Category: Leadership Skills

One thing that I’ve noticed is, that no matter how hard we try as trainers, the results are limited to the character of our trainers, trainees and managers. What if we could depend on character to make our training a success. The only character we can depend on is our own, and if we are truly honest with ourselves, maybe it too is suspect. I suppose I awoke a bit negative in my thinking as I searched for a topic to talk about in training. I just started thinking that no matter how hard we try in some instances people will not change. We attempt to change attitudes of people toward certain ideas, but even those attitudes change given time as newer experiences and other people weigh in with their influence and opinion. Right or wrong. It doesn’t matter.

What does this mean for the training and development arena? Not much unless you are focused on the whole as I am. I’m not sure I’ve built a box to put myself in. On the other hand, if I am totally honest, maybe I have, with my ideas of what is right and what is wrong, with what I think effective training is, with what I think is its value to society.

Take a minute to reflect on those same points and how you reflect them in your business. With talented and bright people, there is always the possibility that their enthusiasm can be taken for arrogance. The word itself is telling: an arrogant person is sometimes as bright or talented as they think they are. If they aren’t–if they can’t deliver what they promise, we disregard them. They are their worst enemies.

Our character, and I’m talking about moral character, very obviously influences our business client’s perception of who we are regardless of their character. Wikipedia in all its brief wisdom tells us a lot of what we need to know in this rush to judgment world:

Moral character or character is an evaluation of a particular individual’s durable moral qualities. The concept of character can imply a variety of attributes including the existence or lack of virtues such as integrity, courage, fortitude, honesty, and loyalty, or of good behaviors or habits. Moral character primarily refers to the assemblage of qualities that distinguish one individual from another — although on a cultural level, the set of moral behaviors to which a social group adheres can be said to unite and define it culturally as distinct from others. Psychologist Lawrence Pervin defines moral character as “a disposition to express behavior in consistent patterns of functions across a range of situations.”

As trainers we are concerned about getting the right information, generally to aid in performance, which in turn aids in company productivity or in some way covers a government mandate, i.e., safety issues. In Leadership training, we want to identify positive character traits and promote behaviors in others that will enable them to lead the company. Is it possible to change who people have become after years of those characteristics being ingrained by experience? People do change, according to the optimists. People do not, if you’re a pessimist.

I’m leaning toward the dark side. I think we have limits. We need to accept them. Understand our change to others behavior is limited. We can hand out knowledge and hope that is put to the use intended. That is our plan, and we stick with it.

Does there ever come a time when we come back to reinforce character development? Perhaps with young leaders-to-be. Now, that’s a thought. Start them young and see where they go, and come back and see what they’ve done with that training. You could call it a simple follow-up because I don’t think many in this business would do it unless it had some measure of profit. Now I’m not saying we are not altruistic, but we have to live, too. It is a reality I accept. As I said earlier, I’m kicking around ideas. I’ll come back probably later today or early tomorrow with something more substantive than an idea, but if we could prove such a concept has some value to the company, who knows where it will lead.

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For more resources about training, see the Training library.

My disclaimer is always that these are my opinions and thoughts alone. I hope in many ways we agree. If we don’t, let’s learn from each other. Please comment here or on my website, “Have Yourself An Affair to Remember.” If you have a training related topic and want to be a guest blogger, click on the link above and fill out the form. Comment and give us your link. Others may find it interesting, too. For a look at the human side of training from my Cave Man perspective, please check out my book, The Cave Man Guide to Training and Development. Happy training.

Managers often ask, usually with exasperation, “How can I keep my employees motivated, and why do I have to worry about it? I pay them decently.”

Offering competitive salaries is certainly important, but that’s what gets them in the door. What keeps them engaged and committed to your team or organization is more than money – it’s the day-to-day ‘stuff’ like respect, trust, fairness and good feelings about themselves and their work. Here are 7 ways to keep them motivated and energized.

1. Don’t play favorites.
People make judgments about what they see in the workplace. Are promotions fair? Is low performance dealt with quickly? Is their equal treatment for the top floor as well as the shop floor? If the answer is no in their eyes (regardless of the ‘truth’ of the matter – it’s their perspective) then this perceived unfairness will stand in the way of their giving of themselves fully to the job or project.

2. Share the limelight.
When credit and compliments come your way, spread them around to all who helped. Let Sally or Joe or the team accept the award rather than just you. And, if you think you’re solely responsible for that honored achievement, think again.

3. Meet them on their turf.
While you may be more comfortable meeting with staff in your office, it’s more valuable to meet occasionally where they are located. Leadership is not about your comfort, but that of your people. The symbolic value of seeing you mingling with the troops improves trust. General Patton used this effectively and won many a battle by the loyalty his troops had for him.

4. Break bread together.
Have an informal breakfast or lunch once a month with a group of workers to find out what’s on their mind. Or grab something at the cafeteria, plop yourself down at a table and say: “So, how’s things going in your area?” While you may hear some groaning, you will also hear about frustrations that are hindering performance. Listen, acknowledge and then do something about these glitches. Acting on problems goes a long way.

5. Follow-through. DWYSYGD
Effective managers remember the promises they make, take the appropriate course of action, and let their staff know what’s been done. If you tell Mary that you are going to check on something for her, do it. And if you don’t intend to do something, never say you will. Your credibility will go down each time people’s expectations are unmet.

6. Truly encourage and ask for their ideas.
Ask everyone to come to the next staff meeting with two questions or two improvement ideas. This opens up two-way communication real quickly. Listen intently, clarify and then follow-up each question or idea. If you maximize employee input, you will get a more productive and committed workforce.

7. Communicate the good, the bad, and even the ugly.
When you’re on an airplane and it encounters turbulence or the flight is delayed, you want to know what’s going on. Not knowing makes you nervous. Employees also want to know what’s going – what’s causing the bumpy ride. If people don’t understand, anxiety mounts, trust declines, rumors fly and motivation is shot to heck. The next thing you see is morale plummeting and work not getting done.

Management Success Tip

Catch people doing something right. Sincere appreciation is powerful stuff — it’s feedback, recognition, and respect all wrapped in one. Saying thanks has become a lost art in the frenetic world of ‘24/7.’ It’s a morale booster that costs nothing but goes a long way in helping people put forth more effort. If the little things are done right, then big results will follow.

Do YOU know how to lead right – motivate right – hire right – get the right results?

Do you want to develop your Management Smarts?

• Build your skills with The Effective Manager.
• Sign up for Quick Wins: 101 Management Tips.
• Find performance boosters in the Smart Moves Blog.
• Fast track your leadership. Be part of a Success Team.
• Need a speaker? Get the Edge keynotes-webinars-workshops.
• Copyright © 2012 Marcia Zidle business and leadership coach.

How do you supervise people who are more experienced than you?

Many years ago I coached Kevin, a young manager who had just taken the reins of the facilities department of a major university. At his first staff meeting, with his much senior supervisors, he said:

“As your manager, I’m here to help you be successful. You already know the goals of our department – to make sure everything works on campus – and you certainly know your jobs very well. My job is to take away any obstacles that keep you from succeeding. Then, it’s just you, your staff and the goal line.”

What sort of obstacles was Kevin referring to? Things like red tape, office politics, hierarchical nonsense, territorial disputes and so on. Kevin’s message left three critical impressions on his staff:

• Everyone knew that the usual complaints and excuses (Mary didn’t call back or I couldn’t get the information) wouldn’t fly.
• Everyone knew they had a powerful advocate for doing whatever it takes to make their goals and serve their customers (and on a large campus there were many customers.)
• Everyone understood that the ‘enemy’ was their competitors – the other educational institutions in the area – not “those horrible people in accounting.” The focus was on how we can make this university a super institution.

Supervisor Success Tip.

Are you an absentee supervisor or one who is an obstacle remover? Do you stand back from the action assuming you can’t change things or do you do everything you can to help your people reach the goal line? What obstacles are getting in the way of your people do their job and what can you do to change that? How will that motivate your people?

Do you want to develop your Management Smarts?

• Build your skills with The Effective Manager.
• Sign up for Quick Wins: 101 Management Tips.
• Find performance boosters in the Smart Moves Blog.
• Fast track your leadership. Be part of a Success Team.
• Need a speaker? Get the Edge keynotes-webinars-workshops.
• Copyright © 2012 Marcia Zidle business and leadership coach.

Although generally thought of as a performance appraisal tool, 360-degree feedback has been used as a awareness tool during training–especially Leadership training. When I was involved in training management, I worked with a team of contractors who used 360 feedback as part of the training program we asked them to design and deliver for us. While I found the training was useful, a part of it had questionable value. Does the 360 feedback really help train “leaders?” How about those managers filling the leadership positions who seem lacking the character traits we most associate with leaders?

360-degree feedback, also known as a multi-rater feedback, multi-source feedback, or multi-source assessment, is a way of measuring behaviors. Input comes from those surrounding an employee–including subordinates, supervisors and colleagues. It also includes a self-assessment and, in some cases, feedback from external sources such as customers and suppliers or other interested stakeholders.

Often touted as an important part of leadership development, the process does have its detractors who say it is too personal and unpredictable. For example, it doesn’t take into account typical reactions that could be dismissed as not being honest because the participant doesn’t want to appear politically incorrect. Or, to address it another way–there is potential for experimenter bias–that is when the participants give the experimenter/trainer the answer they think he or she wants to hear instead of an honest one.

Participants may:

• Try to figure out who said “it”
• Focus on the negative and forget the positive
• Dismiss the feedback as “situational”
• Engage in coping behavior such as denying, becoming defensive, rationalizing, transferring behavior, blaming, making excuses.

Executive development and leadership training programs “that include 360-degree feedback have been shown to be more effective and have a greater impact on participants than programs that do not include it.” By the same token, it is optional in most training packages because used without specific training it can be an issue for some. The reason for that is may be because of the highly personal nature of the approach. Handled badly and you have one pissed off leader or leader candidate who has just learned some not so great things about him or herself. Used well, however…

To be fair, it looks at seven excellent leadership competencies that are meaningful.

1. Interpersonal
2. Strategic Positioning and Thinking
3. Directing and Inspiring
4. Decision Making and Problem Solving
5. Building External Partnerships
6. Teams and Teamwork
7. Leading Organizational Change

If 360 degree process has detractors and needs training to apply it, why use it? The statistics this time say that approximately one third of all companies use some sort of multi-rater formula, and some studies suggest that 90 percent of Fortune 500 companies are said to use multi-rater system to appraise their senior executives. It seems to make sense to use it to train those executives the same way, and I suppose, get them used to the idea.

While it makes sense since companies use it for appraisals, why not for training? The same issues that affect the system in its appraisal role also affect the results of training.

We trainers often talk about how leadership should be part of every level of a company or organization. Could this be applied to all employees? Apart from logistics issues of time spent, in some situations it could be quite cumbersome depending on how many employees would have to evaluate each other as well as their supervisor and any employees they themselves supervised.

So, there appears to be a logical reason for limiting this to high-level staff. But in the modern corporate business and non-profit world, we like to think leadership should be trained on all levels where possible. It would seem the lower echelon has to have a different “leadership” training, serving to do just what we don’t want to do: separate higher leadership from the team.

The multi-rater system is not new. In fact it has been in use since the German’s used the approach during World War II, but it wasn’t studied or written about until the ’50s.

As with theories of any kind, the more variables you have, the more complicated the validity and value to an organization. The results are mixed. As an appraisal, it measures not productivity, but what others think of you and perhaps their perception of your productivity. Again, personal factors come into play. In leadership training, participants are cautioned:

• Don’t accept your feedback too easily.
• Don’t reject it too quickly.
• Don’t assume you know who said what.

It’s been asked how a management person would fare if their overall evaluation score consisted of input from their reporting staff, fellow teammates, and external/internal customers. Are all these components taken into consideration with regard to promotion, bonus and retention?

Best question ever: How would 360 feedback affect your evaluation?

One simple answer: the boss still holds the power to control subordinates. That would be you, regardless of what others say about you. Bias is still bias, and it can hurt especially if it exists in a work relationship.

The use of multi-rater assessment does not improve company performance, or so say the studies. In fact, one 2001 study found that 360-degree feedback was associated with a 10.6 percent decrease in market value, while another study concludes that “there is no data showing that [360-degree feedback] actually improves productivity, increases retention, decreases grievances, or is superior to forced ranking and standard performance appraisal systems.” The 360 rater process sounds good, but there is no proof it works. Could it be the same with training?

Ironically, a 2003 study states that there is little evidence that the multi-rater process results in change. Other authors state that the use of multi-rater assessment does not improve company performance. In fact, one 2001 study found that 360-degree feedback was associated with a 10.6 percent decrease in market value, while another study concludes that “there is no data showing that [360-degree feedback] actually improves productivity, increases retention, decreases grievances, or is superior to forced ranking and standard performance appraisal systems.” It sounds good, but there is no proof it works.

Do our leaders change that much after training, and if they do, does it last? Not in my experience. Change in behavior is not an immediate or lasting result in most cases. You can sometimes affect attitudes, but that is difficult and unpredictable at best; it also may not last. We can provide knowledge–even wisdom, but what makes us think we can make big changes in behavior with training. I don’t know about you but I’ve not noticed lasting change in behavior with the leadership training of any kind. It has to be worked on and the participant or trainee has to have the desire to improve. For me, the answer still lies in early development of those traits we desire. The behaviors are learned over time and those are more lasting.

That’s my take on the 360 Degree Leadership Training. Now, it’s your turn. I don’t have all the answers. Comment here or on my website. Guest bloggers always welcome here. Just click on the link above, fill out the form and let us know about you.

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For more resources about training, see the Training library.

By the way, I am available for training and training development, speaking, coaching, and, of course, I’m always open to new ideas. Need interactive discussions on effective communication and presentations–if you have the need for training or a motivating speech in training, presenting or public speaking, please let me know. Know your audience, know your subject and know yourself. There is no “Mission Impossible.” Only an “Affair to Remember.” For a look at the human side of training from my Cave Man perspective, please check out my book, The Cave Man Guide to Training and Development. Happy training.

Often my coaching clients are faced with a big decision and want to discuss it in our coaching sessions. The competency of timely, high quality decision making is imperative in today’s competitive work environment.

Here are six tips to make efficient, effective decisions:

1. Let go of perfection – perfectionism will bog you down. Anyone can make a decision with unlimited time. Wanting to be perfect keeps you paralyzed and in limbo.

2. Get the facts – do you have the data you need? Often when you are stuck you do not have the necessary information to decide. Identify what you need and how you can get it quickly.

3. Avoid procrastination. If you tend to wait to the last minute, often your decision quality and accuracy will be poor.

4. Use your intuition. If you are uncertain and need to decide quickly, trust your gut. Intuition is the ability to use knowledge without logic or the use of reason. As much as you can, give your subconscious mind the relevant data it needs, then listen to your inner voice.

5. Take a risk. Avoiding risk can create missed opportunities. In many situations, if you make a decision and it is not quite right, you can tweak it along the way. See how it works out and adjust as you gather more data and information.

6. Talk it out. Discussing your decision with a trusted party helps to clarify and articulate the best course of action. It gets the “muddle” out of your head and crystallizes what steps need to be taken.

For more resources, see the Library topic Personal and Professional Coaching.

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Pam Solberg-Tapper MHSA, PCC – I spark entrepreneurial business leaders to set strategy, take action, and get results. How can I help you? Contact me at CoachPam@cpinternet.com ~ Linkedin ~ 218-340-3330

Delegation is often very difficult for new supervisors and managers.

Many managers want to remain comfortable making the same decisions they have always made. They believe they can do a better job themselves. They don’t want to risk losing control of the situation or outcome. Often, they don’t want to risk giving authority to subordinates in case of failure.

Stop Doing, Start Managing

Here are 10 tips for effective delegation and, more importantly, effective supervision:

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 and benefit.
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. For example, develop a specific skill. that is needed to get promoted. Remember a routine task to you may be a new challenging task to your subordinate.

4. Delegate the entire task to one person.
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.

5. Set clear goals and expectations.
Be clear and specific on what is expected. Give information on what, why, when, who and where. You might leave the “how” to them. Be prepared to accept input from subordinates. Confirm and verify task goals and expectations.

6. Delegate responsibility and authority.
Ensure that the subordinate is given the relevant responsibility and authority to complete the task. Let the subordinate complete the task in the manner they choose, as long as the results are what you specified. Be willing to accept ideas from the subordinate on task fulfillment.

7. Provide support, guidance and instructions.
Point subordinates to the resources they may need to complete the task or project. That could be people they need to coordinate with, crucial information or Be willing to be a resource yourself.

8. Take personal interest in the progress of delegated task.
Request to be updated on the progress of the task, provide assistance when necessary. Be careful not to be intrusive; giving the perception that you do not trust the subordinate. Keep communication lines open, regular meetings on large tasks can provide this ongoing feedback.

9. If you’re not satisfied with the progress, don’t take the project back immediately.
Rather, continue to work with the employee and ensure they understand the project to be their responsibility. Give advice on ways to improve. This ensures accountability and dependability.

10. Evaluate and recognize performance.
Evaluate results more than methods. Analyze cause of insufficient performance for improvements and recognize successes as soon as possible.

Supervision Success Tip

Effective delegation allows subordinate to learn, grow and be more capable. It allows supervisors to be more productive by focusing on what they are paid to do – getting the work done through others.

Do you want to develop your Management Smarts?

• Build your skills with The Effective Manager.
• Sign up for Quick Wins: 101 Management Tips.
• Find performance boosters in the Smart Moves Blog.
• Fast track your leadership. Be part of a Success Team.
• Need a speaker? Get the Edge keynotes-webinars-workshops.
• Copyright © 2012 Marcia Zidle business and leadership coach.

It’s that time again! Perhaps the most dreaded management practice is the annual employee performance appraisal.

Whenever the subject comes up, out comes the groans from both managers and staff no matter what industry or type of company. Many say employee performance appraisals are like having a root canal — only more painful. It shouldn’t be.

If done correctly, the appraisal process can become the most valuable instrument in the manager’s toolbox. The few hours a manager invests can impact an employee’s performance for an entire year.

Here is a quick guide for managers or supervisor in preparing, conducting and following up on employee performance appraisals.

Preparing

• Give employee advance notice so that he /she can prepare for the discussion.
• Review the position’s responsibilities and standards.
• Review the employee’s job performance for the past year.
• Identify potential development areas that can be addresses though training and special projects.
• Set aside adequate block of uninterrupted time to permit a full and complete discussion.

Conducting

• Make sure your focus is on the person and not on distractions.
• Ask employee to review his or her job performance for the past year.
• Keep the focus on job performance and related factors, not personality.
• Discuss job requirements, employee strengths, accomplishments, and improvement needs.
• Be prepared to cite observations for each point discussed.
• Reach agreement on appropriate goals, development plans and timetables.
• Summarize what has been discussed and end on a positive note.

Following Up

• Immediately after, record the plans made and points requiring follow-up.
• Provide a copy for the employee.
• Evaluate your own performance. What I did well? Could have done better? Learned about the employee? Learned about myself?

Management Success Tip:

Remember, the employee performance appraisal meeting is an opportunity to recognize achievements, identify and correct problems, and set specific objectives for the coming year. Make sure you get off on the right foot by following the above guidelines.

What’s been your experience with performance appraisals – either as an employee receiving feedback or as a supervisor giving feedback? I’m interested in hearing from you whether it was good or bad.

Do you want to develop your Management Smarts?

• Build your skills with The Effective Manager.
• Sign up for Quick Wins: 101 Management Tips.
• Find performance boosters in the Smart Moves Blog.
• Fast track your leadership. Be part of a Success Team.
• Need a speaker? Get the Edge keynotes-webinars-workshops.
• Copyright © 2012 Marcia Zidle business and leadership coach.

Leaders spend a significant amount of time on roles and responsibilities, goal-setting, and determining who is accountable for what. They spend much less time defining the outcomes they desire, negotiating the conditions of satisfaction that will achieve these outcomes, and coordinating the commitments of those who report to them. Yet, by focusing on these three activities of leading, they enable others to set their own priorities and independently figure out how to get things done. Empowerment realized!

But do you, as a leader, trust those who report to you enough to send them off unsupervised, with just a promise they will get something done? At a time when trust in organizations is at an all-time low, how can leaders get stuff done and generate trust? And if you check up on them are you leading or micromanaging? Enter Fernando Flores and his Commitment Management Protocol, a means of coordinating action through the intentional negotiation of conditions of satisfaction. Lest you think that this is a new management rage, Flores’ protocol has been used in business for at least the last 20 years.

Words Create Actions

Commitment Management begins with the leader actually knowing what outcome they seek rather than the means of achieving it. For example, if the desired outcome is the 2012 Brand Strategy, are you clear on what that entails? Often leaders “know it when they see it” or “know what it isn’t.” This produces needless re-working and countless iterations of a document or set of activities that could be clarified at the onset. Knowing what purpose the end product fulfills helps you define what it needs to contain and sets the scope of the work to be completed.

Once you know the outcome you desire you can request an individual or group to be accountable for the work. This step of the protocol helps leaders think about who to engage with rather than simply assigning it to the person or group normally “responsible” for the activity. Whoever is accountable becomes your thought partner in negotiating the conditions of satisfaction. Negotiation is critical to a successful outcome, so choose wisely and negotiate until you both feel comfortable with the terms.

The conditions of satisfaction are the key to creating trust and empowerment. When the conditions of satisfaction are clear and not ambiguous, those accountable can commit to performing the work. How the work gets done is now the responsibility of those doing it and not the leader who requested it. As they perform the tasks that they are accountable for, employees assess their progress against the conditions of satisfaction and are able to renegotiate them if need be. This means that leaders hear about new ideas and innovation or challenges and problems sooner rather than later.

These five steps – defining the outcome, requesting the work, accepting accountability, negotiating the conditions of satisfaction, and committing to deliver – encourage creativity, experimentation, and innovation, build trust, and place accountability where the work gets done.

How It Actually Happens

Jake (VP Marketing): Nancy, the shifts in the economy make me think our brand strategy for product X is out of date. Will you take a look at that and let me know what you think about it?

Nancy (Business Strategy Team Leader): Absolutely. What type of information do you want to see?

Jake: Probably the regular competitive analysis, market landscape…is there something else you had in mind?

Nancy: Well, if I knew how you intended to use the assessment I could better prepare it.

Jake: I can imagine a couple of things I would use it for: I have a new product manager for that brand who is coming from another part of the business and it would get him up to speed, plus that brand has some competition on the horizon three years out and I want some fresh thinking on how to maintain our market share, I also want some new data to take to the executive council meeting next month.

Nancy: Let me talk to my team and send you an outline of how we think these three outcomes can best be achieved. If I send it to you tomorrow do you have 15 minutes to chat about it on Thursday?

Jake: Yes, Jeannie can schedule something.

Notice the level of transparency that the conversation generates naturally. By not saying: “Sure” and heading off thinking she knows what Jake needs Nancy has begun the negotiation process and can talk with her team before actually committing to the conditions for satisfaction. Additionally, Jake has an informal thought partner who helped him clarify the purpose for his request.

I spent July 4^th with my brother – an oil man his whole career. Over the weekend I got a lesson in hydrocarbon geology that seems useful for leaders.

Geology of Talent

It turns out that gas and oil doesn’t sit underground in huge lakes waiting to be pumped out. Who knew? I thought: dead trees and vegetation, eons of new soil and rock, pools of oil and gas, “sip” it out with an oil rig. Instead, there are “lakes” of porous rock which hold the oil like a sponge, stuck under a layer of impervious rock that won’t let it move. Only when a fracture occurs, or a well is drilled, does the oil “flow” – always following the path of least resistance down a pressure gradient.

Like gas and oil, the business news is full of talent pool crises and shrinking reserves. But, what can you do about it? Do you make a Deepwater Horizon play and bring in external executive teams at high cost and unknown risk? Or is there another way to bring talent to the surface?

As a leader you have an identified pool of talent in your organization along with a reservoir of untapped talent, waiting to be “fracked” and brought to the surface. Typically, we think of talent “pools” as organizational lakes of capacity that are continuously sucked upwards when we need new energy in marketing, innovation in R&D, or to fill a power gap in finance. But what if the accessible pool is actually low hanging fruit – talent (oil) that has already found its way to the surface through the semi-permeable layers of organizational culture, old-boy’s networks, and annual reviews.

Fracking the Organization

As I now understand it, having only completed oil exploration 101, one resolution to the dilemma of stuck oil is to drill a horizontal shaft off of the vertical well so it passes through the porous oil reservoir. Then you “frack” the rock and let the oil flow to you so you can pump it vertically to the surface. Ignoring all the political and ecological arguments for the moment, can this provide business leaders with a technique for adding value to their company?

Back to your organization, what upcoming project (ready to be assigned to an identified high-potential) can you use to frack your organization? You need a project that drills through the established talent development process (the impermeable layer) and tunnels horizontally across the deeper layers of the organization and into the reservoir of talented people who can’t get promoted because “there is nowhere to go”. The low pressure solution for them is to flow out of your organization and into another one. Use your project to frack the talent reservoir – look for those attracted to the challenge, fresh faces hungry for the chance to contribute. Let those who show up strut their stuff, provide them with personal mentoring, ask for input and ideas, and listen. See who shows up, then give them the ball and let them run. Make your project low pressure enough to encourage flow toward you, this way you won’t attract just the highly competitive, frustrated, or jaded folks already hammering on the glass ceiling. A couple of projects a year and your Talent Well will keep the Talent Pool full.

Tips for Fracking

• Look for Know-Why: It is easy to find organizational know-how, can you find those that know-why? People that know-why better anticipate and respond to challenges and opportunities. They are quicker to understand the context of the situation and identify who can contribute to the solution. Individuals who know-why use the golden circle and act from purpose, aligning how and what to why.
• Find hidden networks: Once you identify your reservoir of talent ask those who come forth who they know, who they talk to, and who they seek advice from. These patterns of local interaction show you the size of your reservoir and give you clues where to frack it with the next project. Try to establish a community of practice that supports the flow of your Talent Well.
• Train leaders already in the Talent Pool: What better way to promote a culture of leadership than to let acknowledged leaders identify and develop those below them? As future leaders they need to grapple with the frustration of those trapped in an organizational stratum that appears to have no upside. Learning to lean into tough decisions, navigate uncertainty, and inspire others will help their career as well as that of others. Coach them to maintain the Talent Well and your pools of reserves will never run dry.

Have you made decisions that seemed right at the time, but did not turn out the way you expected?

In a coaching session with a manager, who was dealing with a setback, I asked what did she learn? She answered honestly and with some regret:

“I wanted it to happen so badly that I didn’t pay attention to the red flags that were right in front of me.”

How to Avoid Bad Consequences

Most of our setbacks are not due to bad circumstances but to bad decisions. We forget that a decision is an action that has consequences. It is a commitment of limited resources (time, money, reputation, manpower) that we can never get back. Here are three suggestions to help managers pause the action button, see the red flags and evaluate the potential problems.

1. Slow it down.
A quick decision isn’t always the best decision. Get in the habit of asking: Why do I (or we) have to make this decision right now? Who or what is pressuring us to take action and why? what would happen if we waited?
2. Let go.
This may be extremely difficult because many leaders want to be “in control”. Yet, your staff may be in a better position than you in understanding the facts and circumstances.
3. Get support.
Find a coach or colleague who can relate to your world. Ask yourself, “Who is able to fully comprehend the issues and stress I’m facing? Who can help me see this problem, the crisis, or the opportunity more clearly?”

Management Success Tip:

If you’re sitting on the fence about a major decision, take time to reflect and gain greater clarity. What kind of challenge or problem is it? How big is it? Is it worth my time and energy? What path seems right? What the worst, and the best possible, thing that could happen? Am I paying attention to the red flags that are waving at me? Am I ready to get off the fence? If yes, what’s next? If no, what do I need to get moving?

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• Copyright © 2012 Marcia Zidle business and leadership coach.