Category: Management

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 Why In Preparation

 

Many think that preparing begins after opportunity knocks, even those gurus that say preparation should start well before. In a time where things are changing rapidly and many disruptions have begun without the average person knowing, it's a dangerous game to put off preparation. So what say you? When should preparation begin?

It begins now. The age of predictability is over.

I've failed many times. More than I care to remember. One thing is clear though, even after I've wondered why bothering was worth it, all of my preparation was not wasted. The key ingredient in embracing opportunities is the preparation. It's like smelling salts for your senses so that you can see all the opportunities flowing around and through you everyday.

It will hurt and you will have to fight your fears. This is after all the why in preparation.

The Right System and The Right Process for Growth

Computer motherboard

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.

Looking Past the Transaction

Rare is the organization that can look past the transaction.  Often, they're so fixiated on sales and sales forecasts.  The better idea here is found in the faith-based (not speaking about religion) approach to selling and relationship-building.  The belief in your product or service in such a way as to having faith that it will solve a problem or create a desired breakthrough.

This is tough work and it requires a steadfast reliance on the mission.  A career, a transaction-based business model or protecting market share will never do.

So the next time you look at that client or prospective client, do you see a transaction that benefits your business model?  I hope not.  You should see someone who has a problem you can solve and a relationship to be built.  There's no substitute for the latter.

The Role of the Corporate Rebel

You may not know this, but I once was a corporate rebel.  A mostly associate that term with Lois Kelly, the person I first heard and connected the idea with.  I'll get to Lois's work in second. 

I was the guy who would get on top of filing cabinets (I'm not kidding) and protest bureaucratic processes and meaningless rules that hurt clients and employees.  Needless to say I had a reputation.  In many ways it's a miracle I lasted as long as I did in that world.  The main point is about heart motivated action to change things for the better.

I didn't work for companies that appreciated rebels.  I'm certain I was tolerated because of my knack or ability to make money for the organization.  Rebels were a threat culturally.  Rebels saw what many preferred to ignore, either for convenience or fear.  This is quite ironic since rebels (at those with integrity) really seek the organizations well-being.

Alas, my story leads into an even better one.  Lois Kelly has done a lot of good work for quite some time.  I think she's brilliant.  You can get to know her and her work better here.  But take a look at the following story and background for her take on the corporate rebel and why they should be embraced, not shunned.  Here's to all the corporate rebels out there.

 

Corporate rebel ebook

View more presentations from Lois Kelly

 

The Role of Power and Greed

Corporate maze

I don't desire the end of Wall Street or capitalism in general.  The protests happening in NYC got me thinking.  I heard an interview last evening with a successful wealth creator, who discussed the the difference between an entrepreneur and an opportunist (gambler in many respects).  If I may paraphrase, he said that entrepreneurs create something and thereby create wealth for many.  The opportunists primarily seek to enrich themselves or a few only.

I don't want to overstate my opinion on the impact of power and greed, but those two cousins have often been left unchecked in our world today.  I'm not talking about passing a law to stop them.  But I would like to see the culture of our businesses and the schools address power and greed for what they are.  More progress would come if we stopped ignoring it. 

Many an organization (profit and non-profit) have entered into something with good intentions, only to find themselves the slave to a hideous master.  Namely, power and greed.  Never forget that power and greed are living, breathing things.  They have a desire to rule you and the culture (work, politics, etc.).  The question is whether you will let it and what will you do to control it.

Has anyone in your organization ever sat down with you and discussed how to handle power and greed, before there was a problem?  I often wonder that about Wall Street and those who lead there.  If you're a part of most organizations the answer is no.  I think its important enough to evaluate and discuss, considering how impactful it is on other human beings.

When Managers Are Vague-2011 Update

The following is a re-post of something I wrote over 3 years ago.  Had a conversation yesterday with a peer and we still see way too much of this:

Talked to a friend yesterday who works for a large organization with many deadlines and targets to hit.  She's a star in the company's eyes.  And like other "stars," she tends to get access to places and people that average performers don't.  She takes advantage of the opportunity-in a good way.  What's frustrating this star is managment's lack of clarity around directives.  Management has taken the approach of "need to know basis."  That might work at the CIA, but not in an organization made up of performance-workers.

Funny thing about star performers, they demand clarity.  It isn't given often with management.

Why the dichotomy?  A languishing leadership/management culture as far as I can see.  The company may have a viable product, long-standing customer base,  and a model that's effective in good times and bad.  But getting managers who understand how to lead great performers is tough.  Here are a few reasons:

  • High insecurity on the part of the manager.  Maybe they were taught (erroneously) that they were supposed to be the smartest gal/guy in the room.  The reality of this can be crushing to some.
  • The manager may talk a good game around diversity, but leading diverse people in real-life does not come through.
  • The manager has atrophied in their leadership and just wants people to follow orders.

When managers are vague, it creates an environment of vigilantes.  Everyone (star performers and bottom-feeders) wants to take control based on how they need to survive.  In many ways, the manager has become nothing more than a body in a suit.

Restoring (assuming it was there some time in the past) clarity is vital.  To not to do this would be organizational suicide.

The New Net-Worth

Measuring net-worth is a pretty linear process for many people/businesses.  Just subtract your liabilities from your assets, and voila you have your net-worth. Right?

Where I live (USA), we all are dealing with a new paradigm.  Some of us know it, some of us are denying it and some of us are just wondering in the desert.  Regardless of where you fall on that list, change has come. Our lives are different and I sense it's permanent.

It's interesting to me how old habits die hard.  Many are still rather obsessed about money and career.  Still partying on the Titanic I guess.  But what if money and career are only a part of your net-worth?  Sort of like two rooms in your house versus the entire dwelling.

In our work we advise people to see their net worth in way that is representative of their entire life…8 areas specifically.  The illustration below will reveal what those eight areas are:

Wheel of Life 
If I asked you to calculate your net-worth based on the wheel, how much would you be worth?  Are you in the black or in the red?  How prepared are you for the harsh winds of change?  And by the way, there are some who make six-figures who are actually very poor.  It is tragic.

I think you've probably figured out that my post is not designed to get you to abandon money and career.  But it is designed to get you to put things in their proper place.  A place where you begin to integrate the 8 areas in a deliberate way.

Yes, it is tough work.

The take-away here is found in that new paradigm.  If you think focusing only on career and money is a sound strategy, then I have some bad news for you.  It worked (or so we deluded ourselves into believing) during the days of continual prosperity.  But the truth is, it never worked and it certainly won't work now.  We have now entered into an age where the danger of ignoring/neglecting our total life will produce catastrophic results.  Maybe you've lost your job of 20 years and you never took the time to pay attention to your mental health, so managing the stress of job loss is crippling.  Maybe your marriage has crumbled around you and your wondering why you didn't spend time listening to your spouse's needs.  You get my point.

Turn around while you can, things have changed.  If you're wondering how this work is accomplished, then stay tuned.  We'll be working with our strategic partner Take Time for Life to present an experience that will show how managing your life (totally) can be done.

How Management Could Improve Organizational Well-Being

Da Vinci Whole 
As we at Epic Living do more work in the well-being arena, it's important to set the table around the importance of management's role in making well-being a reality.  I won't spend a ton of time explaining the need for managers to understand when to put the leadership hat on.  You can look at this post I wrote a few years ago to get my thoughts on that.  The reality is most managers have abdicated well-being to HR and the company's benefit offerings.  As well-intentioned as that may be, it leaves much to be desired in practical application.

Management is looked to for direction and pace (how fast or slow should we be moving).  That implies a great deal of influence over a number of people.  As I'm sure you're getting by now, management is more than checking off tasks on a list.  One area of huge importance is the well-being of the employees.  For example, how well do your people handle stress?  And how is that stress impacting the customer?

Let me be clear, it's not the responsibility of a manager to make sure their employees are managing stress well or that employees manage their lives well for that matter.  But they can play a part in influencing a balanced approach to well-being.  You may wonder why the manager should care?  It's pretty simple, those that manage their lives well will always outperform those that don't.  So, the manager should be a champion/cheerleader of well-being in their organization.  A true win-win proposition for the organization and the employees.

The following are some recommendations for management around encouraging an environment of well-being:

  1. Do engage with employees in a way that allows them to manage their well-being in their own way.  Management should not dictate and take a "take it or leave it" approach.
  2. Do consider the "whole" life and not just those that allow management to stay in an imaginary comfort zone.
  3. Do learn how to manage people from a perspective of diversity.
  4. Do focus on making your engagement about the employee and not about what you'll get by offering the resource(s).
  5. Do be committed to well-being as a long-term process and not a one-time event.