Blog - Page 52 of 55 - The Third Zone

Dec 13 2012

Safe, Sorry or Successful?

“Better to be safe than sorry?” I bet I’m not the only one who grew up with that message. “Don’t touch the rose bush – it has thorns.” “Don’t climb out on that tree branch.” Your choice was to be wrapped in cotton, or take the risk – to have fun. And then incur the wrath of your mother when you came to her w/the bleeding knee. I also bet that the exhilaration of taking the risk often outweighed the wrath. Not to mention bragging rights!

As coaches, we notice that our clients often face the same kind of choice – stay safe, or take a risk. Invest in new equipment – hire more staff – try a new way – expand into a new geographic region. Or stay the same, close ranks, hunker down & hope the storm doesn’t hit.

Of course, business people want to succeed. What we know is that, more often than not, taking risks results in success. Success isn’t guaranteed however. Failure is always one of the options. What is guaranteed is learning. Great companies risk, fail, learn & repeat the cycle frequently. Great leaders welcome failure as an opportunity to learn and move forward. They are not afraid to ask the hard questions. What worked here? What did not? What do we need to do differently the next time? Remember, risk always involves a “next time”. And success WILL come and with it, exhilaration!!

Now you’re a grown up! What’s your choice? Cotton or exhilaration? I’d love to hear your experience as such!

Barbara Wisnom

Nov 20 2012

Easier said when done. Really!

After three to four LONG years of navigating the wrath of the economic tsunami, more and more businesses are drawing the line on ‘victimhood’ and are determined to reclaim the driver’s seat and success. Simply put, they are saying “Enough is absolutely enough!” So you’re ready to get going and create as much distance from the past few years as you can and that’s a great place to be and mindset to have. And now things become easy because you know what you’re doing. Ah … not so fast.

I want to suggest that regardless of how anxious you are to charge forward, there are a couple of key, initial steps related to taking back control that, when acknowledged and acted upon, can make the challenges of achievement actually easier. The first one is making certain that your leadership team is all aligned behind what the forward moving path looks like. The second is revisiting the way in which the company responded to the crisis in terms of how you would respond differently … or the same.

The first area of determining the route an organization takes to success requires serious analysis and decision making. Within the same leadership team we often see a dichotomy. Some of the leaders are so relieved to be back that they want and presume that they will carry the business forward as it was before the upheaval. Why not? They know how to do this and after a few years of struggle returning to what was sounds wonderful. Others are VERY aware that the market they used to cater to has undergone its own, bitter storm and that there may not be the same need or demand for the products or services of the past. Thus, they believe that yesterday’s business model has to change. This lack of alignment within the team must be rectified before moving forward. What is the path that will enable the organization to again be successful? What needs to change? Who is the market of tomorrow? … just some of the questions that should be considered and addressed.

The second area is to capture the lessons and the learning that your company has derived from the experience of the past few years. In other words, while fresh in the minds of the leaders, create the plan for the future that can be ‘on the shelf’ for that next time the business is faced with a similar crisis. How would you respond differently? What would you have done sooner? What tough decisions do you wish you had made early on knowing what you now know? If never used … great. However, if ever needed, you will be far down the road to greater effectiveness in dealing with it. How would your life have been different had you had this i.e. 3 years ago? This is very meaningful and effective because you take time now.

As energized as so many are with the decision to reclaim the driver’s seat of business, moving forward with the restraint to include these steps can mean rebuilding on a solid foundation. It’s not a natural tendency and, in fact, will make it easier … when done.

Mike

Oct 30 2012

When the sum of the parts doesn’t always add up to ‘greater than’

I’m guessing that many, many times you have heard the expression “The whole is greater than the sum of the parts”. It has always sounded like a positive outlook to me and a wonderful benefit … especially as I approach coaching the leaders in organizations. When The Third Zone is hired to work with a team of leaders, there are definitely times when we are impressed with the talent that exists within that group … both individually and collectively. We get to witness the individual contributions each brings to the company and how these contributions move the company toward its vision. So is this commonplace? Unfortunately, anything but.

The above, ideal situation is not the norm we encounter. The technical skill is often apparent and we ‘get’ why someone has been put into a certain position because of what they can offer. However, more than technical skill, industry expertise or company longevity is needed when someone also has the added responsibility of leading the charge. And here is where the person or persons can throw the team … can throw the company … off its track. As such, the sum of the parts risks being the cause of an outcome that is ‘less’ than the whole. In this situation, the ‘whole’ misses the intended mark and few, if any, are happy or satisfied.

Figuring out what each person on the team does that gets in their way of being a strong and effective leader is the starting point. Why? Typically, we’re simply not self-aware enough to grasp our own shortcomings.

Some of us are really poor, unclear communicators and thus, our reports don’t question or think they understood. Yet that doesn’t mean they will go off a do a task as you ‘thought’ you explained it.
Some are control freaks (don’t know a better way to say it). We dole out the task, give the needs of it and manage to retain one key element that then requires us to come along and provide the last piece of the puzzle. Or, we micromanage it to death. Not effective and it doesn’t help me feel important.
Still others of us may just be poor listeners. We’re in such a rush that we don’t provide the opportunity for reports to ask questions along the way. Thus, decisions are made that are off track and lead to completing a task or project that is also off the track from the needed outcome.

The fix as we interpret it, is two parts. Work with the team … yes. As a team, they align behind the created vision and mission. They make a commitment to the full team. They trust that each can count on the other to provide what’s needed. And they are interested in helping the team members overcome any obstacles & pot holes. No silos here.

The second part of the fix is to work with the individual team member. In doing so, we get to help them identify the personal obstacles to their success both as a company leader or as an leadership team member. We help them to see the link between their contribution and the company’s success in reaching its goal. It’s really not difficult to do and still, to ignore the personal improvement that elevates each leader to one that is very effective is to jeopardize and impact the achievement and success of the company. With this approach the expression about the “whole greater than. . . “ becomes realistic more than ever.

Mike

Oct 18 2012

Kobe’s Leadership Skills on the Court Transfer Well

I don’t know if basketball is your favorite sport or, for that matter, if you even follow sports. Regardless, whether a team leader as an athlete or in another type of business, I am struck as to how closely aligned successful leading is in any type of organization. Leading is leading. I just read an article on ESPN’s website under the heading of “Laker Report”. Leadership on that team and specifically, that of Kobe Bryant, is the topic. Some quotes on his facebook page reveal his leadership philosophy.

“Leadership is responsibility. ”

“There comes a point when one must make a decision. Are YOU willing to do what it takes to push the right buttons to elevate those around you? If the answer is YES, are you willing to push the right buttons even if it means being perceived as the villain? Here’s where the true responsibility of being a leader lies. ”

“Sometimes you must prioritize the success of the team ahead of how your own image is perceived. The ability to elevate those around you is more than simply sharing (the ball) or making teammates feel a certain level of comfort. It’s pushing them to find their inner beast, even if they end up resenting you for it at the time.”

“I’d rather be perceived as a winner than a good teammate. I wish they both went hand in hand all the time but that’s just not reality.”

Sounds like a no nonsense stance doesn’t it? It does to me and yet accepting the opportunity to be a leader brings with it the responsibility of doing so effectively. During the many years that I spent at the helm of my business prior to becoming a leadership coach I had discussions with those being elevated into leadership positions about what they would be giving up while acquiring certain authority that came with the position. Some of the more prevalent issues identified included:

Being best friends with those you lead. You, the leader may not have an issue however the other person (the best friend) might expect greater leniency, favors, latitude, etc. Why? “Because we’re good friends aren’t we?” This can get in the way of a true leader
Putting popular decisions over best ones. It’s often surprising how many leaders have a gut instinct about what decision is the right one … and yet, they opt for one that will have greater acceptance among others or will allow others to think more favorably of them, the leader.
Being more concerned about enhancing one’s own perceived value as leader than allowing others to have the spotlight. This leader allows concern with their own performance to outshine the ultimate goal of achieving the organization’s vision to the max and often that means allowing another to shine.

Kobe’s ‘leadership doctrine’ is written from his basketball perspective. And we know that he is often criticized for his actions, antics and opinions. Still, he has the confidence to lead and makes the decisions that seem right in that moment. When you think about it there is really little, if any, difference in leading in any arena. And it goes back to Kobe’s first quote … “Leadership is responsibility” How many points would the leaders that you know and experience make?

Mike

Oct 15 2012

Clear Communication – A Great Place to Start in Minimizing Re-work

Recently I read a blog post written by Kirk Hazlett, an Associate Professor of Communication (Undergraduate) at Curry College in Milton, MA. He began with this quote: “I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I’m not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.” This attributed to Robert McCloskey, an author and illustrator of children’s books.

In working extensively with business leaders in my capacity as a certified coach, the lack of effective communication is way up there on the list of things that create the gap between the dream of achievement for the organization and the reality of individual and collective performance. How many times have you asked or been asked “do you have any questions?’ following a conversation in which a plan of action was laid out along with the steps that needed to be taken. And how many times have you said or heard “no” after which the meeting/conversation was over? And finally, have you then come to realize that someone who had no questions because they understood (remember the “no” answer) was going down a path that was different than had been defined for them … thus the wrong path? I’m going to guess your answer is likely to be yes as it’s something most of us have done at one time or another.

Addressing this is extremely important while quite basic and simple. In communicating there is always a speaker and a listener. The speaker has a good idea of what they want to convey and sets out to do so. Their listener is paying attention and may even be taking some notes. And yet, as simple as this seems it can go awry in two ways. On the speaker side, as clearly as they know what they want to convey, it is no guarantee that it comes out in conversation with the same clarity. On the listener side, the words are heard and still there is room for that person to interpret them in what seems to be the logical and right way. There is one clear way to uncover any misunderstanding. The listener simply repeats what they got from the conversation. If it’s completely correct … Bingo. If only partially correct, the speaker gets to rephrase the misunderstood portion so that they know both parties are aligned and together in what has to take place next. And the best part is that checking for understanding and clarity can emanate from either person as in “please repeat” or “let me repeat”.

One major source of wasted dollars in most every organization is the cost of re-work often caused by this kind of misunderstanding. It safe to say it’s unintended and yet still happens too often. Knowing that people are going away from a conversation in sync with what others know needs to happen is the kind of efficiency that is especially needed in today’s recovering businesses. Passing along this easy and simple communication tool is something we do in almost every organization in which we work. Try it and I expect that you’ll soon become aware of both how easy and effective it is in speeding desired results. I’d really like to hear of your success!

Mike

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