Posts tagged relationship

Watch Out, A Question Could Be …

Jun01
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Steve
Question mark

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Ever have one of those projects or work assignments that just don’t make sense? How about the project that just keeps on going and going (like the Energizer Bunny)? Have you ever had a what was thought to be a question, turn into a full scale project or in depth analysis? Over the years, I have too many of these to count! It is amazing how many I can remember like they were yesterday. Those particular projects or work assignments just pop to the forefront of my mind. I got a question the other day, “why does it happen sometimes and not other times?” Great question! Really got me looking back for an answer. I started looking at the basics of why and how those projects were started. There were many reasons but when I strip back to just the one’s that went nowhere or really were costly with no real return. I come out with a simple answer – they pretty much all started like this. Someone high up asks, “Have we looked at XYZ?” or “Could we use XYZ?” or “What would it cost to do XYZ?” Great questions that get passed down leader to leader to the ones doing the work. Think back to the experiment in elementary school about a simple sentence that is said to one and passed through the rest of the class. Do you remember the last one saying what he heard? Well, that exercise lives on when we are adults. That simple question turns into a full blown analysis that requires more understanding, trials, support, negotiations and then an ROI.

This example is not real, but I bet many folks could relate something that they have had to work on to this example. CEO comes from a trade show where he/she was a guest speaker. Ran into something that trade show that looked interesting and thought maybe this could be something for his/her company. Upon returning, asks CIO, “has your team looked at this software?” Could be a competitive hammer over our current software (if not better). CIO at the time does not know, so fires off an email to the VP of engineering. VP to Director and then Director to Product Line Manager – you get the drill. By the time it gets to PLM – we have a fully sanctioned project. With extremely tight timelines and lots of “important” eyes are watching.

We should all have questions that need some level of understanding. Leaders have to have answers to questions. The important point to remember is your question just for basic understanding or do you really want an in depth analysis? What level of cycles are you going to let your people work on something? Does other work that is already being performed get disrupted by answering a question. Well, those simple points sometimes are not reviewed or positioned properly.

Lots of people are engaged on this now “important” project. Work is getting done and information is starting to be gathered. Reviews up the chain are happening and more in depth questions come popping out. Of course, what was the original intent of the question is not reviewed. Project is almost completed and a larger report out is made to VP and CIO. Plenty of work done, some more still needed if we want to move forward… CIO discusses with CEO. CEO says, “Wow, lots of work went into this. Why? I only asked have we looked at it, could we use it and should we use it?”

How to avoid these useless exercises in the future, as the leader you need to:

  • Be clear in your question. What is the intent? What are you trying to learn, do or make happen? A simple question can turn into much more than you intended.
  • Set a timeline that fits your level of need in the question. If it is just a simple answer, then give it a short timeline. Don’t give an a deadline of enough time that much more can get done than needed. If you ask your leader for a timeline to get the answer back – listen for understanding of your question. If that lower level leader is asking for too much time – than the likelihood that they will be doing more than necessary is a sure thing.
  • Recognize that sometimes “no” is a good thing. Do you really need an answer? Putting your organization into a get an answer, maybe a waste of their time. You should survey that before you ask. I don’t know how many of those projects, I heard – “that is much more information than I asked for.” Damn, did I just waste my time?

If you are assigned one of these projects or work assignments.. It is easy to just go off and do. Many times the questions you need to ask, will help define what really is needed. I have learned not to assume that the leaders above you had the answers. They maybe telling you their understanding of the question. Going to the direct source maybe hard, but in the long run – it could pay off.

 

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What is High School for?

May06
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Steve

I found a great blog post from Seth Godin.. It was his “What is High School for?” Simple and powerful statements. Something needs to change. When I recently was hiring new employees – there has been a big change in the quality level. Below is that list..

• How to focus intently on a problem until it’s solved.
• The benefit of postponing short-term satisfaction in exchange for long-term success.
• How to read critically.
• The power of being able to lead groups of peers without receiving clear delegated authority.
• An understanding of the extraordinary power of the scientific method, in just about any situation or endeavor.
• How to persuasively present ideas in multiple forms, especially in writing and before a group.
• Project management. Self-management and the management of ideas, projects and people.
• Personal finance. Understanding the truth about money and debt and leverage.
• An insatiable desire (and the ability) to learn more. Forever.
• Most of all, the self-reliance that comes from understanding that relentless hard work can be applied to solve problems worth solving.

I’m pretty sure that we can all agree on those.. When I think back to my days of high school (that is a ways back), not all were covered, but many were. The ones that I took to heart were life long learning, scientific method, leading peers, relentless hard work and solving problems with focus. I would also like to challenge parents to instill some of these as well. I would like to add just a couple…

• Keeping sports and arts for mind and body improvements. Taking care of yourself. Also adding competition and drive for excellence…
• Help find that inner passion. What will fuel you to be great?

Anything you want to add? Or subtract?

Posted in Observations - Tagged , , , , ,

My Manager Musts

Apr06
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Steve

Over the years, I have learned some important things to do and not to do. Managing people has been a learning experience. When I was a new manager, almost every situation I encountered was new. I stumbled through them sometimes, but I can safely say, I learned something from each situation. Some of my managers were good sources of my experiences. Some of them offered the “don’t do this” variety, but those are key lessons to take with me. So, what are the major things I have learned in all these years of managing people? What have I shared with other managers? I have written on almost all of them (see hyperlinks). Here are the things that I have in my toolbox of managing people:

  • Your job is to remove roadblocks for your staff. This is one key that many managers forget. What do you really offer your staff that they can not get on their own? Roadblock remover! Sometimes the manager gets in the way. If that is true, get moving.
  • Set expectations. Giving your staff the opportunity to help set expectations is very powerful. Giving them the end point, gives them vision into what needs to be done. Don’t tell them how to do it. See the first one…
  • Empower them. I know this one is a lot of lip service. Truly empower them is giving them the authority, confidence and the space to get the job done. Sounds easy… Make it happen, you will be rewarded more from your staff with this one.
  • Never give someone a task, you wouldn’t do. Let’s face it sometimes there are crappy tasks that need to be done.. Don’t be afraid to say that, “I know this is a crappy task. I am sorry, but I really need you to get it done.” Helps..
  • Problems occur, address them ASAP. In a previous post, I wrote about conflict. Well, those problems don’t usually go away. Stand up and acknowledge there is a problem. Respectfully address it.
  • Praise in public. Critique in private. If you must critique, make sure that it is about the professional part of the job. Stay away from the personal. Everything must tie to what is happening back on the job. Your behavior in this situation caused this to be missed, that to slipped or whatever happened  in their job. Setting the stage is critical.
  • Let them speak (or vent). Give them the opportunity to let of some steam if necessary. Listen, you could hear something that is going on, that you were unaware of. Too many times, I have heard a managers voice and not my own. Those don’t work well.
  • Respect their time. I had a manager that was late to everything. His time management was terrible. For me, I felt that my time was not important. My time and their time is important!
  • Don’t be afraid to say, “I don’t know.” I don’t know everything.. The worse thing you could do is make something up. A simple, “I don’t know, but let me find out” works best.
  • No surprises. Don’t blindside your staff members. A performance appraisal should not be the first time someone hears there is a problem. You should be communicating all the time. Here is more deeper thoughts in this area.
  • Never micromanage. Again, another past post of mine. For me, micromanaging is the worst behavior any manager can do. Give your people room to work!
  • Finding the “right” people to work in your team. Your team is key to your success. Finding the right people to work together is critical. Sometimes the person with the most experience is not the best fit for the job
  • Mistakes happen, just not the same mistake over and over. No one is perfect, so when a mistake happens, learn from it and don’t let it happen again. I always use the first one is on me… Have a positive outlook and control
  • Blame is useless. I have had managers that are looking for the “who” to blame. I would rather find out what happened and make sure that it doesn’t happen again. See the above one.
  • You set the example of your staff to follow. Your staff is a mirror of yourself. You don’t like what you see, then you change.
  • You are nothing without them. It is a funny thing, when you go on vacation or are out sick, the work gets done… If you staff is all out on vacation or sick – nothing gets done.

There probably are more to add.. Everyday as a manager is a learning experience. Take this list, use what you want and add some of your own. Either way, your staff will appreciate it.

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Effective One on One Communications

Feb14
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Steve

After 20+ years of managing and working in corporate America, no one will argue that communicating with your direct reports is not important. One on One communications is the life blood of coaching, mentoring and developing the boss/employee relationship. Why is it, that many managers fail at this? Or employee’s just don’t want them? Could it be that the sessions are just not effective? Over those 20+ years, I hate to think how many of those one on one’s I have led or attended as the direct report. I do know I have had some great, good and terrible one’s.

Here are my very simple steps to making sure that these sessions are effective:

Agenda’s set in advance: Normally the one on one was the employee’s meeting (in my last employer) and they had to have an agenda. I have found that agenda’s are the first critical step. Know what is going to be discussed sets up the meeting in the right way. Some of the worst one on one’s were those that had no agenda. One point that I would make is, the agenda needs to be sent to the manager at least 24 hours in advance. This way, the manager has time to prepare.

Be prepared: Both the employee and manager need to be prepared! Prepared to discuss what is on the agenda without holding back. When the discussion is guarded, no one wins. Having the agenda ahead of time, helps the manager to be prepared to discuss in more detail. Being put on the spot sometimes can be damaging to the relationship. The one explain that really used to get me fired up as an employee was… My question would be something like, “how is my performance to date?”  The answer back, “keep doing what you are doing.” Two things come to mind… First, my agenda was probably not looked at ahead of time because the manager was not prepared… Or worse, this manager has no idea what I am doing – I have basically been goofing off the past month…

Set up meeting frequency regularly: Maybe it is me, but having a regular cadence and basic discussion topics insures successful discussions during the one on ones. Basic discussion topics are overall performance, professional development, help needed, coaching and general discussions. Not every topic can be accomplished every time.. Set up the meetings in the right cadence (every 2 weeks maybe) and have certain basic topics preset..

Listen: Better yet, effective listening… Make sure that this meeting is really about your direct report. This is one of those critical times where you as the manager get to really learn and help develop the employee/manager relationship. Listening helps you learn!

Follow-up: Sometimes the one on one will be so successful that the employee and manager may have some stuff that needs to get done outside of the session. Don’t forget to follow-up! Successful sessions get people excited and really to take on whatever is in front of them. Forgetting to follow-up, just demonstrates the words were just that words… Actions speak much louder!

Sounds simple, it truly is.

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

Tailor or Force Your Approach

Jan25
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Steve

I woke up this morning to see an email from one of my past new managers at Intel. Nice surprise! He was looking for an answer to a question that had been burning at him for awhile. He asked his current manager, “should managers tailor their approach to fit the personalities of the team that they have?” He remembered that I touched on that subject during “New to Management: Managing Teams to Higher Performance.” Just could not remember exactly what I said. His manager told him that he should do what comes best to him. In short, do what has made you successful and get the team to follow you. Very simple and not very helpful answer I thought. What I liked about the answer was the get the team to follow… Or provide leadership! 

So, here is what I wrote back:

Great question! I think your manager was a bit vague in his answer.. I did like his part on getting the team to follow. So, building on that… Leadership is based in helping others succeed, having a vision, and the capability to utilize the knowledge, skills and abilities of your team to fulfill it. I truly believe a leader must adapt to the personalities of the team. When we discussed this in the class, everything was situational. If you have ever taken situational leadership or anything like that – key to success is in communication. Learning how to get through to each person and best motivate them is the leader’s job. By doing so creates a team of loyal, hard working team of individuals committed to the cause. That will follow you! Trying to have the team adopt to you would be like an old sports coach that only knows how to lead by bullying with a “heart” or setting up competition for the few scarce prizes. Those two ways may get results when you are around, but leave and so do the results. I have had those coaches and managers over the years, maybe good for short term results but no one every really wanted to follow them anywhere.  I hope that answered your question, if not we can always discuss further.

What do you think? Did I answer that question?

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Last Internal Blog Post

Dec14
2010 2 Comments Written by Steve

Many people outside of Intel, heard or read the tweet about my last internal blog post. Looking at that post, I can not see why I would not share this with everyone. I hope you enjoy reading it!

Well, the time has come and this is my last blog post in Planet Blue. I have looked back on my career, time at Intel, time blogging and the relationships that I have formed. Many of my posts have already covered some of that. I have thought for awhile, “what would be my last post.” Many of you have sent me emails – wondering what that last post will be about. It has been a struggle to decide. I can honestly say, I have written and rewritten this post 10 to 15 times. Sounds silly, doesn’t it?  What do you say to a bunch of folks that you have spent many hours, weeks, months and years with? What last words of wisdom could I share? Here goes…

  • Thank-you’s: Check – I have said my thanks to many key folks in my career – either in a blog post, email, hallway, cafe and on the phone.
  • A glance back upon my 28 years: Check – many blog posts have shared stories. Many teambuilding dinners, happy hours, tweet-ups, 1:1, I have shared my stories.
  • What I like about having worked at Intel: Check – have many blog posts that bring up the very best of my likes. Over the past month, many of you have asked that question directly. I have given you my honest opinion. I truly have enjoyed myself. Sure, there were tough times – times that I had to do things that I really did not like, but I had to them anyways. I believe that the good far outweighed any of the bad.
  • Shared my knowledge: Check – I have been blogging to put down forever my thoughts and knowledge – so that when I have completely left the building – I have left a piece of me digitally. I also have spent a lot of my time as a manager coaching my people. I hope that my coaching will be passed on by them to others.
  • Given my all: Check – I don’t know what more I could have given. I was blessed with working in the factories and doing some amazing things. Accomplishing milestones that no one thought possible. Working around the clock on first silicon to insure that nothing was slipped in my area. Attempting to be a role-model for whatever I was doing. I truly believe that I have given my heart and soul to every task that I was assigned.
  • Had Fun: Check – without a doubt, I have had fun. Even in the toughest of situations, I have tried my best to make sure that we had fun at work. Maybe sometimes folks thought it was a bit too much – well, it can never be too much.

My old team in Oregon got together one last time to hold Last Supper with Steve. They opened up the Wellington house and brought food, drinks and fun – one last time for me.  We did many of the mentioned above that evening. We thanked each other, we shared stories, they asked me my best times at Intel, I shared my knowledge or opinion on anything asked and we had fun. Goes back to my previous post – all about the people.  I was completely humbled by their gesture. Dedicated bunch of Intel employees, but most of all great people.

Coming up soon is my official retirement party! I have been thinking about that moment and how it will be for me and my family. It is hard to really put into words. Of the 28 years, 25 of them have been wondering the Chandler Campus. I have had a cubicle in all buildings but CH6. I wonder how I missed that one? Anyways, I want to end my last post with a clear message… It is something that I have lived with and communicated out to my teams as my simple philosophy.

  • Be knowledgeable in your field. Stay on top of your skills. Be the Subject Matter Expert!
  • Do what you say you will do; everything. Your words and actions are the only things that you totally control.
  • Have fun doing it!

I wish each and everyone of you nothing but success and happiness in the future! I know Intel will remain successful, due to the people that work there!

What do you think?

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Team Processes and Procedures

Nov23
2010 Leave a Comment Written by Steve

Every new managing will get to really enjoy their time in the next phase of the Tuckman Model for team development, storming. I have spent time with many new managers and they always say that they are not looking forward to repeating the storming aspect of team development. Their experiences have taught them that it is ugly and sometimes difficult to move through. Personally, I find this particular phase a challenge and helpful in making sure that I have focused the team in the right places.

What is Storming really? This is the time where competition and conflict start to surface. Each person is starting to feel out their individuality and inserting their influence on subject matter. May get to see the resistance to tasks or processes. Lastly, depending on the size of your team, you could start to see subgroups or polarization form. Since you are the new manager – I would bet that you are the cause of this happen at the time you joined. Same thing will happen as soon as a new member joins. The time spent in storming is really all about how the roles and responsibilities are set up. What should you have?

  • Assigned duties. If you have set up your SMART team goals, work tasks are assigned! What about the other tasks? Do you have a coverage model for when you or your team are out of the office? Do you have meetings? Do you have assigned meeting duties? Should you? Taking any of the guess work out of the team on who is doing what, when will help get out of storming quickly.
  • Cross training. Does you team have knowledge of other’s jobs? The more that each one knows the better it is for helping each other out, rather than point the fingers. Should this all be documented? Would be extremely helpful for reminders and for any new members coming in.
  • Documented processes. Not the job documented processes, but the ones that they team has for each other. Getting back the discretionary items. If you set up a schedule for coverage or meetings… Writing it down, sharing it with the team makes it clear.
  • Documented procedures. As a manger – do you have a set of pet peeves or rules that you like to work within with your team? Most new managers are feeling that out. Over the years, I have developed a simple list of team procedures that I use – and work with the team to refine to get commitment moving forward.

Storming can be fun! Especially if you work as a team to go through the team processes and procedures. There should not be too many questions that come up that can not be handled from your basic team roles, processes and procedures. The goal is to get to Norming!

Norming is that area where the team is working with cohesion and alignment. Roles are well established and practiced as witnessed by an increase in trust and communication. Listen for “WE-ness.” What really helps here is taking all of the work in forming/storming and adding a deeper understand. Focus on problem solving, like identify problems and working through them together. As a new manager, you have to be willing to let go when the time is in norming. That does not mean ignore. It means that you are still in it, but on the outside with the team. Communication should flow – but not just through you. Having a tool in place for each member to track their performance or at least know what is happening goes a long way to moving forward (that will be coming in the monitoring team performance post in a few days).

The last stage of the Tuckman model is Performing. As a new manager – you want to strive to get your team to this stage. Why? Goal achievement is consistant with each member focusing on high task output. The team starts to put the emphasis on their performance and production. The team sees you, manager, as just another member of the team. Trust is a big component in performing. Trust in each other to do what is right for the good of making the results be the best that they can be.

So, where is your team today? Do you have the basics in place? Are you updating them?

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Communicating Volumes Without Words

Oct05
2010 Leave a Comment Written by Steve

Managers and leaders communicate (or they should) often! I remember during my non-verbal communications college class (a very long time ago) – that non-verbal makes up about 55-60% of the effectiveness of the communications. There is no arguement that the words are important, but the are those subtle messages that are non-verbal. Today’s environment makes it tough to really see the non-verbal communications with the way we work. How many meetings that we attend that we sit in our offices? With no video? How many emails do you get? For managers and leaders, when you are present – make sure that your non-verbal is spot on.

Here are some of the things that may seem simple, but I have noticed that many fail to really demonstrate communicating without words.

  • Eye contact – Having eye contact speaks volumes that you are paying attention than looking directly at the speaker eyes. The opposite speaks extremely the opposite. I have had the opportunity throughout my career to present to many folks. Having them look down at the floor, using their smartphone or working with their laptops – tells me they don’t care!
  • Smiles – Have you heard, “a picture is worth a thousand words?” Make sure that you start off with a smile. Gets everything started off well for both parties. I remember I was in a class that Andy Grove came in to speak to. He was having a very bad day, negotiations with a company were not going well and he had an opportunity to speak to a management class. He stepped into that opportunity with a smile – none of us even knew how bad his day was going.
  • Handshakes and pats on the back – It may seem “old school” but when done right, this has a solid impact on the person. The problem is done right! Make sure that it is timely and sincere.
  • Arriving on time – “Lead by example” – if you want to have a strong message to your organization, show up on-time, everytime.
  • Management/Leadership by working around – We have our SMBWA for safety.. Try using MBWA as a leader. Walking the hallway, cafe and office area goes a long way to demonstrating you care. How many times have we heard about a leader that sits in his/her office or conference room and does not get out and about with the troops? And when they do, they look down at the carpet as they walk about?

I challenge managers and leaders to pay attention to these and see how your team(s) react! Give it a try, what do you have to lose? Those that work for you, know already when you don’t!

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Lead or Judge – You Pick

Sep22
2010 Leave a Comment Written by Steve

Reality is a funny thing. We know we should live in it. When you are leading sometimes, reality is not something that you really want to see or hear. The story is always better. Given a choice between reality and our version of it, I bet we are more inclined to choose the later. Sharing a story – I was a new leader to a team of folks, that were partners of mine before. My perception of this team was not good. They were difficult to work with, rarely got stuff done on-time and frankly I did not look forward to any dealings I had with them. As part of a rotation, I was now their leader (careful what you wish for). What do you do? Below I will share my experience on what I did.

So what does this sound like? Have you ever heard any of these?

  • “I shouldn’t have to do this – it’s not part of my job description.”
  • “Our department is always having to clean up after others’ mistakes (messes).”
  • “The boss just doesn’t get it.”
  • “Management only cares about the bottom-line.”

When you hear those – you are arguing with reality. Judging your situation in terms of right or wrong instead of confronting what is. Time to respond to facts. Always easier said then done. Think what is woven into the story; ego, insecurities and identity. The story makes us look and feel better. Most stories have someone or something that is not quite good enough (not always placing blame, but enough to point to it). This insures that the criticism is setting us apart from others (which in turn does not help them).

When you start judging, you stop leading. Judging is in the land of the story… How do you make sure that you get back?

  • Step back and really getting the facts. Do you have all the information or are you judging what you think you know?
  • Focus on actions for success. Too many times I hear – I was right. Are you trying to prove yourself right?
  • Trust others. Not to worry about what motives are driving a team or individual, but how can you help them achieve success.
  • Clear and solid expectations. Those expectations have to be of your team and yourself. We all have challenging goals to achieve. Work with your team to best figure out the right approach for success.

Back to the story.. That horribly negative group that I know am the leader of… I took it upon myself to say, I am the biggest obstacle in making this work. It was my judging of the team that needed to change first. Respond to reality.. The phone rings – I pick it up. Email comes in – I answer it right away. Team asks a question – I answer it or teach them to fish. Team discusses how things worked in the past – I listen and learn – then lead them toward the future. Engaging with them all the way. I started to see changes in the team. I mostly started to see changes in myself. With every experience comes some key learning’s – if you want to learn.

I wonder, if you think back to a situation – where you telling yourself a story? Were you doing any judging of individuals or departments? Was it reality? Did you lead in that situation?

Posted in Leadership, Observations - Tagged , , , , , ,

My Thoughts On Managing

Sep03
2010 Leave a Comment Written by Steve

Been managing a very long time, some 28 years. I taught my first of 3 or 4 more sessions on “New to Management” for my employer. So, I started thinking more about being a manager. When I think about my career and what is it to be a manager – a number of things came to my mind. So, I thought I would write them down and share.

We all have to start with a baseline , managers are the vehicle that turn intentions (mission, strategies and expectations) into results. I have been doing this for a lot of years, many of my peers have as well – we are getting ready to finish up our careers and pass the baton to others. So, what are my thoughts?

  • Management is probably the best and most challenging job around. If you really want maximum impact – sign up now.
  • Great managers really do what many will not try or do. It all starts with the choices that you make everyday. Those managers approach and blast away barriers. Don’t shy away from the difficult task of stopping busy work for the really important work.
  • Management is a social act. Sitting in your office is not very social. You have to get out, have conversations and develop relationships. Simply put: erode relationships, erode results. Get out there and bring out the best in others.
  • You are in the middle and much is expected of you. Too many times I have heard, “that is why you make the big bucks.” Completely understanding the expectation (from your manager and the needs of your team) will help you chart your path.
  • Time is critical. Look at your inbox (unread), calendar, to do list and count the instant messages during the day. Each and everyone of those are opportunities to engage and excite. How are you spending your time? Would you change anything?  Great conversations are worth lots. Remember, relationships = results.

There has been much written on management over the years. There has never been any new silver bullet to being completely successful. What I learned over the years, is nothing new. Remember to spend time on yourself (learning, developing and listening). The true important part is – How you apply the learning’s and experiences.

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