13 Fatal Management Errors

Again, courtesy of Bernie Ritchie and her ManagementSushi blog, my third guest post, which she's titled: Lethal Cocktails : Fatal Management Errors to be avoided!, is now on-line.

The piece takes a look, so many years later, at what was an "able compass" for me - and many of those who reported to me - as I climbed the management ranks, back in the day.

Here's an excerpt:

Briefly, here are the 13 Fatal Errors:

1. Refuse to Accept Personal Accountability
2. Fail to Develop People
3. Try to Control Results Instead of Influencing Thinking
4. Join the Wrong Crowd
5. Manage Everyone the Same Way
6. Forget the Importance of Profit
7. Concentrate on Problems Rather than Objectives
8. Be a Buddy, Not a Boss
9. Fail to Set Standards
10. Fail to Train Your People
11. Condone Incompetence
12. Recognize Only Top Performers
13. Try to Manipulate People

So what do YOU think? Are you seeing any of these Fatal Errors occurring here in 2010? I know I am. But let's see what else Brown had to say that might still be relevant today ...

(... continued at http://managementsushi.com/.)

Thanks, Bernie!
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Image Source: http://www.clarkandransom.com/

Leadership Development Carnival - February 2010

The February 2010 edition of the Leadership Development Carnival has been published by Talented Apps. Included is a link to The Heart of Effective Personal Management, a blog post by Barry Zweibel. Enjoy!

High Potential Coaching - Panel Discussion

  

Day Two at http://www.conference-board.org/coaching started with a panel discussion of: "How Coaching is Being Used with High Potentials" with Rachel A. Lee, Vice President, Global Leadership Development at American Express; Anika Gakovic, Corporate Vice President, Executive Development at New York Life; Carol E. Hedly, Leadership Development Consultant at Microsoft; and moderator, Mary Wayne Bush, Program Manager, Organizational Effectiveness/Human Resources at Raytheon Missle Systems.

Here are the tweets I posted (#tcbcoaching)

1. At Amex, coaching evolving into high-touch, targeted investment closely linked to business results. #tcbcoaching
2. At NY Life, coaching is about culture change, and creating ‘distributed’ and 'principles-based' leadership #tcbcoaching
3. At Microsoft, coaching program "allows emerging and experienced leaders to learn from each other." #tcbcoaching
4. At NY Life, exec mgmt interviewed to insure coaching 'content' stays properly aligned to present/future biz needs #tcbcoaching
5. At Microsoft, coaching dev plans include more observing/interacting w/senior leaders; building strong networks w/other hi-pos #tcbcoaching
6. At Amex, "coaching must leave a footprint in the organisation that builds our internal capability" #tcbcoaching
7. At Amex, "coaching must leave a footprint in the organisation that builds our internal capability" #tcbcoaching

David Clutterbuck Presentation

Here are the tweets I posted (#tcbcoaching) during Professor David Clutterbuck's presentation on Virtual Coaching. VERY engaging, Clutterbuck is clearly informed, insightful, and passionate about his materials.

1. #tcbcoaching - nice lunch; afternoon keynote beginning with David Clutterbuck
2. #tcbcoaching - "if you know where the conversation is going, it's not coaching!" - D. Clutterbuck
3. "really good coach helps redefine a clients goals" #tcbcoaching
4. "The more detail you put into a definition, the less meaningful it likely is" - clutterbuck #tcbcoaching
5. most coaches are underqualified - even those chosen by the executive #tcbcoaching
6. I gotta say, David Clutterbuck is really resonating for me. Depth AND insight.
7. Ask "What do you feel passionate about?" and then draw picture about answer you received. Great for building & attentiveness. #tcbcoaching
8. Clutterbuck empassioned AND quirky! #tcbcoaching
9. taking the time to prepare for your conversation with your coach helps make the conversation more vital. #tcbcoaching
10. "People don't have the habit of thinking about what they think." - D. Clutterbuck #tcbcoaching
11. "to be an effective telephone-based coach, you need to first be a good in-person and via-email coach" #tcbcoaching
12. levels of coaching - skills-based, performance-based, behavioral-based, transformational-based
13. research finding: men tend to interpret emails more negatively than women. #tcbcoaching
14. "Is my intuition turned on?" - D. Clutterbuck #tcbcoaching

Nicely done, sir. Very nicely done!

Marshall Goldsmith Keynote

The opening keynote for the Conference Board coaching conference I'm attending (twitter hashtag #tcbcoaching) was given by Marshall Goldsmith.

Now I'm not a huge Goldsmith fan. It's not that I don't like (or disagree with) WHAT he talks about, it's just that I find that, sometimes, I find the WAY he talks about things does't resonate for me as much as it does for others. Such was the case this morning, as well.

His topic was mainly about his new book - released just this Tuesday - "MOJO: How To Get It, How To Keep It, How To Get It Back If You Lose It." Basically, it's about the importance of striving for not just happiness OR meaning, but happiness AND meaning. (Nothing new to me in that.)

Here are some excerpts of note, however:

"What matters most in life?" he rhetorically asked, and then answered.

1. Health - first and foremost; no ifs, ands, or buts.
2. Wealth - Key point: Money is only positively correlated with happiness up to around $60K-$85K/year. (a topic discussed in greater detail at the 1st World Congress on the Positive Psychology I attended last year.)
3. Relationships - People who spend more time with people they love away from work, are more satisfied (happier) when at work! (Yes, counterintuitive, but logical. Look at it this way, we all need love. Any time a need goes unmet, we tend to get cranky. Since we spend so much time at work, it's likely that our crankiness will express itself there. Conversely, if our need for love is met out side of work, we don't need to try and get it met at work. This makes it easier to just focus on the work at hand, which we'll likely do better when we're not otherwise distracted.)
4. Meaningfulness - that which provides long-term benefit.
5. Happiness - that which provides short-term satisfaction. BTW, hours spent working do NOT correlate with happiness, just as hours watching tv (happy?) do not correlate with a meaningful life.

Oh, and when it comes to meaningfulness and happiness,, they must be SELF-defined. Otherwise they simply won't make us happy or give our lives meaning.

Other Randoms:

• The MOJO Paradox - the 'default' reaction in life is NOT happiness, and is NOT meaningfulness. It is INERTIA.
• "Be as happy as you can; find as much meaning as you can."
• 5 prevailing models:

1. High Meaningfulness/Low Gratification (happiness) = Sacrificing
2. Low Meaningfulness/ Low Gratification = Surviving
3. High Gratification/Low Meaningfulness = Stimulating
4. High Gratification/High Meaningfulness = Succeeding
5. Medium Meaningfulness/Medium Gratification = Sustaining

Successful people spend most of their time in the Succeeding space

• "People who are miserable at work tend to be miserable at home, too." And vice versa.
• Ask yourself: "How happy were you yesterday? How meaningful was yesterday?" and see if you (a) like your answers, and (b) can improve upon them when you ask yourself again tomorrow.

Perhaps the one thing that I liked the best of all, though, was this:

Adpot a "Be happy NOW" attitude, rather than an "I will be happy when ..."

Good advice, Marshall. But as "one of the 15 most influential business thinkers in the world," according to Forbe's and as quoted on his book's inner sleeve, I never got a sense of that kind of depth from his keynote. Rather, it felt much like a piece of cork just bobbing on the surface of the water for an hour or so.

Based on the reactions of the audience, though, I suspect that others had differing views.

LeadershipHaiku

Come follow my latest project, LeadershipHaiku, on Twitter, at @LeadershipHaiku and at http://www.leadershiphaiku.com/.

// LeadershipHaiku / offering leadership tweets / in five, seven, five. //

Okay, here's the rationale: There are soooo many books about leadership development these days that it's virtually impossible to read them all. And even if you have the inclination to try, who has the time for that?!


In contrast, LeadershipHaiku is specifically designed for today’s attention-challenged professionals – it's written in Twitter-format, meaning that every lesson is less than 140 characters ... including spaces!!

Each Leadership Lesson is also written in Haiku format – that is, // 5 / 7 / 5 // – making it a unique and clever way to learn, unlike anything you've ever tried before.

What qualifies me, Barry Zweibel, to write about Leadership like this? As a noted executive coach and leadership consultant, and president of GottaGettaCoach!, Inc. (GGCI), I engage smart, capable, people in meaningful conversations about their personal growth and professional development. And as someone who works daily to help people face the issues that challenge them most, I KNOW that setting the right tone for learning is essential. So it's not by sheer happenstance that each LeadershipHaiku is designed to be fun to read, too!

So follow along below, on Twitter (www.twitter.com/LeadershipHaiku) or at http://www.leadershiphaiku.com/, and see if you don't learn a thing or two about Leadership, Life ... and counting syllables!!

And remember:

// Sharing these Haiku / will help others learn and grow / which is the whole point. //

Some Samples:

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// Be there for your team / in victory AND defeat / they'll respect you more. //

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// "A" players are great / but your "B" and "C" players / will drive your success. //

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// You know what to do / but that's really not the point / let THEM run with it. //

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// Your reputation / as a leader of others / will outlast your stay. //

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More on Twitter, at @LeadershipHaiku and http://www.leadershiphaiku.com/.

Job Aggregator Wows

Those looking for work are not the only ones facing stiff competition these days – Job Boards are, too. And it seems like they’re losing ground to the new kids on the block, Job Aggregators. Guest blogger, Teena Rose, from Resume to Referral, weighs in on the trend. Thanks, Teena! - bz

Hiring companies have long been looking for ways to get more bang for their recruiting buck. And, increasingly, they’re doing exactly that by opting to use Job Aggregator services rather than Job Boards. Job Aggregators are meta-type search engines that gather (and disseminate) job openings from a multitude of sources: Newspaper and classified listings; associations; social networks; content sites; company career sites; … and job boards, too.

The impact has been noticeable. Monster.com’s revenue has been dropping steadily, posing a 35% drop in 2009qtr3. “This is the fourth consecutive quarter when Monster’s revenue has declined, with a 37 percent drop in the second quarter of 2009, a 31 percent drop in the first quarter of 2009, and a 16 percent decline in the last quarter of 2008,” per http://www.jobsportalwatch.com/. CareerBuilder North America has seen its own losses, as well.

One Job Aggregator of note, is at http://www.simplyhired.com/. “Building a good search engine is sort of like writing a good haiku,” it says. [Editor’s Note: Gotta just LOVE a site that’s based on a Haiku philosophy, don’t you?! – bz] It must be doing something right as it’s won awards from Time, Forbes, PC Magazine, and CNet. Oh, and it’s revenue continues to grow, as well.

Some believe Job Boards are now fundamentally flawed. While they maintain their focus on job delivery, sponsored ads, visual presentation, and resume collection, jobseekers are shifting more and more to social platforms while looking for work. Yes, Job Boards are using social media to promote their boards, but they are seemingly missing the point that jobseekers want social networking functionality AS PART OF the job-search process, AS PART OF their job-search experience — not a separate entity, but as an inclusive one.

SimplyHired’s recent addition of LinkedIn into its offerings is certainly a feature that puts job-search on a new level. Using their new LinkedIn “Who Do I Know?” feature, a jobseeker can identify those within their LinkedIn network that coincide with any job opening on file.

If Job Boards can’t keep up with this type of innovation, they may quickly find themselves outdated and irrelevant. My hope is that they recognize the threat, embrace the challenge, and raise the bar for all concerned.

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Teena Rose is a columnist, public speaker, and certified/published resume writer with Resume to Referral. She's authored several books, including "How to Design, Write, and Compile a Quality Brag Book," "20-Minute Cover Letter Fixer," and "Cracking the Code to Pharmaceutical Sales.

Contact Information: (937) 325-2149, www.resumetoreferral.com, admin@resumetoreferral.com, www.twitter.com/teenarose.

Slide, that is, DON'T Slide

Slide, by Dido

Even on a day like this when you're crawling on the floor
Reaching for the phone to ring anyone who knows you anymore
It's all right to make mistakes
you're only human
Inside everybody's hiding something

Staring at the same four walls, have you tried to help yourself
The rings around your eyes they don't hide, that you need to get some rest

It's all right to make mistakes
you're only human
Inside everybody's hiding something
Take time to catch your breathe and choose your moment

Don't slide

Even at a time like this when the morning seems so far
Think that pain belongs to you but it's happened to us all

It's all right to make mistakes
you're only human
Inside everybody's hiding something
Take time to catch your breathe and choose your moment

Don't slide

You brought this on yourself
and it's high time you left it there
Lie here and rest your head
and dream of something else instead

Don't slide

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Image Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk

How to Get Happy

From Parade Magazine, 1/17/2010, page 19 ...

• Act Happy - even if you aren't (yet). It will cheer you and everyone around you.
• Seek out positive distractions. Think about what always gives you pleasure and do it. Don't wait for the activity to come to you -- buy the tickets, call your friend, get on a bike.
• Do one things at a time -- at least for one or two hours a day. Multitasking can make you feel tense. Focusing on one activity is calming and allows you to enjoy the experience fully.
• Spend more time with friends and loved ones. Enjoying close relationships is the No. 1 predictor of happiness.
• Take Action. Passivity tends to make you feel worse. Choosing to change, even with a very small step, is itself a mood-enhancer.

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Image Source: http://www.relationaladvantage.com.

RockStarLeader Guest Post #5: Leadership Lessons from Wynton Marsalis

My fifth post at the Rock Star Leader blog is now on-line. Titled, Leadership Lessons from Wynton Marsalis, it's a reprint of a post I did back in December, 2007.

1. THINK BIG, BUT DON'T BE IMPATIENT. Deferring the rewards of long-term success is difficult but necessary if you are going to have the mental fortitude to achieve them.
2. BE PERFECT IN INTENTION; YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE PERFECT IN EXECUTION. Mistakes, by you and your staff, will happen.
3. YOU CAN ONLY 00 THE BEST THAT YOU CAN DO. Keep your goals high, but don't set yourself up for failure. Be patient.
4. DON'T APOLOGIZE FOR A MISTAKE. APOLOGIZE IF YOU DON'T PLAY. Knowing that effort is what matters ...

...continued at http://rockstarleader.wordpress.com/2010/01/17/leadership-from-wynton-marsalis/.
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Image Source: http://diaporama.ladepeche.com/

NCIS, Crime-Solving, Chart-Busting

Okay, I admit it. I'm a HUGE NCIS fan. Love it. Love it. Love it. Sometimes I even answer my phone with a, "Yeah ... Gibbs." But I digress!

Clearly, though, I'm not the only one who loves the show. Just LOOK at these Neilsen ratings for the Top 15 cable TV shows during the week of January 4, 2010:

NCIS earned 7 of the Top 15 slots! That's C-R-A-Z-Y. As in crazy GOOD, I'd say! As strange as it may sound, I'm kinda proud of that!

But, again, I digress!

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Image Source: http://www.aliceday.org/

2010q1 GGCI Newsletter Now Available

Hi All ~ Barry Zweibel, here. Happy New Year!

The 2010q1 edition of the GottaGettaCoach! newsletter is now available. You can find it at: www.ggci.com/newsletter/GGCI-2010q1.pdf:

Best Wishes for a Terrific ‘10!
• Topic: Editor's Note
• Subject: It IS, after all, a New Year!

The TV Marathon Workweek
• Topic: Time Management
• An excerpt from one of my guest blog posts at ManagementSushi.com.

A “Tweet” to Start Your Day
• Topic: Personal Development
• I like to tag my first tweet of the day as a "#MorningThought." Here are several of them for your consideration.

Who’s Pushing Your Hot Buttons?
• Topic: Conflict Management
• What triggers YOU into conflict? And, more importantly, what can you do about it?

GGCI News from Last Quarter
• Topic: News of Note
• Some GottaGettaCoach! highlights from 2009q4.

Don't Squat with Yer Spurs On!
• Topic: Book Review
• "A Cowboy's Guide to Life," volumes I and II, by Texas Bix Bender.

Leadership Development. Simplified.
• Topic: Leadership Development
• So your boss wants you to work on your leadership skills...

The GGCI Newseltter Archives are located at : www.ggci.com/newsletter.
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Interested in how coaching might help you or your staff? Contact GottaGettaCoach! to schedule an exploratory phone conversation. Phone: 847-291-9735; Contact Form: www.ggci.com/MailingList/contact.htm.
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As always, questions, comments – and suggestions – are welcomed.

Enjoy~

- bz

The Path of Success

The Path of Success is like an escalator - as long as you're on it, you can't help but move in the right direction.

You know you're on the Path of Success, when you're truly proud of the decisions you make.

The Path of Success DOES have some bumps and pot holes in it, but they're just part of the journey so worry not about them.

Should you find yourself OFF the Path of Success, just ask, "What choice do I need to make in this moment?" Proceed accordingly.

For many, their Path of Success has a Soundtrack. What songs connect you to the Path of Success?

When you're on the Path of Success, the good things that happen are natural byproducts of being on the path.

Experiment: Get in a lousy mood; add your Success Soundtrack; notice what happens next!

Lousy moods just cannot sustain themselves when you're on the Path of Success. Keep that in mind the next time you feel blue.

Just sing your Sucess Soundtrac - good and loud - and before you know it, you'll be right back on the Path of Success! Try it and see.

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Content Source: www.twitter.com/ggci. ← that's me!
Image Source: http://media.techeblog.com/.

Tylenol for SOCIAL Pains?!

As reported at PsychCentral.com, "A provocative new research study investigates the possibility that over-the-counter pain relief drugs may be helpful for treatment of depression and anxiety."

Yes, University of Kentucky research psychologist C. Nathan DeWall has shown that acetaminophen isn't just for physical aches and pains -- it works with the pain of social rejection, as well.

According to the research report:

"…findings suggest that at least temporary mitigation of social pain-related distress may be achieved by means of an over-the-counter painkiller that is normally used for physical aches and pains….

"Furthermore, many studies have shown that being rejected can trigger aggressive and antisocial behavior, which could lead to further complications in social life…. If acetaminophen reduces the distress of rejection, the antisocial behavioral consequences of rejection may be reduced as well."

Keeping in mind that long-term use of acetaminophen has also been linked to serious liver damage, the implications of these initial findings are still quite fascinating.

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Image Source: http://www.wlcntv.com

Four Ways to Manage Conflict

In its January 5, 2010 newsletter, TheLadders - the world's largest community catering exclusively to the $100k+ job market - published one of my latest articles.

Titled, 4 Ways to Manage Conflict in the Office, it provides what I feel are some pretty good guidelines for resolving conflict when you’re the new guy (or gal) in the office.

You can read it, in full, via the link above or at: www.ggci.com/Articles/TheLadders-2010-01-05.htm.

Play Safely, Kids

So long 2009! Here's to a GREAT 2010!

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image source: http://www.sxc.hu

RockStarLeader Guest Post #4: String Cheese, Dave Grohl, and Rock Star Leadership

The fourth guest post I've done for the RockStarLeader blog starts with an interview Foo Fighter front-man, Dave Grohl, did for the 12/14/2009 issue of Time magazine, passes through the category of “You Don’t Know What You Know until You Know What You Know,” and ends with looking at what Rock Star Leaders know about leadership that most “lousy” leaders do not:

1. A Rock Star Leader knows the importance of GETTING “IN FRONT OF” MEETINGS – It’s no surprise that meetings are some of the absolute worst places to get things done! That’s why RSLs (Rock Star Leaders) work to have key conversations, with key players, in advance of ‘formal’ meetings on the topic. Doing so dramatically improves their views being properly heard, understood, and incorporated into the decision-making process. That’s how “influence” happens.
2. A Rock Star Leader knows the importance of KNOWING HOW TO MOP-UP QUICKLY – Obviously, delegation is an essential leadership skill. But even more important is knowing how to clean-up quickly, efficiently, and satisfactorily, should something you delegate go wrong. So whenever RSLs delegate, you can be sure that they spend at least a few moments considering ...

(...continued at http://rockstarleader.wordpress.com/2009/12/19/string-cheese-leadership/.)

Want to know more about how leaders excel at leadership? Visit http://www.leadershipmoves.com/.
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Image Source: buzzworthy.mtv.com,

What's Really Being Shredded?

So there's this company called LifeLock that offers identity and personal information protection for a flat monthly fee. You may even remember their television ad from a while back where they pasted its CEO's Social Security number on the screen? By the way, their web site now includes (I've circled it in red, above) an asterisk: "Never share your social security number unnecessarily." (Okay, so apparently, advertising IS necessary! (See yesterday's Accenture piece for more on that.)

But LifeLock now has an even more puzzling full-page newspaper ad that says:

Enroll Today and Receive a FREE Shredder!

Okay, someone explain this to me: Why would a company that guarantees you against identity theft be offering something that you wouldn't need after signing up as an enrollment incentive?!

Don't get me wrong, shredders are good things. But, in this context, isn't that like offering a free steak dinner to anyone who becomes a vegetarian?! Isn't that like offering you free cat litter for as long as you own your dog?! I guess you could give the shredder away to a loved one, but you'd think LifeLock would rather you give them a subscription to their service instead, no?!

Mixed messages, like these, are a pet peeve of mine -- like the TV ads that basically say, "If you're stupid like the people in this TV commercial, then our product is perfect for you!" Argh!

So, too, are mixed messages in the workplace -- especially in the leadership space:

• Like a boss who who gigs people for tardiness but takes long lunches and sneaks out early himself
• Like a boss who insists on work/life balance but expects a timely reply to her Sunday afternoon emails
• Like a boss who stresses professionalism, but says, "Do as I say, not as I do"
• Like a boss who encourages you to do better but won't say what's specifically needed to bring your performance up to the next level

The only thing that these things "shred" is your leadership reputation. So take a moment to consider what mixed messages might YOU be sending -- not just in your company's advertising campaign, but in your own leadership style, as well. Protect your Leadership Identity.

Accenture's 100% Exit Strategy

The juxtaposition of news and advertising has always interested me. Case in Point from today's Chicago Tribune, where columnist Phil Rosenthal wrote:

"There was a lot of head nodding at Accenture's announcement that Woods was "no longer the right representative for its advertising," even as it promised to "continue to leverage its 'High Performance Business' strategy and 'High Performance Delivered' positioning in the marketplace." As if Accenture had no choice.

"Maybe Woods is no longer the model of perfection that Accenture was selling in its ads, and one has to wonder how a firm that touts its expertise in risk management, strategy consulting and talent management could be caught off guard by what seems to be an established pattern of behavior.

"In dropping Woods, the message one might take away is that Accenture is the consultant for when things are going smoothly. Slip up, and you're on your own. Or when Accenture makes a mistake, it cuts and moves on."

Clearly Accenture found itself in a tough situation and acted quickly and decisively to address it. Still, depending on how Accenture's clients and prospects think through the implications of what Rosenthal is suggesting, there may be more news about Accenture than just its next advertising campaign.

Conflict Hot Buttons?

What "triggers" you into conflict?

What's your hottest HOT BUTTON?

Find out at http://www.ggci.com/leadership-development/hbt.htm.

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Image: http://tr.im/HHUP / CC BY 2.0

GGCI's Executive Coaching Flow

Recently created this diagram to help explain what I do when a company hires me as an executive coach for some leadership development work. Thought it'd make sense to post it for a wider GottaGettaCoach!, Inc. (GGCI) audience to see, as well, so here it is:

Feel free to call (847-291-9735) or email (info@ggci.com) to discuss.

ManagementSushi Guest Post #2: Time-Management, the TV-Marathon Way

Courtesy of ManagementSushi, UK-based marketeer, brand expert, and SME business strategist, Bernie Ritchie's blog, my latest guest-post is now live.

Titled, "2010 : Year of the TV Marathon Work Week Approach?!" it's a tongue-in-cheek strategy for managing your way-too-busy work-week, based on how television stations schedule those program marathons.

To start things off, Bernie's included some of her favorite (or 'favourite,' as she'd spell it) time-management resources, as well.

Here, then, is an excerpt of the post:

"Monday could be "Email Day" where all we did was respond to what was in our in-boxes. Now many of you get *zillions* of emails, no doubt, but I gotta believe that if you had an entire day to focus just on that, why you might even be able to come in a little bit late on Mondays. And wouldn't that be a nice way to start the week?!
"Having eased into the week like that, Tuesday would then be "Commitment Day." This would be when you'd be responsible for doing all the things you said you'd do in your emails, a week ago Monday. Just imagine: "Sorry, boss, I can't help you out right now, I'm too busy honoring the commitments I've already made to other people."

"Of course that would mean that Wednesday would have to be "Commitment Overflow Day" (COD for short). Why? Well for two reasons ..."

(... continued at http://managementsushi.com/.)

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Image Source: http://www.learnhebrewpod.com

Dissent and Other Keys to Success

Even in the worst of times, Bad Management causes dissension. In "Developing Managers for Team-Driven Success" (Baseline Magazine, November 2009) William Moskal identified several examples of bad management behavior:

• Micromanagement: "Decisions are imposed, not delegated."
• Communication gaps: "Goals, strategies, expectations and timelines are not shared. Feedback is withheld."
• Inconsistency: "Abrupt reversals, deadline changes and frequent new priorities." (Although in fairness to everyone, that's really become fairly typical in many (most?) organizations, hasn't it?!)
• Intimidation: "A disproportionate focus on discipline, not coaching, including public criticism and rudeness."
• Self-promotion: "Opportunities are not shared, and credit is hoarded."
• Lack of mentoring: "Managers are not groomed for advancement. Cross-training is not encouraged and access to upper management is restricted."

"The reassuring news," says Moskal, "is that managers who unwittingly build barriers can also remove them." (Yes, when it comes to professional development, sometimes you actually can teach old dogs new tricks!) His solution: "Senior executives should take a wide-angle look to identify opportunities to empower and motivate front-line managers, while avoiding corrective approaches that stigmatize and single out individuals."

Okay. Anyway, he also had an excellent approach to helping managers improve their engagement, strategic analysis skills, and conflict management capabilities:

Have each executive establish - and rotate - an "official dissent" role among his/her direct reports.

Per Moskal, "Sanctioned opposition can be a powerful tool for collaborative decision-making, analytic skill-building and improved outcomes." I agree. It 'permissions' the quiet ones to speak up. It encourages those who always play 'devil's advocate' to stretch beyond just that.

(Hmm, dissenting with the official dissenter is tantamount to agreeing with the original idea, is it not?! And agreeing with the dissenter is, well, agreeing! Watch out you devil's advocates out there, this official dissent thing could rock your world! )

Having an official dissent role in your organization might unlock some truly superb ideas. And in these worst of times, superb ideas are exactly what's needed, are they not?!

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Illustration by Frits Ahlefeldt-Laurvig.

Selected GGCI Tweets from November 2009

For the uninitiated, Twitter is like a "micro-blog" service where each individual "tweet" is limited to a maximum length of 140 characters.

While most of my "tweets" are parts of conversations with others, here are some from November 2009 that stand alone:

(You'll note that several tweets include a word, or phrase starting with a "hash-tag" or #. These are user-defined categories that people use when tweeting.)

1. #MorningThought: What makes a #Haiku / so much fun for me is that / syllables matter!
2. #Leadership: What loose ends need to be taken care of today?
3. #Distinction: Practicing meaningful Self-Care is NOT selfish. Indeed, it's much EASIER to help others once our own needs are met.
4. #CoachingAssmt: Ask several people you know to use three words to describe you. Like what you're hearing?! Recognize yourself?!
5. #CoachingQ: What's something you're UNwilling to change? How might your reluctance be making things *worse* than you realize?!
6. #CoachingQ: What decision have you been avoiding lately? What's stopping you from just deciding already?
7. A busy Monday makes this a good #quote: "Things that matter most must never be at the mercy of things that matter least." -Goethe
8. #CoachingQ: What is consistently available to you when you're at your best that isn't always when you're not?
9. #CoachingQ: If you got what you said you wanted & needed, what would that give you that you don't already have?
10. I've found that #Leadership Excellence is typically one-part title, three-parts foresight, and a dash-and-a-half of tenacity.
11. #CoachingQ: What options can you create for yourself in this situation?
12. #CoachingQ: What is working? What is not? What frees you up? What overly complicates things? What can you do about some of that?
13. #Leadership Tip: Ask people to repeat back your instructions - so you can compare what they 'heard' w/what you meant ... & adjust
14. #Paradox: "Striving for something better" versus "accepting what is"
15. #MorningThought: On this Thanksgiving Day, allow yourself to feel the gratitude that others have for YOU. You matter, too!
16. I came to Twitter / to see what it was about. / Found community! #Haiku #Thanksgiving
17. #MorningThought: Just because Thanksgiving is over doesn't mean we should stop giving thanks.
18. How "Great/full" was *your* Thanksgiving?!
19. A key to success in both #leadership and #life is this whole gratitude thing - but not just on some Thursday in November - 24x7.
20. What a lot of executives don't get about #leadership is that it's not just a title, it's a responsibility.
21. People often ask me what GGCI stands for - it's GottaGettaCoach!, Inc. http://www.ggci.com/.
22. The Responsibility of #leadership is about "making good things happen sooner" while helping people grow. BOTH are required.
23. It is irresponsible, in my view, to ignore the employee growth side of the #leadership equation, even temporarily.
24. The Responsibility of #leadership extends into all circumstances - not just the convenient ones.
25. Executives are not excused from their Responsibility of #leadership just because they're "too busy" or working on something else.
26. Executives who say they're "too busy" to honor the Responsibility of #leadership likely have poor delegation skills.

You can follow all my tweets on-line at http://www.twitter.com/ggci.

Remember THIS Job Interview Strategy?!

RockStarLeader Guest Post #3: Rock Music Rocks Stocks - and Rock Star Leaders

My newest guest post at the Rock Star Leader blog was published today.

Titled, "Rock Music Rocks Stocks," it's a riff on a USATODAY article about how America’s “mood swings” might not just determine music popularity at any particular point in time, but might also determine if the stock market is likely to be on the up- or down-swing!

“When people are in a collective good mood, for instance, they tend to listen to bubble-gum-pop music with a steady happy beat.” Think back to January 2000, when the market was waaaay up, boy bands, Ricky Martin, Christina Aguilera, and the Carlos Santana/Rob Thomas smash hit, Smooth, were tops.

“Conversely, when they’re in a funk, people gravitate to music with dark, complex tones and themes.” No wonder that Linkin Park’s Minutes to Midnight peaked as stocks began to tumble in 2007, AC/DC hit #1 on the Billboards charts in 2008 — even the Sex Pistols got back together during the 2007 Dow slide!

"So what’s the message, here, for Rock Star Leaders?" ...

(...continued at http://rockstarleader.wordpress.com/2009/11/17/rock-music-rocks-stocks/.)

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By the way, do YOU see a connection between music and leadership and are thinking that YOU'D like to blog about it?! If so, just send me an email and maybe you can be a guest-blogger for the Rock Star Leader blog, too.
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Image Source: hipsotry.com

RockStarLeader Guest Post #2: Rock Star Leadership in the Key of … “See”

My newest guest post at the Rock Star Leader blog was published today. Titled, Rock Star Leadership In the Key of … “See”, it looks at what music can really teach a leader about how to be a Rock Star Leader:

"So can music really teach a leader how to be a Rock Star Leader?!
"Well, let’s see what M-U-S-I-C has to offer:

• "M reminds us to always strive to Motivate Others. As a Rock Star Leader, it’s not just about helping others to raise their game when it’s convenient, or when you feel like it. It’s about ever-being the role model, the one others look up to, and the one who doesn’t just play the (Leadership) music, but someone who understands the (Leadership) music – and can explain it to others in increasingly powerfully engaging and relevant ways.

• “U” suggests we always Utilize our Resources. A Rock Star Leader knows who’s good at what, who likes doing what, and how to those very skillful (and willful) people to stop what they’re working on, and willingly do what the Rock Star Leader needs done.

(...continued at http://rockstarleader.wordpress.com/2009/11/13/key-of-see/.)

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Image Source: gcc.asu.edu

RockStarLeader Guest Post #1: Why Dogs Don't Enjoy Music

Creative marketeer, Tom Schulte, recently started http://rockstarleader.wordpress.com/ - "the intersection of music and influence" - and asked if I'd do some guest blogging for the site.

My first post was published today. It's called, Why Dogs Don't Enjoy Music. Bascially, it's a riff on how leaders might not be as strong at communicating with their staff as they may think ... and what can be done about it.

"Subtlety is often considered a more “refined” form of communication. The problem with subtle communications, though, is that they ask the listener — they require the listener — to be much more discerning when listening. And depending on circumstances, that could be asking a LOT from someone.

"Too much, perhaps.

"Indeed, expecting someone to give you their full and Undivided Attention could be far more than they’re ready for — or capable of — in this busy, distracted, juggling priorities, go-go, world of ours."

To read the entire piece, link on over to Why Dogs Don't Enjoy Music.

And while there, see what else is going on at http://rockstarleader.wordpress.com/.

Don't Squat with Yer Spurs On!

Selected words of wisdom from "A Cowboy's Guide to Life," volumes I and II, by Texas Bix Bender:

1. Never take to sawin' on the branch that's supportn' you, unless you're bein' hung from it.


2. A lot of good luck is undeserved, but then so is a lot of bad luck.


3. Go after life as if it's something that's got to be roped in a hurry before it gets away.


4. Don't let so much reality into your life that there's no room left for dreamin'.


5. Ain't never seen a wild critter feelin' sorry for itself.


6. Honesty is not something you should flirt with -- ou should be married to it.


7. Avoid flasharity, foofaraw, and fumadiddle in dress, speech, and conduct. leave the peacocking for the peacocks.


8. You can't weigh the facts if yo'uve got the scales loaded down with your opinions.


9. When you forgive and forget, forget that you forgave while you're at it.


10. The best way to knock a chip off a shoulder is with a friendly pat on the back.


11. Work lessat worrying and more at working.


12. Advice is like a pot of chili: You should try a little of it yourself before you give anybody else a taste.


13. If you ain't pullin' your weight, you're pushin' your luck.


14. Nothin' keeps you honest more than witnesses.


15. The purest metal comes out of the greatest heat.


16. You're not being diplomatic just because you put "please' in front of "shut the hell up."


17. Smetimes it takes a lot more thinkin' to deal with changes than to make 'em.


18. You'll feel better when it quits hurtin'.


19. The bigger the mouth, the better it looks shut.


20. You can't tell how far a frog can jump by its croak.


21. Always walk tall and keep your head up -- unless you're walkin' in a cow pasture.


22. The best way to break a bad habit is to drop it.

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Thanks to A.W.

ManagementSushi Guest Post #1: Management Sushi, Johnny Appleseed Style

Long-time marketeer, brand expert, and SME business strategist, Bernie Ritchie, over at http://www.managementsushi.com/, asked if I'd write an article for her blog. So I did!

The post, titled, Management Excellence, Johnny Appleseed Style, talks about a boss' responsibility to plant and cultivate motivational Growth Seeds.

"Growth Seeds are those special insights we share with others when we have their undivided attention. They are what inspire continued learning and growth. They are what enable greater creativity, motivation, and decisiveness. They are what help make good things happen for people that might not happen otherwise.

"So how does a manager effectively plant and nurture motivational Growth Seeds, if so inclined? The acronym "S-E-E-D-S" suggests a number of ways of doing exactly that."

To read more about motivational growth S-E-E-D-S, link on over to Management Excellence, Johnny Appleseed Style.
And while there, see what else Bernie's got going on at http://www.managementsushi.com/.