Management Speak

(or how to use 89 cliches to sound like you know what you're doing) 

 

"Eagles soar, but weasels don’t get sucked into jet engines." - Steven Wright

 

"If at first you don’t succeed, try management" - Unknown

 

"Indecision is the key to flexibility" - Graffiti at Yale University

 

 

If you’re trying for that promotion right now, stop putting the finishing touches for that presentation next week. I’m going to make it much easy for you to succeed in your career (in a light hearted manner of course)


Assuming you get your promotion, what’s going to ensure you get to keep the job and then get promoted to more senior management? Well, aside from combing your hair, brushing your teeth, and wearing nice looking clothes to the interview, you’ve got to be able to speak well.


We all laugh at how the managers in Dilbert or on the The Office constantly spew cliches that don’t seem to mean anything. But those parodies shed light on a basic truth: some tired management cliches will impress enough people that they’ll probably help you get promoted to middle management.



Of course, if you really become a Ninja master of using all 89 of these cliches, you probably have no hope of moving up to upper management, because your mind and vocabulary will be filled with complete and utter nonsense.



Then again, for those of you who are believers in the “fake it until you make it” approach to career progression, maybe your self-mastery of these cliches will baffle your bosses so much that, eventually, they’ll let you into the inner sanctum of senior management.


My advice, however, would be for you to avoid all of these hackneyed phrases and find a more original way of talking/thinking about the problems you’re facing.



With tongue firmly planted in cheek, and without further ado, here are the 89 biggest cliches that will help you get promoted to upper management because they’ll make you sound like you know a lot about how organizations operate (along with my handy translations). When possible, you should use these in team meetings or in front of your bosses who will have a say in promoting you:





1. It’s a paradigm shift = I don’t know what’s going on in our business. But we’re not making as much money as we used to.

2. We’re data-driven = We try not to make decisions by the seat of our pants. When possible, we try to base them in facts.

3. We need to wrap our heads around this = Wow, I never thought of that. We need to discuss that….

4. It’s a win-win = Hey, we both get something out of this (even though I’m really trying to get the best from you)

5. ROI [used in any sentence] = Look at me, I’m very financially-minded, even if I never took any finance classes in school

6. Let’s blue sky this / let’s ballpark this = Let’s shoot around a bunch of ideas since we have no clue what to do

7. I’m a bit of a visionary = I’m a bit of an egomaniac and narcissist

8. I’m a team player / we only hire team players = I hope everyone on the team thinks this is a meritocracy, even though I’m the dictator in charge

9. Let’s circle back to that / Let’s put that in the parking lot / let’s touch base on that later / let’s take this off-line = Shut up and let’s go back to what I was talking about

10. We think outside the box here / color outside the lines = We wouldn’t know about how to do something innovative if it came up to us and bit us in the behind

11. I / we / you don’t have the bandwidth = Since we cut 60% of our headcount, we’re all doing the job of 3 people, so we’re all burned out

12. This is where the rubber meets the road = Don’t screw up

13. Net net / the net of it is / when you net it out = I never studied finance or accounting but I sound like someone who can make money if I keep talking about another word for profit

14. We’ll go back and sharpen our pencils = We’ll go back and offer you the same for 20% less in hopes you’ll buy it before the end of the quarter

15. It’s like the book “Crossing the Chasm” / ”Blue Ocean” / ”Good To Great” / “Tipping Point” / “Outliers” = I’ve never read any of these books but I sound literate if I quote from them. And, besides, you peasants probably never read them either to call me out on it

16. Let’s right-size it = Let’s fire a bunch of people

17. It’s next-gen / turn-key / plug-and-play = I want it to sound so technical that you’ll just buy it without asking me any questions

18. We need to manage the optics of this = How can we lie about this in a way people will believe?

19. This is creative destruction = I’ve never read Joseph Schumpeter but our core business is getting killed so it’s your responsibility to come up with a new product the market will buy

20. We don’t have enough boots on the ground = I don’t want to be fired for this disastrous product / country launch, so I’m going to sound tough referring to the military and say I don’t have enough resources

21. Deal with it = Tough cookies

22. By way of housekeeping = This makes the boring stuff I’m about to say sound more official

23. That’s the $64,000 question [sometimes, due to inflation, people will denominate this cliche in millions or billions of dollars] = I don’t know either

24. Let’s square the circle = I’m someone who can unify two team members’ views and sound important while doing it.

25. It’s our cash cow / protect / milk the cash cow = If that business goes south, we’re all out of a job

26. It’s about synergies / 1 + 1 = 3 = I don’t get the math either, but it sounds like more and more is better, right?

27. Who’s going to step up to the plate? = One of you is going to do this and it’s not going to be me

28. We’re eating our own dog food = It sounds gross but we seem like honest folks if we do this.

29. We need to monetize / strategize / analyze / incentivize = When in doubt, stick “-ize” on the end of a word and say we’ve got to do this and 9 out of 10 times, it will sound action-oriented.

30. We did a Five Forces / SWOT analysis / Value Chain analysis = We didn’t really do any of that, but none of you probably even remember Michael Porter, so what the heck

31. It was a perfect storm = We really screwed up but we’re going to blame a bunch of factors that are out of our hands (especially weather)

32. At the end of the day…. = OK, enough talking back and forth, we’re going to do what I want to do

33. Who’s got the ‘R’? [i.e., responsibility to do what we just spent 20 minutes talking about aimlessly] = If I ask the question, it won’t be assigned to me

34. Let’s put lipstick on this pig = hold your nose.  This will stink.

35. I’m putting a stake in the ground here… = I’m a leader, simply because I’m using this cliche

36. We’re customer-focused / proactive / results-oriented = That can’t be bad, right? This is motherhood and apple pie stuff

37. Our visibility into the quarter is a little fuzzy = Sales just fell off a cliff

38. That’s not our core competency / we’re sticking to our knitting = We’re just glad we’re making money in one business, because we’d have no clue how to get into any other business

39. Well, we’re facing some headwinds there = You put your finger on the area we’re panicking over

40. It’s a one-off = Do whatever they want to close the sale

41. Incent it = That’s not a verb but I just made it into one because I’m a man/woman of action

42. I’m an agent of change = This makes it sound like I know how to handle the chaos that our business is constantly going through

43. We’ve got to do a little more due diligence there = Don’t have a clue but does that legal term make me sound detail-oriented?

44. Don’t leave money on the table = Be as greedy with them as possible

45. We take a “ready, fire, aim” approach here = We totally operate on a seat-of-the-pants basis

46. Hope is not a strategy = I don’t have a strategy, but this makes it sound like I’m above people who also don’t have a strategy

47. We have to tear down the silos internally = Our organizational structure is such a mess that I’m going to be under-mined by other departments at every turn

48. I don’t think it will move the needle = This won’t get my boss excited

49. Good to put a face to the name = I’d really rather talk to that person behind you

50. Let’s take the 30,000 foot view… = I like to think I see the big picture

51. It’s the old 80-20 rule = I really have no idea what the rule was, but I just want to focus on the things that will make us successful

52. We need to manage expectations = Get ready to start sucking up to people

53. It’s not actionable enough/what’s the deliverable? = You guys do the work on refining the idea. I’m too tired.

54. My 2 cents is… = This opinion is worth a heck of a lot more than 2 cents

55. I’m going to sound like a broken record here… = I want to clearly point out to you idiots that I’ve made this point several times before

56. We’ve got too many chiefs and not enough Indians = I want to be the Chief

57. Going forward = Don’t screw up like this again

58. My people know I’ve got an open door policy = I’ve told my direct reports to come to me if they have a problem, so why should I feel bad if they complain I’m too busy to talk to them?

59. It’s gone viral = Someone sent a tweet about this

60. I know you’ve been burning the candle on both ends = Get ready to do some more work/overtime
61. It’s scalable = We can sell a lot of it in theory

62. It’s best-of-breed = We hired a market research firm to say that

63. We’re all about value-add = Unlike our competitors who seek to add no value

64. What’s our go-to-market? = Has anyone planned this out, because I’ve been too busy?

65. I’m drinking from a fire hose right now = I want a little sympathy over here, because I’m tired of carrying this on my back

66. We’re getting some push back = They’re not buying it

67. We need to do a level-set = I’ve never been inside a Home Depot, but this phrase makes me sound handy

68. It’s basic blocking and tackling = How could you screw this up? I also played high school football and those were the best days of my life.

69. Let’s put our game faces on = Get serious, guys

70. We’ve got it covered from soup to nuts = I have no idea what that means, but don’t you dare question my prep work on it

71. We don’t want to get thrown under the bus = So let’s throw someone else first

72. But to close the loop on this… = Almost always it's the theoretical Business Development/Strategy guys who say this, so they can sound thorough

73. What are “next steps”? = Did anyone take notes during the last 90 minutes of this meeting?

74. This is low-hanging fruit = Get this done quickly.  It's a lazy person's dream come true.

75. We need a few quick wins = We’ve got to trick people into thinking we know what we’re doing by some successes we can point to and claim as ours

76. It’s a  [Insert Company Name]  killer = Did I get your attention yet with the Freddy Kreuger imagery associated with the company who’s currently eating our lunch?

77. I want to address the elephant in the room = I know you think I’m trying to cover up / gloss over something, so I might as well talk about it

78. This is the next big thing / new thing = Some of our 20-somethings have told me this is really cool

79. This time it’s different because… = Don’t wait for the explanation… simply run for the hills.

80. What are the best practices on this? = How can I cover my behind that we’re just doing stuff the way other good people have supposedly done this?

81. This is our deliverable = I know this sounds like something that comes in a take out bag, but it makes our PowerPoint sound tougher than it actually is

82. We’ll loop you in when we need to = You’re not that important to know about all the details on this

83. We want this to move up and to the right = I failed high school algebra but someone said this means we’ll be making a lot of money if this happens

84. We’re going through a re-org = No one knows what the heck is going on at the moment

85. We’ve got to increase our mind-share with the customer = I think I would have been happier as a doctor doing lobotomies than in marketing as a career path

86. I don’t think you’re comparing apples to apples = Let me tell you how you should really think about this issue

87. Let’s peel back the onion on this = I want to sound thorough so this is a better way of telling you that than simply clearing my throat

88. You phoned it in = I was too busy checking my email during your presentation that I didn’t listen

89. I want you to run with this = I just threw you into the deep end of the pool and you’re on your own to figure it out


If you commit all these 89 to memory, I confer onto you an MBA of Business Cliches.

Congratulations!

Postscript: I'd like to thank all of you who contributed to the creation of this list with examples from your own experiences.  I appreciate your subscription to this blog and the feedback you continuously and generously provide to this body of work, and am grateful that you find the time in your day for me.

Project Management for Dummies, part II

If it takes one woman nine months to have a baby, it does not follow that it can also be done in one month by impregnating nine women."

~ Dr. J. Ornstein on the fallacies sometimes committed in strategy planning.

 "I know that you believe that you understand what you think George said, but I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what he meant."
~ My colleague's email to our Training Manager concerning my instructions during a new store opening

 "A little risk management saves a lot of fan cleaning"

~ Anonymous

"Fast, cheap or good.  Pick any two"~ Advise to a franchisee while overseeing the construction of his new unit.

In my last posting, I outlined the general steps one needs to take in planning out a project and in managing it.  This traditional project management style was the go-to approach when creating and managing a project. But technology advancements now (should) get ideas to market faster than ever. Because of this, newly created project management approaches take more risk, quicker changes, and a lightening speed timeline into consideration.  I consider this to be something I call Extreme Project Management.

In his book Effective Project Management Robert K. Wysocki defines this as “projects that include characteristics of high speed, high change and high uncertainty.” Consider the differences between the traditional and extreme styles prior to creating your project plan. You should commit to the extreme approach if your project fits the bill.

Traditional vs. Extreme

Traditional project management follows a straightforward approach to planning and managing a project along the lines I outlined in my last posting. It utilizes what’s called the waterfall method. This method basically plans project activities one after the other, in a direct line. When change happens, the project resets itself at a previous point in the project timeline and starts over again with the same waterfall method.

The waterfall approach is very linear. Once a schedule is reset because of a change, the entire schedule and final deadline shifts accordingly. If you are working in a fast paced environment with let's say strict market launch deadlines, this approach most likely won’t work. You’d likely be knocked off schedule and miss your deadline. The traditional approach is most successful when a project does not include a lot of change and most details of the project are realized at the beginning.

The extreme approach differs from the traditional project management style because it actually allows you to plan for change and uncertainties. Timing is also a big difference between the traditional and extreme approach. Whereas traditional projects tend to take months and in some cases even years by their very nature, the extreme approach breaks activities down into a smaller timeline like weeks or days (or even hours, if necessary).

Analogously, the traditional style of managing a project is the running of a marathon whereas the extreme style is the 100m dash.

Extreme project management is dominated by a constant cycle of change and resetting. It allows for teams to work in a shorter timeline with more regular and consistent cycles of reviews, approvals and agreement on the path forward.

Should Your Project Take the Extreme Approach?

Whether you are looking to assign a new project or you’re the project manager yourself, you’ll want to consider a few factors when deciding if the extreme approach is right for a specific project. If timing is fast and uncertainties remain or are likely to remain, taking the extreme approach might be best for you due to the ability to rapidly and nimbly change vectors.

Consider what you currently know about the project. Ask yourself: Do I know what the exact outcome of this project will be? Do I have all the answers to create a successful project plan? Can I expect there will not be (many or sudden) changes during the process?

If you answered no to any of these questions, the extreme approach might be the right choice for your project.

You’ll also want to consider stakeholder expectations. Are they realistic if the traditional approach is taken? Many times a senior leader will be excited about a project and will then throw it into the lap of their most successful project manager. The leader won’t provide a lot of direction but will expect the project to happen very quickly. Suggesting an extreme approach to the project will show you are nimble and willing to work on a project that might not be clearly defined.

Setting Up Your Extreme Project

Now that you’ve decided to take the extreme approach, you’ll want to consider the project team. The extreme project management approach is fast paced so the project team must be nimble and energetic.

Request or select a group that will be welcoming of change and can adjust quickly.  Request input from each team member as you build your plan. This last part should not be optional.  Confirm that all aspects of the project can happen as quickly as is necessary, and have them outline what obstacles (if any) they foresee arising during the course of their assigned tasks and what their plan of action is should that happen.  This allows for everyone to know what the next steps to take are should something arise that threatens the timeline, and, at the very least, forces your group to begin to adopt an agile mindset.

Lay out your project plan with the extreme approach in mind. Begin with a kick-off, and schedule multiple rounds of quick work time followed by team reviews, check-ins and alignment on how to move forward. I would suggest at least three round tables for a medium sized project with a short timeline, but there can be as many rounds as you like, so long as these don't impact the time the team must devote to the project.

Discovery and research will be needed during the entire process so as to constantly feed the projects outstanding questions.  You should have the resources for this made available to you, a "go to" person or department.  If not, assign two members of your group the responsibility of getting the team the answers or the information they require and support them should they run into any obstacles or delays. 

You can manage your project accordingly now that the project plan is in place. There will be a lot of change to track and manage so communication is critical. Project managers taking this extreme approach should plan to be in constant contact with all key team members. The probability of change will cause questions to arise constantly, so being available for answers is imperative.

Once you become comfortable with the idea of taking the extreme approach, you’ll probably find it suites you well and applies to many projects. The great thing about extreme project management is that its flexibility allows you to create the plan that best meets your goals and objectives.

If you have any suggestions or topics you'd like to see covered, or if you'd like help with an issue you're currently experiencing, please drop me a line at gbossinakis@live.com. 
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Lessons from the Red Baron

"It is bad for the mind to continually be part of unanimity" ~ Christopher Morley

 

"You don't get harmony when everybody sings the same note" ~ Doug Floyd

 

"George, this is because the average manager is a conformist.  He or she will accept failure or disappointment with the stoicism of a cow standing out in the rain" ~ A colleague

 

"Not all those who wander are lost" ~ J.R.R. Tolkien

 

 

 

To make your organization more creative, learn from the Red Baron and hire talent for their differences

 

During World War I, German fighter pilots found themselves heavily outnumbered above the skies of France and Flanders. So, in June 1917, their high command did something radical. They combined several squadrons, each of which had planes of a distinctive color. They put them under the command of their most successful pilot, whose brightly colored plane had made him famous: Manfred von Richthofen, the Red Baron.

 

Von Richthofen was an unconventional officer. Scandalously - for a German - he wasn’t interested in conformity. He was interested in effectiveness. He didn’t ask pilots to repaint their planes. He didn’t expect them to fly as he did. (The Red Baron wasn’t a particularly aerobatic pilot. He was just a really, really good shot.) In fact, he deliberately recruited several aces, including the flying prodigy Erich Lowenhardt, who had far more flamboyant styles than his own. The Red Baron’s pilots only had two instructions from their commander: “Aim for the man, not the plane, and don’t miss. If you are fighting a two-seater, shoot the gunner first.” How each pilot got the job done was up to him.

 

Von Richtofen’s band of aces tore into the Allied air forces all that summer and into the beginning of the next year. Their bright colors, individualistic styles, and innovative tactics earned them the nickname “von Richthofen’s Flying Circus.” By the time the Red Baron died, in May 1918, they had scored more than 300 kills against the formation-flying conformists in Allied planes.

 

CEOs need more tools at their disposal

 

A couple of years ago, IBM did a survey of 1,500 top CEOs around the world. Their message was consistent: They were facing a chaotic environment, and they had a firm belief that the thing their companies needed most was creativity. Of course, what the survey didn’t say is that most CEOs are far too busy to come up with any of this creativity themselves. As is the way of CEOs, they delegate that kind of thing to people like you and me.

 

So now all over the world there are EVPs and SVPs trying to get their teams to think differently. The trouble is that most organizations spend a lot of time and money making sure that their people all think the same. They’re creating "Squadrons", flying in tight formations, valuing consistency and efficiency over individual flair.

 

For a start, they tend to recruit in their own likenesses - same recruits same.  They then get the same results over and over again - results one assumes could be better or improved in a modern, competitive organization - because they keep hiring the same skill sets and experiences over and over again.

 

This is because it seems more people are comfortable with old problems, rather than with new solutions.

 

Recently, a division head at one of the world’s largest hospitality companies told me, “When somebody walks into an interview for a management role, we can instantly tell whether they’ll fit in here. This is a company of several hundred managers from highly recommended sources and contacts.” It seemed a world away from my experiences working in industries and fields of endeavor where the great leaders I was privileged to work under always provided homes for individualists on their teams.

 

Square Peg. Round Hole

 

I thought of my own experiences, where I once managed a man who used to design components for Ferrari. 
In a cave.
In Italy.
 
Another member of my team I on boarded once as a forensic analyst was one of the world’s top harmonica players. When I used to run an large team with an international scope, almost everybody was also an "-ie" or an "-er": a Trekkie, a LARPer, a Designer, an Animator.  It was my job as the leader to harness all the skills that my team could bring to bear, and these added eclectic skills were a reflection of different ways of thinking. Why would I need two people who thought the same way?

 

The British military rejected triplanes during the World War I, as they were too slow. The Red Baron saw their potential: All that lift made them extremely maneuverable. Companies modeled on his strategy of maneuverability and adaptability don’t just value speed and efficiency.  They're built to change direction fast.

 

The recent release of Valve’s employee handbook is an extreme example of valuing flexibility over efficiency: There is almost no organization at all. But their results will tell you all you need to know about the firepower they can bring to bear. Like the Red Baron, the founders of Valve and Netflix and Google hire great people, give them a simple but difficult goal, and let them get on with it in their own way. At Nordstrom, they famously only have one rule (a 50% improvement on von Richthofen’s two instructions): Use best judgment in all situations.

 

Managing the Issue

 

Perhaps we should encourage people to become more different, not more similar. Perhaps we don’t need to have a standard training framework to make employees conform to a set way of thinking or a fixed behavior pattern at all times.  Perhaps if we want to jar ourselves loose from the same repeating cycles, we need to broaden our definition of what other skill sets are required for a particular role, and where we can find them.

 

Of course, the world needs Squadrons. If you run an eye surgery clinic or a nuclear submarine, you need to standardize procedures and training. And of course, it’s not always fun running a flying circus. Several of the Red Baron’s top aces, including Lowenhardt, were killed in collisions with friendly aircraft. Anybody who’s worked in a high-intensity environment will know the feeling.

 

But if your CEO is demanding creative solutions to problems, then maybe you need to think about ways to encourage everybody to paint their own plane a different color, and loop and wheel around the clouds in their own way.

 

Six differences between a Squadron and a Flying Circus

 

Squadron

 

Motivated to shine as a team.

Emphasizes speed and efficiency.

Has a regimented training program.

Deliberately hires people who’ll fit in.

Standardizes procedures.

If it were a person, it would run.

 

Flying Circus

 

Motivated to shine as individuals.
Emphasizes ability to change direction.
Allows people to grow their own way.
Deliberately hires people who stand out.
Encourages diversity of techniques.
If it were a person, it would swagger.

Dealing with Difficult Employees II

"You must look into other people as well as at them."

~ Lord Chesterfield

"We are far more liable to catch the vices than the virtues of our associates"
~ Denis Diderot
       

"I don’t like that man.  I must get to know him better'

~ Abraham Lincoln

In this second part, I will try and list the 6 most common "difficult" personality traits I have encountered in my professional life, and what strategies and tactics I have found are effective in either dealing with them or in getting them to positively contribute, for I believe that everyone, no matter how "difficult" they can be, has something to offer.

1. The Aggressor

Dealing with hostile people requires both tact and strength. Since persons who feel they have been wronged are more likely to be belligerent and aggressive/violent, you should first try to be sure they have been dealt with fairly.

In addition, it would be wise to help them meet as many of their needs as possible without reinforcing their aggressiveness or discriminating in their favor. Likewise, avoid interactions with them that encourage intense emotions or threats of violence. Certainly do not interact with these angry people when they are drinking or carrying weapons.

Say or do nothing that would incite more anger or, on the other hand, cause you to appear to be scared, weak, and a “pushover.”

In most cases, strong retaliation against an aggressive person is the worst thing you can do. Nastiness begets nastiness. Hostility escalates.

If you can divert the angry person’s attention to some meaningful task or a calm discussion of the situation, the anger should subside. Also, offer him/her any information that would explain the situation that upsets him/her. Point out similarities or common interests between him/her and the person they are mad at (you). Let him/her see or hear about calm, rational ways of resolving differences. Almost anything that gets him/her thinking about something else will help.

I have dealt with many such personality types, and have compiled this brief list which outlines some basic ways in which I have calmed an angry person.  Since some of these people were, in the end, some of the most loyal and reliable members of my team, I can vouch for the effectiveness of the following:

• reduce the noise level
• keep calm yourself
• acknowledge that the irate person has been wronged (if true) or, at least, acknowledge their feelings without any judgment
• ask them to explain their situation (so you can tactfully correct errors)
• listen to their complaints without counter-attacking
• explain your feelings with non-blaming “I” statements
• show that you care but set limits on their aggressiveness (“I’d like to work it out with you but I’ll have to call security if you can’t control yourself”).

I have found that this personality type can be an asset to a group, because if properly handled and motivated, they will be the ones who will keep the group persevering if the goals seems hopeless or an extreme stretch.  Their aggressiveness requires focus, so give them a mountain to move.  They might just surprise you and ask you where you want it put.

2. The Chronic Complainer

What about the chronic complainers? They can bring the morale of any group down due to their fault-finding, blaming, and certainty about what should be done, but they never seem able to correct the situation by themselves. Often they have a point — there are real problems — but their complaining is not effective (except it is designed to prove someone else is responsible).

Coping with complainers involves, first, listening and asking clarifying questions, even if you feel guilty or falsely accused.

There are several don’ts:

• don’t agree with the complaints,
• don’t apologize (not immediately),
• don’t become overly defensive or counter-attack because this only causes them to restate their complaints more heatedly.

Secondly, as you gather facts, create a problem-solving attitude. Be serious and supportive. Acknowledge the facts. Get the complaints in writing and in precise detail; get others, including the complainer, involved in collecting more data that might lead to a solution.

In addition to what is wrong, ask “What should happen?” If the complainer is unhappy with someone else, not you, you may want to ask, “Have you told (the complainee) yet?” or “Can I tell __________?” or “Can I set up a meeting with them?”

Thirdly, plan a specific time to make decisions cooperatively that will help the situation…and do it.

The complainer's eye for pointing out the issues that need looking after comes naturally for him.  You can and should use them to the advantage of the group in order to identify any issues you may have missed.

3. The Super-Agreeable

What about the persons who are super nice and smilingly agrees with your ideas until some action is required, then they back down or disappear?

Such people seek approval. They have learned, probably as children, that one method for getting liked is by telling people (or pretending) you really care for and/or admire them.

Similarly, the super-agreeables will often promise more than they deliver: “I’ll get the report done today” or “I’d love to help you clean up.” They are experts in phoniness, so don’t try to “butter them up.”

Instead, reassure the super-agreeable that you will still like them even if they tell you the truth. Ask them to be candid and make it easy for them to be frank: “What part of my plan is okay but not as good as it could be?” Help them avoid making promises they can’t keep: “Are you sure you can have the money by then? How about two weeks later?”

Tell and show them you value their friendship. Let them know you are ready to compromise because you know they will be more than fair.

And their fairness in the end will be a sounding board for the group to come to and use whenever needed.

4. The Know-It-All Expert

Know-it-all experts are of two types: the truly competent, productive, self-assured, genuine expert and the partially informed person pretending to be an expert. Both can be a pain, but for different reasons.

The true expert may act superior and make others feel stupid; they may be bull headed and impatient with differing opinions; they are often self-reliant, don’t need or want any help, and don’t want to change.

If you are going to deal with the true expert as an equal, you must do your homework thoroughly; otherwise, they will dismiss you. First of all, listen to them and accurately paraphrase their points. Don’t attack their ideas but rather raise questions that suggest alternatives: “Would you tell me more?” or “What do you think the results will be in five years?” “It probably isn’t a viable choice but could we consider…?”

Secondly, show your respect for his/her competence but don’t put yourself down.

Lastly, if the expert can not learn to consider others’ ideas, you may be wise to graciously accept a subordinate role as his/her “helper.” Too many times, I have observed the egos of upper management render companies oblivious to what needs to be done because the decision makers would like to believe themselves to be the only ones who are truly gifted with insight, knowledge, or deductive reasoning. 

They are wrong, and the corporate world is full of failed companies who's leaders didn't want to consider the advice of people smarter than them.

True experts deserve respect.  They can give your team an enormous advantage.

The pretentious-but-not-real expert is relatively easy to deal with because he/she (unlike liars or cons) is often unaware of how little he/she knows. Such a person can be gently confronted with the facts. Do it when alone with them. Help them save face. They simply want to be admired.

5. The Pessimist

Another “burden” to any group is the pessimist –the person who always says, “It won’t work” or “We tried that.” These angry, bitter people have the power to drag us down because they stir up the old pool of doubt and disappointment within us.

So, first of all, avoid being sucked into his/her death-spiral of hopelessness. Don’t argue with the pessimist; don’t immediately offer solutions to the difficulties predicted by the pessimist.

Instead, make optimistic statements — showing that change is possible — and encourage the group to brainstorm leading to several possible alternatives. Then ask what are the worst possible consequences of each alternative (this gives the negativist a chance to do his/her thing but you can use the gloomy predictions in a constructive, problem-solving way).

Also ask, “What will happen if we do nothing?” Finally, welcome everyone’s help but be willing to do it alone because the pessimist won’t volunteer.

The pessimist can however serve a productive role, once you can navigate across the negativity, in that they can inform you if your ideas have been tried before and what were the causes of their failure.  After all, there is no use in repeating the same mistakes of the past. 

6. The Staller

Every group has a “staller,” a person who puts off decisions for fear their career or job will be put in jeopardy if their decision isn't "the right one".

Unlike the super-agreeable, I have found that the staller is truly interested in being helpful. So, make it easier for him/her to discuss and make decisions. Try to find out what the staller’s real concerns are (he/she won’t easily reveal negative opinions of you, however).

Don’t make demands for quick action. Instead, help the staller examine the facts and make compromises or develop alternative plans (and decide which ones take priority). Give the staller reassurance about his/her decision and support the effective carrying out of the decision.



 It is our job as managers to manage the varying personality types occurring in our teams in order to effectively maximize their performance while developing them further along into something greater.  In order to do that, it is not enough to simply give instructions, monitor their actions, and dole out compliments or corrective measures;  we must learn that managing any group is more like conducting a symphony orchestra, with our people representing the instruments:  every instrument sounds different, is heard at different parts during the performance, and is necessary to the overall performance. 

Only when we recognize the uniqueness of every personality and accept the positive part everyone can have to play can we hope to overcome some of the more challenging aspects of our personalities.

Together.

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If you have any suggestions or topics you'd like to see covered, or if you'd like help with an issue you're currently experiencing, please drop me a line at gbossinakis@live.com. 
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Retailing Commandments

"Customers don’t expect you to be perfect George.
They do expect you however to fix things when they are not perfect."

~Ralf Strub, President of Bellstar Hotel & Resorts

"You’ll never have a product or price advantage again.
They can be easily duplicated, but a strong customer service culture can’t be copied."

~Jerry Fritz, Director of Management Institute

University of Wisconsin

"Although your customers won’t love you if you give bad service, your competitors will."

~Kate Zabriskie, founder of Business Training Works, Inc

com·mand·ment

kəˈmændmənt, [kuh-mand-muhnt]

–noun

1. a command

Retailing, like Hospitality, is all about the customer.  Like the real estate mantra about "location, location, location" or the allegory about how to get to Carnegie Hall ("practice, practice, practice"), the first, last and only concern is the customer.  All other considerations are secondary.

This is nothing new.  This is not an epiphany, I realize.  I have heard it often said.  I have seen it often written down on a company mission statement.  I have had people more focused on managing their careers than in doing the right thing by their clients engage in one long monologue about it, knowing full well no one in the room believed for one minute that they were sincere. Still, it needed to be said.

And yet all of these well meaning people were missing the point.  You cannot give real service to a customer, the kind that makes them remember you and want to come back with their friends or family, if you don't add something that cannot be measured with money, or with reports or with numbers.

Sincerity and Integrity.

It is the most basic and fundamental element in Service, whether that be in Retail or in Hospitality.  It is the basis of the public trust and loyalty retailers fight viciously over.  It is the end result of all the marketing dollars, focus groups, training seminars and incentive programs we put into place both for and because of our customers.  The sincerity of our staff in wanting to serve their clients as opposed to simply taking an order, and the integrity of our staff in being both honest and open, even if that means owning up to things when they are not going perfectly well.

Perhaps it is a social trend, this tendency for self gratification, that is diametrically opposed to the act of serving someone else's needs, wants or desires, before our own.  Perhaps the difficulty lies in intuitively grasping the basic tenets of what it takes to do a good job in the Service sectors, due to this penchant of the needs of the self being greater than the needs of the others. The older generations seem to be more able to do this than some members of the younger generations.

So in the interest of making it simple, what follows are the "18 commandments" of providing excellent Service, both for the employee and for those of us who lead our respective teams.  Some of them may be variations on previous item, but only because it is worth repeating.

 

 1.     It's the Customer, Stupid.  To paraphrase that popular, and successful, quote from Bill Clinton's 1992 campaign: The single most important aspect of your business is your customers. Make sure your entire team understands that - and acts like they understand it. Monitor this closely and reinforce it constantly.

2.     Spoil your Customers.  Everyone wants to think they are special. You can make your customers feel special if you treat them like they are special (they in fact are.  See #1 above.) For the time you are with them, concentrate on them and what they are telling you. Exclude everything else for that period of time.

3.     Delight the Customer.  It is heard a lot, but seldom practiced. Today I saw a Manager straighten out a mess and, in the process, calm an irate customer. When I heard her tell her team to put two mugs with the company's logo into the customer's bag, I knew she understood what "Delight the Customer" means.

4.     You never have to make up for a good start.  If a project or a job gets off to a bad start it can be difficult to catch up. Do your planning up front so you get a good start and you won't regret it.

5.     Train Your Supervisors.  The key to your business success is the productivity of your employees. The key to employee productivity is their perception of their immediate supervisor. Invest in training your supervisors and managers. It will pay off.

6.     Under-promise and over-deliver.  This goes beyond the old adage 'don't promise what you can't deliver'. Instead, deliver more than what you promised. It's a good way to build customer rapport - both outside and inside the company.

7.     Your first obligation is to the customer.  More like #1 above, but it must be repeated. Without customers you don't have a business. Treat them with the same respect you expect when you are a customer. Make sure everyone in your organization understands the importance of customer service, and again, acts accordingly.

8.     YOU have to make a difference.  The group you manage has to be more effective and more productive with you there than they would be if you were not. If they are as productive without you, then I am sorry to say that there is no business sense in keeping you on the payroll. As callous as this sounds, you and/or your Managers need to understand this truth about the business world.

9.     Your biggest business challenge is your competition.  They have to take away your customers in order to survive or grow. There is no other way. How are they going to do that? How can you stop them? How can you steal their customers? How do they steal yours?  Don't wait for it to happen. Constantly anticipate and prepare.  They may have a different product, or a lower price point, but if you can "out service" them, you cannot be competed against.

10.    Follow Through on Sales Promises.  Don't let your sales people make promises the company can't meet. If they tell a customer they can have eleventy-billion (sic) widgets "tomorrow before 10", they better be sure that many are already in the warehouse and the transportation has already been arranged. Nothing loses customers faster than broken promises.

11.    Doing it right costs less than doing it over.  I have often noticed that people will tell me why there was never enough time to do it right, but that there always seems to be enough time to do it over.  Save the costs, including customer dissatisfaction and lower worker morale, by concentrating on doing the job right the first time.

12.    Don't Be A De-Motivator.  Your job as a leader is to get and keep your people motivated and working toward the common goal. Demeaning them, to their face or to others, erodes their motivation. So does dismissively telling them that their ideas are dumb or stupid, or simply laughing when one is put forth. Watch your own actions to be sure you aren't defeating your own efforts by demotivating your people.

13.    Keep the flame alive.  When people join your organization they are all fired up and ready to do great things. Over time we all too often wear down that enthusiasm. Instead, do what you can to fan the flames of their enthusiasm and you will be amazed at their output. 

14.    You Can't Listen With Your Mouth Open.  Your associates, your employees, your suppliers, your customers all have something of value in what they have to say. Listen to the people around you. You will never learn what it is if you drown them out by talking all the time. Remember, the only thing that can come out of your mouth is something you already know. Be quiet and learn.

15.    Appearance Does Matter.  It may be a sad commentary on our superficial society, but appearance does matter. Whether it's the packaging on your product, the first impression you make when calling on a new client, or your company's web site people notice how things look. They care about how things look and make judgments about you and/or your product based on appearance.

16.    Get your people involved.  It's a lot easier to get employees to stand behind a company decision if they have the opportunity to participate in the discussion. Management still has to make the decision, but if they have had the opportunity to make their point of view known employees are more apt to stand behind the ultimate decision, even if they don't agree with it. Open town halls are a great way to elicit opinions and thoughts, even if (or especially if) your employees notice something you are doing to demotivate them or damage the business.  Most people want to do a good job and see their place of employment succeed, and if given an honest chance, they will work very hard to make it so.

17.    Fix the problem, not the blame. It is far more productive, and less expensive, to figure out what to do to fix a problem for the customer that has come up than it is to waste time trying to decide who's fault it was.

18.    Actively listen. Listen to your customers, your employees, your suppliers, and anyone else who comes in contact with your business. Honestly evaluate what they have to say, without letting your ego get in the way, and you will probably learn something that benefits your business.

If you have any suggestions or topics you'd like to see covered, or if you'd like help with an issue you're currently experiencing, please drop me a line at gbossinakis@live.com. 
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Project Management for Dummies, Part I

"Project managers function as bandleaders who pull together their players each a specialist with individual score and internal rhythm. Under the leader's direction, they all respond to the same beat."

~L.R. Sayles

   
"Plans A through Q have this deal going through"

~Michael Sabia, CEO of BCE., when questioned if there was a plan B should his proposal not go through.  It didn't and there wasn't.

"Plans are nothing; planning is everything"
~  Dwight D. Eisenhower

Congratulations! You've just been appointed to manage a project.  Now what? How do you get started? What steps do you do next? How do you maximize your chances for success?

Whenever we examine any project before us, we usually identify what the obstacles are exactly, and identify that they need to be overcome.  But that's only the most basic step.  What is missing is a detailed analysis of not only what needs to be done, but how, why and when. 

In this first part, I have written down these basic project management steps below as a guide through the process of managing any project that should help you set up the markers you will need to start.

Here's How:
 

     1. Define the Scope
The first, and most important, step in any project is defining the scope of the project. What is it you are supposed to accomplish by managing this project? What is the project objective?

Equally important is defining what is not included in the scope of your project. This is an often overlooked definition.  If you don't get enough definition from your boss, clarify the scope yourself and send it back upstairs for confirmation.

     2.  Determine Available Resources
What people, equipment, and funds will you have available to you to achieve the project objectives? As a project manager, you usually will not have direct control of these resources, but will have to manage them through matrix managing (where there are 2 different superiors you report to; one is operational in nature and the other is functional). Find out how easy or difficult that will be to do.

     3. Check the Timeline
When does the project have to be completed? As you develop your project plan you may have some flexibility in how you use time during the project, but deadlines usually are fixed. If you decide to use overtime hours to meet the schedule, you must weigh that against the limitations of your budget.

     4. Assemble Your Project Team
Get the people on your team together and start a dialog. They are the experts. That's why their functional supervisor assigned them to the project. If you don't have any experts you can rely on, request the right people be assigned to you, or request permission to go and get them.  Your job isn't to be the expert.  Your job is to manage the experts.

     5. List the Big Steps
What are the major pieces of the project? If you don't know, start by asking your team. It is a good idea to list the steps in chronological order but don't obsess about it; you can always change the order later.

     6. List the Smaller Steps
List the smaller steps in each of the larger steps. Again, it usually helps you remember all the steps if you list them in chronological order. How many levels deep you go of more and more detailed steps depends on the size and complexity of your project.

     7. Develop a Preliminary Plan
Assemble all your steps into a plan. What happens first? What is the next step? Which steps can go on at the same time with different resources? Who is going to do each step? How long will it take? There are many excellent software packages available that can automate a lot of this detail for you. Ask others in similar positions what they use.

     8. Create Your Baseline Plan
Get feedback on your preliminary plan from your team and from any other stakeholders. Adjust your timeline and work schedules to fit the project into the available time. Make any necessary adjustments to the preliminary plan to produce a baseline plan.

     9.   Hope is not a Plan.  Hope is not a Strategy
I have often asked my direct reports to memorize this mantra and to teach their teams the same.  I can't tell you how many times I have heard the most detailed and exhaustive plans rely on uncontrollable variables that are assumed to be, wondrously enough, all in their favor.  Analyze your plan impartially.  Are there any variables that are beyond your direct control or influence?  And if so, have you accounted for all the possible outcomes?  If not, you need to keep these back up plans as viable alternatives to your primary plans, and allocate for the possibility that you may have to bring them from the background to the foreground at any time as the project progresses.

     9. Request Project Adjustments
There is almost never enough time, money or talent assigned to a project. Your job is to do more with the limited resources than people expect. However, there are sometimes limits placed on a project that are simply unrealistic. You need to make your case and present it to your boss and request these unrealistic limits be changed. Ask for the changes at the beginning of the project. Don't wait until it's in trouble to ask for the changes you need.

     10. Work Your Plan, But Don't Die For It
Robert Burns wrote about "The best laid schemes of mice and men....", but whereas he was apologizing to the mouse who's nest he upturned, the meaning of his poem was poignant to Project Managers: The most carefully prepared plans may (some say will) go wrong.

Making the plan is important, but the plan can be changed. You have a plan for driving to work every morning. If one intersection is blocked by an accident, you change your plan and go a different way. Do the same with your project plans. Change them as needed, but always keep the scope and resources in mind

     11. Monitor Your Team's Progress
Never confuse effort with results.  You will make little progress at the beginning of the project, but you should have started by then to monitor what everyone is doing anyway. That will make it easier to catch issues or failures before they become problems and threaten to derail the results.

     12. Document Everything
Keep records. Every time you change from your baseline plan, write down what the change was and why it was necessary. Every time a new requirement is added to the project write down where the requirement came from and how the timeline or budget was adjusted because of it. You can't remember everything, so write them down so you'll be able to look them up at the end-of-project review and learn from them.

     13. Keep Everyone Informed
Keep all the project stakeholders informed of progress all along. Let them know of your success as you complete each milestone, but also inform them of problems as soon as they come up. Also keep you team informed. If changes are being considered, tell the team about them as far ahead as you can. Make sure everyone on the team is aware of what everyone else is doing.

In part 2, we will examine different Project Management styles, and what situations are appropriate for them.  You can link directly to it  here.
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If you have any suggestions or topics you'd like to see covered, or if you'd like help with an issue you're currently experiencing, please drop me a line at gbossinakis@live.com. 

Romeo and Juliet are Dead....

"You walk into a room.  It is completely bare.  There is nothing inside except two bodies. Romeo and Juliet are dead.  They are lying close to each other in a large puddle of water, surrounded by broken glass.  Their bodies are under an open window.  You are the only person who has been inside this bare room.  Please write down what you think happened to Romeo and Juliet, and how you think they died.  Your answer must take into account all the clues mentioned herein."

This was an actual question on a psychological and personality evaluation test that I wrote as part of the selection process for joining a special purpose team.  The memory of this question has remained with me for all these years because of what it was trying to gauge: The ability to think creatively and with inspiration when confronted with a problem - or what we call in the business world, "thinking outside the box".

When faced with an unexpected challenge, or an unorthodox (re: "never" seen before) one, it is the ability to improvise and not merely respond in a habitual learned manner that seperates the simple from the great leaders.

There was no real wrong answer (there was, however, as I correctly figured out, a right one) to this puzzle; it simply gave a glimpse into how the subject's thought process worked (if they worked in the problem-solving vein at all.  Some people's do not).

Romeo and Juliet are dead. They are close to each other, in a large puddle of water.

In the business world, we are often faced with perplexing puzzles that offer no easy answers.  "Why did our sales not increase as a result to that brilliant marketing plan" or "Why are we not attracting the best people and losing the ones we have?" are two very often voiced concerns (or paraphrased examples of these concerns) I have often heard the mistake wasn't in making the plan, but in assuming that once the step-by-step checklist was drawn up and the appropriate people signed off on it, the list could then become reality and ipso facto run it's course to it's logical (ergo successful) conclusion.

It's "management-by-numbers" for dummies, and it doesn't work.

In order for strategies to work, certain assumptions have to be made first.  Those assumptions need to then be tested for veracity - some will be correct, others won't.  Then the strategy needs to be reworked to take these new facts into account.  The plan then needs to be mentally weighed and compared against certain elements that managers are aware of, such as the overall plan for the quarter/half/year; or a new directive or policy that has been adopted.  The leader then takes all these facts and tries to project himself into the future to see how his reworked plan should play itself out, taking into account everything he knows so far.

Romeo and Juliet are dead.  They are surrounded by broken glass.

So far, anyone can do what I've described above.  But where the inspired leader comes into his own; where the "cause and effect" model of action and reaction are left by the way side is when the leader takes what he or she already knows about the situation, and injects some of his or her own personal feelings into the mix.  It's not scientific, and it certainly cannot be quantifiable nor taught, but often times, I have observed that the most successful leaders had a deeper grasp of what was the correct course of action to take exactly because they listened to how they felt about it.

There is an allegory going around that when Steve Jobs was first shown what his engineers and designers had come up with as a prototype for the 1st generation iPod, he rejected it.  Why?  It was certainly feasable, practical, and could have easily and cheaply be mass produced, and it would serve to satisfy the operating criteria that was drawn up for it.  It was, in other words, completely logical.

Romeo and Juliet are dead.  Their bodies are under an open window.

But Steve Jobs didn't like it.  It didn't elicit a positive feeling from him.  It wasn't visceral.  He stood up and drew a rectangle with a cirlce at the bottom of it and asked his team to build it like his drawing.  The rest, as they say, is history.

But how did Steve Jobs know his design would be the "correct" one?  How did he know that it would be more successful and more acceptable by the consumer than the most assuredly well designed, if somewhat industrial looking, prototype he was originally presented with by his experts?

I do not claim any insight into the man's mind - nor did he ever call me up and speak to me about it - but it would safe to say that whereas he didn't know if his "circle within a rectangle" would be embraced by the public, he certainly knew that an entertainment device should look, well, kind of cool and not like a cold, utilitarian one.

Romeo and Juliet are dead.  You are the only person who has been inside this bare room.

He had the hard facts that his engineers were telling him, to which he added an improvised design that was based on his feelings on the matter, and changed the world, and his company, forever.

It is this act -  that he had the courage to listen to what his feeling were telling him without fear that he would be ridiculed or suffer any blowback for it - that should be cultivated and immitated in your teams everytime you put your proverbial heads collectively together to overcome any challenge before you.  It was his improvising that gave a solution to which there was no wrong answer, but there was certainly a right  one; the one that made the most sense now in hindsight.

Managing your decisions with logic and cold calculations is only effective to a point.  After that, it sometimes only serves to obfuscate what is the right thing to do.

Sometimes, for a leader, that obvious answer is the hardest to see.  But that's what we're paid to do.

Romeo and Juliet are dead. 

Of course they are. 

Fish can't survive long if their bowl falls off a window ledge and breaks open on the floor.  After all.....

....Where did it say that this Romeo and Juliet were people?

Lessons from a Pool Hall

 

"In the past, a leader was a boss.  Today's leaders must be partners with their people....they no longer can lead solely based on positional power" - Ken Blanchard

 

"Everyone has a sign around their neck that says 'Make me feel important!'. Never forget that when working with people" - Mary Ash

"To be trusted is a better compliment than to be loved" - George MacDonald

In the neighborhood I grew up in, there were many opportunities to get into trouble.  And if it was too cold, or too wet, or if you just needed a place to hang out and kill time, there were enough pool halls and billiard rooms in that neighborhood at the time to fill a city block from end to end all the way around. 

 

Invariably, as teenagers often do, I found my way into one of them.  Besides the usual coterie of men playing cards or drinking coffee in a smoke filled and darkened room, replete with the smell of beer, stale cigarettes, and old wood, there was something else I learned in those pool halls that I've carried with me during all this time since those days. 

 

Coffee can bring people together. 

 

Pool halls are great equalizers.  No one cares how old or young you are.  No one cares about the color of your skin, your religion, your ethnic background.  No one cares if you pulled up in a Mercredes or on a bicycle.  What really matters is how you behave while you're there.  It's all about getting along, even if you disagree. 

 

Especially if you disagree. 

 

And you'd be disagreeing with people (seemingly) hourly; about whether your shot kissed another ball or not, about whether you were taking too much time deciding to call another's hand in a game of cards or not, about money owed, about politics, about sports, about current events, about history.    

 

And in the end, after all the loud and vigorous debating, you'd settle down with a cup of coffee and talk; reinforcing and cementing bonds of respect that would see you through the next (inevitable) disagreement.

 

Those thousands of cups of coffee and conversations were an opportunity to sit, listen and learn from another individual. That kind of a conversation can also be powerful employee motivation as well. Just like in a pool hall, it can head off conflict.  It can aid in solidifying relationships, or in starting new ones.  Just sharing a cup of coffee gives you a great chance to learn important information about yourself, your employees, your company, and even your competitors.

 

Coffee with Your Employees

Do you have regular meetings with each of your key employees, your direct reports? Are these weekly meeting frequently interrupted because both of you are so busy and someone always has a "crisis" that needs one or the other of you to deal with it? Do you ever feel you could get more done if you just had a half hour without interruptions? Maybe getting out of the board room and taking the other person out for a cup of coffee is the solution.

 

One place I worked had a coffee shop in the ground floor of the building and another across the street. There was also a breakfast restaurant half a block away where you could get coffee. However, usually I would just sneak off to the employee lunch room. I would "buy" a cup of coffee for the person I was meeting with and we would sit at one of the tables and talk. No phones, no cell phones, and I would ignore my Blackberry.

 

Coffee Isn't Always Coffee

"Grabbing a cup off coffee together" doesn't have to only mean coffee. If you or the person with whom you are meeting doesn't care for coffee, or just wants a break from it, there are plenty of alternatives. Tea and cocoa are a couple of other alternatives that come to mind. In fact, in many countries, tea may be the preferred alternative. However, it doesn't have to stop there. The whole point is to get away from the distractions for a little while, so the beverage really doesn't matter. Bottled water may suit. Sports drinks, fruit juices, and sodas are all acceptable. It only needs to be something relatively inexpensive that is readily available, can be served quickly, and that you can linger over while you talk.

 

Coffee Has No Alcohol

The one thing you want to avoid is anything alcoholic. Regardless of the time of day, going out for a "beer" or "having a glass of wine" makes it more of a social event than a business meeting. Besides, you don't want either of you to be impaired, and alcohol can do that. Certainly, there can be the temptation to get the other person to relax a little so they will be more open with you, but using alcohol to do so is unethical and underhanded. Being open and honest with them will produce the same results without the potential embarrassment.

 

Listen. Really Listen.

Remember the reason you are having this chat in the coffee shop instead of your office is to learn something from the other person. It might be that you want them to get all the way through the trouble report without an interruption. It could be that you want to hear their ideas for the new product or how to fix the old one. It can be just as important to check their temperature as to check the coffee's and to find out if they are overstressed and why. The key element in all of these is you need to keep your mouth shut and your ears open.

 

Listening, of course, is more than just letting the other person speak. You have to focus your undivided attention on what they are saying. Remember you left the office to get away from the distractions there, so don't distract yourself here by letting your mind wander. Actively listening also means occasionally repeating a statement of theirs back to them to show you are listening and to encourage them to keep talking. The Japanese even have a word for this, aizuchi.

Managing This Issue

A coffee break gives you a chance to get away from the distractions and interruptions. It allows people to connect in a more human, social way which in turn allows for a chance to understand eachother or at the very least, each person's position.  It can also act as a release valve to vent any pressure or frustrations the other party might feel and result in more open and frank conversations with your peers or subordinates.  It is a simple and effective way to build those relationships that are so crucial in our careers.  Who knows?  It may even lead to new friendships that will stay with us long after we leave the business world.

Wouldn't that be great?

 

 

If you have any suggestions or topics you'd like to see covered, or if you'd like help with an issue you're currently experiencing, please drop me a line at gbossinakis@live.com
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The Art and Science of Managing

"Management by objectives works if you first think through your objectives. Ninety percent of the time you haven't"    - Peter Drucker

 

"He asks us where do we want to go and helps us get there.  He stands up for us.  He cheers us on.  He makes sure we get noticed by the higher ups for our good work and he never stop believing in us.  He deserves better than to be stuck here in Toronto, working for people like you."
- Anonymous assessment of a Manager by a subordinate during a reverse performance review.

 

"Officers - Making simple stuff hard since 1775" - Seen on a USMC t-shirt

My youngest child once asked what my job was.  Deciding to keep it simple, I told him that I was a manager.  His next 3 questions, fired off in that precocious way of children, were not as simple to answer: "What is a manager?", "What do managers do?",  "How do you manage?"

These are standard questions that most of us in the management profession have been (or should have been) asked more than once. And questions we should have asked once or twice of ourselves at some point in our careers too.

Here, then, is a basic look at management, a primer.
 
Make Them More Effective
Consider this: four workers can make 6 units in an eight-hour shift without a manager. If I hire you to manage them and they still make 6 units a day, what is the benefit to my business of having hired you? On the other hand, if they now make 8 units per day, you, the manager, have value.

The same analogy applies to service, or retail, or teaching, or any other kind of work. Can your group handle more customer calls with you than without? Sell higher value merchandise? Impart knowledge more effectively? etc. That is the value of management - making a group of individual more effective.

Artis et Scientiae
Management is both art and science. It is the art of making people more effective than they would have been without you. I have yet to find or even hear of any book that can teach this ability, for it is not an empirical formula that if but simply followed will obtain the desired results.  People are too dynamic, too diverse, and too individualistic for that.  The art will come from you putting your own personal stamp on how you make your people more effective - your personal style, if you will.

The science is in how you do that. There are, I have come to understand, four basic pillars, which I will repeat here.  These are all self evident and well known to any front line manager: plan, organize, direct, and monitor.
   
Management Skill #1: Plan

Management starts with planning. Good management starts with good planning. And proper prior planning prevents… well, you know the rest of that one.

Without a plan you will never succeed. If you happen to make it to the goal, it will have been by luck or chance and is not repeatable. You may make it as a flash-in-the-pan, an overnight sensation, but you will never have the track record of accomplishments of which success is made.
 
Figure out what your goal is (or listen when your boss tells you). Then figure out the best way to get there. What resources do you have? What can you get? Compare strengths and weaknesses of individuals and other resources. Will putting four workers on a task that takes 14 hours cost less than renting a machine that can do the same task with one worker in 6 hours? If you change the first shift from an 8 AM start to a 10 AM start, can they handle the early evening rush so you don't have to hire an extra person for the second shift?

This skill requires objective reasoning; not wishful thinking and certainly not assumption making.  Verify your conclusions using empirical evidence (if possible) that can be verified.
 
Look at all the probable scenarios. Plan for them. Figure out the worst possible scenario and plan for that too. Evaluate your different plans and develop what, in your best judgement, will work the best and what you will do if it doesn't.

One of the most often overlooked management planning tools is the most effective: Asking the people doing the work for their input.

Management Skill #2: Organize

Now that you have a plan, you have to make it happen. Is everything ready ahead of your group so the right stuff will get to your group at the right time? Is your group prepared to do its part of the plan? Is the downstream organization ready for what your group will deliver and when it will arrive?

Are the workers trained? Are they motivated? Do they have the equipment they need? Are there spare parts available for the equipment? Has purchasing ordered the material? Is it the right stuff? Will it get here on the appropriate schedule? 
 
Do the legwork to make sure everything needed to execute the plan is ready to go, or will be when it is needed. Check back to make sure that everyone understands their role and the importance of their role to the overall success.

Management Skill #3: Direct

Now flip the "ON" switch. Tell people what needs to be done - don't tell them how to do it (if you have to tell them how to do the task, you obviously didn't complete #1 and #2 listed above). I like to think of this part like conducting an orchestra. Everyone in the orchestra has the music sheets in front of them. They know which section is playing which piece and when. They know when to come in, what to play, how to play it and when to stop again. The conductor cues each section to make the music happen (that's your job here). You've given all your musicians (workers) the sheet music (the plan). You have the right number of musicians (workers) in each section (department), and you've arranged the sections on stage so the music will sound best (you have organized the work). Now you need only to tap the podium lightly with your baton to get their attention and give the downbeat.

Management Skill #4: Monitor

Now that you have everything moving, you have to keep an eye on things. Make sure everything is going according to the plan. When it isn't going according to plan, you need to step in and adjust the plan, just as the orchestra conductor will adjust the tempo. Keep everyone up to date both formaly (during SITREP meetings) and informaly (in emails, small talk, etc....).  Everyone has a vested interest and just like an Orchestra can hear the music they and their peers are making, you need to make sure the same happens in your group; only it's you who are their ears and it is you who must convey to them where they and their peers are on the sheet.

Problems will come up. Someone will get sick. A part won't be delivered on time. A key customer will go bankrupt. That is why you developed a contingency plan in the first place (right?). You, as the manager, have to be always aware of what's going on so you can make the adjustments required.
 
This is an iterative process. When something is out of sync, you need another Plan to fix it. Organize the resources to make it work, Direct the people who will make it happen, and continue to Monitor the effect of the change.
 
Is It Worth It?
Managing people is not easy. However, it can be done successfully. And it can be a very rewarding experience. Remember that management, like any other skill, is something that you can improve at with study and practice.



If you have any suggestions or topics you'd like to see covered, or if you'd like help with an issue you're currently experiencing, please drop me a line at gbossinakis@live.com
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Laughing on the Rocky Road to Dublin

 

"By starving emotions, we become humorless, rigid, and stereotyped;  by representing them, we become literal, reformatory, exceeders.  They perfume life.  Without them, they poison it" - Joseph Collins

 

"You know how they say that if Life give you lemons, you should make lemonade?  Well, when I do that, I then go out and find someone who has Vodka and sit down and have a party" - Bob White

 

 "A sense of humor is a much needed armor. Joy in the heart and laughter on the lips is a sign that the person deep down has a pretty good grasp on life" - Hugh Sidey

 

Picture this: a team of young men and women behind the front-lines somewhere in a war zone in Africa, walking exposed on uneven dirt paths in a difficult, high-risk area. And if that’s not tough enough, each has their backs weighed down in the oppressive humidity with supplies destined for another village, knowing full well that what they carry is a very tempting prize to the local warlords.  As are the women in the group.  They each know that there is no back up, no evacuation, no rescue, should hostilities break out and they are forced to use what little ammunition they have to defend themselves, their cargo, or their colleagues.

But every night, after they've secured the perimeter and posted sentries, it's the same. The Czech soldier in this group produces a small, toy-like guitar from within his backpack and asks the group (in his thick Eastern European accent). "Please...what song you want hear? Jazz? Rock? Heavy Metal?"

It was all a ruse, we knew, because no matter what is requested, no matter how simple a song (he was tested with "Smoke on the Water" and "Mary had a little Lamb" many, many times) he would nod his head enthusiastically and knowingly, as if to say "I know that one!" and invariably launch into the opening bars of "Rocky Road to Dublin"; the only song he ever learned to play.  The laughter of his colleagues would mingle with the sounds of a dozen accented voices trying to sing the words we all knew by now - even if some of the members of the group who came from non-English speaking countries just knew how to pronounce them rather than what they meant - which admittedly, made it all the more humorous.

"In the merry month of June,

From me home I started,

Left the girls of Tuam,

So sad and brokenhearted,

Saluted father dear,

Kissed me darling mother,

Drank a pint of beer,

Me grief and tears to smother,

Then off to reap the corn,

To leave where I was born,

Cut a stout Blackthorn,

To banish ghosts and goblins,

Bought a pair of brogues,

Battling o'er the bogs,

Frightened all the dogs,

On the Rocky Road to Dublin,

One-Two-Three-Four-Five,

Hunt the hare and turn her down the rocky road,

And all the way to Dublin,

Whack-fo-la-dee-daa"

 

 



"It was our way of keeping up morale," one of the squad leaders would later remark to me. "We were so overwhelmed, so stressed, so burned out. This is how we keep our sanity in and the terror out."

As more and more organizations re-engineer, merge, restructure, down size, right size, and even capsize, employees confront uncertainty on an almost daily basis. The rules keep changing in terms of what they're supposed to do, how they’re supposed to do it, who they do it for, and whether they should do it at all.

And since most have little or no control over the making of these rules, the result is often a sense of powerlessness that translates into increased stress, decreased wellness, demoralization, absenteeism, and lower productivity, all of which affect rates of retaining employees.

And as I have repeatedly pointed out in these pages, people are an organization’s number one asset, and losing them costs money.

So the big question for both individuals and organizations is: how do you keep up spirits, continue to work effectively, and maintain health and sanity in volatile and stressful situations? The team described above chose to laugh.

They could have also chosen despair, cynicism, bitterness, or negativity, but instead team members chose laughter. As one American teammate would tell me years later, "We could either have cried every night when we were together, or we could have laughed.  But when you cry, you cry alone and you can only do that for so long. We had decided somehow that we'd had enough of crying, and it was time to do something else."

So, how do you help employees, who have little or no control over external events, survive such uncertain and stressful situations? Organizations need to encourage employees to take control over the one aspect of the situation they do control - how they choose to respond to it.

And on those days where workers feel overwhelmed, overworked, and have no idea what's going to happen next, the only rational, life-affirming response is to go find some colleagues, and break out the clown noses, kazoos, and Groucho glasses.

Why Laughter?

Why is laughter such a positive choice? We all know that it makes us feel good, but in today’s bottom-line oriented workplace, the term "feel good" is too nebulous to have much impact on how people go about structuring their job interactions and professional relationships.

And most organizations are not going to promote humor as part of their culture because some hierarchy devotee thinks that having the boss come to work dressed as a chicken will create (heaven forbid) a happy afterglow.

So any discussion of the benefits of laughter needs to be more tangible and focused on addressing positive morale, a major factor contributing to retaining valued employees. Remember though, humor is a coping mechanism to aid in retaining employees, not a cure-all for other systemic problems affecting organizations.

Boosting Morale

It's a common theme. An organization keeps cutting staff until the people left feel like they can't cope anymore. Unfortunately, the organization I’m thinking of didn't take into account what this would do to the morale of the "survivors."

Management was unwilling to listen to their concerns, and when anyone did voice them, they were labeled as disloyal. Teamwork plummeted, with employees adopting a "me first" attitude. The office atmosphere was poisonous, rife with gossip, rumors, and backstabbing.

"This feels like hell. I’d never recommend this company to anyone, and I just hope I can survive until I take early retirement," said one long-term employee to me.

Like the team of young people in Africa, this group found themselves in a bad situation over which they had no control. Sadly though, members were not encouraged to make use of humor, the one coping mechanism they had left.

Instead, management saw it as a frivolous waste of time, a sentiment which came to be echoed by the employees. "We're living in hell. We're too busy to laugh, and besides, it won't change anything" was a common refrain among employees with whom I talked.

However, they were wrong.

According to Steve Lipman, who researched the use of humor during the Holocaust, "Wit produced on the precipice of hell was not frivolity but psychological necessity. Humor is one of the greatest gifts God gave mankind to pull itself out of despair."

In today's uncertain work environment, humor isn't an option, it's a necessary way to boost morale.

When employees clown around, they’re not wasting valuable time, they're making use of one of the few tools available to increase and maintain their esprit de corps. Laughter may not change the external reality, but it can certainly help people survive it.

This has been proven in some pretty dire situations. Lipman cites an example of how a group of Auschwitz inmates put on vaudeville shows to provide laughter for the camp population. According to one, "We had to make jokes to save ourselves from deep depression."

Somehow these people, on the brink of death, realized that their morale and survival depended on keeping their ability to laugh alive. As a group, they took the time and energy to make it happen.

Even though nothing could be as horrible as Auschwitz, people in almost all workplaces can learn from this example. Take the time and energy to share humor. Those brave concentration camp inmates proved that humor is a choice, and no matter how much adversity people face, whether at work or in their personal lives, they can still choose laughter. In fact, the worse a situation gets, the more important it becomes to make that choice.

Making Humor Happen In Your Organization

So what can organizations do to encourage the use of humor as a coping mechanism? On a recent trip, I flew on WestJet Airlines, and found that the crew had turned the usually boring safety announcement into a stand-up comedy routine. My favorite line was, "The floor lighting will come on in the event of an emergency landing......or of a Disco revival."

Upon inquiring, I learned that the CEO of WestJet Airlines in Canada believes that work should be fun. He sets precedents through his own behavior, and by encouraging employees to enjoy their jobs. He makes it safe for the people he employs to use humor by leading the way.

And the payoff? All WestJet employees I spoke to said how much they loved working for the company because it was so much fun. And their enjoyment was reflected in great service to the passengers. They expressed their appreciation of the humor and their intention to continue flying WestJet.

On another recent flight on Virgin America, the pilot came on the intercom to thank us for our patronage, but instead of the usual script, he instead said "We really hoped you enjoyed your flight with Virgin America - and if you didn't.....we would appreciate it if you kept that fact to yourself, m'kay? I have 2 ex wives to support. Thanks".

Richard Branson's business model for his airline is as refreshingly irreverent as his disdain for the "suit and tie" culture of most organizations. Much like WestJet, his employees enjoy connecting with the consumer on a more human level, and use humor to reach that goal because "the boss" encourages it.

In order to help employees use humor, organizations can also provide them with the tools and to set an example as well.  A company I visited out west started every training group with an exercise called "the rubber chicken toss." Another provided their AR department with baskets of toys to use as stress-busters, and made it clear that humor was encouraged as part of their organizational culture.

Permitting a harmless sing along by the camp fire did nothing to change the adversity that was faced in Africa, but it did create an atmosphere in which - at least temporarily - being there was fun. Or at least, not so stressful.

I often have had members of that team tell me that despite how much pain and misery they felt and saw, they stayed for their teammates and for the camaraderie.

And if a group of kids that had to regularly deal with those intense levels of stress can find a way to inject some fun into their workplace, so can anyone.

"Well in Mullingar that night,

I rested limbs so weary,

Started by daylight,

Me spirit's bright and cheery,

Took a drop of the pure,

That kept me heart from sinking,

That's the Paddy's cure,

Whenever he's on for drinking,

To see the Lassies smile,

Laughing all the while,

At me curious style,

Would set me heart a-bubbling,

Asked if I was hired,

Wages I required,

Till I was almost tired,

Of the Rocky Road to Dublin,

One-Two-Three-Four-Five,

Hunt the hare and turn her down the rocky road,

And all the way to Dublin,

Whack-fo-la-dee-daa"

If you have any suggestions or topics you'd like to see covered, or if you'd like help with an issue you're currently experiencing, please drop me a line at gbossinakis@live.com
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