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Humility as a Business Tool

Posted on February 7th, 2012

From theAcademy of Management Journal comes research looking at the value of humility in leaders. It’s no surprise that leaders who display a higher level of personal humility are better liked. What is a bit more of a surprise is that there organizations tend to be more successful in the marketplace as well.  If you don’t subscribe to the journal you can’t read the article online.  A solid but susinct description can be found in an article at the Atlantic. This is encouraging.  From a human perspective it’s nice to see that positive traits can lead to success in the business world.  It’s mildly discouraging to note that this trait has the biggest positive benefit for white male leaders largely because others expect humility less from them.

Filed under: Business Strategy, Demographics, Leadership | No Comments »

Explaining Away a Lack of Success

Posted on January 17th, 2012

It’s been a rough couple of years.  It looks like were not completely out of the woods yet either.  In the companies that we work with here at ROI, we see lots of people who are grateful to have jobs, but feel run down, exhausted and wondering if there is a light at the end of the tunnel.  Given this, it’s easy to let them off the hook by pointing to all the things that have prevented them from being successful or from meeting targets.  The article linked below from Manufactures Tech calls this “failing elegantly.”  It’s a great phrase.  It reminds me of Nixon’s “ withdrawal with dignity.”    It has been a couple of years that have kicked us hard.  But explaining away our inability to meet goals, even when some of it is true, just sets us up to miss again.  Allowing us to look around and point out all the reasons we didn’t make goals makes it easier to try a little less.  A more productive approach is to treat each poor period as  a “game tape” to be reviewed and see if we missed anything.  It takes a strong leader and a smooth facilitator to get people engaged in this kind of conversation, but it worth the effort to create a culture where0 workers go into each new situation eagle-eyed for hidden opportunties and not-yet-seen barriers.

 Link

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New Role? No Rules? Whaaa?

Posted on April 18th, 2011

Only 1 in 10 people receiving promotions say that they received any training for the role.  Typically, they report to the new role and are expected to automatically understand the requirements.  You’ve been promoted because management believes that you’ll figure what to do.  Moonie the Magnificent (Link), one of our favorite performers, does a Rennesaince Faire act where the only words uttered are a single “DON’T SCREW UP!” Lots of promotions feel like that.  You’ve been given the vote of confidence and expected to figure it out.  So how do you get off to a good start? Here’s a quick list to keep in mind:

  • Talk to as many people as you can.  Your new boss, your staff, your customers (internal and/or external) and any company functions with which you will intersect.  Get their view of your groups strengths and weaknesses.  As about the working relationships between your group and others.  Pay most attention to what your boss is expecting.  If you see conflicts between his/her goals and what you are hearing from others, talk it over.
  • Look for a couple of quick, easy wins.  If you can fix something that everyone agrees is a problem, they’ll know that you’re listening and that you care.  Off to a good start!
  • Assess your own skills.  Chances are that you were chosen because of a perceived match between the job and your skills.  Don’t let it go to your head.  Figure out where you need to shore up your own skills.  Ask for training, study on your own or do anything to improve.

Remember- part of what spells success as you take a step up is your ability to assess new situations and adapt your approach/skills/style to meet those needs.

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Congrats! You Now Manage Your Ex-Peers!

Posted on April 11th, 2011

It’s a common issue.  Your manager moved on, you applied for the open position, were chosen and now get to manage the people that used to be your peers.  A recent article in the Wall Street Journal described the common issues that one faces in this situation.  They are:

  • Discipline
  • Delegation
  • Former peer who also wanted the job
  • Balancing professional and personal relationships
  • Building credibility with new peers

We won’t repeat all of the details here.  Click on the link at the end of this post to read the original.  Our experience here at Rogala & Orr suggests that there are a couple of factors that help one be successful when in this position.

First, people who always knew that they might someday step up to managing their peers tend to transition more successfully.  Knowing that they might have to deal with the above issues helps them to manage their peer relationships in such a way that there is no baggage when they step up.  They’ve acted just a bit more professionally than average, they’ve treated their jobs responsibly and left no trail of embarrassing “road stories” with their peers.  So they limit any misperceptions that peers might have about them operating at a higher level.

Second, they tend to bring their peers along with them as they step up.  They know what their ex-peers think about their jobs, the company and the way they’ve been managed.  Making an attempt to fix obvious problems builds credibility with the new direct reports.  It show’s you listen and take people’s thoughts seriously.  As long as a new manager keeps the company’s bottom line in mind as they address issue, everyone wins.

As with any change, seeking out those who have gone before and listening to what they have to say never hurts.  Most managers who have to oversee their old peers will lose a little sleep worrying about doing it well.  Losing a bit of sleep is fine.  It shows that you care about the impact you make.  Learning from the experience of others will let you target your efforts a bit more easily.

Link to original article.  Click Here.

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Leadership Feedback Loops

Posted on March 11th, 2011

I was  reading a recent WSJ article titled “Five Signs That You’re a Bad Boss.”  (Link to article) My SEO friends tell me that lists get lots more hits than not, hence the title.  The article provided the popular “Experts say…” as a way to lead off the list.  The list wasn’t bad (I’ll provide it below) but the most useful point was that people perceived as bad bosses often don’t realize it.  They roll along thinking that their staff is at least moderately happy with them, while people grumble in the background.

How to avoid this?  Create some sort of feedback loop to keep you informed on how your staff view you.  Easiest- just ask them.  Tell them that your door is always open and ask them individually what you might do better to help them do their job.  Asking them as a group won’t usually get you an answer so keep it personal.  Also- 360 survey’s?  Can’t hurt.  If you’re lucky you’ll have a peer who interacts with your group regularly, or a trusted staff member who will tell you the truth.  If so, use these people as a low-key way of monitoring the impact that you make.

This list from above?  Here goes:

  • Most of your emails are one word long
  • You rarely talk to your employees face-to-face
  • Your employees are out sick- a lot
  • Your team’s working overtime but still missing deadlines
  • You yell

I can’t say that I disagree with them, but I’m sure there’s more.  Well, enough writing… time to go connect with some people.

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