Leadership Turn

Wordless Wednesday: Leadership Tools?

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By Miki Saxon -- 1 comment

Ducks In A Row: Introduction To Company Culture

Any organization with more than one person has a culture.

Ask Google “what is corporate culture” and in less than half a second you’ll have 12,400,000 responses. Read a few and in less than half an hour and you’ll end up with conflicting information and a headache.

As with every other person, pundit or not, I have a definition to offer and some insights, but, hopefully, no headache.

Let’s start with the definition, culture is a group’s MAP (mindset, attitude, philosophy™).

Notice I said ‘group’; culture isn’t limited to the company, it exists at every level as either an active or passive product of that particular manager.

Think of it like multiple sets of nested dolls, each department makes up a nest of dolls from VP though team leader, all fitting into the biggest doll that is the overarching culture of the company.

Ideally, the overall culture sets the guidelines for the subcultures—but that ideal only happens by design.

It’s important never to lose sight of the fact that managers, no matter the level, will interpret the company’s culture through their own MAP—and modify it accordingly. That’s why cultural synergy is so critical when hiring.

Culture is, or should be, important to you, since you’re probably responsible for creating one of those dolls. For that reason, I thought we’d spend the next few Ducks In A Row learning

• how to create a culture in both friendly and hostile circumstances;
• the what, why and how of IBBs (infrastructure building blocks);
• the importance of retaining flexibility so the culture can grow and change with the needs of the organization; and
• the differences, pros and cons of active, passive and benign neglect in cultural propagation.

Along the way I’ll answer any questions you have; feel free to email or call me if they’re too sensitive to post in the comments.

See you next week!

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Leaders From Hell Win Award

Sean Kelly of Franchise Pick, one of the best bloggers I know, sent an email to his Bizzia colleagues suggesting that we might find it interesting to weigh in from our own perspective regarding the couple who just won Sean’s Franchisee From Hell Award. (Don’t miss the Biz Levity and Small Business Boomers take on it.)

In short, Lacey, Washington Pizza Time franchise owner Luke Benjamin kept the thermostat set at 55 degrees with a policy to turn the furnace off at night, but the employees forgot one night. Benjamin’s solution was to shut off the heat completely (in an area where outside temperatures may sink to 19 degrees) and post the following notice:

“If you don’t want to work here quit, otherwise shut up and do your job. The next person I hear complaining is off for two weeks. We don’t have heat!! You guys screwed up, not us. You want to blame someone, look in the mirror.”

Since Benjamin confirmed the story to King 5 News, including the fact that 1) his wife has a space heater in her accounting office at the facility and 2) that she is the actual boss, Sean (the big softy) is now wondering if they can be saved from themselves.

Specifically, Sean said, “Miki, do they display the leadership qualities of Attila the Hun, had Attila made pizza?”

The answer is no, in spite of them forcing their people to work with no heat.

Attila never screwed his workers, unlike the Benjamins, they may have been pushed hard, but they had a charismatic leader who was no fool and not only allowed, but encouraged, them to rape and pillage to their hearts content. (Note: Leaders have been using rape and pillage to offset hardship for eons. Think earmarks.)

So what about the Benjamins?

Do I think they will change? Not a chance in hell (from whence came their award), since that would involve a change in their MAP, which ain’t gonna happen as long as they think they’re right.

About the only thing I can see making a difference is a swift kick where it hurts the most—their pocketbook—to be administered by their pizza customers and boss-wife-with-heat Benjamin’s Accurate Accounting customers; as one commenter pointed out, it is tax time, AKA accounting profit time.

But the boycott would have to be substantial and last a significant amount of time to have the desired effect. Sadly, and I’m sure the Benjamins are counting on this, ire diffuses quickly when up against convenience and I wonder if the good intentions of those who are incensed now will last when the item is off the current news radar.

Would you remember? Would you do business with them?

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By Miki Saxon -- 3 comments

Quotable Quotes: Rivers Of Greed

Greed, like water, just keeps flowing along, flooding the land and leaving destruction and misery in it’s wake. The current flood, which dwarfs Katrina, makes greed a timely subject for our quotes today.

“Laissez-faire, Supply-and-demand, - one begins to be weary of all that. Leave all to egoism, to ravenous greed of money, of pleasure, of applause: it is the Gospel of Despair!” –Thomas Carlyle (Said way back in the 1800s, seems nothing has changed—not encouraging.)

“It always seemed strange to me that the things we admire in men, kindness and generosity, openness, honesty, understanding and feeling are the concomitants of failure in our system. And those traits we detest, sharpness, greed, acquisitiveness, meanness, egotism and self-interest are the traits of success. And while men admire the quality of the first, they love the produce of the second.” –John Steinbeck (Good grief! You don’t confuse talk with actions, do you?)

“New York City is a great monument to the power of money and greed… a race for rent.” –Frank Lloyd Wright (Definitely living up to it’s reputation!)

“If we go on the way we have, the fault is our greed [and] if we are not willing [to change], we will disappear from the face of the globe, to be replaced by the insect.” –Jacques Cousteau (Long hail the mighty cockroach [see above].)

“No drug, not even alcohol, causes the fundamental ills of society. If we’re looking for the source of our troubles, we shouldn’t test people for drugs, we should test them for stupidity, ignorance, greed and love of power.” –P. J. O’Rourke (Whoever invents the test will wind up the richest person in the world without any need to be greedy!)

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By Miki Saxon -- 2 comments

Seize Your Leadership Day: 2 On Leading & 2 That Inspire

I keep files of interesting stuff I read and reorganize them each year; some are deleted, but most hold their value. Today’s choices include some of the oldies.

First up is a terrific article showing why leading isn’t about “fixing people” (neither is managing) and what you should do.

“People are not machines. They don’t need fixing. Using the “4 A´s” – awareness, acceptance, ask, and acknowledge…”

I highly recommend Front Line Manager. Scott says that he is a “relatively new manager” and he writes from his own experience and efforts. He’s a pleasure to read (I’m a writing snob:) and seems to be overflowing with common sense. My kind of leadager. I especially appreciated Change & Tough Times.

I’ve always stories about entrepreneurs raise my spirits. While I like reading about people who had the guts to go for the gold ring, I find entrepreneurial vision in kids even more inspiring.

“…the inspirational lives of five whiz kids who built million-dollar enterprises before the age of 20…Three are from the U.S., two from the U.K. All started at age 15 or younger–and one before he broke double digits.”

Finally, have you ever seen something that you thought was really cool, but you wouldn’t be caught dead doing it? That’s how I felt (still do) when I first read about having dinner in the sky. Fascinating, but not for a confirmed acrophobite. Besides dinner the company now offers other events, including weddings. I wonder if the idea will weather the current economic storm.

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Leading Actions Off And Online

A recent discussion on LinkedInBloggers (check it out) started around a WSJ Online article about disconnecting from people in an online network and migrated to online behavior. Paul Chaney sent a link to an article he’d written that’s a good guide on what to do and not do.

So, what does all this have to do with leadership, establishing better communications with those around you and living a productive, happy life?

It turns out that the actions and MAP (mindset, attitude, philosophy™) needed to create great online networks is the same that’s been needed for all positive human interactions since cavemen tried grunting instead of always using their clubs.

Long before Christianity every major religion had some version of the Golden Rule; Dale Carnegie detailed the actions needed to put it into practice in the business world.

In fact, the only things that keep changing are the words used to describe the MAP and resulting actions.

So the question really is, if this stuff has been around forever why is it still being explained, advocated, recommended, written about and taught?

Why isn’t it just being done?

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By Miki Saxon -- 2 comments

What Do You Want From Leadership Turn In 2009?

Today I’d like to thank you, all of you. You are what make writing Leadership Turn worthwhile—even though you aren’t as chatty as the Prison Break readers.

But today is the day; today I’m asking you to get chatting and tell me what you want from Leadership Turn in 2009.

What features do you like? Which do you hate? What would you like me to do differently?

Do you like Tuesday’s Ducks In A Row? Thursday’s Leadership’s Future focus on education and leading kids? What about CandidProf? Do you want to hear more from him?

Are the multiple links in the new Seize Your Leadership Day on Saturday helpful? Are you still enjoying Quotable Quotes with your Sunday coffee?

Click here, while you’re thinking about it, and tell me what you want. Or you may call me at 866.265.7267 or email miki@rampupsolutions.com.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One more thing, last year I shared Business Week’s Marc Miller’s rhyming wrap-up of 2007; yesterday I posted Jib Jab’s 2008 wrap and now I have the pleasure of presenting parts of Miller’s rhyme for this year. Click the link to read the whole thing—it’s worth it!

At Christmastime 2008,
In this, our fragile fiscal state,
We search our economic soul
And find the world’s a lump of coal,…

You’re Big Biz? Well, it’s still no dice:
The credit market’s Arctic ice.
The Dow fell stomach-churningly,
And Bear Stearns is a memory,
Nor is there any point in dreamin’
Richard Fuld will bring back Lehman…
On the front page, Bernie Madoff;
On Page Two, new thousands laid off.
’08’s theme, if such there be,
Is simply negativity,…

In the business world, success
Was rarer than a C.D.S.
That didn’t wind up in a mess,
Yet some achieved it nonetheless….

Mr. Gates, with less to do,
We’re counting on good works from you.
(We’re confident at Microsoft
Steve Ballmer will keep things aloft.)
T. Boone Pickens, going green,
A blessing on your wind machine,…

For next year, we merely wish
A climate not so Hades-ish,
Where every week we don’t convene
To tear apart the magazine
And start from scratch, because we find
The landscape newly redesigned,
A market not so cellar-bound
(We can’t imagine turnaround),
Some leadership in Washington
That actually gets things done,
And globally, a brotherhood
That stumbles toward a common good.
I can’t say why, I don’t know how,
But if you’ve read this up to now,
You too may sense the universe
May soon get better (can’t get worse).
So raise a glass to auld lang syne,
And see you in 2009.

I really urge you to read it in it’s entirety, it’s worth your time.

Have a wonderful holiday today; I look forward to your thoughts on my direction.

Best wishes,
Miki

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By Miki Saxon -- 4 comments

Wordless Wednesday: 2008 In Irreverent Review

Be sure to click over and tell me what you want in 2009

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Ducks In A Row: Overcoming The 4 Barriers To ‘Knowing’

Yesterday I said, “…there’s a lot of latitude in what one chooses to know,” and listed four barriers; I also said that we’d talk about

I promised to offer up some ideas on how to hear past the four barriers to knowing, but you need to recognize that no matter how many tools you have, hearing is still a part of your MAP and you may find it necessary to modify your MAP in order to these or any other tool.

Barrier 1 Information disagrees with your ideology or world-view: Probably the best example of this barrier is found in the US Supreme Court. To perform their duties correctly the justices are supposed to interpret the US Constitution without reference to their personal philosophy. If you’ve ever followed the confirmation hearings you know how unlikely this is to happen.

To overcome it, or at least be aware of your prejudices, you need to take a step backwards and really listen to those around you. Seek out people whose ideologies are different than yours and get their interpretation. Yes, theirs will also be biased, but by putting all of them together you’ll start to see a full 360 degree view.

Barrier 2 Information is presented by the opposition, someone you dislike or with whom you disagree: Remember the common advice when someone says something mean to you? “Consider the source of the comment before you consider what was actually said.” Good advice, but dangerous to do unconsciously.

That’s the key to avoiding this barrier—banish unconscious and replace it with hyper-conscious, which is easier than you might think. Typically people know when someone meets any of these criteria, but in the interest of ‘getting along’ they bury the feeling and teach themselves to ignore it. The problem is that it doesn’t go away and continues to color any interactions. But if you embrace the feeling consciously and then separate it from the information received you are far more likely to be able to evaluate it objectively.

Barrier 3 Information conflicts with your personal agenda/goals: The most obvious example of this is the Wall Street meltdown. Business was driven strictly be a goal to raise profit thereby increasing bonuses; any information that derailed that was ignored.

On one level this one is easy; you need to be brutally honest with yourself regarding exactly what you’re after, although you don’t need to share the information with anyone else. Along with a brutally honest vision of your goal, you need to determine to what lengths you’ll go to achieve it. Finally, you need to decide whether all of that agrees with your ethical structure, the persona you want to project and the legacy you want to leave behind you.

Barrier 4 information is inconvenient or annoying: Remember the old saying, “don’t confuse me with facts?” When things are going well, or a decision has been made, it’s very tempting to ignore anything that might upset the applecart. In part, this is what happened in the sub prime fiasco.

Overcoming it means forcing yourself to keep an open mind, always accepting and evaluating new information as if the decision hasn’t yet been made and then integrating it into your model. If the result is substantially different from the prior result, then you need to look for additional information that either confirms or refutes the need for modification or outright change.

Cultivating these tool wiil prove useful in all parts of your life. They can even help you build a reputation for achieving where others fail.

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What Leaders Know

A couple of weeks ago, Steven Pearlstein said, “Their leadership failure was a big part of the story of how we got into this mess…a number of executives have complained that this indictment is both too broad and too harsh. Given what was known at the time and the competitive and legal pressures that come to bear in these situations, they believe their actions and judgments were reasonable.”

“I didn’t know…” is America’s favorite excuse, although it won’t hold up in a court of law; ignorantia legis neminem excusat (ignorance of the law excuses no one) dates back to Roman times.

The operative word is ‘know’ and, unfortunately, there’s a lot of latitude in what one chooses to know.

People don’t know anything that

• disagrees with their ideology or world-view;
• is presented by the opposition or those with whom they disagree;
• conflicts with their personal goals/agenda; or is
• inconvenient or annoying.

The irony is that Wall Street’s leaders really didn’t know—for all the above reasons.

If you truly want to lead—yourself, your family, a company or any other organization—than it’s your responsibility to not just listen, but also to hear past all those reasons.

We’ll talk more about how to do this in tomorrow’s Ducks In A Row post.

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