5 Leadership Words

Feeling in a reflective mood, I thought I would list the most outstanding qualities of the most effective leaders I’ve ever worked with or for.

These were the 5 words that came into my head after not very long thinking about the question:

Integrity
Humility
Kindness
Support
Fairness

Strange how words like Hard, Decisive, Ruthless, and Disciplinarian did not come into my head. That probably says more about me than anything else.

Anyway, can you offer 5 words that describe the most effective leaders you have worked for or with?

By the way, I’m not saying I’m right. I’m just saying when I remember the best leaders I’ve known my five words Integrity, Humility, Kindness, Support and Fairness are the ones I personally would use to describe them.

Would love to have your take on this!

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Learning about how 'stuff' gets done .....

Well … amazingly enough (to me) I did it. I actually went a whole week without checking my inbox.

That’s not quite true. On my mobile phone I can access gmail and so I was able to read the odd email that was sent to my gmail address but I was disciplined and didn’t reply to any. I never checked my hotmail inbox … and even more surprisingly (to me) I never even glanced at Simplicity Blog.

I’m grateful to my friends David Wike, Dave Wheeler, Richard Lipscombe, John O’Leary, Joel Canfield, and Mark Foscoe. Looks like you guys had an interesting exchange whilst I was away and I hope David Wike fulfilled his promise of buying all the drinks!

Annie and I got home earlier this (Saturday) evening from sunny (not) Harrogate in Yorkshire and so far I’ve only had time to glance at your excellent comments. I want to read them fully, reflect a bit and then reply properly.

By the way we worked intensively for seven days on performing the Australian play 'Cloudstreet' by Tim Winton. I know that Richard is well aware of the work of Tim Winton.

Our week started from scratch as a group of 24 totally unconnected people under the leadership of two directors and two assistant directors building up to a public performance.

It was certainly a terrific learning experience for me. I was well outside my comfort zone. I learned a lot about leadership, front liners and team work.

Our public performance took place on Saturday morning; seven days after 28 people unknown to each other met for the first time. The performance was well received by the audience of approximately 125 people.

It was terrific 'learning by doing.' It reminded me yet again how focus, teamwork and good leadership can produce a 'product' that people seem to enjoy.

The future workforce?

My friend Brian Galbraith from Perth, Australia recently sent me a copy of a new report – published this month by IBM Global Business Services.

The report is called 'Unlocking the DNA of the Adaptable Workforce.'

There are 4 key isses to emerge for the future of workforce development - according to this worldwide research. The report was written after interviews with 400 Human Resources Executives in 40 countries

• Create an adaptable workforce – my take on that - encourage the frontliners who actually do the work
• Leadership Gap – my take - find inspiring leaders
• Talent – my take - find your talent and nurture it
• Workforce Analysis – my take - HR to use information to help transform business rather than simply gather and collate information for transactional purposes.
  

These 4 conclusions, needless to say, are music to my ears.

If you want to read the full report go to this IBM Website to download it:

http://www-935.ibm.com/services/us/gbs/bus/html/2008ghcs.html

Friend of Simplicity - John O'Leary

My Simplicity interview today is another US based friend John O'Leary. I first came across John when commenting on Tom Peters Blog and we have struck up a friendship through email and Blogging that continues to develop. John and I share some similar music tastes and we share many similar ideas about how organisations should value people working at the front line. John is based in the US.

TREVOR: Hi John – I know you have had a fascinating and interesting career. I would love to hear a quick summary of some of the stuff you have done.

JOHN: Thanks for the opportunity, Trevor! Well, I always feel my career is just beginning, but I guess that’s because of all the twists and turns and course corrections I’ve made. In 1968, after several years of college—and 6 years of studying Ancient Greek—I abruptly left academia (and a promising future teaching dead languages) to play rock & roll full-time. My campus rock band in New Haven had been picking up some prestige bookings in Greenwich Village, New York—opening for acts like the Grateful Dead, Frank Zappa, Sly & the Family Stone, and Joni Mitchell—and we were invited to play the Berkeley Folk Festival that summer. So the band and I didn’t need much convincing to take the leap. We never got the recording contract we wanted but we had a great ride for the next year as did my subsequent “almost famous” bands. It was a real kick to be a part of the NY and LA rock scene in the late 60s and 70s, hanging or jamming with the greats—Blood Sweat & Tears, the Byrds, Tina Turner, Jackson Browne. 15 years later I changed course again and landed in the training & development world. I lucked out again and got to study or work with luminaries such as Werner Erhard, Peter Senge, and Fernando Flores. 15 years later I started consulting under the Tom Peters umbrella. Oh, and in the early 1980s I took some time off to run for US President as an independent—though that was mostly for the fun of it and to write a book about, which is mercifully out of print. A lot of folks who saw me on TV in 1980 still haven’t made the connection to me now, which allows me to keep working.

TREVOR: I was born in 1952 and so I was brought up in England as a teenager in the 1960’s on The Beatles and the music revolution. We rightly remember with great nostalgia the 1960’s. Was it really such an influential decade or do we just have rose tinted spectacles when looking back?

JOHN: Every decade is influential in different ways of course. What interests me is the contribution the 60s made to popular culture, especially in the area of pop music. If rock & roll was born in the 50s, it got a license to drive in the mid-60s. Rock wasn’t taken seriously at first—despite the genius of songwriters like Chuck Berry. But after the Beatles & Dylan showed up, the universe changed. Someday I may write about the summer of 1965, the tipping point. Everybody was trying to outdo everybody else then—the Stones, the Byrds, the Beach Boys, the Kinks. All at once you were hearing songs like “Satisfaction,” “Like a Rolling Stone,” “Help,” “Mr Tambourine Man,” “Help Me Rhonda.” Not to mention some great Motown hits.

TREVOR: You do work for Tom Peters who is one of my management icons. Tell us something about working as part of the Tom Peters Company.

JOHN: Actually in the States we’re all independent contractors—in the spirit of “Free Agent Nation” (Daniel Pink’s book and Tom’s credo)—who come together to work on specific projects for clients who want to implement Tom’s ideas. We all share Tom’s iconoclasm and have a lot of fun contributing to the tompeters.com blog, which is a terrific worldwide forum.

TREVOR: What do you see as the greatest challenges for leaders in the future John?.

JOHN: In business, government, education, healthcare, even religion I see leaders trying to make sense of a world turned upside down. Leaders trying to get their organizations to work with user manuals that are obsolete. What’s desperately needed is some independent thinking, and some courage to improvise. This is not a good time to rely on traditional management wisdom, economics orthodoxy, or political dogma. Clinging to ideology can destroy everything. The wise men in robes don’t have the answer. That, in part, is what my book is about.

TREVOR: Tell us about the book.

JOHN: Well, it’s turning into my life work, given how long I’ve been hacking away at it. My focus is on business lessons we can learn from rock & roll bands. The book identifies 6 ways in which the great rock & roll bands are exceptional business teams: (1) they’re radical innovators and risk-takers; (2) they’re passionate and inspired about their work—and they have fun; (3) they manage differences and capitalize on conflict; (4) they create a distinct identity and brand; (5) they’re ambitious, focused, and result-driven, despite stereotypes to the contrary; and (6) they’re highly autonomous and independent-minded. Then I show how to instill—or liberate—these abilities in our organizational teams. And I argue that without an infusion of these qualities many of our beleaguered organizations and institutions, ill equipped to compete in this crazy economy, are headed for obsolescence or irrelevance. To keep it interesting I illustrate my points with lots of stories and anecdotes from boardrooms, bars, and recording studios. It will be a business book you can dance to. Hopefully I’ll finish it this year. I’m a slow writer, but maybe it will appeal to all the slow readers out there.

TREVOR: Have you any plans to come back to England?

JOHN: I’d like to go tonight, but I’m knee-deep in other projects. And to stay healthy I’m trying to trim back on air travel for awhile. I don’t think living on planes is particularly good for any of us. But London is one of my favorite cities. The last time I was there in 2002 I played guitar at an entrance to the Tube just for the fun of it, and I happened to leave my guitar case open. A homeless woman came along and threw in a few pence. Something told me I should just accept it with gratitude, so I did. For one hour I was part of that street community and they took care of me. I'll always remember that snapshot of London. After that I made my pilgrimage to Liverpool to pay tribute to the Beatle gods.

TREVOR: And finally John you know I can’t possibly interview you without asking what you honestly think about The Eagles – Just how iconic are they and how will they be remembered when they finally hang up the instruments?

JOHN: I believe the Eagles, who came out of the same LA folk-rock crowd I used to get in trouble with in the early 1970s, will be forever honored for their alchemy of rock & country. The Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers got that started but the Eagles took it to a new level, with a little Don Henley soul mixed in. And from the beginning they were a triple-threat band, which is a hallmark of the top bands. They could sing, play, and write. Don Henley and Glenn Frey were among the best songwriters that came of age in the 70s. When I first heard “Best of My Love” on the radio in 1974 I had to pull over to the side of the road, it hit me so hard. And of course “Hotel California” belongs on a short list of perfect rock songs. It should be launched in a time capsule documenting the whole era. The Eagles are also a wonderful illustration of a business team that learned how to harness their conflict—interpersonal and creative—to put out strong product for a fanatic customer base. And they’re back at it!

Friend of Simplicity - Dave Wheeler

My Friend of Simplicity interview today is with a good friend and fellow simplifier Dave Wheeler who lives in Little Rock Arkansas in the United States. I met Dave a few months ago through the Tom Peters Blog. He and I immediately hit it off as two people sharing similar opinions about leadership, front line employees and simplicity.

TREVOR: Hi Dave – Tell me a little about your career.

DAVE: Well, the majority of my professional life was spent in the U.S. Air Force. The first 12 of my 24 years were spent as an Aircrew Life Support/Survival Training specialist. We inspected and maintained a wide variety of aircrew survival equipment from oxygen gear, life rafts, survival kits, and parachutes for example. We loaded tons of equipment on aircraft. But the best part of this field was training. We trained them how to use the equipment, how to escape and evade and how to survive in five different biomes. I essentially got paid to go camping in places like Guam, Thailand, the Philippines, and got to duct tape officers to trees when they screwed up in evasion scenarios. It gets no better than that.

My last 12 years were spent as the military equivalent of a Business Consultant. The title was Director of Quality, Performance, and Productivity Management. I worked directly with Group and Squadron Commanders to "design and deploy" a complete performance management systems for their each organizations in the part of the wing. We started at senior leader level worked down to the lowest frontline group they had. I also trained and certified an “in house” consultant to keep them on track and moving forward. I facilitated strategic and human resource plans, built balanced scorecards of key performance metrics, customer and supplier identification and relationship management strategies, survey design, semi-annual audits of their systems to find strengths and areas for improvement, and training, training, training were the basics. It was the best job on the planet and an invaluable "hands on" education on the challenges and barriers to "doing” effective leadership on the job from the Boardroom to the Floor. I sometimes will pick up a book on leadership and management and wonder "Buddy, have you ever seen a workplace or spoken to a frontliner in your life?” Many can tell you a bunch about "what" to do, but they often don't have a great deal to say about the specifics of execution, the “why’s" or the “hows". I think that's the one thing the "Boardroom to Floor" scope of the consultant's role gave me. After leaving the military I went to back to school, was the Warehouse and Delivery Manager for a furniture store for a time, and have spent the past 6 years progressively as a customer service representative/technical support specialist/Manager/Training Manager in the Telecommunications industry. Decades of leadership and management experience to be sure. Blue collar and frontline to the core.... that would be me!

TREVOR: What stirred your initial interest in leadership?

DAVE: I think the one thing that unites everyone who has had a job is that at some point we have said to ourselves "if I ever get to be in charge here, things would be different". We had a list of things in mind we would change if we had the chance. . Funny thing is those lists were usually 1000% on point as to what the real issues were or what needed to be done to work smarter, more productively, and more efficiently. This is why I went straight to the folks on the frontline when I was told to figure out a way to work around a 25% reduction in staffing and 18% less funding. I always told myself if I ever got to a supervisor position, I would not forget what it was like to sit in that chair on the frontline and I would be the leader that I wanted to work for. I’ve managed to keep that attitude in every job I’ve had and it has served me well. I worked for some terrific leaders early in my career who kind of went against the "rank=knowledge" paradigm of the military and gave me a opportunity to “get out of the chair” and do some low level leading on some project teams. My interest in leadership was simple. First, I wanted to make sure I didn’t disappoint the folks who showed trust and confidence in me. Second, I didn’t want to go back to that frontline chair. The Air Force is unique in the fact that although, I was a relatively senior enlisted person the position I had essentially made me the V.P. of Quality. I had a seat at the conference table with “the big guys” and was a regular backbencher in meetings with the even bigger guys. I was able to listen, watch and learn. There are few folks I respect more than the Air Force officer corps from the lowest ranking Lieutenant to the most senior General Officer. The competition for advancement begins day one and the slightest mis-step can effectively keep a person from getting a position of command. They were generally assigned to a unit for 2-3 years and then move on. In that period that get constant assessments of their units performance, a degree of accountability not seen in the corporate world today. I was definitely lucky to work for and learn from some terrific leaders and I got to observe up close some terrific bad examples as well.

TREVOR: I know you are a great advocate of the Baldrige Quality Framework – can you briefly outline why you think this is important in a business?

DAVE: Well, to put it “Simplicity” I hope, if you have read a book about management or business practices over the past 30 or 40 years you will notice a few recurring themes. They talk about the need of involved and engaged leadership, customer focus and relationship management, data driven decision making, strategic planning, employee well being and satisfaction, managing the processes that produce your products and services, and using a balanced scorecard of metrics to continuously monitor and improve performance. These are the seven core things that an organization “manages”; it’s the stuff that we do on a daily basis. Most management books tell you what to do. They offer little as to why it is important and even less on how to go about doing it. That’s why The National Malcom Baldrige Quality Award’s Criteria for Performance Excellence is such a “value added” tool.

What exactly is the Baldrige Quality Framework? The Criteria for Performance Excellence is a framework that any organization, in any industry, of any size can use to design, “deploy”, and continuously improve a “world class” closed loop performance management system. Oh, and it’s free as well. Each of those seven core items listed above is addressed as a part of the system. The system has two pieces. There is a Leadership Triad that is the leadership, strategic planning, and customer and market focus categories make up. This is the piece of the puzzle that Senior Leadership is responsible and accountable for in any organization anyway. The “Results Triad” are the things that Senior Leadership and the rest of the organization “do” to produce the products and services the company is in business to produce. The categories in the this part are employee focus, process management and the actual data of the “balanced scorecard” of key customer, operational, financial, work force, and process/supplier data. The Measurement, Analysis, and Knowledge Management category is the data driven decision-making piece. It gives the management system the agility and continuous improvement capacity to react and adjust quickly to changes in customer needs and expectations or the competitive environment. Nothing difficult about the basics to be sure, just a better way of organizing the stuff we need to be doing anyway.

Why is a systems based approach a better way of doing business? In many organizations stuff often gets done in isolation. How often do key initiatives not get funded, or folks don’t get the training or other tools needed to produce good results? How many people look at a vision statement or mission statement and not see where their job links to the big picture? “That would be all the time Dave” you reply? The major benefit of a systems based approach is it enables all levels to link and align with company strategy. The Senior Leadership of air mobility might say departure reliability is a strategic imperative. If my army customer is waiting at “Base A” and needs to be in place at “Base B” with x number of troops and equipment at x hour, we had best be launching our planes on time from my base to be at Base A on time to get them moved. My piece of the puzzle in Life Support to make sure planes left on time was to make sure they were properly configured with all the survival equipment required for that type of mission and insuring all aircrew members were certified and current in their training. The Wing Leaders strategic imperative became one of mine so I could plan, train, and allocate resources to make sure that a late departure wasn’t because we didn’t do our job. Aircraft provisioning and aircrew training became key processes that we monitored and continuously tried to improve. Knowing the CRITICAL processes enabled me to identify the customers and suppliers for each. I knew their requirements and limitations, who to talk to for feedback or get involved in trying to do it better. A great snowball effect and possible only because we could align and link to what was really critical rather than spend time on the worthless many. Systems rule!

How does it work? Go out to www.nist.gov and you’ll see the link to the National Quality Award site. Next, just download a copy of the Criteria for Performance Excellence and read the overview and core values. The Criteria doesn’t tell you what to do because it’s not prescriptive. For example, the Strategic Planning Category has two Areas to Address. One is Strategy Development. The other is Strategy Deployment. The Criteria just asks questions and asks you define what process you use to align with that item. For example, Strategy Development will ask you to describe the processes you use for strategic planning, who are the participants, or how do you determine what your strategic advantages and challenges. How can you produce an effective plan if you don’t know those for goodness sakes? In Strategy Deployment, it asks you to describe how you translate goals and objectives into action plans and how do you insure that these items translate into resource allocations company wide or what human resource plans do you have to insure you can meet your key goals and objectives. If you have a process to meet that item…great. If you don’t, develop one. You will easily recognize many of the “questions” as concepts the books you have read pointed out you need to be doing. The Criteria take it a step better by giving you a framework to align with that helps show you how to make it work in your company.

Simple, free, and a process that leads to improving performance, productivity, and results. It gets no better than that.

TREVOR: Like me you have great faith in front line employees. How can managers get the best out of front line folks?

DAVE: You build a relationship with them. You become a team. You share accountability for producing results with them so you have a choice. The folks you lead can be your allies or your enemies and your actions help them decide which category they will place themselves in. I have found that making sure they know what the performance expectations are, understand how their performance is going to be measured, and getting the hell out of their way works great. We create an environment that promotes trust, teamwork, and continuous learning and improvement. My job is making their job as easy as possible. I give feedback, coach and develop, and get them the stuff they need to excel. It actually is easy, I’m just the kind of “boss” I wanted to work for when I was sitting in that chair on the frontline.

TREVOR: What do you see as the three greatest qualities of an effective leader?

DAVE: Number One is credibility. Second, would have to be credibility. Finally, yeah, credibility for sure.

My credibility is my leadership capital. Credibility + Consistency = Trust. Trust + Collaboration = Teamwork. If I’m not credible, we won’t be able to work in an environment of trust, teamwork, and continuous improvement. I can have allies or enemies. The best piece of leadership advice I received was from a General I worked for who said he would rather have everyone inside the tent “pee-ing” out than on the outside “pee-ing” in…paraphrasing the Lyndon Johnson quote about J. Edgar Hoover. Crowded but dry immediately became my goal for both the condition of my tent and my leadership ability!

TREVOR: Do you think the leadership model that you knew so well in the military is interchangeable in business or not?

DAVE: Absolutely. I just finished a great book “Leading from the Front, No Excuses Leadership Tactics for Women” that was written by former Marine Corps Captains Angie Morgan and Courtney Lynch. They take their “lessons learned” from their time in the Corps and describe ten key practices to become a great leader. One that struck a chord with me and reminded me of a cornerstone of my leadership style was the “True Leaders Dedicate Themselves to Service~Take Care of Those You Lead” concept. My Father was also in the Air Force and he was a disciplinarian and stickler for detail. I recall he would show up in at his troops barracks early Saturday morning and escort them to the barbershop for a haircut or to inspect the cleanliness of their quarters. He was accountable for their appearance and condition of their quarters and he was doing his job. But he also knew them. He was forever in his pocket when folks needed something, if he had troops deployed somewhere he was always making sure their families were cared for and ok. I grew up thinking I had 20 brothers because there were always extra folks at the table on holidays that couldn’t be with their families. As Captains Morgan and Lynch point out “Be it on the battle field or off, I made sure the needs of my troops, both personal and professional, were met.” Take care of those to the right of you and the left of you and they will take care of you. I just shake my head when folks say that being a leader means you can’t discipline someone or hold them accountable for their performance and their actions. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Let one person slide or not pull their weight on a high performance team and see what that does to the team’s attitude and your credibility. “Leaders constantly recognize and demonstrate how important those under their command are to them and their mission,” observe the Captains. That captures it perfectly because it is the absolute truth.

TREVOR: What do you see as the main challenges for modern leaders?

DAVE: I think leaders will be fine. I think Managers however are in trouble. I really found your friend Brian’s observation that leadership is a decision, not a position to be most profound. Some would argue that the difference between being a manager and a leader is semantics. I would disagree. You don’t have to be a manager to assume a leadership position on a team or in the workplace. You also shared some research from your dissertation with me Trevor that pointed out the differences between the two were in their attitudes and actions… proactive versus reactive. Issues like employee retention, service quality, and an ever-changing competitive environment will place a premium on maximizing the skills, talent, and knowledge of the front liners. Credible leadership can make that happen. A manager who only has positional authority will most likely fail because their folks will bail. The costs of turnover are incalculable on damaging a company’s reputation with their external customers and in their community as being an employer of choice for those seeking career opportunities

TREVOR: Finally Dave – I know you have connections with England - tell us about that – and are we likely to see you over here in the UK at any time in the future?

DAVE: My Dad was stationed at RAF Northolt and I lived in Ruislip from 1958-1962. It is strange but I can’t remember stuff from three days ago but I do recall a great deal from the days in England. I think my screams are still echoing in the halls of the Chamber of Horrors at Madame Tussard’s, I recall rides on the tube to London, fish and chips wrapped in newspaper. I recall a Pan American 707 sitting on the ramp at Northolt on flat tires when the pilot mistakenly thought he was landing at Heathrow. I lived at 12 Cranley Drive and recall a nice couple up the street that always had a kind word and a tin of sweets for the kids in the neighbourhood. I knew them as the Krogers. It turns out however that the folks at 45 Cranley Drive were actually named the Cohen’s and in 1961 they were arrested and charged with espionage as Soviet spies. Those were interesting days indeed and a great time for sure. A trip to the U.K. is a possibility; one that I would say is more distinct than remote. Trevor, I promise you will know when it happens. I’ll be knocking on your door to pry you away from the keyboard long enough to go play a round or two (or twenty) of golf!

Front liners know best yet again!

I think it is timely for me to say I feel honoured to have so many fabulous readers who make outstanding comments to Simplicity Blog. Thank you all so much.

Among many comments on my Simplicity posting on Wednesday this week, my friend John O'Leary said this:

“I was working with frontline workers to redesign workflow in an Ontario sawmill. When we solicited cost-saving suggestions from one worker and learned of a simple and quick fix that would save the operation millions of dollars, we asked him why he didn't mention it before. He replied, "I did 10 years ago, but my supervisor told me to just stick to my job, so I did."

Everyone who reads my Blog, my articles or my books will know I have a passion for enabling front line workers to just get on with the job with no interference. I also call for the obliteration of petty, silly rules and the 'control' attitude of some managers.

John's powerful comment reminded me of one of my favourite quotes from the great management guru – perhaps THE greatest – the late Peter Drucker who said;

“Ninety percent of what we call ‘management’ consists of making it difficult for people to get things done.”

Sums up the supervisor in John’s story perfectly wouldn’t you say?

Amen to Mr Drucker's words and thanks again to John – I just had to make a special posting of this one!

‘Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing’ - Albert Schweitzer

I remember my first week in the first senior healthcare management job I ever had. I was 22 and had got this job at a relatively young age in those days. Any ideas of pretentiousness were quickly dispelled by events.

I discovered that I had walked straight into something of a mini crisis in the Transport department. The Transport department consisted on one van driver and a relief driver who covered in the absence of the full time driver. My arrival coincided with a long spell of sickness for the relief driver and then after I had been in post for less than a week the full time driver went sick. I was assured this was not linked to my arrival!

Although my job was of course much wider than merely managing the transport it was nevertheless a small but important part of my duties and so I was immediately on the spot.

I had numerous demands from all the other departments who had been awaiting my arrival as the new hospital manager and yet there was a mini crisis in one small department.

I searched around and asked people what were the contingency plans for such an event. There were no plans as this had never happened before.

I suddenly became aware that I was alone here and had to do something. The only solution I could think of was to 'become the van driver' for a week until the regular driver came back to work after his sickness. And so my new smart office clothes that I had been proudly wearing for just three days were hung up and I donned the overalls and tunic of the van driver. I read the shift duties and asked around to become familiar with the duties. I was loading dirty laundry and unloading clean laundry I was a courier service delivering post and blood samples between hospitals and health centers. I was a 'people carrier' transporting nurses back and forth to the neighboring town for their training sessions. At the same time I was trying to fit in learning about other and bigger elements of my exciting new job.

Although this was not exactly how I had envisaged starting my career as a manager I still remember it well and I think it stood me in good stead for future challenges.

Having ‘been there and got the tee shirt’ I felt in a good position when challenged about the efficiency of the department – I was speaking from an informed position.

Over 20 years later when I was managing mental health services we had a staff crisis owing to industrial action and a work to rule.

I was telephoned by the Manager of a residential unit for Older People with mental health problems to say that the weekend coverage was stretched to breaking point and there were concerns that patient safety may be at risk unless we could approve overtime.

We were not allowed to pay overtime and so I offered to work two 12 hours shifts on the Saturday and the Sunday as an unqualified Nursing Assistant if it would help. The manager of the unit was grateful if a little suspicious about my motives and agreed that I could provide a pair of hands for two shifts to help cover the immediate crisis.
Those two days were as informative and instructive for me as any in my whole career and I learned so much. Working alongside the front line staff in such difficult circumstances was a profound experience that I will never forget and although I had always prided myself in how much I felt I could empathise with front line staff, this experience proved to me that we never truly know what it is like until we do it.

Moving on another few years I started a job as a Locality Manager and I wanted to get a feel for what it is really like to work as a District Nurse or Receptionist or Health Visitor and so I planned to spend at least one day working with a member of each of the professions I was accountable for. I planned it in partnership with the professionals concerned and there were a few cynical people who again were presumably suspicious of my intentions and motives. On the whole though I was received very well and again I found the learning to be very special. I felt privileged to be able to share the time with those staff and I am convinced it gave me much greater awareness of some of the things they have to deal with in the everyday sparring that goes on. There is simply no better experience than ‘doing the job.’ When circumstances dictate you have to ‘get your hands dirty’ and remember where you came from and why you are there.

I feel it should not be something we only do as leaders when there is a crisis. I would suggest all leaders or aspiring leaders would be well advised to build into their regular regime some time spent alongside their front line staff.

Leadership Lessons

‘Walking the talk’ means getting your hands dirty. You never lose the responsibility of making sure the job gets done. Your credibility is linked to how dirty you are prepared to see your hands become.

The Big Question - Are you Manager or Coach?

If you have employees reporting to you in business these days, do you prefer to be called a manager or a coach? Nailing my colours to the mast - I love the word ‘coach’

This is not a new thing for me. I’ve ALWAYS had a problem with the word ‘manager’ when it comes to describing the relationship between the person in charge of a group of people at work. I’ve always held the view that people ‘manage’ themselves.

We manage ‘things’ – we ‘coach’ people is one of my favourite expressions!

Coaching of employees raises the ‘value’ of the relationship for both parties as far as I can see.

These days I feel privileged and honoured to be described as a coach for a few clients I work with. My ‘job’ is certainly not to ‘manage’ them. My role is to 'get alongside' the person and then it is our task working together to find ways in which they can solve any issues they may have. We plan how they can get to work on things they are good at and that they enjoy.

That description is a million miles away from the traditional description of a ‘manager.’

‘Manager’ to me implies status differential and demarcation on an organisational chart. ‘Manager’ implies somehow that one partner in the relationship is more important. That is not how I would describe my idea of effective working relationships.

Management is about rules and coaching is about getting the best out of people.

Real joy for me comes from seeing people flourish and thriving in their work and that they look forward to going to work.

In the NHS whenever I was described on my job description as a ‘manager’ I never saw myself as ‘managing’ people. I always felt our relationship was one of adults working together.

I think the best managers are actually 'coaches' - even if their job description describes them as a 'Manager'

In a nutshell it’s not about rules it’s about relationships.

Enthusiasm Rules OK!

As a 'mature adult' I have to say I get more than irritated when youngsters are criticised. I am very optimistic about my future being in the hands of the young people of today.

How fabulous it is when we see a youngster with real passion to make a difference. Yesterday Annie and I met such a youngster working in the National Health Service.

She is only 23 and it is just so obvious from her whole demeanour that she really wants to make a difference for her patients in the caring role she fulfils in the National Health Service.

She works with some very challenging clients and yet she approaches her job with such brilliant enthusiasm and optimism. I pray that she never loses those qualities and I just hope ‘the system’ does not beat that innocence out of her and wear her down. We simply cannot afford to lose people like this.

We need people like this young woman more than ever before in management and leadership positions because it seems to me there are far too many people either burned out, tired or demotivated .... or worse still .... all three!

Fox Business Network TV Interview

As a result of the recent article in the New York Times I was invited by Fox Business Network TV to go to London last Friday to take part in a live TV interview that was broadcast in the United States.

The Fox studio overlooks the River Thames and the House of Commons – a marvellous setting.

This was a new and wonderful experience for me and I was impressed with the people at Fox and the whole process.

The interview lasts almost 4 minutes.

Managing in a crisis

I received a postive comment today from a posting I made in August 2007 on this subject so I have decided to re-post something similar.

Here are a few lessons I’ve learned through managing in crisis situations.

*Always have a plan B even if you are confident plan A is going to work
*Ask the employees most directly affected what they think
*Employees are usually 'ahead' of the Board
*Don’t listen to gossip – talk to people direct
*Be aware there are political games going on at every level
*Try to ensure there are no ‘camps’ even though there will be
*Be open and up front about bad news
*Tell people quickly and tell everyone affected at the same time
*Walk away for a few hours and leave it – you need refreshing
*Don’t make assumptions and if you do … change them every hour
*Be ready to be surprised with reactions
*Admit you were wrong when you make a mistake – as you inevitably will
*Just when you thought things were getting better they get worse and you have to keep going
*Never give up
*Have an understanding wife/husband/partner/family
*Remember you have a life too.

Summary:

You will make mistakes along the way and if you think you have finally ‘cracked it’ you will be wrong. If you think you can write a policy to deal with this sort of thing and then simply pull it out of a filing cabinet and implement it in a cold clinical way then forget it – the world just doesn't operate that way. We are talking about people.

Wake up and smell the coffee if you think this practical leadership stuff can be taught in a business school classroom.

You couldn't make it up!

It was like something from a 'Carry On' film.

Annie and I called in at Taunton Services on the M5 motorway this morning for a breakfast on our way back home from Devon.

We were at the hot food bar for the traditional English breakfast in a small queue of us two and one very nice man.

The young lady behind the counter asked the man in the queue if he would like fried or scrambled egg … fair question we thought. The man replied 'scrambled egg please' and we were amazed as she said to him … ‘the scrambled egg is not very nice at all!’ … we smiled at each other and the man smiled at us … I said to him ‘At least she's honest!' … but we just couldn't work out why the heck would you have scrambled egg on display as an option only to be told it’s not very nice?

We were then asked by about three or four unoccupied young male staff whether there was anything they could do for us.

I was sorely tempted to say ‘Well as there are so many of you, apparently doing nothing, why don’t one of you go and make a decent scrambled egg?’ … but I resisted.

We paid our bill and sat down to enjoy our scrambled eggless breakfast.

The man who had been in the queue brought over a £5 note to me and said he had noticed they had over-charged me at the till!

What a lovely experience ….

And yet more evidence about the crazy world of business and customer care!

Rules are made to be stretched.

Last year my business and home internet connection went down for 35 days. I was forced to consider how I was going to survive given my seemingly total reliance on modern technology for my communication needs.

The first thing I discovered is that is a myth. Sure I became stressed about being unable to instantly respond in the way I had become accustomed to but the reality is that we find ways of coping and in fact every e mail is not so urgent that it must be replied to immediately.

The best way I could cope in dealing with my e mails and updating my website and Blog was to visit three local libraries. There was the main library in the town centre and two more local smaller libraries.

The rules for use are that customers are allowed one hour on a computer and, if the computer is not booked, it is possible to gain an extension for a further 30 minutes.

I visited all three libraries almost every day for the 35 days I was without my internet connection at home.

It was a fascinating experience. My priority was to make the most of the limited time I had available to me and it is only since the experience that I have been able to reflect on the differences in each of the three libraries.

The main library has the most machines, is a very large building and is run very efficiently. It is big and somewhat impersonal but overall a satisfactory service. The other two libraries are much smaller and after a few days I got to know the staff – there are less of them – and generally I felt more at home in the two smaller libraries.

An interesting thing happened in one of the small local libraries.

It was a Friday afternoon. There were 6 machines available and I was working on one of the six. There was one other person on another machine and four were free. The library was due to close at 4 pm and the time was approaching 3 pm.

Although I had been on the computer for my allowance of 90 minutes, I thought I would just ask if I could have an extension as it was fairly obvious that no-one was going to come into the library at that time on a Friday afternoon - and certainly not five people rushing in.

I was somewhat surprised with the reaction of the rather ‘frosty’ staff member who said that I had used my 90 minutes and she would not be able to extend my time beyond that. I accepted her decision but made a comment that it seemed rather a shame that I could not stay when there were now five computers free and it was less than an hour before the library would close.

Despite this she told me I could not have an extension and so I left – rather peeved but at least it was the weekend.

Contrast that situation with the staff at the other smaller, local library. They got to know me well and even if I had used my 90 minutes and the library was not busy I was regularly allowed to stay on the machine for another hour at least and sometimes longer!

The difference is simple.

* The ‘jobsworth’ library assistant stuck rigidly to the rules and I suppose she is technically ‘correct.’
* The staff at the other local library used their discretion and made a decision based on common sense and customer care.

I know which I prefer and would suggest that if more people at the front line used their discretion rather than stick strictly to every rule then customer care could be celebrated more often.

I would not want to see rigid rules stretched in life and death situations, for instance in healthcare or airline travel, but come on... we are talking a library!

It is ironic that all three libraries are run as part of the same organisation and yet each one has its own distinct culture, values and beliefs and styles. If any senior manager in the organisation believes there is a common and consistent customer care culture they need to visit the libraries themselves to discover the truth. The three libraries could have been in different continents they were so different. The joy of this example is that it proves we are all individuals and we can celebrate difference.

Leadership Lesson

Rules are made to be stretched and sometimes broken.

Customers decide if you live or die

In these days of intense competition only the smartest businesses will survive. I’ve been thinking about how businesses retain customers for repeat business.

My view has always been that if you are in touch with customers – in fact if you make customers feel really special - you won’t go far wrong.

There are thousands of management consultants who will charge a lot of money trying to convince you there is a technical, rational, systems answer to all this. I disagree. I have always said (and written) that there is a place for process in businesses but the proportions in my opinion should be a pint of process and a gallon of passion. In my experience many businesses have a gallon of process and a pint of passion – and they then wonder why their business is a not a hotbed of creativity and in touch with front line staff and customers. I say value and trust your front line staff and look after your customers and you will succeed.

These are the stages I recognise in many businesses:

Stage 1 Passion

The owner of the company starts small with a vision to establish the business. There is real passion at this stage because the owner has to work to eat. It will be a struggle to make any money. This is about making your reputation.

Stage 2 Established

The owner sees the business is meeting a need and begins to break even and maybe make some money. More work is generated and the business is becoming established. The owner is still very hands on - driving the business.

Stage 3 Growth

The reputation of the business grows and more work is generated. The owner decides it is time to get some help and staff are recruited to assist. The owner is still heavily involved. The business is becoming profitable.

Stage 4 Expansion

Now things are buzzing and the owner decides that it can expand. Staff recruitment takes off, business is growing and everything looks great. The owner is now slightly more removed from the front line and customers and has people doing ‘all that stuff.

Stage 5 Comfort

The business is now comfortable in terms of profits and growth. The owner now has a monitoring role because the senior management team takes care of the day to day business including customer care.

Stage 6 Complacency

Because things are now ‘comfortable’ complacency sets in. Standards provided to customers that were hugely important in the earlier stages seem to have slipped because the business is now big and less responsive to the changing needs of customers.

Stage 7 Vulnerability

Whilst standards have slipped existing competitors and new businesses have emerged as serious rivals. You have become vulnerable. You start to notice profits are reducing and repeat business is not happening. Your staff are not as happy as they were. The owner is now far removed from the everyday business – and may even be oblivious to what is happening.

Stage 8 Arrogance

The business ignores the obvious and growing competition and refuses to learn from what is happening – a classic case of burying your head in the sand. The need for change is now smacking you between the eyes but refusal to accept the inevitable seems to be the overriding culture.

Stage 9 Death - RIP

This is what happens when we refuse to listen to what our customers are telling us. Customers are our heartbeat and if we do not listen and respond to what our pulse is telling us then the outcome is sadly inevitable. The owner – now completely out of touch – is heard to say ‘What went wrong?’

Summary

I would suggest that being closely in touch with our customers is important throughout all the first 8 stages and arguably more important from stage 5 onwards. Sadly many businesses seem to lose touch with customers once they have become comfortable.

Comments?

Customer care is simple

When I was younger there was clear difference in product reliability. There were numerous jokes going around like:

What do you get if you merge British Leyland with Mothercare?

Answer - A car with a built in rattle.

Nowadays cars work. Vacuum cleaners work. Washing machines work. Televisions work …. And so the list goes on. Anything I buy seems to work.

I would say reliability has improved beyond recognition in the last 10 years. Occasionally of course the product we buy doesn't work but I suggest that is now the exception rather than the rule.

Where am I going with this?

Well - My question is … if everything works... what is it that makes me part with my money to a particular supplier versus another?

For instance if the specification is the same for the Washing Machine and the price is the same in two shops what makes me choose one shop over another?

My feeling is it has to do with the attitude of the staff who deal with me as the customer.

The business that makes me feel special and important is the one I am likely to use and recommend. The one that does not treat me with that care will not get my future business. And of course, more importantly, I am going to tell my friends and family about the good and the bad. So when you lose one direct customer you may also be losing more because people talk.

Why do some staff in direct contact with customers give the impression that we customers are some sort of inconvenience spoiling the tranquillity of their working day?

This really is simple stuff … Isn’t it? … Or am I missing something here?

Tom Peters in UK

I have been alerted to a new Tom Peters Company Website for the UK element of Tom’s business. This is the link: http://www.tompeters.co.uk/index.htm

I am a long time admirer (about 28 years) of the work of Tom Peters and I had the pleasure of meeting the Tom in person a couple of years ago on one of his all day seminars in London.

I advocate Tom’s ideas in business.

I don’t agree with everything Tom says but most of his teaching is based on cutting out complex (crap) processes, simplicity, common sense and trust in front line staff. I therefore find myself in support of most of what he says and writes.

If you ever get the chance to see Tom speak it is an opportunity not to miss.

Take a look around Tom Peters UK site. I know they are keen to have feedback about it – you can give your feedback to them by e mail team@tompeters.co.uk

Click here to read Random Ramblings!

David Wike is a business colleague here in the West Midlands, England. David has invited me to work with him next month in a new workshop he has designed called Towards the Perfect Business!

David has some great ideas about how small to medium size businesses can develop. In a nutshell David wants his workshop to provide an opportunity to discuss with people running small business how they can aim for the perfect business.

You can read more about David’s ideas at his excellent website by clicking here.

David recently set up a Blog called Random Ramblings as part of his website and each Wednesday he pens his thoughts about business, customers and life in general. It makes fascinating reading. David’s long management career in the motor industry means that his insights about management and business are well worth reading.

David and I agree on many things, in particular, passion for front line staff and customers and I am sure regular Simplicity readers will enjoy David’s banter.

Click here to view David's Random Ramblings for this week. Please pass this link to your friends.

PS .. David is a life long Liverpool football fan for which I have forgiven him. I am sure he will grow out of that as he gets older ….. Just joking David.

Why Why Why???!!!

Another rant on Customer Care - I am constantly surprised.

Just as I think the message is getting through to businesses that the customer is actually quite an important part of the company… No!! hold on just a moment … let me re-phrase that slightly understated point …

THE CUSTOMER IS THE REASON YOU EXIST!!!

Annie and I boarded a STAGECOACH bus on Monday to travel to Coventry and we were greeted by the rudest, most ignorant and arrogant driver one could possibly find. His whole attitude was 'anti-customer.'

This is such a shame as our previous experiences with many other bus drivers of Stagecoach have been good. This driver set back the image of the company in our eyes and how sad it is that such people can affect the entire image of a company.

I would just love the Chief Executive of Stagecoach to have been the passenger so that he/she experiences what it feels like. I intend to write to the Chief Executive with that comment. The people running companies need to know this sort of thing is going on at the front line. Drivers represent the Chief Executive.

As regular readers of Simplicity will know I am a great advocate of front line staff and I stick by my beliefs on that.

It is a tragedy that such people spoil the image of the vast majority of front line staff.

I try so hard to be understanding and tolerate the fact that this man may have been having a particularly bad day; he may have been ill; he may have had to cope with some bad news that day …. I am a reasonable sort of customer – I greeted him with a smile and I feel this was just his style.

You just get a feeling about these things don't you?

Recruit for Attitude and Train for Skills.

Take a look at my friend David Wike’s new Blog – Random Ramblings

David has written a fascinating posting today about skills shortages for the future and I’m sure he would value comments from regular Simplicity readers.

My own view about all this is that we need to reverse the historical trend.

For as long as I can remember the perceived wisdom in management and business is that we should recruit for skills and train for attitude.

I support the opposite – recruit for attitude and train for skills.

Thanks David for a great topic.

Leadership lessons

Here are a few lessons I’ve learned through this current crisis

• Always have a plan B even if you are confident plan A is going to work
• Ask the staff most directly affected what they think
• The staff are usually 'ahead' of the Board
• Don’t listen to gossip – talk to people direct
• Be aware there are political games going on at every level
• Try to ensure there are no ‘camps’ even though there will be
• Be open and up front about bad news
• Tell people quickly and tell everyone affected at the same time
• Walk away for a few hours and leave it – you need refreshing
• Don’t make assumptions and if you do … change them every hour
• Be ready to be surprised with reactions
• Admit you were wrong when you make a mistake – as you inevitably will
• Just when you thought things were getting better they get worse and you have to keep going
• Never give up
• Have an understanding wife/husband/partner/family
• Remember you have a life too.
  

We continue to manage our way through this problem making it up as we go along to some extent and drawing on our various experiences with help from the legal folks and the HR professionals.

You will make many mistakes along the way and if you think you have finally ‘cracked it’ you will be wrong. If you think you can write a policy to deal with this sort of thing and then simply pull it out of a filing cabinet and implement it in a cold clinical way then forget it – the world just doesn't operate that way. We are talking about people.

Wake up and smell the coffee if you think this practical leadership stuff can be taught in a business school classroom.