-telling and transparency – Is the culture overly secretive?  Is it unsafe to surface “bad news,” or is it hard for people to get information that they need?  Are financial statements or other information that investors, customers or other stakeholders want easy to find and understand, or opaque?
  • Toxic culture – “Toxic” means just that, poison, or a health hazard.  Contributors to toxic cultures beyond those mentioned here include gossip and rumors, unfairness, bullying and blatant disrespect.

Try assigning a rating from “0” to “5” for each of these, with “5” being worst.  If the total rating for your work or employer is 20, or 5 on any one of these, I’d say start making a move.  Update your resume and social network profiles, fire up your network and exercise due diligence evaluating future potential opportunities. I hope that this serves as a useful checklist of what to look for and what to avoid then. It’s hard to evaluate most of these factors on our own, so ask around; check sites like glassdoor.com and employerreviews.net

I know that in some organizations there is a fair amount of pent-up interest in jumping ship when the opportunity arises.  It has been mainly an employers’ market the last few years, but that will likely change.  As the market improves and competition for talent heats up, applicants and employees will be in a position to be more discerning. If not too late, I hope that this checklist proves useful for organizations that want to minimize their loss of talent when the tide turns.

How does your employer rate for each of these dimensions?  Is it time to think of parting company?

Employers – do you know how talent in your organization rates you on each of these dimensions?  How will you find out and make adjustments in order to keep your best talent?

 

“What we really want to do is what we are meant to do.  When we do what we want to do money comes to us, doors open for us, we feel useful, and the work we do feels lie play to us.”   (Julia Cameron)

 

 

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Four Stories of a Leader

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Al Watts

by Bill Gjetson

(This month’s guest author is Bill Gjetson, who shares my belief that stories play an important role shaping a leader’s and organization’s identity.  After a 30 year career in Human Resources  with Caterpillar, Bill is now engaged in experience-based leadership coaching and consulting; helping leaders  harness the power of storytelling is an integral part of his practice.  Bill can be reached at gjetson789@comcast.net)

 

Leaders must know how to set direction as well as how to engage followers.   A great strategy without a fully committed workforce prepared to execute it is a failed strategy.

Storytelling is a powerful way to engage team members.  Leaders who master the craft of storytelling have a potent arsenal for explaining strategy and inspiring performance.  This is not to suggest that leaders tell tall tales or spin yarns.  This is about authentic stories, stories true to the leader and true to the organization.  An authentic story, fiction or non-fiction, is one that is relevant to the business context, sheds light on the situation, reveals meaning, defines a larger purpose, and motivates performers to give their very best.

For example, stories to inspire perseverance range from The Little Engine That Could, to the 1914 Shakleton expedition to the Antarctic, to the Battle of Britain and  Churchill’s speech to students at Harrow school.  In his closing remarks Churchill told them “This is the lesson.  Never give in.  Never give in.  Never, never, never, never—in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give  in…”.

Stories enable leaders to engage employees because people understand the world in terms of stories.  There are four story categories a leader must master: Who Am I? Who Are We? Where Are We Going? How Will We Get There?  In addition to story content, the leader needs to learn context (what story to tell and when to tell it) and process (how to tell the story).

“Who Am I?” is the gateway story.  Employees need to know who the leader is on a personal level, before they will listen to anything else the leader has to say or ask of them.  The “Who Am I?” story must be faithful to the people and events that shaped the leader’s life.  Telling the story opens the way to building connections and trust.  Noel Tichy, in The Leadership Engine, puts it this way:

“The most effective leaders are those who are in touch with their leadership stories….When we know our stories, we know ourselves….(The leader’s stories) allow other people to know us.  Stories create real, human connections by allowing others to get inside our minds and our lives.”

The next three stories are all about the employees and the journey they are on together.  Employees need to know who they are where they are going, and how they’ll get there.  According to Howard Gardner, in Leading Minds:

“The story is the basic human cognitive form.  The artful creation and articulation of stories constitutes a fundamental part of a leader’s vocation.  Narratives that help individuals think about and feel who they are, where they have come from, and where they are headed….constitute the single most powerful weapon in a leader’s literary arsenal.”

“Who Are We?” stories encompass the organization’s history, critical events, and core values.  These are stories about the people and events that brought the organization into being , guided its development, and insured its long term success.  These are stories about founders, builders,  and anyone and everyone who contributed to the creation of a strong, values-based organization.  “Who Are We?” stories build organizational identity and loyalty.

“Where Are We Going?” stories are about the organization’s mission and strategy.  They are stories about the future, about aspiration, about “who we will become”.  These stories give meaning and purpose to the organization, and help employees understand what they are working for.

“How Will We Get There?” stories are the most demanding  to craft and tell, because they are  about how the organization will solve its most pressing problems, overcome challenges, deal with crises, or handle adversity.  There are times in the life of every organization when things go wrong, dark clouds form, discouragement settles in and employees begin to lose hope.  On these occasions, the leader can draw on the history of the organization, or use stories from another time and place, to keep hope alive, sustain effort, and show employees that they can prevail.

Developing narrative competence (knowing how and when to tell stories) and mastering the Four Stories will go far towards enabling a leader to build a fully committed workforce and execute strategy.

How will you harness the power of stories?

 

“Lessons of wisdom have the most power over us when they capture the heart through the groundwork of a story, which engages the passions.”                                 Laurence Stern

 

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Recipe for Success in 2012

Posted on January 10, 2012 by Al Watts

We pulled out a time-honored family recipe over the holidays, and that got me thinking about what a recipe for success in 2012 might be.  I tried to follow the criteria for most good recipes: they should be relatively simple and clear, employ what is ideally at our disposal, allow for some flexibility or minor errors, and yield the desired outcomes.  Here’s what I came up with:

Start with the end in mind.  What are the outcomes that we want?  Where do we see ourselves ideally in 2013?  What’s new; what’s different?  Why is that important – how will the outcomes advance our longer-range vision and goals?

Take inventory.  What resources do we already have on hand that we can employ – friends, contacts, materials, assets . . .?  Which will we need to acquire?  This step is like a basic navigational principle: before we can get to where we want to go, we need to first know where we are – and it’s critical to be accurate.  If we take on a complicated recipe from a renowned chef, and it’s in a foreign language, the chances of failure are high.  Stretch goals are great, but we need to be realistic.  Before we set out we need to see things for what they are, not what we wish they were.

Follow a plan, but be flexible.  Think through which steps, in what order, will give us the best chances of success.  For example, just like I know that the chocolate chips get added last when making chocolate chip cookies, it’s better to research a prospect before making a marketing call.  If I’m out of chocolate chips, maybe I can use chocolate shavings or peanut butter chips; if I haven’t done the research yet, maybe I can reschedule.

Ask for help.  I tried a recipe once that called for white sauce, and had no idea what that was.  Instead of wasting a lot of butter and flour or scratching the project, I asked my wife Carley for help.  If an associate knows some part of what I need to deliver better than I do, I would rather pay for the help than jeopardize project quality.

Monitor progress and ask for feedback.  Even a good cook is smart to get others’ opinions about whether to add any spices or serve something again.  Likewise, we are not always the best judge of our work or efforts; take advantage of others’ ideas or suggestions of ways to approach things differently.

Stir in equal amounts of courage and discipline.  Almost anything that’s new or hard requires courage.  We need courage to follow our own path, try something new or untested or make investments when rewards are uncertain.  Discipline essentially means replacing old habits or routines with new ones, and sticking to them; without it we are likely to be among the 80% or so who drop their new year resolutions by the end of January.  As Aristotle said: “We are what we repeatedly do.  Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

Hang in there, and be good to yourself.  Challenging goals (or recipes) can be discouraging; sometimes we’re tempted to just chuck it all and eat out.  Keep at it, and “keep your eye on the prize.”  If we keep doing our best, something positive will develop; if nothing else we will learn something.  Stay focused, but remember “all work and no play . . .”  Put on some music, have a glass of wine, visit with company (or the equivalent at work) and keep things in perspective.  Even if all seems lost, it’s not.

That’s my take on a recipe for success in 2012; what’s yours?

 

“The secret of success is constancy to purpose.”

Benjamin Disraeli

“When you get right down to the root meaning of the word “succeed”, you find that it simply means to follow through.”

F. W. Nichol

 

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My Left Hand

Posted on December 8, 2011 by Al Watts

This article is brought to you by my left hand (I’m right-handed) – courtesy of a torn rotator cuff and surgery a few weeks ago.  I am a firm believer that almost any hardship, unfamiliar situation or adventure offers lessons for life and leadership, and a few weeks with my right arm in a sling is no exception.  Here are some lessons so far:

Just because pain is masked doesn’t mean that damage isn’t being done.  Ibuprofen made me feel better, but an MRI revealed a rotator cuff tear, which never heals and only gets worse without surgery.  A cortisone shot helped me engage in some magical thinking about how maybe the problem was going away; it was only after a second cortisone injection began wearing off and some coaching from the doc that I committed to surgery and actually solving the real problem.  That got me to thinking about denial of underlying problems and their real causes in organizations; “shots in the arm” like motivational speeches or training here and there might feel good initially, but unpleasant realities always come home to roost.  Without surgery my rotator cuff tendon would have eventually given way, or there would come a time when it couldn’t be repaired.

Think of organizations you’ve known or heard of where “surgery” or difficult decisions were put off and led to disaster.  (There have been several notable examples in the news lately.)

Are there any tough calls in our organizations that should wait no longer, or root problems that need to be addressed?

 

Preparation pays.  After research and talking with acquaintances who had the surgery, I prepared myself for a long, painful and frustrating recovery; my mantra became “expect the worst and hope for the best.”  Most everything has been better than I expected so far, and I was reminded that anticipating unpleasant events is often worse than just getting on with them.  I practiced brushing my teeth, dressing and other tasks one-handed, and got as many things that would require two hands done ahead of time; that made it easier adjusting to things the first few days after surgery.

What personal or professional tasks might we better prepare for? 

Is there anything we need to do where fear is holding us back or we are over-anticipating bad consequences? 

Are there upcoming realities in our organizations that we can better prepare for? 

Are there potential scenarios for which we should develop contingency plans?

 

Disruption can be positive.  It’s good to know that there are more ways to do things than just how we are used to doing them.  For me lately those things have been tasks like personal grooming, eating and making coffee one-handed, dressing and computer work.  Learning to do things differently increases our flexibility, open-mindedness about others’ methods, problem-solving skills and range of capabilities.  Disrupting our patterns and usual routines also gives us the opportunity to examine traditional ways in a new light; we are likely to discover things we otherwise wouldn’t, and replace habitual ways with better ones.  My world temporarily shrunk and became much quieter; I couldn’t drive for a while, I didn’t feel like engaging in much phone conversation (‘probably not a good anyway under medication!) and I had less energy than usual for customary tasks.  That wasn’t all bad; I had more thinking and reflection time, and opportunities to knock some things off that had been neglected. 

Are there things that we should try doing differently or habits that we should disrupt? 

How might we create more thinking and reflection time for ourselves and others we work with?

 

Relationships matter.  Tougher times remind us how important friends are; I am grateful for their cards, support and well-wishes.  I was also surprised by the impact of unexpected kind gestures – like good friends who dropped off home-made lasagna on their way out of town, neighbors across the alley who delivered home-made venison stew, a neighbor with his two boys who raked our entire front lawn and my accountant who called the day before surgery to wish me well.  (See my last article: “Random Acts of Kindness.”)

Are we investing enough in building relationships and paying sufficient attention to how we can help others in difficult times?

 

No pain, no gain.  This lesson was of course driven home in post-op physical therapy.  For a few days after surgery, it was hard to even imagine using my right arm and hand as before; sure enough though, each day I notice some improvement by disciplining myself to follow the therapist’s instructions.  PT in my case is mainly stretching and reawakening traumatized tendons, muscles and shoulder parts.

How might we need to stretch or “reawaken” anything to make the gains that we hope for in life or work? 

Where / how might more discipline help us make progress?

PT offers additional lessons; my therapist is good at providing feedback and reinforcing progress – a reminder of their important role stimulating growth.  How can we use feedback and reinforcement to help ourselves or others grow?

 

I chose the title for this article with apologies to makers of the 1989 Academy Award winner “My Left Foot,” and to Christy Brown, whose autobiography by the same name the movie was about.  Christy Brown was born with cerebral palsy, and despite having control of only his left foot became a renowned painter and writer.  I think that above all my temporary condition has gifted me with more empathy.  It is hard for me to imagine what courage and fortitude those with much more serious conditions muster – disabled armed forces vets, those borne with debilitating conditions, victims crippled by accidents or Gabby Giffords.  They all deserve our admiration and no doubt have much to teach us.

What hardships have you experienced, and what lessons have they offered?

Posted in Leadership, Performance, Personal development | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

How Penn State Fumbled

Posted on November 11, 2011 by Al Watts

It is sadly ironic that Penn State University and its leaders, concerned as they were about legacy, will perhaps best be known for their failures.  Over fifteen years, at least eight young boys were molested, some at Penn State’s athletic facilities, by the defensive coach of its revered football team, Jerry Sandusky. Despite awareness of the behavior, no one in charge reported Sandusky to outside authorities, he was kept on staff and more boys were victimized.  The fallout continues, but so far Penn State’s iconic head coach Joe Paterno, its Athletic Director, VP of Administration and President have lost their jobs over the matter.

I can’t help looking at Penn State through the lens of the four integrity pillars in my book Navigating Integrity – Transforming Business As Usual Into Business At Its Best: Identity, Authenticity, Alignment and Accountability.

Identity – An institution’s mission and values – its stated purpose and principles intended to govern how its work gets accomplished – serve as the foundation for its identity.  At one point, Penn State’s football program was no doubt considered as means for accomplishing the University’s main ends of higher education and character formation.  Over time, however, Penn’s football program likely became the sun that the rest of the University revolved around.  When Penn State is mentioned, its football team is usually the first thing that comes to mind; few could name the University President, but most know about coach Joe Paterno.  What began as means to an end no doubt got confused by some as the end; they neglected to keep the main thing the main thing.

My research revealed no statements about Penn State University-wide institutional values, although I did find some for individual departments and programs.  Ironically, one stated value of Penn State’s athletic program is “to promote traditional values of honesty, integrity, commitment and hard work as the foundation of Penn State’s reputation and continuing success.” (italics mine)  My guess is that there were no or few strong, institutional and systematic initiatives for communicating Penn State University core values, what they meant and how they would be enforced.

Authenticity – Penn State and its leaders failed the three main tests of authenticity: trueness, truth-telling and transparency.  Trueness is a measure of how institutions and their leaders live up to their mission, brand promise and core values.  The athletic department clearly did not live up to its stated value of “promoting traditional values of honesty, integrity, commitment and hard work . . .,” nor its published Vision to maintain  a “consistently high level of competition that does not compromise the integrity which has characterized the Penn State program from its inception.”  To give coach Paterno some credit, his failure to do more in the light of what he knew violated the very same ethical principles upon which he based Penn State’s football program and that accounted for much of its success.

Truth-telling and transparency failed on multiple fronts; behaviors were overlooked, details were omitted from reports, and the full ugly reality remained an inside story.  Penn State and its athletic program displayed a conspiracy of silence instead of a culture of transparency – comparable to the dynamic that we’ve seen undo many institutions and that contributed to our great recession.

Alignment – Institutional cultures are products of their stories and traditions, reinforced behaviors, leadership modeling, and institutional systems like hiring, pay, training, what gets measured and performance management.  As Peter Drucker said, “Culture eats strategy (and good intentions for that matter) for breakfast.”  No matter what, if Penn State’s intentions, stated values and policies were not in alignment with its culture and institutional systems, they counted for little.  To paraphrase Ralph Waldo Emerson, when culture and institutional systems are not aligned with stated intentions, “actions speak so loudly we cannot hear what they are saying.”  If we want explanations of what transpired at Penn State, a review of who got hired or disciplined and why, what got rewarded or didn’t and why, and what people paid attention to or didn’t will reveal answers.

Accountability – I still like Roger Connors, Tom Smith and Craig Hickman’s take on personal responsibility in their book The Oz Principle: “seeing it, owning it, solving it and doing it.”  Penn State’s assistant coach Mike McQueary clearly saw Jerry Sanduskey raping a 10 year-old boy in the football team’s locker room, and reported that to Paterno.  Paterno reported that to Penn State’s athletic director and to campus police, but there was insufficient action and follow-through; no party took responsibility for actually solving the problem.  We need to remember as Moliere said: “It is not only what we do, but what we do not do, for which we are accountable.”  Why did Penn State leaders and staff look but not see?  Why did they know but not act?  I suspect that more answers are forthcoming, but integrity gaps in the University’s and its athletic department’s culture will account for many of the failures.

Accountability requires paying attention to what matters.  If honesty and integrity really mattered, Penn State and its leaders would have paid more attention to that.  They would have instituted measures and evaluation mechanisms to help them “keep the main thing the main thing.”  They would have examined their decisions and practices more thoroughly in the light of stated institutional and department values; they would have evaluated personnel and based hiring and disciplinary actions on different criteria; they would have paid as much or more attention to whether University leaders embodied University core values as to the football team’s win / loss record and how much profit it generated.

Penn State University is only beginning to experience the negative consequences of inadequate attention to institutional integrity.  Inattention to integrity gaps of its leaders and in its culture will not only adversely affect its ethical reputation, but severely damage its brand, and in turn engagement of students and faculty, recruitment prospects, its finances and overall University effectiveness.

“If you have integrity, nothing else matters; if you don’t have integrity, nothing else matters.”  (Alan K. Simpson)

 

Do you have clear core values or principles that serve as a guide for your decisions and actions, especially in difficult situations?  Does your organization?

In any situations where decisions or actions did not model a core value or principle, why was that?  What needs to be different for that not to happen again?

Where and how do you think you or your organization might be at risk because of integrity gaps, and how do you know?  How can you close those integrity gaps?

Posted in Education, Ethics, Integrity, Leadership, Performance, Values | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Random Acts of Kindness

Posted on October 14, 2011 by Al Watts

Can you remember the last time you were the beneficiary of a “random act of kindness” – an unsolicited, totally unexpected kind act from a stranger?  How did you feel, and how did that affect the course of your day?  Can you remember a time when someone else benefited from your random act of kindness?

I’ve been collecting them for a few months now; the last one was in a giant French metro station when my wife’s ticket didn’t work and she was stuck behind heavy metal bars with her luggage.  A woman behind her used her pass to unlock the gate and motioned her through.  I didn’t have time before one long trip to mow our lawn; imagine the pleasant surprise when I returned to discover that our neighbor mowed it for us!  Earlier this year, as my wife exited our car on a busy street she dropped a book; an Excel Energy truck driver noticed that her arms were full, got out of his truck, picked up the book and returned it to her.  The random act that got me thinking about this was when a woman in front of me at Starbucks offered to buy my coffee.  I thanked her and declined the offer, but she insisted, saying: “I’m just having a good day and wanted to buy someone a cup of coffee!”  There were more, and they were all “game changers” of sorts; in each case I immediately felt positive about the initiator (and in the truck driver’s case, Excel,) it brightened up my day and caused me to “pay it forward” with others.

What difference has it made for you when you were the recipient of a random act of kindness?  How about when you were the initiator?  These are challenging times, with many of us preoccupied about our own sets of concerns and agendas; the environment seems a little unfriendly, or indifferent at best.  I wonder what the impact would be if each of us made a commitment to initiate a random act of kindness daily, or a few per week.  In most cases that should be pretty easy; there are adequate opportunities if we’re paying attention.  Opportunities could be as simple as opening a door for someone (a lost practice!) or picking up dropped change (and returning it of course!)  At work we could help someone with a workload to help her leave earlier, treat someone to a cup of coffee or favorite snack, ease a new employee’s transition or take the time helping someone reload a complicated printer.  It’s amazing what just an unexpected smile can do to brighten things up.  (If we’re ever at a loss for ideas, of course one can find multiple resources on the web merely by searching “random acts of kindness.”)

Many businesses already give via community or charity efforts, and in most cases those are planned, budgeted and promoted programs.  I’m intrigued with the prospect of a business or institution incorporating random acts of kindness in its business model or culture; if any of you are aware of that, please share it.

Big random acts of kindness can make a big impact, including help with rent, repairing a vehicle or taking care of someone’s yard.  The impact is magnified when help isn’t requested and there is no sense of obligation; the “surprise” factor can totally redirect a relationship, course of events or outcomes.  We all have opportunities to be change agents, and some of the changes can be transformational, by initiating random acts of kindness.  May you be the beneficiary or initiator of one or two soon!

 

“To cultivate kindness is a valuable part of the business of life.”

– Samuel Johnson; English poet, writer

 

“No kind action ever stops with itself. One kind action leads to another. Good example is followed. A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees. The greatest work that kindness does to others is that it makes them kind themselves.”

– Amelia Earhart; Aviation pioneer, author

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Lines and Ropes

Posted on September 13, 2011 by Al Watts

“What’s the difference between a line and a rope?”  That is one of my favorite questions to ask new LOON crew members.  The answer is that a rope just sits there, with no purpose or use yet, like a pile of rope on the dock or extra rope in your locker.  A line is rope with a purpose that’s put to use, like a dock line or halyard for raising sails.

On a recent sail we got to talking about how there are “lines” and “ropes” in organizations, too.  You know them; the lines are usually engaged in some constructive pursuit, and the ropes seem to just sit there with little meaningful purpose or activity.  On some teams, lines sometimes take most of the strain, including work that some of the ropes should be doing.

It’s not always a rope’s fault that it lacks purpose or isn’t engaged.  I think it was in Robert Mager’s book Analyzing Performance Problems (with the catchy sub-title “You Really Oughta’ Wanna”) that I first heard there are four main reasons that some people (lines) don’t perform:

  • They don’t know what.  For lack of familiarity with a task or setting, they may simply not know what needs doing.  They need an explanation and clear expectations.
  • They don’t know how.  This is an educational or training opportunity.  Inexperienced crew members likely know that good knots are important, but no matter how many times they are asked to tie a bowline or clove hitch, if they aren’t shown how it won’t happen.
  • They don’t want to.  This is a motivational issue.  I am not especially motivated to climb my mast or dive in Lake Superior to free a fouled line, and fortunately so far have had willing and able crew to perform that task!   If there was imminent danger that required me to do so, though, I would be motivated.  Sometimes people simply don’t want to because it’s not their thing; there’s an interest or skills mismatch.
  • There are obstacles.  Earlier this summer LOON’s engine water pump blew on our way to Isle Royale.  No matter how motivated and able we were to continue our journey, we had to stay put in Grand Marais’ harbor until a replacement pump was shipped.  Likewise, if for example a worker’s attempts to assume more responsibility or improve processes are constantly thwarted by an insecure boss, meaningful contributions slow down.

Maybe this counts as an “obstacle” or it’s a fifth reason that someone is a rope instead of a line in our organizations:  Lines wear out if not properly cared for, and can snap (at very inopportune times) if over-loaded.  I’m afraid that many of our one-time best lines, the doers and innovators in our organizations, are getting worn out and close to the breaking (quitting) point.  Given downsizing and relentless cost-reduction efforts, lines that before held their own are now performing the work of two.  Everything seems to change at dizzying speeds; social networks are disrupted and work routines altered, often without reasons about why or needed support.

 

Here are some tips if we want more lines instead of just ropes in our organization:

  • Help people understand not only what needs to be done, but why it is important.  Give them more of the context about how their contributions tie in with the bigger picture.
  • Satisfy the desire that many have for meaning and a sense of purpose.  What needs do your products and services fulfill?  What would be missing without your organization’s and their contributions?  What’s the vision, where is the organization headed, and why is that important?
  • Assure that they have the necessary preparation , and provide training and support, to perform as required.
  • Make your organization’s culture and values visible, and encourage self-awareness to facilitate the best matches.
  • Remove obstacles – inefficient layouts, unnecessary rules and procedures, unsupportive or intimidating co-workers, outdated tools or technology, bureaucracy, etc.  Ask yourself (or better yet ask others) what you might be doing that’s getting in the way.
  • Create “truth-telling” cultures.  Make it easy for people to talk about how they feel like ropes but want to be lines, and engage in problem-solving with them about how.
  • Be a “servant leader.”  We may be “the captain of our ship,” but instead of focusing mainly on how others can help us get where we want to go, focus more on how we can help others help us reach a shared destination.  It’s a subtle, but important, distinction.

 

Are you feeling more like a “rope” than a “line” these days? What action will you take to re-engage and contribute more value?

How might you help any “ropes” whom you work with be more like “lines”?


Fair winds!

 

 

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