A REMINDER ABOUT YOUR POWER

 

You live in a hierarchy and therefore you live in an universe of power and you become blind to it when you are the major power holder of the hierarchy.  And in all probability, as a modern CEO, you are a nice enough guy and quite adept at using your power lightly.

So I am reminding you about how you are in the eyes of your company. You give and you take away. You reward and you don't. You smile and talk or you don't. And people watch. They notice. 

Think of this as a glimmer of a lesson you have forgotten. Think about how you mute yourself when you have an opportunity you don't want to mess up. Think of how eager you are to please you global boss ready to drive the car to pick her  up. You are just as scared about disapproval from above. You are equally if not more sensitive to the issue of pay. You choose carefully where you sit at a table at a Board meeting. You quiver to power shift.

And you are just as eager to do good work and and just as dramatically turned off by lack of recognition as every person is in your company. Just as human as any person who works for you about how to live in a world maintained by positions of power.

THE WORLD TILTED

Fifteen years ago on 9/11 I was in the office tying up loose ends before I left for vacation. The day in Maine was gloriously Fall. The burnished quality of the sun and the flat fabric like blue sky were iconic. I noted it and felt lucky for the break I was to take. 

I went to the Board room to find the CEO to touch bases before I left and was curious about the TV being on. I entered and for a moment thought my colleagues were watching a spoof of a King Kong movie. Then I heard the tone of the announcer's voice and sat down next to my boss. We waited to understand the tragedy and then the second tower fell. I grabbed the hand of the CEO and we sat silently as we watched the world tilt and our American innocence slide away. 

It has not come back. How do we do important and good work in an atmosphere of random violence and a pervasive cultural anxiety that has become part of the fabric of our lives? That is a question we don't think about often enough. We forget what we ingested on that shining Fall day fifteen years ago. 

GIVE 'BORING' A TRY

Are you an adrenaline junkie? Probably. The morass of 'in your face'  issues you have to deal with and the boredom of day to day demands that don't seem to move the needle make you vulnerable to loving the crisis, the big magic change,
the latest leadership innovation.

What can be called 'boring' can also be incredibly satisfying:

—How about being "well run"?

—How about regarding strong management and supervision as key to smooth days?

—How about toning down overly dramatic language of the "best in class, worst showing, amazing, stellar, excellent, peak, burning platform"?  It's an odd habit of pumping everything up to a life or death urgency. 

—How about being patient with a project to allow it to come to fruition. No helicopter parenting of innovation.

—How about the value of trudging to get where you want to go? Left foot, right foot.?

—How about setting your own pace and running the race according to plan?

—How about giving your organization a break?

If these questions make you scornful or seem naive, then go have your adrenal
glands checked for exhaustion. Just a thought.

PLEASE ACCEPT MY APOLOGIES FOR MAINE

I live in Maine and vote in Maine.
We have a Governor (Paul LePage) who is embarrassing at best and vile at worst. He may be a good person. Being an ex-HR/OD executive, I won't judge who he is, but I will hold him accountable for what he does--that I can document. You as a top leader would probably have to fire him or tell him he is on notice and put him on a major performance improvement plan. 

Not your business. But, once again, I am supporting you to remember how important you are in setting the level for civil behavior and for demanding that differences be used as an asset not a hate gauge.

I did lots of work in diversity of the broadest kind. Inclusion not just tolerance, all kinds of differences not just the differences protected under the law, and a commitment to the belief that talent and competence comes in varied people.
AND that usually involved creating a safe environment of civil behavior. And yes, there were people in high agreement and in no agreement with these standards and efforts. But, they knew they had to manage their mouths and their behavior.

I write this blog primarily to remind top level leaders of the blind spots of power that come with the role. This is a thank you for taking a lead in seeing the power of differences and, more so, for demanding civil behavior (and learning
too) that seems to be far ahead of public arena. Thanks

ENTREPRENEUR HALO

Intrepreneurship is in again. Large companies want the best of entrepreneurial skills to work in a corporate environment OR So they think.

It sound so good from afar. Entrepreneurs are creative and think outside of the darn box and invent things and make things happen----easily. That is the fantasy when looking at entrepreneurs from the outside. 

Here's what it's like inside the life of the entrepreneur as told by top 500 Fastest Growing Company CEO's in INC magazine

CHAOTIC--Everybody is doing everything. There are lots of mistakes and hurried attempts to fix things. There is duplication and frustration and irritation

NO CONTROLS--there is no fixed strategic plan or budget in most cases. Money comes and goes without awareness. 

SURVIVAL IS THE PRIMARY GOAL--Most entrepreneurs said survival was the top goal and doing anything to survive often caused problems later. Fear of failure is a constant thought.

INSANE--Most entrpreneurs had an idea or stumble on an idea that excited them and they wanted to bring it to fruition. And so they are fierce and nuts to do it. Work never stops and is the top priority of their lives.

LUCK MATTERS--Many businesses got started by a chance meeting of a possible partner or a chance opportunity. 

CONTACTS HELP--Most entrpreneurs mentioned someone who gave support, mostly of money to help them start

TIMING IS THE DIFFERENCE--Catching the wave of a new trend or market need made all the difference in success. Good ideas late, fail. 

PARTNERS ARE INTIMATE FRIENDS--There seemed to be a very close relationship between the CEO and one other business partner. This is what kept things going in tough times and gave meaning to the work. And great pain if there was a falling out. 

FASTEST GROWING DOES NOT ALWAYS WIN--Forget the title of the INC article. Managing the pace of growth with the needed resources was a primary issue in success. Most would say, "don't get out ahead of what you can sustain."

WORRIES--Retention of talent in a high risk endeavor is top on the worry list followed by cash flow and then beating back domestic competition

In summary these three traits are held in common by the top 500 entrepreneurs:
-Ambition
-Audacity
-Tireless work ethic

Now, how does this relate to your company? What parts do you want? Can you have just part of the entrepreneur spirit in your business? What would happen if your business created this kind of fierceness (and wildness)?

VACATION TRUTHS

Eight year old boys wiggle.
Girl cousins do giggle.
These things are just experientially true.
iPads are the guilty sedative for eight year old boy wiggles.
Logistics rule--What food,when? What activity,how? Squabbles,who? 
Ice cream solves most problems.
Most lovely moments arrive on their own; planning is a wet blanket
Sitting at one table to eat matters
Separateness has to happen once a day for two hours
Sun matters. Rain is ok for one day.
When things fall apart there is always a bounce back moment

THOUGHTS FROM MAINE VACATION WEEK

Food for Thought:
What is your experience when you come back to work after vacation?
What is your mood?
What do you notice about the "tone' of the company as you enter?
What do you dread?
What are you eager to get back to doing?
How are you different when on vacation? Like it? Does your business need some of the vacation 'you' at work?
It's a moment when you can see with a fresh eye if you us the opportunity.