“You Lead People. You Manage Things.”

Leadership Blog

02 Jun 2009
Sticky Post By Posted in new leadership With No Comments Permalink

Learn the team first!

Sticky Post By On June 2, 2009 With No Comments

More than one leader has flipped the sled and had their race derailed by failing to learn dynamics of the new team.

At first blush, everyone will have their game face on (whatever that means to them). Some will come running up eagerly waging their tales and promising that they are the best dog in the kennel. They were meant to race. They were overlooked and underutilized by the last ‘Musher’ and they were just waiting for a new musher like you. This may be the case or it may take some time to realize that they are just licking one boot while ‘watering’ the other!

Others may come charging toward you with their teeth bared and their bark as loud as they can muster it. They will make all kinds of noise and let everyone in the kennel know that, regardless of who they install as the ‘Musher’, they are the real force to be reckoned with. In a vacuum of power or transition of power, they may be trying to leverage the opportunity to increase their status in the pack. Some of these may believe that they should have been promoted to your position and may tell you that. It’s ok – if their bark is worse than their bite, they will calm down when they know that you are not insecure. If you show weakness, they will smell the blood in the water and your days will be numbered. If you, immediately, start fighting someone’s going home in a body bag! At this point, you need the rest of the pack on your side – or it could be you being air-lifted out. Stay calm, look them in the eye, affirm their belief that they are a leader in the pack and then prove them out. Over time you’ll reel them in – remember the loudest skeptics can become the greatest and most vocal champions! If they do bite – you’ll drop them at the next closest checkpoint and the rest of the team will applaud you for it.

Most will sit back, wary of the new leader, waiting to see how many changes they will have to endure before you leave (through promotion or failure) and another takes your place. They are the cautious compliants. Time will prove your commitment to them and endear their commitment to you. They commit slow but once they do, they commit deep.

In any case, you will need to know the players that you have on your team: their capabilities and capacities. You must learn their “skill and will” to make sure that the race strategy on your clip board (coming in) is realistic for right now. If you, immediately, put your race plan into action without learning your team – you could flip the sled. And if I can be so honest – it’s your fault if you do. It’s not that they sabotaged your success – they were not at the right place, time, or mindset to implement that game plan and it’s the musher’s responsibility to know the team before leaving the chute. You’ll get there – hang on! You have great plans and dreams – and you’ll get there – it just may take a little more time to get started on the front end but you won’t lose time face down in the snow.

Early on – just take time sitting in the kennel – own the kennel – it’s your kennel. Take time to learn your people and give them time to learn you. Yes we need to get started. Yes we hunger for action and adventure! Yes we want those early wins! Just trust me on this one – flipping the sled early on is not pretty and it can cost you more than you want to pay.

Thanks for hanging out around this leadership “campfire”. Let’s talk about the terrain tomorrow.

01 Jun 2009
Sticky Post By Posted in new leadership With No Comments Permalink

Inheriting or taking over a new team? Try not to flip the sled!

Sticky Post By On June 1, 2009 With No Comments

When I was first learning to Mush a dog team, I flew to Nome, Alaska. (This is the finish line for the Iditarod Dog Sled Race) I met some great people and linked up with Nils, who became my mushing ‘Sensei’.

I went through the initial learning steps and then it was time for me to run my own team.

For the first couple of days, the team was only 6 dogs and it seemed, fairly, easy. Since the Mushers in the Iditarod run with 16 dogs, we added a 7th to my team. To make a long story short – in the first turn out of the kennel, as we were turning left the sled hit a bump (a tree that was hidden under a number of feet of snow) and I flipped the sled! For the next minute or so – I was holding on to the sled for dear life – not wanting to let go of the sled and jeopardize losing the team – and hoping that no one was taking pictures!!! (For more on this incident, you can read about it in the book)

The lesson(s) about being too rigid and “flipping the sled” early in running a new team are valuable for anyone taking over a new team or running a team for the first time.

1.) Take time to get to know your team

The dynamics of adding the additional team member and the ripple effects were things I should have considered. When running a new team, take time to get to know the players. Learn each as individuals AND how they interact within the team (watch this dynamic closely). How they are as individuals may change once they get back into “the pack”. Who are your new players? What are they like? What are the team dynamics?

2.) Learn the terrain.

Had I known about the buried obstacle and been strategic about it – I would have worked on an alternate route or devised a plan that would reduce that possibility. What is the business terrain? Are there some rocky points ahead?

3.) Don’t be too rigid or make changes too fast.

Without going into great detail, with the new team of Sled Dogs, I started out of the kennel standing on the brake. The previous days, I started on what is called the ‘drag’. The ‘drag’ is much more fluid, the ‘brake’ much more rigid. Had I not been so rigid, I might have survived the “bump” in the trail. As leaders, we value ACTION. We, generally, have the plan in our mind that we believe will yield success – if we can get it implemented. This plan, though, may not have been formed in this new department, division, plant, company, etc. It is, most likely, based on our previous experience and in order to make sure we have the right fit, it’s going to take time and insight. I have heard of several high level CEOs that informed the board of directors that they would not be making any major changes to the operation within the first year of their new leadership position. It was going to take that long to, really, understand the terrain and the team. Your team will probably not be this large and the learning curve may be shortened to 90 days. How do we strategize the first 30, 60, 90 days of our new leadership position?

4.) Let your team get to know you.

Hold informal sessions, meet once a week with your closest staff, eat lunch in the company cafeteria or with different people as much as possible. Try not to have an agenda. The purpose of these is just for them to be able to ask questions and for you to be able to hear what’s on their hearts and in their minds.

Just a few thoughts this morning on starting the race right and for those of you that have asked about strategy and starting with a new team.

Have a great day!

29 May 2009
Sticky Post By Posted in Communication With No Comments Permalink

Trust is the basis for communication.

Sticky Post By On May 29, 2009 With No Comments

Safety (and Self Preservation) are in the top 5 needs of Humans. When people don’t feel safe, when they don’t trust the environment that they are in – they can’t communicate. Their belief is that I will be harmed if I communicate. Cultures that lack trust, foster sarcasm, retaliate for open/honest debate, or criticize anything beyond the status quo CANNOT have productive communication.

Trust does not mean predictability of behavior, trust means a belief that there is safety, integrity, and a full desire for the best in the life of another. You could say, “I TRUST that John will use this information and twist it to his benefit.” Or “I TRUST that Jane will take credit for this idea.” Those are when the word trust is more about predictability. To say, “I TRUST that if Sue says the idea needs to be fleshed out a little more that is what she means” implies that you believe that Sue is operating with authenticity and integrity and not just trying to buy time to get her own agenda implemented.

Where is the trust level in your organization? On your team?

What are the factors that impact trust?

I’ll throw out a couple and then ask that the group adds more in the comments section.

· Hidden agendas

· Unresolved offenses

· Misinterpretation

· Overly competitive culture

· Lack of confrontation of wrong behaviors

What other points can you add to the mix? What are the issues that you have seen in the past that cause distrust?

We need Organizations and teams that can have the “rigorous” honesty and debate without fear of rejection, retaliation or humiliation!

When we spend more time guarding information, fighting each other, or simply closed off to working together as a team, we limit our success for the mission. Our “Trail to Glory” becomes more of a “Trial of the Gory”.

Many times sickness and disease can ravage a team and spread to other teams nearby in Dog Sled races. The cure is to treat each team member and it can take a number of weeks to get the group back to health. If it happens during the race, your race could be over!

There is hope! There are communication programs and remedies that can be put into place to grow and heal your communication culture. Step 1 of all of them goes to understanding and fixing the Trust level in the team.

Please jump in on this Friday blog and let’s discuss communication, trust, and having a healthy team!

28 May 2009
Sticky Post By Posted in belief lenses, Communication With No Comments Permalink

When does perception = reality?

Sticky Post By On May 28, 2009 With No Comments

You say, “Tomato”. I Say “TomAHto”. You say, “we’re going to change…”. I think, “What do you mean change? I like it the way it is now. I’m used to doing it this way. If you change, it’s going to mean extra work. If you need to change, it means I’m not doing my job right. Or the company is in trouble. Either way I’m probably going to lose my job. This is a terrible time to be out of work. I Hate rebuilding my resume. I hate interviewing. What about the house? What about the bills? …..”

You get the point.

All of us bend information to our own level of understanding. I call this the “Sunglass” principle. Light comes into our “Eyes” but before it gets to the final stage of understanding – it gets interpreted or “bent” by our “lenses”. Without going into a full discussion or session on “Belief Windows”, these “Lenses” are formed from our past experiences, both in our business and our personal lives. The resulting effect on the team is that communication that is not intentional is left to everyone’s separate “Lens” and, at each interpretation, it gets bent. Their Perception = their reality.

Intentional “Iditarod Leadership” Communication takes into account the “Sunglasses” or lens of the recipient(s) before the message is ever launched out there. The message is, intentionally, crafted to each person AND each personality type.

Bending the information to each personality type, basically, means we need to consider:

· How much detail or factual based communication each recipient may need

· How some are going to perceive it affecting their image, social status, or income

· How others are going to feel before they think

· And how some just need us to cut to the bottom line.

Most, if not all, will, immediately, want to know how it affects them and their future. Like it or not, most of us are wired to think of self and self-preservation first.

If the message is to a large audience or is to be cascaded, we will need to build the intentional model to make sure the message isn’t bent at each level or with each department or divisional leader’s agenda.

Intentional Communication takes effort, but with the understanding that it will take more time to clarify, re-engage, re-purpose, re-direct, and get back on track – the effort on the front end is well worth the price of admission!

When communicating to the team, do you consider your teams personality and lenses?

If you are on the team, Do you consider your leader’s personality or lens?

On the trail, in life and business, perceptions and beliefs drive behaviors. To ensure we have the right actions or behaviors we must consider when perception is bending the message.

Have a great day!

27 May 2009
Sticky Post By Posted in Communication With No Comments Permalink

Ever met a psychic Husky?

Sticky Post By On May 27, 2009 With No Comments

Mush! Hike! Gee, Haw. Line out. Pick it up. Whoa. On By. Come.

Simple. Direct. Actionable.

When it comes to directing the team and leading them toward an actionable result, we cannot mince words, make veiled references, or throw out cloudy innuendoes and hope they get it. I haven’t seen or heard of any Husky that has claimed to be psychic!

For years, my communication weakness was to suggest a course of action that I, actually, wanted implemented and needed implemented quickly for the sake of the company. When the team failed to act, failed to make course correction quickly enough I moved in to more of a command and control mode. Neither extreme works well and the combination of the two is certainly not recommended!

Here’s what I was dealing with – I had been under an extreme leader – one that communicated harshly, stifled creativity, and used emotional outbursts and anger as “management” techniques. Being under that type of “Musher”, I quickly went to the other side and made the communication more relational, less threatening – but at the cost of productivity. Reduction in productivity and effectiveness created relational problems from both sides. I was wondering why I had people that didn’t “Get it” and my people were wondering why I couldn’t say what I meant the first time!

What I learned was to become more clear, more focused, more purposeful and intentional on the front end. I was operating in what has now become one of the ‘Mantras’ I use in my sessions, “Frustration is a function of expectation.” Have the right expectations, communication those expectations, ensure crystal clarity, next steps…”Who does What by When” methodology and we lessen frustration, increase productivity, AND maintain great relationships. Clarity excels accomplishment.

The team has running in their DNA. If the team is not directed with clarity on where to run, we can’t be surprised or frustrated as leaders when we don’t reach the right destination. If we’re not clear about the timing and accountability piece, then we won’t reach the right checkpoint in the right timeframe and our race position slips.

In our sessions, we work the clients to adopt their “Language” where everyone knows when ‘Gee’ is said by the leader or another team mate, it means to go to the right. When someone says, “I need to have an accountability conversation with you” that doesn’t mean they are trying to catch you doing something wrong. They are clueing you in that we are in this team together and in order for us to have the right outcome, we MUST hold each other accountable.

Implementing cultural buzz words develops the code where the offense can be reduced for the sake of the Burled Arch (the mission). These words are reinforced to mean the same thing every time. They are not to be used as weapons or daggers but as clarification points that reduce uneasy, emotional pain points. “Can we have this discussion offline?” = I don’t want to disagree with you in public. “Can you let me in on your lens?” = I know we all perceive things differently, what is your perception of what I said, or the situation, etc. “I’m not good being Wheel Dog” = the conversation is revealing too much for my comfort level or more playfully stated, “Keep the baggage on the sled”.

Every entity or team has their own lingo and ‘culture’. How healthy is your team’s communiqué? Where does it need work?

Remember: It’s your sled, your team – you set the tone! Make sure it is intentional, clear, AND relational.

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