Execution Book Study - Session 4

In this session we discussed chapters 6 and 7 of Execution by Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan.

Chapter 6 focused on the People Process

This chapter delivered not only an excellent reminder of the importance of getting the right people into the right places, but offered some interesting tools to assist in the process.  The Leadership Assessment Summary and the Continuous Improvement Summary were both noted by those participating as providing a practical way to assess current employees for fit and for potential development.  The importance of leadership grooming was hit upon several times.  This is an area where we can all do a better job in preparing leaders to move up as the opportunity presents itself. 

The linkage of the people process with strategic planning was also discussed.  The relevance here is to take time to look ahead at where you plan to be in your leadership and then to make sure you have the right number and type of people to MAKE SURE you hit your goals.  Probably too many fail at this point because they are not proactive but reactive.

Dealing with succession training and non-performers was also discussed as part of this chapter.  In both cases it comes back to the leader's willingness to deal with the present in a way that prepares for the future.  Lack of leadership defaults on the immediate and is ill prepared for the future, blaming a lot of different excuses without owning the truth.

QUESTION:  What process/plans do you have to make sure you are getting the right people into the right positions?

Chapter 7 The strategy process.

This chapter does a good job as a short summary to strategic planning.  Do you have a strategic plan for your campus/business?  Do you have the right people to achieve your strategic plan?

The authors state that a contemporary strategic plan is in actuality an action plan with identified building blocks which lead to the ultimate goal.  Those building blocks should be a half-dozen or fewer with clear actions that define what needs to be done and by whom and on what deadline.  Once this is clearly defined and the group has committed to the plan, then it is a simple matter of following-up and following through to completion.

QUESTION: Share your strategic plan for your campus.

EQ - the difference between success and the deadend

I started this book, What Got You Here Won't Get You There by Marshal Goldsmith with the full expectation of not to like it.  I figured it would be one more book which touted the top 7 (or 5 or 9 or 13, etc) things anyone can do to get to the next level.

Although I'm only a little over halfway through the book, I was pleasantly surprised to find that instead of touting a miracle approach to success it focuses on the fundamental aspect of true success which is often overlooked.  The term "emotional intelligence," is not used, or used so sparingly that I've missed it, but that is what this book is about.  How to increase the awareness of our shortfalls in the area of emotional intelligence, and some suggestions about how to address them.  I've already picked up some valuable nuggets!   

 

I will summarize the book in a later post but I thought this might be a good place to list a few other books dealing with this subject which everyone, anyone, who hopes to make it to an upper level of management should read AND incorporate into their life:

• How to Win Friends and Manage People, by Dale Carnegie
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey
• Primal Leadership: Learning to Lead with Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee
• Executive EQ:Emotional Intelligence in Leadership and Organizations by Robert Cooper and Ayman Sawaf
• The Resilience Factor: 7 Keys ot Finding Your Inner Strength and Overcoming Life's Hurdles, by Karen Reivich and Andrew Shatte
• Becoming a Resonant Leader: Develop your Emotional Intelligence, Renew your Relationships, Sustain your Effectiveness, by Annie McKee, Richard Boyatzis, and Frances Johnson
• Relational Intelligence:  How Leaders Can Expand Their Influence Through a New Way of Being Smart, by Richard Saccone.
• The Bible

And this is by no means a complete list, just what I have on my shelf that is specific to this topic.  Many other leadership books have sections devoted to this topic precisely because it is so fundamental to success.   If you have any desire to be better and more effective in EVERY part of your life, get one of these books and begin the journey!

 

Turn Around Teams

Here is a review of a new book on teams and how to turn-around a team that is failing.

I think you may want to review it.

Turn Around Your Team!

When falsely accused . . .

I will write this from the perspective of actually being falsely accused, rather than simply refusing to believe the truth in the accusation, as I think, most people are rather expert at twisting the truth to believe they are the subject of injustice far more than owning their reality.  Also, I am writing this in relationship to work situations, i.e. if a supervisor confronts you with an accusation of some inadequacy in your work, attitude, ethical conduct, etc.  With that being said, what should one do if falsely accused:

First, listen carefully to the description of your lack WITHOUT getting defensive.  This is the most important, and possibly the most difficult, thing you can do.  Being defensive, i.e. contradicting and defending your behavior can only escalate the situation, potentially resulting in hasty decisions, or actions, or both.  That is to say, you could quit in the heat of the moment, or get fired because of inflammatory remarks, or even be provoked to violence.  Far better to take a deep breath, or two, or three (it oxygenates the brain and helps you maintain control) and focus on listening.

Second, ask clarifying questions IN A NON-DEFENSIVE tone.  The goal here is to make sure you completely understand the issue being presented, not to defend your actions or honor.  The exception would be if you are specifically asked to make a defense, and even that has to be presented in as logical and rational a manner as possible.

Third, if possible, ask for a short period of time to reflect on the accusation and genuinely try to see the situation from your supervisor's point of view . . . and then determine what actions you could take to avoid the situation happening in the future.  Once you have cooled off enough to discuss the issue share your action plan with your supervisor.  Then do what you said you would do and follow the procedures you were directed to follow.

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER make derogatory comments about your supervisor to anyone within the system (co-workers, other supervisors, basically anyone at work) and even avoid negative comments with anyone who is not a very close friend.    These comments will ALWAYS come back to bite you.  No matter how much you trust the person, it WILL get back to your supervisor and you WILL have to answer for your comments (even if it is by standing in the unemployment line).  This also goes for any form of social media: facebook, twitter, linkedin, etc.  It may not seem fair, but social media is public property and many have lost their jobs because of exercising their "freedom of speech."  Remember you have freedom of speech and your supervisor has freedom to fire.

DO find a close friend, spouse or out-of-state relative with whom you can vent.  Everyone needs to let off their frustrations.  How you do it, however, can get you fired if you're not careful.

Finally, if you like your job and are willing to modify your behavior, assuming it is not unethical, you will likely be able to weather these kind of storms and have a long career.  If what you are being asked to do is unethical - report the supervisor up the chain - if that doesn't work find another job - your character is your most valuable asset.  If, however, you don't like your job, think seriously about making a move to a position where you could be happy.

Now you probably didn't want this kind of advice.  After all, you were falsely accused.  Sadly, the rain falls on the just and the unjust ( that means that bad things happen to good people).  So, grasshopper, pay attention to what I have just told you and things will work out.  They always do, eventually.