Why, “Do More with Less,” is Stupid

“Do more with less,” demotivates employees. It’s code for work harder. If they’re already working hard, they think,

“The more I give the more they want. I’m giving less.”

“Do more with less,” disengages and demotivates those giving most.

Those hurt most by, “Do more with less,”
are the ones doing most.

Alternatives to, “Do more with less,” include …

Asking:

1. How does management hinder you? Managers and leaders don’t ask this because they don’t want to know. Perhaps, that’s central to the problem of poor performance?
2. What’s important today? If the answer centers on tasks rather than mission, everyone missed the point. Mission connects people. Tasks isolate; they’re often completed alone.
3. How could you be better equipped to do what’s important?
4. How can we end meaningless activities that steal your time?
5. Who on our team loves doing what you hate?
6. How can we prevent interruptions? Research consistently shows the value of spending blocks of time focused on priority tasks. Multitasking doesn’t work.
7. When someone supports you, what are they doing?

Giving:

1. Attention to suggestions. Say, “Let’s try that,” instead of, “We can’t.” This point follows the seven questions listed above.
2. More clarity on the big picture and less instruction on how to get there.
3. Daily feedback.
4. Praise, honor, and recognition.

Don’t lower standards – raise support.

If you expect more from people, pour more into them.

How can leaders stop hindering performance?

What increases your performance?

This week’s best opportunity for leadership development is the FREE conference call this Wednesday at 1 p.m. EST.

Overcoming the 7 Deadly Results of Meddling

Passion for excellence, demand to meet numbers, slow progress, and fierce competition drive managers to step in and “help.”

Never help without asking, it’s meddling.

Ask first; ask often.

Don’t reserve, “How can I help?” for short-fall situations. It sends a message. They aren’t cutting the mustard.

Build supportive cultures by asking, “How can I help?” first and frequently. Ask when things are great.

Avoid, “Do you need help?”

“Do you need help?” is a yes or no question suggesting failure, distress, or weakness. “How can I help?” implies good will and collaboration.

What if they don’t know?

It’s your fault if they need help and don’t know it? Goals are fuzzy, deliverables are distant and obscure, feedback is rare, or reporting is sporadic. Clarify expectations up front. Ask, “How is your project going?” more often. Meddlers unexpectedly intervene in the middle.

Don’t meddle in the middle; help along the way.

Address a foggy middle with collaborative conversations. Clarify goals and outcomes. Set dates for progress reports. Ask, “How can I help.”

Meddling:

1. Insults.
2. De-motivates.
3. Suggests disappointment.
4. Controls and frustrates.
5. Begins with your frustration and creates frustration in others.
6. Ends thought. They say, “ OK, what do you want to do?”
7. Weakens relationships.

Helping:

1. Energizes.
2. Instills confidence.
3. Releases and frees.
4. Ends frustration.
5. Invites creativity.
6. Strengthens connections.
7. Affirms others and equalizes social status.

Today’s challenge: Ask, “How can I help?” twice before lunch and twice after lunch.

Thanks to the former CEO of Campbell’s Soup, Doug Conant, for his passionate, “How can I help?” approach to leadership. It helps me.

Great insights from my Facebook family: Helping becomes meddling when ______.

How does meddling make you or others feel?

What does healthy helping look like from your perspective?

10 Ways to Navigate Turbulence

Catastrophe is one decision away during turbulence. Reacting makes you look like a fool, eventually.

Wise leaders respond to turbulence; fools react. Reactions are passionate but uninformed. How many times have decisions outrun information? Ouch! That hurts.

Successful leaders respond; failures react.

“Make it go away,” reflects self-serving reaction. “What caused this,” begins organization-serving response. Circumstances control reactionary leaders; they feel pushed around. Principles guide responsive leaders; they face into the wind.

Establish direction before solving issues.

10 Ways to respond to turbulence:

1. Define smooth sailing. Is smooth sailing an option?
2. Predict duration. Is this a squall?
3. Explore intensity. Is this a hurricane?
4. Examine history. How long has this been brewing?
5. Who or what is at the center? People who consistently cause turbulence won’t solve it.
6. What behaviors, attitudes, or circumstances instigated turbulence? Should they stop or continue?
7. Describe the best next step? Forget perfection.
8. Are you navigating by the stars or controlled by the wind?
9. What new turbulence does the next step create?
10. Is public response warranted?

Bonus: Identify, support, authorize, and follow champions who lead through turbulence.

Hard truth:

Sometimes the ship should sink.

Any organization determined to save itself has lost sight of its mission. It’s not worth saving. Think of all the bureaucratic organizations bailing water to stay afloat.

Turbulence purifies and clarifies. Every response to turbulence clarifies the value you bring and how to bring it best. If you don’t bring value you deserve to sink.

“… In a free market the only way to do well is to do well for others.” Gary Hamel

How can leaders navigate turbulence?

The Five Powers of Leadership Rituals

Innovative leaders wrongly resist patterns. They fear repetition constricts and bores. “Don’t fence me in.”

However, rituals set leaders free.

Think of rituals as tiny behaviors that yield disproportionate benefits. One of mine is rising early and placing my fingers on the keyboard. It’s 3:44 a.m. as I type this. I wasn’t sure what would come out until I touched the keys.

Rituals express conscious intentions not unconscious habit.

Doug Conant’s chief of staff told me he thanks his office staff at the end of each day. I’m certain she looks forward to his personal visit at days end.

Gratitude is an intentional ritual not an unconscious habit for Doug. It’s a leadership ritual he’s sincerely performed for years. He wrote over 30,000 thank you notes to Campbell’s Soup employees during his 10 year stint as CEO. By the way, Campbell’s employee roster was fewer than 30,000.

Rituals:

1. Open doors to more.
2. Clear minds for what’s next.
3. Establish safe platforms.
4. Provide predictability.
5. Unleash creativity.

Habits become boring but rituals add vitality.

Opportunity:

Where can you adopt rituals?

1. Greetings when days begin.
2. End of day farewells.
3. Project kick-offs.
4. Debriefing sessions.
5. Feedback conversations.
6. Responding to interruptions.
7. ???

Power:

Intention breathes life into ritual. How do you want people to feel after you greet them in the morning? Use your intention to create a tiny ritual. Perhaps it’s a pause after saying good morning that expresses receptivity.

Create a ritual for interruptions.  Maybe it’s removing your hands from the keyboard when someone pops their head in your office door.

What rituals might enhance your leadership effectiveness?

Where might rituals fit your office or organization?

The Four Powers of Gratitude

Show me a leader who is happy with everything and I’ll show you a loser. The gift of young leaders is unhappiness. The tragedy of old leaders is contentment.

Unhappiness and discontent ignite passion for change.

Warning:

Slime pits of ingratitude lie just beyond unhappiness. Nothing de-motivates like churlish ungratefulness. On the other hand, gratitude provides rich feedback that motivates forward movement.

Gratitude expels.

1. Hate shrivels when gratefulness comes to play.
2. Worry lessens with thankfulness.
3. Unhappiness cringes in the presence of gratitude.
4. Anger softens with thank you.

The 4 powers of gratitude:

1. Freedom from the past. Bitterness binds; gratitude releases.
2. Freedom to celebrate. Do you celebrate enough? No!
3. Freedom to perform. Ungratefulness beats down; gratitude builds up.
4. Freedom to connect.

The connecting power of gratitude:

Gratitude opens hearts. People run toward gratefulness and away from ingratitude.

Thankfulness feels like love.
Ungratefulness feels like hate.

Gratitude invites.
Ingratitude repels.

Gratitude enhances impact.

Feeling or behavior:

Think of gratitude as a behavior not a feeling. Express it; don’t wait to feel it. Behave your way into the feeling. But, never lie.

Be thankful for:

1. Challenges.
2. Lessons learned.
3. Progress.
4. Consistency.
5. Excellence.
6. Opportunities.

Bonus: Be thankful for what you have.

Show me a leader who is ungrateful and I’ll show you a loser. Gratefulness answers the unhappiness leaders feel. Today’s challenge: tap into gratitude.

How has ungratefulness impacted you or your organization?

How has gratitude helped you?

What gratitude tips can you offer?

The Five Powers of Permission

Old styles of leadership are about giving permission to supplicants. Followers seek permission. It’s an “I/you” rather than “we” dynamic. Leaders have power while followers ask.

I/you leadership is disengaging and disempowering.

Successful leaders do more than give permission, they get it. Permission answers the question, “Is it ok with you if we talk about something?”

Five Powers of Permission:

1.  “May I …” builds trust.
2. “Would it be ok if …” shares power.
3. “Do you mind if …” equalizes social status.
4. “Could we discuss…” prevents stagnation. Permission moves the agenda forward when topics are awkward.
5. “Is it ok with you, if…” engages.

Permission opens doors, protects relationships, and prevents stagnation.

Ask permission to:

1. Bring up uncomfortable topics. Set a date for the conversation.
2. Explore progress.
3. Correct. “May I …”
4. Challenge.
5. Give feedback.
6. Say what you see. “Is it ok if I share something I see …”

Four responses to NO:

When permission isn’t granted? Ask:

1. How business-critical is the topic?
2. Is there a deeper issue to address?
3. Can you let it go?
4. Must you address it, regardless?

When topics are mission critical, say, “We need to talk about this soon.”

Just a courtesy:

Isn’t asking permission just social courtesy? Yes, sometimes it is. But, social courtesies smooth and protect. Perhaps you prefer to be discourteous and abrasive?

Four reasons leaders don’t ask permission:

1. Arrogance. It’s too humbling to ask and too easy to tell.
2. Fear of seeming weak.
3. Fear of losing power.
4. Authoritarian rather than relational leadership styles.

What does permission-leadership look like in your world?

What are the pros and cons of permission-leadership?

Fearful Leaders are Followers

Image source

Every morning I put my fingers on the keyboard not knowing what will come out. An hour or two later, I post 300 word or less on this blog. (Technically its fewer not less.)

Writing is thinking and often I think differently when the hour’s over. Yesterday it happened again when I typed, “Fearful leaders are followers.” I hadn’t planned it. But, there it was in all its discomfort. It’s been on my mind since.

Fearful leaders follow because they:

1. Focus on protecting positions.
2. Let others take risks so they aren’t held responsible.
3. Love the security of the status quo. What is satisfies. What could be isn’t worth it.

Certainty:

Fearful leaders need too much certainty.

Josh Linkner, in “Disciplined Dreaming,” suggests entrepreneurial leaders pull the trigger with 70% certainty. Anything higher isn’t entrepreneurial.

Traditional leaders pull the trigger at 80% certainty. Anything higher is stagnation.

The uncomfortable 20%

What about the 20% uncertainty factor? Answer fear with trust. Believe in people. Let them rise to the challenge.

Once decisions are made, focus on supporting people, forget the decisions.

Fear and love:

Fear works for the short-term but exhausts in the end. Love works for the long-term. Love your organization, its mission, and its people. Build them up. Trust them. Love energizes.

Winners risk failure. Losers can’t fail. Furthermore, willingness to fail, frees. Protection mode hobbles you and those around you.

Leaders controlled by fear may have positions but they aren’t leading.

Yesterday’s post: “Igniting Change from the Middle.”

For the passionate middle: “Lead your Boss,” by John Baldoni.

Fill in the blank, “Fearful leaders _______.”

How can leaders overcome fear?

The 10 Ways to Gain Influence

If leadership is influence then dominance and coercion aren’t leading. Police have rightful authority to control. Relying on power, authority, or position, makes you look like a cop writing speeding tickets.

Danger:

Dominant leaders achieve compliance at the expense of loyally, inspiration, and innovation.

If you want to lead, increase your influence.

Approval:

Increasing your influence means gaining permission to lead.

Influence requires approval.

People want to join with others and make a difference in the world. In short, they want to be led. But, if the led don’t consent to your leadership, command and control are your only options.

When leadership is influence, those you lead give permission to your leadership. They aren’t forced.

Understanding:

People are influenced by those who understand them. Permission to lead is given by those who feel known, appreciated, affirmed, and respected. When people feel you understand their talents, drives, hopes, and fears you earn their consent to lead.

Approving of others helps them
approve of your leadership.

Challenge:

Criticism and correction diminish influence
when it feels like disapproval.

Three reasons influential leaders criticize or correct:

1. Correction is always for the benefit of the person being corrected.
2. Criticism improves their ability to make positive difference within the organization.
3. Capability to achieve a shared mission is enhanced.

10 Essentials of influence:

1. Clearly stating what you want.
2. Asking questions of others.
3. Inviting questions from others.
4. Openness to the influence of others.
5. Working together toward shared goals.
6. Authenticity.
7. Relationship building.
8. Asking for suggestions, advice, and input.
9. Making the case and giving reasons.
10. Shared values.

See input from others on my Facebook Page.

Engagement: I’m giving my presentation, “A Life Where Failure Matters,” at Life Church in Lancaster, PA this Sunday, November 4, at 10:30 a.m. I’d love to meet you there.

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What can you add to the 10 essentials of gain influence?

16 Things Successful Leaders Never Do

Not doing is one side of finding success.

1. Never let the bottom line be the bottom line.
2. Never pretend things are ok when they aren’t.
3. Never let what you’ve never done be the reason not to try.
4. Never get ahead by resenting those who get ahead.
5. Never let those who aren’t doing something prevent you for doing something.
6. Never do on the road what you wouldn’t do at home.
7. Never trust anyone who never admits mistakes.
8. Never achieve greatness through negativity.
9. Never pretend you can do what you can’t.
10. Never let others fail before doing everything appropriate to help them succeed.
11. “An executive has never suffered because his subordinates were strong and effective.” Peter Drucker
12. Never find wisdom in excuses, defensiveness, or blame.
13. Never think loyalty is a gift.
14. Never waffle when it comes to taking responsibility.
15. Never waver when it comes to giving credit.
16. Never make excuses. “Never make excuses. Your friends don’t need them and your foes won’t believe them.” JohnWooden

Bonus: Never create the future by recreating the past.

What should leaders never do?

Which of these is most important to you?

Stepping Toward Excellence

Finding excellence requires passion, persistence, principles, clarity, direction, and more. Excellence isn’t easy. Congratulations if you joined the pursuit. But there’s a key ingredient you’re likely missing that smooths the path and greases the wheels.

The pursuit of excellence requires feedback that describes, affirms, and improves useful behaviors or exposes ineffective ones. However, feedback from employees suggests they seldom receive sufficient feedback.

If you aren’t giving enough feedback,
you aren’t getting enough, either.

Research shows that of all behaviors leaders fail worst at asking for feedback. (From: The Leadership Challenge)

The pursuit of excellence demands leaders invite feedback.

Two questions:

How can you ask for feedback and not feel subservient to others? Serving is strength; subservience is weakness. Inviting feedback suggests passion to improve skills and enhance progress. Receiving feedback indicates strength.

How can you ask for feedback without others feeling superior to you? (Question from a workshop participant)

1. Ask for and give feedback. One directional feedback encourages superior to inferior dynamics.
2. Focus on one person. Ask for feedback but don’t give feedback during the same conversation. (Option one)
3. Engage in feedback conversations. (Option two) “Let’s talk about how we’re doing.” But avoid any hint that you’ve asked for feedback as an excuse to give it.
4. Lifting the ego of others may not be all bad. People need to feel important, useful, even powerful.
5. When their ego puts you down, they need feedback on giving feedback.

Five feedback power tips:

1. “How am I doing?” invites feedback about you.
2. “How is my hands-off approaching working with you?” invites feedback about behaviors.
3. Explain your goals while asking for feedback. “What behaviors have you seen me engage in that lift employee morale?”
4. Explore specific behavioral improvements. The emphasis is on explore.
5. Confirm and affirm effective behaviors.

What feedback techniques work best for you?

What feedback disasters have you seen?