Marketing Consulting Blog

By The Trizle Team on Blog

Scenario: “Dude, I want to be resilient, but people screw me up all the time. Ahh!”

What’s one of the key variables that distinguishes resilient people from the quitters?

Self-accountability.

According to a study by Harvard’s Psychiatrist Stuart Hauser, resilient people:

…were really quite talented at taking responsibility.

Most people in the world don’t take responsibility, they see things as other people’s fault.

But every one of the resilient kids were very, very clear about their contribution to the mess that they were in.

The boy we called Pete was expelled from school a million times, and he could tell each time how he kicked someone in the shin or gave some teacher a hard time, and that got him kicked out.

He never blamed the school for kicking him out. They had self-confidence.

Building resilience takes a simple switch in mindset.

Instead of blaming ______________, start blaming yourself for whatever predicament you’re in.

The beauty in that?

You’ll start seeking solutions to get out of it.

“It’s me.”

By The Trizle Team

Scenario: “Dude, I’m going to lead with an iron @#$%^& fist. Yay!”

Our main man, Tony Dungy, won his first Superbowl as a coach of the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.

All week long and after the game, the media has described his “humble” persona.

1. His players love him.
2. He never shouts.
3. He never points fingers.
4. (Well, actually he does: at himself when things go wrong.)

And when bad things do happen (like during the opening kickoff at the Super Bowl), he’s calm, cool, and collected — ready for an action plan to right the wrongs.

You put him in charge of any Fortune 500 company, and you’ll see it soar higher than bald eagle on crack.

The Problem with Iron-Fisted Leaders

Peep this scenario:

1. Manager Manny thinks he’s a badass. He leads by intimidation.
2. His team thinks he’s an @#$-hole.
3. Of course, for fear of being fired, they won’t tell him that.

Leaders who lead by intimidation scare the living shizzle out of their team.

Instead of working to ’satisfy the company,’ the team starts consciously working to ’satisfy the boss — but that’s it.’

And you know what happens then:

• Stagnant results.
• Customer complaint cover-ups.
• Culture corruption.
• Short-sighted focus.
• Backstabbings.
• Yadda. Yadda. Yadda.

Instead of going above and beyond to rock the company and the world, the team starts thinking:

“What can I do to ensure the boss doesn’t yell at me?”

Productivity = drainage.

People are most productive when they choose to do something. Intimidating someone to do it will get you pedestrian results.

Instead of rallying around you, your team starts undermining you when you’re not looking.

(That’s how the world gets revolutions.)

What Humbleness Does

Leaders displaying humility like Dungy’s have one thing going for them:

They display the “I still suck” mentality — even likely though: they’re true badasses who already rock the world.

Instead of resting on their laurels, they continue finding ways to improve how they manage their team.

1. I can still inspire my team more effectively.
2. I can still strengthen teamwork.
3. I can still optimize my team’s results.
4. I can still improve my team’s sales training.
5. I can still boost team morale even higher.
6. I can still: __________________.

No matter how successful they become, they know they can still rock their teams even further.

Success to them is like a shooting star: They know they’ll never fully get there, but they they’ll continue chasing it with all their freakish might.

Intimidating leaders think they’ve “arrived,” and display the “I-can-do-no-wrong” mentality — so they continue managing oblivious to the faults.

Humble leaders on the other hand:

• (1) know they’re imperfect, and
• (2) know their team knows they’re imperfect.

So, they continue seeking ways to improve so they can boost their team’s super-dope results.

What qualities did Jim Collins’s six-year study uncover among the best leaders?

[They share] a paradoxical blend of fierce will and personal humility. They are stubborn and ruthless for results. Yet they are humble. They are ambitious for their company, and rarely allow their ego to be an obstacle for the success of their organization.

The Super Side Benefit to Humility

Activity for ya:

1. Think back to your nicest manager, ever.
2. Now, think of the polar opposite: the meanest.

Who got more results out from you?

Most likely, #1.

It’s a psychological phenomena built on reciprocity:

“Because you like me, I like you — so I want to do everything in my power to help you.”

When people choose to produce results, that’s when you’re boosting team productivity like a mofo.

Humble pie = deliciously sexy.

Add two to our list from October. Bob Nardelli is gone so our list has room for another person, and I'm willing to take Meg Whitman off the list as well--she's done well of late so she's getting a pass. Maybe her socializing campaign has actually paid off.

1. Chuck Prince--Citi. Defiant in his responses to criticism, Prince hasn't been very good at mapping out strategies to get Citi back on the growth path. He's also gotten others to take the fall for his mis-management mistakes.
2. Lee Scott--WalMart. This one is pretty easy as WalMart continues to fall from their lofty perch. Yes, it is hard to keep a company growing at the levels WalMart did for years, but they've had the worst growth numbers in 27 years, and they refuse to address long term customer service issues such as lengthy checkout lines. They have been very slow to adapt to changing fashion trends as well. All of it adds up to a necessary leadership change for the retail giant. Side note: I'm still not shopping there regardless of who is at the helm. The only way I may change my stance is if I were to be named CEO, and that isn't happening anytime soon. ;-)

Copied from Alexander Kjerulf's Chief Happiness Officer Blog:

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January 23, 2007 @ 11:28 am · Filed under Happy At Work, Leadership, Best of site

The uncontested, number-one reason why people are unhappy at work is bad management. Nothing has more power to turn a good work situation bad than a bad boss. Sadly there are quite a lot of them around. A recent British study accused 1 in 4 bosses of being bad, while a Norwegian study said 1 in 5.

According to workplace researchers Sharon Jordan-Evans and Beverly Kaye, when people quit, they don’t leave a company, they leave a bad boss. Surveys show that up to 75% of employees who leave their jobs do so at least in part because of their manager. In the exit interview dutifully performed by HR, employees may say that they got a higher salary or a shorter commute out of the switch, but in anonymous surveys the truth comes out: My bad boss drove me away.

The reason that having a bad manager is so bad for us is that managers have power over us. Managers can change our work situation, give us good or bad tasks, and, ultimately, fire us. This power imbalance is why a good relationship with your manager is so important.

The good news is that you are not powerless. You don’t need to quietly accept a bad boss - quite the contrary. If your boss is not treating you and your co-workers right, you have a responsibility to do something! And in many, many cases, bosses long for feedback from their employees - they want to know what they can do better.

Here are the steps you must take, to deal with a bad boss.

1: Assume no bad intentions.

While some of the things your boss does may make you unhappy at work, it is probably not why they do it. Until proven otherwise, assume that they mean well and are simply unaware of the effects of their actions.

2: Classify your boss

Which of these three categories does your bad boss fall into?

1. Doesn’t know he’s bad.
2. Knows he’s bad and wants to improve.
3. Doesn’t want to know he’s bad or doesn’t care.

Most managers who make their employees unhappy are simply unaware of this fact—nobody has ever told them that what they do isn’t working. Some managers know that what they’re doing is wrong and are trying to improve—these people need our support and good advice in order to do better.

Paul’s new boss was constantly critical and never showed any appreciation for a job well done. In weekly status meetings, he would only comment on deviations from the budgets and demand explanations and actions plans.

Well, Paul doesn’t stand for that kind of thing. He kindly but firmly let his new boss know that in order to be motivated he also needed positive recognition for the things he did well. The result: Over the course of three months, the boss has come around and now freely and happily comments on the great results Paul is getting. At their last status meeting before Christmas, the boss even spent five minutes praising Paul’s department for the work they’ve done and the results they’ve achieved.

But this may not always work.

I used to be the Public Relations Coordinator and Editor for a local non-profit organization. A couple of months before I threw in the towel my grandmother became very ill. After a phone call from a family member I was told to come to her bedside, as death was imminent.

I told my boss that I needed to leave for a family emergency and explained the situation and how close I was to my grandmother. My boss replied, “Well, she’s not dead yet, so I don’t have to grant your leave.” And, I was told to complete my workday. Suffice to say I did not finish my workday. (source)

There’s also the third category of boss: Those who steadfastly refuse to acknowledge that they’re bad leaders, or who revel in the fact that they make people unhappy at work. These managers are usually beyond helping and may never learn and improve. Get away from them as fast as you can.

3: Let your boss know what they could do better

Presuming your boss is in category 1 or 2, you must let them know what they can improve. This can be scary because of the power imbalance between managers and employees, but it needs to be done. Managers aren’t mind readers, and they need honest, constructive feedback.

4: Do it sooner rather than later.

If you have a bad relationship with your boss it’s vitally important that you do something about it as soon as possible. It can be tempting to wait, thinking that it might get better on its own, or that your boss might be promoted, transferred or leave. Don’t wait - sooner is better.

5: Choose the right time to talk.

In the middle of a meeting or as a casual hallway chat are not the best ways to approach the subject. Make sure you’re in a quiet undisturbed place and have time to talk about it fully.

6: Explain the effects on you and the effects on your work.

Be specific and tell your manager, “When you do X it makes me do Y, which results in Z.” If you can show how his actions reduce motivation, hurt business, or increase expenses, you’re more likely to convince him that this is a serious issue.

7: Suggest alternatives.

If you can, explain what they could do instead and why that would be better. Suggesting specific alternatives makes it easier to make positive changes.

8: Make a plan and follow up.

Agree to follow up at a later date, to evaluate the new situation.

9: Praise your manager when he gets it right.

When your boss gets it right, remember to praise them. Many managers never receive praise because people mistakenly believe that praise should only flow from managers to employees.

You may be nervous about approaching your manager and giving them advice, but good managers are truly grateful for constructive, useful feedback, and will appreciate any opportunity they get to learn how to do a better job.

10: If all else fails: Get out of Dodge

If you’ve tried to make it work and can’t, it’s time to get away. You can go for another job inside the company (with someone you know to be a great boss), or in another organization.

And you?

What about you? Have you ever dealt with a bad boss? How did you do it? Write a comment, I’d really like to know!

This post is an excerpt from my new book Happy Hour is 9 to 5, which is all about making yourself, your co-workers and your workplace happy.

If you enjoyed this post, I’m pretty sure you’ll also like these:

• How to find a job you’ll love.
• Do not like your job.
• How to lose your fear of being fired.

Ram Charan, a noted expert on business strategy and coauthor of Execution and the author of What the CEO Wants You to Know and many other books, has a new book out titled, Know-How: The 8 Skills That Separate People Who Perform From Those Who Don't. In a section of the book, "Judgment and Strength of a Leader, Charan says:

"The greatest psychological challenge in setting and acting on priorities has to do with resource allocation. Whether in a group meeting or through conventional budgeting and capital approval processes, you have to demonstrate judgment and courage in making resource allocation decisions that reflect your business priorities and in following through to ensure that the things that should be happening in fact are. You have to do the analytic work to separate out the facts and assess the opportunities and risks, but you also need to call upon your inner strength and judgment."

View Fast Company's slideshow, "8 Skills Of People Who Perform," and learn what skills good leaders possess.

1. Position Yourself
2. Find Patterns
3. Shape the Culture
4. Seek Leaders
5. Create Leading Teams
6. Develop Goals
7. Set Priorities
8. Deal with Public Opinion

Not everyone has the leadership abilities of Jack Welch or Steve Jobs, but there are some things everyone in a leadership position can do to improve their relationship with their team. Mutual respect is vital to a leader’s ultimate success so it is important that these six tips are followed by all leaders.

Coach Behind Closed Doors; Praise in Public
Good leaders realize a lot of their success is achieved through the help of others. Instinctively, they seem to understand that their accomplishments are due to their support group so they are careful not to publicly humiliate their valued contributors. Praising in public goes a long way toward instilling confidence in subordinates while coaching behind closed doors maintains the two-way respect built in the relationship. Mistakes are bound to be made but if a leader handles them professionally and appropriately, subordinates will continue to grow and prosper under the leader’s leadership. Remember the phrase “it may be a bad dog, but it’s my dog.”

Remember You Don’t Know it All
Leaders by nature have an undying belief they know more than others or those within their peer group. While this reality may be true in many instances, it’s not true across the board. Each person, regardless of their position within an organization, has something unique to add and has expertise in areas others do not, or they wouldn’t be a member of the team. You’ll win more people over by encouraging others to contribute to your team’s success than you will assuming you know it all and making every decision autonomously. Seek others’ input and consider multiple points of view prior to making a decision.

Prioritize Priorities
Every project or task cannot be a top priority project or task. There can only be one number one. You owe it to your supporting cast to define which projects take precedence over others so they can effectively do their jobs. If you consistently flip-flop priorities each week, you are sending mixed signals that will result in skittish outcomes. To achieve success, a team needs a vision and a plan. Part of that includes setting priorities and sticking to them. Your subordinates will thank you in the long run even if you become a stickler every now and again.

Get a Life
Just because you enjoy your job so much that you regularly put in fourteen hour days plus weekends, it’s not acceptable for that to become an expectation for others. Most employees enjoy having a life outside of work, and it’s ridiculous for a leader or a company to expect those working under their guidance to suggest otherwise. Just because an employee is on salary doesn’t mean free reign over their life. When the expectation is set that employees work 8-5 Monday through Friday, and employees meet those stipulations, all bets are off for your “mandatory” 10 AM meetings on Saturday morning. In other words, get a life and allow your employees to live theirs as they wish once the workday and week is completed.

Walk in Others’ Shoes
Let’s say you have a very good employee that has been falling off performance wise the past few weeks and doesn’t seem to be herself of late. Most leaders’ gut reaction is to have a “coaching” session with the employee. Why not have a heartfelt conversation with the employee to find out what is going on instead? If the employee will open up and share what they are experiencing, give her the benefit of the doubt by attempting to put yourself in her place before taking corrective action. She will appreciate the empathy, and you might just gain a new perspective on things that will benefit both of you throughout the professional relationship. Everything isn’t always black and white in spite of our wishes.

Be Fair Above All Else
No one appreciates discrimination. At the same time, employees resent a leader that has favorites which receive preferential treatment. In short, don’t go there! As a leader, it is your job to be objective and treat everyone with equality above all. Naturally, you’re going to like certain people more than others because that is human nature, but don’t let that blur your judgment of their work performance. If one of your more likeable employees makes a mistake, discipline them just as you would the gruff of the team and vice versa. It’s only fair, and it will maintain respect amongst the group.

In conclusion, by following these six tips, you can improve your leadership skills while also gaining additional respect and admiration from your team. Isn’t that what every leader wants?

From Wired: How Yahoo Blew It.

Talks about how Yahoo! offered to buy Google in 2002 and how things have changed since.

If you regularly read this blog, you know I have Semel as one of the Five CEOs that Must Go so this merely adds fuel to that fire. I still believe he's made his money so it's time to move on and let someone else guide the ship that has the passion to grow the company innovatively.

>In looking over the infamous group from that posting back in October of last year, #1 has been dethroned (Bob Nardelli formerly of Home Depot). How long until another one falls?

>Speaking of CEOs falling, George Shaeffer, Jr. of Fifth Third announced yesterday he was stepping down in April and Kevin Kabat will take over the reigns. This has been a long time coming, and George has caught ten tons of heat the past few years. I didn't include him in the list back in October because he actually did a solid job in his 16 years at the helm--Fifth Third just didn't continue to grow at the pace of some of their competitors in recent years. I believe they were more calculated in their moves, and that's not always a bad thing.

On October 22, 2006, I posted an entry outlining five CEOs that must go. On 1/3/2007, #1 on that dubious list took a dive--Bob Nardelli from Home Depot. Reports say he "resigned," but that's being kind--it was a forced resignation, and Bob had been under tremendous heat thanks in part to his antics on investor conference calls and his insistence to devalue customer service at the store level. The guy was downright horrible when all was said and done.

He came in as an outsider from GE who self-admittedly didn't understand retail. It puzzles me as to why he was given a shot to begin with, but he didn't help himself by being so arrogant and defiant. Early on in his tenure, Bob reduced inventories and staff counts to levels that alienated customers and employees. Several talented employees walked, and Lowe's chipped away at the customer base quite effectively as a result.

Have you shopped at a Home Depot lately then visited a Lowe's on the same day? The experience is night and day--the people at Home Depot act as if they can't wait to get you out of there while the Lowe's people seem genuinely eager to help you complete your home improvement projects correctly. Home Depot's slogan is "you can do it, we can help," but the knee jerk reaction one might have when hearing that is "you can help, but you won't." For my money, I'd pay more at Lowe's just to avoid dealing with certain malcontents at Home Depot. Don't get me wrong, there are some very helpful people still working at Home Depot, but you have to work pretty hard to find them now whereas they used to be sprinkled generously throughout.

So much for GE making a mistake (in Nardelli's eyes) by not turning over the keys to the top post when Jack Welch retired. They said "thanks, but no thanks." Home Depot should have said the same thing, but they are now on the hook for a $210 million package to make Nardelli go away that includes $20 million in severance. Don’t feel bad for him as he obviously isn't going to be hurting. How many positions throw exorbitant amounts of money at you to make you go away when you do a bad job? The only positions I know of are within sports and CEOs.

Here's my overall take-away and hopefully thought provoking tidbit out of all this: The "resignation" of Bob Nardelli further underscores the leadership void we have in this country at some of our larger corporations. According to an August 2006 Corporate Library Survey, 52.7% of CEOs today are on the job for less than five years. On one hand, five years isn't long enough to change a company's ultimate course, but five years is way too long if you have the wrong person at the helm. There are a lot of wrong people guiding companies today that will play out in less than the next five years so that alarming 52.7% can be viewed as an "error rate" of sorts. Let’s focus on reducing that error rate shall we.