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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?

 

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 group of young coworkers sitting around a laptop computer on a table, laughing with each other.

Harness The Power of a Start-up… Even if You Aren’t in Start-up Mode

Written by Mark Miller on . Posted in Creative Thinking, Culture, Development. No Comments on Harness The Power of a Start-up… Even if You Aren’t in Start-up Mode

Have you ever been part of a start-up? Do you know people who have? What can we learn from the pioneers who are willing to start something new? Here are a few observations I believe are transferable – even if you are not in start-up mode.

  1. The vision is white-hot. In the early phases of a company, the founder or senior leader has already seen the preferred future he or she is trying to create. It seems as though they invest disproportionate time and energy helping others see it, too. These leaders know vision leaks and they constantly replenish it in word and deed.
  2. Collaboration is not a slogan. When the work really matters, and survival is not guaranteed, people WANT to work together.
  3. Buzz is contagious. Where’s the buzz? Is there any excitement in your work environment? Can outsiders feel it? If you don’t understand the question, you are not experiencing it. The good news: You can create it. When you do, it will stimulate more energy and excitement. Start-ups shouldn’t be the only ones who enjoy this benefit.
  4. “New” brings energy. I’m convinced part of the energy, excitement, passion, and engagement of a start-up comes from doing something new. Even better if it is something no one has ever done before. How does this apply to you and your team? Why not challenge your team to do something new and different? What new strategy or tactic have you always wanted to try? Do it!
  5. Leadership is hands-on. There may be successful start-ups in which senior leadership is disengaged, but I doubt it. In my limited experience, the leaders in these organizations are involved on a daily basis. They don’t get their data from a spreadsheet; they get it from talking to customers and working with the teams closet to the work. Start-up or not, I want to be an engaged leader.
  6. The work ethic is palpable. Now, I want work-life balance as much as the next guy; but I also want a team so sold on the work, they are willing to do what it takes to get the job done. If you find yourself needing an all-nighter every week, you’re not doing it right. If your people aren’t willing to pull one from time to time, you’re not doing it right either.
  7. There is focus. One of the big issues many teams and organizations suffer from is scope creep, or product line creep, or service offerings creep. Start-ups are not immune, but the best ones fight it – and win. Focus may be the defining characteristic of successful organizations, young and old. Yes, there are always outliers who can do many things well. However, my money is on focused teams and organizations.

I can learn a lot from those who are leading successful start-ups. How about you?

What can you do to breathe some of the energy of a start-up into your team/organization?

 

Tiles on a Scrabble board that are connected together and spell the words Lead, Team, and Succeed

Facilitate Engagement

Written by Mark Miller on . Posted in Character, Culture, Organization. No Comments on Facilitate Engagement

In my book, Chess Not Checkers, I wrote about the most misunderstood and overlooked facet of creating a High Performance Organization: Win the Heart. Leaders mistakenly believe the “soft stuff” will derail their efforts to achieve the organization’s goals – nothing could be further from the truth!

It is only a fully-engaged workforce that allows an organization to begin to approach its full potential. The path to superior, sustained performance always goes through the heart of every employee (or volunteer, if you are leading a non-profit).

In High Performance Organizations, leaders consistently capture the hearts of team members, leading to greater engagement and deeper fulfillment. In such an environment, outstanding results become much easier to achieve.

One of the best ways to Win the Heart is to encourage people to be themselves. Every person in your organization has unique strengths, talents, interests, capabilities, personalities, and experiences. The more those differences are leveraged, the greater the impact your organization can make.

Unless you can Win the Hearts of your people, there will eventually be a lack of engagement, and in the end you will never reach your potential. We have all witnessed scores of talented groups who never accomplish anything great.

In his book, Crossing the Unknown Sea, corporate poet David Whyte tells of a conversation he had while seeking guidance from a counselor. The counselor made the following statement: “The antidote to exhaustion is not necessarily rest.” Whyte inquired, “What is it then?” The counselor replied,

“The antidote to exhaustion is wholeheartedness.”

He went on to explain how one grows weary because he or she fails to be fully engaged in life.

As you think about your organization, would you describe your employees as fully engaged, or are they halfheartedly going through the motions? Do you sense there is fatigue coupled with a malaise about the mission? If so, the answer is to Win their Hearts.

In addition to encouraging people to be themselves, great leaders seek to win hearts as they Build Community. They recognize people want to be part of a group that genuinely cares for one another. Secondly, they Share Ownership, understanding people desire real responsibility and an opportunity to contribute. Finally, these leaders Foster Dreams. They know people have aspirations both inside and outside of work and are genuinely interested in helping make those dreams come true.

Never underestimate the power of a group of united hearts. Throughout history, they have won championships, built companies, and even conquered nations. Is it possible greater things could happen in your world? Why not go after the hearts of your people and find out.

 

Two coworkers, a man and a woman, shake hands in the center of the image, looking at each other in agreement Two coworkers, a man and a woman, shake hands in the center of the image, looking at each other in agreement

Can I Trust You?

Written by Mark Miller on . Posted in Character, Culture, Teams. No Comments on Can I Trust You?

People do not follow leaders they do not trust. If you and I are trustworthy, we’ve jumped a significant hurdle on the path to effective leadership. If we are not seen as trustworthy, no amount of skill will suffice. If your heart is not right, no one cares about your skills. So the question is… How do you build trust?

Building trust is the same for the executive as it is for the first grader.

Here are some ideas to jump start your thinking:

Show up – This is not about mere physical presence. This is about how we show up. Be present in the moment. Be engaged. Contribute. Add value. How we show up makes a huge difference and communicates far more than we want to believe. If we do this well, it contributes to our trustworthiness.

Be prepared – Preparedness communicates interest. It communicates engagement. When we are not prepared, people think we don’t care. How many people do you trust who don’t care enough to prepare for a meeting or an event?

Do what you say you are going to do – It doesn’t get any more basic than this. Trust is more easily vested in men and women of integrity. If our words and actions are not aligned, this creates questions and gaps. These gaps erode trust very quickly.

Tell the truth – If you and I are going to garner followers, we must tell the truth. Deception is not congruent with a servant leader. Incongruence equals lack of trust, and rightly so. Our people deserve the truth.

Deliver with excellence – Incompetence never builds confidence or trust – neither does half-hearted effort. Leaders who do their jobs well are much easier to trust. If you consistently make bad decisions or cannot execute your assigned duties, you will eventually lose the trust of those around you.

Think others first – Servant leaders don’t think less of themselves, they just think of themselves less. If you believe a leader is looking out for your best interests, you are much more likely to trust him or her. On the flip side, if you think the leader is more concerned with his or her career and reputation than they are yours, trust is rarely given.

The bottom line – if you and I want to lead well, we must build trust. Trust doesn’t come with the office or the title; it is something earned over months, years and decades.

Invest the time and energy and become trustworthy!

 

An office of coworkers sitting around a conference table, engaged in a meeting. An office of coworkers sitting around a conference table, engaged in a meeting.

Leading Across Generations

Written by Mark Miller on . Posted in Communication, Culture, Organization. No Comments on Leading Across Generations

I had the privilege of spending a day with Tammy Erickson. Tammy has been recognized as one of the Top 50 business thinkers in the world. It was a real treat to be with her! Although her expertise is deep and wide, we spent the day talking about the generations.

Spending a full day with someone of Tammy’s expertise created a learning frenzy. I took pages and pages of notes! I’ll recap here a few of the characteristics of each generational cohort…

Traditionalist (1928 – 1945)

  • Respect authority
  • Loyal to institutions
  • Joiners – join the church, organization, or the club
  • Money as a metric of success

“If you can find a good company to join, you’ll be set for life.”

—

Boomers (1946 – 1960)

  • Idealists
  • Grew up with a scarcity mentality
  • Hard-working
  • Competitive
  • Anti-authoritarian

“I’ll get mine even if you don’t get yours.”

—

Gen X (1961 – 1979)

  • Mistrust institutions
  • Self-reliant
  • Tribal
  • Extremely loyal to friends
  • Less identification with organizations/institutions

 “I’ll take care of myself.”

—

Gen Y – Millennials (1980 – 1995)

  • Tolerant
  • Digital natives
  • Live in the moment
  • Family-centric
  • Optimistic and upbeat
  • Coordinators, not planners

“Text me… I don’t use email.”

—

Gen Z (1996 – 2012)

  • Work, shop, date, and make friends online
  • Tech savvy
  • Trusting of social media and social influencers
  • Always on the go
  • Entrepreneurial
  • Innovative
  • Open-minded

“We’re more radically and ethically diverse than other generations.”

 

So, the question for us as leaders is: How do we lead in the face of these differences?

It will require our best effort! Here’s an example of the challenge:

  • When a Boomer hears the term feedback, it most often generates a negative connotation.
  • When a member of Gen X hears the word feedback, they assume this will provide a clue to what the organization expects of them.
  • When Gen Y or Gen Z hears the term feedback, they are encouraged by the opportunity to get coaching and tips on how to improve. This cohort generally wants all the feedback they can get – it’s not negative at all, they expect it… DAILY!

Yes, it’s complicated when even simple language carries such diverse connotations! It is truly a cross-cultural challenge.

Here’s Tammy’s recommendation for leading multiple generations:

  • Appreciate the differences between the generations.
  • Acknowledge diverse perspectives on issues.
  • Arbitrate when you find yourself working across generational lines.
  • Adapt your style as needed to accomplish the goals of the organizations.

The bottom line:

Generational differences are logical and legitimate.

Understand them, embrace them and leverage them for the good of your team and your organization.

You can learn more about Tammy and her work at TammyErickson.com

 

 

A woman sitting with her laptop open on the table in front of her. Coworkers are sitting around the table with her, and they are looking at her as she speaks. A woman sitting with her laptop open on the table in front of her. Coworkers are sitting around the table with her, and they are looking at her as she speaks.

Creating A Culture of Accountability

Written by Mark Miller on . Posted in Character, Culture, Performance. No Comments on Creating A Culture of Accountability

How do you hold people accountable?

This is a question I’ve been asked many times over the years. And, like many of the questions I receive, the answer is complex. Here’s my best shot at a 500-word response.

My assumption is that what you really want is not to hold people accountable as much as you want a culture of accountability. There’s a big difference. If you are successful in creating the right culture, this question largely goes away. YOU no longer hold people accountable, the culture does. A culture is the sum of the habits of its members. If being accountable becomes part of the culture, it will be the behavioral norm.

Here are four specific things you can do to begin creating a culture of accountability:

  1. State your intentions. Unapologetically tell people your desire to create a place in which people do what they say they are going to do. You may even want to include this in your core values or team norms. Don’t make people wonder if this is important to you or not.
  2. Rebrand accountability. For many reasons, when you and I say accountability, the general connotation is negative. You’ve got to begin changing that. Help people rethink the purpose and intent of accountability. It is not primarily to catch people doing something wrong. It is about helping people do what they want to do. It is about helping people, and the organization, be more successful. The Marines do not see it as negative that they hold each other accountable to high standards. They see this as a badge of honor. You need to establish the same attitude.
  3. Use systems and mechanisms. Tools, techniques, systems, and structure can help people be more accountable. One easy way to begin the journey is to simply document your Action Items during your meetings – specifically, who is going to do what, by when? Circulate the Action Items immediately after the meeting; send them out again three days before the next meeting; and finally, review past Action Items during the meeting. This simple mechanism can revolutionize a team and an organization.
  4. Model the behavior. If you want people to be accountable, you had better be accountable. I’ve stayed up all night to complete an Action Item before a meeting. Why? Because I told the team I would get it done. I’m guessing members of my team have done the same. I’m thankful to say we’ve created a culture where people do what they say they are going to do.

Creating a culture of accountability is challenging, but worth the effort. Start today and don’t look back. Someday down the road, when accountability is part of the fabric of your team, you’ll be glad you made the journey.

 

A man standing in the front of a room before a whiteboard with sticky notes on it, making a presentation to 3 other men seated around the room. A man standing in the front of a room before a whiteboard with sticky notes on it, making a presentation to 3 other men seated around the room.

Don’t Change That!

Written by Mark Miller on . Posted in Culture, Planning, Vision. No Comments on Don’t Change That!

I believe that leaders must create change. If you and I can’t create positive change, we won’t be able to lead for long.

But, there’s another facet of our role – we are also the guardians for what should NOT change.

Jim Collins wrote about this idea in Built to Last. He used the phrase “Preserve the core and stimulate progress.” He said this is the hallmark of a visionary company.

Although Jim’s statement makes perfect sense, it is often the failure of leaders to get this right that stunts the growth of their organization. Or, in extreme cases, the absence of this approach leads to the death of their organization.

Why is it so tricky to pull this off? There are numerous reasons. Here are three of them…

  1. Leaders confuse what is core and what is not. Most of our current practices are not core. We just lose sight of what is and what isn’t. This gets even harder if we’ve been successful in the past. Success is a lousy teacher and an even worse catalyst for change.
  2. Leaders become defensive in their thinking and outlook. When we’re playing to win, we tend to be more aggressive regarding change. When our mind shifts to defense, we can find ourselves playing not to lose. When this happens, we can easily cling to outdated methods and practices.
  3. Leaders get comfortable, or they get lazy. Change is hard. Doing the same old routine is easy; even if it doesn’t work as well as it once did.

What should be core? The specifics are totally dependent on the organization. Generically speaking, the list of core elements should be very short. Much of what leaders consider core isn’t (see #1 above). Typically there are three elements that are core in every organization.

  • Purpose – The “why” behind your organization is core. It rarely, if ever, changes. This provides real stability when the strategies and tactics are in a constant state of flux. It can become the cornerstone for your business. In times of change, people can draw comfort and strength from an unchanging anchor.
  • Core Values – The foundational beliefs that drive the behavior in the organization shouldn’t really change. As Jim Collins said while he was still a professor at Stanford, “If you could ever see yourself changing one of your values, it’s not [a value] – it’s a strategy.”
  • Fundamental operating principles – These are unique to an organization. They are more tangible than values. Sometimes, they are the practical manifestation of a value. They rarely change. Here’s an example from Chick-fil-A: Chick-fil-A restaurants are operated by independent business people, which is central to their success. It’s not a value, but it is something they haven’t changed since it was instituted in 1967.

In summary, here’s our leadership challenge: Be aggressive regarding the things that must change and vigilant regarding those that must not change. Work diligently not to confuse the two.

What is core in your organization?