Working With Others

A number of years ago, I wrote an article for The Albuquerque Journal titled “How to Set a Bad Manager on a Better Path”. At that time, I remarked that if one did a Google search on the keywords “bad manager” there would be more than 7 million hits.  Now the same search yields more than four times that number.  And what is more striking is that the websites devoted to the topic of “bad managers” have gone from telling stories about them to actually rating them – and naming names!

One such site is http://ebosswatch.com.  The basic premise of this site is that workplace bullying is fast becoming THE critical work place issue and that “nobody should have to work for a jerk”. So this site allows employees to rate their bosses and lists the results by name and organization.  Since I spend a lot of my time teaching new and experienced managers how to be great managers, I did a quick search of my client organizations and fortunately found them missing from the list!

Bad managers have been around for decades. And study after study indicates that employees leave organizations for reasons related to a bad boss. Conversely, more recent research from within major companies shows that great managers help employees feel totally engaged and willing to go that extra mile. So why does the problem persist?

I think there are at least three reasons:

1. Organizations promote outstanding individual contributors into the management role by making the assumption that a great individual contributor will also be a great manager. The reality is that being a successful manager requires an entirely different set of competencies than being a successful individual contributor.
2. Many organizations take a “they’ll figure it out approach” to training new managers.  Unless an organization helps a new manager become self-aware, value style differences, manage performance, and realize that they are now accountable for getting work done through others, the probability of that new manager being successful is left totally to chance.
3. Many organizations are scared to deal with a jerk.  Unlike fine wine, bad managers will not improve with age.  Organizations need to hold managers accountable for not only what business results they achieve, but how they achieve them and deal swiftly with problem managers.

I am interested in hearing your thoughts about the causes and cures for the persistent problem of bad managers.

There has been a lot of chatter on Brazen Careerist, Life Without Pants, and Untemplater about the pro’s and con’s of returning to school to pursue another degree.  In an interview at Untemplater,  Alexandra Levit says she is cautious about the idea of getting an MBA – unless you want to be a brand manager.  Matt Cheuvront flatly says “I’ll never go back to school again” on his blog. I’ve already weighed in on my opinion of whether or not an MBA is worth it.

Whether or not you need to either continue your education or go back to get an additional degree depends on what you want to do.  There are certain fields where self-study won’t get you very far.  If you want to be a lawyer, you need to go to law school. And if you want to be a doctor, medical school is on your to-do list.  If you want to teach in a college or university on a full-time basis, be a research scientist, or a clinical psychologist, you will need what is called a “terminal degree” in your field.  That is, you will need a doctoral degree such as a Ph.D., an Ed.D., a Psy.D, or a D.B.A. (Harvard’s version of a Ph.D. in business).

Getting a doctoral degree is hard work, can take several years beyond a Master’s degree, and is at times, a humiliating experience. Do not pursue it because you think it will be cool or because your high-achieving parents both have theirs.  Go after the doctorate if you are committed to a field that requires it as the ticket of admission.

So if you have determined to follow this path, here is some very practical advice:

1. Have a dissertation topic BEFORE you apply. Start the program with a clear idea of what your dissertation topic will be – in fact, you shouldn’t even being thinking about applying unless you’ve picked a topic. And in the interview process, be certain that your topic will be acceptable.  I changed my topic in the middle and it cost me an additional year of time in my doctoral program.
2. Finish…fast. Your main objective is to finish as quickly as possible. If you’ve identified your dissertation topic when you start, you can pick your elective courses to align with that topic and you can focus your assignments in your required courses to help jump start your dissertation.
3. De-mystify the dissertation. Think of your dissertation as simply a long paper.  It is NOT your life’s work.  It does not have to be brilliant.  I just needs to be done.  Failure to heed this piece of advice will put in you in the heap of people who have gone before you who are now “ABD” – All But Dissertation!
4. And now, the single most important act in your doctoral career is…selecting a dissertation chair that will help you get done. Your chair needs to have at least a supportive interest in your topic.  However, the litmus test for picking the person to chair your dissertation committee is the answer to the following question: What was your dissertation experience like in your doctoral program?  If that person, got their dissertation done in a reasonable period of time and relatively painlessly with minimal aggravation, that person is a viable option.  If you find out that they had a miserable experience, took years to finish, wanted to take out a contract on their chair and committee members, or needed extended therapy, run away very quickly because you will have the same experience.  Trust me.

Sometimes we take things way too seriously.  As winter drags on in some (actually all) parts of of the US, I thought it might be helpful to look on the lighter side.

I have a memory trace from my graduate school days of courses that I took in post-modern philosophy and ethics. I recall the professors developing the argument that that in a perfect world we would not need any laws because people would respect each other and get along just fine without them.  Last week I happened to be listening to Twin Cities talk show host Joe Soucheray on KSTP 1500AM.  The voice over at the beginning of Soucheray’s show talked about “Minnesota – the state where it is not legal to do anything”. There are certainly a lot of laws and local ordinances on the books here in Minnesota.  And as a rule things work pretty well here. However, after I heard that intro piece on the radio, I wondered if there were some laws that were originally intended to promote a civil society and help people safely work and play well with together, that were now unneeded or even absurd.  In my quick and dirty research I came across www.dumblaws.com.  Here is what I found:

In Minnesota…

• It is illegal to stand around any building without a good reason to be there. (I’m in trouble some days.)
• A person may not cross state lines with a duck atop his head. (I can’t imagine why one would want to!)
• It is illegal to sleep naked. (It does get cold here in the winter!)
• All men driving motorcycles must wear shirts. (N.B. This law says nothing about women.)
• Citizens may not enter Wisconsin with a chicken on their head. (I know that my Brazen Careerist friends in Madison will sleep better knowing this!)
• All bathtubs must have feet. (Good to know if you are remodeling your bathroom.)

And there are some amusing Minnesota city laws as well.  For example, in Minnetonka, driving a truck with dirty tires is considered a public nuisance. In St. Cloud, hamburgers may not be eaten on Sundays.  And in Minneapolis, red cars may not drive down Lake Street.  I wonder if my good friend, Laura Goodrich of Seeing Red Cars fame knows this!

At any rate, I got a good laugh out of doing this piece and hope you did, too.  Feel free to share any “dumb laws” in your city or state as well.

Yesterday I saw the most recent Minnesota Film Arts offering -Frederick Wiseman’s documentary, La Danse.  This film is a close-up portrayal of the Paris Opera Ballet from rehearsal to performance.  There is no narration.  Instead this is a cinema verite look at the ballet company.  It is certainly worth seeing, although as the comments to the New York Times review note, it is badly in need of editing and the choice of the featured ballets was – well – bizarre.

There are two things that even those uninitiated to ballet will notice. First, the physical demands of this art form are brutal. You see the rehearsals and the attention to detail in putting together a dance that during performance looks effortless. And you also witness dancers with their feet taped and their legs wrapped in ace bandages repeating segments of a dance over and over even when totally fatigued.  Then there is an extended discussion of about the life span of a ballet dancer and a provision in the pension laws of France that provides retirement funds to a dancer at the age of 40 because the demands of dancing professionally at this level prevent men and women from careers as dancers beyond that age.

Second, in a world of stars, what struck me after watching this documentary is that without a cast of thousands, the principals are nothing. You see everything from seamstresses meticulously sewing costumes, and janitors cleaning the performance hall after the audience has departed to the development staff trying to figure out how to pamper large scale donors to the company.  And then you realize why a ticket to the Paris Opera Ballet is $475!

How many people do you count on in order for you to do what you do for a living?

“I’M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I’M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!” I want you to get up right now, sit up, go to your windows, open them and stick your head out and yell – “I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore!” Things have got to change. But first, you’ve gotta get mad!… You’ve got to say, “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!” Then we’ll figure out what to do about the depression and the inflation and the oil crisis. But first get up out of your chairs, open the window, stick your head out, and yell, and say it.

-Howard Beale from Network, 1976

I think I know how Howard Beale felt.

I am the owner of a 2009 Toyota Corolla and it is one of the models that this auto manufacturer has recalled for both the sticking accelerator problem and now the floor mat problem. Hindsight is always twenty-twenty, but as someone who has owned multiple Toyota vehicles since 1986 – 24 trouble free years with only routine maintenance to deal with – I’m a little torqued.

I’m not upset that there is a recall notice on my vehicle. Stuff happens. In fact, through the years, Toyota has issued voluntary recall notices on a variety of relatively minor problems – seat belts that didn’t retract properly, parts that were not performing to their standards of quality, etc. When I have received such a notice, I would call the nearest Toyota Dealer, arrange an appointment – sometimes the same day – and be on my way in less than 30 minutes after visiting the dealer. What is upsetting in this case is that Toyota is stumped.

In the past, the press release concerning a recall would say something like “Toyota has issued a voluntary recall on X number of Corolla’s because of Y. Owners these vehicles will receive a recall notice within the next ten days. They are to make an appointment with the nearest Toyota dealer who will remedy the situation in a timely manner. This time, the press release announced the recall, but there is the troubling, “Toyota will determine the appropriate remedy as soon as possible. They still don’t know.

And may not for awhile. According to other news reports, Toyota claims the problem is due to “to worn pedal mechanisms that increase friction in certain conditions and cause the accelerator to stick sometimes. The manufacturer, CTS Corp in Elkhart, Indiana is saying it’s not true. They maintain that “the friction problem accounts for fewer than a dozen cases of stuck accelerators, and in no instance did the accelerator actually become stuck in a partially depressed condition.

What really torques me is that this is a situation when organizations and the people in them – in this case brilliant engineers – really need to “work and play well with others” to solve this problem. I have this image in my mind of a group of engineer’s from Toyota and CTS Corp sitting in a conference room in the Narita Hilton in Tokyo blaming each other for the problem instead of trying to solve it. This is a case where the inability to work and play well together could have dire consequences for the brand.

“For over 90 years, The Conference Board has created and disseminated knowledge about management and the marketplace to help businesses strengthen their performance and better serve society. The Conference Board operates as a global independent membership organization working in the public interest. It publishes information and analysis, makes economics-based forecasts and assesses trends, and facilitates learning by creating dynamic communities of interest that bring together senior executives from around the world.” (From Conference Board Website)

On Tuesday January 5, 2010, The Conference Board released the results of a survey that indicated the lowest level of job satisfaction among American Workers in the last 22 years. Survey results showed that only 45% of Americans are satisfied with their work. What is even more significant is that 64% of workers under age 25 are unhappy in their jobs. In some workplaces, it is challenging to work and play well with others on a good day; it is particularly difficult to do so when you hate your job.

The last time job satisfaction was this low was back in the late 1980’s when most American workers were experiencing the results of the Reagan Administration’s “trickle-down economics”. And on October 19, 1987 (Black Monday), the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 508 points or 22.61% in ONE day. It was also a period that saw the beginnings of process re-engineering in which American Corporations began to systematically eliminate something called “non-value-added jobs”. The pessimism that stemmed from both events certainly took its toll on job satisfaction.

One of the conclusions of the current study is that this level of job dissatisfaction it could stifle innovation and hurt American industry’s competitiveness and productivity. And it may lead to older workers being less likely to share their knowledge and experience with younger ones. I find this last statement to be the most disturbing.

Jason Dorsey, the self-proclaimed “Gen Y Guy” talks about the fact that Gen Y does not want the Baby Boomers to retire because they know things Gen Y does not – like long division and state capitals! Now Jason’s talks are very entertaining and everyone usually has a good laugh. However, the reality is that Boomers do know things that Gen Y does not that directly impact the sustainability of American business organizations. If that knowledge transfer between the older and younger workers does not occur, it will be difficult for companies to continue to move forward. Yes, Gen Y workers seek the opportunity to “show what they can do”, however, if they lack an understanding of the context of how a company works and the rationale for why things have occurred in the past, they may truly be “rebels without a cause”.

My friends and colleagues Tom Mungavan and Carol Keers from ChangeMasters wrote a book titled, “Seeing Yourself as Others Do – Authentic Executive Presence at Any Stage of Your Career”. The self-awareness of how we impact others is one of the cornerstones of building effective work relationships and influencing others

On December 29, 2009, Alexandra Levit posted a video on Brazen Careerist in which Jason Dorsey shares his thoughts on how managers can engage new Gen Y employees on their first day at work. Known as the “Gen Y Guy”, Jason is a frequent speaker and corporate consultant who helps organizations engage and retain members of the Millennial generation.

Usually, the featured posts get a number of comments. To date, this particular post received only one – mine – in which I wrote that I thought Jason’s three ideas were great and that I could make the case that these tips apply to any new employee regardless of the generation – they are simply good on-boarding practices.

I am interested in others’ reaction to this short clip. I particularly would like to know from members of Gen Y if Jason speaks for you – do these three things matter to you on your first day at work. And from those Gen X and Baby Boomer bosses to whom Jason seems to be speaking, I am eager to hear your reactions. So what are your comments?

As I drive around Minneapolis running my pre-holiday errands, for some reason, I started thinking about the number of buildings, programs, streets, and events named after people.  And in pretty much every city I’ve either lived in or visited I notice the same thing.  Some of the names are familiar – like those of  presidents – others are known primarily to the residents of the local communities.

Nevertheless, communities name buildings after people for some reason.  It usually has something to do with the legacy of the person so honored.  This tradition has been around a long time.

From time to time, I ask myself why “that person” has a building (or airport) named after them and actually resist calling that facility by the “famous” person’s name. (Washington, DC’s airport will always be “Washington National” to me.)

I’m interested in hearing from everyone – but particularly members of Gen X and Gen Y. What do you think will be reasons for decision-makers to name something after members of your generation? Or do you even think that this practice will continue or die?

I have been on Twitter for six months. During that time I have connected with a community of some pretty amazing people and participated in the online public discourse that those I follow and who follow me encourage. There is a reasonable chance that I may have met some of these people eventually in this life or in my next reincarnation. However, Twitter accelerated that process. And yes, I have been spammed a number of times as well, but the latest version of Twitter makes it easier to report those rascals.

One of the people that I have had the privilege of meeting in the Twitterverse is a 24 year old named Matt Cheuvront (Twitter name @mattChevy).  As I have written in other posts, I see great hope in the Millennial or Gen Y generation and want to do what I can to help them make a difference. One of the questions that I often ask  is what will the leaders who emerge from this generation look like. I don’t know what Matt will be doing twenty years from now. However, he has already given us some clues about what leadership might mean to his generation.

Here is a brief autobiography taken from his blog Life Without Pants:

Twenty-three years old [he just turned 24 on 10/31/09], newly engaged, and in my new home of Chicago, Illinois.  I’m passionate about relationship marketing and social entrepreneurship, forging connections and encouraging interactivity amongst people in every way possible. Striving for the added bottom line of giving back to others. We’re put on this earth to ask questions, to challenge one another, to inspire one other to be great. That’s where I come in. I’m an agent who inspires greatness – living life by the moments, without really knowing what tomorrow may bring.

In my work with successful leaders from all walks of life and generations, one of the key characteristics seems be that they have a sense of their personal power that comes not from the position that they hold, but instead from their credibility, competence, likeability, and networks.

Let’s look at these sources of personal power in reverse order. Not only does @mattChevy have a huge online network, he nurtures it, invests in it, and values it. Whenever someone comments on his blog, he acknowledges it. ( I don’t think this guy ever sleeps! Come to think of it, neither did I at 24!) Likeability is present when we find ourselves saying, “I really would like to work with this person”. I get the impression that there are many who would rate Matt high on likeability. When it comes to social media marketing and how to enage others in the public discourse about important issues, he knows his stuff.  What enhances his competence though, is that he is always asking others for their insights and continues to learn. Finally, credibility is about doing-what-you-say-you-will-do.  In his bio, Matt writes:

I’m passionate about relationship marketing and social entrepreneurship, forging connections and encouraging interactivity amongst people in every way possible. Striving for the added bottom line of giving back to others. We’re put on this earth to ask questions, to challenge one another, to inspire one other to be great.

If you spend some time reading his blog and following his tweets, @mattChevy does exactly what he says he will do.  As an example, yesterday he posted an article on his blog titled Why I Won’t be Moving to Maine Anytime Soon. This post is his personal reflection about Maine voting down a same sex marriage law.  What is noteworthy about this example is that he speaks from the heart with great courage and encourages a dialogue by specifically wanting to hear alternative points of view. At the time of this writing he has received 92 comments – and counting. If you take time to read the thread you will see an amazing sense of community and commentary.

In the spirit of full disclosure, @mattChevy did not ask me to write this, and in fact, may be surprised to see it. I hope it is OK with him.  I wrote it for two reasons.  First, I think Matt is a real mensch – a great Yiddish word meaning someone to admire and emulate. Second, in too many contexts, the conversations about members of Gen Y is – well – not very flattering.  In every generation, there are people that we need to forget and those that we need to recognize and appreciate. My intent is to bring to light other emerging Gen Y leaders in this blog.  Matt Cheuvront is just the first.

Eline Kullock brought Jason Young’s “Ten Key Gen Y Characteristics” to my attention.  One of the characteristics is “#6 – Enjoy absurdity and odd humor”.  Hmm.. No wonder I can relate to this generation.  I also recalled that Millennials also enjoy a fun work environment.

So here is my question for those Gen Y folks out there – actually two questions: What makes you laugh? What does a fun work environment  look like for you? I would love to hear your comments.  Thanks in advance