Posts tagged accountability

You’re NOT The Boss – Lead Anyways

Jul21
2011 5 Comments Written by Steve

Are you a project manager? How about a person that leads the a team without the title of manager? I was a very lucky manager to have working for me, some awesome project managers. They did not have a staff of folks that worked for them – they got their resources from Resource Managers. Those project managers would share their concerns, issues and successes with me on a regular basis. How many projects do you think were 100% spot on for complete success? That answer will be coming in a later paragraph – sorry..

How does a project manager really get their team to be successful? How do they make stuff happen without having their team reporting directly to them? There are some initial basics that each team needs to have to be success:

  • Goals are clearly defined and matched with measurable outcomes. Basic project management tools help to make sure that this is written down. How do they really get everyone on board – that is the trick. My best project managers used to pull everyone in for complete understanding and formulation of the project charter, outcomes and deliverable’s - as a collaborative effort. Making sure to really focus on Tuckman’s model of forming and storming… Make sure that you have set realistic expectations..
  • Accurate 2-way communication. Setting up the working norms for the project team. Could be meeting workspaces, social media group or anything that everyone felt comfortable using. The project manager set up regular review meetings that were short and focused. Meetings do not mean work gets done. Regular one on one discussions are scheduled – around the critical milestones. Of course we have the normal communication channels – the hallway, email, phone and cafe – but if you have a dispersed team – those channels need some TLC to work.
  • Cooperation and collaboration. Probably the single hardest thing is getting work done through people. Since you are responsible, as the project manager, you need to move the team from storming to performing as quickly as possible. Getting everyone to be all in. I usually see good project managers – meeting with their team one on one to fully get to know the person. Understanding them and how they work to help move forward. Spending lots of time listening and understanding. Taking that knowledge and applying it to the the team as a whole. Reviews can be a good thing, if structured well, (I like them rapid fire). Focus on encouraging dialog among team members on the time-lines and deliverable’s.
  • Shared identity. I know this seems somewhat cheesy, but having a team name, maybe a logo or something to identify helps. When working with shared resources – the more you can make those resources feel special – the better off you will be.
  • Celebrate and recognize extra effort. Want to keep your folks motivated to keep on keeping on track – when something special happens – celebrate.. Award the team or set of individuals on the above and beyond effort. Praise never hurt anyone.. Just be fair and consistent.
Back to the question on success rate. Not every project manager has achieved 100% spot on project management. It just does not happen. What does happen is leading their team is a lot easier if they focus on the above. 
Posted in Leadership, Observations - Tagged , , , , , ,

Get Connected!

Jan31
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Steve

Effective Leadership, to me, requires a true commitment to serve both the organization’s mission/vision and the people that you are responsible for leading. Both are needed and essential. Individuals who don’t demonstrate that they care about the people will never be true leaders. Frankly, they should not be in a position of leadership. I have seen many in my career. I bet, you reading this – you are thinking of the leaders or managers that you have and thinking – that is someone you can remember. When you are thinking of this person – you can almost pinpoint their mistakes. Either not caring about the organization’s mission/vision (which is rare) or the people they are supposed to be leading (usually the case). For those people, they may have short term success, but over time they fail.

There is a way to correct this… It takes leaders at the top of the organizations to do some work. Having a way to measure their managers on employee engagement (I mean their ability to connect) and hold each other accountable. Many companies may survey the managers people within a set of “management” questions. That could work, if the questions were designed to measure connectedness of the manager. For me, there is no substitution to getting out and listening to the managers people. Truly listening with deep understanding.. When it has become apparent that the leader is failing to meet the standard, help them with coaching, mentoring and development. The problem that I see almost all the time is improvement plans start but never finish. Identifying the problem is only part of the solution. All to often change rarely happens. That is where accountability has to come in. If then, they prove to be unable to connect with the people they manager, they should NOT be in leadership roles.

For individuals and organizations to be successful, everyone must be firm on balancing their time that is spent on managing task and connecting with the people (each other). If too much time spent on either side is unhealthy and frankly leads to poor performance. I have seen this work.. A leader investing time connecting with people, the people give their best efforts, focus on what is needed and help each other. The team will be more open to sharing their knowledge and opinions. The team will start to fuel more ideas, innovate and make breakthroughs. A much better place to be (as a leader and member of the organization).

Posted in Leadership, New To Management - Tagged , , , , , , ,

Coaching Youth Sports – Debate…

Jan19
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Steve

Ever just watch a high school football, basketball or baseball game? What were you first impressions?  Ever go to one of those games and see a complete whitewash or blow out? You know, where one team is far superior in every way over the other. What were your emotions? I have coached for many years in youth sports, all the way up to high school level. I have been involved on both sides of winning big and losing big. When I see scores that are so far apart, I just wonder, “what are the coaches doing?” In this area there are two schools of thought. You have those that say, you should never run the score up on an opponent; or sorry, maybe they should practice hard or work harder not to have that happen. For me, it just depends on the situation…

I for one am not a proponent of running up the score on a less-talented team. Nor am I in favor of going after individual or team scoring records. I believe that once the game has started, I as the coach, have to evaluate the game and where this is heading. If I know, I have an opponent completely out matched, I do change how I approach the rest of the game. It does not mean that I tell my players not to give 100%. It means that I may change up my player combinations or demand the team to involve more of the lesser skilled players in the game. Does that hurt the overall team? I don’t believe that it does. I would argue that expanding your playing time to those that normally get less (and having them work with higher skilled players) makes your overall team stronger. What really frosts my cookies, is when a coach is not attempting to use all of his players - his/her first team gets all the playing time. When we do score, we don’t go over-the-top with a celebration, we act like you have done it before. I have definitely had a few of those games where I was on the losing end. I again have to re-evaluate my approach to the game. I will try to motivate my players to keep them working hard, keep them focus on their performance and everything that they control. Win one play at a time, so to speak. Build on those successes for next time. Afterwards, my practice planning and focus will be on where we really need to get better based on past performances. Some of the best learning situations come from failure.

Coaching sports is something that I have loved to do over the years. I have heard from many of my players parents that we could have easily have doubled that score if we did not let up on the opponents throat. I usually answer that with, we did not let up, we just changed our approach. I also add, “what benefit would it be to the team to do that? We won and we won be a lot, doubling it who benefits?”  The simple answer I normally got was, our scoring leaders would have more points, which could get them a scholarship. My answer to that is, “maybe, maybe not; I don’t think it matters that much to him/her as they were helping their team mates be better.”

I always look for life lessons in sports. Winning big or losing big happens in sports and in life. How we do that is more important than the actually outcome. People says that we are getting to be a nation of wussies. We care too much about people’s feelings. Well, maybe that is true. I believe that as a coach it is my responsibility to have my team prepared to play well and get the job done. Putting a little bit more emphasis on how we accomplish getting the job done when adversity happens or when it is too easy – helps. For the players that have played for me, over those many years, I bet they would not argue that fact. Some would have wished that I let them accomplish some scoring titles or stuff like that, but I hope that they learned how to win with grace and sportsmanship.

I would like your take on it!

Posted in Hockey, Observations - Tagged , , , , ,

Need For Better Safety Precautions

Dec08
2010 Leave a Comment Written by Steve

I for one am not big on having our government in our daily lives, but maybe we have to. Over the past month, when I am driving around – I have been observing and taking mental notes. Some of the things I have witnessed are -

  • 3 out 5 female drivers are driving around on their cellphones glued to their ears.
  • 2 out 5 male drivers have one finger stuck in their nose while driving around.
  • Putting on make-up has become a sport while driving.
  • Over 80% of observed city (any city) workers are have cellphone in their ear while driving around.
  • Still I hear on the news of yet another youngest falling in the backyard pool.

What is happening out there? Are we too distracted to follow some basic safety rules? Do we think nothing will happen to us? I wish we would step up and make some necessary changes to improve safety for all folks.

  1. Every city employee must use blue-tooth or headset technologies while driving in city vehicles. No law needed, just a mandate by the city to insure that their investment in their folks is insured some. The added bonus is the rest of us, can drive about more safely. Some of those city vehicles are a bit large and require two hands to drive safely.
  2. A law needs to be put in place for hands free driving. When I go to CA, they have that law. I forget at first, but after a quick look around, I remember. Has this made the streets and highways in CA any safer? Depending on who you read or listen too – the opinion is mixed. I say, let’s err on the side of caution first. Make hands free a reality in AZ.
  3. Personal hygiene must stay in the house (or the workplace bathroom). Let’s face it – we are busy and in a rush all the time! Putting on your make-up or shaving while driving is probably worse than the cellphone. Focus on the road!
  4. Watching our children is something that we as parents are supposed to do. All the time! Everywhere! Especially when there is water around. It turns my stomach to hear about a youngest that has fallen in the family pool. We must insure that they are safe.

I know I am not alone with many of these items. I really think it is time for personal ownership and social responsibility to kick in here. We must add safety into our daily lives. The life that maybe saved – could be yours.

Posted in Observations - Tagged , , , ,

Book Review: Accountability Important? Hell Yes!

Jul26
2010 Leave a Comment Written by Steve
One of my goals of this sabbatical was to do some reading. I have accomplished that – read three books (other 2 book reviews to come). The book, Sam Silverstein’s The Five Accountabilities,  that I just completed, was on a subject that I have written from time to time on accountability (What No Personal Responsibility and Staying in Touch).  Reading this book, I was definitely excited to see that he has put to action some of the items that (from my experience) are talked about but rarely implemented. The five accountabilities are: 
  1. Doing the Right Things. Begin by identifying your strategic intent. What are you trying to accomplish and by when? We are accountable for understanding and identifying our strategic intent—and the activities that support it.
  2. Managing Your Space. We are accountable to create the new space we need to grow and innovate in our own lives, which sometimes means taking space from something else that we’re doing. “Force of habit prevents us from giving ourselves the physical, mental, financial, or emotional space necessary to shake things up a little bit and put something new in our lives—something that could provide growth and improvement.”
  3. Managing the Process. We are accountable for creatively making progress toward whatever it is we are trying to make happen even when we hit an obstacle. It means not throwing up our hands and saying, “If it’s not meant to be, it’s not meant to be.”
  4. Establishing the Right Expectations. We are accountable for establishing the right expectations, that reflect our values, that are properly benchmarked, and are a bit of a stretch.
  5. Contributing to Your Relationships. The success or failure of our relationships depends entirely on the contributions we make. We are accountable for giving to our relationships—without keeping track. “In fact, the quickest way to kill a relationship is to start keeping track of all the reasons it’s not your turn to give to it and support it.” Sam adds, “We should constantly be looking for ways to invest in the relationship and enhance the value of the relationship over time.”

For me, I worry that too many times accountability is passed off to others, rather than just assumed and accepted. If you truly give service (not lip service) to these 5 items, I bet your people will follow you anywhere. That they look up to you, as a mentor and coach. Over at his website SamSilverstein.com - he has all the contact information and free tools and exercises to help you implement the Five Accountabilities.

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Posted in Book Review - Tagged

What – No Personal Responsibility?

Apr27
2010 1 Comment Written by Steve

There is something happening more and more today that just has got me fired up, the lack of personal accountability or responsibility. I don’t know if I am more sensitive to it or just that the frequency of the occurrences have increased. Either way, I am sick and tired of witnessing this. How about you? Nothing makes me more frustrated to listen to someone blame another person for their lack of attention to detail. I actually heard this one, “it was not my fault, so and so, did not do what I told them to do, so they are to blame.”  I then had to understand better the complete picture. Asking more questions, spending more time and then getting to solution space to get results, lots of effort. I used to get this on all the time when my kids were growing up. You know the one where you asked who did something. The answer you always got was, “not me.” That invisible additional child you did not know you had. Well, now “not me” is in the workplace. I really don’t like him.

What would make people not want to stand up and take responsibility for their actions?

  • Afraid of the perception that they don’t know what they are doing. I don’t know about you, but this one really makes them look incompetent.
  • Afraid of the consequences. Fear does wonderful things, usually not in a good way.
  • Never had to take responsibility ever, so why start now. This one, is starting to really come out loud and clear to me. As the workforce is changing – this lack of responsibility is a fundamental building block on solid work ethic.

How do we change this behavior? For me, there is one key to turning it around. It all starts with one person, yourself. Demonstrate exactly what behavior you are looking for. Take personal responsibility to your actions. When you make a mistake, stand up and be counted. Demonstrated by say, “I made a mistake, I will do XXXX better next time.” This will let the folks in the team know that you are human and willing to admit that you messed up and how you plan on fixing that mistake in the future. Next up, I would make insure that the work environment is set up for folks to admit to mistakes without fear or perception issues popping up. When people feel that they are open to say what they need to say, they usually will do so. Lastly, when someone opens up and admits it, go ahead and thank them for their honesty. Seems like a strange thing to do, thanking someone for admitting a mistake, but when the team sees this behavior, they will understand that the environment is a safe place. This does not mean that the slate is wiped clean of the actions. Work has to get done and quickly, but what happens is everyone can get on with producing results, rather than wasting time “getting to the bottom of what happened.” I have never seen a person get fired for standing up when they have made a mistake and take ownership to insure that it does not happen again. Have you?

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Enough Talk, Let’s Do Something

Mar30
2010 1 Comment Written by Steve

Over the past few months, I have posted a few entries on education. During that same time the state government and the federal government for that fact has done very little to ease my concern on what is truly our future. It is the state of affairs around education. 

Facts (straight from Arizona Education Association)

  • Second in highest student-teacher ratio.  
  • Second fastest growing student population. 
  • Ranks 35th in the nation for average teacher salaries and is $6,536 below the national average.
  • Ranks dead last in per pupil expenditure.
  • Arizona ranks 49th out of the 50 states in the amount spent per student
  • Arizona expended $6232 per student which is $2741 below the national average.
  • Arizona would have to increase per pupil spending by 44% to move to an amount equal to the national average expenditure per student
  • The cost to move Arizona to the national average is estimated to exceed $2.7 billion.

There is not all bad news for our Arizona schools – I did read a few reports that have us in the bottom third ranking in overall scoring and test results. Most of them have us in the mid to upper 30′s ranking. In the high 40′s in spending and that gets you to the mid to high 30 ranking in results. Just think if we were to put a little more spending in that bucket – no telling where our results would far, maybe to half or top third… Something to think about.

With what is on the table today.. We all are having to really look to pass a sales tax in order to save this. What other choice do we have? Our government today, is looking at billions in cuts… As a parent, I am not pleased. I have to do something… Here are my actions:

  • As much as I hate to see an increase in sales tax – just another balloon squeeze. I will have to support that!
  • Next time we have our government up for re-election, time to do some serious revisiting of who should remind. In fact, it is about time to kick all of them to the curb. Starting over could not make this any worse than it already is. At the very least, the officials that really support education and what is needed – need to stay.
  • Get active in any and all education rallies throughout our state. Our voices have to be heard, but first you have to be in attendance. Thinking that there are already enough or that you alone can not change things – is not going to work. History demonstrated that active participation works, make it work now.
  • Tell you state government, your elected officials in your district and the education department – it is time to wake up… Time to really look at what is important today and in the future.

The real question is – “What are you going to do?”

Posted in Observations - Tagged , ,

Staying in Touch

May15
2009 Leave a Comment Written by Steve

 

Ever wonder if your leader is in touch with reality? Ever wonder where they are? Ever watch them walk to and from meetings – and wonder what they are looking for? I have wonder those a few times in my career.  I used to use the phrase, “looking for $50 bills” when I see a senior leader walking around looking down at the floor, rather than looking at the people that were passing by. A few years back, I wondered if our group leader was still employed, I never saw him in the building. I knew he was around, my email inbox said so. I guess he was hiding out in a conference room or somewhere else. Leaders need to be out and about! I really enjoy walking up and down the cubicle hallways, to the café   (sit down with folks that you know but not well), or to a conference room; just so I could talk to people. The people that worked for me, the ones that supported my team or just strangers. It is amazing some of the conservations that I have participated in.

I was reading a recent blog post from the Harvard Business Review by John Baldoni, he highlights four ways.

  • Study up: Leaders need understand the issues facing their organizations today. They should be well versed  in their particular field. If anyone is wondering where to get that information, just Google it or talk to your experts. They will get more than they need. Just try to pick out the stuff that is truly needed.
  • Listen up: Once you have the knowledge from study, how do you really get to the heart? Take some time to listen to your customers, stakeholders and even your people. You will definitely hear from customers and stakeholders – what they don’t really care for. Your people, well that comes down to the relationship that you have with them. Will they share the real stuff?
  • Inspect up: Get out and take a real deep look. I went to a military school for college, and inspections were a way of life. I am not talking about those type of inspections. If you are a leader and have a manufacturing floor; it is about time to go out and see how things really get done. Not an overview tour or a well prepared welcome to the floor special, but a surprise visit that lets you see the real deal. Spend time helping out.
  • Follow up: If you do the first three, then you need to follow up on what you have learned. For me, I find the leader that asked for some information and does nothing with it, annoying. Almost makes me want to jump on the next fire drill request. It is all about accountability. The leader and his teams accountability to each other, to their customers and stakeholders.

 

Trying to lead an organization from their office or private conference room is not going to work. It may seem easier on the leader, but the organization observes and remembers. Get out there – see the folks, talk , joke with them and observe what is happening.

Posted in Leadership - Tagged ,

True Team Players

May07
2009 Leave a Comment Written by Steve

The other day I was lucky enough to caught up with a few of my old hockey players I coached in high school. They are all out of college now, so I felt pretty old. We were talking about the year, in their minds, was the best season in the four years that they played for me. If you are looking for the year that they won the state title, that is not it. This team only made it to the semi-finals and lost to the state champions. I had to ask, “why that year?” Their response was simple. We were a true team.

They shared their stories about the season. How, they grown as young men and finally figured out what it meant to be on a team. They shared stories of the locker room, the times the coaches were in the hallway preparing for the game. If you ever wondered what goes on in there, don’t. High school teenage boys and the locker room, should just be left to your imagination. It was a very good 30 minutes before I asked them, “who do you think was the most valuable team mate?” The answer shocked me. I would have guessed the leading scorer or maybe the captain of the team. Nope, not even close.

The person that they felt was the backbone of the team, was just one of the guys. I went back to my old stats (amazing what not throwing anything out can do). His stat line was 3 goals, 6 assists and 24 penalty minutes (in 22 games). Not who I would have expected those players to pick.

Why did they think he was the MVP? As the coach I know why. He is and was a coaches dream player. He is the one that will do whatever it takes for the team. He was a pretty good skater, had an average shot, but he would do the things that don’t show up on the stats sheet. He would play against some of the better players from the other team to shut down them. He would be a physical presence on the ice. There were many times he would hurt himself (black and blue bruises were common).

To have a successful team (in sports or at work), you must have team members who are willing to sacrifice individual recognition for the good of the team. I started to wonder, if I asked the team at the end of the season, who was the MVP would I get the same answer. I think not. I think those players now understand this concept better, since they have some experiences in life and at work.

Does your team having any of those unheralded, unnoticed folks that are willing to do the dirty work, without getting the recognition for it?

Any stories come to your mind?

Posted in Hockey, Leadership - Tagged , ,

True Team Collaboration – Not There Yet?

Apr26
2009 2 Comments Written by Steve

One of the most challenging problems I face when leading work teams is how to get the team to collaborate better together. To set the stage, my work team has members in Arizona, Oregon, California and England. The folks that we interface closely are in the same sites but we can add Hong Kong, Israel and Malaysia. Getting teams to work together when you team is spread across the globe is a very difficult task. Leaders are always looking for different ways to make this work. This is not a new problem, but when I talk to others in the same situation as I, they comment that it is still a big concern and issue.

There are the traditional methods:

  • Email
  • Voice Communications (phone and audio conference)
  • Workspace or team sites (Microsoft Sharepoint or home grown web sites)
  • Instant Messaging
  • Data sharing sessions

For me, I look am open to just about anything in order to make this work.  My employer has very strict intellectual property guidelines which may or may not add to the difficulty of team collaboration. Being aware of them is important to understand when you are trying new tools or processes for collaboration.

New tools that we are trying to add to the mix are:

  • Social Computing software – forming groups, blogging or micro-blogging, discussion forums, polling and wiki’s. I see these tools as ways for folks to share a thought, bounce or poke on it and then develop into an action. A place where information can be stored for all to see. Something that can be done on your timezone without having to meet to get work done. There are only so many overlapping hours on a global time.
  • New Video capabilities – with the introduction of HD, now we can really see each other.  I know that some folks are really excited about this. I am open to it, but if this is only going to be a talking head item – then I am not convinced this is necessary. Sharing video of troubleshooting a piece of equipment, process or CAD drawing – now video can be huge. It is really that doctor working on a patient in a totally different city and helping out.
  • RSS – Having the ability to have information that I care about pushed to me, before I asked for it. Another items is when it is my turn in the workflow to do something – and I am alerted to that – well, enough said.
  • Podcasting – Messages out to the masses. Verbal communication is better than written, verbal with expression is better yet.

Add these new things to the mix and they can only enhance the experience of team collaboration, in theory. There are many issues that need to be addressed in this space.

  • Adoption of these tools – Interesting stuff, tools change and now a days this happens rather quickly; but people do not. Getting folks to see the real value in the tools is somewhat difficult. For me, I am asking that my team – just do it! I see value, I know it is there, I accept it! Many on the team are open and willing, but others are not – I have to mandate it. Once we get everyone using and adopting in our normal workflow – all will see the value.
  • Rewards systems – Here is one that for some folks, is a no brainer. You get what your pay for. If you reward folks for sharing, collaborating and working as a team for the common goals of the team – everything should work out find. Problem is, do your reward systems match the behaviors you are truly rewarding?
  • Management Support – I don’t mean the immediate manager of the team. I am talking about the upper management structure. A true commitment to trying some new scary stuff. Letting loose of some of the old management habits of command and control, trusting employee’s to do what is best and transparency.

My team has embarked on some of the journeys into the new tools. Are we there yet? Nope, we are early in experimental ways. Figuring out how to use all of what we have – is a task. Getting those integrated into our normal workflow – still a work in process. Do I or my team have any real timelines to follow? Yes and No… We know that we have to do something different and quickly, just that some are more willing that others.

Thoughts?

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