Ideas? Questions!

AN ONLINE SURPRISE

2012-01-30T05:30:00.000-07:00

Lately I’ve become excited by EVERNOTE, program/app that helps me organize my various thoughts and ideas. When trying to learn it however, I was confused by the material supplied by the company. Then I discovered a series of six outstanding, albeit amateur-looking, 10-minute YouTube videos done by a real user, not officially by the company; in minutes I learned how to maneuver around the program and now use it every day.

This week's question:

Is your product/service so valuable to an individual user that he/she might take to the web to promote it, describe it, endorse it, train others to use it? Does anyone blog about your service, tweet about your offerings, introduce outsiders to you on social networking sites? Do you even know? How will you find out? Then what?

THE CLUTTERED LIFE

2012-01-23T05:30:00.000-07:00

I’ve talked about “busy” on numerous Monday mornings. Busy is seen by some as a badge of honor. For others, busy arises from an inability to delegate and/or trust. Still others just can’t say “no.” Yes, for most “busy” is a choice.

This week's question:

How much of your sense of “busy” is really a function of the clutter you’ve allowed in your life? What clutter will you jettison this week? Name three specific things.

WHO STARTS THE CONVERSATION?

2012-01-16T05:30:00.000-07:00

We lead by talking with people. And talking means listening. Most of us think we are good listeners. Ok, then take this test -

This week's question:

How often do your people initiate meaningful conversations with you? Are you open to let them take your time, are you available to hear them talk about things that matter for them and for your organization even when those things are not on your radar right now? Do your team members see that in your actions, your responses?

PREPOSITION PRESCRIPTION

2012-01-09T05:30:00.000-07:00

Leadership is about people. It's about working with people, for people and through people. "With" them to show you'll put out as much as you ask of them. "For" them to assure them they have the resources, the training, the scope and the authority to do their jobs. "Through" them to focus everyone's efforts on achieving the set and the shared goals.

This week's question:

Which preposition gives you the most angst -- with, for or through? Do your people see that you are "with" them? Do they know that you are "for" them? Do they share the goals you've communicated to them providing confidence you are effectively working "through" them? What do you need to work on today?

RIGHT ANSWERS

2012-01-02T05:30:00.000-07:00

It seems like we are obsessed with answers. Innovation and creativity are not founded on great answers; they arise from challenging, unique, insightful, bold, even irreverent questions. We must spend more energy shaping our asks and less struggling with the responses.

This week's question:

What must you do to give up the notion of right and wrong answers and focus on each specific question? What changes for you this week if you evaluate your people based on their questions not on their responses? What changes for them?

LEAD 'EM LIKE THEY'RE VOLUNTEERS

2011-12-26T05:30:00.000-07:00

Businesses and bureaucracies can learn a lot from the volunteer sector. Think about the challenge non-profits face - the volunteer always owns their own time, not the employer. Yet, there are thousands of highly successful volunteer driven organizations making major differences in our communities; huge numbers of people give their time, show up every week and work hard, to make a difference. Why? They feel relevant. They feel empowered. They feel supported. They feel appreciated.

This week's question:

For your paid staff - what must you do to build a work environment that successful voluntary organizations have created: relevant, empowering, supportive, appreciating? What might you expect from team members in that new world? How might your results be impacted?

THINK. REALLY THINK.

2011-12-19T05:30:00.000-07:00

Here’s a big think. What is more important - your clients needs or your business model?

This week's question:

Over the holiday season think seriously about your clients. Ask - what would make their lives easier? What would make them more successful? How do they need help? And, here’s the catch - DON’T TIE WHAT THEY NEED TO YOUR BUSINESS MODEL; just think about them. What insights might you come up with? What might that mean for 2012?

THE THANK-YOU HABIT

2011-12-12T05:30:00.000-07:00

Believing that success will bring happiness is flawed; research shows the opposite is frequently true - happy people often become successful. And what is a characteristic of happy people - they are both grateful and appreciative. The great thing lesson is - gratitude and appreciation are habits we can learn and cultivate.

This week's question:

Who will you send a quick note (email) of gratitude/appreciation to today? Tomorrow? Wednesday? Thursday? Friday? Each day next week? What will it feel like to say something unexpectedly positive to someone who’s not expecting it? For you? For them? How will you feel if you do that every day? It’ll only take a minute; why not try?

LEADERSHIP AND FIRE-FIGHTING

2011-12-05T05:30:00.000-07:00

I’ve noticed recently that a number of senior and mid-level leaders seem incapable of working on the future, instead remaining completely immersed in the present. Perhaps it’s because they are good at “now;” they rose in the organization because they excelled at putting out fires. Now...that’s what they do every day. Tragically, it seems to me, when there are no fires, some leaders unconsciously set some in order to have something they know how to do.

This week's question:

Do you (or one of your people) spend most of your time putting out fires? Are any of them wittingly or unwittingly set?

Do you want to break free? What will you do this week to position the future as a present-day fire to tap into those skills; how will you break planning, strategizing, process improvements, etc into bite-sized fires that need attention today?

PEOPLE FOLLOW LEADERS WHO LISTEN

2011-11-28T05:30:00.000-07:00

It might sound backwards but, people are more prepared to follow the more they feel you listen to them. I’m not talking about giving people a chance to talk, I’m talking about giving them a real sense of being heard. The best leaders do this effortlessly.

This week’s question:

What changes if, in a meeting (a group setting or one-on-one) you ask a specific follow-up question on most points your team member makes? How will they feel when you ask them to elaborate, go deeper, explain what’s behind their idea, etc.? When they know you are listening AND hearing, what change will you see in their behavior? When will you start?

WORKING ON TOMORROW

2011-11-21T05:30:00.000-07:00

As you look around your organization, have you improved much from the way things were a year ago. My anecdotal research reveals that the answer is often “no” and the primary reason is the lack of movement toward a clearly understood dream. Many leaders are still re-living the past. Author Michael Hammer says: “When memories exceed dreams, the end is near.” It’s time to work towards tomorrow.

This week's question:

What is the big dream for your organization? What does success look like? What does it feel like? What does it taste like? What does it smell like? How is that dream visible in your actions....not your desired behavior sometime in the future....but your on-the-ground activities today? What one new thing will you start doing? Stop doing?

HARMONY FROM DISCORD

2011-11-14T05:30:00.000-07:00

Many leaders believe that good organizational culture means the absence of discord among their people. Their focus is on agreeing and getting along. But productivity remains elusive. Results happen when everyone leans in to a shared objective and talks passionately (even argues) about about processes, about projects, about approaches, about actions. When we know where we are headed, we’ll do what it takes to get there. AND we’ll enjoy each other along the way.

This week's question:

Are you concerned about your organizational dynamics? Do your people have a shared objective; does every member of your team define success the same way? Does that commitment lead to passionate conversations? Do you encourage creative conflict? Do you have the courage to build a strong culture this way?

SURELY YOU KNOW WHAT I MEANT

2011-11-07T05:30:00.000-07:00

Email has made our professional lives much easier. Things can shared instantaneously. Questions can be asked and answered without the fluff.

Yes. And.....

Email has made our professional lives much more difficult. Decision-making frequently grinds. Attitudes, approaches, biases are often unclear and/or misread by readers. Motives may be ascribed that are false and unintended.

This week's question:

When should I use email and when should I have a real-time conversation? How can I be certain that, in email, my intent is understood and my message gets heard? How will I check with my colleagues this week to be certain our email exchanges are clear?

TRICK OR TREAT

2011-10-31T05:30:00.000-06:00

It’s Halloween. Tonight you’ll see some ghosts, some witches and some cartoon characters at your door. I hope you have some treats ready to send them away happy. (If you’re like me, you’ll hope you have some left over too!)

This week’s question:

What if everyone who came to your office door this week got a treat from you: both the trolls and the superheroes? What would that look like? Perhaps a compliment? A question that shows genuine interest in each one as a person? An affirmation? Maybe just a smile? How will that make them feel? How will that make you feel?

I’M THE BEST ONE TO DO IT

2011-10-24T05:30:00.000-06:00

More and more I’m seeing this - people are promoted into leadership roles and, for a number of reasons, can’t or won’t give up the responsibilities they used to have. Now they have two jobs and are doing neither with excellence. How is that good for the organization?

This week’s question:

What work are you doing today that you should no longer be doing? What tasks do you hold on to because you feel you are the only one who can do them well? What parts of your new job are suffering as a result? What are you going to do about it? This week? Yes. This week?

IDEAS TRUMP IDEOLOGY

2011-10-17T05:30:00.000-06:00

Our new Premier’s Chief of Staff is a friend of mine. In analyzing her remarkable victory, he said Alison Redford’s electoral magic is in her focus on “ideas not ideology.” There is a lesson in that.

This week's question:

Are there ideas and/or opportunities your organization might be missing because you are locked into the way you see your world? What might you discover if you asked outsiders, even contrarians, to join your strategic conversations....and really listened to their questions and ideas? What might you see if you used a competitor’s best idea (yes, a competitor’s best idea) as the jumping-off point for your next planning meeting?

REFLECTIONS

2011-10-10T05:30:00.000-06:00

As many of you know, I became an Apple guy about four years ago. I love my mac, my iPhone, my iPad, their easiness to operate, their responsiveness to my needs and, perhaps most significantly, the coolness I feel being a part of that special club. Steve Jobs passing has hit me a bit hard; I’m a year older that him. Life is short. In his famous commencement speech at Stanford in 2005 he said: "Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."

This week's question:

Are you following your heart? Do you even know your heart? What will you ponder, perhaps even change, before this year is over?

CHALLENGING CUSTOMERS

2011-10-03T06:25:00.000-06:00

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about customer relationships, especially for those who’s customers are other businesses. Many clients don’t just want suppliers to embrace existing ideas and support current efforts. Whether they consciously know it or not, those customers want us to help them see the future, to support them as they differentiate themselves from the competition, and to challenge them as they build their own uniqueness.

This week's question:

Are you ahead of your customers? How do you know it? Do you have the guts to ask pointed questions that challenge them with what’s possible and how they can be more than they are today? Do they welcome conversations with you because they are alive with insight and promise?

HEAR 'EM ALL

2011-09-26T05:30:00.000-06:00

In my experience there are two types of participants at most meetings - those who start talking and keep talking until hopefully, something intelligent comes out of their mouths (I’m one of those!). And there are those who wait until they have carefully considered their response before wading into the discussion. That creates a problem. We often miss the wisdom of the second group because the meeting moves to new subjects before their contributions see the light of day.

This week's question:

How will you tap into the wisdom of your entire team? What will you do in your next meeting to ensure that everyone gets a chance to be heard? What new techniques will you try?

(Share your great ideas on my blog.)

MORE PEOPLE - BETTER IDEAS???

2011-09-19T05:30:00.000-06:00

Good computer coders often work better alone. Most designers do better work alone. Noone would expect that Picasso, Rembrandt, Dali and van Gogh would produce a better work of art collaboratively than they have done individually. The same is true in business. Often leaders are far better off assigning one person to the job and free them up to bring their best. These individuals need to be able to talk with anyone, pick brains around them, test out theories, but they will deliver a better result when they OWN the decision about moving forward.

This week's question:

Do you have a very strong (or very bright or very accomplished) employee? What pressing opportunity will you give him/her this week to design a great course of action? How will you support them, encourage them and stay out of their way?

ANECDOTALLY LEADING

2011-09-12T05:30:00.000-06:00

“That will never work because XXXX Corp tried it and look how it backfired.”

“We should introduce that new process because George’s brother-in-law saw it work when he was in New Zealand.”

Strategy, new initiatives, the future of your organization, is often determined with thin input like this. Yes, we must take strategic risks. That means, we must learn to separate useable data and outside experience from the musings that grab our emotions and shut down our thinking.

This week’s question:

Have you ever used an anecdote to justify or ditch a strategy? In hindsight, did you miss an opportunity? Maybe you’ll never know. When making go-forward decisions in the future, what will you do to distinguish between solid, reasoned input and mere anecdotal reverie? (And, how will you focus those who rely on nothing more than “what they’ve heard somewhere?”

First appeared September 17, 2001

2011-09-05T05:30:00.000-06:00

There is something about tragedy that draws out community. This week's terrorist action sought to fragment free people world-wide; it has backfired. Across the world leaders, organizations, and individuals are expressing their concern for each other in new and meaningful ways.

This week's question:

WHAT ONE SPECIFIC THING WILL YOU DO THIS WEEK TO LEAD YOUR ORGANIZATION IN ADDING TO THE FABRIC OF THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE?

First appeared January 29, 2001

2011-08-29T05:30:00.000-06:00

Rules, policies and procedures are often created in response to a specific need at a specific time. When the need is gone, the policy remains and stifles creativity, innovation and effectiveness. As you look at the practices of your organization, ask this week's question:

WOULD ANYONE MISS THIS PROCEDURE IF WE DID AWAY WITH IT?

First appeared April 9, 2001

2011-08-22T05:30:00.000-06:00

Your best source for service and product improvement is your current customer base. I recall calling an airline with service suggestion that came to light during a flight with them. As soon as I started to talk I was transfered to the "Complaints Department." Just that fact put me on the defensive even when all I wanted was to make a service improvement suggestion.

This week's question:

WHAT IS THE MOST COMMON SERVICE SUGGESTION (OR COMPLAINT) YOUR CUSTOMERS HAVE; WHAT ONE NEW THING WILL YOU DO ABOUT IT THIS WEEK?

First appeared June 11, 2001

2011-08-15T05:30:00.000-06:00

Many of us risk stagnation because we tend to avoid situations where we might feel rejected.

This week's question:

WHAT QUESTION WOULD YOU ASK OR WHAT REQUEST WOULD YOU MAKE THIS WEEK IF YOU WERE NOT AFRAID OF GETTING "NO" FOR AN ANSWER?

First appeared August 6, 2001

2011-08-08T05:30:00.000-06:00

Quid pro quo. I've talked to a number of people recently who are struggling with the unmet expectation that someone owes them something. Too many people expect that for every kindness or helping hand offered, something should be offered in return. For most the hang-up is not the unreturned action, it is the unmet expectation. Leaders have to go out of their way to build trust in their organizations, to help people grow. Effective leaders cannot expect something in return.

This week's question:

NAME ONE PERSON YOU HAVE HELPED (LISTENED TO, SUPPORTED, ETC.) THAT YOU HAVE EXPECTED SOMETHING IN RETURN; HOW WILL YOU RELEASE THAT THIS WEEK?

First appeared March 19, 2001

2011-08-01T05:30:00.000-06:00

Remember when you were in grade school and the teacher had the class sing in unison a folk song or the national anthem....she/he was trying to get each child to do the same thing to create the sound. How many of us run our organizations the same way....trying to get each individual to act (sound) the same. Now, look at what makes great music....musicians doing different things....playing different instruments, playing different notes, demonstrating different specific talents....blending together in "harmony" to make the great music. Yes, "working in harmony" means doing different things that come together to make beautiful music....not everyone doing the same thing.

This week's question:

ARE YOU STRIVING FOR THE EXCITEMENT OF "HARMONY" IN YOUR ORGANIZATION; ARE YOU OPEN TO, ARE YOU ENCOURAGING, ARE YOU EMPOWERING YOUR PEOPLE TO DO PLAY THEIR INSTRUMENT (DO THEIR JOBS) DIFFERENTLY TO ADD COLOUR TO THE MELODY THAT YOU ARE TRYING TO GET ACROSS?

First appeared September 3, 2001

2011-07-25T05:30:00.001-06:00

Many leaders tell me they wish their people had more ideas - creative and innovative suggestions that will improve the organization. Perhaps that's just because leaders don't know how to ask. A general request like: "If you have any ideas as to how we can move this forward, please let me know," usually gets little or no response. A highly specific request will always generate more usable results: "Would everyone forward me five suggestions - no matter how off the wall - as to how we can solve this particular issue." (You can test this out in a group session by asking 1/2 of the group to list their ideas about the topic and the other half to list 50 ideas about it; you'll always get more useable innovations from the second group.)

This week's question:

THIS WEEK, WHAT WISHY-WASHY REQUEST OF YOUR PEOPLE WILL YOU MAKE SPECIFIC TO DRAW ON THEIR CREATIVE ENERGY?

First appeared January 1, 2001

2011-07-18T05:30:00.000-06:00

We've all had too much to eat in the past few weeks - some of it good, some of it, well.... I've been told that the secret to good cooking lies not merely in the ingredients used (because anyone can get most of those) but in the skillful application of the heat. Like me, you have tasted things that were dried out, soggy, charred and tough - mostly because of improper utilization of heat.

The same is true for your business. Success comes not just from putting together quality ingredients, it comes from when, how much and how long you apply the heat.

This week's question:

WITH YOUR KEY PEOPLE, ARE YOU APPLYING THE HEAT IN A SKILLFUL MANNER? CAN YOU SEE IT IN THE RESULTS?

First appeared June 4, 2001

2011-07-11T05:30:00.000-06:00

Your customers can (and do) make critical decsions about you based on seemingly insignficant things. Donald C. Burr, Chairman of People Express Airlines says: "Coffee stains on the flip-down trays mean (to the passengers) that we do our engine maintenance wrong."

This week's question:

WHAT LITTLE THINGS, WHAT "COFFEE STAINS," DO YOU ALLOW THAT MIGHT SERIOUSLY JEOPARDIZE CUSTOMER FAITH IN YOUR BUSINESS?

First appeared October 29, 2001

2011-07-04T05:30:00.000-06:00

"I just don't have enough hours in the week." If I've heard it once.... There is an answer; it's probably sitting in the next office.

This week's question:

WHAT WOULD CHANGE FOR YOU IF YOU CONSIDERED YOUR DIRECT REPORTS' HOURS AS YOUR HOURS, THEIR TIME AS YOUR TIME; HOW MUCH MORE COULD YOU GET DONE...IN HOW MUCH LESS TIME?

LET IT GO

2011-06-27T05:30:00.000-06:00

We're moving into summer vacation season. Rest. Relaxation. Rejuvenation. Concocting. Brooding. Scheming. Yes. Yes. Yes. No. No. No. Most leaders I talk with are working too hard; they never shut it down. No wonder they run out of ideas. This year, please, take a couple of weeks off...really off. Cut yourself off from the office. Completely. Honestly, your organization will benefit, your team will benefit, your family will benefit, and you'll see the world with new eyes.

This week's question:

What date will you shut off your work email and phone? How many consecutive days will you leave it off? (Make it at least ten, preferably fifteen.) What will your "Out of the Office" reply message say to indicate that you really won't be accessing this for a while? How will you hold yourself accountable to this?

WHO’S COMPLAINING NOW?

2011-06-20T05:30:00.000-06:00

Someone (I wish I could remember who) got me thinking recently about complaints and how we don’t think enough about them. I’m not talking about complaints “by” customers; most of us have processes (or at least heart-filled intentions) to deal with those. I’m referring to complaints “about” customers. Too often we hear our people whining about the very people we’re in business to serve!

This week’s question:

What is your reaction when you hear team members complaining about customers? What, if anything, do you say? Specifically, what will you start doing this week to create a culture that sees every customer interaction as an opportunity...even the high-demand, high-maintenance ones?

LOOSEN THE ROPES

2011-06-13T05:30:00.000-06:00

Boss: “I wish my people would take more initiative, be more creative, get outside the box."
Employee: “I wish my boss would turn me loose, untie my hands, let me show what I can do.”

This week’s question:

If you mean it, it you want different results from your people, how will you change your behavior to give them room to show you? What one new thing will you start doing this week to open your key employees to becoming more effective? As well, what one old thing will you stop doing; yes, stop doing?

BAD HABITS NEW HABITS

2011-06-06T05:30:00.000-06:00

We all have things we would like to stop doing: bad habits, time-wasters, irritable behaviors (to us or to others), etc. Quitting something is tough. Actually, it’s easier to start things than it is to stop things. So, rather than stop something you don’t like, why don’t you decide to replace it with something fresh?

This week’s question:

This week, what will you new thing will you start doing to replace that behaviour you’ld like to stop? Rather than barking back at someone, what will you do next time; how will you remember to do it? In lieu of time-wasting net surfing, what will you do; what will prompt you to do that? Instead of eating that donut, what will you have available instead? Who will you tell about this; how will you get them to support you?

BIGGER THAN ANY ONE OF US

2011-05-30T05:30:00.000-06:00

I define collaboration this way - the idea that leaves the room is better than any of the ideas that came into the room. That's tough work - getting people to want the better idea even more than they want to hold on to their own idea.

This week's question:

How do you encourage, even engineer, collaboration? What will you do this week to move your people from superficial cooperation to meaningful collaboration? How will you encourage people to loosen their grip on their position and open their ears to the possibilities? How will you ensure that they see it when it happens....and....that they want to do the work to see it again and again?

IDEAS FOR IDEAS

2011-05-23T05:30:00.000-06:00

Where do breakthrough ideas come from? Leaders are constantly looking for the “magic bullet” process or technique that will deliver the innovative solution they feel they need. But then, what do they do - they study the problem to death, they over-analyse the current reality and they apply internally generated thinking. No wonder they stay stuck!

This week’s question:

When looking for a new idea, what changes if you take a completely outside perspective? Try asking (one at a time): how would Disney do it here? How would FedEx do it? How would Costco do it? How would Trump do it? How would Apple do it? What do you hear: about customer service, about logistics, about pricing, about sizzle, about design? Are there any ideas worth testing?

IT TICKS ME OFF

2011-05-16T05:30:00.000-06:00

How often does a team member set you off? Then what? Do you ignore it until you blow up or do you overreact in the moment? I suggest that you first ask yourself if the behavior is merely irritating or whether it’s toxic. Then, have a different strategy to deal with each.

This week’s question:

What do you do when your people tick you off? Can you learn to turn merely irritating conduct into positive conversations for both of you where you commit to change your perspective with as much heft as you ask them to change their’s? As for toxic, what will you do differently this week to patiently respect the employee even while firmly correcting the action?

SUMMER IS COMING

2011-05-09T05:30:00.000-06:00

Vacation season will soon be upon us. Rather than see this as a “we have to make do while critical people are away” season, what about making it a “let’s expand the capabilities of our people” season? There’s lots to think about.

This week’s question:

What changes if you plan vacation season as a way to test moving duties/tasks one (or even two) levels down the chain...with a view to leaving them there (!!) come September? What will you do with 15-20% of your time freed up because you didn’t take back all of the responsibilities that were covered off while you were on vacation? What’s possible for your senior team if each of them also had 15-20% more bandwidth?

AUTHENTICALLY COUNTERPRODUCTIVE

2011-05-02T05:30:00.000-06:00

We hear so much about being an "authentic" leader. I believe that fully. You must lead from who you are; at the same time, authenticity does not give you permission to be a jerk. The most productive leader leads from her strengths and dials back those tendencies she has to react poorly.

This week's question:

When might you mistake spontaneity for authenticity? When might your words or actions work against you or your organization? How do you protect your "inner jerk" from surfacing as you interact with your people?

HOW TO DO SOMETHING BIG

2011-04-25T05:30:00.001-06:00

Many of us have some intriguing big dreams, big project ideas, big possibilities in our head. Yet, somehow, we spend our life working on the urgent and the merely do-able without investing the energy in real game-changing projects. I suggest that is because our to-do lists have enough accomplishable things on them that we avoid, ignore and defer the bigger ones.

This week’s question:

How many items are on your to-do list right now that will take more than thirty minutes to complete? What will it take to limit your to-do list to tasks of smaller than thirty minutes? How will you break down the larger ideas? Perhaps “breaking the big project down into smaller segments” is a great to-do in and of itself.

SMALLER GROUPS, BIGGER IDEAS

2011-04-18T05:30:00.000-06:00

Finding ideas is a challenge for every leader, every organization. Often the design of our idea-generating processes stifles the very innovation we hope to create. We are wrong when we think that brainstorming amongst an extended group of people will lead to greater creativity and more divergent ideas. The opposite is true. Groups of 3-5 people work best. Everyone participates; ideas get a chance to percolate rather than get lost in the struggle for airtime.

This week’s question:

What issue demands some new thinking in your organization? How will you introduce a provocative question to tight groups of 3-5 people? How will you free them up to listen to each other, to expand their thinking, to chase ideas where they go and to bring you back an innovative idea or two? Then what?

NOISY TENSION

2011-04-11T05:30:00.000-06:00

There is a subtle trap I’ve seen a number of leaders fall into. When an initiative (or a team or a client relationship) gets outdated or starts to go sideways, angst in the organization grows. Sometimes, the noise around the tension shifts the leader’s focus to managing that tension rather than dealing with the issue itself. Sadly, that drains a lot of resources trying to bring everything to a resolution.

This week’s question:

Have you ever fallen into this trap? Reflecting on that time, what did you learn about yourself? What can cause you to switch from addressing the issue to addressing the tension? How will you notice it? How will you deal with it if it happens again? Better yet, how will you avoid it?

EMPOWERMENT - FOR REAL

2011-04-04T05:30:00.000-06:00

If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard….blah, blah, blah. “We really value our employees here. Empowering our staff members is very important to us. We’re always open to new ideas from our team.” Many middle managers and front line workers I talk to find these assurances quite empty. Your people must feel you listen and must feel supported to act on their ideas, or the whole “empowerment” promise is a sham to them.

This week’s question:

Do your employees feel empowered to do their jobs more effectively? Do staff members feel encouraged to bring forward new ideas AND supported when they do? Do you share stories across your organization of employee solutions and contributions that have increased effectiveness for the business? What must change, in you and in your senior leadership team, to honestly embrace the practice of empowering your people?

PREPOSITION PRESCRIPTION

2011-03-28T05:30:00.000-06:00

This week's question:

FLAMEOUT PREVENTION

2011-03-21T05:30:00.000-06:00

Once in a while we get a rising star in our organization - someone who just gets it, who beats all expectations. If you are like most, you promote him/her. He continues to shine. You promote him again. Then, out of nowhere, he hits a wall and things stop working smoothly (for him and for the organization). You try to help but it doesn’t seem to work. He is unable to receive coaching because he never needed it in the past. He perceives feedback, help and support as indication of weakness.

This week’s question:

Do you have a rising star? Are you letting her fly solo? How will you start a coaching conversation now so as to have the relationship in place when she needs it? How will you walk the fine line between support and criticism during the good times to prepare both of you for the challenging days to come?

RIGHT ANSWERS

2011-03-14T05:30:00.000-06:00

This week’s question:

WAITING...WAITING

2011-03-07T05:30:00.001-07:00

I don’t know why it happens. Every once in a while I see leaders hesitating to act for no apparent reason. Probing, I’ve found a number of leaders seem to be waiting for permission - permission from their board, their client, a team member, their partner. What keeps them paralyzed is that the person doesn’t even know their permission is hoped for.

This week's question:

Do you ever hesitate? Are you waiting for permission? Do that person know it? You have two options - ask for the permission now OR just do it - which will it be?

BACK UP TO THE FUTURE

2011-02-28T05:30:00.000-07:00

I’ve been challenged again to think about succession planning. Tomorrow isn’t very far away. Things happen. You can begin evaluating your future options by considering who performs people’s jobs when they are on vacation. If people are backed up from above, that’s a short-term recipe for long-term disaster. If people are backed up by a peer, it’s really not much better.

This week’s question:

How do you create an organization where everyone is backed up from below? Everyone...including your senior people? Often, what is required is more about faith that it is about training. What must you do to make this a policy starting now?

MOVERS AND SLACKERS

2011-02-21T05:30:00.000-07:00

So often I hear leaders talk about motivating some smart people in their organization - high-potential people who just don’t move fast enough. What about their opposites - the ones who move, who get things done, but seem a bit unfocussed? Think about it: it’s easier to re-focus a moving body than it is to get someone moving who’s not.

This week’s question:

Who in your organization is a doer; who makes things happen? Don’t think just top people; drop down a level. Think again, look very carefully - who moves? Now, what project will you give him or her that will focus their energies in a new, bigger way? How will you use the resulting combination of motion and expanded capacity to take the company forward?

WHOSE FAULT IS IT ANYWAY?

2011-02-14T05:30:00.001-07:00

What happens in your organization when something goes wrong? If you are like most, the first question is often, “Who’s fault is it?” Recently, I’ve begun challenging myself to think to think instead, “What is it about us that gave room for the mess to develop?” Quite possibly the error is merely a symptom of a less-than-healthy organization.

This week’s question:

What changes for you when you look for imbedded reasons for trouble rather than for someone to pin it on? What will it take for your first question to be, “What is it about us that……?” What changes will you see in your people and their effort when you take seriously the cultural and/or systemic shortfalls you’ve identified?

BUSY - WHO ELSE CARES?

2011-02-07T07:43:00.001-07:00

I’ve long been proud of the fact that I refuse to use the word “busy” about myself; many of my readers know I’ve discouraged them to use it as well. “Think of life as full and rich,” I’ve said. Famous last words! Right now, the demands for my time exceed the hours in my day. We’ve all got to get our heads around this non-renewable resource -- how we use time determines our real value.

This week’s question:

What if we stop our quest to work smarter and adopt a strategy of working less? Yes. Less! Let’s ask (and answer) these three questions. What one thing will I stop doing altogether - not just this week but forever? What one thing will I pass to someone else and never do again myself? What specific thing will I put to the bottom of the list knowing that it likely won’t get done - and so what?

LEAD 'EM LIKE THEY'RE VOLUNTEERS

2011-01-31T05:30:00.000-07:00

ANOTHER APPOINTMENT? YES!

2011-01-24T05:30:00.000-07:00

There is so much going on right now. For some, business is booming. For some, the marketing engine is at warp speed. No one seems to be coasting. The issue for me at times like these, and I’ll bet for many others, is to make the time to reflect, to consider possibilities, to play with ideas, and to generally improve how I show up to the world.

This week's question is as much for me as for you:

What will happen when you make a 30 minute appointment with yourself every day? What will change when you put it in your calendar, treat it like an outside meeting, and refuse to answer your phone or open your email? What will you think about? What will you accomplish? Why not give it a try - even just for a week?

A NEW LABEL

2011-01-17T10:37:00.000-07:00

I've long been one to say: "If it's incremental, it's not change (perhaps not even strong leadership)." This week I re-thought that. A a young executive I know characterized his CEO as a "relentless incrementalist." Okay. For me that's an approach to high-performance leadership worth some thought.

This week's question:

What about you? What label would your key people give to you to describe your approach to change: initiating change, responding to change, managing change, anticipating change? Would they use the word "relentless" to describe anything about you? Does that teach you anything?

COACHING COUNTS

2011-01-10T05:30:00.000-07:00

Here's one of my favourite questions from last year -

How many times this Olympic fortnight did you see coaches standing in the wings shedding a tear as their athlete did their best, won a medal, achieved a goal.

This week's question:

What if one person you lead reaches their potential this year? What will it feel like to stand on the sidelines and watch your protege achieve the impossible? Pick someone; give them all you’ve got. What will you help them accomplish?

UNNECESSARY HELP

2011-01-03T05:30:00.000-07:00

I still laugh at when my dad built a birdhouse and put it up in his back yard. Thoughtfully, he stuffed the cute little structure with twigs to help the birds with their nest-building. Watching one day he saw a bird go inside the birdhouse and come out with a twig in her mouth, take it to a tree and return, only to get another twig. That resourceful mother bird had found a great cache of perfect twigs to build her nest somewhere else!

This week's question:

When do your best intentions misfire? How are you trying to make things easier for people when it would be better to just let them do it themselves? Are you going to change anything today as a result of this thinking?

A GOOD YEAR

2010-12-27T05:30:00.000-07:00

The year is over. The results are in. Accomplishments...disappointments...growth and learnings from both.

This week's question:

What’s the biggest learning for you this year that has come from an accomplishment (not a disappointment)? What will you do for yourself to celebrate that growth? Who will you share your new thinking with in the next two weeks?

ONE MORE GIFT

2010-12-20T05:30:00.000-07:00

We’ve less than a week to go until Christmas. For many of us this is the time for giving to close family and friends. Often those presents take a lot of time, thought and effort. I suggest we expand our gift-giving by one degree this year.

This week's question:

Who has never received a gift from you - perhaps a co-worker, perhaps a neighbor, perhaps someone you know through your school, your service club, your place of workshop? What will you give that will just say “I appreciate you” - a brief note, some candy, a coffee card?

DON'T BLAME IT ON THE TEAM

2010-12-13T05:30:00.000-07:00

I do a lot of team-building work. In that, I’m beginning to notice a trend - when various members of the team are going their own way or doing their own thing many leaders think first about building a cohesive team to smooth things out. That won’t work. When people are unfocused and undisciplined, it’s not a team-building problem, it’s a leadership problem.

This week's question:

How much ownership do you take for the inefficiencies, ineffectiveness and undisciplined actions of your employees? What changes when you commit to lead through that? How much more impact will they have when they are more effectively focused and more individually committed to being accountable? Hmmmm. What now?

WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

2010-12-06T05:30:00.000-07:00

It’s the season for reflection. I urge you to spend some time over the next few weeks taking stock of yourself and your place in the world. I had a quick lunch with a friend this week who posed a very interesting question that gives focus to that reflection.

This week's question:

Are you doing the best work you’ve ever done in your life?

JUST-IN-TIME

2010-11-29T05:30:00.000-07:00

How often do waste time searching the boxes in your basement or out in the garage looking for something you know you have and can’t find it; the outcome often is re-purchasing something you’re certain you own. The same is true for information - we often tax our brains trying to recall something we know we’ve learned already, but it escapes us, and we have to look it up again.

This week's question:

Where do you focus your learning energies - on storing up data you hope you’ll be able to recall when you need it OR on sharpening your skills to find information for the first time right when you need it? What will you change, how will you think differently, to become proficient at just-in-time learning?

A GIFT FOR ME

2010-11-22T05:30:00.000-07:00

We’re coming up on the gift-giving season; there’s only a month left. Many of us are beginning to think about what we’ll give to family members, clients and the less-fortunate. I hope you get some great and meaningful ideas. Today let’s shift our focus; let’s think about what you can gift-wrap for yourself to end this year on a high.

This week's question:

What if you gave yourself a “sense of accomplishment” this holiday season? What would that look like, feel like? Think of something you could start this week, something long overdue, and COMPLETE before the year is over. Now, what first step will you take today?

"I DIDN'T MEAN FOR THAT TO HAPPEN"

2010-11-15T05:30:00.000-07:00

Change is inevitable. Change is our job - managing change, initiating change, responding to change, driving change, supporting change. As professional “changers,” leaders are often so focused on the benefits of what they are doing that they become oblivious to the side-effects.

This week's question:

Knowing you track the positives of your change initiatives, how do you track the unintended consequences? Who could you ask? Would you be surprised if you talked with the front-line worker and/or the customer? How open would you be to listen, to find out more, to even be shocked?

TOGETHER, HOW?

2010-11-08T05:30:00.000-07:00

Teamwork. Collaboration. Most of us appreciate the powerful possibilities when people genuinely work together to advance our shared goals. Then, why do we work so hard merely keeping harmony, confusing “getting along” with “working together?” The truth is - working together doesn’t require people being friends. It does require dialogue, often tough conversations centred on the possibilities in the work.

This week’s question:

Do your people confuse “working together” and “getting along;” do you? What will you do this week to focus your people on how they work together, on what they can accomplish together and on what specific conversations, no matter how fierce, will maximize that?

YOU DON'T HAVE PROBLEMS

2010-11-01T05:30:00.000-06:00

I wonder how many leaders believe (or have managers who believe) that they are the only one smart enough to solve the problems in their organization. Let me muse another way - I wonder how many leaders solve their organization's problems and how many run organizations of problem-solvers.

This week's question:

What changes when you stop solving your peoples’ problems? What changes when you make team-members bring a suggested course of action with every problem they bring to you? What changes when you make a habit of accepting those recommendations?

BACKUP YOUR ORGANIZATION

2010-10-25T05:30:00.000-06:00

I hope most of us are smart enough to have a backup system for our computer and other electronic data. I wonder if we even consider backing up our human data the same way. Often the most critical information about how things really work walks out the door every night at 5pm.

This week's question:

How do you back up what you know so that your capability is available to the organization if you aren't? What systems do you have in place - for yourself, for other critical team members? When will you have a serious planning conversation about this important gap?

INVISIBLE FIRST IMPRESSIONS

2010-10-18T06:38:00.001-06:00

We all know that first impressions matter. What many of us forget is that the first impression you leave may not come from a face-to-face meeting. It might be an email. It might be a voice message you leave; it might be the message on OUR voicemail. That goes for the whole organization.

This week's question:

Does your personal voicemail message reflect the impression you want your organization to have? What about your team? Tip: call in and listen to the messages on your employees’ voicemails with this in mind. Now, what “first impression” tweeks will you make this week?

WHAT'S TO LEARN

2010-10-11T05:30:00.000-06:00

It’s easy to think about what we must start doing to be more effective as leaders. It’s a bit tougher to figure out what we must stop doing to accomplish the same ends. But it’s a huge challenge to admit what we need to learn.

This week's question:

What one thing can I learn to be more effective at leading my people? (Please note: the question is not about “managing” people.) Do I need to learn to be a better example (working more OR working less), do I need to learn to allow my people to take bigger risks, do I need to learn to encourage or challenge or mentor with more impact, do I need to learn to disappear so they will have room to shine?

A STRONG FINISH

2010-10-04T05:30:00.000-06:00

The last quarter of the year has begun. Are the annual goals you set in January still a stong focus for you or have they slipped to a “occasional” or even “forgotten” place? They were important back then, let’s revisit them today.

This week's question:

What one thing will you make happen this quarter to make 2010 the success you planned for in January? What one thing will you stop doing to give you the bandwidth to accomplish the first? Who will you tell to add some personal accountability?

ANNIVERSARY THOUGHTS

2010-09-27T05:30:00.000-06:00

I heard singer James Taylor say he never knew when he first sang “You’ve Got a Friend” that he’d be singing it every day for the rest of his life. I wonder now if I’ll be writing LIFEQUES FOR LEADERS for the rest of mine. And if so, can I keep it fresh and alive?

This week's question:

What are you planning to start in the next few weeks that just might work? What if it lasts forever? Will you start things differently knowing you could be doing them a decade from now?

CIRCUS ANYONE?

2010-09-20T05:30:00.001-06:00

Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey have been the gold standard in the circus business for generations. They understand what works; they do it well. It can’t get any better. Then. all of a sudden we have Cirque du Soleil: a 21st century take on a 19th century industry.

This week's question:

How much are you a “prisoner of the present,” a Ringling brother yourself? How intentionally, creatively, out-of-left-fieldly, are you looking for the possibilities in your business, the possibilities for your customers? What might Cirque du Soleil look like in your sector?

WHO KNOWS WHAT CUSTOMERS NEED?

2010-09-13T05:30:00.000-06:00

Most of us like to think our organization is “customer-focussed.” What does that mean; do we take it seriously, literally. Many organizations believe they know best what the customer wants, needs, hopes for. How arrogant.

This week's question:

When was the last time you talked to an end user of your product or service? What did you learn? What about your operations people - when did they last talk to an individual customer? Further, do you regularly meet with your people to discuss what customers are actually saying?

EMAIL JAIL

2010-09-06T05:30:00.000-06:00

Are you allowing your team to use email as a crutch? Do you have people who copy you on everything just to “keep you in the loop” when you know they just want to “cover their butt?”

This week's question:

What boundries have you, will you, set for your team members regarding email? What will you commit to read? How frequently? What will you delete without reading? How will make that clear to them?

(FYI - some leaders will only read and respond to emails where they are the single addressee. They tell their people to never assume a cc or one sent to multiple addressees will be read.)

THE POWER OF VAGUE

2010-08-30T05:30:00.000-06:00

“If only my people would think, if only they would
come up with innovative ideas that would drive us
forward. If only.” I hear that often; I wonder if many
leaders are too specific in their instructions/requests
to give room for out-of-the-box thinking at all.

This week's question:

WHAT VAGUE (YES, VAGUE) QUESTION, ISSUE OR
CHALLENGE WILL YOU PRESENT TO EACH OF YOUR
KEY TEAM MEMBERS THIS WEEK TO TEST THEIR
CREATIVE THINKING? WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH
THEIR SUGGESTIONS?

WHAT'S NEXT?

2010-08-23T05:30:00.000-06:00

One of my leadership maxims is: “The mark of a
healthy business is that no one in the organization is
backed up from above.” Obviously then, “succession
planning” must be on the front burner at all times. I
wonder how committed most leaders are to seeing
this through.

This week's question:

WHAT IS THE SUCCESSION PLANNING STRATEGY IN
YOUR ORGANIZATION - AT EVERY LEVEL? TO WHAT
DEGREE DOES THIS MEAN MERELY FINDING THE
LEAST DISRUPTIVE ALTERNATIVE? WHAT WOULD BE
DIFFERENT FOR YOU IF YOUR APPROACH REFLECTED
THE ROOT OF THE WORD “SUCCESSION” - AND LED
YOU TO “SUCCESS?”

SINGLE TASKING?!?

2010-08-16T05:30:00.000-06:00

Blackberry, Bluetooth, pocket pcs: the things that
enable us to do the work have a way of preventing our
thinking about the work we do. While multi-tasking has
its place even an hour a day single-tasking dramatically
increases results (not to mention your peace of mind).

This week's question:

ON A SCALE OF 1-10, RATE YOUR CAPACITY TO
SINGLE-TASK. WHAT BENEFIT WILL YOU SEE NEXT
QUARTER WHEN YOU INCREASE THAT NUMBER BY
MORE THAN TWO? WHAT TIME HAVE YOU BLOCKED
OUT IN YOUR SCHEDULE; WHAT WILL YOU FOCUS ON?

BRING IT ON

2010-08-09T05:30:00.000-06:00

Have you ever noticed that good ideas rarely arise in
a period of orderliness? Creativity is often a byproduct
of chaos, struggle, off-the-wall opportunity and
turmoil.

This week's question:

DO YOU SEE YOUR JOB AS CREATING ORDER OR
EMBRACING DISORDER AND THE INNOVATION THAT
COMES WITH IT? WHAT WILL YOU DO THIS MONTH
TO FIND STRATEGIC BALANCE BETWEEN THE TWO?
IN WHAT AREA DO YOU NEED NEW IDEAS?

WHAT DO YOU SAY?

2010-08-02T05:30:00.000-06:00

Many leaders struggle with the same thing. They have
attained their current position because they are fairly
good at most things; the downside is that they may
have trouble fully relying on others. Thus, they know
how to say “yes” very well; saying “no” is tough.

This week's question:

WATCH THE NUMBER OF TIMES YOU SAY “YES” THIS
WEEK; SIMILARLY, WATCH THE NUMBER OF TIMES
YOU SAY “NO.” WHAT DOES THAT TEACH YOU ABOUT
YOURSELF, ABOUT YOUR TEAM MEMBERS, ABOUT
YOUR POSSIBILITIES?

TIME OFF TIME OFF

2010-07-26T05:30:00.000-06:00

Is a day off really a day off? Is a vacation really a
vacation? The old religious concept of Sabbath makes
as much practical sense as it does spiritual sense.

This week's question:

DOES A DAY OFF FOR YOU MEAN 24 CONSECUTIVE
HOURS OF TOTAL DISCONNECTION FROM YOUR
WORK: NO CELLPHONE CALLS, NO EMAIL, THE
BRIEFCASE CLOSED? DOES VACATION MEAN AT
LEAST SEVEN DAYS TOTALLY FREE FROM ANYTHING
TO DO WITH WORK? HOW MUCH MORE EFFECTIVE
WILL YOU BE WHEN THUS REFRESHED? TRY IT.

LEARN FROM EVERYONE

2010-07-19T05:30:00.000-06:00

As leaders, we must learn to deal with everyone, even
those we might not spend time with if we had the
choice. A great way to break these feelings down is to
intentionally learn from the person you would sooner
avoid.

This week's question:

THINK OF THE TEAM MEMBER YOU WOULD PREFER
TO IGNORE. THEN ON FRIDAY ASK YOURSELF, WHAT
IS THE ONE NEW THING I LEARNED THIS WEEK
FROM THAT INDIVIDUAL? HOW DID I LISTEN IN
ORDER TO HEAR IT? HOW DID I COMMUNICATE BACK
THAT I’VE GROWN? WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR
NEXT WEEK?

AFTER BEFORE

2010-07-12T05:30:00.000-06:00

Some leaders have difficulty getting their team members to concentrate on outcomes; they are more comfortable talking about the processes. For many, only in the post-mortem meeting does the outcome conversation come alive.

This week's question:

What if the post-mortem meeting was held before the event (or project)? That shifts the perspective. What does success in this venture look like? What have we learned about our organization and our offering? How will we use this as we move into action?

PRAISE MEANS....

2010-07-05T05:30:00.000-06:00

I’ve been challenged this week to think about the difference between “applause” and “support.” Many leaders interpret strong words of praise and encouragement as indication that those people (board members, staff, etc.) are ready to join in the action. Sadly, that is often not so. Praise is praise - nothing more.

This week's question:

Specifically, who are you relying on to accomplish something based on their enthusiastic applause recently? How will you evaluate if it is or is not an indication of active support? What will you do with that understanding?

A 15% OPPORTUNITY

2010-06-28T05:30:00.000-06:00

Take a vacation this summer; it’s important. Before you leave, delegate your responsibilities, especially your projects, with the unspoken intention of not taking all that work back. When you return, say something simple and affirming like, “You’re doing a good job on that item; just keep it up for a while.” I believe high-impact leaders should shed 15% of their job every year using this technique.

This week's question:

What will you do with 15% more leadership bandwidth? What thinking will you start doing, what new initiatives will you have time to seriously consider, what new impacts will you and your organization create? Now, what work are you going to give away permanently using your vacation as the vehicle?

TRANSLATE IT

2010-06-21T05:30:00.000-06:00

Many of us have tried to broaden our appeal to different multi-cultural groups by having our materials translated into their language. I wonder if things would change if we applied that cross-cultural thinking to the different generations we work with. What if we got a translator for Gen X, for seniors, for children?

This week's question:

If Gen Xers heard your message in their language, what impact would be possible? Who, inside or outside your organization, could translate your messages for under-35s? What one message will you start with to test this out?

CHANGE THE PREPOSITION

2010-06-14T05:30:00.001-06:00

Many leaders confuse the shop-floor with the dance-floor. Let's look at the dance-floor/balcony metaphor a different way - how much time do you spend working “in the business” and how much time working “on the business?” Doing budgets and variance analyses, making client calls and building supply chain relationships, are not balcony (on the business) work; that’s your dance-floor job. Also, you must be aware of how it all meshes together.

This week's question:

Ask yourself again - what do you see when you look at your organization from a “working-on-the-business” perspective? How are your systems, processes, products, services and people working in harmony to achieve your goals? How do some of their interactions get in the way of progress?

ABOVE THE WORK

2010-06-07T05:30:00.000-06:00

One of Heifetz and Linsky’s critical thoughts is that leaders must recognize the difference between being embedded in their system and being in relationship with that system. Spending all of one’s time on the dance floor (down in the work) limits one’s ability to see what’s happening to the big picture. He challenged me (and I’m challenging you!) to shift frequently from the dance floor to the balcony to get a clear view the of interconnections between people and factions, to feel the grinding of the systemic gears, to get a broader sense of organizational challenges.

This week's question:

What’s keeping you from the balcony? What are you afraid you might see? What are you afraid you might not see?

Ok. You’re up there now. What do you see? What challenges have you not seen before? What’s not working the way you assumed it was? What issue appeared that you had not seen before? What’s your next move?

UNNECESSARY HELP

2010-05-31T05:30:00.000-06:00

SEEING AND SAYING

2010-05-24T05:30:00.000-06:00

I've come to realize something over the last little while - my eyes are a critical component in communication. When I see you, I hear you. When you see me, you hear me. Eyes can be inquisitive, challenging, confused. Eyes can be expressive, forceful, comforting.

This week's question:

How will you use your eyes more effectively this week? What new insight might you gain when listening to your key people with your eyes? How, and with whom, will you practice saying less and letting your eyes do the talking?

TOOLS ARE NOT ENOUGH

2010-05-17T05:30:00.000-06:00

I’ve already learned so much here at Harvard. However I still feel like a person with a great set of carpenter’s tools, even some skill at using each individual one, but I’m hoping I will soon be able to build a house or at least a fence that will stand up straight.

This week's question:

What tools and skills do you have that lay dormant or, at best underutilized, that can be put to great use with a little more training or a little more coordination or a little more courage? What will you do about that this week?

GOOD INTENTIONS

2010-05-10T05:30:00.000-06:00

It’s May already! I hope you are making significant progress on your annual goals. Many have said that success comes from directing our energies to the important things rather than the urgent things.

This week's question:

Do you even remember the annual intentions you set on January 1? Are you making time to bring them to life? (You won’t “find” the time, you must “make” the time.) What will you do differently over the summer, beginning today, to ensure they happen as you dreamed?

WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW

2010-05-03T05:30:00.000-06:00

The best leaders know, “I don’t know what I don’t know.” Many of you are aware I’m helping a close friend, Wayne Stewart, build a campaign to run for Mayor of Calgary (he hasn’t officially announced yet but stay tuned). In those discussions, the question of using social media came up; I feel like a horse-and-buggy pioneer when talk turns to Facebook and Twitter and so on. Even my questions sound silly.

This week's question:

What is so foreign to you that you sound silly even when you ask about it? Who do you know that can ask those questions for you; who do you know that can answer them? Beyond that, how do you recognize when you don’t know what you don’t know; who can you trust to tell you?

A FRESH LOOK AT NEW

2010-04-26T05:30:00.000-06:00

Are you one of the majority - a leader who doesn’t try out new ideas for fear of failure? Well, look at innovation differently for a minute. Enlightened organizations don’t start new initiatives expecting to offer them forever, they initiate “pilot projects” to introduce, showcase and refine fresh ideas. If those projects are unsuccessful, they just say, “We learned something,” and move on with their head high. They aren’t forced to cancel a permanent program and look bad doing so.

This week's question:

What would you try if you weren’t worried it would fail? What idea do you have that you haven’t have the guts to introduce as a new program but you could test as a pilot project? When will you start? How will giving yourself permission to fail help make the idea a success?

TOUGH CHOICES

2010-04-19T05:30:00.000-06:00

Most leaders have faced this at some point -- a dramatically underperforming employee, every conceivable performance-improvement idea has been tried. A change must be made. Yet nothing is done because the organization is already a bit low on staff.

This week's question:

What’s worse: being understaffed or being staffed with incompetence? Do you want your customers interacting with a sub-standard employee; do you have time to repair those relationships? What impact does your tolerance of incompetence have on other team members, on your culture, on productivity; do you have the energy to rebuild morale? When are you going to stop making excuses and move forward with boldness?

RETENTION OBSESSION

2010-04-12T05:30:00.000-06:00

I wonder if the obsession with employee retention is a misplaced focus for today’s leader. Studies show a retention-focus is paddling against the generational current. Young people today want meaning, responsibility and a voice in their employment. They’ll stay as long as they are growing and feel a sense of the future. But they will move on to move forward. The likelihood is you won’t keep them. What if you accept that and make it work for you?

This week's question:

How would you re-think your business if you knew every employee was only going to stay for 2-3 years? How would you sharpen on-boarding? How would you accelerate accountability? How would you fine-tune expectations? What changes when you empower people more quickly to make a difference? Think about it. Will they find their jobs more interesting? Stickier?

YOU'LL NEVER HEAR WHAT THEY WON'T SAY

2010-04-05T05:30:00.000-06:00

Most people believe they have a sense of humour, are good drivers and are good listeners. Hmmmm. Why are there so many dull people? Why so many erratic drivers? Why are so many leaders and their organizations stuck because they can’t, don’t or won’t hear what’s really going on around them?

This week's question:

Do your people have permission to speak the truth to you? Really? Ok. Ask your key team-members this week: “How many of our problems come from things that are not being said?” It’s a courageous question; are you up for it?

A NEW LABEL

2010-03-29T05:30:00.000-06:00

I’ve long been one to say: “If it’s incremental, it’s not change (perhaps not even strong leadership).” This week I re-thought that. A a young executive I know characterized his CEO as a “relentless incrementalist.” Okay. For me that’s an approach to high-performance leadership worth some thought.

This week's question:

What about you? What label would your key people give to you to describe your approach to change: initiating change, responding to change, managing change, anticipating change? Would they use the word “relentless” to describe anything about you? Does that teach you anything?

THE POWER OF INEXPERIENCE

2010-03-22T05:30:00.000-06:00

I’ve seen the same thing in two places recently. First, I’m helping a group that works primarily with elementary school age kids develop their recruitment strategy - selling their program to 10-year-olds and their thirty-something parents. What do we middle-aged folks know about how they communicate?

Secondly, I just flipped through a book on “reverse mentoring” - where organizations systematically have young workers mentor older ones in the culture and tools of the emerging generations. Hmmmmm...good idea!

This week's question:

Honestly, how well versed are you in how the emerging generations think and communicate? How do you keep up? Could you use a “reverse mentor”? Where will you find him or her? If you spent an hour every couple of weeks with them, how would you (and your organization!) expect to grow?

INNOVATION ANYONE?

2010-03-15T05:30:00.000-06:00

I’ve been a Mac guy for a few years. Why? Apple is just plain smart; they dream of what we’ll want, need and use before we imagine it ourselves. They don’t ask us, they anticipate us. As Henry Ford said a century ago - “If I’d asked my customers what they wanted, they’d have said ‘a faster horse.’”.

This week's question:

What changes if you stop looking for a “faster horse” and instead focus on anticipating your customers’ next big need or opportunity? How much do you know about how they work, what their pressure points are, what cost them money, what makes them money? How will you make their life easier?

ME - A ROLE MODEL?

2010-03-08T05:30:00.000-07:00

Politicians, entertainers, sports figures -- you don’t have to look very far to see public figures embarrass themselves if not ruin themselves. Sadly, these people are role models; many young people (and some not-so-young) act out the things they hear and read about their heros. It’s like they feel an applied permission to behave poorly or destructively.

This week's question:

Someone sees you as a role model. What will you change about yourself when you act as if that individual will imitate you, not may or can but will imitate you? Knowing that, how will you be a better leader, citizen, spouse, partner, friend?