How to be Positive when things are Negative

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“Leaders need to be excited about what is possible rather than managing what is,” Doug Conant, former CEO of Campbell’s Soup.

The context of Leadership:

During our second conversation, Doug explained that, “Leaders are called in when problems are big.” People look to you when things aren’t working.

Doug shared his recollection of a speech Rudy Giuliani made after 9/11. Giuliani said, “There are two choices, optimism or pessimism – we choose to make New York City the safest city in the world.”

Being positive about the negative:

“Leaders need a balance between idealism and pragmatism.” Doug continued, “Acknowledge the reality of what is while you aspire to the ideal. Leaders are hungry to make things better.”

I asked Doug how he acknowledged the reality of problems without coming across negatively.

“Don’t publicly talk problems until you can offer solutions.”

How much is enough:

Doug shared that Jim Collins helped him with confronting the brutal facts. He went on to say, “You have to confront the brutal feelings as well.”

When things are dark, “You don’t have to go all the way to bright – just make it better today.” In addition, Doug shared, “Help people believe you can make it better tomorrow, too.”

Positive in the blood and guts:

Doug recalled an illustration he’d read in, “The Art of Thinking,” about nurses. “They roll up their sleeves to deal with the blood and guts while trying to get to a better place – healing.”

Final word:

You face challenges every day. People come to you when things are dark and problems complex. Confront the brutal facts. If you don’t people will think you’re out of touch; they won’t have confidence.

Focus on the best solution you have; you don’t have to go all the way – make things brighter today.

What have you learned about leadership and optimism?

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Other installments of my conversation with Campbell’s Soups last CEO, Doug Conant:

Doug Conant Explains the Power of “And” – When I hung up the phone, I thought how often I’ve been an “either/or” rather than a “both/and” leader.

Doug Conant on Office Politics — “Create environments where people believe they will be honored.”

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Doug’s Book:

How to go Further Faster – Guaranteed

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Leaders are control freaks that struggle to let go. You go further faster when you pass the baton; sadly, you hinder your influence and effectiveness when you don’t.

You’ll always be a mediocre leader until you become great at delegating.

Recently an emerging leader explained they were learning to delegate. He said, “I’m finding it’s hard to let go. (No surprise there.) I need to keep my fingers in things.” He made me chuckle, not because he’s struggling but because it’s a pervasive battle.

Delegation isn’t:

Assigning a task is not delegating. Telling people what to do is not delegation. Anyone can say, “Take the trash out.”

You delegate when you:

1. Explain the big picture – the why.
2. Provide authority to achieve goals – the what.
3. Handover decisions concerning how the job gets done – the how.
4. Establish timelines. – the when.

The ultimate goals of delegating:

The goal of delegating is not getting someone to do something you don’t want to do. The two goals are:

1. Employee engagement.
2. Skill development.

Effective delegation best leverages your current talent in ways that elevate their potential. It’s more about people than tasks; it’s always that way.

10 principles that take you further faster:

1. Always begin with the part most frequently excluded – mission and vision.
2. Delegate outcomes not methods – unless specific methods are mandatory.
3. Invite participation from employees regarding delegated assignments.
4. Discuss the scope of authority – including limits.
5. Agree on the definition of excellence.
6. Explain to the organization or department that delegation has occurred or conflict is inevitable.
7. Create controls like timelines and deadlines.
8. Provide ample feedback but don’t meddle.
9. Expect excellence.
10. Face failures together. Solve challenges “with” not “for”.

Bonus: Effective delegation begins by hiring people you can trust.

Delegating poorly means you’re running out of steam. Exceptional delegating means you’re picking up speed.

What have you learned about effective delegating?

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You’ll Lose if They Can’t Disagree

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Three years after the fact, a true friend of mine told me why he hadn’t expressed his concerns. “I didn’t believe you would listen. You’d already made up your mind.” He was right.

I’d become convinced of a problem and found the solution.

Passionately sharing solutions too soon is a problem – it overwhelms others.

Courageously point out challenges and problems, on your own.

Find solutions with your team.

Weak leaders control others; strong leaders release them.

Creative thinking begins when disagreement begins. Eric Hoffer said, “The beginning of thought is in disagreement – not only with others but also with ourselves.”

Invite your team to disagree. Ask:

1. Why isn’t this effective?
2. How does this initiative diverge from our mission?
3. Does this align with our values?

Vitality is born in controversy, contradiction and discomfort. However, mediocre teams always agree.

Invite outsiders in to tell you what won’t work.

Invite experts in to explain how it’s been done in other places. Tom Peters warns, “Best practices are to be learned from – not mimicked.”

Disagree early – grab an oar later. Create environments where disagreeing early in the process is healthy. Expect people to grab an oar once decisions are made. It doesn’t matter whose option or which combination of options is chosen. Once the final decision is made, the entire team is all-in.

Consensus won’t cut it. The goal of the process is to learn and listen not create consensus. You must courageiously point the way.

Major Warning!!

Fresh ideas and new initiatives die under the pressure of disagreement. Courageously explore options while dragging them through the gauntlet – Keep saying we need a solution – we can do better.

Negatives don’t create a positive future. They’re only part of the process.

How can leaders create environments where disagreeing is easy and progress continues?

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15 Ways to tell if someone is Arrogant or Humble

Arrogant people say they believe in humility but their life says they believe in arrogance.

Humble people speak the truth. The temptation to temper the truth and say what others want to hear, for example, is nearly universal. If you’ve found someone who speaks the truth give them a raise. I’ve seen people negotiate how truthful they are going to be with the boss – if you don’t tell, I won’t tell.

One indication arrogance rather than humility dominates is how and when people speak the real truth. People who use anger, bitterness, or feeling offended as fuel to speak the real truth are arrogant not humble. They are more concerned for themselves than others.

15 Ways to spot humility or arrogance:

1. Arrogant leaders advance their own agenda by telling others what they want to hear.
2. Humble people serve higher purposes – not themselves. They do and say what’s best for others.
3. Humble leaders put organizational success before their own. Don’t trust leaders who put their own success above organizational success.
4. Humble leaders aren’t climbing the ladder; they are going down the stairs. They aren’t at the top of the heap; they are at the bottom.
5. Arrogant leaders emphasize your responsibility to them.
6. Humble leaders focus on responsibility to others.
7. Arrogant managers don’t have time for people.
8. Humble managers value people.
9. Arrogant bosses focus more on getting than on giving.
10. Arrogant people expect others to serve them.
11. Humility serves others.
12. Arrogant people brag about themselves.
13. Humble people brag about others.
14. Arrogance blames.
15. Humility takes responsibility.

I believe humility is a virtue and pride is a vice. Humble people strengthen organizations. Arrogant people use organizations.

What suggestions do you have for spotting arrogance or humility?

How can leaders develop humility?

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Dare to read more: “Leading yourself into humility.” Humility yields success, arrogance blocks it.

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Don’t miss a single issue of Leadership Freak, subscribe today. It’s free.  It’s private.  It’s always practical and brief.

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Be Quick but Don’t Hurry – John Wooden

One of my favorite quotes is, “Be quick but don’t hurry,” John Wooden. If you aren’t quick in today’s world, you’re done. If you hurry, things are poorly done or not done at all.

Creating Urgency:

Nothing gets done without urgency. With that in mind, shorter timelines are better than longer. They create urgency – Be quick.

Urgency and Quality:

Shorter timelines enhance efficiency.

Shorter timelines, on the other hand, threaten quality – Don’t hurry. Allow more time the first time but shorten timelines thereafter.

Urgency and Stress:

Shorter timelines increase stress. It’s easy to go too fast and stress out people. Moderate levels of stress enhance performance. But, go too far and performance drops. That’s where Wooden’s wisdom shines. Never hurry when it comes to people. Instead, “Go slow to go fast.”

Going Slow:

Go slow with people be quick with performance.

Take time to calm frustrated employees or volunteers who are stressed by short timelines. Listen to their concerns and frustration. They’re frustrated because they want to succeed and the timeline you established seems to block, not enhance success.

Move forward by asking if they think they can meet deadlines. If they say yes, express confidence in them and say, let me know if I can be helpful.

If they don’t think they can meet the deadline, ask what will it take? You may not be able to provide their request. In this case, express confidence and ask them to do their best.

Shorter timelines demand you manage emotions and provide support.

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How do you create urgency?

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15 Techniques that Create Upward Mobility

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It’s not unusual for emerging leaders to seek advice on how to ask for a promotion. It’s not enough to ask for a promotion. You must build a platform.

5 techniques you should never employ:

1. Avoid being a threat to insecure bosses. If possible, help them get what they want.
2. Never say you are better than someone above you; you just insulted the leadership team your boss belongs to.
3. Never make negative comparisons between you and your colleagues. If you get promoted, you may end up leading people you just disrespected. Additionally, insulting others suggests the people who hired them made a mistake.
4. Never feel entitled; it destroys your credibility.
5. Never threaten to leave.

10 techniques that expedite your next promotion:

1. Begin conversations long before you ask. Let higher-ups know you want to move up. But, don’t make them uncomfortable with your ambition.
2. Make your approach more about the company than about you. You always want to take your organization further.
3. Always say, “How can I earn an opportunity to move up?”
4. Always exceed expectations. Go the extra mile.
5. Ask for and write down specific, measurable behaviors and results your boss wants to see. The more specific you can be the more successful you’ll become.
6. Toot your own horn.
7. Establish an acceptable communication plan. Tell your boss moving up is on your mind and you’d like to discuss it once a quarter.
8. Immediately start looking for a new position when you’re 70% sure there’s no upward mobility.
9. Constantly build a network of advisors, leaders, and colleagues that believe in you. Let them know your ultimate goals so they can support you.
10. Demonstrate you understand the challenges and opportunities your organizations faces. Rise above your division or department.

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Which technique do you find most useful and why?

How can people build a platform for their next promotion?

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How Honest Leaders Destroy Their Leadership

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No trust – - no leadership.

You can coerce without trust but positive influence thrives on the foundation of trust.

Losing influence is easy because losing trust is incredibly easy.

Trust and respect:

It takes more than honesty to preserve trust; you must show respect.

People stop trusting you when you disrespect them, even when you’re honest.

Danger of disrespect:

When you lose trust by making people feel disrespected, people give themselves permission to question your character and motives. Honesty is not the issue.

You can be honest and lose trust.

Not only do they judge your character, they feel justified, even compelled, to “warn” others about you. You can’t be trusted.

Protecting Trust:

People trust you when they feel respected by you.

When they feel disrespected, however, they are disrespected. Perception is reality.

10 Behaviors that help people feel disrespected

1. Rushed exchanges. You don’t have time for them.
2. Unilateral decisions. Lack of participation in decisions that directly impact them.
3. Poor listening. They don’t feel understood.
4. Rudeness.
5. Unsolicited advice.
6. Emphasizing failure as a tool to motivate forward momentum.
7. Favoritism.
8. Cutting them off when they’re speaking.
9. Rescheduling appointments.
10. Watching your computer while talking.

10 ways to show respect:

1. The opposites of the list above.
2. Invite feedback.
3. Gently, clearly tell it like it is, even when they disagree.
4. Appreciate their skills and talents.
5. Give opportunities.
6. Admire their contribution and accomplishments.
7. Public acknowledgement.
8. Use their title.
9. Acknowledge their challenges and struggles.
10. Hold phone calls and other communications while they’re speaking.

The challenging truth:

They won’t keep trusting you if you don’t convince them they’re respected.

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How do you demonstrate respect for others?

How do leaders demonstrate disrespect for others?

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10 Power-Tips that Build Potential

You aren’t the future. The passion, potential, and skills of your team are the future of your organization. Vision cast until the cows come home but others make it happen.

Organizations don’t rise above their leaders. Leaders never rise above the leveraged potential of their teams.

It’s always about the people. Your future is black unless you:

1. Attract high quality people.
2. Enhance your team’s talent and potential.
3. Retain great people.
4. Focus, apply, and develop your team’s skills.

10 Power-tips that build the potential of others:

1. Always believe in them. If you believe in them, they’ll believe in themselves.
2. Put them under moderate levels of stress. Nurturing-leaders hobble their team when they protect them from pressure.
3. Support them when they are challenged by honoring their energy and efforts.
4. Provide resources; but remember too many resources stifle creativity.
5. Focus on their strengths not their weaknesses. Don’t get sucked into what you wish they could do.
6. Engage them in the process of setting goals and creating vision.
7. Give them opportunities when they are ready; 80% ready is ready enough.
8. Expose them to others who are doing what they could do.
9. Shorten the time-line for completing projects.
10. Help them press through excuses.

A word on pain:

Young and emerging leaders always rise to the point of pain; the discomfort of moving from average to remarkable. Passion takes people to the point of pain but conviction, vision, persistence, and courage help them break through.

When the pain hits, let them falter and then come along side. Learn if it’s a word of comfort or a kick in the pants that bests challenges them. Give them a  fresh taste of vision for success. Their pain is your moment.

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How do you enhance the potential of others?

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Don’t miss a single issue of Leadership Freak, subscribe today. It’s free.  It’s private.  It’s always practical and brief.

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A CEO of Campbell’s Explains the Power of “AND”

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Leadership principles that work the best change us the most. Trouble is leadership is situational. That’s why many principles work in one context but not another.

I ask Doug Conant, retired CEO of Campbell’s Soup, to share the universal leadership principle that most changed him.

The genius of “and”:

Doug said moving from “or” thinking to “and” thinking most changed his leadership. He said Robert Schuller, a man he never met, sent him a book about being tough minded and tender hearted. That’s when the genius of “and” began gripping him.

“Or” thinking:

“Or” thinking reflects a scarcity mind-set. Forcing a choice between short-term sales targets and building long term potential is scarcity thinking.

Choosing between tough-minded or tender-hearted limits your potential.

“And” thinking:

“And” thinking embraces abundance thinking. You don’t have to choose between tough or tender; be both. Be tough on standards and enthusiastic about people. Doug explained the most fulfilling leadership experiences occurr when performance expectations are extremely high and people care deeply for each other.

Highest potential:

“And” takes your further than “or”.  “Or” thinking limits your potential by creating artificial barriers to creativity, excellence and diversity. “And” thinking creates challenges, opportunities, and innovation.

Wisdom is simple:

When I hung up the phone, I thought how often I’ve been an “either/or” rather than a “both/and” leader.

In the past, I put people who followed me in either/or situations, unnecessarily. I created artificial boundaries based on either/or thinking.

Three letters can change you and your leadership – A. N. D.

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What leadership principle most changed you?

How do you express “and” thinking?

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Don’t miss a single issue of Leadership Freak, subscribe today. It’s free.  It’s private.  It’s always practical and brief.

Go to the main page of Leadership Freak by clicking the banner at the top of this page, look in the right-hand navigation bar, enter your email and click subscribe.  Your email address is always kept private.  Note:  if it doesn’t arrive, check your spam filter for a confirmation email.

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Doug’s Book:

A Campbell’s Soup CEO on Office Politics

Office politicians make themselves look good while making others look bad.

“Create environments where people believe they will be honored,” Doug Conant.

I recall a meeting where an office politician made a member of the team look incompetent. They subtly pointed out a Director’s mistake – who wasn’t present – while demonstrating their own competence.

Three things office politicians do:

1. They lie so you’ll let down your guard. They tell you everything is great while telling others about your failures.
2. They elevate the value of their contribution while devaluing yours.
3. They create tension between others. I remember being asked if I wanted my boss’s job while my boss was told I wanted her job.

When Doug Conant, former CEO of Campbell’s Soup asked, “How can I help?” I responded, “Let’s talk office politics.” He paused, began talking, and quickly found his rhythm.

10 tactics for facing office politics:

1. Focus on Performance not politics. Playing politics is a slippery slope. Performance is more manageable.
2. Be straight forward. Tell people what you are going to do.
3. Tell others you delivered. Performance alone is not enough.
4. Don’t participate in water-cooler conversations. Always talk about others as if they were in the room.
5. Leaders may intervene but the best way to deal with office politics is by example, don’t participate.
6. The danger of not participating is you are outside it.
7. When it gets personal, leaders can have behind-closed-door conversations with offenders that refocus everyone on performance.
8. Create environments where people believe they will be honored. Expect people to value the organizations agenda while the organization values theirs.
9. Defeat office politics with honoring and performing.
10. Understand it takes time to transform a highly political environment.

Doug explained he’d been in tough environments and that his first four strategies usually worked for him.

Which of Doug’s 10 observations do you find most useful?

Can you add an observation of your own?

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Related post: How to Toot Your Own Horn

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Check out Doug’s new book TouchPoints.