Michael Lee Stallard's Blog, page 18

Why We Connect

Peter DeMarco, a writer in Boston, lost his 34-year old wife, Laura Levis, following a severe asthma attack. Last week, The New York Times reprinted Mr. DeMarco’s “A Letter to the Doctors and Nurses Who Cared for My Wife.” It went viral. Take time to read it.

Mr. DeMarco’s letter expresses his profound gratitude for the words and deeds of doctors, nurses, technicians and the cleaning crew during his wife’s seven days in the ICU. They carried out their tasks in a professional manner AND went above and beyond by taking time to care and connect.

Discovering the Benefits of Connection

For most of my life, I was unaware of the importance of human connection and relationships. The theme of the first half of my life could be described in a phrase, “failure is not an option.” Then, life hit me with a two by four when my beloved wife, Katie, was diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer and her probability of survival for more than five years was less than ten percent. Our daughters were just 12 and 10 at the time and I feared losing my best friend; the girls losing their wonderful, loving mother; and Katie not being able to see the girls grow up.

During that time, the love and support my family and I received from our family members, friends and healthcare workers helped me cope. Connection with God and people kept me optimistic, calm and energized to support my wife and daughters. The experience woke me up to what I’d been missing in life.

Today, Katie is cancer free and thriving. Having experienced a life rich in connection, I wasn’t going back to the lonely life I had drifted toward. I wrote about the experience in an article titled “Alone No Longer.”

Out of that difficult season, I came to the conclusion that the best life is one that is rich with connection to God, family, friends and the people I serve through my work (my colleagues and clients).

How Connection Benefits Individuals and Organizations

An abundance of research has shown that connection helps us thrive as individuals.  It brings joy into our lives and makes us healthier and more productive.

Organizations also thrive when their cultures encourage connection. In the book Connection Culture, I describe 5 benefits to organizations:

Employees who feel connected perform at the top of their game;
Employees who feel connected give their best efforts;
Employees who feel connected align their behavior with organizational goals;
Employees who feel connected help improve the quality of decisions; and
Employees who feel connected actively contribute to innovation.

These benefits add up to a powerful source of competitive advantage.

A final reason we intentionally connect with others is demonstrated in Mr. Demarco’s letter. We connect because it’s healing. When hurting, people frequently isolate themselves rather than reach out to connect with others so they can heal. Pioneering research by the neuroscientist/psychiatrist Dr. Ted George, PhD at the National Institutes of Health is showing that loving, supportive relationships are necessary to heal the damage that trauma does to the brain. You can learn more about this research in Dr. George’s excellent book Untangling the Mind.

By reaching out to connect with Mr. Demarco, the people working in the ICU at CHA Cambridge Hospital helped him. Likewise, when we reach out to help those who hurt, we become a force for healing that reconnects them with humanity and life itself.

Want to Connect? Start Here

Today, many people feel powerless because they live and work in cultures that have little connection or they have been hurt and haven’t had the healing connection they need.

My advice is to live out the expression, “be the change you want to see in the world.”  For examples, watch these three videos about three of my heroes who’ve made a difference by intentionally connecting with others: Nick Medley of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; Herb Pardes, former CEO of New York Presbyterian; and Francis Hesselbein, former head of the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A.

Finally, become an intentional connector by equipping yourself to make a difference.  Start by reading Connection Cultureand signing up for our free 28-page 100 Ways to Connect e-book.  In addition, consider joining us at our upcoming Connection Culture Workshop on November 3rd.

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Wall Street Journal Recognizes TCU #2 for Student Engagement

Congratulations to Texas Christian University (TCU) for being recognized by The Wall Street Journal as #2 in the U.S. for student engagement, an assessment that measures, according to the Journal, “how connected the students are with their school, each other and the outside world, and how challenging their courses are…”

To learn about TCU’s unique “Connection Culture” check out this TCU Magazine article and the TCU Center for Connection Culture.

The post Wall Street Journal Recognizes TCU #2 for Student Engagement appeared first on Michael Lee Stallard.

3 Ways to Develop Winning Team Spirit

Photo of Jeff Webb courtesy of Varsity Brands

As football season begins, millions of fans are excited about cheering on their favorite high school, college or NFL teams. The best teams, those that are competitive over time, benefit from having a winning team spirit.

A winning team spirit is a mood that fills an individual or group with life. It brings about enthusiasm, energy and engagement, and helps the team perform at the top of its game. Therefore, every leader who aspires to lead his or her team to sustainable success – whether in the sports world or business world – must be able to create and maintain a winning team spirit.

To learn more about team spirit, I recently spoke with Jeff Webb, founder and chairman of Varsity Brands. Webb went from being a yell leader at the University of Oklahoma to founding Varsity Spirit in 1974. Over more than four decades, he led Varsity to combined sales exceeding $1.5 billion, and a team of 5,000 employees and independent representatives. Today, Varsity Brands includes Varsity Spirit, BSN Sports (sports apparel, footwear, and equipment) and Herff Jones (school graduation and achievement products). Webb continues to work closely with the Varsity Brands’ senior management including new CEO Matthew Rubel.

Webb started Varsity Spirit as summer training camps for high school and college cheerleaders back when cheerleading primarily entailed leading fans from the sidelines. Webb and his colleagues expanded cheerleading by teaching athleticism, tumbling, partner stunts, choreography, the use of signage and various aspects that added entertainment value. As cheer became more effective in raising school spirit, fan engagement took off. This led to an explosion of popularity around cheerleading and spirit teams, which fueled Varsity’s rapid growth.

Today cheerleading continues to grow as ESPN broadcasts Varsity’s cheer competitions, more states embrace cheer as an integral part of the school athletic program, and participation continues to grow globally at a rapid pace. The International Cheer Union holds World Championship competitions with teams from more than 70 nations. Over the next decade, cheerleading just may become part of the Olympics.

Applying what he learned about boosting team and school spirit, Jeff Webb cultivated a winning organizational culture at Varsity Spirit. I asked him to share some of the key factors that contributed to developing the culture.

1. See the Big Picture: How We Make a Difference

Webb said the people who make it at Varsity Spirit see the big picture. Varsity Spirit goes to great lengths to make sure that employees are well versed in the importance of the company, how it was founded, company culture and why they do what they do. Many people who join Varsity Spirit after college previously worked as Varsity Spirit camp instructors while they were cheering in college. They know from firsthand experience the positive impact that Varsity Spirit can have in a cheerleader’s life and they are dedicated to making it happen.

Webb tells new employees stories to reinforce this, such as one about a Varsity Spirit sales representative who personally drove to a cheer camp so she could hand deliver new cheer uniforms to one of the teams she covered. Seeing the excitement on the faces of the cheerleaders as they opened and tried on their uniforms made her realize the importance of her work and that the extra effort she made to get them their uniforms was worth it.

2. Have the Right Attitude: Create a Culture of Excellence

Attitudes are feelings or ways of thinking that affect behavior. Webb described one of the attitudes he promotes as Varsity Spirit’s culture of excellence. He told me that from the beginning of Varsity Spirit, the attitude has been to provide the best experience for the young athletes Varsity Spirit serves rather than to be the biggest. Focusing on being the best, rather than the biggest, ended up making Varsity Spirit the biggest industry player over time, and has kept them growing ever since. People at Varsity Spirit see themselves as striving to be the best at what they do and feel the cheerleaders they serve deserve the best.

3. Witness the Impact: Participate on the Front Lines

Varsity Spirit runs approximately 2,000 summer training camps and 400 competitions each year. According to Webb, another factor that contributes to Varsity Spirit’s winning team culture is that it benefits from senior staff involvement in 10-12 of its biggest cheer camps and competitions. One of the largest annual competitions occurs at Disney World in Orlando where 800 teams participate and Varsity Spirit needs to lead simultaneous activities in four to five separate venues. During the competition, it is all hands on deck, with 400 Varsity Spirit staff members working on teams and in different capacities from their regular day-to-day roles. You’ll find them as judges, as spotters out on the cheer mats, or helping with logistics. These experiences give Varsity Spirit staff a frontline view of how the company creates amazing experiences for athletes and coaches and it reminds them that the work they do matters.

Given the complexity of running so many events to perfection and supporting cheerleaders with the tools they need to raise school spirit, people at Varsity Spirit work hard. Jeff Webb knows that having the right culture that cultivates a winning team spirit is essential to fuel the energies of the people who’ve made and will sustain Varsity Spirit’s success.

You May Also Enjoy: 

How Inspiring Identity Fuels Team Performance

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6 Ways Leaders Can Dial up the Level of Value in the Workplace

Adding elements to a workplace that enhance people’s value effectively empower people to achieve their potential. Here are six ways leaders can do this.

1. Make a human connection with as many people as possible.

Leaders need to acknowledge individuals. There’s no easier way to show you value people than to learn about them and use their names when you speak with them. Knowing names and personal stories helps leaders make a powerful emotional connection with people in a short time. Leaders from the top down should be expected to know the stories of the people with whom they frequently come in contact.

Connection is increased by helping employees know each other’s stories too, especially those of people who frequently interact with each other. One way to learn more about others is to maintain an intranet-based directory including employee names, pictures, and information they feel comfortable sharing, such as interests outside work, favorite books, movies, and quotations, and other items that communicate their unique stories. Giving individuals an opportunity to express themselves brings the color of human personality into the workplace.

2. Treat and speak to employees as partners.

Treating people below you in your organization’s hierarchy as equals rather than as inferiors enhances their sense of personal value.

As a leader, you should make eye contact, say hello, and use the person’s name, if possible, when you walk by an employee. Aloof behavior only communicates that someone is not worth acknowledging. Treat employees as partners too. Don’t expect them to do personal errands for you. Think of others as partners who play different roles from yours. You will keep them connected and energized as they sense the respect you show them.

3. Help employees find the right roles.

Another way to show appreciation is to help people better understand their abilities, temperaments, and values. Each individual is a unique combination of natural and learned cognitive capabilities. Assessment tools enable people to identify their skills, temperaments, learning styles, thinking styles, and values. Providing these resources to people will help leaders place them in the roles where they will be most likely to excel. People who excel will be more likely to receive genuine recognition and respect, and well-deserved praise is encouraging and strengthens connection.

Although many companies provide personality testing to selected leaders, few offer it to people throughout the organization. Chances are it has been a tool to help leaders build a well-balanced team of people based on their personality types. This is a good start. But more tools should be used if you are serious about bringing out the best in the people you lead.

4. Educate, inform, and listen to employees.

Educating, informing, and listening to employees enhance their sense of value. If you don’t let people know what you are thinking, if you don’t inform them and hear their points of view, they’ll probably assume the worst. When people can’t see the direction they are headed, they naturally experience anxiety. Conversely, when you inform and listen to them, they will be grateful that you recognized them and valued their ideas and opinions. With information and understanding comes a greater sense of security and optimism that the future is bright.

5. Decentralize decision making.

Allowing people to make decisions shows them that you respect their abilities and judgment and that you value them. Many firms over the last hundred years decentralized decision making. Decentralization gained momentum when Peter Drucker persuaded Alfred P. Sloan Jr. to decentralize decision making at General Motors Corporation. It also grew when manufacturers worldwide began to adopt the Lean Manufacturing practices of Japanese companies, replacing the overspecialized, assembly-line mentality with teams that developed broader knowledge and skills and had greater autonomy. One contributor to the continued success of Toyota Motor Company and its Lexus Luxury Division is the higher quality and lower cost benefits resulting from the Toyota Production System. This management approach combines a high degree of team-based training, autonomy, decentralized decision making, and responsibility for continuous improvement.

6. Recognize the human need for work/life balance.

Finally, we all have times when things outside work require our undivided attention. It may be the health of a loved one or our own health. Leaders need to balance giving employees time off to attend to urgent needs in their personal lives and being fair to other employees who have to do more work when a colleague is away.

Encouraging people to get sufficient rest and relaxation outside work is an important part of keeping people from burning out. Toward the end of most days, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt held a gathering for cocktails and poker where the only rule was that no one could talk politics. He cherished the time to relax and recharge. It revived his energy level and helped him maintain the optimism to lead America out of the Depression and through World War II. It also stimulated his creativity. During a vacation that some members of the press criticized FDR for taking, the president conceived the Lend Lease program to provide military assets to Great Britain in its hour of need.

Successful leaders imbue the culture they are responsible for leading with human value. Leaders such as Napoleon and George Pullman failed, at least in part, because they didn’t understand what motivates and demotivates people. Wise leaders know that applying human value in the work culture can make a world of difference by connecting and firing up people, ultimately affecting their own success or failure as leaders.

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The post 6 Ways Leaders Can Dial up the Level of Value in the Workplace appeared first on Michael Lee Stallard.

3 Ways to Lead Like Lincoln

It’s fashionable in the media and politics today to be quick to speak, to dominate conversations and be self-righteous. We see this frequently in movies and television shows too. These attributes are thought to be signs of intelligence, assertiveness and conviction. Although they may be effective at gaining television ratings and press attention, they are counterproductive when it comes to communicating, connecting with others and leading effectively.

One of history’s greatest leaders and communicators was President Abraham Lincoln who led our country through the particularly divisive time of the Civil War. He was known as a patient, careful listener who was slow to speak and slow to become angry, wisdom he may have picked up from reading the Bible (see James 1:19). These attributes contributed to his reputation for being thoughtful, and for possessing wisdom and good judgment. They also helped him develop a strong network of supporters.

Several historians have described a recurring pattern of Lincoln converting political rivals and those who were turned off by his lack of education and awkward physical appearance into avid supporters. According to historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, some even came to love him as a dear friend.

Consider A.K. McClure, an important senator from Pennsylvania who Lincoln first met when McClure came to visit the president-elect over a contentious matter related to an appointment on Lincoln’s cabinet. When McClure first laid eyes on Lincoln, the senator’s heart sank to think the “gaunt, ungainly, ill clad and [homely]” prairie lawyer from Illinois would soon become America’s next president. But after a mere half hour conversation with Lincoln, McClure completely changed his mind.  “I learned not only to respect, but, indeed, to reverence the man,” wrote Senator McClure.

In addition to being a good listener, Lincoln also had a reputation for being slow to express anger. On one famous occasion, when Lincoln was frustrated with General George Meade for allowing Confederate General Robert E. Lee and his troops to escape when cornered, Lincoln penned an angry letter to his general.  Following Lincoln’s death, the letter was discovered in an envelope on which Lincoln had written “never sent.”

We would all be wise to follow Lincoln’s example.  Here are three practices to help you lead like Lincoln.

1. Listen Twice as Much as You Talk

It’s been said that the reason we have two ears and one mouth is so that we can listen twice as much as we talk. As silly as that may sound, neuroscience is proving the wisdom of the saying. To make people feel psychologically safe, get them to talk and, as they do, listen carefully to what they have to say. When people talk, it engages the cortex region of the brain where our rational thoughts are processed. At the same time, it quiets the amygdala region where we process emotions and where we are more likely to make rash rather than rational decisions. By getting people to talk, you will be quieting their fears and engaging their powers of rational thought. Research has also shown that people tend to like others who listen more than talk.

2. Pause Before You Speak

Let people finish speaking before you jump in.  It’s one thing to start in while the other person is still talking but beware of hearing a pause and taking that as the green light to speak up. It may be just that – a pause. Feeling cut off when you are in the midst of expressing an idea or opinion can lead to feeling frustrated. Sometimes we are so anxious to voice the next thing we want to say that we stop actively listening and that is disconnecting behavior too. Part of being “slow to speak” then is assessing what the right moment is.

3. Reflect Before Offering an Improvement

When someone presents an idea, suggestion, opinion or plan, author and executive coach Marshall Goldsmith recommends taking time to reflect before offering a suggestion to improve it. Many people are in the habit of quickly adding their better idea by saying “but” or “however.” Habitually doing this undermines connection, commitment and engagement. As Goldsmith points out, people implement their own ideas with greater enthusiasm and energy, so consider whether your enhancement truly matters before offering it.

By being quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry (or offer improvements) you will be more likely to maintain connection with others. As Abraham Lincoln showed, you may even convert skeptics and rivals into supporters. Now that’s real leadership.

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Which Type of Connector Are You?

Each of us acts in ways that increase connection at times and decrease it at others. In general, though, individuals tend to fall into one of three categories when it comes to connection. Which type most often describes you?

Intentional Disconnectors

Intentional disconnectors are people who infect others with beliefs and behaviors that cause disconnection. They mock the idea that inspiring identity, human value, and knowledge flow are desirable in and of themselves. They’re selfish and will intentionally manipulate people to get their way. Emotionally, they live alone because they fear being vulnerable and genuine with others. They may put on a front, a smiling mask, but on the inside they are gradually becoming empty and depressed souls.

Some intentional disconnectors have serious psychological problems, and mental health professionals would categorize them as neurotic. Others embrace values that are disconnecting, such as doing whatever is necessary to get ahead, despite what is commonly accepted as right. Believe me, I know from personal experience that working with an intentional disconnector is a nightmare. That’s why we need to be aware of them and to stay out of their destructive paths.

Based on press accounts, it would appear that “Chainsaw” Al Dunlap, the former CEO of Sunbeam, was an intentional disconnector. He relished firing people and ruling like a dictator. As the inevitable consequences of his leadership style played out, Sunbeam’s performance woes intensified until Dunlap was dismissed.

Unintentional Disconnectors

Unintentional disconnectors represent the majority of people. Although they believe inspiring identity, human value, and knowledge flow are desirable, they lack sufficient self-knowledge to see that their behavior reduces connection. They suffer from blind spots – destructive habits that increase disconnection. They may order others about as if they were children. Or perhaps they are unable to consider constructive criticism without turning their wrath on the messenger. Or maybe they are unable to connect with the people they lead and are unaware of it.

Whatever the case, unintentional disconnectors decrease connection without realizing it. For the most part, we drift toward becoming unintentional disconnectors, and we must exert intentional effort to realize it and change.

Take me, for example. During a 360-degree performance review early in my career, I learned that some people whom I was responsible for leading didn’t feel I gave them adequate feedback about their performance. More specifically, they sensed I wasn’t telling them when they did something that I disliked. Through this feedback, I realized that by communicating only positive, encouraging aspects of the employees’ performance, I was not doing what was best for them. In addition, I needed to be honest with employees when they did something I disagreed with so that they might learn from the situation and adjust their behavior. Because people sensed I wasn’t being completely candid with them, the connection between us was lessened. Now that I am aware of this blind spot, I’m careful to tell people when I have qualms about their actions.

My story isn’t unique. Many leaders become aware of their blind spots and their behavior that foster disconnection after going through the 360-degree performance review process. With coaching and ongoing processes put in place to measure their progress, many grow to become better leaders.

When we make a commitment to change and open ourselves to honest feedback about the effects of our behavior, we begin the journey to become people who reach our potential and help others reach theirs. I can’t emphasize enough that we naturally drift toward becoming unintentional disconnectors, and the only way to consistently increase connection is to become intentional about developing into the type of person who increases it.

Intentional Connectors

Over the course of my life, I have been fortunate to learn from people who consistently enhance connection. Some have been leaders in the traditional sense while others have not. I have personally met some while I have learned about others by studying their lives, reading their letters and speeches, and reviewing what others have written about them.

Intentional connectors are full of life, a sense of purpose, and genuine joy compared to most people you meet. Inevitably, they are wise about themselves and about life. They increase connection in the cultures of which they are a part because they embody inspiring identity, human value, and knowledge flow. They combine a steadfast dedication to reaching performance excellence and accomplishing their mission while nurturing a culture that creates connection.

Although there is much to admire in intentional connectors, that doesn’t mean they are perfect. No one is. But with coaching, they can make their strength in connecting with others even stronger.

If you genuinely wish to improve in your ability to connect with others, seek honest feedback from a friend or mentor you trust. To help with your journey, you can also download the 100 Ways to Connect e-book when you subscribe to the Connection Culture newsletter.

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The post Which Type of Connector Are You? appeared first on Michael Lee Stallard.

Star Systems Hurt Employee Engagement

The prevalence and extreme nature of star systems today contribute to widespread employee disconnection and disengagement. Here’s why.

Defining Terms: Star, Core, and Struggling Employees

Employees can be regarded as stars, core employees, or strugglers. Stars are superior performers. They are either a part of senior management or on track to move up the organization’s hierarchy. Core employees are valuable contributors but not stars. Strugglers perform poorly, some for temporary reasons and others because they may not fit well in their roles or with the company.

Star systems affect the economic, political, and social aspects of organizations. Leaders are more likely to favor stars economically by paying them more; politically by keeping them more informed, listening to and considering their points of view; and socially by spending more time with them and treating them as if they are superior human beings.

Be assured, the favoritism is noticed. The star system is similar to a caste system: the stars are Brahman or gentry, strugglers are the untouchables or peasants, and core employees fall somewhere in between. This system makes most employees feel like second-class citizens.

Please understand that I do not oppose linking rewards to performance. I do believe, however, that it can be carried too far not only economically—an issue that the media regularly focuses on—but also and perhaps more important, politically and socially, especially in light of the value provided by core employees.

Rediscovering the Value of Core Employees

Research by Thomas De Long at Harvard Business School and Vineeta Vijayaraghavan of Katzenbach Partners sheds some light on categorizing employees. Their research has shown that “B players” (whom I prefer to call core employees) are just as critical, and often more so, to an organization’s success as its stars. Core employees comprise the vast majority of an organization’s employees. They are often just as intelligent, talented, and knowledgeable as stars, yet they differ from them in several respects:

Core employees are less likely to call attention to themselves.
Core employees are less likely to leave their current employers for greener pastures.
Core employees are quietly dedicated to their work and to their teammates.

Not all core employees are alike. Some core employees are former stars who now seek greater work/life balance. Others are “go-to” players who help their colleagues navigate the organization. Still other core employees are “truth tellers” who, although blunt at times in their criticism, help ensure the organization addresses important issues that others may be less willing to raise.

Why You Are Losing Core Employees

With the prolonged state of employee disengagement and disconnection there is good reason to believe that companies are vulnerable to losing many core employees in the years ahead. The reason: core employees feel their ideas and opinions are not sought or heard, and they are not respected or recognized for their work. At some level this lack of consideration is discouraging, and over time they become frustrated. Although they know that they’re valuable, feeling underappreciated keeps them from putting their hearts into their work.

Other factors contributing to the disconnection and disengagement of core employees has been the stream of high-profile cases of corporate malfeasance, downsizing, and the compensation differential between the company’s stars and the rest of the employees. Employee loyalty has waned; the relationship between most workers and leaders has eroded. Whether leaders realize it or not, they are sending the message to core employees that they are second-class citizens, that shareholders and the company’s stars are one team and the rest of the employees are another.

The Bottom Line

The pendulum has swung too far in the direction of the stars. Organizations need to treat everyone with dignity and respect within a meritocracy that allocates important projects to stars while giving core employees opportunities to prove that they can be stars too.

This article has been adapted from the book Fired Up or Burned Out: How to Reignite Your Team’s Passion, Creativity and Productivity. 

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The post Star Systems Hurt Employee Engagement appeared first on Michael Lee Stallard.

How Inspiring Identity Fuels Team Performance

Vision represents the cultural element of inspiring identity. As the following story illustrates, inspiring identity is a crucial factor in team performance and can help organizations overcome tremendous obstacles.

Inspiring Identity and the Manhattan Project

In Warren Bennis and Patricia Biederman’s insightful book Organizing Genius, they tell the story of America’s race to make an atomic bomb before the Nazis during World War II. The Manhattan Project, as it was called, represented one of the most challenging and significant scientific accomplishments in history.

The story began in 1939 when Albert Einstein learned from three Hungarian physicists who had defected to America that the Nazis were trying to build an atomic bomb. Einstein wrote a letter to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt warning him that he believed the Nazis might find a way to do it. Within days of receiving Einstein’s letter, FDR established an advisory committee to investigate using atomic energy for national defense.

During 1941 and 1942, research was conducted at four universities: Columbia, Princeton, Berkeley, and Chicago. By mid-1942, the project had become the number one defense priority with a $2 billion budget. In the fall, soon-to-be Brigadier General Leslie Groves was appointed to head the project following his stint building the Pentagon. General Groves, a 250- to 300-pound crusty veteran career officer, began to pull together the people and the resources to make it happen.

On December 2, 1942, a team led by Enrico Fermi, a brilliant physicist, successfully created a self-sustaining nuclear reaction in an unused squash court under the University of Chicago’s football stadium. It was a pivotal moment that meant the project could shift to producing an atomic bomb since the concept had been proven.

One scientist on the project was a young genius from Princeton named Richard Feynman who was to supervise technicians supporting the project. For security reasons, the army did not want the technicians to know the purpose of the project. As a result, it was difficult for them to put their hearts into their work. Their productivity was lackluster, and the quality of their work was disappointing. Feynman asked Robert Oppenheimer, the technical leader of the scientists and engineers working on the project, to let him inform the technicians about the project’s purpose. His request approved, Feynman explained to the technicians what they were working on, its importance to the war effort, and the value of their contribution to the overall project.

After the technicians understood the meaning of their work, Feynman said he witnessed:

Complete transformation! They began to invent ways of doing it better. They improved the scheme. They worked at night. They didn’t need supervising in the night; they didn’t need anything. They understood everything; they invented several of the programs that we used . . . my boys really came through, and all that had to be done was to tell them what it was, that’s all. As a result, although it took them nine months to do three problems before, we did nine problems in three months, which is nearly ten times as fast.

The technicians’ improved productivity and innovation helped the Allies beat Hitler in the race to make an atomic bomb. On the morning of July 16, 1945, the Manhattan Project team watched as the first atomic bomb was exploded in the New Mexico desert. Their efforts gave the Allies a decisive edge in the war. Regardless of your personal feelings about the development and use of the atomic bomb, this bit of history is one clear example of the power in helping people find meaning in their work.

The Organization’s Story is my Story

Each one of us has a personal identity, in other words, how we think about ourselves. This internal identity is shaped by a host of factors, such as birthplace, rearing, schools, and the people and events in our lives that influenced our beliefs and our aspirations. Our identities are expressed externally in where we work, what organizations we belong to (other than work), what we wear, what we drive, where we live, and so on. Identity influences almost everything we do. Savvy marketers understand this and shape brands to appeal to how we like to think of ourselves.

Organizations have identities too. I like to think of identity as the story of an individual or organization. Some stories, such as those of the Marine Corps, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and Apple Computer, provide tremendous inspiration to the people who are a part of them and who, through their words and deeds, continue to write new chapters in the identity story of their organizations.

To be effective, it’s necessary to go beyond task thinking and transform the way people think about the organization. The inspiring identity of an organization helps to satisfy the sense of purpose, significance, and pride we all crave. Unless you inspire people, you have not added this element to the work environment. And absent inspiration that fires them up, people just show up for duty.

This article has been adapted from the book Fired Up or Burned Out: How to Reignite Your Team’s Passion, Creativity and Productivity. 

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The post How Inspiring Identity Fuels Team Performance appeared first on Michael Lee Stallard.

To Avoid Micromanagement, Minimize Unnecessary Rules and Excessive Controls

Unnecessary rules and excessive controls devalue people by making them feel that they are not trusted or respected. A leader who micromanages his people will not engage or energize them.

Micromanaged employees are more likely to feel disconnected because it is a universal human need to have a reasonable degree of autonomy or freedom to do our work. When people have autonomy, they have a greater sense of control and experience personal growth as they develop new skills and expertise.

Example of a Micromanager in Action

Napoleon was known for micromanaging. After the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror that succeeded it, Napoleon restored order to the nation. Unfortunately, he didn’t know when to limit his controlling tendencies. According to historian James MacGregor Burns, Napoleon was not a bloodthirsty tyrant but a control fanatic. He controlled the press, books, theater, workers’ associations, and public demonstrations.

To teach the youth of France to respect the country’s laws, for example, he took control of French schools from the locals and hired instructors who were required to teach from the same syllabus and textbooks. The result of this overcontrolling approach was that children fled to Catholic schools. And when Napoleon enacted conscription for military duty, the lives of soldiers became so draconian and restrictive that as word spread, it produced “mass resistance of a sustained, endemic character,” according to historian Isser Woloch. Draft evaders were so desperate, they mutilated themselves or escaped over the Pyrenees mountain range to avoid military duty. The French did not want to be micromanaged.

French citizens wanted freedom, not an overbearing ruler to dictate every aspect of their lives. After the deaths of several hundred thousand French soldiers from the catastrophic campaign in Russia during 1814 and Napoleon’s later military defeat at Waterloo in 1815, his popular support waned. The self-appointed emperor learned that many of his supporters were of the fair-weather variety. In the end the British exiled Napoleon to the island of St. Helena.

How Micromanagement Derailed a Company

In the business world, the destructiveness of an excessively controlling person was demonstrated in the fall of the Pullman Palace Car Company in the late 1800s. George Pullman, an entrepreneur and engineer, created a successful company that built luxury railcars. As business boomed, Pullman built a company-owned town for his employees and named it after himself. He believed that a clean, orderly environment without saloons or other illicit attractions would produce superior workers. Pullman, Illinois, had a population of 8,000 people living in 1,400 housing units owned by Pullman and rented to the employees. It contained a school, a park, a library, a church, and other necessities of modern life.

The company maintained the streets and lawns. Rent was deducted from employees’ paychecks. To ensure that his rules were followed, Pullman hired “spotters” who identified troublemakers. If any of Pullman’s rules were violated, an employee could be evicted on ten days’ notice according to the terms of the rental agreement. Pullman kept his finger on the pulse of every aspect of his workers’ lives.

Although Pullman thought the workers should be grateful that he was allowing them to live in a Pullman-built utopia, they didn’t see it that way. Many complained about the lack of freedom and often left to visit Chicago’s neighborhoods nearby. In 1893 when the nation experienced a depression, Pullman was forced to lay off a fifth of his workforce and reduce wages by 25 percent for the remaining employees. Despite this downturn, workers who lived in Pullman’s town continued to pay rent at current rates. The financial squeeze unleashed an underlying torrent of discontent among workers. The combination of employee disengagement and reduced pay triggered a backlash. In May 1894, Pullman’s workers went on strike, and across the country other railroad workers, who were members of the labor union, joined the strike. After mass violence erupted and $80 million in property was damaged, President Grover Cleveland sent federal troops to protect the mail delivered via railroad, and the courts ordered an end to the strike. Eventually, Pullman’s company went bankrupt. Like Napoleon, Pullman learned the true feelings of the people he led, feelings that were hidden in good times.

George Pullman’s leadership is an extreme example of a well-intentioned leader who didn’t understand the people he led. Leaders can learn from Pullman’s unfortunate experience that controls—rules, processes, and procedures—should be maintained only if experience has proven that they are necessary and they produce benefits for the organization. Clearly, some controls are necessary and beneficial to ensure efficiency and concentration of effort, but excessive control is a sure way to contribute to employee burnout. Leaders need to strike the right balance between giving people freedom and maintaining a minimum of controls and rules.

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General George C. Marshall: Soldier of Peace

George C. Marshall was one of the most extraordinary individuals to have lived during the twentieth century. Born in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, in 1880 and trained at the Virginia Military Institute, Marshall was a career military man who will forever be remembered for his efforts to promote peace and bring about a strong connection between America and Western Europe.

Reading the comments of Marshall’s many admirers is awe-inspiring. Winston Churchill called Marshall “the true organizer of victory” for his efforts during World War II as army chief of staff for President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The British chiefs of staff sent Marshall a message that read, in part, “Your name will be honoured among those of the greatest soldiers of your own or any other country . . . Always you have honoured us by your frankness, charmed us by your courtesy, and inspired us by your singleness of purpose and selfless devotion to our common cause.” President Harry S. Truman said Marshall was “the greatest military man this country has ever produced—or any other country for that matter . . . the more I see and talk with him, the more certain I am he is the great one of the age.” Time magazine named him Man of the Year twice.

As army chief of staff during World War II, Marshall was credited for building America’s underprepared military infrastructure so that it would be in a position to win the war. After Marshall recognized that America was falling seriously behind Germany in military preparedness, though it would be another three years before America was attacked, he worked incessantly to revitalize American military strength. The energy and effort Marshall put into his work led Senator Henry Stimson to say, “I have never seen a task of such magnitude performed by a man.”

Marshall’s Passion for Human Value

Throughout his remarkable career, Marshall’s actions encouraged connection among people by fostering human value, knowledge flow, and inspiring identity. He increased human value in several ways. When FDR put the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Depression under Marshall’s command, he developed an “absorbing interest” in helping the young men by educating them and taking care of their health care needs. According to Marshall’s biographer, he “kept his men intelligently occupied . . . giving them tasks that would awaken their interest.” Married soldiers and their families suffered real economic hardship during the Depression so Marshall started a program that allowed every military family to pay only fifteen cents a meal. To avoid the perception that the program was a “condescending charity,” he and Mrs. Marshall ate the meals too.

One of the best known examples of Marshall’s passion for human value was celebrated in the movie Saving Private Ryanthat starred actor Tom Hanks. After learning that James Ryan’s mother had lost three of her four sons in battle, Marshall sent a squad to France specifically to retrieve Private Ryan and return him to America and to his mother.

Perhaps the greatest example of Marshall’s increasing human value came after World War II when President Truman asked Marshall to become secretary of state. He accepted the role because he envisioned the opportunity to remove the causes that led to war. For two years he set about to persuade Congress and the American people of the need to provide assistance to the war-torn economies of Europe where famine and disease were rapidly spreading. That was no easy task, considering the human inclination to avenge former enemies rather than help them. To his credit, Marshall knew that ignoring human suffering was wrong and would lead to bitter resentment and potentially to a future war. During a commencement speech at Harvard, General Marshall told the world: “Our policy is directed not against any country or doctrine but against hunger, desperation, and chaos.” Marshall redirected his tireless efforts from waging a war to helping the very nations he had fought against. The Marshall Plan, as the reconstruction effort became known, was an overwhelming success. You can still visit European towns where merchants sell postcards that show the destruction following World War II, in stark contrast to the beauty of these same towns today.

For his humanitarian actions, he was the first career soldier to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953. The British were so moved by the compassion and efforts of Marshall that when he entered Westminster Cathedral to attend Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation and people in attendance spotted him, they stood in his honor.

Marshall’s Commitment to Knowledge Flow

George Marshall also increased knowledge flow in cultures by speaking truth to those in power. During World War I in France, General John “Blackjack” Pershing once criticized then Major Marshall’s division commander in front of his subordinates over a mixup that was actually the fault of Pershing’s office. As Pershing tried to walk away, Marshall refused to let him leave, even grabbing his arm to stop him, until Pershing heard the truth. The officers present thought Marshall’s behavior would surely end his career. To Pershing’s credit, however, he appreciated Marshall’s candor and courage. Eventually, Pershing promoted Marshall to colonel, making him a part of his personal staff, and later promoted him to become his personal aide.

Another incident shows Marshall’s commitment to openness and honesty. Years later when Marshall was attending his first conference with FDR, the president asked for his opinion on a subject that everyone else in the room had already agreed on. To the president’s surprise, Marshall opined, “I’m sorry, Mr. President, I don’t agree with you at all.” Somewhat surprised, FDR abruptly ended the meeting. Afterward, Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau approached Marshall and said, “Well, it’s been nice knowing you.” As it turned out, FDR appreciated Marshall’s integrity and his willingness to say what he really believed. A little over a year later, FDR made Marshall the army chief of staff reporting directly to him.

George Marshall increased knowledge flow by valuing education. One theme running throughout his career was an “insatiable desire to learn, to know, [and] to understand.” Stationed in Tientsin, “he . . . [became] an authority on Chinese civilization, history, and language . . . [and was] the only American officer who could examine Chinese witnesses without the aid of interpreters.” Marshall’s awareness that Hitler was building a huge military industrial complex led him to warn of the Nazi threat and America’s vulnerability.

Marshall’s Promotion of Inspiring Identity

The inspiring identity that George Marshall spread to others was one of a dutiful public servant to a worthy country that he loved. When the time arrived for the Allies to invade Europe, General Marshall had hoped to be the one to lead the effort as Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces. The position would be based in Great Britain. FDR, however, felt he needed General Marshall with him in Washington, D.C. Although he was personally disappointed, Marshall remained working for the president as army chief of staff and appointed Dwight D. Eisenhower to the position of supreme commander of Operation Overlord. While Marshall served in a less visible but nonetheless important role, Eisenhower’s success as supreme commander served as a springboard to the presidency. It takes an extraordinary personal sense of one’s duty for someone to make a sacrifice of the magnitude made by General Marshall.

George Marshall once said, “The less you agree with the policies of your superiors, the more energy you must direct to their accomplishment.” This attitude gave FDR confidence that he could always count on Marshall, and the president expressed this confidence by saying, “When I disapprove [of Marshall’s recommendations], I don’t have to look over my shoulder to see which way he is going . . . I know he is going . . . to give me the most loyal support as chief of staff that any president could wish.” It takes an uncommon degree of integrity and humility to do this.

Soldier of Peace and Connection

A soldier of peace, George C. Marshall left as a legacy strengthened connections among peace-loving nations. His work laid the foundation for the unprecedented spread of liberty in the last half of the twentieth century.

This article originally appeared in the book Fired Up or Burned Out by Michael Lee Stallard with Carolyn Dewing-Hommes and Jason Pankau. 

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