by Starbucker on February 8, 2010
The supervisor is frustrated – in his mind, he has done everything right to manage his team to a successful outcome. He carefully explained the task at hand and its deadline for completion, how it was supposed to get done (and by whom), and outlined the expected results.
He has monitored the resulting team activity and provided useful feedback.
And yet, the outcome was less than what he expected. What went wrong?
It’s one of those situations that can drive leaders crazy. I know, because it’s happened to me.
There’s a missing element here, and it’s about a question that needs to be answered – even before anybody asks.
Look again at my example above. The supervisor had answered four questions for his team – “What?”, “When?“, “How?”, and “Who?”
What was missing was the answer to “Why?”
Put another way, it’s placing the desired result in the proper context for each team member, as well as explaining the importance of each person’s role in achieving that result.
In my experience I have found that it is well worth your time to sit down with your team and get those “Why” answers on the table, and make sure they are understood. You cannot assume that they know these answers – even if they don’t ask the questions.
Granted, this can be a time consuming exercise, especially when there are tight deadlines. There’s typically a strong temptation to just step on the accelerator and get the bus moving. But successful leaders must resist that temptation.
It’s really a matter of giving meaning to the work that each person does, which leads to happier, more motivated, and more productive teammates.
Here’s a specific example. A few years ago my company started tracking a customer service metric, based on specific customer feedback. When we first started we more or less just “put it out there”, explaining the mechanics of the metric, the way it was compiled and scored, and setting a company goal.
The metric performed reasonably well, but hit a plateau short of the goal. We eventually determined that the way to push it past this barrier was to spend a lot more time with our customer facing staff explaining the “whys”; why this measurement was important to the success of the company, and why their specific actions could make a difference in moving the number higher. We had these sessions multiple times over the course of a year.
Since that time, and with these “why” answers more clearly understood, our scores eventually exceeded our goal, and they continue to rise to greater heights to this day. And our employee satisfaction scores have also gone up.
So remember, don’t forget the “why” – and keep your sanity.
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by Starbucker on February 2, 2010
Remember this famous quote?
“Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it” – George Santayana
I’ve heard this one time and time again in my years in the business world. And it’s a very powerful message about learning from the past. However, I would offer that this quote should be amended to truly reflect using history to a leader’s advantage:
“Those who learn best from wisely selected history are destined to greatness”
Note the phrase “wisely selected“. When it comes to history, great leaders essentially have selective memory. Because not all of what has taken place in the past should be remembered. In fact, there is a clear danger in many instances from being too acutely aware of history.
There are three levels of selective memory at work here:
General Outcomes
Bad outcomes can easily create paralysis, due to the fear they can conjure up when all the grisly details are remembered. But great leaders can absorb the lessons and “forget” most of those details, so when the time comes and those lessons must be applied, anxiety won’t get in the way.
On the other hand, especially good outcomes can create complacency (the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality). Great leaders can “remember” past success by looking beyond the objective results and putting a fresh eye on the people, process and policy that achieved them. Otherwise, it’s hard to raise the bar when history is supposedly telling you you’ve already nailed it.
Day-to-day Management
Effective leadership selective memory also works well on a smaller scale- for example, in assessing the overall potential and performance of teammates, or effectively dealing with negative feedback.
In the case of performance, it’s the ability to sort out non-representative or inconsequential actions in making a correct assessment. As for feedback, it’s the knack of “erasing” the tone or delivery that might of upset you, and looking instead at the substance of the critique. Of course, there could also be times where the critique itself should be forgotten.
Immediate Forgetfulness
Lastly, there are those times where you should forget what may have happened 10 seconds ago - those heated exchanges that can sometimes put you in a funk for hours or days. I’m sure you know what I’m talking about here – just think how many times you’ve even unconsciously applied it be telling someone “forget about it” after you’ve calmed down.
All in all, it’s that innate ability, on all three of these levels, to sort through your history and simply take with you what you need to succeed – a critical separator between “just good” and “really great” leadership.
So “select” well, and be great!
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