Are you able to accept "no" for an answer

It's Project Review day at the office. You are sitting in a conference room surrounded by the Project Manager, a few of the technical leads, the Marketing VP/Director, HW/SW Directors and a few others. Your purpose of the meeting is to discuss the project status. The project has been running behind, and you are looking for commitments by the Project Manager and team to keep the release date in tact, and even accelerate it. There's a lot of pressure from Sales to get this out the door. It's quite simple, really. You are merely looking for the words "Yes, we can do that".

Over the course of the next hour you get agitated, angry and bewildered at the number of excuses why the project is late. You stress the importance of meeting this commitment, how company revenues depend on it, and the teams' reputation is at stake. Finally, you hear the magic words, "ok, we'll get it done". You leave the meeting not entirely satisfied. It was more of a battle than you anticipated. But you feel good you eventually managed them to see it your way. Now you can concentrate on another fire in your to-do list.

Many of you leading development teams probably faced this situation numerous times. In the end, did the project conclude as you expected ? There's a plethora of dynamics happening here. Let's briefly look at both sides of the table - What you want to hear, and what the Project Manager (and team) want to say.

First you - A good leader, mentor, coach and of course the executive responsible for the projects success. You challenge your team to meet goals, motivate them to perform above expectations, stress the importance of customer commitment and satisfaction. In this environment, it is imperative to push the right buttons. So, what happens when your Project Manager responds with "no", or the many variations of "no"; "That will be a challenge", "I'm not sure we can make up that amount of time", "Are you kidding"?

Here's the key - your first reaction will set the tone for the remainder of the discussion. At this pivotal moment you will set the tone in one of two ways;

1. an atmosphere to tell the boss what he wants to hear; or
   
2. an atmosphere to solve the problem together
   

Which would you rather have? If you picked number 1, you can stop reading !

But, if you would rather solve the problem, use the collective skills of your team to determine the best course of action, analyze what the core issues are and attack those, then consider yourself a better leader than you thought. Your job at this moment is to ask great questions, listen, analyze. Trust me, the Project Manager wants to meet the commitment just as much as you do. But it's up to you to lead the way. And, of equal importance, for you to acknowledge the problems and challenges in attaining that goal.

Now, here's what' transpiring from the other side of the table. Rick Brenner has written a great essay; Saying "No": A Tutorial for Project Managers. He analyzes why people would rather say yes to something they inherently believe is "mission impossible" - Fear of losing their job, being passed over for a promotion, etc. The bottom line is that fear, and an environment of retribution, forces a culture of "yes men". I hope you would agree this is not good for the team, you or the company.

Executives create culture. How we act, talk and respond to these situations is a legacy carried forward and inherited by the workforce. Give some careful thought today on the legacy you have left behind in that meeting room.

Use the power of "no" to your advantage; use it as the catalyst to solving the problem. This may not get you the release date you were after, or all of the features, but you will be creating stronger teams that believe in you as the leader. And that results in a workforce willing to go the extra mile. And those are the teams that accomplish great things.

\Mike

Making Executive Decisions

"Informed decision-making comes from a long tradition of guessing and then blaming others for inadequate results. " - Scott Adams


Everyone makes a decision, everyday, 24x7. I told my wife the other day we were not going to an affair that we had been invited to. (My reasoning is outside the scope of this discussion -:). But, I made the "executive" decision, and that was that ! Well, until the topic gets revisited and the discussion re-opened. We employ an Iterative Decision Process. We can revisit the decision, but only if new and relevant information can be presented that could significantly change course. (Think of it as "Appellate Court" )

Now, suppose we used an Iterative Decision Process to our businesses? In fact, some already do, and may not realize it. For years we have learned and read about decision processes; you know them; Decision Trees, Consensus, MultiVoting, etc. And for years, we've read about corporations that wallow in a decision, take too long, and miss an important market opportunity or critical strategy or major architecture decision. Why is that? What prevents very smart leaders from finalizing important decisions? What is so difficult to weigh the facts, look at the alternatives, and pick one ? Far too often executive management falls prey to analysis paralysis. Having experienced this phenomenon first hand, it is stressful, emotionally draining and for the most part, completely unnecessary! Research has shown that " smart people don’t automatically make good decisions,” said Eric Johnson, a professor at the Columbia Business School". It is a skill that can be learned and fined tuned.

Governments are notorious for indecisiveness. Call together a group of politically motivated people and the outcome is predictable. Cities and towns will debate issues for months to the detriment of its constituents. An elongated conclusion most certainly has an effect on the people waiting for the answer. How good is that?

And that led me to wonder how politically motivated we are with our leadership teams within the corporate environment? Do you find your executive meetings filled with colleagues attempting to honestly solve issues, or, if you listen closely to the words is there some other agenda at heart? Think of the last set of meetings you were involved with that fit this profile, and now ask what you could have done better to break the pattern.

As a leader, keep in mind the effect of indecisiveness on the employee population. Being a leader carries the responsibility of quick, accurate decision making. The more belabored the process, the more significant an increase in employee anxiety is sure to result. And we can all agree that today's world is filled with enough anxiety already. When your team is waiting for the answer; ...what's our next goal? Are we going to build that next gen product? ....remember that sluggish behavior on the part of the leadership team is a sure fire way to demotivate and create a stressful atmosphere.

I am by no means suggesting that the executive issues you face are trivial. I certainly advocate that items are thoughtfully weighed with proper analysis. Here's one suggestion though; Put a time-box around these decisions. Give it a time limit of say 2 weeks, 1 month; whatever seems doable but aggressive. And communicate that to those waiting for the results. Next, take it as your personal commitment to meet that time frame. Get your fellow executives to do the same. Keep the rhetoric low, the conversations on track, and keep the ball moving forward.

Follow the motto; The worst decision you make is to not make a decision at all.

\Mike

Top 100 Leadership Blogs

I occasionally run across sites that I perceive worth forwarding on to my readers. In this case, I discovered a blog listing the top 100 Leadership blogs. I have been scanning some of them and find the information quite good. They are not limited to corporate leadership. The 100 list also includes Religious leadership sites, Youth Leadership, Community Leadership and Female Leadership blogs.

This particular blog is embedded in the Web Site www.bestuniversities.com. So in addition to scanning the 100 leadership blogs, you can also research online universities and what they have to offer !

Enjoy!

http://www.bestuniversities.com/blog/2009/top-100-leadership-blogs/

How to avoid long e-mail threads

We've all been there before. A discussion is started or a question asked and you're either on the "To:" list or the "CC:" list. Somewhere along the way, 5 or 10 replies deep, you realize there has been no solution, no decision, no end in sight. Apart from the frustration of not reaching a conclusion, you should ask yourself when is it time for written communications to transition into verbal.

I generally use the rule of 3; An e-mail volley tossed back and forth 3 times indicates this topic will not be concluded as it should. It's easy to see why. A question is asked, someone responds with an answer which spawns another question resulting in further clarifications. And very quickly the thread spirals. At this point, a simple statement is needed asking for a face to face discussion (or via phone if appropriate) in order to finalize the topic. A 10 minute group discussion can resolve most of these situations avoiding unnecessary e-mail traffic and burden.

With the number of mails crossing my inbox on a daily basis, I look for any opportunity to reduce the volume. Of course, the most obvious benefit to halting a lengthy email thread is efficiency and productivity.

So next time, try the rule of 3 when you are involved in a lengthy e-mail discussion.

\Mike

Executive Presence

The other day I attended the monthly meeting of the local ExecuNet group. It is a group of executives that meet monthly with the purpose of making introductions, helping each other with career search activities, and an opportunity to listen to key note speakers on a variety of topics.

Our speaker, Paula Lyons from Bates Communications, inspired us with a great presentation on Executive Presence. I thought it worth repeating some of the main points , but I encourage you to read here for more in depth articles.

Executive Presence
It's an undeniable feeling and look about an individual that commands us to pay attention and take notice. Anyone can learn the techniques to harness this magic. But it takes work and effort, and a conscious willingness to change.

According to Bates Communication, the 7 elements of executive presence you need to be aware of include;

1. "Substance - Whether in verbal or written communication, make sure your message and language are clear, concise, interesting, informative and intelligent.


2. Personal Style - Your wardrobe and grooming speaks volumes about your leadership presence. Make sure you dress in a polished, appropriate manner and set the standard for your organization.


3. Physical Presence - If you've ever received bad news from someone who is smiling, you know how important body language and facial expressions are to clear communications. Align your non-verbal and verbal messages, and be sure to demonstrate energy, vitality, confidence and ease.


4. Vocal Skill - Like body language, the way you use your voice will dramatically impact interpretation of your meaning. Control the way others receive your message through tone, pace, volume and inflection. Maintain a clear, pleasant, expressive and confident tone.


5. Manners/Etiquette - Have you ever noticed how great leaders seem to demonstrate elegance, finesse and ease regardless of the challenges they deal with? They understand the rules of business etiquette, and they respect those rules. They are gracious, grateful, generous and thoughtful.


6. Listen, listen and listen more - Be receptive to new information, listen attentively and make yourself available. Encourage expression by engaging when others speak and listening without judgment.


7. Workspace - Consider the impact of your own personal space - if you're suit is custom tailored, your car is a fine European model, but your desk is a cluttered mess, what will be remembered most? Your building, office and desk should be clean, organized, pleasant and inviting, reflecting your professionalism. "

I can think of many powerful and respected personalities that exhibit all of these traits. Herein lies a "simple" road map to get you motivated to be a memorable presence to those around you.

Good Luck!
\Mike

Public Speaking

Let me set the record straight. I am not a professional public speaker, I do not write books or teach public speaking classes. I can honestly say that I have not taken a public speaking class in the last 25+ years since graduating from college (shame on me! )

Having said that, I know when I am listening to a BAD speaker. And I'm sure you do to. Whether at conferences, your company events, other engagements. There are those of us that feel comfortable and natural in front of an audience, and those that don't. If you are at any level of management, not just the Director and above, this is an absolute must have skill.

Think about the last time you spoke in front of a large group. If you were in the audience, what would say about your talk? Engaging, animated, mono-tone, hands flying all over the place, pacing like a nervous mouse ?

All I can tell you, is there is a wealth of great information. For example, I found this great blog site by Andrew Dlugan;
http://sixminutes.dlugan.com/. You can also follow him on Twitter @6minutes.

Trust me, there is nothing worse listening to an "expert" speaker or presenter that is unable to keep his/her audience interested and involved. I have been known to address such presenters quietly after a speech and provide constructive feedback.

If you ever listen to me, I would ask you do the same. One should always be willing to make changes and take criticism.

\Mike

Planning the Plan

Which is more important to you; having a plan, or going through the planning process?

I have recently taken on the role of championing some development process changes in my Software organization. Among them, I have started to get the team going on Agile Methodologies. In the learning process, I analyzed the many obvious differences between the typical "waterfall" style versus Agile. After completing Mike Cohn's book Agile Planning & Estimating, I was struck by the magnitude of what I would be up against in our current Project Management culture. Amongst the hurdles that would be faced, we needed a shift to focus on making the plan with the iterative and constant re-planning Agile demands.

Admittedly we have been trained to demand a good plan. And why not? Without a plan how could we possibly make informed decisions? What are the release dates, how will you get it done, show me the Ganntt chart.....ok, go do it and stay on track. Subsequently, several months later, as progress is tracked against the committed plan, we find ourselves upset, angry, disappointed that the team could not adhere to the plan. How could this be?, you ask. We had a plan, didn't we? This is where you can soul search your current product life cycle and see if Agile can fit.

Now don't get me wrong, I do not for a minute think that Agile (ie; Scrum in this case) is the panacea for the woes of the development process. Like all else in life, everything in moderation ! There is certainly a time and place for many methods to co-exist in product development. But, there are some interesting changes that you can make in corporate culture that transcend traditional methods. I personally found that Agile would provide a much needed ingredient to our product delivery problems.

By focusing on how the project is planned rather than what the plan will be, I think you will discover a new road getting to the same destination.

\Mike