Ostriches Can't Fly

Technically, ostriches can’t fly because they are not graced with a working pair of wings.  But I love the metaphor, because few things will facilitate your professional demise more certainly than keeping your head buried in the proverbial sand.

As a professional leadership coach, I have had the experience of helping countless professionals navigate and recover from what can only be described as professional upheavals. These misfortunes are often described as complete “blindsides”, coming unexpectedly “out of left field”. And yet, upon reflection, most people look back on the period of time immediately prior to the misfortune and say things like, “I should have seen it coming” or I can see now that “this was going on for a while”.

The challenge for all of us is to stay present enough to focus on the changing political tides that are shifting all the time in our professional lives, without becoming too distracted, preoccupied, or downright paranoid in the process. When I speak to professionals about participating in office politics the reaction is always the same: utter disdain, closely followed by an indignant proclamation that “I don’t engage in all that”.  As if the suggestion of exercising their professional influence deliberately is something smarmy, akin to a selling of thier soul. Whether you work in large company, a small family business or even as an independent professional serving customers, your ability to read the proverbial “writing on the wall” may be the difference between work-related success and failure. 

So what exactly can you do to prevent yourself from falling victim to the lost customer, the missed promotion, the organizational restructure that leaves you with a lousy outcome?  The best answer: stay engaged and present.

For most of us, the first reaction when things get uncertain in our work life is to “hunker down”. We stay “under the radar”, trusting that our good work will speak for itself and that things will ultimately work out for the best. This approach is risky. Whether you are serving a customer, satisfying a new boss, or trying to change a reputation issue, actively influencing your outcomes is much wiser. Here's how:

Pay Attention

Observe the relationships of others. Who seems to be in the know? What leaders seem to be losing traction, involved in less announcements, less visible in decisions, presentations? This could give you a sense of where the organization is headed. If it’s a customer you are working with, who is the true decision maker?  Make sure you are getting in front of the right people.

Trust Your Gut

We are all blessed with an instinctive “brain” that lives in our belly. It allows us to sense when things may not be quite right. Allowing your gut instinct to ruminate into worry and fear will not do you any good. If you can, instead, practice staying tuned-in to those instincts and moving that “feeling” to the rational brain for further analysis, you can capitalize on the natural foreshadowing tool that it is.  

Stay Connected

Be visible. Make sure others are always aware of what you “do all day”. This doesn’t have to be an 8-hour commercial for your personal brand. But copying others on important emails (selectively), and mentioning your daily activities in casual conversation, will allow others to stay aware of your contributions. Ask to be involved in key meetings. Ask questions and demonstrate interest, informally and often.

Listen to Influencers

Within every organization there are those whose power and influence extends far beyond the hierarchal position or pay grade. Stay familiar with those folks. Pay attention to where they are focusing their energies. Don’t ever mistake the office gossip for an influencer. If you do, you will be doing nothing but wasting your time. And when the conversation turns to conspiracy theories, it’s time to get back to work.

Embrace Change

Stay open and be on the flexible side. Changes may not be favorable but if they are already set in stone, resisting them will only alienate you. If you have legitimate concerns, make your best attempt to share them constructively and then follow orders. Time has a way of exposing flawed decision- making. You don’t have to be the one to do that if there is a resistance to rethinking an established direction. 

Volunteer

Stay positive and involved. Look for ways to make yourself indispensable. This will keep you “in the know” when new directions materialize. Helpful people simply do better when it comes to forming strong professional connections.

Address Tension

When you feel that a bridge may be burning, approach the tension with an open mind and seek to understand the source of the friction. Remember perceptions are never “wrong”. They represent the other person’s “real and accurate” experience of a situation. Share information and educate, rather than becoming defensive. Stay away from blame; it will never change the past anyway. Always bring a future mindset and a goal of having things go more smoothly in the future.

There is no single strategy that will keep your career moving in a positive direction and no advice that will protect you from the suffering the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune from time to time. But at least for me, there is nothing worse than being caught unprepared. "Predict-ability" is the one skill that will give you an advantage no matter what your future holds. 

imagecredit:clivebates.com

The Young and the Restless

Last week, I had the privilege of assisting a colleague in an assignment at Cornell University.  The assignment was to provide mock interview training to Master’s degree students at the Johnson School of Business.  The M.B.A. program at Cornell remains one of the highest ranked M.B.A. programs in the world, so it is quite an honor to participate in preparing these young leaders for their professional futures. As I walked the campus, that felt like a country estate with all the beautiful architecture and hallowed halls, I felt lucky to be there.

I have been quite interested in the mindset and cultural differences that exist among different generations in the workforce.  It was fascinating for me to spend time in conversation with these Millennials as I asked them to describe their perspectives, their ambitions and their challenges in the format of mock job interviews. 

After conducting 35 interviews I noticed some interesting themes.

Entitled

I’ve read so much about the “entitlement mindset” of this generation. I have had my share of coaching conversations with leaders of the Baby Boomer generation who simply scratch their heads describing a generation of lazy, impatient and misguided young professionals.  I see this differently after my time at Cornell.  These young professionals are anything but lazy.  Their accomplishments and hunger for achievement is quite the opposite.  I think the difference is their motivation.  They are keenly interested in having an emotional connection to their work and their career.  They describe what interests them and what they want in response to questions about their career choices.  I found myself having to remind them to discuss the needs and wants of the interviewer selecting them for the job.  Although a bit upside down, I think their deep emotional connection to their strengths and aspirations will drive their commitment to the directions they choose.

Relationship-Driven

I was consistently reminded of their desire for relationship.  When I posed questions about the challenges of persuading others, or bringing cross-functional teams together, or dealing with difficult people they consistently described forming a personal relationship as their “go-to” plan “A” strategy.   Leaders of past generations would likely have described more strategic, political or competitive tactics in response to these questions.

Culturally Agile

The group I worked with was comprised of young professionals from many different cultural backgrounds and about a third of them had had some International experience in their educational employment/internship background.  It was interesting that for them, this was no big deal.  It often did not even occur to them to mention the global experience as a “plus” in advancing their brand story.  It’s exciting to imagine a world that is becoming smaller and smaller. So small, in fact, that our cultural differences often escape notice.

Altruistic

They have a deep commitment to participating in work that “matters”.  It is very clear that extracurricular service experiences they bring are more than resume builders.  And their desire to have a personal, value-based connection to their work and the companies they will likely join seemed a top priority for most. 

Impatient

Lastly, there is the impatience.  I would begin the interview by asking what they would like pursue and often the answer was “General Management” with a top technology or Consumer Product Goods company, or “Strategy Consulting” with one of the top four Global Management Consulting Firms.  I found it amusing (in an endearing way) because those goals are more than a few years out for these talented high potentials.  It was inspiring to see their confidence and belief in themselves.  Of course they will have a lot to learn, but I found them to be incredibly open and “coachable” and really respectful when confronted with the feedback I gave them.  I trust their self-awareness, confidence and optimism will carry them as they hit the inevitable set-backs and roadblocks we all encounter in our careers.

In the coming weeks, many of the most prestigious and well-regarded Consumer Product, Technology, Consulting and Financial Institutions in the world will descend on Cornell in the hopes of finding the next best and brightest leaders. I came away with a feeling the future is in good hands.

image credit: score.org

Re-inventing the To-do List

I am a big to-do lister.  I have always been disciplined about focusing my attention and I love the feeling of crossing things off. Sometimes, I confess, I even add items I have done to the list that weren’t there just so I can have the satisfaction of crossing them off.

The Problem with the To-do List...

The problem with the “to-do” list is that is typically focuses us on the mundane tasks of the day, leaving us little time to address other areas of our lives that may need our attention.  Although we may get an instant gratification from the accomplishments, it does little to nourish our desire for true momentum in our lives.  I realize that when I become more disciplined with my to-do listing, my life can become out of balance.  Although I may be getting a lot “done”, I am likely neglecting important things like my health or my relationships. For example, I am a runner and each time I have trained for a big race I have had a strict training plan.  My single-minded focus can deliver a great result, but also keeps me from attending to the important relationships in my life because all my free time goes to training. The pleasure of that accomplishment is then tainted by the realization of those neglected priorities.  Work can do that to us as well if we are not diligent about balance.

The New Angle…

I came up with a technique that addresses this balance issue for me. I recently shared this with a friend who was out of work. She found it particularly useful for maintaining her sanity while she went through that long and difficult time.  The thing about a job search is that although you need to stay focused and diligent in pursuing your network and potential opportunities, it’s just not a full-time job.  There is a lot of waiting.  Anyone who has been through that will tell you that you will spend a lot of your time without visible results.  Feeling productive is the only way you will maintain the stamina you will need to stay confident and motivated.  Loss of a professional identity is painful, and financial well-being is an important aspect of our lives.  However, spending too much mental energy on what you don’t have at the moment is a sure-fire way to drain your battery.  So I offer this strategy, particularly to my job-seeking friends. 

Here is the Strategy…

1. Each week begin with a blank piece of paper
2. Draw a cross on the page +, creating four quadrants
3. At the top of each quadrant, name an aspect of your life. For me it's usually; Work/Professional, Relationships, Spiritual/Self-Development, Health/Wellness.
4. Then, identify a few key tasks for the week in each area. Maybe it's reading a chapter of a book, connecting with a friend you haven't seen, getting to the gym 2-3 times, as well as the day's "must-dos".

The categories can change each week.  Sometimes there is Financial heading, for example, last week I needed to put together my taxes.  Sometimes, I have an Organize heading if my environment feels chaotic.  I find this exercise of listing of a broader range of priorities in one place, on one page allows my focus to be divided appropriately.  I am not overly ambitious, just a few things in each category, but I find it really helps me maintain balance.  This gives me the sense of “whole life” accomplishment that I need to feel healthy and productive.

I will leave you with some words from poet and philosopher David Whyte who says… Start with a new to-do list each day, the one you wrote yesterday was written by the person you were yesterday. Start fresh with a beautiful blank piece of paper!

image credit: collegemonster.com

The Salt and Pepper Years

I was thinking about how our professional perspective changes as we mature. Like most of my friends and colleagues, I am definitely in the second half of my life (and without tossing around clichés about 50 being the new 40) it will suffice to say that I have more professional years behind me than in front of me.

I was talking with an acquaintance today about a difficult business decision pertaining to an investment.  This gentleman is highly-experienced and finds himself trying to rebuild what can best be described as a "start-up". As we talked, he seemed desperate to recapture some previous success that he had once achieved.  He was so credible in his delivery and distinguished with his graying temples, as I listened intently to his examples and his stories.  He discussed his new plans and made various commitments about his willingness to “dig in and put in those 18 hour days”, determined to build something substantial again. I think that hard work is commendable, although these plans seemed a “mismatch”  for someone with his experience and impressive resume.  I asked him some questions about how he might leverage his experience in a broader and more financially beneficial way.  His circumstances certainly invite him to look at things from a new angle. This conversation had me reflecting on my own perspective and how it has evolved.  The more I thought about it, the more that I realized that I see similar shifts in others who are also at my stage of life.

Here’s  are some profound perspectives from my most senior and most accomplished counterparts: 

• They let go of the romantic notion of re-creating something they have previously achieved. They appreciate that they are different than they once were and that their personal evolution could introduce a new definition of success, never before explored.

• They look for opportunities to monetize their life experience and their developed skills in new and sometimes unconventional ways.

• They know that capitalizing on opportunities sometimes requires; that they approach things in a new way, come at challenges from a new direction, or develop a new model.   They look for new methods and resist the instinct to simply dig in and work harder and longer when the going gets tough.

• They allow the wisdom of their experience to guide their decision-making. They trust their gut and understand the key influences that have brought them success and failure in the past.

Time is a wonderful teacher leaving us with agility, resilience, wisdom and patience.  I am appreciating the wisdom these days!

In Praise of a Measured Response

I have been observing leaders in all walks of life, a favorite pastime of mine.  Although I am the least likely person to engage in a political debate, I, like the rest of the United States, have been watching the horse race leading up to our candidate selection for the next Presidential election.

When I have a strong reaction to something or someone, I usually try to understand where my reaction is coming from.  This helps me to better understand what I value and appreciate in others.  What I “hold dear” if you will.  I find that I value emotional control and a measured response above many other qualities when it comes to having respect for and giving a leader credibility. I am very happy to listen to opinions that are different than my own if they are thoughtful, strategic and based on data.  I can even be inspired by an impassioned plea even if I don’t share the passion.  It’s the emotional responses that are usually rash and acrimonious that send me diving for the remote control.  Anything that incites back-pedaling or takes days to qualify and repair is an error in judgment as far as I am concerned. 

Webster's dictionary defines a measured response as "done with both thought and care". I am not alone in the value I place on emotional control. Countless studies following Daniel Goleman's original work on Emotional Intelligence suggest that this matters a lot to most people.  Goleman describes a state when the emotion of a situation overrides your reasoning as an “amygdala hijacking”.  This emotional hijacking has three key signs: strong emotional reaction, sudden onset, and “when you reflect later, you realize it was inappropriate.”  Sounds a lot like the program guide for most televised political debates!

Here’s why emotional control matters:

Decision-Making

Emotional control allows reasoning skills to prevail supporting constructive decisions leading to better long-term outcomes.

Trust

The ability to empathize with others and to display a tolerance for alternative points of view contributes to trust. Trust is essential to building open relationships that effectively inspire the support and contributions of others.  Emotional volatility is like kryptonite to trust.

Predictability

We look to our leaders to have consistent, predictable responses.  We want to know and understand who they are so that we can offer our endorsement, our advocacy.  This can only be offered when we feel an alignment with their perspective and values.

If this is a challenge for you personally, develop strategies that allow you to keep your emotional reactions to yourself.  Successful people know how to process their emotions efficiently before they respond.  This takes some practice.  If your emotions tend to get the best of you, develop an "emotionally sensitive" vocabulary. Having responses that allow you to respond while at the same time granting you the opportunity for a moment of reflection are valuable for anyone.  For example, saying “I’m not sure I agree with that” is much better than blurting out “you are out of your mind”. After a little reflection, you will be better-equipped  to offer a strong and compelling response.  If you work at this diligently, you will shorten the reflection time and soon your emotional self-control will be available to you “real-time”.

Leadership is tough business whether you are negotiating with foreign nationals in the White House, holding down the fort in your office, or delivering bad news to your team. It’s all the same.  Emotional stress is emotional stress, and being capable of processing  that emotional stress by managing our gut reactions is critical to our success and our credibility. Maybe we are lucky that our employees don’t have to vote for us in order for us to stay around! 

image credit: neuronetlearning.com

The Power of Happy

When it comes to work and happiness most of us of the "Baby Boomer" persuasion would regard happiness as purely a bonus- something of a lucky accident that might occur on our way to the attainment of other more "legit" goals. As "Type A" folks who sacrifice much of our personal lives and wear fatigue like a badge of honor, in pursuit of achievement, advancement and the visible trappings of success, we might regard happiness as some sort of consolation prize for those who didn't quite make the cut. Maybe we are getting a little soft or just tired! But one thing is for sure, the conversation about the importance of happiness is changing.

Over the last 10-15 years new generations of leaders have brought new perspectives about what success means and even the patrician leaders who are moving into the twilight of their careers are beginning to see the light.  The light being that happiness and meaning in our work lives is a noble goal and in fact important - not only important to high-functioning company cultures, but also to the bottom line.

According to a recent article on inc.com, "Companies in all sectors have been increasingly  investing in the happiness of employees, with firms like Etsy going so far as to create a Gross Happiness Index, and Google gathering metrics to optimize the length of its free lunch lines (too long, and people are annoyed; too short, they don't get to chit-chat)."

In an article for Harvard Business Review, Shawn Achor suggests that research shows that when people work with a positive mindset, performance on nearly every level, productivity, creativity and engagement ~ improves. Yet happiness is perhaps the most misunderstood driver of performance.  Most people believe that success precedes and drives happiness when actually the opposite is true. His research in 48 countries suggests that every business outcome shows improvement when the brain is positive.

In a sweeping meta analysis of 225 academic studies, Sonya Lybomirsky, Laura King and Ed Diener found that happy employees have, on average 31% higher productivity; their sales are 37% higher; their creativity is three times higher.

Although our natural inclination toward positivity is important, we can all manage our personal sense of well-being if we incorporate positive habits into our day:

• Practice gratitude, reflect on the blessings in your life to maintain a balanced perspective.
• Exercise everyday.  If the idea of working out seems unattainable, even maintaining an active lifestyle can make a difference.
• Involve others in your life, practice reaching out and sharing your difficulties and offer your support in return.
• Look for humor and don't take yourself too seriously.
• Manage your stress with meditation and manage you goals with purpose.

Making personal happiness a priority is a win-win for everyone.  Perhaps it is time we acknowledge that happiness is the prize and not the surprise!

All for One

I was working with a team over the course of the last year to enhance their working dynamic.  Just before our last session I met with the team’s functional boss who remarked that things had improved quite a bit.  His parting comment to me was that he’d like his team to work together as well in rough waters as it does in smooth waters.

Isn’t that the ticket?  We all want that!  The only way we can build a team that weathers the stormy waters is to have a team that knows how to relate when the winds are softer.  If a team can’t master it then, they  won’t stand a chance in the tough times. However, when we build healthy and respectful habits into our team relationships we have a foundation to protect us when things get rough.

When you take a good close look at teams that survive and thrive it really comes down to 5 relationship habits:

• They focus on current circumstances, and they know each other. They adjust their expectations of one another and they worry less about what should be, and more about what is.

• They are each committed to the team’s goals, they know what needs to be done and they are willing to dive for the ball even if another member ought to be doing more.

• They each assume everyone else has the same commitment, even if it doesn’t seem like it sometimes.

• They each ask for what they need.  Healthy teams keep talking about what is wrong, but they do it in a way that encourages improvement.

• They give each other feedback and they cushion it  with kindness. “I know you don’t mean to do this”.... 'I don’t mean to call you out here...".  "I know it has gotten a lot better lately, however…"

the "Team Player" 

I’m skeptical when someone describes themselves as a "team player", especially when they continue to describe all the wonderful qualities that make them a value to a team.  The reason this challenges me is because so much of our team effectiveness requires that we leave our ego at the door. Our participation on a team can’t be a competitive exercise.  It’s more about trust, grace and patience; elevating others, bringing  weak members along and opening our minds to the inspiration of alternate perspectives.  

As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said: "No member of a crew is praised for the rugged individuality of his rowing".

We all belong to teams. It is the construct of our lives; families, work crews or departments, neighborhoods. It is so much more rewarding  to acknowledge that state of  belonging and to enjoy the relationship and energy that can bring us, than to stay in our own agenda and go it alone. 

imagecredit: corepics.com