This entry is going to be something a little different - several topics that I want to cover and now seems like a great time to throw the topics out for discussion. Hopefully, you will find at least a couple of words of wisdom along the way..
Topic number 1: Pet peeve of mine: what’s with the passive-aggressive responses and actions. It is tiring, unproductive, destroys morale and ultimately a career. It wears me out to sit in meetings with these types of individuals and to see them nod their heads in agreement, give verbal assurances that they are on board - only to walk out the door and spread dissension and drive a team and project into the ground. If you want to know why people leave an organization, it’s because they work for individuals that aren’t passionate about what it is they do and disrupt the organization more than they help drive the organization. I’ve seen this play out in several organizations and it always ends up the same way. Good people leave before action is finally taken to put a stop to the individual that is causing the mess in the first place.
Topic number 2: “First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently”. This is a book that I originally read at least 10 years ago. It was part of a mentor program that I was taking part in. I didn’t realize it at the time, but as I have reread the book several times it has helped change the way that I look at my team members - how I recruit new team members and how I manage my teams. In a nutshell, it challenges you to break the age old paradigm where you end up spending time with individuals that are not performing well, to stop spending time on trying to get people to change and to instead find the unique talents of the individuals on your team and focus those talents so that the person can succeed. Yes, you can train individuals around the edges of their talents, but fundamentally, you’re not going to teach someone who hates working with numbers to love working with numbers. What you need to do is identify the talents, skills and knowledge and ensure that they align with the role that you have that individual playing, then clearly identify the outcome that you are looking for and let the person run with it. Here is the part that I am challenged on - the book argues for less formalized processes and procedures. That is where I diverge from the arguments made by the author - in my line of business, standardization and controls are needed. I would highly recommend this book to anyone that is responsible for leading a team of individuals.
Topic number 3: “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable”. When I was hired into my current position, this was the first book that I was asked to read by the CIO of our organization. This book is a fast read, the story focuses on traits within a team that can lead to a complete breakdown. The characters feel real and the storyline is plausible. Our CIO references this book often and have found myself reading this book over and over. Each time I read it, I find a new nugget that I can take back and use in the way that I interact with people. The author creates a story where a company is on the verge of folding, a new leader is brought in to the organization and must enact a turnaround. I won’t go into the blow by blow of how the story unfolds, but the reader is given great insight in how to create an environment where teams can succeed together. Make no mistake - the lessons from this book are not easy to put into play within a team, but ultimately they will make the team more effective and more accountable.
Topic number 4: Guestworkers in the STEM labor market. Today I read the results of a study that turned the well known argument for additional H1B’s on it’s head. I freely admit that I have used talent via the H1B program, and have found it to be useful when I have not been able to find local candidates to fill software engineering positions. Here is a quick link to a summary of the study: “Guestworkers in the high-skill U.S. labor market”. There are a lot of details within the summary, but essentially the study argues that the US based higher education system is graduating enough technical talent to fill the job openings within the Information Technology (IT) fields. Showing that we are graduating two students for every available job opening. Annually, the number of guest workers entering the US labor force is equal to ⅓ to ½ of new job holders within the IT field. I think the broader question is how do we find students willing to work where the IT jobs are located. While not addressed within the study, I can speak from a well earned history, that it is difficult to convince college graduates to stay in the mid-west - many new college graduates want to go to the coasts (Silicon Valley, New York or Seattle).
Topic number 5: Have you hired a college graduate lately? Too many times, I’ve been asked to make sure that the next person hired has experience - we can’t afford to hire a newby into the organization. I not only hear it within my own teams, but I hear it when I spend time with my peers. I understand the need to make this argument for some openings, but not for every opening that comes along. Let’s step back a second and look at what we are doing. How many times have you gone out to find someone with experience, just to be frustrated with how long it takes them to come up to speed and be productive within your organization. The more complex your environment, the longer the learning curve. You’re going to have that learning curve, with and without experience - it’s a fact. However, you could look for a recent graduate - someone who is passionate about digging in and figuring it out. Some with a fresh perspective on the job. Someone who is going to ask why and keep digging until they find the answer. Graduates need an opportunity to get hired and ultimately may become more loyal to the team and the organization. How long does it take you to find and hire a candidate with experience. My bet is that it takes you months. If you were looking at entry level candidates you could have the position filled within 1-3 weeks. Give a graduate a break - hire them!
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