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Editor: Dr. Wolf J. Rinke Feel free to forward this eNewsletter to others. IN THIS ISSUE =================================================== =================================================== ACTION STEPS =================================================== Somehow when someone gives us the title of leader many think that they are omnipotent. And with that assumption comes the idea that you are responsible to tell your people what and how to do it. Only one problem, you don't know your team members as well as they know themselves, and you have no clue of what they do. (Stop kidding yourself!) And since everyone is a composite of strengths and weaknesses, you are not very likely to help your team members succeed faster by telling them what to do. The result, employees become disillusioned and discouraged. In fact in a study of 1,000 employees the Gallup Organization of Princeton, NJ conducted, they found that 55% of employees are not engaged in their jobs, and 19% are actively disengaged. These employees ". . . don't know what is expected of them, don't have the materials to do their jobs and can't get the attention of their bosses." That means only 26%--that's about 1 in 4--of all employees are engaged and are operating at their full potential. (WOW, that's a rude wake-up call!) Gallup estimates that disengaged workers cost companies anywhere from $292 billion to $355 billion per year, because these workers are less productive, miss more days and are less loyal. (Better read those stats again!) Worse some leaders think they know it all and that's why they have to tell others what to do. And in our culture making multiple, instantaneous decisions, with little information, is a skill that is admired. We expect dynamic leaders to be able to think on their feet. The bad news is that leaders who use this approach just don't get it. Since they feel they know it all they are unable to learn new stuff--that's the readiness to learn concept. Uncertainty--which is almost always part of any decision, is just not part of their modus operandi. And so they shoot from the hip, instead of being receptive to other people's point of view. And the consequences can be devastating. Think of Dennis Kozlowski, CEO of Tyco, who prided himself for being able to make instantaneous decisions, especially when it came to making fast and furious acquisitions. That, in conjunction with suspect accounting practices, caused Tyco to lose about 90 percent of its value in about a year. Plus there is another dynamic at play. Like it or not, when you tell people what to do it causes many people to push back, just to prove to you, and maybe to themselves, that no one is going to tell them what to do. A great way to illustrate this is to have a group of people stand and face each other in dyads. Now ask them to raise their hands about chest high and put their palms against the palms of their team members. Then tell them to push. And invariably you find that the minute you say: "Push," it causes the other partner to push back. The harder one pushes, the harder the other partner pushes back. Seldom do you find a partner saying to the other, I'm volunteering not to play this game because it is based on raw power that invariable will have one winner and one loser. And on top of it both of us will likely be really worn out. Instead, let's find out what we both really want, then let's put our heads together and figure out what innovative strategies we can come up with that will enable both of us to get what we want. One of the fastest ways to improve those statistics is to let people volunteer instead of telling them what to do. When people volunteer they are more likely to pick the activities, projects and jobs that they are good at. Voila--employee satisfaction and productivity goes through the roof. THE ALLENBERRY STORY My first teacher--my father--taught me how to manage. He had a simple management style…"It's-my-way-or-it's-the-highway" or "If I want your opinion, I'll give it to you." This autocratic model stuck with me until many years later. At age 21 I was fortunate to land my first management job. It was at Allenberry Resorts in Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania, where I was to be the general manager of the gourmet restaurant--the Carriage Room--and the Food and Beverage manager for the entire resort. Part of that job involved taking cases of liquor to various functions all over the property with my own car. That's why I was assigned a reserved parking spot right behind the Carriage Room kitchen. I still remember how proud I was. A parking spot with my name on it! Make no mistake, I was hot stuff! And so it was with a great deal of excitement I arrived on my first day at work. There was only one problem. Someone was parked in my spot. So I walked into the kitchen and in a German kind of a way demanded to know: Who is parked in my spot? Bruno, the chef told me that he was. But hey, I was his boss, so I told Bruno: "Don't park there anymore. It's my spot; it's got my name on it." Bruno grumbled something under his breath and went about his business. The next day I again arrived at Allenberry with a great deal of anticipation and excitement, just to have it shattered one more time by Bruno. This time I stormed in, and said "Hey, Bruno, do I need to tell you this in German? Dass ist mein Platz und Du darfst da nicht mehr Parken!" (For those of you who are foreign language challenged that translates to: "That's my parking spot and I don't want you to park there any more") Bruno told me that he had been parking in that spot for seven years and he saw no reason to quit doing so now. Of course, being a great autocratic manager, I told him in no uncertain terms that he was not to park there ever again! Guess who was parked in my spot when I came to work the next day? That's
right, Bruno. And so on the third day I made my father proud . . . I
fired the son-of-a-gun. DON'T MAKE DECISIONS What's the antidote? The first is: Don't Make Decisions! People are lazy…and that is a good thing. Otherwise we would still be sitting in a cave and rubbing sticks together to make fire. Virtually all inventions are driven by our need to make our life simpler, easier, or more pleasant. (Hey, that's why they came up with a remote control.) And because your direct reports are lazy they will tend to travel the path of least resistance. Instead of thinking, problem solving, or straining their brains--which is tough work--they figure out an easier more direct route: ask the boss. Think about it, if you, the leader, make my decisions, you own the "monkey"--that is you have taken responsibility for my work. That makes me ecstatic. Not only is it less work for me, if your solution bombs, it will be your fault. The outcome: you have just made me dependent on you and made yourself more indispensable. (Of course that really turns some leaders on because now they can really feel important.) That means I will keep coming to you every time I have a problem. Now multiply that by however many direct reports you have and you know why you work harder than any of your team members and take home the fatter briefcase--better know as a monkey cage--than any one else. What you want to do instead is to master the art of giving your power
away. (A clever consultant came up with a great name--hey, that's what
consultants do--"empowering" your team members.) And if you
are not giving it away, you are not "growing" people. And
if you are not growing people then what the heck are you doing here
anyway? So remember, if in doubt always push decision making down to
the lowest possible level, which you can do by mastering these two powerful
phrases: In the next issue of this eNewsletter we'll look at eight specific steps that you can take to lead like a coach, not a cop. SOURCE: Based in part on Chapter 16 of my book "Don't Oil the Squeaky Wheel and 19 Other Contrarian Ways to Improve Your Leadership Effectiveness," McGraw-Hill. (See the special offer below.) http://www.WolfRinke.com ================================================== "Tells you what you need to know to win in the game of leadership
in these turbulent times." POWERFUL CD: How to Motivate Employees to Achieve Peak Performance. Publisher Price: $19.95. This LIVE audio by yours truly (~60 mins.) will teach you how to build a positive organizational culture that will achieve quantum leaps in performance, productivity and profitability. Both book and CD--$24.90 + s/h. SAVE $10.00! ------------------------- Offer expires 8/1/2006 ------------------------------- Click here or call 800-828-9653. Mention this ad when ordering by phone! Offer expires 8/1/2006. =================================================== =================================================== These full day seminars maybe open to you, especially if your company is a member of the Institute of Management Studies (IMS). Contact the Chairperson for additional information. Achieve Peak Performance by Increasing Your Personal Effectiveness Winning Management: Building a Peak Performance Workplace =================================================== =================================================== If this was forwarded to you and you would like to receive your own
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