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Author: Mark Miller

A woman sits at the head of a conference table behind her laptop, with a whiteboard of sticky notes behind her, leading a meeting.

Practice the Fundamentals

Written by Mark Miller on . Posted in Character, Execution, Vision. No Comments on Practice the Fundamentals

I was once asked: What’s the biggest insight you’ve had throughout your career regarding leadership?

Wow! How would you answer that question?

I really do like the question. It does what most hard-working questions do – it makes you think. Also, it requires a synthesis of countless moments in time, thousands of ideas, and hundreds of possible answers. It’s the kind of question I like to ask others.

As I think about my answer to the question, my mind races through possible answers. I’m thankful to have been exposed to many great leaders who’ve been willing to share their wisdom with me and the world.

Here’s the answer I gave during the interview:

My biggest personal insight over my career regarding leadership is…
Great Leaders SERVE.

I know this idea is counterintuitive and countercultural. It always has been. To some, the idea that a leader should serve seems outlandish.

But think about electricity – energy flowing through wires to light our homes and power our appliances seemed far-fetched just over 100 years ago. Today, it is electricity that has modernized our world.

Just because an idea seems crazy at face value, that has no bearing on its validity. Servant leadership is a classic example. For me, to serve is at the heart of what enables a leader to become great.

This idea applies at two levels:

  • First is the issue of motivation – Why do you lead? Is it for you or for others? The best leaders think others first. It is a mark of their character. It is who they are or who they are becoming.
  • Second, SERVE represents the strategic practices of great leaders. I’ve written about it in the book I coauthored with Ken Blanchard called The Secret.

Great leaders SERVE when they…

See the Future

Engage and Develop Others

Reinvent Continuously

Value Results and Relationships

Embody the Values

To serve is a tall order for any leader. It is about why we lead, how we lead, how we think, and how we see our role in the world. It is a high bar to shoot for every day. To do anything less creates an inferior form of leadership. Great Leaders SERVE!

 

A woman sitting in an office across a desk from a man who is interviewing her

Select Top Talent

Written by Mark Miller on . Posted in Organization, Planning, Talent. No Comments on Select Top Talent

Selecting employees is not the same as recruiting talent. The difference between the two is profound. How do you recruit talent?

Unfortunately, many leaders do not recruit talent, they select people. To select is to sort through applicants and choose the best one.

To recruit is different.

Recruiting is the process of identifying the most appropriate people for a specific role and aggressively pursuing them.

As in most definitions, the words matter. Let’s break this down:

  • Process – This implies a pre-determined, well-conceived, repeatable, and disciplined approach to the work. A process involves steps with assigned accountability and measures of effectiveness embedded along the way. Many organizations do not have a process for recruiting talent – does yours?
  • Most Appropriate – This part of the definition suggests you know the criteria or qualifications for the role you’re trying to fill. In sports, coaches are looking for the ideal candidate. I believe businesses should do the same. In the end, you may have to compromise on some of your desires. However, you should never settle when it comes to the most critical attributes. Do you know the specific skills your ideal candidate must possess?
  • Identifying – After you know exactly what you’re looking for, process comes into play again. What are the steps to find candidates like the one you described? Where have you found them in the past? Where might you find them in the future? A Division 1 basketball coach once said he was personally scouting and recruiting middle school players – middle school! The war for talent is real in all walks of life. To recruit talent, you must first find them.
  • Aggressively Pursuing – Once you know what you’re looking for and where you might find it, how aggressive are you? How much time and energy do you invest in the pursuit? A business leader told me his number one need was finding great talent. I asked him how many hours he had personally invested the previous week in his “number one” issue. He said, “Zero.” I don’t think that qualifies as aggressively pursuing talent.

Another thought about aggressively pursuing talent: How strong is your offer? In today’s world, money isn’t the only factor when trying to get someone to join your team. I love the idea of total compensation. This includes income, benefits, and what I call “psychic income.”

Psychic income encompasses all the intangibles. You see this in professional sports from time to time. An athlete will take less money to play for a team with a better chance to win a championship or to live in a better city.

In corporate America, some will work for a company whose purpose or values resonate with their own. Others will value an organization with a reputation for helping people grow. When you put your package together, don’t undersell psychic income; people can’t take it to the bank, but often it can be the difference between winning the deal or not.

To recruit talent, you must first find them.

So, how do you recruit talent? You first decide talent can create a competitive advantage and then you create a process that supports that belief. Then you’re ready for the hard part – you have to work the process.

 

A group of women in an office, sitting around a conference table, collaborating in a meeting

One Word… Collaboration

Written by Mark Miller on . Posted in Culture, Performance, Teams. No Comments on One Word… Collaboration

Often, a single word or concept can make a huge difference for leaders and their organizations.

Let’s take a look at a word that is certainly trending: Collaboration.

Why all the fascination about an idea that has been around for so long? I don’t think the concept has changed; I think the context has. Never before in history has information been more ubiquitous or the world moved at a more dizzying pace. These factors, combined with a more globally competitive landscape and increasing complexity, make this tried-and-true concept shine with relevance.

Collaboration may not be the most efficient way to work, but I believe it is the most effective.

Collaboration is a time-tested practice on the path to greater results. The concept is so elementary it doesn’t need much explanation or defense. If you can create the environment for men and women to pool their experience, expertise, education, and passion to tackle your most challenging problems, you can create a huge competitive advantage.

What are some of the obstacles you need to overcome to achieve full collaboration? Here are 4 that I’ve identified:

Individual ownership. Most people care deeply about their work and their contribution to the success of the organization. On the surface, this is a really good thing. However, it is a two-edged sword. The good news is that work gets done; the bad news is that it may get done without the collaborative input of the team. Leaders need to defeat the “I’ll just do it myself” mindset.

Physical space. The pandemic and the radical changes to the way people work has provided challenges when a group of people attempt to truly work together. Find what works for your team and make tweaks along the way to refine your working environment.

Time on task. We have to invest more time together to gain the benefits we seek. Time together is the price you pay for better results. This can be both formal, scheduled time and informal time. Regardless, time is essential in becoming a more collaborative team.

Volume of work. Collaboration is not the most efficient way to work. However, I believe it is the most effective way to work. The more work we have to do, the more we need to collaborate – even though it requires more time. This may feel counterintuitive – it is!

What inhibits collaboration on your team?

 

A group of coworkers sitting around a table with notebooks and pens, listening and taking notes. A group of coworkers sitting around a table with notebooks and pens, listening and taking notes.

New Hire Orientation

Written by Mark Miller on . Posted in Culture, Development, Organization. No Comments on New Hire Orientation

Horst Schultze, the former president of the Ritz-Carlton hotel chain, said, ”The most important time in an employee’s career is the first 40 hours.” How much thought have you given to this crucial period? What should you include in new employee orientation?

To start the conversation, let me say that every employee has an orientation – formal or informal. The opportunity you and I have as leaders is to think strategically and leverage this time for the benefit of the employee and the organization.

I don’t believe there’s a formula for a successful new employee orientation. I do believe there are a few principles and some key questions that may help as you create your own program.

  1. Orientation starts before the class. When a new employee arrives, is there a designated workstation or office? Is their workspace furnished? Do they already have business cards? Has a computer already been assigned? Does it appear that you’ve prepared for their arrival?
  2. Involve senior leaders whenever possible. Let’s face it – a message delivered by a senior leader carries more weight than when the same message is delivered by a middle manager. Horst did the opening session of orientation at each of their new hotels. Dan Cathy, President of Chick-fil-A, invests an entire day with all new employees.
  3. Use the time to establish context. This can include the history of the organization, significant accomplishments and milestones, the competitive landscape, current strategic priorities, annual plans, etc.
  4. Showcase the Vision, Mission, and Core Values. These things are foundational! If you don’t let people know what’s important and why, they’ll spend weeks or months trying to figure it out.
  5. Talk about the cultural norms. What do people need to know to be successful? Is there a dress code – official or unofficial? Does correspondence need to adhere to a particular style guide? Are people expected to be early to meetings? Is email preferred over text messages?
  6. Proactively answer questions. Think about the questions you’ve historically received from new employees in their first 30 – 90 days. Go ahead and answer those questions early for new employees.
  7. Constantly evaluate your orientation. Get feedback from new employees. Get feedback from senior leaders. Benchmark other organizations. If you can, participate in other organizations’ new hire programs. I’ve personally learned a lot about this topic by seeing what other organizations are doing.
  8. Orientation extends beyond the class. What can you do to help people after the class? Should you assign each new person a buddy or training partner? Should you have a monthly or quarterly “lunch and learn” to expose new hires to other members of your staff? Are there written materials you can share?

Time invested in helping new employees get up to speed quickly will pay huge dividends.

 

A pair of glasses being held up in front of an eye chart, and the part of the chart seen through the lens of the glasses is in perfect focus.

Create Clarity

Written by Mark Miller on . Posted in Culture, Performance, Vision. No Comments on Create Clarity

High Performance Organizations do things lesser performing organizations don’t – they create clarity on what’s important throughout the enterprise. The fact that clarity is so elusive in many organizations is a mystery unto itself. Organizations lack clarity not for it’s inherent difficulty, but rather for the diligence required from leadership. A lack of clarity is a lack of leadership.

To create clarity is essential if an organization hopes to Act as One. The following is how Randy Gravitt and I introduced this best practice in the Chess Not Checkers Field Guide.

For those who wear corrective lenses, there isn’t much better than receiving your first pair of glasses or contacts. Objects become clear and the quality of life improves when an optometrist helps a patient dial in their vision.

In the same way, when a leader creates clarity in an organization, team members are excited once they recognize how they can contribute to success. On the flip side, a lack of clarity can keep a team mired in endless mediocrity.

When people come together around a shared mission,
they gain a huge competitive advantage.

However, being unified around the wrong ideology will do nothing more than lead you together down the wrong road. The teams that make a difference and create lasting impact are more than cohesive. They also possess clarity around the right ideas. They galvanize around a compelling vision and mission and have a core set of beliefs that keep them on the right path.

As a leader, your job is to make sure everyone is on the same page and headed in the same direction. The longer you stay on the wrong road, the further you get from your intended destination.

Clarity takes time and intentional focus. When you are able to cut through the fog and Create Clarity, confusion is minimized and an advantage is gained that propels the team to the next level. By crafting a compelling vision, establishing shared goals, and creating and implementing a plan to communicate them, you position your team to work together in powerful ways.

Clarity is available to any organization, including yours. However, your leadership team will be required to make the commitment to Create Clarity. Are you ready to make that decision?

 

Don’t Set the Bar Too Low

Written by Mark Miller on . Posted in Development, Performance, Teams. No Comments on Don’t Set the Bar Too Low

I want to lead a great team – don’t you? I want to work on big ideas that will have a big impact. I want to invest my leadership energy in people and projects that matter. I don’t think I’m the only one who feels this way. So where do we begin? We have to start where we are – but thankfully we don’t have to stay there.

One of the things I’ve been guilty of from time to time over the years is setting the bar too low – for myself and my team. This can take many forms, but today I want to talk about how, if we’re not careful, we can set the bar too low as it relates to our team.

First, we need to clarify the key ingredients regarding high performance in a team setting. They are: Talent, Skills, and Community. However, I want to be clear on some important distinctions in this arena.

People and Talent are not the same thing…

Every team is composed of people. However, many teams lack the talent they need for great accomplishment. One of our roles as leaders is to always be looking for talent – always recruiting. What does talent look like in your context? Don’t settle for just anybody to be on your team.

Assigning Tasks is not the same as developing Skills…

High Performance Teams have skilled members. These are men and women who have individual skills and team skills. If we’re not careful, we could find ourselves delegating tasks rather than developing skills. If this happens, over time your team will be devoid of any initiative and creativity. Don’t confuse delegation with skill development.

Collaboration is no substitute for real Community…

People in high performance teams do work together – they do collaborate. But they do so much more. Real community is about doing life together. When this happens, it is the turbo-charger for team performance. The members of the team are no longer just working for the organization; they are working for each other also. Don’t settle for getting along with each other. Invest the time and energy in cultivating authentic community and your team will never be the same again.

 

A group of three coworkers leaning in toward a laptop computer on a table, examining something there together A group of three coworkers leaning in toward a laptop computer on a table, examining something there together

Five Ways to Spark Creativity in Your Team

Written by Mark Miller on . Posted in Creative Thinking, Development, Teams. No Comments on Five Ways to Spark Creativity in Your Team

Tapping into creativity is a constant challenge.

In a business climate that can turn on a tweet, creativity is not just an asset, it’s essential. But I’m not just advocating creativity for creativity’s sake – companies need creativity to solve real business problems. As a seasoned leader shared with me recently, “The half-life of ideas is decreasing rapidly.” So what’s our response?

We need more and better ideas. The good news: Creating new, value-added ideas is what teams do best. However, creativity in a team environment is not automatic. There are some things that leaders can do to increase the creative output of their team. Here are a few ideas to get you started…

  1. Expect (and Respect) a Creative Team – When you establish the role of your team, be sure to highlight the expectation that the team will create fresh, new solutions to the problems you face, and respect their process.
  2. Teach Them How to Be Creative – The skills of creativity can be learned. To learn them, they must be taught. Schedule time to conduct training for your team. This can take many forms. It can be as brief as a micro-session on effective brainstorming (before your next brainstorming session) or multi-day training sessions. The point is simple – train your team on the skills of creativity.
  3. Give Them Opportunities to Practice – Creative thinking and problem solving are skills – just like golf, tennis, or a foreign language. Like any skill, you get better with practice. Look for opportunities for your team to practice the skills you’ve learned. Practice builds competence and competence builds confidence.
  4. Celebrate Creativity When You See It – The actions that you reward will be repeated. That’s human nature. That’s one reason you need to recognize not just the successes but the effort as well. Not every creative endeavor will be successful. That’s normal. If you’ve been operating in a culture in which creativity has not been valued, recognizing creative effort will be even more critical. People are paying attention. They want to know if it’s really safe to voice new ideas.
  5. You, the Leader, Must Set the Pace – People always watch the leader – whether we want them to or not. Do your people see you embracing creative ideas? Do they see you engaged in the process of creating new ideas? You can accelerate the adoption of creative thinking as a skill if you personally get in the game. If you don’t, you’ll need to temper your expectations of groundbreaking new ideas from your team.

Teams are probably at their best when they’re engaged in the creative process.

They are leveraging their collective wisdom and experience to create what previously did not exist. One of the most satisfying and productive things leaders can do is create the conditions to harness this creative potential. In our rapidly changing global marketplace, fostering and embracing creativity is essential for survival.

 

Several coworkers around a conference table, listening to and watching a few of those coworkers making a presentation to the group.

Develop More Leaders

Written by Mark Miller on . Posted in Culture, Organization, Teams. No Comments on Develop More Leaders

What does it take to build a leadership culture? What I discovered when I wrote my book, Leaders Made Here, is that organizations not only desperately need a point-of-view on leadership, they also need a leadership culture. I define a leadership culture as a place in which leaders are routinely and systematically produced. In a leadership culture, it is not unusual when there is a surplus of qualified leadership candidates for an open position.

Building A Leadership Culture

As a leader, you are the architect of your organization’s culture. How do you ensure you’ll have the needed leaders to fuel your future success? The answer: Build a leadership culture.

Here are five keys to creating a leadership culture:

  1. Define it – Does your organization have an agreed upon definition of leadership? If not, that’s the starting point.
  2. Train it – Having a definition is critical, but insufficient on its own. Can your leaders deliver on your definition? Some can, I’m sure, but training is probably required – at least for emerging leaders. Leadership skills are not innate.
  3. Practice it – Do you give emerging leaders the opportunity to lead? Most of what leaders learn about leadership they learn from leading. Give them the chance to practice by actually letting them lead.
  4. Measure it – This can take many forms: performance reviews, 360 feedback, “Readiness for Next Opportunity.” Then there’s always the “9 Box,” popularized by G.E., which evaluates leaders on two dimensions – performance and alignment with organizational values. You can even measure participation in leadership training.
  5. Model it – If your existing leaders are not showing people what great leadership looks like in your organization, or if they aren’t working diligently to demonstrate the attributes outlined in your definition of leadership, none of the previous ideas will have much impact.

How deep is your leadership bench?

 

a wooden picket fence with an attached sign that says "this way" and an arrow pointing to the right

Teams: Pseudo vs. Real

Written by Mark Miller on . Posted in Creative Thinking, Performance, Teams. No Comments on Teams: Pseudo vs. Real

I usually think about, talk about, study, and write about teams that excel. My book, The Secret of Teams, is about creating High Performance Teams. However, I’ve been looking at this topic long enough to know – some teams stink.

I’ve been on my share of really bad teams – in sports, in non-profit organizations, and at my full-time job. In their groundbreaking work, Katzenbach and Smith gave a name to these severely underperforming teams – they call them Pseudo-teams.

A Pseudo-team is a place you don’t want to be. And if you find yourself there, you want to do all you can to improve the situation as soon as possible. Before we plot your escape plan, let’s be clear on the condition we’re describing. Here are some of the clues you may be on a Pseudo-team:

  • Chronically poor results
  • Little team discipline regarding process
  • Low investment in team development
  • Ineffective meetings
  • Low team accountability
  • Little personal concern for other members of the team

If this sounds like a team you’re on today, what can you do? Here’s the good news: You do not have to stay where you are!

When a team realizes how bad they really are – often coming to grips with the fact they are actually wasting resources by pretending to be a team – you only have three choices: move forward, retreat, or stay where you are. This third option is tragic. If your team is faced with these options, be careful not to retreat to your previous station as a work group. If you do, you’ll miss what could be the chance of a lifetime – to be on an amazing team.

If you decide to move forward, the path is clear and well-marked. To move from a Pseudo-team to a Real Team you need SKILLS. The understanding of team basics will move your team forward. This statement is built on the assumption you have the requisite individual skills to perform your assigned roles with excellence. If that’s not the case, you’ll certainly have to address that. A team with weak individual players will always face an uphill battle.

The skills you need for the team to escape the pit are straightforward. You can actually make your own list. Simply answer the question, “What skills does our team need to better function as a team?” I’m guessing your answer will include skills such as…

  • Goal Setting
  • Problem Solving
  • Decision Making
  • Effective Meetings
  • Conflict Resolution

There’s one more thing you’ll need – I probably should have mentioned it before now.

Leadership will be required.

No team drifts to greatness. Neither do teams generally identify and close their own skill gaps, at least not in the early days of team formation.

My encouragement to you is to identify the gaps and lead your team to close them – one at a time. When you do, you can move to Real Team status on Katzenbach’s curve. From there, you can see your ultimate goal – High Performance!

 

A group of men and women sitting outside on a patio, facing each other and engaged in conversation

Learn from Others

Written by Mark Miller on . Posted in Development, Engagement, Personal Effectiveness. No Comments on Learn from Others

For many years, I have met with a group of men twice a month. We’ve been working diligently to improve our leadership. We’ve learned from thought leaders in the field and from each other. We’ve also been doing life together.

We’ve attended conferences together, shared resources with each other, and challenged and prayed for each other. We’ve attended weddings and graduations. Three members have battled cancer – one didn’t survive. We’ve also buried one child together. We’ve certainly grown as leaders and as friends. We’re stronger because of each other. There’s power in the group!

Small groups are not a new idea. Men and women have been meeting together in small group settings for centuries. Why has this practice stood the test of time? My best answer:

Small groups provide a unique environment in which some of our deepest,
most innate needs can be met.

Here are five reasons I plan to be part of a group like this until the day I die:

  1. Community – Small groups are the perfect setting to foster genuine community. Community is a place where we know, serve, celebrate, mourn, and love deeply. In our daily lives, these types of relationships rarely occur accidentally. True community requires a time commitment that runs counter to the pace of our lives. The discipline of meeting together on a regular basis and investing time together is the bedrock of community.
  2. Learning – A small group is an excellent forum for learning. The dynamics of a small group stimulate rich, meaningful dialogue, questions, debate, and learning. In a group, we learn from the experiences of others and enjoy the insight derived from diverse perspectives. All these factors combine to do more than merely facilitate learning – they accelerate it.
  3. Challenge – Where do you go to be challenged? Not the challenge you may get at work to do more with less. Or the challenge you get from your boss to improve your performance. Where do you go to be challenged as a human being? Where are you challenged to learn, grow, and be a better person? A well-functioning small group can be that place.
  4. Accountability – I need all the help I can get in life. Much of my accountability comes from my small group. Certainly this is true as it relates to learning, but on a larger scale as well. In our group, we decided to begin the practice of sharing our life plans and annual plans with each other. This process provides not only input but also greater accountability on the execution side.
  5. Encouragement – Life can be hard. I need a place to be encouraged. Some of this can happen at work and at home. However, a group where trust and mutual respect have been cultivated over time is the perfect venue to encourage one another.

Do you have a place like this? Why not find 6 – 8 of your friends or colleagues and start a small group today? It’s one of life’s decisions you’ll never regret. For more group resources, click here.