Leadership Viewpoint

Okay, so enough already. We hear from managers all the time about how they “multi-task” to be more effective. It may be time to really review this myth.

Multi-tasking came from the home, where multiple projects can happen simultaneously. A good example might be that the laundry is being done, while dinner is being prepared, while watching TV. In this example, none of the activities actually require a typical person’s full brain power or attention. In fact, if you were preparing a complex, gourmet dinner, it is no longer prudent to multi-task.

Unfortunately, too many people are taking this concept and applying it incorrectly in the workplace. Multi-tasking has become an excuse for not focusing on important projects, incomplete work, and failing to listen to one another. The results, I fear, will become catastrophic if we don’t apply some common sense. Does this sound like you?

• • You place a call to somebody and then read/answer email during the call. Later, you don’t remember some information from that phone call and have to ‘double-check’ it with the other person.

• • You check your email or text messages during a meeting.

• • You take cell phone calls in the midst of discussing something.

There are a million more examples; we all know them. Compare these to the household example above. There are two critical distinctions:

• 1. In these examples, other people are being directly impacted, rather rudely, by the multi-tasking behavior.

• 2. Communication, a critical business function, is not receiving the appropriate focus that it demands for full effectiveness.

This week, after forwarding the exact same mission-critical email to a colleague three times, I am at a loss for her lack of focus. We cannot be so busy that our lack of attention infringes on other people’s workloads, and expect our careers and businesses to flourish. Business simply doesn’t work that way.

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We’ve all been guilty of wanting to prove our point so much that we miss opportunities for effectiveness. This week, we watched the U.S. Senate pull an ‘all-nighter’ to supposedly end the war in Iraq. The Press kept telling us before, during and after the event that it was largely a media event; it was doomed before it began. Ironically, after the escapade ended, one Republican senator commented that there were definitely more Republican votes that could have been swayed, but they were so offended by the media antics that they stood their ground with their Republican colleagues rather than break ranks in such a public forum. Clearly this is a critically important issue for the U.S. and many other countries. We hate to see anybody dally with it for their own personal gain.

Finding a reasonable way for the U.S. to exit from Iraq is far more important than most of the issues that we face at work. Even with less important issues, however, people often get so engrossed in proving their point that they may not see the forest through the trees. We need to consistently look for ways to achieve our goals, and the path is often with others rather than proving ourselves right at their expense. The old saying, “Hold your friends close and your enemies closer,” is fundamental to selling your proposals. If there’s a colleague that is likely to oppose your proposal, you can often save yourself time and pain by drawing them in and addressing their concerns, and giving them credit, upfront. They often have good reasons for their objections, and our proposal is truly stronger when we find ways to effectively address those reasons.

Perhaps the worst thing about proving ourselves right is that it too often means that we must simultaneously prove somebody else wrong. Remember how bad it feels to be that ‘wrong’ person. You lose face, and may even want to find an opportunity for retaliation. In the long haul, this is not a path to business success. Working with your potential opponents turns them into helpful colleagues, reduces tension and builds the effectiveness of your proposals. It may be more work, and you bypass the ‘joy’ of rubbing somebody else’s nose in it, but the long-term results are simply phenomenal.

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SEO (Search Engine Optimization) has become an issue that any online business agonizes over. I’ve heard that it’s all about keywords that are listed and used on your site. Others have told me that keywords no longer matter and that the addition of a Google sitemap is the driver behind SEO. I’ve also been told that getting lots of links to your site is what will drive SEO. So what’s the truth?

For a small business site, this one has good ranking and readership. Much of it came years ago, when we first posted articles online and scores of other sites linked to them. Maybe we are just lucky. Or maybe, just maybe, the main point of the web is to provide real value to your consumers. Consider the possibility that putting substantial content online will help your site more than all the strategies one can imagine. Develop original, meaningful content, and they will come…

We often encounter a similar, ‘manipulative’ approach to business too. I recently heard a young professional say, “Can’t you just make money off this?” to me as I was suggesting some ways to improve a program for a client. Sure, it’s easy to just make money off your clients, at least in the short term. Real, lasting business relationships, and your own self-esteem, come from doing the right thing for your clientèle, stretching yourself beyond your comfort zone in their best interests. Anybody can do the easy thing for their customers. Long-term partnerships come to those who do the extra something and ensure that their customer’s needs are fully met. Substance is truly the ante to play the game.

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We all seek inspiration. Some of us find it from a beautiful sunset, others from a brilliant comment in a difficult situation; still others don’t seem to find it. We’d all like to capture that moment of inspiration and hold onto it. It gets us going and serves as a natural high. Yet inspiration is merely the spark; it only burns momentarily unless it is fed with hard work and persistence. After leaving my corporate job in brand management 15 years ago, many people commented that the life of an entrepreneur would be quite difficult, that there would be nobody there to ‘motivate’ me. After seeing me successful in my corporate role, it seemed impossible to them that I would also be successful in a role that is so different. Still, I went off on my own and with little more than a hope and a prayer, started the Advanced Leadership Group. Like all businesses, it has had its ups and downs. Yet there has rarely been a day when it wasn’t exciting to see the spark of an idea in a participant’s eye; when witnessing someone’s improvement in public speaking didn’t move me; or when developing strategy with executives didn’t flood my mind with ideas. Clearly the decision to work with like-minded colleagues on improving human performance has been the right one. It has made the hard work and persistence fun and worthwhile.

Finding your own inspiration can be quite a challenge. For many people, a walk down the memory lane of their childhood is required, allowing them to recall what they truly love. Too often, our work drums energy from us rather than repleting it. Our expert in this field, Gailann Bruen, finds that many people have suppressed their inner flame for so long that they have to actually do a bit of research to find it before they can reignite it! She works with them to identify that flame and find lucrative ways to make a living with it well in view. Working with her is fun, especially after somebody has had a breakthrough. She charges in, announcing the news, and a celebration invariably ensues. Her own inspiration is clear to all. No wonder she persists and is happy in her work. Are you?

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Networking with colleagues has long been key to small business success. Hence the saying, “It’s not what you know; it’s who you know.” Building and nurturing key relationships is common sense, yet many people have no idea how to do it well. They stuff their sales materials or business cards into strangers’ hands, thinking that they are out making connections. It’s more likely that their outcome will be rejection, yet they persist, learning painfully slowly. Recently our Northern New Jersey ASTD chapter held a meeting where numerous consultants tried to find their way into corporate offices via pushy and inappropriate ploys. It did not end well.

Appropriate networking involves real relationship building, and a genuine providing of value. Of the various books on the subject, my favorite is a simple read by Bob Burg, Endless Referrals. In it, he expounds on the simple concept that people do business with those that they “know, like and trust”. Bob takes you through constructive ways to build those connections so that people really can come to trust you and do business with you. He even includes a series of questions that are trust-building, making the process easy, even for a shy person. Read it for lots of usable tips.

Perhaps the most important key to successful networking is to enter relationships prepared to ‘give’ of yourself. Too many people arrive looking for what they can ‘get’ from their mark. Arrive instead with ideas, services, etc. that you can give away without any quid pro quo. In fact, the payback is likely to come down the road, often from unexpected sources.

The computerized networking sites, like LinkedIn and Xing, may change the face of networking among certain circles in the long-term. While they are a good way of identifying people that your friends and colleagues know, it is unclear as to their usefulness in making real business connections long-term.

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Watching the news has become a rather “seedy” experience these days. We hear about important issues, like terror plots and wars. Much of the news, however, focuses on people that have succumbed to some sort of temptation. Whether it is the celebrity du jour or the latest political scandal, it is diversionary and wastes our time. Even the coverage of presidential debates is typically on trite “gotchas” rather than laying out candidate positions on important issues.

Despite the proliferation of news channels and programs, it is more difficult than ever to stay well informed. Reporters rarely ‘report’ anymore without an ‘angle’ that serves as a hook for the intellectually lazy. This makes a lot of people a lot of money, but has, unfortunately lowered the level of discourse throughout our society. So many people, thinking they are informed, try to discuss issues of the day. It is often embarrassing to engage people on these issues, as they are often well informed of one side of the issue, and know nothing of the competing arguments.

When a friend asked me how I managed to learn the facts I used during a political discussion, I mentioned a variety of sources. Honestly, she looked shocked! Reading, CSPAN, research and genuine intellectual curiosity have gone the way of Model T. It’s easy to assume that the nonsense presented by our favorite newscaster is the whole truth; easy, but wrong. I encourage people to remember that leaders are readers. This applies to more than the latest book on leadership. It’s also important to be well informed about the issues of the day. Read a variety of sources and opinions and decide for yourself.

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Women often position themselves as supporters of male leaders, assuming roles that subordinate them as businesspeople. Our strengths in ’soft skills’ are extremely helpful to these leaders, who receive the credit and promotions. In fact, our supportive roles often disguise the fact that many of these men are lacking in key management EQ skills. We believe that many women do this because they get a sense of comfort in staying where they are, whether for their family or balance-of-life issues. Men don’t generally think that way.

Women are rarely placed in ’stretch’ jobs because management wants to protect them from failure and women are still leaving the corporate world for one of two primary reasons:
1. We aren’t moving up.
2. We want or need more balance in life due to our extensive family responsibilities.

These premature corporate departures are leaving too few women inside corporate America as role models.

That said, excellent communication and supportive skills are increasingly important in business due in part to globalization. This bodes well for women. The corporate world will need to make room for greater freedom and creativity if it hopes to keep the best and brightest women for the long-term. Women will need to build bridges between where we are today and where we want to be tomorrow if the corporate landscape is to change.

Many women have difficulty asking for help and delegating. We need to overcome the “princess syndrome” and ‘demand’ what we want. Many women feel apologetic for taking time out of work for golf and other networking activities. Women feel that their time is better spent at their desk rather than out with business contacts. They couldn’t be more wrong.

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As I work with young professionals, it has become increasingly clear that there is far too little trust in the workplace. We can speculate on the structural reasons for this mistrust:

• Job hopping

• Self interest put above the greater good

• Quick wins valued over long term success

All the speculation in the world, however, doesn’t help the young manager who desperately needs guidance and leadership, but knows not where to turn. Somehow leaders need to rise above the political nonsense and become beacons that our people can count on. The foundation of trust is simple to understand, yet difficult to exemplify. Trust has two foundational pieces, character and competence. Without both, our people will not trust us. The naive may think that character is more important than competence. I suggest that either without the other is a recipe for mistrust and long-term disaster.

So how then does one demonstrate character? In these days of corporate politics run a muck, it is not easy to stay above the fray. My suggestions may seem simple, but they are effective.

• 1. Avoid gossip. You are better off not knowing, and certainly not spreading it.

• 2. Don’t lie. Keep on the positive side of the truth. This means that you may occasionally not share the whole truth, because it may not be constructive.

• 3. Be constructive. It’s easy to rip ideas apart; far more challenging to constructively critique and build upon them.

• 4. When it comes to your people’s work, you must take all the responsibility for any problems and give away all the credit for successes. I know, you’re outraged with me on this one. I’m suggesting that you put your career on the line to protect your people and then give them the credit for work that you directed them to do in the first place. That’s right, and the long-term effect of this is profound.

• a. Your people will owe you big time.

• b. You will gain a reputation as a manager that people want to report to.

• c. You will start and perpetuate a virtuous circle of trust within your team.

• d. Management will eventually figure it out and see that you are indeed a real leader and developer of people.

• e. You will have self-respect and confidence.

I have often been quoted as saying that, “Competence is simply the ante to play the game of business.” Unfortunately, it is no longer something that can be taken for granted. We run across professionals who are largely incompetent for the job at hand far too often. At best, it leads to a staff that figures the manager means well, but is so incompetent that he or she cannot be trusted with even simple management tasks. Call them the the ‘empty suits’ or whatever you choose. Competence is absolutely necessary to create an atmosphere of trust among colleagues. If you feel that you are pretending to be competent and feel that you are in over your head, by all means get help! If you feel it, there’s a good chance that others see it, and you will create an environment of distrust and probably high turnover all around you. The best intentions in incompetent hands are a recipe for failure. You and your people deserve better.

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Retaining our best employees has become a growing challenge. Corporate America, of course, has brought this challenge on itself by creating an environment without job security, where promotions from outside the organization have become the norm. New generations of workers enter the workforce with the intention that they will change jobs and careers as opportunities arise. The flip side is that the best people leave for greener pastures, often just as they become truly valuable to the organization. Retaining them is not simple.

Perhaps the single most important link to a corporation is to our direct supervisor. The challenge companies face is that efforts to retain the key employee cannot assume that the direct supervisor is loyal either! This challenge translates layer upon layer in organizations, all the way to the top. Hence, the retention challenge must be addressed at multiple levels and with multiple approaches. Focus on money and benefits has become simply the ante to play the game. It is equally important to place people in challenging growth positions, with freedom for creativity and achievement. Unfortunately, in an effort to protect the organization from the risks that accompany such freedoms, too many constraints and small thinkers bottle-up top talent.

In speaking with directors and vice presidents that have left corporate America, we often find that they were spending more time with company politics than with real business issues. They simply became fed-up with it all and bolted. It will take multiple touch points to protect our best thinkers from this waste of their time and talents. We all have lots to learn.

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Excellent communicators understand the subtleties of communication, and this is fundamental to their prowess. Let’s think about the communication of the simple request with respect a letter, “Please be sure this goes out today.” Surely this is straightforward enough. Yet as stated, a myriad of problems may ensue.

First, let’s consider the tone. If stated without much inflection, it is a non-prioritized request that may get lost in the shuffle. If emphasis is given to the word “please”, then it may be taken as either sarcastic or as begging. If emphasis is placed on “today”, it may come off as impatient and annoyed. If emphasis is put on the word “sure”, it may be interpreted as not trusting and even derogatory. Each of these has undesirable side effects.

Second, the structure of this simple request leaves much to be desired. It doesn’t specify the means of transmittal, assuming that the receiver knows what is expected, and leaving much room for interpretation (and error). No information regarding the deadline for receipt of the letter is specified, which may ultimately be the source of a major error.

We routinely make simple comments like this all day long, and we’re lucky that most of them are received well and we are successful. There are simple changes, however, that can avoid the occasional blunders that ensue from incomplete communications, which is how I would characterize the example above. Consider the following example:

Janice, do you have a minute? (makes the recipient of the message stop their current activity and focus on what you are about to request)

Carol needs to have this letter, with the original signature on it, in her hands by noon tomorrow so she can proceed to commit funds for our project. Can you make sure that happens? (specific requests, with understanding of ‘why’ motivate people to do their part)

Sure Mary, I’ll send it out overnight with tracking. (you know that communication has occurred once the feedback has been received - until then, you only know that a message has been sent)

Thanks Janice! I appreciate your handling it personally. It’s pretty important, and I want to ensure it happens on time. (clarifies expectations and nicely assigns personal responsibility)

This is simple stuff, and we are routinely doing it all day long. It’s easy to skip steps, in the interest of efficiency, and when things go okay, we get in the habit of skipping those steps. With a well-oiled team, we forget that we are even skipping steps. Then, when there’s a personnel change, and things go wrong, we blame the new person instead of our short-cut communication.

Be careful to carefully balance the trade-off between time saving efficient communication and the power of effective, complete communication. The latter pays huge dividends, and takes little time to do well.

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