The Enlightened Manager

Five Reasons to Delegate, and One Reason Not To

Delegation.  On the one hand it sounds great to take a few items off your list, but it can be difficult to let go of tasks, train someone, and feel comfortable with that transition.  So when should you delegate?

1. Delegate when doing so will provide a learning/stretch opportunity for the person being delegated to.  "If I get my supervisors to run our quarterly meeting, they'll gain facilitation and presentation experience."

2. Delegate when the task is taking you away from more important work.  For example, if attending to new employee orientation is preventing you from attending an important strategic task force, consider delegating.

3. Delegate when you want to test an employee's readiness for promotion.  "If Jane does well on this project team, I'll consider her for our next project lead job."

4. Delegate to increase the visibility of your staff in the organization.  To grow and support your team, you'll want to find opportunities for them to shine and build relationships with the "higher ups" in the company.

5. Delegate to provide cross-training for backup purposes.  "I want Mike to know how to run the financials in case I'm sick or absent when the budget meeting rolls around."

And the one reason NOT to delegate?

Because you are "the boss" and find the task "beneath you."  Avoid passing off unpleasant tasks to your team out of laziness or indulgence.  While you can probably get away with this behavior, you would be sending a message to your team that leadership is about tending to your own needs. 

Anything to add?  Leave a comment, I'd love to hear your tips on delegating, and when it's appropriate.

The Art of Enabling Others to Act

Good Morning Enlightened Leaders,

Today's post is a little story about something I learned this year while participating in the Leadership Tomorrow program in Seattle.  The program takes about 80 so called "up and coming" leaders and puts them through 9 months of learning opportunities in the area of community leadership.  The program uses the book "The Leadership Challenge" by Kouzes and Posner as the central text.  For more information on LT, click here.

In this book there are a set of "leadership behaviors" that participants are encouraged to adopt.  Each individual selects a behavior or two to work on during the program.  For me, choosing a behavior was easy.  The thing I chose to work on was "Enabling Others to Act."

Are you a Type A personality?  Do you feel a need to control the outcomes?  Do you get nervous when things are not proceeding in a manner that meets your standards?  Do you step in and "take over" because you want to ensure things get done, and on time?  If any of these things sound familiar, you and I may have something in common.  These are some of my issues, and they are why I have a hard time "enabling others to act" sometimes. 

So I entered this program with an intention that I would enable others to act, and that is what I did.  I didn't volunteer for a single project manager role, and I didn't automatically step in every time I saw a gap.  Instead, I left space there, and allowed others to step in and take responsibility.

The result?  A lower stress program with better outcomes.  Ultimately a need for control rests upon a combination of high standards and low trust.  So this year, I learned even better how to trust and let go.  Also the importance of an excellent team.  When your teams are outstanding (as mine were) it's easier to trust and let go.

So I find myself being better at enabling others to act, and I'm enjoying that learning.  What will you learn this year?   Even if you have no interest in programs like Leadership Tomorrow, you could do worse than read the Leadership Challenge, or pick a leadership behavior to work on, and see how things change for the better.

Happy Monday to Y'all out there.

The Cult of Victimhood

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." 

Eleanor Roosevelt said that, and it's something I've been thinking a lot about lately.  Perhaps it is because I've been hearing so many stories about people blaming their own choices on someone else, or on circumstance.

"If only my CEO would.... I could...."
"I wouldn't have to sneak around if only....."
"If things were not so hard I wouldn't have to resort to...."
"If only my boss wasn't such a jerk, I wouldn't have to..."

Yes, it is true that other people can make our lives more difficult.  And yes, it is also true that sometimes in life the deck is stacked against us.  But we're not victims.  We can still choose to act with respect and integrity, even when it isn't easy.

That's leadership.

It's OK in our society to blame behavior on someone else.  Homeowners in crisis blame the mortgage companies for loaning them too much money.  Mortgage companies blame the financial analysts for being too greedy.  Financial analysts blame homeowners for taking on too much risk.  

We're all human and we're going to screw up now and again. But it seems more popular to be the victim of someone else's error than to own up for our part of the problem.  When you play the role of Victim, you are surrendering your power to someone else.  "I am this way because they made it so."

Let's take back our power leaders.  We are in charge of our own choices.  Even when those choices are not ideal, we can still take responsibility for acting with integrity.

Just had to get that off my chest. :)

The Company You Keep: What your choice of friends says about you.

You've probably heard the old saying that you will be judged by the company you keep.  It comes from the idea that a person can be defined to a degree by the kinds of people that surround them.  And while it may seem a bit harsh on the surface, it has some validity.

Show me a person whose best friends are liars, and I'll be looking at someone who either tolerates dishonesty or is unable to recognize it.

Show me a person who surrounds himself with creative thinkers and I'll be looking at someone who is open to new ideas.

So you can probably see my next question coming, Enlightened leaders.  Who do you surround yourself with, and what does that say about you?

It would be wrong I think to judge someone harshly based upon a couple of their relationships.  We all have relationships with people who hold traits we don't admire, sometimes at work and sometimes in our family lives.  We are capable of loving and respecting those whom we don't agree with.

But do be sensitive to the patterns you are creating.  If you hang with a crowd at work that likes to spread rumors and negativity, it will be hard for you to separate yourself from that behavior to advance yourself.

There is that old saying that you don't want to be the smartest person in the room.  There is a grain of truth in that.  Surround yourself with good people, and try to be a good person in their lives too.  Your network of relationships can elevate you or sink you.

So don't be too quick to throw a valued friendship away.  But I also hope you'll spend some time thinking about the patterns of relationships in your life.  What kind of people attract you? (I'm not talking about romance.)  Do you find yourself drawn to people you admire?

Should I get an MBA? Advice for leaders going back to school.

How much education is enough?  And should I pursue education for the learning, or to become more promotable?  Is it worth the money?  These are some of the questions my coaching clients are struggling with.  As working professionals, most of us pursue education at night, at a high cost to our personal lives.  Not only can the financial costs be high, but the time and energy needed can detract from our families and interests.

Begin by looking at the two main reasons to pursue more schooling:

1) Get schooling to learn.   This one may seem obvious, but it's not always the primary motivation.  When you look at the "bread and butter" classes of an MBA, they are not always enticing.  Even if you love part of it (Finance) you may hate another part (Marketing).  If you can find a subject you're passionate about learning about, all the better.

2) Get schooling to advance.  This was my initial motivation to go to grad school.  At the time I had planned to get an MBA to be competitive for an HR Director job. Increasingly, managers and leaders are being pressured to seek degrees to simply remain competitive, or to be promotable.

Let me start by saying that either one of these reasons is fine.  But if you can find an intersection where they both meet, you'll be happier.  Try and hold out for both.

A Checklist for Leaders who are Potential Students:

1) What do I want? - A promotion?  More expertise?  A new career?  Letters after your name?  Be clear about what you want.

2) Will I get a financial return? - Spending 50K on a degree to earn an extra 10K per year may be worth it.  Spending 50K to make a lateral move may require more thinking.  You are not required to get a financial return on your education, but at least be self-aware about it.

3) How will this impact my life? - A rule of thumb is to plan for 2 hours of homework for every one hour in class.  I had to drop a volunteer job when I went back to school, and I stayed home working while my friends partied and went camping. What will you exchange?  Is it worth it?

4) How do I learn best? - I've taken online classes, live classes, and mixed format classes.  I have also taught these formats as an adjunct professor.  It's my view that purely online formats result in a lower level of learning for most people. (Lower doesn't mean terrible, just simply lower.) There is simply a quality of education that you get by being in a room of learners that you can't replicate by distance learning.  If you're looking at a 100% online program, be aware of the trade-offs. 

5) What kind of schooling interests me?  I mentally group schools into three categories.  "Status Schools"  "Niche Schools" and "Practical Schools." 

Status schools are those ones that are very selective and which give you a sense of prestige by attending.   (Think Harvard, Wharton, and sweater vests.) 

Niche Schools are those which tend to be smaller and a bit quirky, with programs that differ a bit from the norm.  (Antioch Seattle, where I went for my M.A., is one example.) 

Practical Schoolsinclude ordinary state universities and national chains, such as Washington State where I went as an undergrad.  (Go Cougs!)

The type of school you attend doesn't have much to do with your quality of education.  There are great schools and less great schools in all three categories.  If you are not sure what you want, I recommend you check out at least one school from each category.

10 Tips for those Considering College as a Working Adult

1. Take advantage of tuition reimbursement at work, and ask if it isn't currently available.
2. Consider alternatives to the MBA.  I started out looking at MBAs, but ended up being drawn to Organizational Psychology.  Play to your interests, not to what others say you should learn.
3. Go to open houses, but also try to reach out to professors, students, and alumni.  Get multiple views.
4. Check out programs that make you curious or even a bit anxious.  That's a sign you're on to something exciting.
5. Consider the difference between being taught by career professors, and being taught by people who work in the field you want to get into.  Both have advantages.
6. Be prepared for some delightful surprises.  If you do go to school as an adult, you might find yourself re-igniting your passion, making new friends, and changing your life.  Education, done properly, can change your life!
7. Don't feel the need to go to school because you "should."  Make a choice that makes sense for you, both financially and professionally.  Declining schooling may be the right choice for you.
8. Ask for your family's support and talk about what will happen.  I couldn't have made it through my MA program without the support of my hubby, who never complained when I spent weekends locked in my office writing papers.  Who will support you?  You'll need them!

Any other views on going back to school?  Your comments are welcome.

Motivating in Difficult Times

Hello Enlightened Managers!

I'm back in town after my week off, and coming back to the blog is like coming back to an old friend.  I had all these plans to blog from my cell phone while I was vacationing, but I only managed one post.  I imagine you'll forgive me. :)

This week I wanted to talk about a subject I've touched on before - how to motivate staff and keep people productive in "difficult times."  (Yes, I know that "these difficult economic times" has become a cliche.)   But I think that the fear and despair that many people are feeling remain real. 

Tips for Motivating in Difficult Times:

1) Acknowledge hardships and uncertainties, but don't dwell on them.
2) Acknowledge that while we can't control external factors (like the economy), we can control our response to those conditions.
3) Give examples of what you can control.  (We can decide to stay productive.  We can decide to focus on customer service.  We can decide to use our downtime to innovate.  We can decide to.....)
4) Hold a Lemonade Drive - Hold a contest to turn economic lemons into lemonade.  Demand may be lower, but that frees up some time.  What is the best use of that time?  Gather ideas.  Serve lemonade. 
5) Seize the Advantage - Many companies are cutting back, perhaps in a way that will hamper them when things turn.  Engage staff in preparing the business to be faster and better than the competition when demand recovers.  Emerge stronger, not weaker.
6) Reward Innovation -  Did someone come up with a smart idea to save the company 10K?  Let a little of those savings flow into their pocket.
7) Keep the Faith - By continuing to work hard, believe in the company, and talk about your own tenacity in the face of obstacles, you will give others permission to do the same.

Let's keep our hearts hopeful and our minds sharp.  This recession is going to topple some giants and elevate some smart but lesser known companies up to the top of the pack. 

I plan to be scrambling up, not down.  How about you? :)  Getting your team on board is the first step.

Video Tip: Assessing Employee Performance

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The Business Benefits of "Loving Thy Enemy."

Our beliefs drive our behavior.  Our behavior drives our effectiveness.  Our effectiveness influences our success in work, the quality of relationships we have, and even our ability to earn a living. 

So if you want to change your life, it makes sense to start by examining your beliefs.   Beliefs are powerful.  Sometimes we need to take an old belief and dust it off, re-examine it, and decide if it needs a change.

In my coaching work, I've run up a conversation that goes like this with many different clients:

"So, I need to learn how to manipulate them so that they feel good about doing what I want them to do."

It isn't always stated that plainly, but for many people, getting others to change what they do is manipulation.  "Being tactful" sounds like way of making people feel good about being manipulated. 

What a horrible way to think about the world!  Here is where I think it comes from:

Sometimes we believe that we are right, and that other people are too stupid to see that we are right.   Sometimes we believe that we are better than others.  When we try to change someone from a position of mental superiority, it feels like manipulation.  "I am right, they are wrong.  They must admit I am right."

What is the alternative?  To empathize with and care about the people you disagree with.  To view them as a person with good intentions who just happens to see the world differently.  Then you can approach them without manipulation.   When you care about someone, you come to them because you want to HELP, not because you want to "get something" out of them.

"I am right and they are wrong." turns into "We see it differently, but it's worth talking about because I respect them and I want to help."

Approaching people (even our enemies!) with a perspective of helpfulness and service is far more empowering than approaching someone feeling superior or manipulative. 

To be of service to those we disagree with, we must start by accepting that others generally have good intentions, and that they probably believe they are doing the right thing.  If you can accept this, you can build respectful relationships even in an atmosphere of conflict.  Those relationships are the platforms upon which problems can be solved.

When you have an "enemy" at work, get to know them.  See them as a human being.  Look for areas where you do agree.  Respect and honor them.  Over time, what begins as hostility can ripen into a deep professional friendship - one where differences become a source of learning instead of acrimony.

Why manipulate an adversary when you can help out a friend?

It sounds fluffy perhaps, but I've seen it work wonders in my own life, and in the lives of my clients.  Try it.  I'd love to hear how you're putting this principle to work and what the results are.

Life as "A Practice" for Leadership

I remember being a kid and thinking it was funny to hear a lawyer say they operated "a practice."   In the US, consultants, doctors, and attorneys talk about operating "a practice" instead of a business.  Over time, I've realized that I like this idea of a "consulting practice" because it reflects a different way of thinking about work - one that can benefit you as a leader.

When we practice a new skill, we are seeking to get better.  When we work, we are fulfilling an expectation, or expending effort.   So when you think about your journey as a leader, is leadership something you practice, or is it just work?

I like to think of my "work" as something that I practice intentionally every day.  Each new challenge or bump in the road becomes another opportunity to get better, to get smarter and accumulate experiences.

Every interaction is a chance to practice our compassion and clarity.
Every customer is a chance to practice delivering heartfelt service.
Every project is a chance to practice good decision making, clear communication, and wise actions.

This translates into our home life too.

Every time we see our spouse it's a chance to practice making our love visible.
Every time a friend calls it's a chance to practice listening and being listened to.

So if life can be seen as a practice, how can we make it even more meaningful?  By finding others to share the experiences with.  As humans, we are social animals.  Our relationships give us motivation and context for a meaningful life.

That is why learning communities are so important.  Do the leaders in your organization have a "place" where you can all connect about your experiences and learn together?  Most companies lack a learning community for leadership.   And yet the simple act of bringing leaders together to talk and learn is so powerful.  It doesn't need to take a lot of time or money either.  But in our lifelong practice of leadership, we can go so much further in community with others.

So if you are reading this today, I encourage you to think about your individual practice of leadership.  Does thinking of your development as a "daily practice" change the way you think about leadership?  Do you have a community of leaders to learn with, and learn from?

If not, let's find ways to build them.  It's something I'm thinking about.  More on this later!

Cheri

The costs of employee turnover, and turnover rates by industry.

An interesting post this month from Ann Bares at the Compensation Force blog.  You can see 2008 turnover rates by industry by clicking here.  

What is a turnover rate? To put it simply, if you have an average of 100 employees in a year, and 20 of them leave the company in a year, you have a 20% annual turnover rate.

In my own research on the cost of turnover, I found numbers ranging from 60% of the person's annual pay on the lower end (service jobs, entry level) to costs of 400% annual salary (nurses, hard to fill manager jobs).

Yes, these estimates indicate that a nurse making 60K a year can quit and cost her company up to 240K in total turnover costs!

These numbers can be hard to pinpoint, since you're looking at not only direct recruiting costs (job ads, recruiters, time for interviews) but also lost productivity during the time with no employee as well as ramp up time.  Then of course you have training, on boarding costs, relocation, paying temp staff, costs of burnout for those filling in, etc.  I expect that most of the costs associated with turnover come from lost productivity.

The moral of the story is that turnover is incredibly expensive.   While a certain amount of turnover is unavoidable (deaths, relocations, a small number of "bad hires") much of your turnover can be avoided through:

1) Hiring the right people.  (Not just for the job, but for your culture.)
2) Developing strong managers.  (People leave managers more often than they leave jobs.)
3) Offering Growth Opportunities (Both learning opportunities and career advancement.)
4) Engaging people.  (Give them a voice, connect them to your mission at an emotional level.)
5) Compensate them fairly and adequately for your market.

Are you doing these five things, and doing them well?  If so, congratulate yourself on a job well done.  If not, get active!  There is a lot of money to be saved with tackling these issues.

And yes, of course I'd be happy to help, or refer you to others who can. 

Enlightened Homework:  What is the turnover rate for your company?  How does it compare to your industry average?  What is being done to keep undesirable turnover low?