Reaching Out ... It's Your Job!

What are you doing to help someone find their way?

Last night, I had the opportunity to attend our local school board meeting and to be part of a presentation for a program titled: Tech Journey. This presentation was to inform our local board of actions that the district had taken over the summer to provide students with the opportunity to explore, in a hands on environment, careers related to technology. This effort was focused on letting 8th grade students have experiences that could impact their education choices and potentially open up opportunities for them to explore career choices. Better yet, the program was focused on providing these opportunities to students who typically don't have a lot of resources available to them on regular basis.

I commend the district administrative staff, the instructors and their technology team for leaning in on this effort and making it happen. Tech Journey was originally envisioned by a team of people in the Des Moines School District, and the Johnston School District was able to work with the original Tech Journey team to construct a similar opportunity for kids within our local district. A win for everyone involved!

So how do I fit into the picture and why was I at the board meeting? Well, for years, I have been working with several of the local high schools. I go in and talk to the students about what it's like to work in technology fields, I work to find volunteers to help the students in programming/security competitions and I work with the administration in helping to define programs that give students an opportunity to explore technology opportunities. I also do this with some of the local colleges and across both high school and college students, I provide internship opportunities when their is a good match between a students experience and opportunities that I have in my teams. Yes, most of these internships go to 2 or 4 year college students, but when the right high school student comes along, we work to see if there is a 'right' fit. My job last night was to support the district staff in the presentation and show the commitment to this particular private/public partnership to help students.

Early this spring, I was contacted by the administration team planning the Tech Journey event and asked to review the curriculum and then to see if I could find the necessary volunteers to work with the students. Working with the team, we refined the standard Tech Journey schedule and curriculum. I was then able to find volunteers within my team to work with the students and explore the following:

1. 3D Modeling using SketchUp
2. Programming using Scratch

Next year, the district hopes to expand the program to include basic HTML and CSS concepts.
For the 3D modeling, the students all got to use a tool called SketchUp to create Lego like blocks. This took the better part of the morning as they took measurements and then learned how to use SketchUp to create the actual 3D model. The technology team from the district, had setup 3D printers and over the lunch hour then printed each students block. The final test, would the blocks fit together? Why, yes, they did!

The afternoon, was split into 2 different sessions. First the students got to experience Scratch - programming for beginners. They had a lot of fun working to create a game, guided by some of the volunteers, Students were able to work in a casual manner with 1-on-1 interaction with the volunteers. The 2nd part of the afternoon was a Virtual Reality experience.

I can only hope that these young minds walked away from the day with the knowledge that they have the capability to do this type of work. That it is not intimidating.

I know that my team had a lot of fun working with the students that day. Between the different sessions we had Sphero competitions between the students and the volunteers and at the end of the day, everyone was able to partake in a Virtual Reality experience. I gotta say, the technology available to students these days is impressive! My team is now asking to get VR equipment - not sure how I justify that!

So, why am I writing about this? A couple of reasons come to mind. 

First, all of us have a responsibility to find a way to help the next generation take their first steps. I'm truly passionate about working with students across middle school, high school and college to show them what opportunities exist and why they should be interested in pursuing careers in technology. I want to share my experiences, as a way to show to others that there is not a large investment of time, and that the rewards far outweigh the time spent volunteering.

Second, I want to encourage my peers to find a way to help students explore these careers. We all know there is a shortage of talented team members in the technology field - I don't care which field, there is a shortage and it is going to get worse before it gets better. We need to find ways to let young women and young men know that they can succeed in this field. If only one of you reads this article and then finds a way to volunteer to help a group of students or an individual student explore technology as a career choice, then I'll call it a success.

Maybe it's your own student, maybe you find a day to volunteer at your local school, maybe you help a group of students compete in a technology challenge. Only you know what you're capable of and what time you have available to help these students. Find a way! Be a part of something bigger than the day to day grind!

If you'd like more information on my background: LinkedIn Profile

Staying Out Of The Weeds!

As a manager, you can’t be successful if you are always injecting yourself into the tactical decisions being made within your team! This is called micro-management and will demoralize your team members and sooner or later, will drive your best team members out of the organization. Turnover is expensive and makes you less effective as a manager.

So why is it we as managers struggle with this? Why do we keep injecting ourselves into decisions that don’t need our input? Don’t read on if you don’t want to look in a mirror.  

One word – fear!

We jump to the conclusion that our assessment of the situation is unique, that only we can solve the problem and that if we don’t provide direction to the team that they will fail. I hate to say this, but if you don’t trust your team to make the tactical decisions, than you’ve hired the wrong people, you’re not mentoring them properly and you’re not providing them a path for success.

Most managers work their way into management by showing success as an individual contributor. When they make the leap into their first leadership position, they continue to think as an individual contributor versus taking responsibility and delivering as a team. Over time, great managers figure out the change and begin to operate differently. Unfortunately, there are some managers that never figure this out and not only harm their own team, but harm the extended team. Ultimately, this can lead to breakdowns  that impact your customers.

So, why do we need to break away from the detail? Shouldn’t we ensure that the team is successfully delivering against the active projects? Well, yes, you need to ensure that the team is delivering against active projects and work, but that doesn’t mean you have to manage the blow by blow of every activity underway within the team. Your primary role as a leader of the team is to remove roadblocks before they impact the team and to act as an escalation point when the team hits a roadblock that they are not able to overcome using standard processes and procedures.

Removing roadblocks before they impact the team - say what? Yes, as the leader of your team, you should be looking at the status information being fed to you and looking at patterns that indicate trouble may be on the way and looking for ways to mitigate those issues. This means you have to correlate the information being fed to you and looking out in front of the team. Sometimes this is listening to the risks and issues being identified by the team, sometimes this is seeing a pattern being reported by multiple sources within the team, sometimes this is listening to folks outside the team that will be impacted by the work product. However you receive the information, it is your job to work ahead of the team and resolve the issue so that they can continue to deliver to the department, the overall organization and your customers - internal and external.

Additionally, when they come to you with an issue that can not be resolved within the team, they are looking to you to pave the way forward. You need to reach outside of the standard silos within your organization and outside the organization to find solutions that allow the team to get back on track and deliver. Sometimes that is going to require you to think outside the box and change the parameters - your job is to find a win, win, win situation. A win for the customer - internal or external - that will rely on the end product from your team, a win for the organization by staying on time, under budget and with the necessary quality constraints, and a win for the team by giving the success they seek.

Nobody on your team consciously wakes up in the morning and makes the decision to fail! These folks are working to make their dreams come true, to care for their families and to make a difference. Your job is to give them the opportunity to succeed.

And I’m not saying, you’ll always succeed at removing the roadblocks. But your team needs to at least see you making the effort to help them find success. They want to know that you’re in it with them.

Being a leader of your team is not easy! But the more your stay in the details and forget about what your team really needs from you, the higher the risks are for their failure and ultimately your failure.

I’ve worked for micro managers. It’s not fun! They prevent success and they drive good people out of an organization. Look in the mirror and ask yourself, what am I doing today that will help my team succeed?

If you'd like more information on my background: LinkedIn Profile

A Little Help From My Friends!

I have been blessed in my life! I'm not a man of physical riches. Yes, I live comfortably and am able to provide for the needs and wants of my family. I grew up in a family that had a lot of love! Even though we live hours apart, we make time to get together at least twice a year - this has grown to include my nieces and nephews, their respective spouses and my great-nieces and nephews. Of course their are disagreements - but at the end of the day, we are family and I'm a better person because of my family.

My mom, dad and brothers and sisters were my first mentors. Being the youngest of six children, I did not lack direction from my elders growing up! While I may have fought against some of this, they taught me right from wrong, they taught me about responsibility, they provided my moral foundation, and, yes, they let me know when I was wrong!

Between high school and college, I had the good fortune to actually work in my dad's business. This was my first office job - having delivered papers and worked in fast food restaurants prior to taking on this role.  My dad showed a lot of patience with me as my attention to detail was not quite where it needed to be in those days. All that said, I learned a lot from working with my dad. His work ethic is impeccable, his fairness to others can not be challenged. My dad has always been my role model - in some ways I'm his clone (ask anyone who knows us), in other ways we are different.  I have never had the patience my father has, but he was the first one to call me out and I've continued to work at this my entire adult life.

Throughout my professional career, I've been fortunate to have people that cared enough to help lift me up and help me to learn things that I did not know. These mentors have made it possible for me to succeed!  They have made me learn lessons that I didn't necessarily know that I needed to learn or was to stubborn to recognize where I may have been making a mistake.

In fact, at one point, I was lucky enough to have 3 mentors at the same time: Beth Gritton, Jim Haddad and Art Christofferson - CIO, COO and CEO of McLeadUSA Publishing during the late 90's and early 00's.  To state that I learned from these individuals would be an understatement.  They never let me doubt that they trusted me, they were never afraid to let me make changes, they actively threw new challenges my way and gave me the support needed to succeed, even when I did make mistakes.

Beth took the time to show me the difference between being a manager and being a leader - lessons I still strive to understand today as I work with my teams. I have a strong tendency to react to what my team members are telling me about situations that need to be resolved and then inserting my view of the solution on them. Beth taught me to slow down and allow individuals to walk me through their issues as they see them, ask them questions and allow them to discover solutions, and support the direction that they want to take. That doesn't mean I sit back and let it all just happen. She also taught me how to understand when those decisions are material and when they are not. Letting people learn on projects and decisions that are not material and ensuring that the right support is in place when a decision is material and can impact the organization.

Beth was never afraid when I disagreed with her and would allow me to challenge her (note: if you're going to challenge your boss, do it behind closed doors and do it respectfully). When I felt I had a different way to tackle an issue, she would let me get my thoughts on the table, she would help poke holes in the solution I was presenting and more times than not, she would let me move forward with the recommendation.

Jim and Art were incredibly valuable as I learned from Beth. They both had open door policies and let me come in and 'chat' at any time. Both always expressed confidence in my abilities and let me know that they respected the skill-set that I brought to the organization. They never once cut a conversation off because they were 'too busy'. They would let me ask any question and they would always answer it - they never hid from the issue. In fact, in one instance I know I went to Jim with an issue that I did not feel I was capable of solving. Jim never hesitated, when I was done explaining the problem, he asked me how much it was going to cost to solve the problem and told me that he had faith that I would resolve it in a way that was a net positive for the organization.

Beth, Jim and Art allowed me to change the way that my teams worked within the organization and in how they supported the rest of the team. They held me accountable, but did so in a way where I was able to flourish, grow and become something greater than I imagined. I will forever be thankful for the experience to work and learn from these individuals - the ultimate mentors! 

If you'd like more information on my background: LinkedIn Profile

Picking your own Path!

I’ve been around the block for a while now.  Later this month I’ll turn 51 – which means I’ve seen all sorts of things during my career.  I’m lucky – I love what I do and I knew I wanted to be in software development very early in my life.  I touched my first keyboard when I was 12 and began programming in Basic on a DEC PDP 11/70.  And if that alone doesn’t date me, my first programs were created on punch cards and teletype terminals – yep a keyboard with green bar paper running through it that would physically type out the commands entered and responses would come back and print on the green bar paper.  The smartphone I have in my pocket has significantly more power than that first computer I used.  My Nana always used to joke that I was going to fry my brain working on those ‘computers’!

I also knew at a young age that I eventually wanted to be in management.  I had grown up watching my dad run various companies – some failed, others were successful.  While I was in high school, my dad started the final company that he would run – it became very successful and provided him with years of enjoyment until he retired several years back.  Exposure to these companies and the environment in which my brothers, sisters and I grew up in made me realize that at some point in my life I wanted to be in a leadership position – I wanted to run the world!  If I had only known then the growth I would need to be in the position that I hold today!

So why am I rambling on about my early career?  Well, at one point, I had several people attempt to convince me not to move from development into a management role.  I was reminded of this recently because someone that I’m acting as mentor to, is having the same experience.

Moving into management is tough for someone who is in a technical role.  I’m not saying it isn’t tough for other professions – it probably is.  That said, I’m speaking from the personal transition I went through.  I was used to being the one in control – at the end of the day, I could look back at the success I’d had that day pounding out the code.  I was good at what I did – I liked the tough technical problems and my managers relied on me to solve problems.  I absolutely enjoyed being a developer – it was fun, I got to solve problems, I got to play with new stuff that nobody had ever seen, I was recognized for being a person that could just get stuff done.

Eventually, I got to the point where I decided I wanted to transition into a management role.  As I began to tell people that management was something that I wanted to try.  I got feedback from all over the place that I should just stay where I was at, to eventually become a lead or an architect.  Many folks had an opinion to share and staying technical seemed to be the theme behind most of the comments.

Well, for me, it came down to what I wanted not what other people wanted for me!  This is important; you can’t let someone else determine your path forward.  If you know what you want to do with your career, then you have to make it happen.  You can blindly sit there and wait for someone to notice you and maybe give you the opportunity, or you can take proactive steps that will get you into the position you want to be in.

I recently sat down with someone who is contemplating making a similar move in their career.  We had previously discussed this “change” in their career and I know that the individual has communicated with their boss about finding a path between their current role and into a management role.  This individual than began to tell me of all the feedback they were getting from all over the place on why they should stay in the role that they are in.

I let this individual pour it all out on the table.  Then I asked them, "who cares what everyone else wants, when you look at yourself, what is it that you ultimately want to do with yourself?"  Now, I fully recognize that this individual is really good in their current role – and I mean really good.  That said, how happy are they going to be in the future if they at least didn't try?  This individual didn't hesitate, looked across the table and said, “I know I’m meant to be a manager!”  My reply, “Then why are you letting other people create doubts about what you can become?”

I have no doubt that this individual will experience some challenges moving out of the role they currently play and into a management role.  I also have no doubt that this individual will be successful in either role.  I also know the people this individual works for will provide the support needed to transition into the new role – they've done it with other folks on the team!

Sometimes you can’t listen to those around you and you need to chart your own course.  Don't be afraid to make a change and when you make the decision - proactively take steps to make it happen!

See more about my life in technology via: http://anidea4today.blogspot.com/

Practicing What We Preach …

This week, I got a small dose of humble pie from our CIO.  I was in his office discussing the difficult time that one of my teams was having filling a key position.  Finding someone is critical to the success of this team and it has been difficult finding candidates that would be able to come in, hit the ground running and make a difference.  We have key criteria for this position, and I’m not willing to budge – this is one of those times where I don’t have the luxury of training someone, I need someone with a specific skillset and experience.

Before everyone goes all crazy on me for speaking out both sides of my mouth, I normally utilize a very aggressive internship program to fill open positions within my team.  It is rare that I hire experienced candidates.  When I do, I am very specific about what I am looking for and I stick to my guns.  I won’t hire someone just for the convenience of filling the role, I will wait until I find a candidate who fits the needs that I have and that be a net positive for the team.  I’ve bent in the past when I felt I just needed to get a body in the door, and it’s a painful experience.

So, then, let’s get back to the story.  I’m sitting in-front of my boss – our CIO – explaining what steps I’ve taken and where we are at in the process.  He’s letting me vent and as we get close to wrapping up this part of the discussion he asks a simple question, ‘Have you considered hiring someone remote?’

Whack – right to the center of the forehead!  Ok, so you need to understand for the last several years, I’ve been the most vocal proponent inside the organization to allow our team members to work remotely.  We have successfully introduced it into my teams and this has slowly crept into a couple of other areas of the company.  This has been allowed in a very limited fashion, but has proved to be successful enough that a key member of our team moved to another state and organizationally, nobody questioned his ability to continue working for us when he asked if he could do so prior to moving.

Additionally, via an acquisition several years back, one of my teams is split geographically with the manager located at our main facility with half of his team and the other half all working in disparate locations across the southern US.

So there I am the biggest proponent of getting people to work remotely sitting there in front of my boss looking like a fool! Organizationally, we are ready to expand this program.  In fact our COO has recently spoken about the need to show flexibility in where our teams are located.

What could I say, but, ‘You’re right! I guess it’s time for me to step up to the plate and take the next step and push this program forward!’

As leaders within an organization, we have to remember the things that we are fighting for and when given the chance, we need to implement those changes into the organization.  Our bosses expect it of us and we expect it of the people that report up through us – we need to remember, the same rules apply to us.

If you'd like more information on my background: LinkedIn Profile

It's NOT all about you, it's about the Team!

I'm not a success without the people on my team!  Flat and simple - if they aren't succeeding, then I'm failing.  As a leader inside the organization, it's one of my responsibilities to look out for the needs of my team and find ways to make them successful.  I can't guarantee them success every time, but I need to find ways for them to succeed more than they fail and within their failure, I need to recognize that I own some of that failure.

I've seen people that have been great contributors on the team suddenly put themselves in a position where they look like they are going to hit the wall.  I've had to step in-front of them and prevent the smash up that is about to occur.  Sometimes these discussions can be difficult, because they don't want to admit that they are about to fail.  Sometimes there is a look of pure relief on their face when someone steps in and says - hey, I'm here to help.

One of the first projects I worked on after becoming a manager was a fairly mundane project needed within the organization - there were several pieces of the software being developed and one of the pieces was being held up because there was nobody else to work the issue.  I made the decision that I would jump in and work the issue myself.  At this point, my boss asked me why I was working on the code.  I explained to him my logic and he began to ask questions:

• If  you're working on the code - who's going to keep track of all the pieces that are moving within this effort and make sure overall we're on target?
• If you're working on the code - who are your engineers going to escalate the issue to when there's a problem and how will you manage those issues?
• If you're working on the code - who's going to keep myself and the rest of that management team aware of the status, issues, risks and plans?

There were several other questions - but you get the general sense of the conversation,  I was young and eager and for every question he had, I had an answer, me!  My manager made it clear to me that this was not the right answer and that I was going to end up hitting the wall.  I assured him, that I would be able to handle all of it and went on my merry way.

Soon, I began to trip up on myself - at first it was missing a status report here and there, not escalating an issue that needed to be escalated.  Then the impacts grew - I wasn't paying attention to all of the different moving parts and coordinating the delivery.  I hit the wall.  My boss looked me in the eye and asked me what I was going to do to clean it up.  I had failed!  Luckily, he reached out and helped clean up the mess and get the project back on track.  But what he taught me happened after all the pieces had been put back together and the project was again running forward.  He sat me down, told me that this time he had allowed me to fail and had helped me out so that I could learn what not to do going forward!  The next time this happened, if I let it happen, I would need to clean up the mess by myself.

Where to start?  First I learned as a manager, it's tough to be the one in the details and still be the one coordinating everything else that needs to be done.  Two, I learned that sometimes it's alright to let people fail.  Three, I learned that when somebody does fail, you have to be there to pick them up and help them get back on track - give them the ability to learn.

Now in some instances - the failures begin to outweigh the successes and you come to the moment of truth.  Is there a way that I can make this person successful, or have they proven that they are incapable of performing within the role that they've been hired for - a difficult decision.

As leaders - either formal supervisors/managers or informal project managers - it's not enough just to do the tactical parts of the job.  It's essential that we work work with the people we touch in the organization and help lift them up.  Only if we truly give them the tools and skills they need to perform their role and prepare them for more difficult responsibilities in their future, will we reap the rewards and succeed within our own role.

If you'd like more information on my background: LinkedIn Profile

Dysfunction within the Team - Breaking down the barriers!

Sometimes I'm left surprised when an issue hits my desk and I begin to work backwards to find out what happened.  In too many instances, I can trace it back to follow-through.  Someone in the organization knew something, or was assigned to do something and for some reason forgot.  What's even more irritating is when I'm the guilty party!

Recently, I was rightfully called out by one of my peers for not communicating a decision impacting a critical project out through the organization.  She had every right to call me out on the lack of communication.  It was my error and I could do nothing but agree with her and acknowledge the failure.  I like to pride myself on the fact that have strong communication skills and working relationships with my peers, and so I take this one personally.  There are many excuses that I could use - I'm too busy as we move several key projects into production ahead of our year end production freeze; the Project Manager should have communicated that out to the team.  Ultimately, I made the decision and I had the responsibility to communicate the decision across the organization - especially when that decision was going to put pressure on other teams across the organization.

This is not unique to myself.  As I began to explore at the beginning of this post, too often I look at the root cause of an issue and it all goes back to someone knew and didn't think to share that knowledge.

I recognize that some of this is human nature.  In the heat of the moment, decisions will be made that we believe will move the process forward and get the entire organization closer to the end goal.  While that may be the case - follow-up is critical.  Let's face it, we've all sat on the receiving end of some decision that made our lives miserable.  We've had to deal with the fallout when that information comes at the last minute.  I will be the first one to step up and call someone out when they do that to myself or one of my teams - it's only fair that I take the feedback when I'm the one causing the problem.

To allow this type of honest feedback - you need to be willing to trust the teams you work with on a daily basis:

1. Your direct reports
2. Your peers within your supervisors team
3. Your peers across the organization with whom you deal with on a daily basis

One of the best books that I've read on this topic was written by Patrick Lencioni, "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team".

This book leads you through a scenario of how a group of individuals that didn't work or trust each other was transformed into a highly functional team.

I was first introduced to this book, by my current boss - our CIO.  It was the first thing that he wanted me to read after I was hired.  In fact, he sent it to me before I even officially started.  It is now one of my favorite books.  I in turn have required all of my direct reports to read the book.  I encourage my team to be honest with each other and to hold each other accountable in their daily interactions.

We have been hired for a purpose.  We are here to make a difference, to move the ball forward.  That means holding ourselves and others accountable for the deliverables that people throughout the organization rely on so that they can do their job.  We must open ourselves up to others, understand the story that is driving their actions and be prepared to receive open and honest feedback when we fail to live up to our commitments.

Don't get me wrong - this isn't a directive for you to walk around the building pointing fingers at people and telling them they're not doing the job - chances are if you did you'd have a line of people at your desk telling you that you didn't do your job.  What you should do is be willing to engage in a positive open communication.  Explain what you are seeing - you may not have a full understanding of the situation and be prepared to change the direction of the conversation based on what you hear.  If the person truly is responsible for failing to deliver, than it's up to you to find a positive way to work with the person and manage the situation.  Help them help you!

If you'd like more information on my background: LinkedIn Profile

Leadership - Getting Beyond Management!

Are you managing or are you leading?  The two are very different and if you're not leading, you shouldn't be a manager!

Managing is handling the tactical day to day activity within a group of people.  Ensuring that milestones are hit, coordinating activity between your team and other teams, reporting progress, etc.  In short the manager maintains the status quo - acting within the defined processes to keep the business moving.  They manager accomplishes activity due to their authority.

Leading means changing the dynamics to get the best from the processes and people.  A leader inspires the people around them to effect change.  They can establish a vision and know how to tap into individual team members to get them to see the vision and how they can contribute to the overall vision.  Leaders instinctively know what motivates an individual within the team and can appeal to that individual to use their strengths to close the gap between today and where the leader wants to be tomorrow.  Leaders are focused on the longer term vision.

I freely admit that there are moments in time where I must manage - stepping out of my normal role and acting in a more tactical fashion to help the team push something across the finish line.  This isn't a bad thing, and to be quite honest I think as a leader sometimes you need to do this to ensure that you understand what is really happening within your teams.  I also, sometimes by choice, make the decision to drop into meetings I normally would not attend - project status meetings, implementations, integration test sessions.  Not only do I get the benefit of getting to know some of the team members I would otherwise not interact with on a regular basis, but it also gives me a temperature of what is really happening within various projects.

However, my daily focus is, and should be, at a different level within the organization.  My job is to look ahead of the teams and remove roadblocks.  Understand processes that are not working and change those processes.  Identify when changes in the business may require organizational changes within the teams that I manage.  Identify opportunities within the industry and find ways to get ahead of our competitors.  Find ways in which we can change that will improve the experience of our customers.  Working with our Human Resources team to build pipelines to talent pools so that we can fill vacancies or know where we need to go to find resources when we expand our teams.  It's also my responsibility to look beyond the tactical needs of the organization and create the vision for my part of the organization.  Where do we need to be and what and how do I change things to get us there - then driving that vision down and through my organization.

When I first moved into a management role -- I figured my job was to be the tactical expert.  Help my individual team members get stuff done.  Now as a Vice President, I still need to be in tune with my team members and help them get stuff done, but along the way, I've learned being a manager/leader is so much more.

I want my managers to be leaders within their teams and within the organization - no, they don't necessarily have the influence that I have to effect change, but they can lead and drive change within their teams and the processes they interact with/manage:

1. Managers are the closest link to individual Team Members.  They need to be driving the growth of each team member.  One of the mantras that I have within my teams is that you can't get promoted to the next level until your doing the job of the role you want.  In other words, if you want to move from a Software Engineer I to a Software Engineer II, you must demonstrate you can perform the duties of that new role.  It is the Managers job to establish a growth plan with the individual Team Member and guide them/mentor them so that they can see that promotion.  I ask each of the managers within my team to establish individual learning plans with each team member and constantly work those plans with the team member.
2. Managers see the reality of the process works versus the theoretical process that was defined.  I encourage each of my managers and direct reports to constantly provide feedback on what is working and what isn't and most importantly, if they think it is broken, how do we change the process to make it work better.  Even better, if they are working a project and want to try a new way of doing something, let's talk, give it a whirl and see if it gains us anything.
3. Managers are the actual touch points between their department and other departments, I expect them to drive the relationship and identify how to improve communications between not only the departments within my organization, but departments reporting up through my peers.  It is an expectation that they act as a role model to their team members in showing that we can establish positive working relationships between departments - that doesn't mean we always agree, but that we find a way to move the conversation forward in a professional and positive way.

This isn't meant to be an exhaustive tale of how I see my management team playing within their roles, more of a prime to get people to see that they can play more than a tactical role.
 
I once had one of my bosses tell me, "I don't know what it is you do, and quite frankly I don't have the time to figure it out.  When you need something, tell me who I need to talk to and what I need to say."  Was this the worst person I 've worked for, no.   Did I have any respect for this person, no.  While he had the title of Director, he didn't mange, nor did he lead his organization.  He came in in the morning and sat behind a closed door - rarely interacting with any of us.  Luckily, he was gone within 6 months - the company had seen fit to move him into a different role.  I left the organization shortly after that, but have never forgotten those words.

Are you being a leader for our teams?  Are you setting the table and letting people within your organization lead where they can?

If you'd like more information on my background: LinkedIn Profile

On-Boarding - Skip at your own peril!

Once you’ve place that offer out there and the candidate of your dreams has said yes, it’s time to make sure that you smooth their way on board.  You can either let it happen, or you can MAKE IT HAPPEN!

Through previous postings, you’ve probably divined that I’m all about process and on-boarding a new team member demands your attention.  This is the opportunity to show your new team member that you care about them and you want to ensure that they have a comfortable entry into the team.

Most people, no matter how experienced are going to feel some level of discomfort as they take on a new role.  There are new people, unfamiliar places, processes that they’ve become comfortable with will need to be thrown out, the path to get decisions made will change, and the politics of the new place are unknown.  This can make for a very uncomfortable period and can ultimately make the difference of the new team member staying with your organization or fleeing back to somewhere where they are comfortable.  I’ve seen it happen – someone comes in and a few months later is gone.  When you ask why, they say, ‘I just never felt like I fit in’.

First – make sure you’ve sold the job that exists!  If you want someone to run screaming from the building, hire them based on some fantasy version of the job and then stick them with reality.  Not only will you burn bridges with that person, but they’ll tell everyone they know what a horrible place your business is and how incompetent you are.

Next – once they’ve said yes, welcome them to the team.  Follow up the official call with another call a couple of days later, congratulate them on taking up the new role and let them know you’ve already begun planning their first few days in the office.  You can tell them that the team knows about their coming on board and that the team is excited and is looking forward to meeting them.

Now comes the real work – actually build an on-boarding plan for the individual.  This plan should include the following and cover the first couple of weeks:

1. Key contacts for this person and their contact information.
2. Time to tour the facilities and show them where they’ll be spending most of their time.
3. Introductions to fellow team members.
4. Introductions to key contacts.
5. Introduction to your boss.
6. Setup meetings for 1-on-1 time with key people they will work with.
7. Setup meetings for 1-on-1 time with yourself (their manager).
1. These should be daily – initially set for an hour so that you can bring them up to speed on the role that they’ll be playing, then as time goes on these meetings can be shorter, just a touch base to answer questions about people they are meeting, processes they are unfamiliar with, etc.
8. Setup time for training
1. HR training
2. Department training
3. Job specific training
9. Time to show them where they can find key information on your intranet
1. Team documentation
2. Team standards and processes
3. Company information you feel is important
4. Standard training material if available
10. Any other items that are critical to your environment and team

I’ve never been told by a team member that the on-boarding process was not welcome.  Early in my career, when working at other companies, I had been told that the lack of an on-boarding plan made the team member uncomfortable.  Well, lessons learned.  I hadn’t been shown then and didn’t know what a proper on-boarding plan was and what it could do for the new team member.  I took time to learn and over the years have been involved with companies that were good and companies that were bad at on-boarding new team members.  

When done right, I’ve even had employees compliment me on the on-boarding process.

If you'd like more information on my background: LinkedIn Profile

Find a Mentor ... Be a Mentor!

Maybe you're in your first job, maybe you're at the pinnacle of your career, it doesn't matter, all of us need a mentor and those of us that are moving up the ladder need to lend a helping hand to those on their way up!

You ask yourself, why do I need mentor? Well, let's be frank - you don't know it all. If you're new in your role, or have been in your role 15 years, there is someone you can learn from. Maybe you've noticed someone within your organization that you respect. Maybe you've been introduced to someone outside the company that you feel you could learn from.

Before you make any moves, sit down and figure out what it is you are expecting from a mentor. What is it that you want to learn from them?

Next, find an issue that you're dealing with that addresses the above question. When you have a situation at hand, open up the conversation by letting the person know that you've been watching the way that they handle themselves and really respect their abilities. Then ask if they wouldn't mind giving you some advice on a specific situation. Once you've broken the ice and started developing a relationship with the person, ask them if they would be open to providing you career advice on a regular basis. Let them know up front that you don't want to eat up a lot of their time, that you understand that they are successful and you are willing to minimize the time spent together to get this advice.

When you're having this discussion make sure that the person your approaching is relaxed. Don't approach this conversation when you know they've just gotten through a tough meeting or had a rotten week at the office.

Now let's flip this around! Those of you that have started moving up the ladder, when's the last time that you intentionally found someone to help take their next step? If you don't take the time to help the next person up, how does the organization find the next talented person when it's needed? Part of the human experience is sharing knowledge! I'm sure each of us have seen someone struggling as they try to figure out which path moves them forward. Remember when you felt that way and someone put a guiding hand on your shoulder and opened the door for you. Now is your time to return the favor.

Look at the people that you meet with on a regular basis. Is there someone that you recognize has the potential to be something bigger? Introduce yourself, if you haven't already. Let them know that you see something bigger in their future, that they have the potential to grow and that your willing to help them. If you see a project that they are struggling with - give them some free advice on what they might do next. If you see them struggling with certain conversations - tell them how you might approach the situation.

Now, I'll let you in on a little secret - I found my mentor by accident and found myself being mentored without realizing it at first! I had actually been in management for a while and thought I was all that, I was comfortable and having fun. What I didn't realize is that my personality was causing some of the pain that I felt in my role. I'm a Driver by nature - I see a problem and I begin attacking it to solve the issue. I can be very vocal and sometimes in my communication I can be blunt. I immediately head for the goal posts and will drag everyone across the line to get the problem solved.

My mentor also happened to be my boss. Without realizing it at the time, she was coaching me on understanding how to recognize what made other people tick and how to change my approach to working with people. She would take me to meetings I didn't necessarily need to be in, just so I could see how she was handling certain situations. She never formally told me what she was doing, it was only after some time that I figured out she was 'teaching me'.

During this time, the organization began training all of the supervisors and managers, taking them through a Working Styles course. It was during this class that I realized what she had been doing with me since I had started reporting to her. My mentor worked with me a lot outside of that class to help me break some bad habits, how to improve my chance of having a successful exchange of ideas with others. I won't say I'm an expert at it, but I'm a lot better at it today than in the past. 

If you'd like more information on my background: LinkedIn Profile