Leaders Listen!

Friends, 

Recently, I had the opportunity to work with a group of leaders negotiating a series of physical obstacles.  After each one, we conducted a quick “After Action Review” and then rotated leadership roles so that all participants had a chance to be the leader.

In one of the groups, the designated leader said, “Okay team, here is what I think,” and then proceeded to explain his proposed solution.  Afterwards, he asked, “What do you all think?”  The response:  Insert cricket noise!  Not a single word and certainly not anything to counter the “leader’s” suggested way ahead.

After rotating roles, a subsequent team lead began with, “Okay team, what do you think?”  That’s right, before she said anything about her thoughts, she asked for input from the rest of her team.  The result:  All sorts of great ideas, one of which ended up being the way they ultimately decided to go.

How and when we ask others for input matters greatly.  Those who go first with their own ideas must know that proposal, 99 times out of 100, will be the way.  THE way.  Asking others what they think, without “poisoning the well” with our own solutions, truly makes a difference.  Listen, understand, probe with questions, debate.  Then…maybe…give your ideas!

That’s how you get over most obstacles – physical or otherwise.  Try talking less and listening more to be a great communicator…and leader!  That...is Leader Business!

Spider-Senses

I grew up watching the cartoons and reading the comic book exploits of the "Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man." I guess I would say he was hands down my favorite superhero. And when he came out on the big screen I was, like so many others, reminded of my fascination of this complex character. Now don't get me wrong, I'm no comic geek! But I do appreciate the powers of the Webslinger! And hey...who wouldn't want to climb walls, shoot out webs and swing from building to building, and have the relative strength of a spider?

Without question, the Spider-man power that I have most appreciated is his "Spider-sense." Not only do I appreciate it, I think I too have this power. Not as much as I'd like but...I have it. And I bet you do, too.

Wikipedia defines Spider-Man's "Spider-sense" as a "tingling feeling at the base of his skull, alerting him to personal danger in proportion to the severity of that danger." It is the sensation that something bad is about to happen. It is his unique ability to sense peril ahead, sort of his early warning system that he needs to take action to avoid trouble...or meet it at a position of advantage.

Leaders must have "Spider-sense." It is what tells us that danger is ahead. It tells us that something is unsafe, that a failure is imminent, or that an employee is in trouble. Shaped by experience, it is the safety net that can prevent personal or professional calamity.

But we have to listen to it. When our "spider-senses" are tingling, we have to pull back and assess the situation. That intuitive feeling that something just isn't right demands a response. Like Spider-Man, leaders have to take the necessary action to avoid trouble...or position themselves or other key leaders at points of friction or locations where they can seize an advantage, prevent catastrophe, or stop an unsafe act.

In combat scenarios, I have always relied on my "Spider-senses" to determine where I should position myself on the battlefield. I have listened to my intuition to help eliminate alternatives that I know won't work, are too demanding on our resources, or are unsafe. My senses have tingled when an employee said something that I knew suggested they were having issues and I needed to talk it out. And the base of my skull has been the source of more than a few sensations about people who I knew weren't up to the task, tasks that were not aligned with our purpose, and missions that had no hope for success.

Now I will also admit to my share of shortcomings...where I have failed to listen to my "Spider-sense." The scars still remain from a recent occasion where I signed a document without reading it, causing a major firestorm in the media and with some important stakeholders. My intuition said the document wasn't worded right and that my signature could have major ramifications. Yep...I felt the tingling...but I did not listen. And that one hurt.

Our "Spider-senses" are there to help save our reputations, our businesses, and sometimes even our lives. It is not something that should cause paralysis from the fear of the unknown but rather is a professional advantage to those who leverage it to out-think competitors and outmaneuver danger. Leaders have to be sensitive to that tingle and know that it is the suggestion that something is not quite right. It is a leadership "super power!"

So what about you? When your "Spider-senses" are tingling, do you listen? Do you step back, assess the situation, call on a trusted agent for another opinion, or sleep on that email before sending it? Do you pay attention to that inner voice that warns you about safety issues, client concerns, or market trends? If you are not good at this, practice. Listen to your inner thoughts. Follow up on your intuitions and understand what is causing the tingle.

If your "Spider-senses" are strong, you share a power held by my favorite Superhero. And when you follow up on that tingling, like Spidey, you will stay one step ahead of danger and one move ahead of your enemies. It's a leadership super power that can take us to the highest of heights. But take the elevator. Leave the wall-climbing to the Webslinger! That's Leader Business!

Town Hall Lessons Learned

This summer has provided all sorts of insights into the value of town halls. I have watched with interest to see how various members of Congress have handled themselves during these interactive discussions. I have even been to one on health care back in my hometown. No, I didn’t make any bold statements or create any ruckus (if I did it would not have been about health care but rather about my favorite topic -- the need for our leaders to learn some leadership fundamentals!).

As most of you know, politicians did not invent this forum. Like many of you, I have held a number of town halls, all-hands, and company meetings myself. In general, I find them to be great ways to enable the participation of others in the decision making process. I love the opportunity to give members of the team the chance to raise their issues – unfiltered – and provide their leaders with the sort of raw data that only the troops can provide. I also think it is valuable for team members to hear directly from their leaders and for those leaders to share -- unfiltered -- important information on key issues of the day.

My experiences in these town halls have been varied. Some have gone well while some have produced feedback that barely registered over the sound of the crickets in the room. Some have been live and in person while others have been virtual. At some I have done most of the talking while at others I have done very little. Here is a summary of some of my own lessons learned:

-- Timing is everything. If the purpose is to solicit input, don’t already have your mind made up. Let people know you are there to listen and that their opinions will help shape the final decision. And mean it!
-- Have some leading questions ready. Don’t ask, “What do you want to talk about?” Instead ask, “What do you think about….?” Be specific.
-- Get the word out early on what you want to discuss. Instead of “Town Hall at 10:00 in the break room” use “Town Hall at 10:00 in the break room to discuss new products and proposed office realignment.”
-- Start and end on time. Time is money!

-- Be comfortable holding these sessions virtually. As more of us work collaboratively, we need to be able to link the entire team together, even if geographically separated.
-- Alert your labor unions, if you have them. Many collective bargaining agreements require notification before meeting with union members.
-- Be prepared to immediately follow up. You will get all sorts of questions and opinions. Have a trusted agent write down issues and make sure you follow up. If your answers apply to the entire group, share them widely. Nothing will damage credibility like your failure to follow up and follow through.
-- Seek out two distinct voices in the audience – the strong (whose opinion will be heard) and the weak (whose opinion will not otherwise be heard). Do not let one group dominate the discussion.
-- Don’t try to accomplish too much in these forums. Pick one or two key topics. If you find your agenda is full, seek out other means to communicate your message and receive feedback.
-- Have more frequent town halls and continuously and consistently solicit input from your team. People will arrive frustrated if these sessions are their only opportunity to be heard.

These are just a few thoughts. I do think that forums like these are important participatory events for leaders at every level, in any organization. I think that when done regularly, people will become more comfortable in speaking out and more confident that they are truly being heard.

Like anything else the proof, as they say, is in the pudding. What really matters is that leaders act on what they hear. Town Halls cannot be “check the block” sessions after which leaders go ahead and do whatever they want. In other words, if you are sincere about listening, then be prepared to demonstrate that you have heard what people tell you. If not, these events are nothing more than a show. And that, my friends, is not healthy for anyone!

That’s Leader Business.

Photo shown is a town hall for Microsoft, courtesy of www.mahugh.com.

The Seagull in the Mirror

A new friend of mine sent me "Squawk" by Travis Bradberry. My friend felt that it had hit her between the eyes and might have a similar impact with me.

Subtitled "How to stop making noise and start getting results," "Squawk" is a leadership fable about "how one seagull manager learned the three virtues of great leadership." Seagull managers swoop in, squawk loudly, dump orders with formulaic advice, and blow back out, leaving a mess in their wake.

The fable focused on three key elements to overcome seagull management:

Whereas the seagull manager creates the need to swoop in and set his team straight, the superior manager gets everyone headed in the right direction from the very beginning by ensuring that expectations are full-fledged. Whereas the rare visit from the seagull manager results in a lot of squawking, the superior manager maintains a steady flow of clear communication. And whereas the seagull manager manages his team's performance by dumping on everybody, the superior manager focuses on performance -- ensuring that positive and negative feedback are delivered in small, digestible doses.

The issue is not whether or not we are seagull managers. Rather we need to be able to recognize when we are acting like one...and what to do about it. Lord knows there are plenty of "squawking" seagulls in the military. I should know -- too often I have a tendency to blow in and start squawking and appreciated the chance to look into the mirror and see the seagull in me!

Check out the book. My friend was right -- not only did I enjoy the book but...I clearly needed to read it (thanks Angela!). If you have some seagull in you, pick it up. Overcoming seagull management is...Leader Business.

Battlefield Circulation (Part III)

Battlefield circulation is regular movement within the leader’s area of operations designed to improve communication and enhance the situational awareness of the leader and those he or she leads. It is a combination of random visits and a well-planned, disciplined travel and meeting schedule that positions the leader, in the right place and at the right time, to influence the battle. Battlefield circulation is Leader Business.

This is the third in a series about battlefield circulation. Part I introduced the concept, Part II showed what it looked like and what could be gained – both by the leader and by the rest of the team. (BTW -- the man in the picture above is General Lynch, who I described in Part II as the best "battlefield circulator" I have known.) Part III will highlight some key techniques and considerations for making battlefield circulation part of our daily routines.

-- Get personal. Find out what makes people tick. Ask about their families and outside interests. Ask about their goals and dreams. Know what problems your teammates face and try to help overcome them. Connect with people and let them know that you care.

-- Visit teammates on their “turf.” Assess performance, productivity, and working conditions first-hand. Look for emerging leaders. Conduct performance counseling and give feedback. Determine for yourself if projects are being completed on schedule and within budget. See if team members have the tools to do what is asked of them. Rather than asking people to come to your office to make a presentation, tell them you will come to their area instead. Go sit in a few classrooms. Spend some time in the kitchen or behind the register. Go out on the road with the sales staff. Move out of your comfort zone and into theirs.

-- Conduct a “Vision check-up.” Ensure everyone on the team understands your “big picture.” Assess whether goals, objectives, and individual tasks are aligned with what you are trying to do. See if people “get” what you are trying to do – and if they do so with the same passion that you have when you share it.

-- Meet with key customers. As a school principal these may be 10-20 students representing the demographics of the student body. As a church leader consider your members as customers - get out and meet them, again on their turf. In business these may be board members or major shareholders. Take some time, if you have not already, to put together a list of current and prospective customers and include them in your circulation pattern. Are you satisfying them? Are they thrilled with your product and your performance?

-- Spend some time with the lowest private, the new team member, and the rank-and-file workers. How is their morale? Do they have what they need to do their jobs? Ask the line workers for feedback on your “great ideas.” Few will hesitate to tell you exactly what they think. Gauge for yourself how communication flows in your organization. Ask the new employees what they know about where you are headed organizationally.

-- Take someone with you. While there are often good reasons to meet with people one-on-one, balance this by including others with you while you visit with the team. You are not the only one who needs enhanced situational awareness. In the military, there is no substitute for taking the supply officer down to the front lines to hear directly from the troops what they think about the “chow” or the flow of ammunition to help them understand the importance of their staff function. Who can you take with you to the field on your next visit? Whose professional development can you enhance by getting exposure to your leadership and seeing what you see when you circulate the battlefield?

-- Don’t do all the talking. Ask questions but listen intently to the answers. Write down what you learn and share it with the rest of your team. Your situational awareness is best enhanced by letting your customers, stakeholders, subordinate leaders, and employees talk about their needs and their accomplishments.

-- Stay balanced. Don’t take battlefield circulation to the extreme. If you are always on the road and never sleeping in your own bed - watch out. Maintain balance between your time in your office and out walking around. Keep a pulse on your physical, mental, spiritual, and family health. Many are the potholes that threaten the “road warrior” doing well-intended travel across the battlefield. Be where you need to be, when you need to be there, to influence key events and key leaders and to enhance your own situational awareness - but keep it in balance.

-- Always have a few briefings “in the can” and ready to go. Be ready to meet with a new client or customer while on the road. Have your vision, quarterly and annual performance reports, and future plans stored in your laptop and ready to go for use during employee town hall meetings or discussions with key leaders.

-- Catch people in the act of doing something good. So much of leadership is about who we can influence, who we can motivate, who we can touch in a positive way. Keep some small tokens or on-the-spot awards in your briefcase or “ammo pouch.” Spend time saying “thank you,” “well done,” or “you’re doing a terrific job.” One small “attaboy” from the boss down on the line, on the shop floor, in the classroom, or in the heat of battle, will not only influence the morale of your “troops,” it may determine the outcome of the battle.

Battlefield circulation is a disciplined activity. It is too easy to get sucked into the office and never leave. Leaders must be disciplined to prioritize where they need to be and to know when they need to be there. We must be conscious of how much time we are spending behind our computer versus quality time out with the troops. Note that in the business world it is commonly called management by “walking around,” not “wandering around!” Some of it is random. Most of it is deliberate movement based on a sense of where presence is required, where communication can be enhanced, and where direct influence is needed.

There is no substitute for being seen. Leadership is about influencing people, inspiring them to levels of greatness that they never thought possible. It’s about being genuinely interested in people and investing the time and energy in enabling their success. This sort of thing does not happen by email. Nope – we’ve got to be there. Let's all make a point to get out of our cubicles and get out with the troops. That’s Leader Business!

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Battlefield Circulation (Part II)

Battlefield circulation is the regular movement within the leader’s area of operations designed to enhance situational awareness -- both of the leader and those he or she leads (see Battlefield Circulation Part I for an introduction to this topic). It is not random visits (although these have a place in maintaining contact and regular, open communications within the team) but rather a well-planned, disciplined travel and meeting schedule that positions the leader, in the right place and at the right time, to influence the battle. Battlefield circulation is Leader Business.

General Rick Lynch was the best I’ve seen at battlefield circulation. He entered his headquarters early in the morning for an update on the current operations and the events of the evening. Each subordinate staff representative briefed him until he had a complete understanding of the friendly and enemy situation. He then spent an hour or so with his planning staff, discussing future operations, at his level about 48-72 hours in the future. He gave them guidance on how he wanted to fight the next battle and how he envisioned the battle after that, outlining very clearly his vision, his intent, and specific tasks that he expected to be completed prior to his return.

With that complete, he was free to circulate. He moved from subordinate unit to subordinate unit, talking to leaders one and two levels below his and spot-checking with the privates and sergeants down where the rubber met the road. “How is your family? What’s on your mind? How was the current battle going? Do you have all the troops and equipment you need to be successful? What do you think about the plans for the next battle? Do you understand the big picture and how your unit’s success contributes to the overall organization vision? Have you heard about the successes and failures in the unit on your flank? How can you apply their lessons learned? What additional guidance do you need from me while I am here? Do you have any heroes I can personally recognize for their contribution while I am here?”

When he was done and before he moved to another unit he would call back to his headquarters. “Any updates? Here is what I learned from this unit - please share this information with the rest of the team. This is the feedback I got from their leadership about future operations and how I think we should modify our plans to include their recommendations. Do you have anything for me? OK - got it.”

Wow! Look at what is gained from just this brief period of interaction with the team:

· Teammates who know that their leader cares for them and is working to maintain open communication channels.
· Immediate decisions, made closest to those who will have to implement them.
· A full understanding of personnel, equipment, and other resource issues.
· A true learning organization.
· A shared vision.
· An empowered staff, armed with enough guidance to accomplish their tasks and with enough situational awareness to make their products relevant.

Does this sound like something you need in your “outfit?” Is it time to get out of your office and start circulating the battlefield? What is stopping you? Take action – today!

Battlefield circulation is…Leader Business!

Battlefield Circulation (Part I)

The leader goes where he can best influence the battle, where his moral and physical presence can be felt, and where his will to achieve victory can best be expressed, understood, and acted upon.
Army Field Manual 100-5

Routinely while serving as a trainer at the Army's National Training Center (NTC), otherwise very capable combat leaders would express to me their challenges with maintaining good situational awareness about what was happening on the battlefield. They would be especially frustrated that subordinate leaders were not communicating to them what they needed, when they needed it and that critical issues were elevated to their level when it was too late to influence the outcome. These leaders consistently felt like they were not connected with their troops and knew they were not effectively leading their unit.

Their problem, shared by so many leaders, was that they were tied to their command post. They allowed themselves to be bound to their desk and tried to lead through email and secondhand information, instead of directly influencing leaders and their actions. They lacked an understanding of their area of operations and the challenges that their soldiers were having -- information that should have been gained first-hand through direct observation and face-to-face dialogue.

What they lacked, in military terms, was an understanding of the importance of “battlefield circulation.” In business circles it is often referred to as “managing by wandering around.” I have found that it is that essential leadership activity of getting out from behind the desk and getting out in the field that so often is the difference between effective and ineffective leaders.

Routinely, I saw leaders at the NTC struggling with issues such as why their plans were not completed as intended, why their troops could not embrace and execute their vision, and why it was so difficult to communicate critical information in a timely manner. And yet these were the leaders who were unable to separate themselves from the comfort of their headquarters. In business or in combat, regular “battlefield circulation” is guaranteed to enhance productivity and increase every leader’s probability of success.

Very few combat leaders are successful without regularly moving to a vantage point with a clear view of the battlefield, close enough to gauge first-hand the sights and sounds of warfare, talking to subordinate leaders and their soldiers, looking them in the eye, finding out, for one’s self, answers to questions such as: Are they afraid? Do they have what they need to be successful? Do they understand the plan? Do they understand their opponent? Have they accounted for risks? These are personal observations that cannot be gained from a PowerPoint presentation, in a conference call, or in an email.

Battlefield circulation is regular movement within the leader’s area of operations designed to enhance the situational awareness of the leader and those he or she leads. It stems from a desire to be with the troops, to be near the action, to be in the fight. Battlefield circulation, when done correctly, is not just random movement but a series of well-planned, disciplined movement and meeting schedules that position the leader, in the right place and at the right time, to influence the battle.

In business, battlefield circulation means going down to the shop floor, talking to the maintenance and production crews. It demands that leaders get out in the field with the sales staff; spend some time with the men and women in Research & Development (R&D); see what the marketing folks are up to; meet teammates on their turf; talk to customers. It means getting off our butts and getting out there with the troops!

Is this a common practice? Unfortunately it is increasingly less so. Too many leaders never leave their office or cubicle. We do too much email and too little direct communication. We let things come to us instead of intuitively knowing where the action is...and being there to help. We become slaves to our schedules instead of purposefully scheduling movements that will increase our interactions with others and enhance our situational awareness and increase our effectiveness.

Let's start to turn this around. Let's get out and start circulating the battlefield. This is Leader Business.

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For more on this discussion read Part II here (see what it looks like and what can be gained from battlefield circulation) and Part III here (some techniques and key considerations).

***If you want to learn more about the business of leaders or want to be a regular reader of Leader Business, please go to the section marked "Receive Leader Business Updates in your Mailbox" in the upper right corner of this site!

Brown Bag Leadership

One of the methods that I am using to enhance communication with my teammates is to hold a monthly "brown bag lunch (BBL)." I have found them to be great ways to listen, to generate new ideas, and to spend time just "breaking bread together."

BBLs can be a powerful component of your communication portfolio. I use them along with emails to the workforce, my company intranet and work blog, video messages, townhall discussions, and other meetings to help inform people of new initiatives, identify problems and solutions, and to stay connected.

I am still working on how to make BBLs more productive. I know that the more we have them, the better they will become. Until then, here are 10 key lessons learned on "Brown Bag Leadership:"

1. Invite different groups. I have used BBLs to pull different groupings of people together to see what is on their mind. Recently I heard from interns, students, African-Americans (during Black History Month), Admin Assistants (during Admin Professionals Week), and engineers (during Engineer Week). Each of them have something different on their mind. And the group dynamics often present issues in unique ways that I might not otherwise discover.

2. Give people sufficient advance notice. If you want people to show up, give them a little head's up. Send out the notice, post flyers on the company bulletin board, etc. This allows people to prepare some issues for discussion as well as insuring that they will clear their own calendars and show up.

3. Have an agenda. Give advance notice of what you might be able to discuss. Identify some hot topics to generate some thought before the lunch and add them to the invitation. The alternative approach is uncomfortable and unproductive for all: "So...what do you want to talk about?" Crickets....

4. Listen. Don't dominate the conversation. This is enabled by points #2 and 3 above. If you give people advance notice and provide some things to think about, people will generally come loaded to bear. You sit down and they will start firing away. Ask leading questions. Don't turn these sessions into a lecture series. Yes, they may want to hear from you. But more importantly...you need to hear from them.

5. Take notes and follow-up. Ensure that you come prepared to take action on the things you hear. Write down the issues and concerns from the team. Demonstrate your willingness to look into things that are important to your teammates. Send a note to your leaders (cc or bcc those who attended the lunch) and let them know what you have heard -- and how you want to assign the taskers. This truly gives a feeling of empowerment to those who might not otherwise feel like they have a voice.

6. Encourage everyone to speak. Get everyone involved. Many will come just to listen. Draw them into the conversation and see what is happening in their piece of the company. Letting even the lowest ranking in the group know that their input is valued will resonate throughout the workforce.

7. Bring problems and see how different groups might solve them. BBLs are a great forum to generate potential solutions to some ongoing challenges. Let people know what issues you are dealing with and see what they think. Roll out new initiatives and get some feedback.

8. Don't solve problems that should be addressed by the chain of command. Some people will come to gripe about their boss. Others will want their personal problems solved. To the extent possible, try to deflect these back to the level at which they should be addressed -- with their supervisor. These forums are for discussing issues which interest the entire group, not just one person.

9. Share your vision. Don't miss an opportunity to weave in key messages and strategic directions. Put your answers in the context of the big picture. Talk about your telework policy in the context of how you are encouraging empowerment. Discuss equipment purchases while ensuring people see how it will increase productivity. Answer questions about benefits in the context of the company bottom line. Make sure people leave lunch with a good understanding of where you are going.

10. Eat and fellowship. Many people come to the BBL just to see the boss in a different setting. Seeing a supervisor with a little dab of mustard on their chin sure has a way of breaking down barriers to communication! Have fun. Be human. Enjoy the company of your team and the opportunity to enhance your leadership (and theirs) during this casual setting. The benefits can be tremendous.

Bon appetit everyone! That's Leader Business.

Leaders Listen

I'm working real hard on my listening skills. Mind you, this is not one of my strengths. I'm much better at talking, giving speeches, issuing orders and instructions than I am at being on the receiving end. I will admit it, I don't listen well. My wife will be the first to acknowledge this claim!

But right now, I am still the new guy in my job and I have a lot to learn. So I am working on as many forums that might expose me to the input of others. Here are some of the things I am doing:

- Townhall sessions across the organization with the opportunity for people to ask questions and give me feedback.

- Brown bag lunches with different groups of people.

- An open door (open email) that is open and responsive.

- Battlefield circulation or "Leading by Walking Around." I'm getting very positive feedback from people who already are commenting positively on my presence outside my office and out...where they are!

- Commander's Blog. This may be a stretch for a government leader but I know it is time to embrace the technology that might enable conversation - especially with younger workers. Nine people responded to my first post!

I've still got a long way to go but...I am working on it. The more I listen, the more I learn. And the more I learn, the more dangerous I become! I can definitely take on the challenges of our mission from a much more informed position. I'm willing to try anything. Who knows where it might lead. Listening is...Leader Business.