Your People Are Smarter Than You Think

If there is any statement I would want a manager/leader to understand, it would be the following:

    "Your people are smarter than you think."

I feel sorry for those organizations that promote, deify, and plain flatter the pants off of management candidates and new hires (including senior management).  I feel even sorrier for those individuals because most of the time they are not prepared to lead.  It's often a case of letting words on a resume or some performance metric around revenue generation that leads to this ride to hell.

On face of it, you might say congratulations are in order for the recently hired or promoted.  I wouldn't want to stop the celebration and I certainly applaud those who desire to lead people.  The problem rests in not taking time to explain some key and essential truths.  And one of those is:

    "Your People Are Smarter Than You Think."

So You may be wondering why the emphasis on that statement?  Here are the reasons why:

  1. People are tired of corporatese (a language that many organizations use to unknowingly frustrate) and false pretense.
  2. People are tired of managers who feel compelled to remind the world that they are the smartest guy or gal in the room.
  3. People often want to do their jobs with excellence, but they now know that Wall Street is often the prettiest girl in the room. And leaves them feeling the need to watch their back while the CEO gushes over the past quarters numbers. I think you get my point here.
  4. People know the world has changed, but often their leaders are vague on the subject and how it impacts them as an employee.
  5. People know that a title and position do not equal leadership. Thus, they won't really follow if they since an embrace of those two.

The Implications of Trust

Saw this post yesterday in Forbes and it got me thinking about the implications of trust.

What strikes me is how our business culture has forgotten or needs to be taught about how trust is built and kept. We definitely are living in a curious time, when it comes to trust. Seems like many have left trust in dust, even though we say its so important.

The vast advances in learning has led to arrogance on the part of business leaders. This is the type of arrogance that threatens the very enterprises deemed to be so valuable to multiple groups.

Can those (family, friends, company, etc.) conting on you trust you? Are you building and strengthening trust everyday?

A Glass Half-Full in a Half-Empty World

Sustained optimism in the craziness of modern life is essential. It pulls you through in hard times and keeps you wide-awake in the good times. What makes it difficult is many attach their optimism to good fortune-small and large.

Let's face it, anyone can be optimistic when the glass is half-full in a half-empty world.

I've written before that human beings are excellent actors. This is really true in our modern life. You've seen it (maybe by accident) before. A leader works on summoning the right words, the right posture, the right look in the eye, all to portray something either not true or something less than sure. This is the strange dichotomy of being real versus the act.

True optimism requires truth.

I've found that people who have followed me just wanted me to be me. They were just looking for truth. Followers are often not under any delusions about where things stand these days. Pity the poor leaders who have convinced themselves otherwise.

So what's your glass like?

Leadership Starts with the Heart

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We've all encountered organizations who have systems that seem to work smoothly. For example, in banking, Chase will probably get 99% of their transactions right today. Accenture has a process that will react when a company puts out an RFP. But as great as their processes may be, if the leaders inside lack heart, there is something fundamentally wrong.

Leadership starts with the heart. Indeed, indeed.

Great organizations (small or large) begin from the heart. Their business models are full of art. That kind of art that solved a problem, made a customer smile or inspired a child to dream. No guarantees of success I know, and certainly you've got to have a business model that can make/raise money. But if you listen to music don't you want the melody along with the rhythm? If the organization only has one side of the equation and not both, then you're looking at a hollow endeavor.

The great warning goes out to organizations that abandon the heart, thinking the head can do it all. 

Changing People

I've never been able to change one person in my entire life.

I've been told by men and women greater than me, that trying to change people is a road to futility. You might be able to create conditions where someone might want to change. Life could make an impromptu appearance and crush someone to a point where they see no other way but to change. In the end change resides inside each and every one of us. Inside is the keyword here.

So what's with organizations trying to change people?

Organizations can become enamored with their own marketing and brand appearance, not to mention their profit engine. Just like someone who is told repeatedly how great they are. Here that often enough and some will think greatness is theirs. The next-door neighbor to arrogance is power and both work to will over people. It's really a facade, but these types of groups force and intimidate. Like walking a dog that doesn't want to go, they just pull them anyway and can't see the folly of dragging.

So are you in the business of changing people?

Maybe we'd get more if we just started looking at our people as they truly are and then realign, remove, restructure so that the band is playing together and in-tune. This is a courage-based endeavor that few leaders have a stomach for.

Find the courage.

Knowing What You Want

Knowing what you want is important-really important.

Until you nail what you want, all of the meetings, all of the training, all of the long hours, all of the self-convincing will be an absolute waste of time. And you don't have time to waste. Don't be lulled into a false sense of security by your paycheck, retirement account or the applause of the audience.

The ditches are full of people that could never committ to what they really wanted.

The Right System and The Right Process for Growth

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I know many who have good intentions.  I'm one of them!  I would love to tell you that's all you need to get to where you want to go.  I don't believe it is.  It is vitally important to have a system and process for the growth you seek.  This is applicable to your business and your personal life.

As you may remember, I embarked on my own 30 day breakthrough plan a couple of months ago.  This is the experience from one of our strategic partners Take Time for Your Life.  I'm happy to say that I was successful in my 30 days.  I am grateful for this.  Here's the even bigger take-away:

I was successful because I was using the RIGHT system and process. 

Many organizations today are perplexed by their lack of success and growth.  Maybe profits are up, but employees are disconnected.  Maybe their losing talent to competitors, even though training is abundant inside and outside of the enterprise.  So what gives?  If the organization doesn't have the right system and process failure is not far behind.

Many people in their personal lives struggle with issues for years.  Jumping from one idea or cure to the next.  They're desperate to find a breakthrough and are sincere in their motivations.  Sadly, it can be difficult to sift through all of the noise.  Again, it's paramount to find the Right system and process to address the big issues.  In this space it's important to be a critical thinker when it comes to who you will spend your time and money on.  I've come to a point where I won't partner with anyone that doesn't have a mission approach to what they do. 

Mission-minded people/organizations need to be paid, they need to market, etc., but the mission is always out front first.  They are TRULY interested in you and not yours (thank you St. Paul).

It's pretty clear that organizations can spend millions (they do) on training, engagement, well-being, process improvement and still find themselves languishing.  People can hire coaches, go to seminars, buy books, and find themselves in the same state as a business. 

The Right system and process is the starting point.  After that, you'll know what to do.

Real Collaboration

I had a chance to take a sneak peek at a documentary on Nile Rodgers a few weeks back. It was nicely done, even though it was in Japanese. It really didn't phase me because much of the dialog was from Nile. The short can be viewed here.

It might seem an obvious that collaboration and music go together.  And as someone who is a musician, I would agree that often the two go hand-in-hand.  But what about the rest of the spheres of life and work?  Not so much.  There was one scene where I found myself thinking"that's it."  Nile was working with a group around the production of a Broadway musical he created called Double Time.  If you check-out the clip you'll know what I'm referring to.  But I was struck by the group's dynamics.  There were a few musicians, a vocal ensemble, directors/producers, and Nile.  Each of these folks were doing there work individually and collectively.  One thing was clear, they were moving toward the goal of a great performance.  And isn't great performance what we want?

Have you found some form of collaboration that leads you to a great performance?

In your career experience you may not have found it.  And many never do.  Part of the problem arises in organizational health and our own misplaced priorities.  We don't fully understand how collaboration works and how to get the most from it.  Ironically, you might be involved in it and not even recognize it.  You have to look for it.  You have to want it.  The tragedy is found in those who just do it and don't think anymore about it.  Routine, habit, monotony are keywords here.

Your career should be about more than salary, benefits and MBOs.

I really believe our best and greatest work comes when we collaborate.  It's a key way to leave your fingerprint on this motion picture called "life."  But as with all brilliant things, there are the enemies and the threats.  Let's review a few:

Money and the Desire to Get More-this one is manifested when our endeavors are rooted in making money first.  The emphasis is on the word first.  Making money is not a bad thing, unless it is at the top of the list.  Greed.

Self-Centered Leaders-these folks have no interest in anyone or any endeavor other than themselves.  These types of leaders may mask it, smooth it or even lie about.  Their mission is to be King or Queen-first and last.

Our Fear-We all bear some responsibility for the collapse of collaboration.  We fear so much and find ourselves unwilling to be vulnerable.  I don't need to tell you what a killer fear is.  Collaboration is sabotaged when we are insecure and doubt our place at the table.

I have felt most alive when I've been involved in the art and science of real collaboration.