Go First

Think about the last disagreement you had with anyone. Probably a loved one or a friend. If the outcome was an agreement about some behavior that “has to change”, there’s a common occurence that often follows. We’ve both agreed that the behavior has to change - and we believe it will change - but (be very honest here) we think that the other person should change first. Often, that's because we think they're wrong - not us - and therefore of course they should change first.

As a manager, when you want a different outcome do you often think that your staff should change their behavior? I suggest that if there is changing to be done, then YOU should be the one who steps up and changes first. As yourself what you can do differently that would cause the team to respond differently?

We can’t control others anyway; we can only control ourselves. And I believe that deeply despite the over-bearing control freak that you work for because hard as she tries, she can’t control you, right?

Deciding to “go first” is leadership at its finest.

Hope Called in Sick Today

HOPE is a word that has no place in business (unless it’s the first name of your talented assistant). Every time you hear it said out loud some sort of imaginary buzzer in your brain should alert you at a painful decibel. Then a neon ribbon should scroll across your eyes that says, "an employee is about to hope for something, rather than do something".

I admit this is a little cheesy, but hearing someone say “I hope” bugged me so much that I created a little ceremony at the start of some meetings. I put an empty chair off to the side of the room and taped a piece of paper with the word 'Hope' on it. I said that Hope was our imaginary magical employee...the one who made sure that all the right things happened.

Inevitably, someone woulde say that word and I would (politely) interrupt. I would say that Hope would be joining us soon, but since she hadn’t arrived yet there was no Hope in this meeting. That would take us to the “do” part of the conversation nicely.

We had a great team and the managers picked up on this idea pretty quickly; we all agreed that Hope really wasn’t likely to actually show up at any of our meetings. Instead, we created action plans.

Don’t hope. Do.

I'd Like to Thank Everyone

You can practically hear the groans in the room when a manager starts a meeting by saying' "I'd like to thank everyone for their hard work, and there are just too many of you to thank individually."

Thanking everyone is totally unacceptable. People do not want to be part of everyone. It’s a cop out, it’s lazy and the worst part is that nobody ends up feeling thanked. You know that’s true because at some point in time you’ve been part of the thank you everyone and you didn’t feel thanked….right??

To be fair, I believe that the thanker’s sentiment is genuine, but so what? If the goal is for people to feel genuinely thanked, then you have to do it one by one and use their names, if possible. And if you didn’t thank them personally before the meeting then find them immediately after the meeting and do it in person.

And then, write it down. Send an email. Put a note on the bulletin board. Post it on one of those greeter boards in the lobby. Take out an ad in their hometown paper. Write a note to their parents. Call their spouses and their kids.

Nobody has ever been over-thanked. Now that would be a great goal.

The Rule of Ten

Learning "The Rule of Ten" was like finding a buried treasure. And it has never let me down. Chances are you know this rule by another name – but I'd like to suggest how you might put it to use in business.

First, here's how the Rule works: first, imagine your ten salespeople at your next meeting. Introduce a new idea. Anything. A new product, a new commission plan or even where to have lunch. Here’s the treasure part: once you've presented that new idea…three will love it, three will hate it and four will be on the fence. It works that way almost every time. It’s a little scary.

Go back to the part where you’ve just rolled out the new commission plan. Here's how your ten sellers responded; three had their arms folded & they were rolling their eyes, three liked the idea and the remaining four didn't know what to think. They just look confused.

Maybe, recalling that scene discourages or derails you a little. Or bugs you. Or flat out pissed you off. Are you thinking that you worked hard on the plan and instead of criticizing or doubting why don't they help make it better? Here's how you use the Rule of Ten.

Next time, go into that meeting expecting the Rule of Ten to show up. If you expect the resistance from one third of the people you won't get discouraged. And it won't derail you. And that can change everything.

That new expectation will enable you to choose your actions, rather than merely react. You can choose whether to engage in a debate at that moment or save it for later. Best of all, you can ensure that you aren’t derailed or annoyed.

Pretty soon, you’ll start to be entertained by the reliability of the The Rule of Ten. And it’s way better to be amused than annoyed.

Idol Management

In case you don’t know the identity of this trio (where do you live??) they are the three judges of American Idol. I started watching the show just this season & I am fascinated by the way they approach the audition process.

It's fascinating to watch because practically every person auditioning is in a highly charged state; this is their "chance of a lifetime". Often, one of the three divas will encourage timid or even poor singers by telling them to believe in themselves….because if they don’t “believe”, then the audience won’t believe. Even though the person doesn't have a prayer of qualifiying the advice they're giving would be terrific in any workplace.

Belief is a very important part of the management process. Your team will surely make mistakes, and that will test your belief in them. Too often, employees become afraid that even one mistake might cause them to lose your respect - or even their jobs. I hope that seems crazy t0 you, but that's how it works in a lot of companies. Too many, I fear.

Instead, imagine how great it would be if a (potentially) fearful employee really knew that his boss believed in him….believed that he was the right person for the job, despite the mistake. Because even talented people make mistakes. Yeah, yeah you know that. We all know that. But do you manage to that truth? Would our staff say that you believe that?

Empowerment has been a business buzzword for a while, with lots of definitions. When managers send a message of belief to their employees that is an example of true empowerment at work.

High performers are often harder on themselves than you will ever be. (Is that true for you?) When you are leading well your team will take responsibility for their mistakes right away – if you make it safe for them to do so. It's on your to make sure that your employees know you believe in them.

Tell them. Make it safe for them to make and admit mistakes. If you do it successfully your employees will take responsibility for their mistakes every time, big time.