Category: Communication

Diversity Or Integration, What's The Difference, Why Bother?

March 10, 2013 by Elisa Spain1 Comment

Lately I have had a number of conversations with the leaders I work with about the challenges of adding diversity to their organizations. Diversity comes in several flavors. There are the traditional forms of diversity – gender, race, ethnicity and sexual preference. It also comes when someone from the outside joins an existing culture.

Some organizations handle this “integration” well and some don’t. Why? My sense is the answer lies in how intentional the leader is about both the spoken and unspoken characteristics of their culture.

The word integration is rarely used today. It harkens back to the 1970’s when schools were being “integrated”. Fights broke out, learning became challenging and it was largely viewed in retrospect as an experiment that failed. And, this “experiment” for me provides learning for leaders who want to diversify their organizations.

Integrating- Merriam Webster “to form, coordinate, or blend into a functioning or unified whole”

Isn’t this exactly what we are wanting to do when we diversify? And…Diverse teams are hard…they are harder to build, are unlikely to come to consensus and are more likely to have conflict.

So, why bother? Because… they are harder to build, are unlikely to come to consensus and are more likely to have conflict, they make better decisions. Research studies prove this.

What to do?

Diversity is not always the best approach. Homogeneous groups are easier. Because of their similar backgrounds, preferences and styles they are likely to agree and move forward quickly.

If the goal is getting more of what you already have, then a homogeneous group may be the way to go.
If the goal is innovation and critical thinking, you are more likely to get there with a diverse group.

If you decide you want to build a diverse team, first begin by defining what you are looking to accomplish with the diversity. Then ask yourself the following questions as you begin to form, coordinate, or blend into a functioning or unified whole:

Do I know the backgrounds, preferences, and styles of current team members?
What actions do I need to take to learn this information about my current team?
Have we defined our culture? And, even if we have, what are the unspoken characteristics of our culture?
What actions do I need to take to learn this information about my culture?
What on-boarding actions do I need to take to achieve integration?

Elisa K. Spain

Disappearing Jobs, Does It Matter?

March 3, 2013 by Elisa Spain2 Comments

Last month I attended the Vistage International Conference during which Michael Milkin presented the Milkin Institute research on the changing U.S. demographics. I was struck by the data change in the number of unskilled jobs. In 1950 there were 3 unskilled jobs for every 1 skilled job. Today, there are 4 unskilled jobs for every 1 skilled.

Michael postulates that this is the reason why the American dream is dead – it used to be you work hard and you get ahead. Today while hard work still matters, education and skills come first.

In my opinion, this also explains the sticky unemployment numbers. At the same time, my Vistage members tell me finding talented people continues to be challenging. In short there is a war for talent, while millions remain unemployed.

You might ask, so what is the leadership question? Isn’t this a global problem, not a leadership topic?

Here are my leadership related wonderings:

At what point does it become cost effective for companies to create their own educational programs?
When and how will it become cost effective for small/mid-sized companies to provide training via entry level unskilled jobs?
As robots continue to replace workers, what will be the impact on small/mid-sized companies capital requirements?
As the mismatch between job opportunities and qualified employees grows, how might this impact both immigration and emigration?
As the world becomes less dependent on geography, how might employers match their jobs with qualified individuals worldwide?

Elisa K. Spain

Is It Possible To Be Too Lean?

February 17, 2013 by Elisa Spain4 Comments

When the “great recession” began, companies got lean and they went there quickly. This worked, for employers, owners and employees. Now 3+ years into recovery, lean continues while sales have grown. The result is increased profits. So….what’s the issue?

I have been hearing a troubling refrain lately. I began hearing this from middle managers in large public companies I work with; and I am now hearing it from small and midsize companies.

Middle Managers say it like this: “My team is exhausted and the workload continues to increase. I am struggling with how to become more efficient than we are and I am seeing signs that we are becoming less effective”.

High Performing employees put it this way: “The saying used to be, the best thing you can do for a high performing employee was terminate a low performing employee. I don’t feel this way anymore. In fact, quite the opposite. When anyone leaves, I groan. I groan, because I know there is going to be more work for me and I am struggling to get the work I already have done”.

As business leaders and owners, I encourage you to ask:

Are my middle managers and high performing employees saying similar things?
Am I listening?
Am I perhaps too lean? What are the risks to production, client servicing, morale and ultimately profitability if I am?

Elisa K. Spain

Do Titles Matter?

December 16, 2012 by Elisa SpainNo Comments

Last week I had the chance to listen to Vistage speaker and futurist David Houle. David talked about coming changes, many of which are driven not only by technology, but by Millennials entering the workforce. We are already seeing flattening organizations and a move away from hierarchy and titles and offices and cubicles and all the stuff Baby Boomers and Generation Xers are comfortable with. In entrepreneurial companies, which make up the majority of our Vistage groups, hierarchies never existed. These companies pride themselves on being nimble and quick to respond to marketplace demands. The result is a competitive advantage, now more than ever, because these are the companies able to attract and retain Millennials. As Vistage companies grow, we Chairs encourage owners to build a leadership team so they can build a sustainable enterprise. Owners want experienced leaders to do this – In walks the boomers and Xers, accustomed to structure and ready to create that sustainable enterprise, and with their ability to create processes to support a sustainable enterprise, comes their comfort and desire for hierarchy, titles, offices, etc.

CLASH

Perhaps as David says, as the Millennials become leaders, this will all even out. In the meantime, here are my questions for Boomer and Generation X leaders and followers:

Is it time to pause and ask, how much of what I expect in terms of hierarchy, paying dues, etc. matters?
What recognition is truly important for me to feel successful in my organization?
When joining a new organization or taking on an assignment, what behaviors, rather than titles and trappings, should I be asking for from my leader that will set me up to succeed?

A Timely Reminder Of Email Best Practices

December 9, 2012 by Elisa Spain2 Comments

I put this together some time ago. A compilation of things I have learned from experience and from others. The topic has come up a lot lately, so I thought I would share this with you.

Professor Albert Mehrabian’s research into verbal communication is often quoted in this simplified form:

Words – 7%, Tone – 38% – Body Language – 55%

Email, being only words without tone and body language, leaves the reader with fewer queues for interpretation. For this reason, recommended email best practices are:

Email is for communication, not conversation
Use Email for two purposes: transmit information or schedule meetings
Choose your words carefully, sometimes slang words, e.g. “yeah” can be misinterpreted
After 1 response – pick up the phone
Reply only to the sender
Reply to all – ONLY if sender requests or the information in your reply will benefit everyone on the distribution list
Only put in an Email something you would want to appear on the internet, on a billboard, in the news – you get the idea
Don’t send an Email when you are angry – see previous bullet
Never negotiate via Email
Never send an important Email w/o an advance phone call and a follow-up phone call to discuss and prevent/correct misunderstandings
Be brief, most people read Emails on their IPhone, Android, etc.
When sending an important Email, ask someone else to read it before sending it, with three questions:
- What would you think?
- How would you feel?
- What would you do?

Anything you would add?

The Answer Is In The Question…

December 2, 2012 by Elisa SpainNo Comments

One of the life lessons I have learned, since becoming a Vistage Chair six years ago, is the answer is in the question. By asking better questions, we enable others to come to their own resolutions. Most of us in business are problem solvers, and often the answer to someone else’s problem or challenge seems obvious to us. Therefore, we rush in with advice, without stopping and asking questions. What I have learned, and continue to be reminded of daily, is that by asking more poignant questions, the resulting answer may not only be better, it may also be different than what we perceived as obvious before we asked.

Following is a quote from one of my CEO members that, to me, captures the essence:

“I had a very interesting life lesson yesterday. Another member was leading and that was probably a little difficult for me to have someone else in charge. Once I accepted my role and decided to listen instead of work hard to offer my opinion, my perception of how I could add value changed drastically. I remember that Elisa said, ‘work to ask questions and not just offer suggestions’. I struggle with that as I always want to solve other people’s problems for them. It’s like counseling, the counselor never seems to tell you your problem, they just keep asking questions until you have the realization and state it yourself. That always bugged me. I now realize that until someone deeply understands their own problem, they will not take action nor will they truly support any action that they do take based on another’s understanding. I think I got more value out of the meeting than any other person in the room. That value was directly linked to not talking”.

Are You A Bad Boss? Are You Sure You Aren't?

September 9, 2012 by Elisa SpainNo Comments

Most of us think of a bad boss as one who explodes, intimidates and otherwise behaves badly. The reality is this type of bad boss represents less than 20% of the behavior that actually defines the worst bosses (based on research conducted by Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman). For the full results of Zenger and Folkman’s findings, click here.

The more common “bad boss” shows up in one the following ways (in order of most to least fatal):

Failure to inspire.
Acceptance of mediocre performance.
Lack of clear vision and direction.
An inability to collaborate.
Failure to walk the talk.
Failure to improve and learn from mistakes.
Inability to lead change or innovate owing to a resistance to new ideas.
Failure to develop others.
Inept interpersonal skills.
Bad judgement – leading to poor decision.

In short, even if we are kind and soft spoken; if we aren’t demonstrating leadership, we are not good bosses.

Vistage members know this and that is why they join. As you read through the list and the accompanying article, I encourage you to ask yourself:

Which qualities on the list do I excel at?
How might I become a better boss by focusing on #6?

What Is The Business Practice All Leaders Do And Everyone Says They Hate…

August 5, 2012 by Elisa Spain1 Comment

What is the business practice everyone does and everyone says they hate? MEETINGS!

How often do we hear, I hate meetings? And yet, how do most leaders spend most of their time? In meetings.

Most of us accept that, as leaders, we need meetings to communicate and get things done through other people. And yet, most leaders, say they dread attending meetings, even the ones they are leading.

As a leadership coach, I enjoy my meetings. I draw energy from the peer group meetings I lead and from the coaching sessions with my Vistage members. Some meetings, of course, are better than others and I find value in all of them. I enjoy the interchange, the questions, the sharing, the challenging and the learning. And, my members tell me that meetings inside their companies sometimes have these characteristics and sometimes they do not.

I am curious to hear from you. What’s working for you in meetings and what is not?

For those who hate meetings, here are my questions:

When you say, “I hate attending meetings” what would you rather be doing?
What is it about one-on-one meetings you don’t like?
What is it about group meetings you don’t like?

And, for those of you who like meetings and find them to be productive:

What is it about one-on-one meetings you like? What makes them work for you?
What is it about group meetings you like? What makes them work for you?

And, for those of you who want to learn more about leading productive meetings, one of my favorite books on the subject is Death by Meeting, by Patrick Lencioni.

Is Your Leadership Team Your Co-Advisor Or ?

July 22, 2012 by Elisa SpainNo Comments

Businesses are assets, right? What might happen if we followed the best practices of investment management in running them?

When we hire an advisor to manage our traditional portfolio of stocks and bonds, the first thing they want to know is the answer to the following two questions:

Will you delegate full responsibility for managing your portfolio to me? or
Will the account be co-advised, meaning, before I make a purchase or sale in your portfolio, I must consult with you?

When the owner of the portfolio chooses #1, the client and the advisor work together to design a portfolio that meets the risk tolerance of the client, the advisor constructs the portfolio and typically the advisor provides reports, usually monthly or quarterly, that inform the owner of the status of their portfolio. Additionally, the advisor’s reports include a comparison of their performance to that of their peer group.

The full process is based on the DIME method (coined by my friend Scott Morgan, author of an out-of-print book by the same title). DIME: Design, Implement, Monitor, Evaluate.

Sometimes, the owner of the portfolio chooses #1, but instead of delegating authority, monitoring the performance of the portfolio, and periodically evaluating the portfolio manager; the owner abdicates, i.e. moves on to other things and ignores the portfolio manager.

I heard a sad story from a friend recently who chose option #1, neglected the monitor and evaluate part, and didn’t discover the result until he needed the money and discovered it was gone. The advisor was not dishonest, he simply made poor investment choices.

Ok, so what does this have to do with leadership and running a business? Here is what I have learned as a Vistage Chair and leadership coach.

The “portfolio managers” of our business are our leadership team, our key executives. Each business owner has a risk tolerance that leads them to be more or less involved in activities in their businesses. The result sometimes is key executives either feel micromanaged or business owners abdicate instead of delegate, only to jump back in when things are not going as they expected (but didn’t verbalize).

This seesaw drives both owners and key executives crazy and leads to outcomes neither wants. What if instead owners and key executives sat down together and asked the investment manager questions. These questions might include some of the following:

What decisions will I have full responsibility for?
Which decisions do you want to co-advise?
What risks are you most concerned about?
What kind of reporting works best for you? Written, verbal?
What do you want to monitor, and on what frequency?
How will my performance be evaluated?

And finally the most important question,

What is our agreement as to how to give each other feedback when the outcomes or the process didn’t go as we expected?