Lonnie Pacelli's Blog, page 72

Great Quotes On Leadership

One of my favorite magazines is Readers Digest.  There are a wide variety of short stories and interesting snippets.  Despite the huge number of ads in each issue, I look forward to getting my monthly issue and keeping it in the smallest room of the house. 

In the latest issue I found some pretty profound nuggets on leadership as quoted by some of the greatest leaders in both the public and private sectors.  A few of them were profound enough that I thought I would send them out to you (with proper attribution, of course) so you might be able to get just one nugget to help you be a better leader. 
Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers. -  General Colin Powell

It's hard to lead a cavalry charge if you think you look funny on a horse. -  Adlai Stevenson

The person who knows "how" will always have a job.  The person who knows "why" will always be his boss. -  Diane Ravitch

A leader is one who, out of madness or goodness, volunteers to take upon himself the woe of the people.  There are few men so foolish, hence the erratic quality of leadership. -  John Updike
Amazon.com Widgets Inventories can be managed, but people must be led. - H. Ross Perot

Being powerful is like being a lady.  If you have to tell people you are, you aren't. - Margaret Thatcher

Good leadership requires you to surround yourself with people of diverse perspectives who can disagree with you without fear of retaliation. - Doris Kearns Goodwin

You have to have a vision.  It's got to be a vision you articulate clearly and forcefully.  You can't blow an uncertain trumpet. - Rev. Theodore Hesburgh

Sometimes leadership is planting trees under whose shade you'll never sit. - Governor Jennifer M. Granholm of Michigan

It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.  If you think about that, you'll do things differently. - Warren Buffet

Let us realize that engagement and detachment aren't opposite - the more engaged we become, the more detached we will have to be. - Deepak Chopra

When things go wrong in your command, start searching for the reason in increasingly large circles around your own two feet. - General Bruce Clarke

George Bailey and Leadership

In the movie  It's a Wonderful Life , George Bailey contemplates suicide after his uncle misplaces a deposit which threatens the closure of his bank.  Just as George is about to jump off a bridge, his guardian angel Clarence jumps in the water prompting George to jump into the water to rescue him. After the rescue, Clarence takes George on a journey to show him what life would have been like had George never been born.  George got to see first-hand how person after person was worse off because each of them didn't have the opportunity to be touched by George in some way.  Even George's wife Mary met the politically incorrect fate of being an old maid working in the city library. After George's alternate reality journey, he emerged with a wonderful appreciation for all of the good he did in his life and how he impacted so many people with his kindness, generosity, and empathy.

I used this story to open up my sister Lori's eulogy. 
Lori died on February 13, 2012 after a courageous battle with lung cancer.  In her eulogy I recounted how, 24 years earlier, Lori had a brain aneurysm and was given less than a ten percent chance of survival.  Lori not only survived the brain aneurysm but made a full recovery with the only side effect being a bit of short-term memory loss.  Lori was given 24 more years on earth to impact those around her.  She absolutely made the most of those 24 years.  She raised a beautiful daughter, started a business, encouraged and loved many family and friends, and was a loving partner to her fiancé.  Had she died 24 years ago she would have never touched the people she touched, myself included.
Amazon.com Widgets I tell you this for one simple reason.  We as leaders need to make the most of our relationships with others and do our bit to grow those who are coming up the ranks behind us.  Being a leader is more than driving for results; it's about nurturing and cultivating others to help them be better leaders.  Some leaders take the responsibility of growing others very seriously while others have a cultivating others blind spot as big as Texas.  If you as a leader have a blind spot when it comes to cultivating others, then you're not doing all you should be doing as a leader.

George Bailey had a wonderful experience with his angel Clarence where he got to see what life was like had he never been born.  Are you as a leader making the most of how you cultivate others? If you have to think about this for more than a few seconds, you already know the answer. 

Developing High Potential (HIPO) Leaders

As leaders we have a responsibility to ensure that our area is managed effectively and that we are driving the organization to achieve its stated objectives. We also have a responsibility to grow the next generation of leaders to ensure that the great work we've done continues on after we've moved on.　 Keep some of these nuggets in mind as you ponder making the next generation of leaders great:　
One of the best means of cultivating high-potential managers is one-on-one interaction and mentoring with a seasoned and respected senior executive.　Having the one-on-one focus not only helps the high-potential manager get good quality mentoring and coaching, it also gives the senior executive better insight into the manager’s true potential. Amazon.com Widgets The most effective training combines a blended learning environment of teaching/counseling coupled with on-the-job experience.　 If the learning environment is too clinical or theoretical then the high-potential manager is less likely to pull the applicability out of the experience.　 Give the theory but balance it with application.

Managers can be grown too quickly, and I’ve seen plenty of examples where young high-potential managers have been burned out because they have taken on too much too quickly.　 Assigning a mentor to a high-potential manager can help the manager grow at a reasonable pace and also help protect him or her from collisions around the bend.

Empowerment - Trust = Micro-Manager

My wife Patty and I some time back completed a massive renovation on a townhome in the Seattle area.   The townhome was built in the late 70's and was decorated using all of the finest materials that the Disco era had to offer.  The original owners liked it so much that they changed precisely nothing for the 30 years they lived there right down to the 8-track player on the guest room night stand.  We purchased the townhome in late 2009 with the intention of renovating the townhome and occupying it after our son graduated high school.
Patty and I assumed logical roles throughout the renovation.  I took lead on the structural design: room size, room location, wall demolition and construction.  Through the structural design process Patty and I made decisions together but I was the primary driver of the work.  As we got into the renovation, Patty took lead on fit and finish: wall colors, hardware choices, tile and grout.  She consulted with me on choices but she was the primary driver of the work.  The renovation went incredibly smooth and we moved into a beautifully renovated townhome right on schedule .
Amazon.com Widgets We were  recounting our renovation experience to friends of ours at dinner.  Our friends complimented us on how well we worked as a team on the renovation.  The comment caused me to liken our renovation experience to how leaders empower others.  The common denominator to Patty and I empowering each other on our structural and fit/finish roles was trust.  Patty trusted me in my structural decision making capacity and also trusted that I would include her when she needed to be included.  At the same time I trusted Patty in her fit and finish decision making.  Our ability to trust each other and to be trustworthy enabled us to get the job done while at the same time growing stronger in our marriage.

We were  recounting our renovation experience to friends of ours at dinner.  Our friends complimented us on how well we worked as a team on the renovation.  The comment caused me to liken our renovation experience to how leaders empower others.  The common denominator to Patty and I empowering each other on our structural and fit/finish roles was trust.    Patty trusted me in my structural decision making capacity and also trusted that I would include her when she needed to be included.  At the same time I trusted Patty in her fit and finish decision making.  Our ability to trust each other and to be trustworthy enabled us to get the job done while at the same time growing stronger in our marriage.

My one nugget to you is as follows: empowerment and trust go hand in hand.  The leader and follower need be able to trust each other.  At the same time, the leader and follower need to demonstrate that they are trustworthy so that mutual trust can be enabled.  When trust is compromised, the leader will tend to micro-manage work and the follower will tend to hide information and sweep problems under the carpet.  In either scenario, true empowerment is never achieved and results in a frustrating experience for both the leader and follower.

Ten Ways to Mess Up as a Dad

My church holds mens breakfasts every quarter where about 200 men get together early on a Saturday morning, enjoy some great comfort food, and listen to some really good speakers.  After attending one of the breakfasts, I approached the Mens Pastor about the idea of my son Trevor and I doing a talk about ten ways to mess up as a Dad.  He was intrigued with the idea so that night at dinner I asked Trevor if he'd be interested in doing this with me.  His first comment was, "well, I can think of about a hundred ways!"  Knowing that my son would have absolutely no difficulty in coming up with ten ways (and having 90 to spare), we embarked upon creating the presentation.
Trevor took complete ownership of the presentation.  He came up with the structure, the content, and the examples.  When he reviewed it with Patty and I we were blown away.  He nailed it with only a couple of very minor tweaks.  We then presented it to 200 men at a recent mens breakfast and once again he nailed it.  I asked him to record himself speaking through each of the ten lessons so we could share it with a broader audience.  I hope you enjoy it. 

Amazon.com Widgets

Here Comes the Spiderman!

My wife, son and I went to New York City some time back to celebrate my son's graduation from high school.  We stayed in a great hotel that my wife scored right in Times Square.  While in NYC we took the opportunity to take in a couple of Broadway shows.  One that we were all very excited about seeing was Spiderman: Turn Off The Dark.  The music, acting, and effects were all terrific and were executed flawlessly....with one exception.
During the in-mid-air final fight scene between Spiderman and his arch-enemy The Green Goblin, one of Goblin's guide wires got caught in the stage version of the Chrysler Building.  The once powerful and nimble Green Goblin was now dangling helplessly over the audience.  Had this been a real fight Spidey could have easily lobbed a couple of web-balls at Goblin and he would have been spider-food.  Once the stage manager realized the tangled web that the production was in he stopped the show, announced that Goblin's guide wires were caught in the Chrysler Building, and that a couple of stage hands would help Goblin get his flying powers back.
Amazon.com Widgets Since Spiderman was not part of the entanglement he was lowered to the ground and got to take a bio break while Goblin drifted and spun helplessly over the audience.  For several minutes the stage hands worked with long hooked poles to untangle the guide wires.  Once the guide wires were freed, Goblin was lowered into the orchestra pit while the stage manager narrated, "OK so Goblin and Spiderman fight in the air, then they fall in the orchestra pit, and that's where we pick back up."  When the performance resumed, Goblin arose from the orchestra pit and declared, "Spiderman, you and your technical difficulties can't stop me!!!"  The audience gave a chuckle and the performance then completed without incident.  Given how the situation was rectified I'm pretty certain this wasn't the first time something like this happened.

In thinking about the technical malfunction and how it was handled by the performers and stage hands, I drew a strong parallel to how we as leaders deal with the unexpected.  During the malfunction, the stage manager took control of the situation, directed the stage hands to unhook the guide wires, and calmly kept the audience informed of what was going on throughout the situation.  Even though I'm sure everyone in the performance was embarrassed and frustrated with the situation, they kept a game face and worked to resolve the situation effectively.  The stage manager always portrayed a "we've got it under control" demeanor and was very honest with the audience.  As leaders we routinely encounter situations like that in Spiderman where the unexpected occurs.  Our job as leaders is to follow five "C's":  collaborative, communicative, certain, concise, and calm until the issue is resolved.  Neglect to do any one of the the five C's and you're likely to instill FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) in those who follow you.  The end result is prolonged issue resolution and marginalization of your effectiveness as a leader.

Next time you find yourself tangled up in an issue, remember the five "C's".  Those who follow you don't want to be left dangling in the air because of a weak leader.

Infect Your Team With Effectiveness

So maybe you think you're all that and a bag of chips and that you can get more things done than most people in your organization.  As managers, though, it's not just about you getting things done on your own; it's about you getting your team to be as effective (or more) as you.

I deliberately use the term  effective  versus  efficient .  For me, there is a very clear distinction which I believe is crucial in driving results.
Being  efficient  speaks specifically to how fast someone gets from point A to point B.  It says nothing about whether point B is the right destination or whether the action to get from point A to point B is even relevant.  Being  effective , on the other hand, zeroes in on the results one achieves in a timely manner.  It's focused on ensuring point B is the right destination.  Rather than doing things right, effectiveness is about doing the right thing.

Consider these top five pieces of advice to help your team be more effective in delivering results:
Amazon.com Widgets Conduct weekly "what are you going to get done" meetings -  on Monday mornings, meet with key team members and ask them to go through what they are going to get done during the week and what they completed in the prior week.  Hold them accountable for things they didn't do. Reward results, not effort - focus team members on results delivered and encourage them do deliver to bottom-line; don't reward for effort only, because you will be reinforcing that you value effort over results. Reinforce a "do the right thing" mentality - let your team know that you're all about not just doing things the right way but you're about them thinking about what they're doing to ensure they're doing the right thing.  Don't micro-manage the employee's time - let the team member manage his or her own time and focus on the results he or she achieves. Set the example - you can't preach effectiveness if you look like an out-of-control freight train.

Hand Lotion

During winter my hands tend to dry out and get chapped.  One night when my hands felt like sandpaper I asked my wife if she had any hand lotion.  "Sure, what kind do you want?" she asked.  "The hand lotion kind," I said like the knuckle-dragger I am.  She then handed me an ice bucket which contained the following:
Bath & Body Works Coconut Lime Verbena Body Cream
Bath & Body Works Tropical Passion Fruit Body Lotion
Origins A Perfect World Highly Hydrating Body Lotion with White Tea Bath & Body Works Black Raspberry Vanilla Body Lotion
Origins Ginger Soufflé Whipped Body Cream
Bath & Body Works Cucumber Melon Body Cream
True Blue Spa Best Food Forward Foot Lotion (technically not hand lotion but makes the story better Amazon.com Widgets All of these choices got me to thinking about how experienced leaders like to make decisions by being given choices and understanding the consequences of each choice.  In my experience as a leader I have grown to appreciate those who clearly articulate choices, outline the consequences for each choice, and have a recommendation as to which choice should be chosen.   

Having the choices and consequences clearly outlined serves a couple of purposes.  First, it gives an assurance that viable alternatives have been considered and not swept under the carpet; second, it enables the decision makers to have a rich dialogue about each alternative and helps ensure that the best decision gets made.  Some of the best decision-making discussions I've been involved with have been facilitated with clearly articulated choices and consequences.  

Oh, and which hand lotion did I use?  I haven't a clue.

Puzzle Piece Leadership

Some time back I was having breakfast with a couple of guys that I work with in one of the organizations which I volunteer.  In this organization, I have been leading a group of about nine men for about four months to set a vision for the group, decide upon our key focus areas, and lay out activities which the group will undertake for the next year.  I was very pleased with how the team "gelled" and the fact that we seemed to be moving the ball forward towards meeting our vision.  During breakfast, one of the guys told me that, by and large, the team was happy with me but a couple felt that I came in too heavy-handed and authoritarian.  Blech.
As these two men were talking with me about this, I have to admit that I felt my defensiveness rise up in me and wanted to justify why everything I did was absolutely necessary.  After a couple of days I cooled down and realized that my job as a leader was not to just make the team conform to me, but for me to conform to the team as well.   As result, I backed off a bit as a leader and rotated leadership of the team to where a different team member led the team every three months.  The approach worked well for the team and we got things done. 
Amazon.com Widgets Have you ever worked on a puzzle where you were on the hunt for one piece to finish up part of the puzzle?  You pick up a piece that you think will fit and try to push it into place.  Sometimes the colors don't quite match up, the shape is a bit off, or an edge is missing.  Many of us put the piece down and continue to search for the hunt; others will try to jam the piece into place in hopes that the puzzle maker was just having an off-day when he or she cut the pieces in the first place.  Conforming to the needs of the team is no different.  As leaders we need to recognize the shape of the leadership puzzle piece that the team needs and work to fit that shape.  Sometimes it may take some adjusting on the team's part, sometimes it may take some adjusting on part of the leader.   What the leader needs to be very cognizant of, though, is when the leader is trying to jam his or her leadership style into place.  The team may go along with it because of the leader's position, but the team won't operate as effectively because the pieces just don't fit well together.

When leading a team, pay particular focus to what the team needs and ensure you are doing your part to adapt your style to fit best with the team.  It's not about the team conforming to you; it's about the team getting things done.

Get Them To Solve Problems Not Just Raise Concerns

Some time back one of my managers sent out an email announcing that we had just won an account.  Several of us responded to the email expressing our excitement over the new account.  One of my managers responded with "I've got concerns" and listed off a series of issues with servicing the account.  All of the issues that the manager brought up were valid issues; the problem is that I didn't know who was expected to do what regarding the issues.
I asked the manager that raised the issues to get in a room with a couple of other managers and put some resolution to the issues.  About an hour later the manager responded with a solid approach that would be taken which worked for everyone and addressed all of the concerns raised.

We've all experienced the person who had no problem at all saying "I've got concerns" to just about anything but offered nothing constructive in terms of suggested resolutions.  The culprit wants to be the one to raise the issue and wants someone else to take ownership to resolve the problem.  That dog don't hunt with me.
Amazon.com Widgets When situations like this happen with me, I like to have the one that raises the issue get with a small subset of interested parties to come up with a resolution to the issue, and hold the person who raised the issue accountable for reporting back to the rest of the team as to the resolution.  What I've found in doing this is that the quality of the solution is much better than a solution that any one person could have come up with because the interested stakeholders have all put their thumb-print on the resolution. 

Next time one of your team members raises an issue, consider putting the issue back to a few of your team members, asking the person who raised the issue to drive resolution to the issue, and reporting back to the team the proposed resolution.  You'll get a better quality resolution and you’ll reduce churn with the team.