Step Back from the Edge

I woke up this morning and saw the sun rise as it did yesterday, and for millennia of days before that.  There were no reports of hell having frozen over.  No flying pigs have been reported.  At least in my area of the world, the sky remains firmly above my head.

Fundamentally there have been no changes to my life.  It is, as they say, business as usual.  Oh, except for the fact that the US did the unexpected – to some, the unthinkable – they elected Donald Trump as their next President.

Several months ago I posted a blog entitled “Lessons from the Donald” (http://leadersthatinspire.blogspot.ca/2016/03/lessons-from-donald.html)

Things are seldom as bad as they look, nor as rosy as expected.  As the leader, your main responsibility now is to keep your team focused on the present.  No one can state with certainty how the next four years will unfold because Trump steadfastly stuck to a platform essentially devoid of policy specifics.

 If things are working well for you, stay the course.  If results are less than planned, the election outcome does not change your responsibility to respond to the competitive environment and plan accordingly.  You cannot use the election as either crutch or an incentive.  It is one moment in time.  Don’t lose perspective.

I did not have a vote.  Therefore I have nothing to celebrate or mourn.  I have only something else to consider in making my plans.

Your leadership role is unchanged.  Deal with the facts, not the emotions of events.  Be the calm in the midst of the storm.  Those who look to you for leadership are perhaps more in need of it today than last week.  Rise above the noise; maintain clarity of mind; pursue the passions that have motivated you in the past.  Deal with the imperfect just as you always have.  

At the end of the day, the moon will again take its place in the heavens to be followed by sun in the morning.  T’was always thus.

The Face in the Mirror

The Face in the Mirror When we look in the mirror we see what others cannot.  We see the flaws; we see shortcomings; we see the mistakes; we see the fear; we see the doubts.  The mask prevents others from seeing through…from seeing truth. I have often heard people say ‘…I’m really not ready for this promotion…’ or ‘…what were they thinking to give me this job…’ Their concern is that ‘they’ see only the mask.  ‘They’ must not see what is actually going on inside.  ‘They’ are making a mistake because ‘they’ lack all the facts. Spoiler Alert!  They are not nearly as foolish as you think.  The mask may indeed hide some flaws.  It does for everyone. But it also hides from your view some of the talents and skills that others see in you.  The quiet confidence; the supportive nature; the strength others draw from your character. All of these things, and more, are often hidden from our own view because we cannot see past our flaws. Our doubts obscure or cloud a full view of our competencies. We focus on what we cannot do rather than what we can do. If you have been tapped on the shoulder for promotion, fear not.  Those in positions of responsibility know that no one enters a new role as a fully finished product.  But they see the potential and they are committed to your success. So embrace with confidence the opportunity that awaits. Be filled with the knowledge that they have seen through the mask and like what they see.

S-A; for some a blessing; for others a curse.

Regular readers will know that I am biased towards character over competence when it comes to essential leadership qualities.   I speak frequently of accountability, integrity and passion as leading traits of those who inspire others to the accomplishment of mutual goals and objectives.

Fundamental to these leadership qualities is an often overlooked and poorly understood art.  And it is something which can be either a blessing or a curse.  I speak of self-awareness.

The best explanation of self-awareness that I could find expressed it this way.

Self-Awareness is having a clear perception of your personality, including strengths, weaknesses, thoughts, beliefs, motivation, and emotions. Self- Awareness allows you to understand other people, how they perceive you, your attitude and your responses to them in the moment.  

The reason that the best leaders rate highly on this trait is because they are confident enough to go through the self-examination process and admit weaknesses.  They are then willing to work on improving these areas.  As a result, they continue to improve their overall leadership quotient and they enter a phase of continuing improvement.  The more they are willing to change and improve, the better they become.  The better they become, the more confident that they are in looking deeper. Thus they are blessed by their efforts.

Poor leaders go through the process and then deny their weaknesses. These leaders typically respond in one of several ways.

Some simply bully.  Rather than accept a need to change, they forcefully impose themselves on others.  As is true with most bullies, they are masking weaknesses and vulnerabilities.

Some will get defensive.  Objective feedback that is critical of the leader provokes an agitated and angry response.  The walls go up rather than down.  It becomes a case of self-preservation at all costs.

Some will become controlling…or more controlling.  By focusing on the details and micro managing, it is easier to ignore the elephant in the room. 

Some become passive-aggressive.  These people abhor confrontation and so they will say or do whatever it takes to side step the issue.  They hope that by offering tacit agreement to an issue that it can be subsequently ignored and forgotten.

Others will become grandiose.  By embellishing the situation they feel that they can overwhelm the character trait(s) that needs attention.  They try to become bigger thus making the issue at hand smaller.  We know this as the ‘emperor’s clothes’ response.

Finally, they deny or make excuses.  By pointing fingers, playing the ‘blame game’ or trying to humiliate others, these people will do whatever they can so as to not face the truth.

Any of these responses demonstrate the curse of self-awareness.  If you are unwilling to address that which requires a remedy, the disease just continues to eat away.  There cannot be a cure until and unless there is treatment of the symptoms.

Do you have the courage to proactively practice and positively respond to the issues that self-awareness will expose? No one knows you better than yourself.  You can be your most accurate critic and your best encourager.  But there are consequences.  

The best leaders welcome the challenge and endorse the process!

A blessing or a curse?  It really just boils down to your response.    

This little light of mine.

Case A

I received one of those emails from Nigeria announcing that I had won a lottery.  All I needed to do was to send $1000 in advance to cover the legal charges and then the millions would be deposited to my account. 

Like most other ‘winners’, this email went straight to the trash file.  I recognized the poorly disguised attempt at a cash grab.  In North America we call it fraud.  Elsewhere it may be considered business as usual or simply buyer beware.  If the perpetrators were found here, the full weight of the law would punish with both hefty fines and significant jail time.

Case B

I read about the issue at Wells Fargo Bank and the creation of thousands of fake accounts and credit cards.  Apparently there was a serious executive driven mandate to grow ‘sales’ and this led to the unauthorized creation of these accounts.  Management and executives knew about the practices but used the statistics to convince the stock market and other shareholders that the strategic plans that they had put in place were exceeding expectations.  As you might expect, the stock value responded well to these representations and those in positions of authority were richly rewarded.

When this issue came fully to light, over 5000 employees were dismissed for their roles in the fake account scandal.  Subsequently, the President of the retail branch and the corporate CEO have been forced out.  Sadly they have had to forfeit $19 million and $40 million respectively in bonuses earned on the basis of these fake accounts.  Both will still leave their positions with compensation packages that exceed $100 million so there will be no need for tag sales to support their retirement.

Help me understand the difference?  In Case A, the actions, while unscrupulous, are done in such an unsophisticated manner that the likelihood for any substantial success was relatively low.  Yet we would have no difficulty in prosecuting those behind the scam if we could manage to get them into our jurisdiction.

In Case B, the actions were systemic and clearly designed to deceive even sophisticated investors.  The ultimate beneficiaries were those already receiving outrageous compensation packages.  And yet, just as during the financial meltdown that precipitated the current economic malaise in which we find ourselves, the real criminals are being allowed to walk away free and unfettered; reputations may be tarnished but bank accounts are preserved.

The US election is demonstrating just how tired voters are of the political ‘establishment’ and the entitlement attitude that prevails in Washington.  It will be interesting to see how much longer it takes for the same level of disenchantment to take hold in the corporate world before these fraudulent ‘leaders’ are treated like the common criminals that they really are.  From my perspective it is long past time.

The Takeaway

Positions of authority come first and foremost with a higher degree of accountability.  I don’t discriminate this level of accountability on the basis of your scope of responsibility.  If you lead a team or a division or a company, you are still in a greater position of influence than those who report to you.  Your conduct is always the gold standard for them.  

Poor examples abound. Use your opportunity to shine.  We need more lights in this area that is too poorly lit by the entitled.

"...second fiddle..."

As I reviewed the recent Vice President’s Debate, I was struck by how much more accomplished, or at least palatable, these two candidates were when compared to their Presidential running mates.  Americans, and frankly most of the rest of the world, wish that there were better choices for President.  The debate provided some small comfort in knowing that the person in the second fiddle seat is probably better suited for the office than either of the primary candidates.

What about in your case?  How strong is your second fiddle?  Have you the confidence of leadership to actually groom someone who may be your equal?  Do you have the resolve to install a successor who could be even better than you?

The fact of the matter is that this is a difficult task but a necessary one.  The most effective leaders know and understand the consequences of poor succession planning and therefore face this issue head on.  The less effective ones prefer to build a legacy at which all will wonder in awe and only hope that the second seat will learn to grow into the position when the torch is passed.

The irony is this.  Those who build an organization that is passed on to a poor successor will not be remembered for what they built, but rather for the regression that occurred afterwards.  In contrast, the leader who valued the company over their ego will be remembered as the consummate builder because things continued to grow, despite their absence.

Regardless of the significance of the position of leadership you hold within your organization, you are the maestro, you are the conductor responsible for ensuring a smooth transition to the next…to your successor.  How well you do this speaks not only of your competencies as leader, but even more importantly, of your character.

"...lower for longer..."

Most pundits point to December 2007 as the start of the Great Recession.  Four years later, Christine Lagarde of the International Monetary Fund, suggested that we were likely in the midst of a lost decade of economic growth.

Another five years on from that comment, we stand here only a year away from the end of that lost decade.  What are the chances that things will return to ‘normal’ in that time? 

Oil prices have collapsed; zero or even negative interest rates are not propelling economies; China’s growth has slowed; Brexit and other like sentiments are gaining ground.  Seems to me that the ‘lower for longer’ mantra is spot on.  As Dorothy realized in the Wizard of Oz, ‘…we’re not in Kansas anymore Toto…’  A new normal is evolving but that process is nowhere near complete.

As the leader, what is your priority?  How can you make the biggest impact in motivating your staff to excel? 

From my perspective it boils down to one thing.  You must have passion for what you do.  I am not talking about a Pollyanna view of the world; for certain you must be realistic.  But within almost every business there lies opportunity for success. The opportunity may be modest but it exists.  Passion for that opportunity is needed to propel you and your team to success.

A great plan is helpful but without commitment to the goal, it is like an un-rung bell.  As the leader, others are looking to you for the inspiration that they lack.

Do you enter each day with the singular purpose of being the point of inspiration for others?  Do you lead with a purposeful passion for excellence?  Will you be the example and the standard by which others will judge themselves?

It is not a task for the weak of heart.  But that is why you are the leader, not the follower.  Whether you like it or not; whether you feel like it or not; whether you want to or not…none of this matters.  It is YOUR responsibility and others depend on you to come through.

Step forward with passion and lead.  And be prepared to be that focal point for some time.  I expect that we will remain in this ‘lower for longer’ framework for some time!

‘…plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose…’

Much has been written to try to define the differences between generations in the workforce.  Specifically, commentators look to make value distinctions.   Baby boomers want this; Gen X wants that; Millenials yet again something different.  The suggestion is that each successive generation is looking for something unique in their experience and thus the need for different leadership/management styles in order to maximize productivity and job satisfaction.

I beg to differ. 

As a Baby Boomer, I wanted to have essentially the same things I hear Millenials seeking.  Millenials want to be recognized for their work; they want their ideas to be thoughtfully considered; they want to make the world a better place for everyone.  As they look for employment, sense of purpose, professional development, mentoring and aligned values are all top of mind criteria.

Frankly, these are all Apple Pie aspirations.  Except for the most cynical amongst us, most people of any generation hold these views.  They are shared human desires.  Who does not want recognition for work well done…who does not want to have their ideas and input seriously considered…don`t we all instinctively want to leave the world better than the place we entered.

I submit that what have really changed are the attitudes and capabilities of those in positions of authority and responsibility.  While there is much yet that needs to be done in terms of professionalism, transparency, gender equality and integrity, the fact of the matter is that the needle has moved significantly over the past century.  Workplaces are now far more inclusive and responsive.  Managers and leaders are better educated, better trained and better supported than ever before.  This breeds self-confidence and thus the ability to consider others’ opinions without feeling attacked or threatened.

To be certain, communication techniques have changed and younger generations must be motivated in ways which are meaningful to them.  But really, hasn’t that always been the case.  The ‘next’ generation always feels that they have been blessed with insight and wisdom that is lacking in their superiors.

To them let me simply quote from that sage of yesteryear, Mark Twain.

“…When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years…”

Your leadership style and messaging techniques may be different - must be different - depending upon your audience.  But again, that has always been the case as no two individuals respond similarly regardless of their generation.  What is most important though is that you stay 'on message' because the team must be unified in their understanding of both the purpose and the process.  Make that your priority and generations become much less meaningful.