LeaderLine

Pick the Right Box to Think In

Dan and Chip Heath make a point on the value of boundaries: "We're always told to think outside the box. But it's about time someone spoke up for the box. Because, paradoxically, thinking inside the box can spark creativity, not squelch it. It takes options off the table, but it also dramatically improves the chances that your team will hit the target. So maybe you don't need to think out of the box. Maybe you just need a new one to think in."

Like lines on the field, boxes can be constraints that focus and liberate our constructive choices in playing the great game of business. True empowerment remains freedom within limits, not total freedom. Not even CEOs are totally free to act--they have stakeholders and legal constraints that create the sandbox they play in. Help define the limits and focus of your people and then let them soar.

Even when improv comedians take the stage, they need a concrete setup to do their show. Instead of "Be funny and make me laugh!," they are given concrete but bizarre situations to launch their improv. They might be asked--"What if Romeo had been Dick Cheney and Hillary Clinton was Juliet?" It narrows the paths possible for the comedians, but it makes it easier for the actors to launch their next bit and focus their comedic craft.

Don't just think out of the box when you can look for a fruitful box that will focus your and your team's change and creativity. 

Source: Dan Heath and Chip Heath, "Get Back in the Box," Fast Company, December/January 2008, pp. 74, 77.

The Gift of Attention

Tom Schmitt, President and CEO of FedEx Global Supply Chain Services and Senior VP of FedEx Solutions, has a way of staying connected: "I call each of my 550 employees on their birthday. It's hokey, but when I call them, it's not to sing 'Happy Birthday,' but to ask what the biggest single thing is they are working on and what their headaches are. It gives me a collective pulse of what's going on and makes them feel I care enough about what is going on. It just takes five minutes to have that conversation."

It's been said that the best leaders put their calendars where their mouth is. If you say that your people are your most important resource, it should show in your schedule and in the conversations you have. Talking to each of your employees about what they are working on and what headaches get in the way would speak volumes about your commitment as a leader. Whether it's your birthday gift or just your way to take the pulse of your organization, build a listening habit into your regular schedule.

Instead of just focusing on headaches, try taking time to focus on opportunities and best practices. Try a few different questions: What one thing one thing have you done this year that you're proudest of? What lesson have you learned that others could benefit from? What opportunities are you aware of that might be worth pursing? It's not just the time you spend listening; it's the questions you consistently ask that make listening worthwhile. Who can you give the gift of attention to this week?

(Source: Tom Schmitt, President and CEO of FedEx Global Supply Chain Services and Senior VP of FedEx Solutions (Brendan Coffey, "Leadership Quotient," Executive Travel, May/June, 2007, pp. 42-48.)

Leaders Admit What They Don't Understand!

There's an important lesson Raytheon CEO Bill Swanson shares in his "Unwritten Rules of Management:" "Learn to say 'I don't know.' If used when appropriate, it will be used often. ... Confident people know their strengths and weaknesses, and they don't try to b.s. you. You are not expected to know the answer to everything. Smart people simply say 'I don't know'--and go get an answer."

Have you ever been in a meeting where you didn't understand a word of what was being explained? You watch as others take notes--"They seem to understand!" Not wanting to admit that you are in the dark, you nod along with the rest of those in attendance. In the restroom, where most significant meetings occur, you ask a note taker to explain. He replies, "I don't know what he was talking about! I just used the time to write down a shopping list of what to buy on the way home."

In our complex and changing world, there are a number of critical things that we know nothing about. That's why we need collaborative input. Good listeners know that true communication requires understanding. After all, a clarifying question is a compliment; it is telling the sender that you care enough about what is being said that you are willing to work until you have received it.

Work at active inquiry--"I'm not yet clear on what you are saying. Could you explain that another way?" With any luck, when you go to the restroom, others will confess, "I'm sure glad you asked that good question. After all, I'd rather you look stupid than me." Few realize that the best change leaders have the confidence to admit what they don't know and realize the importance of tapping the insights and strengths of everyone they work with.

(Source: Raytheon CEO Bill Swanson, Unwritten Rules of Management, "The CEO's Secret Handbook, Business 2.0, July 2005, pp.69-75.)

Focus Your Analysis to Produce Results not Hide Them

A.G. Lafley, CEO of Proctor & Gamble, shared a strategy to streamline strategic product reviews: "When we get our strategy product reviews right, we can boil it down to a one-page document that provides the clarity for everyone--and more consistent execution."

When CEO Lafley first arrived at Procter & Gamble, he was displeased with the process for conducting annual strategy reviews that analyzed the future for every Proctor & Gamble product. He observed that previously they had been more theater than targeted debate. Too often the show was just a way to justify poor performance, and the actors expected a rubber stamp approval for their performance. Lafley junked the old process and installed a new one demanding more scrutiny and rewarding actual results. First, he required each division-head to send the presentation to him before the review. Lafley would send back a handful of key questions or concerns that were to be the focus of the review. The presenters were limited to a three page report. The report was short but the analysis exhaustive. Instead of wrapping up the analysis in a day, the process could last days or weeks until everyone agrees. He focuses each review debate around two objectives: "where to play" and "how to win."

The trouble with large organizations is that rather than say no to underperforming programs or products, they just carry them as extra baggage. The poor performers are dragged along by those products and services that do produce results. That baggage creates a burden that can derail even successful companies. Where is your organization hiding in "theater" that allows poor performance to continue? How could you institute a process that puts every product or service under review for its very existence every year?

Move resources to where they can make the most difference, and be ready to reinvest those resources every year. Comment on what you are doing to focus your resources where it counts!

(Source: A.G. Lafley, CEO of Proctor & Gamble, in Paula Kaihla, "Best-Kept Secrets of the World's Best Companies," Business 2.0, April 2006, pp. 82-96)

You Never Forget How a Validating Leader Makes You Feel

Today at a conference, Frank Maguire (http://www.frankmaguire.com) shared an anonymous observation worth repeating: "People will forget what you said. They will forget what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel." Frank continued, "I'm not a motivational speaker. I'm a validating speaker. I validate what you have done."

Instead of motivating others, a leaders is to validate others by catching them motivating themselves. When you have to be the motivation for your team, you have to be there. Being the motivation for others is draining and no one is satisfied with the results. The leader feels the team is not motivated enough; the associates feel discounted and undervalued. 

By being the mirror to the light that comes from others, you allow them to take satisfaction in making a difference. You turn it from being your job to motivate them to it being their opportunity to win their own victories.

What are you doing to catch your people motivated? A recent attendee at one of my own programs told me a habit that their CEO used in talking to associates. He would say, "I've heard from your boss that you are doing great things. Tell me what you have found is making the most difference for you in getting those results." Not only did he give a compliment that validated the associate's boss, he invited them to share a best practice so his CEO could listen with pride in his accomplishment. I'm sure he went on to positively gossip about the lessons learned and the associates who taught him. Now, that is one CEO who understands how validation can encourage true motivation!

Think of the leaders in the past who made you feel special. Who could you call to validate for the difference they have made in your life? Make the call to thank them and tell them of the influence they had on your life. Then get busy validating your own people!

Gaming to Get Opinions

Todd Proebsting, director of Microsoft's Center for Software Excellence, talks about an innovative way to capture opinions: "Face-to-face communication breaks down, and opinions are filtered. Prediction markets show where the gap is and allow you to short-circuit it." 

All you had to do was observe the frenzy over who was going to win this year's American Idol, and you realized that people love to actively participate in games when their opinions mean something. With over 63 million votes cast to determine the final winner, more people voted for their favorite singer than voted in our last presidential election. The message is clear about today's associates--'Give me an 800 number to call or a website to visit, and I'll tell you what I think!'

Microsoft is using a game called a "prediction market" to get an accurate reading on what associates really think. A "prediction market" is an online betting pool in which fictional shares are traded by associates to gauge the odds of upcoming events, product ship dates, a product's market potential or any question that requires feedback. Why use a game? Communication in a meeting is often influenced by the assertiveness of the associate, peer pressure and discomfort with disagreeing. A "prediction market" lets associates share their input privately.

For example, instead of relying on verbal communication at a meeting to assess the viability of a product ship date, twenty-five Microsoft programmers and quality control testers working on a new Windows testing application used an internal website where they could buy shares for the month they believed the product would ship. Shares were valued at $1 apiece, and each engineer participating was given a personal fund of $50 each to fund their bids. Within minutes of being allowed to vote their shares, the shares bid for a February ship date shot up in value while those for November, the scheduled date, dropped to almost zero. Previously, the manager had heard nothing but optimism from his team about the scheduled ship date. Using the data from the "prediction market," he was able to initiate troubleshooting and arrange a shift of resources to help meet the deadline.

Early problem-solving is critical in our rapidly changing world. Don't just rely on verbal reports, find creative ways to get people gaming their opinions, and you can assess what your team really thinks.

(Source: Todd Proebsting, Director of Microsoft's Center for Software Excellence, in Paula Kaihla, "Best-Kept Secrets of the World's Best Companies," Business 2.0, April 2006, pp. 82-96)

What Will You Be Famous For?

Jeff Yabuki, CEO of Fiserv, in addressing the community bank leaders who utilize their software and services to compete with the big boys, challenged the leaders to think with him about what differentiated, value-added services must be created to meet the future needs of your customers. He asked a very valuable question that more leaders ought to use to help refine their vision, "In five years, what will you be famous for?"

How do you need to get your organization and your team off autopilot into inventing the future? Provocative questions help. We live in exciting times where some organizations thrive and others die because they stop challenging themselves to keep growing. Remember, good organizations don't settle for a good year when what they want to do is sustain a dynasty.

How will your customers brag about you in five years? Start thinking....anew!

(Source: Jeff Yabuki, CEO of Fiserv, speech at the Fiserv National Management Conference, May 2, 2006, Hilton Head, SC)