The Happy Burro

(originally published March 1, 2008 as part of the Issues Managers Face in the Workplace series)

Ever wonder if people in your organization or on your team are doing tasks just to keep busy? Does it appear that everyone nods their heads in agreement at an idea, then goes about working on that idea in so many different ways? Is all this busy work necessary? Valuable? What is the end in mind and the best path to get there? Rebecca Thorman, guest-writing about Social Media and Next Generation Leaders at Valeria Maltoni’s Conversation Agent blog, shared this story: 

 Sam Davidson tells a good fisherman story about a man that finds another man fishing and explains to him that if he catches many fish, well then he could eventually buy a boat. He could then catch many more fish, and could buy another boat, and another and another until he had a whole fleet of boats. And he would sure catch a lot of fish then, and with all of that he could then do whatever he wanted.

And the man replies, “You mean, fish?”

Occam’s Razor

The Franciscan friar William of Ockham is best know for his logic theory, “entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem” – Latin for ‘entities should not be multiplied beyond necessity’. He reasoned that one should not waste time on observations or ideas that held little or no relevance to the explanation of a hypothesis or theory. Have you ever experienced a project where people seemed locked into the analysis phase, not finding a way forward to make decisions and implement the idea? This is typically due not to a lack of intelligence, enthusiasm or ideas. The stall in decision making is more that managers don’t know how to separate ideas and focus them on what truly impacts the ‘end in mind.’

More here on Occam.

Simple is not Simplistic

Applying the heuristic maxim of Occam’s Razor does not mean choosing the easy path, process or project. The prevailing philosophy is to choose which path, process or project has the least assumptions and unmitigated complications. Paraphrasing, all things being equal, the simplest solution is best. Simple, as in best defined, tested, risks mitigated, etc. Not easiest. In fact, having a way forward that is defined, tested, risks mitigated: that is usually a harder road! Though not necessarily a more complicated one. Ever solve one problem only to cause another problem? That is what happens when processes, ideas and paths get simplistic instead of just simple.

The Critical Path

Do you have a budget that covers everything you want to do in your department or organization? Do you have enough resources, people, tools, to accomplish everything? Do you have enough time in the day, week, month, year, to do it all? Most of us don’t have enough budget, resources or time. Why would we waste ANY of these precious commodities on unnecessary complications to our projects? Next time you’re working on a project or process with your team, start with the end in mind. Then build back to the current day. You’ll have a plan that will be over budget, need too many resources, and take too much time. Now go back and find the critical path – the work that truly makes it right. This will allow you to compare alternatives without as much unnecessary complications – applying Occam’s Razor!

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Keep your team focused and your projects simple to get sustainable results versus getting lost in the process!

Joe Raasch :: Feb.17.2010 :: Change Management, Employee Engagement, Leadership, Performance Management :: No Comments »

(eighth in a series titled Issues Managers Face in the Workplace – originally published February 1, 2008)

Each day we start out with a full tank, an emotional and physical energy source, replenished nightly. Through our interactions each day, these resources are depleted, leaving us ’spent’ by day’s end. Same goes for our teams. One difference: as managers, we may be called upon to be a significant emotional fuel source for our employees.

One of my all-time favorite television drama series is The West Wing. Bradley Whitford portrayed Deputy White House Chief of Staff Josh Lyman in the fictional Jed Bartlet Administration. Josh is easily the most engaging character in the series, IMHO.

I Am Not “The Guy”

On The West Wing, Josh was told by President Bartlet, “You’re not The Guy. You’re the guy the Guy relies on.” This understanding and clarity was a tremendous boost for Josh and showed just how important his work was to the President. Does your team know how important their work is to the organization?

This Is Where I Eat

Working as the top aide to the President’s Chief of Staff required a tremendous amount of courage, patience, energy, edge, enthusiasm, and execution skills. Josh was continually under an incredible amount of pressure. In one particular situation, most of the staff had been working 18 hours straight and it appeared they would have to work through the night. Many people were tired beyond exhaustion. Yet Josh seemed to have boundless energy. When asked why he was so enthused with the work ahead, he responded, “Are you kidding me? This is where I eat.” Imagine being that connected, that committed, to your work that you look at an insurmountable challenge as right where you want to be. His courage led the team through the obstacles and on to success the next day.

Let’s Make Big Plays Today

Josh was fond of walking briskly into the office each day, seemingly holding five conversations at once, with his faithful assistant, Donna Moss, at his side with phone messages, meeting requests, and many fires to put out. His morning greeting to his team? “Let’s make big plays today!” Cheering, leading, expecting, excellence. If you demonstrate and give excellence to your employees, and expect excellence in return, you will make big plays with your team as well.

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Don’t underestimate the emotional commitment and maturity it takes to lead people. This is the one skill that is constantly being honed by even the best of the best. Here are a few resources to help you with emotional intelligence and managing people:

• A book by Daniel Goleman
• Research by Cary Cherniss, PhD
• The Wikipedia view

Joe Raasch :: Feb.14.2010 :: Employee Engagement, Leadership, Performance Management :: No Comments »

(from August 15, 2007)

I attended a great leadership event this past Spring. One of the highlights was a conversation on leadership with Warren Bennis.

He is distinguished professor of business administration and founding chairman of The Leadership Institute at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business. He has advised fours U.S. presidents and more than 150 CEOs and is author or coauthor of more than 20 books on leadership, change, and management.

Some highlights:

“What do we want from our leaders”

1. Competence (results)

2. Character (who we are; life as a career)

3. Engage (to draw into, involve; engage others in a shared meaning)

4. Culture of learning and growth

How leaders should spend their time

70% listening, 20% asking good questions, 10% summarizing and reflecting.

(notice, no time for talking!).

Does the person you report to approach leadership in this way? Do you?

A favorite quote from Warren: “Leadership is a choice, not a position.”

Remember the first time you found yourself in the position of managing others? Whether on a project, or direct reports in a company, I bet you learned a lot in a short period of time. Did you choose to take the position for the title, the money, the perks, the people, or the organizational challenges? Did you forget about the people until they showed up at your office door, seeking your guidance?

Leadership done right means choosing it as a profession, not a job.  Managing is a job.  Leadership is a vocation.

Joe Raasch :: Jan.31.2010 :: Leadership, Performance Management :: No Comments »