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.

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.

This is a guest post from Matt Cheuvront and is part of the Guest Blog Grand Tour over at Life Without Pants. Want to learn more about Matt Cheuvront & see how far the rabbit hole goes? Subscribe to the Life Without Pants RSS feed & follow him on Twitter to keep in touch!

Greetings from an over-entitled, conceited, Generation Y know-it-all! Nice to meet you , I’m the twenty-four year old guy on your team that Bossman just brought on board and you’re not quite sure how to work with¦

I get it , I understand that Generation Y gets a bad rep. We’re not willing to settle , we are habitual askers of “why” and we always want our work to have meaning , and yes, sometimes we think we’re smarter than you and don’t give you enough credit where credit is due. But hey, maybe we deserve a little respect as well.

Inter-office politics are never fun , I’ve seen my fair share of drama and gossip in the workplace, even in my short term in the “career world”. It can get ugly, even uglier when you don’t take time to understand what your team wants and needs, and how to best get everyone working on the same bandwagon together.

For what it’s worth , I’m here to help , I’m here to tell you that all youngin’s like me aren’t that bad , that we can bring a lot to the table , but we want you to bring just as much. Here are three MAJOR points to focus on when working with the Generation Y community.

Stop stifling our creativity

Four words: Micromanagement sucks, encourage innovation. People my age want meaningful work , we want something we can invest our all into. The minute you start breathing down our neck , the minute your stop trusting us to do good work , is the minute that trust is breached and the creative juices come to a screeching halt. This isn’t so much a Generation Y thing as it is an “everyone” thing. When you hire someone , you hire someone assuming you can trust them to do their job, right? So what’s the point in hand-holding and micromanaging every step of the way? Loosen the reigns a bit and, until you have to, give your team some freedom to think creatively, set goals, and meet them on their own.

We want to learn from you

We’re young, we’re brash, and we think we know everything. Well heads up , we don’t. Not at all. And to top it all off , we actually want to learn from you. Generation Y (speaking collectively here) is hungry for knowledge , we read , we blog , we network with others, and for what? To learn – challenging ourselves to try new things and think in new ways. So when you bring us on board, you’ve got to be willing to help us learn. Not only will it help someone like me mature and grow into the role , it will help you by developing your team , setting them up for long term success. Don’t shrug us off as know-it-alls, be open to helping your younger team members learn and grow.

We’re the same as you

Really , I get tired of hearing that Generation Y is so different , that we are the ones who want meaningful work, wanting to be trusted and craving freedom. Come on…that isn’t Generation Y, that’s everyone. This post isn’t even about Gen Y (are you starting to get it now?) , it’s about effectively running any business with any demographic. The number one way to build a successful business is to establish outstanding relationships , both internally and with your clients/customers. And every relationship starts with trust. You trust me , I trust you , and we all live happily ever after.

What thoughts do you have about Generation Y in the workplace? Do you have any examples from experience?

“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?

One of the toughest things a manager might have to do sometime in his/her career is to admit a mistake. When University of Minnesota Men’s Athletic Director Joel Maturi hired Tim Brewster as the head football coach, I thought it was a mistake to hire a head coach of a NCAA Division I football program who not only had no head coaching experience, but also lacked a track record as an offensive or defensive coordinator. When he was offered the job, Brewster was a tight ends coach with the Denver Broncos – the equivalent of a first line manager in the corporate world. With a 6-18 record in Big Ten play – and dismal late season performances both this year and last, you would think that Maturi would have the courage to acknowledge a mistake was made and send Brewster on his way.

Instead, this morning the StarTribune reported that Maturi is planning on offering head football coach Tim Brewster a contract extension! Here is Maturi’s primary reason:

“We need stability with the coach, with the coaching staff,” Maturi said. “And this should also bode well for the recruiting going on and for the future of Gophers football.”

I supposed you could make a case for a contract extension if there was a glimmer of hope that there would be some improvement in performance. But I’m not buying the stability argument.

The decision to extend this contract rewards less than stellar performance and that is a dangerous practice in any organization. However, the stability argument just does not hold water. Since Brewster took over there have been five different coordinators (3 defensive and 2 offensive) in the three years of his tenure. Having that much turnover in these leadership positions is generally not a good thing – and does not promote consistency or stability in the program.

Of course, the Gophers do play Iowa State in a bowl game on December 31, 2009, and Maturi did fire the previous coach after his team blew a huge lead in a bowl game in December, 2006. So stay tuned…

Today would have been my mother’s 91st birthday – she died ten years ago on December 12, 1999.
In the ten years since her passing, I have thought about her often – even more so in recent days.  I remember the stories she told me about growing up in southern New Jersey just across the Delaware River from Philadelphia as a middle child of Polish immigrant parents. She came of age in the heart of the Great Depression and married my father two months after the Nazis invaded Poland to mark the start of World War II in 1939. And having grown up in a neighborhood of boys, she could hit the hell out of a baseball. I still have a mixture of pride and embarrassment when I think about the summer evening she was playing ball in our back yard with the neighborhood kids and hit a line drive directly into the neighbor’s kitchen window!

I’ve blogged in the past about what I’ve learned from my father about working and playing well with others. I just wanted to share a key lesson from my mother that contributed greatly to my almost twenty year run as a freelance consultant/writer.
I was probably about eight years old.  It was summertime and I was playing Little league baseball. I guess I inherited my mother’s prowess with a bat because I was a pretty comfortable as a hitter right from the start.  And this particular evening I had four base hits and was touting my exploits to the neighbors. My mother overheard my bragging, dragged me into the house, and firmly explained that “tooting your own horn” was not only inappropriate, it could come back to embarrass you.  Her belief was that it is much better to let others talk about your accomplishments rather than doing it yourself.

Today people often ask me if I am an expert in whatever. Having had my mother’s good counsel, I will respond by saying something like, “Well, I do work in that area, however, it is really not for me to say if I’m an expert; that’s for others to say.”

As I look at some blogs, resumes, Facebook pages, and other venues, I wonder how my mother would react today to some of the claims people are making and what they are saying about themselves.

I’m interested in hearing from everyone – particularly Millennials and Gen X readers – regarding the relevance of my mother’s advice in this new age of social media marketing. Thanks!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

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.