Effective Managers Learn to Let Go

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Did you know that nearly half of all new leaders fail in the first 18 months? That’s according to the Center for Creative Leadership.

Many of them were surprised to discover that what got them there — from working nonstop to sweating the small stuff — isn’t enough to keep them there.

The Problem:

Nine out of ten say they arrive at the top feeling they lack the know-how and tools to succeed. What’s more, most don’t get the organizational support they need — starting with the boss.

The Good News:

What it takes to make it a high performing leader can be learned. It’s a matter of picking up new skills and strengths. Most leadership development focuses on building managerial skills such as delegation, team building, communication, performance coaching, etc. However most don’t even touch on what the new leader has to let go of – those things that led to strong performance as individual contributors or team leaders.

To Be An Effective Leader You Need To:

1. Let go of insecurity.
Remember, you were chosen for this job by people who thought you can do the job. Yes, you may feel insecure inside but outside you need to reflect self-confidence both in your presence and purpose, even if it doesn’t come naturally at first.

2. Let go of being the Lone Ranger.
You may have advanced here on your own, but now you are only as good as your team. If you have the right people with the right skills in the right positions, the right things will get done right.

3. Let go of doing it all – all the time.
This may have made you a superstar in your prior position but, at this new level with much more expectations, you’ll burn out. Break the cycle of activity addiction by doing the things that matter and have the most value in your job.

4. Let go of the urge to control everything.
Micromanaging is a sure way to fail. It kills the spirit of competent and committed people. Morale goes down, people get disengaged and mediocrity sets in.

5. Let go of being responsible for everything and everyone.
Foster personal and team accountability for outcomes. It’s done by linking their specific tasks and responsibilities with company priorities. You need to demonstrate the value and importance of what they do.

6. Let go of just seeing what’s on your plate.
An innermost perspective may have served you in the past, but it won’t now. Lead with an outside-in view by understanding what else is happening in both the internal and external environment. Don’t be a modern-day Rip Van Winkle waking up to a world you no longer recognize and manage.

7. Let go of being in the background.
Like it or not, your days of being “low-profile” are over. When you’re a leader you act and speak on behalf of your team, department or organization. Become adept at influencing others whether peers, upper management and other key stakeholders.

Management Success Tip:

Peak performers are often promoted to a managerial or leadership position and then left to sink or swim on their own. Therefore you must take charge of how you “show up-stand up-and deliver” as a leader. It requires you to add new abilities and let go of old ones that won’t serve you well in your new position.

Do you want to develop your Management Smarts?

Stressed Out and Burnt Out? The Cure: Learn to Say No!

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Who hasn’t been guilty of overbooking themselves between their personal and professional lives?

But often instead of a feeling of elation for making everything “work,” we feel stressed out and burnt out. Peter Bergman, in his Harvard Business Review blog, shares seven practices to help you say a strategic “no” in order to create space in your life for a more intentional “yes.”

1. Know your no.
Identify what’s important to you and acknowledge what’s not. If you don’t know where you want to spend your time, you won’t know where you don’t want to spend your time. Before you can say no with confidence, you have to be clear that you want to say no.

2. Be appreciative.
When people ask for your help it’s usually because they trust you and they believe in your capabilities to help. So thank them for thinking of you or making the request/invitation. You can leave the door open by saying I can’t do it now, but get back to me at a specific time – that’s only if you mean it..

3. Say no to the request, not the person.
You’re not rejecting the person, just declining the request. So make that clear. You can also explain the reason. Maybe you’re too busy. Maybe you don’t feel like what they’re asking you to do plays to your strengths. Be honest about why you’re saying no.

4. Be as resolute as they are pushy.
Some people don’t give up easily. That’s their prerogative. And your is to be just as pushy as they are. You can make light of it if you want (“I know you don’t give up easily — but neither do I. I’m getting better at saying no.”).

5. Establish a pre-emptive no.
We all have certain people in our lives who tend to make repeated, sometimes burdensome requests of us. In those cases, it’s better to say no before the request even comes in. Let that person know that you’re hyper-focused on a couple of things in your life and trying to reduce your obligations in all other areas.

6. Be prepared to miss out.
Some of us have a hard time saying no because we hate to miss an opportunity. And saying no always leads to a missed opportunity. But it’s not just a missed opportunity; it’s a tradeoff. Remind yourself that when you’re saying no to the request, you are simultaneously saying yes to something you value more than the request. Both are opportunities. You’re just choosing one over the other.

7. Gather your courage.
If you’re someone who is used to saying yes, it will take courage to say no, You may feel like a bad friend. You might feel like you’re letting someone down or not living up to expectations. Maybe you’ll imagine that you’ll be seen or talked about in a negative light. Those things might be the cost of reclaiming your life. You’ll need courage to put up with them.

What causes you the most grief –the enemy out there (an unexpected crisis, others not meeting deadlines) or the enemy within (poor planning, procrastination, lack of assertiveness)? I would imagine for many of s it’s the enemy within – our inability to say no and make it stick.

Management Success Tip:

Even when you’ve said yes, you can change your mind and renegotiate. Find a substitute, change the deadline or scope of the request or whatever might work to keep you in good graces. Remember, things change – projects pushed up; a staff member is out for a month; or a new boss unexpectedly arrives. Life changes and so priorities change. So don’t get locked into I have to do it because I said yes.

How often do you say yes when you mean no? Is it more often in your professional or personal life? What”s the enemy within that’s stopping you from saying no and making it stick? Do you want to get better at it? Let’s talk.

Do you want to develop your Management Smarts?

Do You Need More Time? Then Delegate

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“I know I should delegate but: “I can do it faster…He won’t be able to get it done on time…she’s bound to make some mistakes.”

These are things I’ve been hearing frequently from overworked, stressed out managers. I jokingly mentioned, in a recent presentation, if there was something in the air that’s causing this outbreak of “I must do it myself if it’s going to get done right.”

Leaders, who are reluctant to delegate, can usually come up with what they consider logical explanations for their stand. But these explanations are based on fears of letting go and of losing control. What they don’t realize is that while they’re busy “doing it all themselves”, they are falling further behind.

Of course there are times when we and we alone “own” the project or task. But how often is that the case? The real problem with delegation I have found lies not with the person being delegated to but rather with the one who needs to delegate.

The Fail-Safe Way To Delegate

Delegation, if done right, is a both a time management and leadership development tool. Here are 7 tips to delegate effectively. It will make you a better time manager and a better leader as well.

1. Delegate early.
Make an effort to delegate the task early to avoid unnecessary pressure. This allows the person to better plan the task.

2. Select the right person.
Ensure that the person has the time to take on the responsibility. Assess the skills and capabilities of your staff and assign the task to the most appropriate person. Make sure the person has the training and resources to succeed.

3. Communicate the rationale.
Identify the reason for the task and how it will contribute to the goals of the company or department or team. Also, point out how the delegated task could benefit the person. Remember a routine task to you may be a new challenging task to your subordinate.

4. Set clear goals and expectations.
Be clear and specific on the parameters – the what, why, when, who and where- and the amount of authority – what she can decide and what you must decide, etc. You might leave the “how” to them if they are experienced. Or ask how they might go about handling the task so you can identify any missteps right from the start. so you can . Confirm and verify task goals and expectations.

5. Delegate the entire task.
This gives the person the responsibility, increases their motivation and avoids ambiguity in accountability. Otherwise, different people will have different ideas about who does what when.

6. Don’t just drop it.
Request regular updates or progress reports especially if it’s a large or new assignment. That way you can catch problems or mistakes early and provide assistance when necessary.This will also give you a comfort level that things are going as planned.

7. Evaluate results.
Did the person meet the set expectations? Did the task get done accurately, on time, on budget If so, recognize the person’s performance. This will reinforce both yours and the person’s confidence in their abilities. If it didn’t, then analyze the cause of insufficient performance and coach on how to improve. But don’t throw in the towel. Remember, most of us learn more from our mistakes than successes.

Management Success Tip:

Delegation is about more than just taking work from you and giving it to someone else. It’s about getting work down in the most efficient manner using the resources you have available. Yes, sometimes a staff person can actually get better results than you. In addition, delegation is about valuing people and allowing other to develop by giving them increased responsibility and authority. That’s what makes an effective leader.

Do you want to develop your Management Smarts?

Change Management: Getting Everyone On Board the Change Train

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As a coach to ambitious, pro-active leaders, I often find they quickly embrace change themselves but don’t know how to bring along their colleagues or staff. So how do you get everyone on board the change train that is gaining speed and heading out of the station?

In Seven Truths about Change to Lead and Live By, Rosebeth Moss Kanter, presents Change Agent” Bumper Stickers”. These are sayings which act as guides for leaders engaged in the effort of setting a new direction, orchestrating innovation, establishing a culture or changing behavior.

Here are four of those truths or “bumper sticker”s and tactics to make them operational.

1. “Change is a threat when done to me, but an opportunity when done by me.”
Resistance is always greatest when change is inflicted on people without their involvement. Enthusiasm and commitment results when people understand the reasons behind the change and see it as a benefit tot them as well as the company.

Tactic: Let people see the advantages of the change. Answer the key questions on their mind: What do I gain? What does this mean to me and for me? How can I make a difference? Then get them involved. Although the decision about the specific change has been made, those who are e affected can have input in its implementation.

2. “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.”
A clear destination is necessary to guide the journey of change. Many change efforts falter because of confusion over where we’re going and why we’re going there. If people don’t understand where they’re headed then any change will seem dangerous. It’s like walking off a cliff blindfolded.

Tactic: People don’t mind changes in the game if they just know where they are going, what the new rules are and how to score points.Provide them with a road map. It must be like a lighthouse – a bright and focused beacon that guides everyone’s work. If people don’t understand precisely where they are headed and how to get here, then it’s only sheer luck that they will succeed.

3. “A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.
Big goals can seem overwhelming. The magnitude of the problem, the difficulty of the solutions, the length of the time horizon and the number of action items can make change feel so complex that people feel paralyzed and nothing happens.

Tactic: By dividing a big change into small steps, change will seem less risky. People can then focus on one step at a time and feel they’re not being asked to take that big leap off a real or imagined cliff. Also, shoot for some quick wins – low hanging fruit so that people can experience success. Momentum will build and the journey is underway.

4. ”Be the change you seek to make in the world.”
Leaders must embody the values and principles they want other people to adopt. This famous Gandhi quote reminds us all — that one of the most important tasks is personal: to be a role model, exemplifying the best of what the change is all about

Tactic: Go inside before you go outside. Answer these questions: How is this change initiative a leadership opportunity for you?” In other words, how can I show the way or help others in this time of turmoil?

Management Success Tip:

Remember, people are being moved from their comfort zone to a new place. While some may zealously embrace the change, most get very uncomfortable when things start to feel different. Therefore people must understand the reason for change; the process of change; and their role in change. If not, anxiety mounts, trust declines and rumors fly. The next thing you see is the change effort not taking hold. And the conclusion by leadership was it not a good idea or good program. Is that accurate? Or was it how the change was managed?

Do you want to develop your Management Smarts?

Are You A Motivating Boss?

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Figuring out what your people want can feel like an intricate puzzle especially when different employees require different things.

However, there are basic things that most employees want from their boss.

At a recent workshop, I asked people: “What makes a great boss – someone who can lead and motivate you”? Here’s what they said about how to encourage everyone to do their best work:

1.Tell me my role and your expectations.
This is not micro-managing. It’s called clear direction. It gives people focus and accountability

2. Give me some autonomy.
Give them something interesting to work on and trust them with this opportunity.That doesn’t mean you give a brand new person the most difficult account; rather something that will stretch her and not cause major problems.

3. Discipline those who are out of line.
I often hear this: “I wish my boss would tell James that this is just unacceptable.” Letting a “star” employee do whatever he wants really hurts the morale of the team.

4. Recognize and praise what I do.
Everyone wants to be recognized when they’ve done something right. You can motivate employees by highlighting their strengths and not harping on their weaknesses.

5. Don’t lose your temper.
It’s generally not productive and it’s not good leadership. It sets up “kill the messenger” syndrome which means your people will be afraid to tell you critical information.

6. Tell me when I make a mistake.
Give employees clear and constructive feedback on areas they need to improve or when they go off track. Don’t wait until you are about to fire them. It’s not right and it may not be legal.

7. Get me excited.
Indecisive leaders, or those who keep changing direction, frustrate and make people feel uninspired. Tell them where we’re going, how we’re going to get there and how important they are for success.

Management Success Tip:

It’s very easy to get swamped with your daily activities and forget to execute the basic fundamentals of leading others. The results will be a less productive team and more work for you. It’s worth reviewing these seven tips weekly to make sure you are a great motivating boss.

Do you want to develop your Management Smarts?

Good Boss! Bad Boss! Which Are You?

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Conjure up the term “bad boss” and what comes to mind? Scenes of managers, berating subordinates in public or taking credit for other people’s work or saying one thing and doing another Feel free to continue — I’m sure you have more examples.

According to the HBR Blog post Are You Sure You’re Not a Bad Boss?, “Our research suggests that the offensive actions so often associated with being a bad boss make up less than 20% of the behavior that actually defines the worst bosses.”

What Does?
They found, after analyzing the behavior of 30,000 managers as seen through the eyes of some 300,000 of their peers, direct reports, and bosses – that the sins of the bad boss are far more often not the appalling things they do; rather it’s the critical things they don’t do.

Here Are the Five Fatal Sins

1. Failure to walk the talk.
Saying one thing and doing another is the fastest way to lose the trust and credibility of those you lead. The worst offenders here also pose a wider threat as dangerous role models — creating the risk that their organizations will degenerate if others behave as they do.
2. A lack of clear vision and direction.
Poor leaders have a murky view of the future. They don’t know precisely what direction to take and are usually unwilling to communicate about the future, leaving their subordinates with no clear path forward.
3. Failure to improve and learn from mistakes.
Arrogance and complacency combine in the poorest leaders as they rise, causing them to come to the dangerous conclusion that they’ve reached a stage in their careers where development is no longer required. This leads unfortunately to repeating the same mistakes over and over.
4. An inability to collaborate and be a team player.
Poor leaders avoid their peers, act independently, fail to develop positive relations with colleagues. The worst of them view work as a competition and their colleagues as opponents.
5. Acceptance of mediocre performance in place of excellent results.
The poorest leaders did not set stretch goals, inadvertently encouraging mediocre performance by letting people coast along doing less work, less well than their counterparts working for better managers.

What About You?
Do you exhibit any of these fatal sins? The post concludes with this thought: “You could be traveling down this road right now with no hint that anything’s amiss. No hint, that is, unless you take the time to consider not just what kind of a leader you are, but what kind you’re not.”

Management Success Tip:

As we can see a bad boss it’s not only a person who yells, who is in a bad mood all the time or someone who doesn’t care about the people. A bad boss could be the one who doesn’t know how to be a leader: one who guides, inspires, influences and motivates. Also see What Makes a Great Boss

Do you want to develop your Management Smarts?

Donuts, Ice Cream, Pizza: They Can Keep The Team Running Smoothly

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Leadership is a team sport not a superstar sport. What happens over time is that some managers begin to believe it’s all about them. It’s not, it’s just the opposite. It’s about the people they lead.

Allan Ditchfield, former executive at AT&T, realized that you cannot lead without getting involved.

“When leaders remain behind their desks, they loose touch with reality – the key issues with their employees, and most importantly, the key issues with their customers.”

So he created “Donuts with Ditch”. It was a regular scheduled coffee and donuts session with no more than 10 people, chosen randomly, from different parts of his business unit. It was a forum to hear people’s concerns and to gather information as well as get feedback about some of the real issues that are getting in the way of people’s jobs.

He asked one question:

“What’s getting in the way of you doing your jobs well and serving our customers?”

He listened intently, took notes and followed up with answers and solutions. The most important ingredient for success was not the donuts but rather the trust that had been established between him and the employees. He had what he called a sacred open door. No ones’ going to be hurt by what they say. That there will be no retaliation. He lived by that rule. He walked the talk and therefore people believed him and trusted him.

Management Success Tip:

This simple two way communication tool was the grease that kept the operational engine humming. It’s a great example of how leaders can build relationships with their people, create conditions that encourage two-way communication and also get real time information about operational and customer service problems before they turn into big hairy monsters that will eat up time, energy and resources. Also see Be the Boss Everyone Wants to Work For

Do you want to develop your Management Smarts?

Accountability: Stop the Finger Pointing and the Blame Game

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What do you see in your organization – people taking responsibility or pointing fingers at others? If it’s the latter, how do you stop the blame game and how do you start getting accountability?

The word accountability – employees doing what they are suppose to do – seems to stir up frustrations for many managers. I have seen how it’s been used by some to assign fault and mete out punishment. But I have also seen how it’s been used to propel an individual, a team or company to great success.

What is Accountability?
My simple definition of accountability is the person’s, as well as the team’s, responsibility for the outcome(s) of what they do. People look beyond their narrow job description and focus on results – the completed product or service- their work is contributing to. When people adopt a sense of accountability, they recognize that their participation can and will make a difference. They go the extra mile because they know what to do and they know how their job and their actions will drive results.

How Do You Create It?
So, as a manager, how do you lead so that personal accountability is accepted and embraced. Here are three steps to take to stop the blame game and start getting accountability.

  • People Have to See it:
    Because reality frequently changes – what worked yesterday may not work today- a leaders needs to stay alert and be flexible. This means obtaining others’ perspectives ideas and feedback. A leader must not only acknowledge but, most importantly, help others understand the what -the who- the and the why of what’s being asked of them.
  • People Have to Own it:
    A leader also helps others to be personally invested in desired outcomes. It’s done by linking their specific tasks and responsibilities with key priorities first of the team, then the department or the business unit and finally up the line to the company. You need to demonstrate the value and importance of what they do.
  • People Have to Solve it:
    Obstacles can always get in the way of achieving results. Yes as a leader, the “buck stops with you”. However you don’t always need to be the one to find the solution. Ask them “What else can we do so this gets resolved?” You tap into their wisdom and also their participation creates personal responsibility for the implementation of the solution.

Management Success Tip:

The payoffs for positive accountability are better performance metrics, but perhaps more significant is the impact on your people. When people participate more fully in their jobs, they create meaning and fulfillment. Work becomes more pleasurable. That’s A crucial step toward high employee engagement and commitment. Also see Do Employees Do What They’re Suppose to Do?

Do you want to develop your Management Smarts?

Employee Motivation: Do You Take the Wind Out of Their Sails?

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Ever notice how a new employee’s enthusiasm eventually wears off? In 85% of companies, employees’ morale significantly drops off after their first six months on the job, according to a survey from Harvard Management Update.

For the most part, employee engagement is determined by work environment, and it can be fostered or hindered by you—the boss. Employee motivation experts say the best way to keep employee enthusiasm moving forward is to “first, do no harm.” At a minimum, don’t do anything that demotivates your workers.

Check out eight demotivators below.

  1. Public criticism.
    Pointing out a worker’s mistake in front of others rarely yields a good response. Though some managers think public reproach keeps everyone else from making the same mistake—it usually just makes everyone feel bad.
  2. Failing to provide praise.
    If employees feel like their hard work goes unnoticed, they’ll start to wonder why they’re working so hard in the first place. Be sure to offer praise and recognition, both privately and publicly. Even small things, like a thank-you card or a “good job” email work.
  3. Not following up.
    Have you ever solicited ideas, asked what employees think about a policy, or asked your team to draft a proposal? If so, be sure to relay the results, even if the ideas or proposals don’t go anywhere. Asking employees for input without acknowledging it shows a lack of respect.
  4. Give impossible goals or deadlines.
    Once employees realize they won’t be able to get something done, they’ll think, “What’s the point? I’m going to fail.” Provide goals and deadlines that are challenging, but not impossible and increase accountability.
  5. Not explaining your actions.
    Just because you hold the cards doesn’t mean you should hide them. Explaining the big management decisions will help employees understand your perspective—and they’ll respect you for it. Likewise, sharing key company data such as revenue and profits validates staff contributions.
  6. Bad coaching to improve performance.
    If an employee is producing sub-par work, it’s OK to let them know your expectations. But it’s not OK to threaten their job—especially if you’re threatening the entire team in a public setting. A “do this or else” attitude often has the opposite effect when it comes to motivation.
  7. Not honoring creative thinking and problem solving.
    When employees take initiative to improve something—a company process or an individual task, for instance—don’t blow it off. Instead, take a good, hard look at their suggestion. Don’t ignore it, or you risk losing that employee’s creativity in the future.
  8. Micromanaging or not trusting your employees.
    Perhaps the worst thing a manager cando is not giving people the authority and confidence to do their job. Employees need to feel trusted and valued to succeed—and micromanaging communicates the opposite.

Management Success Tip:

Eliminate these “demotivators” before you start planning so-called “motivational” perks. Free coffee and donuts are pleasant, but they’re don’t override bad management practices. To become a better manager, take a look at these posts: What Makes a Great Boss, Avoid These Management Mistakes and Be the Boss Everyone Wants to Work For.

Do you want to develop your Management Smarts?

Watch Out For These Bad Habits: They Can Stop Your Career

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Are you your worst enemy? Are you holding yourself from moving up?

A Business Week article listed 20 of the most common behaviors or bad habits – complied by executive coach Marshall Goldsmith, that can hinder an aspiring manager or professional from moving up. Whether you’re a leader today or want to be one tomorrow, take heed.

Which of these apply to you? If you’re not sure, then ask others for feedback.

  1. Winning too much. The need to win at all costs and in all situations—when it matters, when it doesn’t, and when it’s totally beside the point.
  2. Adding too much value. The overwhelming desire to add our two cents to every discussion.
  3. Passing judgment. The need to rate others and impose our standards on them.
  4. Making destructive comments. The needless sarcasms and cutting remarks that we think make us sound sharp and witty.
  5. Starting with “no,” “but,” or “however”. The overuse of these qualifiers, which secretly say to everyone, “i’m right. you’re wrong.”
  6. Telling the world how smart we are. The need to show people we’re smarter than they think we are.
  7. Speaking when angry. Using emotional volatility as a management tool.
  8. Negativity. The need to share our negative thoughts, even when we weren’t asked.
  9. Withholding information. The refusal to share information in order to maintain an advantage over others.
  10. Failing to give proper recognition. The inability to praise and reward.
  11. Claiming credit we don’t deserve . The most annoying way to overestimate our contribution to any success.
  12. Making excuses. The need to reposition our annoying behavior as a permanent fixture so people excuse us for it.
  13. Clinging to the pas. t The need to deflect blame away from ourselves and onto events and people from our past; a subset of blaming everyone else.
  14. Playing favorites. Failing to see that we are treating someone unfairly.
  15. Refusing to express regret. The inability to take responsibility for our actions, admit we’re wrong, or recognize how our actions affect others.
  16. Not listening. The most passive-aggressive form of disrespect for colleagues.
  17. Failing to express gratitude. The most basic form of bad manners.
  18. Punishing the messenger. The misguided need to attack the innocent, who are usually only trying to protect us.
  19. Passing the buck The need to blame everyone but ourselves.
  20. An excessive need to be “me”. Exalting our faults as virtues simply because they exemplify who we are.

Take Action:

Pick one behavior or bad habit you can change right now? What specific action can you take to make this change? What supports do you have or will need to succeed? What potential obstacles may get in the way? How will you deal with them?

Career Success Tip:

Most leaders fail not by a lack of skill or intelligence but by their interpersonal skills – how they deal with others. Also see Career Intelligence Part 1, What’s Your Career Success IQ? and 5 Career Killers for High Achievers.

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?