Lesson From Iraq and Andy Grove
Monday, October 29, 2007
Filling The Void
Can workers fill a management void?
Newscasts and newspaper articles this week tell of tremendous strides in Fallujah, Iraq. What was once one of the most hotly contested and dangerous areas of Iraq is now a model of peaceful collaboration. The Shiites and Sunnis have set aside their differences to create one of the safest cities in Iraq. A half a world away, many of us wonder "What took so long?"
Andy Grove, former CEO of Intel, in his book, Only the Paranoid Survive, says "The process of adapting to change starts with employees who, through their daily work, adjust to the new outside forces...Meanwhile, we senior managers, were trapped in the inertia of our previous success." I'm sure that the Intel workers Mr. Grove describes wondered "What's taking senior management so long?"
The short answer is perception. Those in leadership roles view themselves as change agents. Those in follower roles look to the change agents for guidance. Followers also tend to work within the existing organizational structure to effect change. These tendencies slow the process of change and, in some instances, result in the organization's demise.
Only when it becomes obvious to workers that senior leadership can't make the necessary shift do workers take action to assure the survival of the organization. That's what's happening in Fallujah. The national Parliament's inertia is being replaced with local initiative.
It's counter-intuitive, but changing our definition of leadership can identify and fill leadership voids more quickly. In my work with high school students, I offer an alternative view of leadership. I tell them that during their lives there are times when they'll:
- lead because they possess the skills necessary to get the job done
- follow because others possess the needed skills
- lead because no one else will
That's what we're seeing in Fallujah; people taking the lead because their "leaders" are not. Congratulations to the people of Fallujah for their wisdom and courage. They offer a viable success model for other cities in Iraq and for us. Please share stories where you've seen middle management save the day by posting a comment or emailing me at dale@furtwengler.comTechnorati Profile
What's Missing In Corporate Training?
Monday, October 22, 2007
What should the goal of training be?How does the goal affect what we measure?For years, corporate trainers (and many in academia) viewed education as information transfer. Give people the knowledge they need and let them run with it.
Then trainers realized that knowledge alone wasn't enough; if people couldn't translate the information into new skills, the training had little value. Measurements were put into place to assure that the trainee had, indeed, developed the skill.
Disappointment surfaced again when trainers realized that possessing skills didn't necessarily result in their use. Many people, upon return to their normal work environment, would revert to old habits. Why? The stress of their everyday workload coupled with lack of managerial support often caused trainees to return to old habits - even when they'd used the training successfully.
If none of these approaches to training have achieved the desired goal, what should the purpose of training be? How should we measure its effectiveness? How do we create a lasting effect?
My experience has been that training has a lasting impact when it builds confidence. One of my training programs, Accounting and Finance for Non-financial Managers, places me in front of people to whom finance is a foreign language. I tell them quite candidly that there is no way, in the 16-18 hours we'll spend together, that I can possibly cover every financial situation they may encounter. I can, however, help them develop the confidence they need to ask questions about the financial information they receive and to evaluate the answers they're given. I teach them to think.
What's the value of teaching people to think? It equips them with the confidence to address situations that they haven't anticipated. With increased confidence comes improved performance. If you're looking for something to measure, evaluate the trainees confidence in performing given tasks prior to training, then again at regular intervals for at least a year.
It's counter-intuitive, but the real goal of any form of education should be to build confidence. Please share a training experience that enhanced your success. Either post a comment or email me at dale@furtwengler.com.
What Do Golf And Sales Have In Common?
Monday, October 15, 2007
More than just a nice environment
A way to recover from missed opportunities
All great golfers will tell you that they don't worry about hitting a bad shot. Why? They know how to recover. The same should be true for sales professionals. It's inevitable that we'll make mistakes in sales calls, the key is having a way to recover.
Recently I made the mistake of not quantifying the value of my services before I quoted a price. I could read the sticker shock on my the prospect's face. For whatever reason, my mind wasn't functioning well and I didn't have an effective way to deal with my mistake in the meeting. What did I do? I bought time.
I offered to put together a summary of our discussion for the prospect. Actually I created a proposal. In the proposal I asked the value questions I should have posed in the sales call. In follow up discussions the prospect admitted sticker shock, but said that after evaluating the benefits he felt the price was fair.
It's counter-intuitive, but you can recover from mistakes in your sales call by buying time. Offering to get back to the prospect with a summary or proposal will allow you to identify and rectify the mistake you made in the call.
Please share your recovery techniques with our readers. You can post a comment or send me an email at dale@furtwengler.com.
Realtors Tackle Subprime Problem
Monday, October 08, 2007
When does a positive marketing message have its greatest impact?
During times of stress.
Kudos to the National Association of Realtors for their new advertising campaign. With all of the fallout of the subprime debacle, the uncertainty its brought to all markets and the fear its engendered in consumers, the Realtors have tackled the problem head on.
If you haven't seen the ad, the Realtors organization remind consumers that low interest rates and bargain prices on homes make this the time to buy. The ad is a low pressure marketing pitch that simply states the facts and allows home buyers an opportunity to feel how great an opportunity this is. Even the references to Realtors' professionalism and the benefits they offer is low key.
It's counter-intuitive, but when gloom and doom prevail, you want to become the calm, cool, collected voice of reason. Your message will be invaluable to the markets you serve as well as to your business.
Let our readers know which marketing messages impress you. Post it as a comment or send the example to me at dale@furtwengler.com.
Moral Politics, An Oxymoron?
Monday, October 01, 2007
Despite the mudslinging, not as much as you might think.A clarification of political motivation - yours and mine.My freshman year in college a rhetoric professor had us write on any controversial topic of our choice. A week later he had us write the opposing argument. I have not had my thinking challenged in that way again until I read George Lakoff's, Moral Politics http://www.rockridgeinstitute.org/people/lakoff.Mr. Lakoff offers valuable insights into how liberals and conservatives think and how they reach the conclusions they do. Indeed, he suggests that the differences between conservatives and liberals are based on their metaphorical definitions of morality. I won't steal Mr. Lakoff's thunder, but the examples he proffers add legitmacy to his claims.This work has implications well beyond the political arena. The moral metaphors Mr. Lakoff offers can help us understand the leadership styles of various managers within our organizations as well as the reactions employees have to those styles. These insights into our view of morality can be used to help us develop more effective hiring and retention practices to match our view of morality.It's counter-intuitive, but our view of morality shapes our dealings with customers, vendors and employees. With the early arrival of the presidential campaigns, I hope that you'll invest a little time reading Moral Politics. It's afforded me great insight, both into my political beliefs and my approach to business.If you've read something recently that you feel is counter-intuitive, please share that reference with me at dale@furtwengler.com.
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