There’s a Big “I” in Team
The fashionable nature of the term team has outlived its usefulness in business. Your executive team is not Seal Team 6. Your project team is not the NY Giants and your sales team is not the Chicago Bulls. It seems that every group of people working together in any organization is now referred to as a team. Few actually function as a high performing team. Be aware and cautious of the tendency to dumb-down individuality for the sake of team harmony. Give smart people a forum to disagree. A clearly understsood mission to which every team member is aligned and committed is the starting...
read moreWIIFM is always in the equation
No one works for you except you. That’s true whether you are the CEO or a shop-floor supervisor. It’s true whether you culture calls people employees, associates or team members. Mother Theresa is not on your payroll. While great sacrifice and compassion were hallmarks of her work in the slums of Calcutta, she got something of value for herself as a result of the work. WIIFM (What’s in it for me?) is always in the equation. The answers to that questions are as varied as there are people helping you achieve the vision. WIIFM is not selfishness, it is reality – the...
read moreBelief drives behavior
Instruments of production or human beings who must produce? A leader’s beliefs regarding employees drives the leader’s behavior towards employees. Inherent in the belief that employees are human beings who must produce rather than simple instruments of production is the commitment to respect the dignity of those led. People will do stupid things, make bad decisions, and make mistakes. So will you. Learn from them and help others do so. In the rare situation when someone’s behavior violates ethics, integrity and demonstrates an unacceptable character flaw, get rid of them now....
read moreCommon Sense at the Crossroads
Leaders do what is right. Sometimes there are consequences that aren’t right. Courage to see what needs to be done, take action and be accountable for that action regardless of the stupidity that may attack that action or outcome is character. It is not a characteristic that exists based on title or position. Pal David was an elementary school principal in a rural community many years back. One of his school buses broke down, in the road, on a dangerous curve, near the school. The driver’s capability was limited. The principal was called. While not licensed to drive a school bus,...
read moreIt’s 2012 – Time to Stop Kicking the Dog
Results through others – it is a simple concept of few words. It ought to be easier and more satisfying. Yet the inherent challenges cause both metaphorical and literal dogs to get kicked daily. Some call it leadership. Some call it management. It is a unique alchemy that moves seamlessly from one to the other at any point in time on any day. Some believe that at a granular level, leadership is about people and management about stuff. To achieve results through others requires both. I like the term Leader as the catchall word to define the work of being the person in charge, the boss, the...
read moreWhose time is more valuable?
Easy question. Mine, of course, and that is how everyone who is honest answers the question. That is only true, however, in a static situation where neither of us needs something from the other. Case in point: In a business setting, basic math indicates that the person with the higher salary is the one whose time is most valuable. The average Fortune 500 company CEO’s time is worth about $4000 an hour and a top 20 US hedge fund manager’s time, $268,000 an hour. This is just math. In-fact, neither of these people sell their time. If either of these people suffer a heart attack,...
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