Art Petty on Management

Leader-Are You Willing to Admit and Showcase a Mistake?

The January 22, 2008 Wall Street Journal included an article in Jared Sandberg's weekly Cubicle Culture column, entitled: Why Learn and Grow on the Job?  It's Easier to Feign Infallibility, that fits nicely with my recent posts on leadership decision making and acting on poor performers.   In his column, Sandberg focuses on those individuals that we have all encountered, that masterfully and deliberately avoid taking blame or responsibility for any mistake.  He states: "At work, some people just won't admit to making a mistake.  They have a gripping fear that it will indict their character, attract more work and invite more blame."  How true (the existence of these people) and how sad.

The question of the moment is how do you deal with your own mistakes?  Are you a leader that works hard to distance yourself from your mistakes or those of your team members, or do you embrace mistakes as learning experiences and place them in full view?  How you deal with mistakes says a lot about your character as a leader.

Leader-It's Time to Act on That Poor Performer

One of the most common mistakes of leaders of all experience levels is failing to act in a timely manner on poor performers.  This is certainly consistent with our firm's findings in interviews and surveys over the past two years, where the winner for  number one self-described weakness was delivering constructive feedback.  (Choose your label: constructive feedback=the tough performance discussion, robust dialog or candid conversation.)

Apparently, many of us are wired with a naive sense of optimism and a willingness to continue throwing good time and money after bad in the never-ending hope that the poor performer will see the light, make adjustments and turn things around.  And it does happen.  Rarely.  In fact, so infrequently, that in my opinion, the leader is better served operating with the parable of the scorpion and the frog in mind.  In case you don't recall, the scorpion convinces the frog that he has changed and should the frog kindly agree to transporting the scorpion across the pond, the scorpion promises not to sting him.  Needless to say, they don't make it across the pond.  With their last gasps, the frog asks why and the scorpion responds with, "It's my nature."

Leadership Decision-Making: Learn to Be Like Mike

I worked for two executives with very different styles in my first job out of college.  The first executive, Tom, was a polished professional that liked to study a problem, gather the facts, look at the situation from all angles and then sleep on it.  And sleep on it.  And sleep on it some more.  Tom would rarely make a decision and when he did, so much time had elapsed that his team had moved on and made the decision for themselves.  (Often choosing a very different direction than the one Tom had finally decided upon.) 

The firm's other key executive, Mike, would quickly frame an issue, ask for input and decide.  Mike was less concerned about developing what he believed was the perfect answer, and he clearly did not fear being wrong.  If he made a mistake, he had no qualms about admitting his error, adjusting his course and plowing ahead.  I decided very early that I would strive to be like Mike and not like Tom.

A Friday Walk on The Lighter Side: Growth is Not a Four Letter Word

(The following is a figment of my imagination only and any resemblance to anyone living, dead or otherwise is purely accidental.

I had a horrible consultant’s dream the other night, where I found myself shouted down in a planning session when I had the temerity to suggest that the “g” word was suspiciously absent from the prioritized corporate action-list. 

“Growth is an outcome!” one person shouted.  “We need to fix the plumbing and growth will come our way!” shouted another.  “Growth is not our issue,” hollered a third person who I had observed arriving just after the financial review showcased what can only be described as reverse growth. “Death to the growth zealot,” shouted a fourth baring his teeth.” I remember looking at the door and mentally calculating whether I would win the footrace to the exit should that be necessary.   Fortunately, my alarm clock went off and I breathed easier until I remembered that I was facilitating a discussion about growth in two hours.  I immediately broke out in a sweat.  Fortunately for me, the group was much less “Lord of the Flies-like” than the team in my dream.  I did however maintain an unobstructed view to the door at all times.

Leader: The Company Might Be Virtual, But the People Are Real

One of the wonderful benefits of modern technology is the ability of organizations to scale without investing in bricks and mortar. It is commonplace in a number of industries for people to work together for years and never set eyes on each other.  It’s also common for the leaders in these virtual organizations to lose track of the fact that there are real people behind the e-mail and text messages. 

People choose a virtual professional lifestyle because they like the freedom and flexibility that it provides.  However, when a virtual organization is faced with the need (or desire) to shift gears into a new growth mode or to change its strategy, it is essential that the leaders of this firm rethink their communication and engagement with their remote knowledge workers. For many leaders used to not communicating frequently with these invisible associates, this can mean a significant change in behavior.

Improving the Product Management and Sales Relationship

The relationship between the Product Manager (or PM team) and the Sales force is one that is filled with great potential for all parties and also prone to frequent misuse or abuse.  Frankly, it is a complicated relationship that should be governed by some shared rules of engagement and some good commonsense about when to throw the rules out in support of getting the job done.

I have a great degree of respect and empathy for the individuals on both sides of this relationship—I've been in both roles and managed both teams.  Product Managers need to be in the market engaged with clients in order to grown and learn. Sales Reps naturally benefit from showcasing the "expert" with current and prospective clients. 

However, these mutual needs can quickly become unbalanced without some over-riding rules governing the relationship.  I've been in too many meetings where the semi-well-intentioned Rep will kick-off a sales call with some witty banter and then turn to the unwitting Product Manager and say, "John is here to tell you why our product is so great and how our next version will bring you to the promised land."    Alternatively, I've spent too much time sorting out the confusion over a Product Manager's well intended but misperceived comments to a client. 

The Best Marketing Ever: Employees that Surprise and Delight Customers

When was the last time that you had one of those "Wow" experiences as a customer, where you walked away "surprised and delighted" about how you were treated?

Travel a lot?  It probably doesn't happen for you with the major air carriers.  Most of my customer experiences with the airlines leave me shocked and disgusted. I'm convinced that the airlines study Customer Service Secrets of Attila the Hun.   Shop in Big Box retail stores?  Similar story...perhaps without the edge of nastiness that the airlines (or cell phone or cable) companies have mastered. 

All of this changed for me recently, as I found myself on the receiving end of two different transactions that left me absolutely surprised and delighted.  And no, they didn't take place with an airline, cell-phone, cable or big box company.  They were two retail establishments that clearly didn't get the memo that you have to be nasty to your customers to succeed in this world.

What is it about leaders that tolerate poor customer service from their employees?

Avoiding Derailment and Disaster in Product Management

My posting, The Product Manager as MVP, offered my perspective on the potential for the professional in this role to have a material impact on a firm's success.  I truly believe in the power of this function to shape firms, and for individuals and teams of Product Managers to serve valuable formal and informal leadership roles in organizations. 

I've also seen some remarkable wholesale failures in Product Management—at the team and individual levels.  Truthfully, these failures often have their root causes at the top of the team or even elsewhere in the leadership or organizational design structure.  Nonetheless, the symptoms become visible in Product Management. 

While we all love studying and reading about best practices and successes, in my experience, most of the best lessons come from studying the train-wrecks.  Consider these as cautionary tales.

How Good Leaders Approach a Recession

While I don’t know too many business leaders that look forward to a recession, I know a few strong leaders that do a remarkable job of working through them from a “glass is half-full” perspective. 

It’s not yet clear whether we are in or heading for a recession, but the topic is on the collective mind of people in the U.S. and around the world.  If we are heading for recession, the right attitude and the right actions on your part will help your firm weather the storm and even prosper during or shortly after any period of business contraction.

A Dozen Interviews, Two Job Offers and Not One Discussion About Leadership.

A good friend that knows my passion for all things leadership, recently switched jobs and offered some comments on the nature of his dozen or so interviews.  I paraphrase:

My leadership skills, experience or approach were not discussed during any of the interviews.

I was shocked. 

None of the top executives that I spoke with singled out and discussed leadership or people development during discussions about their business and strategy.

I started to get depressed.

And: Nope, it wasn't covered with the recruiters either.

I had a headache.

What gives?