The Art of the Highly Effective Leader

Are you a leader? Whether you're an executive or an entry-level employee, leadership is a truly essential skill that can propel you and your career to bigger, better things. That holds true for both leaders of large teams and self-employed people who are guiding a team of one.

What are three habits a competent leader practices regularly?

The first habit is asking different questions. This is about expanding your curiosity. The second habit is taking multiple perspectives. This habit is about listening well and understanding the perspectives of others. The third habit is looking at systems, and that one reminds us that while the human brain likes to break things down into manageable parts, it is the unwieldy combination of those unmanageable systems that opens us up to new possibilities.

Do even the best leaders make mistakes?

Yes. They'll get mad and make mistakes and hurt people. And sometimes they won't even recognize that they've done that. But the best leaders never stop learning, never become so arrogant or complacent that they stop believing they have room to grow. They never become so hopeless or discouraged that they believe it's not worth the effort. John F. Kennedy wrote "leadership and learning are indispensable to each other." The good leaders never forget this.

What else separates great leaders from everyone else?

They create environments where people can be at their biggest. We all have the experience of people who make us smaller and less capable versus those who make us more capable in their presence than we are without them. Good leaders remember that their perspective isn't the only truth, and they welcome entire human beings into the workplace -- inconvenient emotions, vague hunches, thoughtless mistakes and all. When people see us in our messy wholeness, we can spread out and become bigger.

If I want to become more of a leader today, how should I start?

The most important thing; Believe that you can change and begin to look for the ways you might need to by asking for feedback from others. Forgive yourself for your limitations (rather than denying them or beating yourself up about them), and then seek to grow beyond the way you understand the world today.

Business Etiquette and Conduct

I stand up when a lady arrives at or leaves a table. I know, that is nostalgic and even possibly risky, as it might be perceived as sexist. However, it is one of a set of manners I was taught as a child that I still follow. Holding doors, taking hats off indoors, pulling out chairs and lowering voices all seem to be quaint throwback ideas that are dying rapid and unceremonious deaths.

Because of diversity training, political correctness and the changing mores of society, I think the clarity of what are considered to be "good manners" has become murky. The basic guideline of "treat others as you would wish to be treated" is less of the clear path to follow as individualism changes the interpretation.

Manners are still important and can be differentiating, often times in the negative. When you make a mistake, it sticks out and is memorable. For that reason, there are certain things that you must get right.

1. Use of names -- Get the names right. Phonetically write them down and make certain that anyone who is prospect or client facing knows their names. Spelling, correct titles and deciding whether to use a nickname or proper name are all on the "must-get-right" list. I have seen big sales blown up because of a repeated misspelling of a key player's name.

2. Confirm before you proceed -- Ensure that you have agreement at each step in a meeting, tour, phone call or visit and that all of the participants have their questions answered before going to the next set of ideas or concepts. Adults not only stop listening to you when they get stuck or are in disagreement with what has been put forth, they also begin building resentment towards the speaker who proceeds without clearing up the issue.

3. Declare your accountability and keep it -- At the end of each meeting, visit, or call. It is your responsibility to declare what comes next. It is rude to ask the typical question, "What are the next steps?" You asked for the meeting, now you need to be able to provide an encouraged path to follow.

4. Host well when you host -- If you are feeding your visitors, feed them well. Creature comforts including temperature, lighting, drinks and room conditions are all noted. In the better sales organizations, even when those companies are tiny, the handling of a visitor is handled like a guest at Sunday dinner. Even the little details can make the person feel honored and valued.

5. Be gracious as a guest -- Diana Ross may be able to pull of a diva routine, but you can't. Your goal is to be gracious for what you receive. I am amazed at the number of people who miss the most basic of "Please" and "Thank you" courtesy when support staff brings them water or provides help with the projector. Buyers notice and cast a broad net of perception as to what you and your company is like based upon how you handle the simple courtesies of interacting with support staff. Be gracious in every contact.

These manners probably seem like common sense. They are to the degree you get them right. They are deal killers when you get them wrong.

Mentoring: The benefits for all!

For a young entrepreneur, a close mentoring relationship is like having a big brother in the office. The big brother knows the ropes, has a large network of friends and is bigger than the bullies. There are countless benefits of having an experienced, fully engaged business mentor on your team. Here are a few of the highlights.

First of all, if you can find an experienced mentor in your field, then you'll gain access to that person's extensive network of contacts. Building an effective professional network is still one of the hardest parts of starting a new enterprise, even with social networking Web sites like LinkedIn. If you're looking for a vendor, supplier or investor, the mentor knows exactly who to call. And unlike you, his call will actually be returned. That's priceless.

If you can establish a trusting and mutually beneficial mentor relationship, your mentor will not only share his or her ideas, but also a long and valuable list of "lessons learned." Mistakes are a great way to learn, but some are so costly and time-consuming that it is best to let someone else do the "learning" for you. By analyzing your business plan and keeping track of your major upcoming decisions, a good mentor will help you steer clear of the biggest blunders.

A healthy mentor relationship is really an informal education. You can learn a lot in an MBA program, but there are some lessons that can only be gleaned from real-world experience. In an Inc. magazine article from 2000, a small-town businessman named Kent Sutherland described the unique mentoring relationship he shared with billionaire and Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton. Sutherland met Walton as a 23-year-old salesman peddling health-care products for a national supplier. Even though Sutherland never worked for Wal-Mart, CEO Walton took the young man under his ample wing. When Sutherland talks about the benefits of the relationship, he cherishes the nuggets of common sense wisdom -- like "always diversify" -- that helped him make a small fortune in unglamorous businesses like insurance, storage units and mortgage brokerages.

The best way to find a business mentor is to get out there and network. Start by combing through your connections on LinkedIn or searching the online alumni directory at your alma mater. You'll have a better chance of making a solid connection if you already have friends, colleagues or colleges in common. Local mentors are best, so consider joining the local chapter of the Rotary Club, Toastmasters International or Entrepreneurs' Organization. Attend some meetings, identify potential candidates, and start asking people out to lunch or coffee.

There are also national small business organizations designed to help connect entrepreneurs with resources and mentors. The National Association of Women Business Owners and the National Federation of Independent Business are good places to start. The U.S. Small Business Administration partners with a Web site called SCORE.org, which connects small business owners with online mentors. There are also regional SCORE offices across the country where you can seek out offline mentoring relationships.

What characteristics should you look for in a potential business mentor? First, your mentor needs to have experience with your exact business situation. If you are trying to raise venture capital for a tech start-up, find someone who's successfully funded and launched a profitable start-up (or six). The important thing is that your mentor has done what you want to do and gone where you want to go. Otherwise, you might get a lot of good general business advice, but nothing you can apply directly to your current situation.

Secondly, your mentor should have an established network of industry contacts. This is one of the greatest benefits of having a mentor -- instant access to a Rolodex of savvy investors, trustworthy vendors and potential partners. For this reason, a business mentor doesn't necessarily have to be older. It's his or her years of experience in your field that matter most.

Thirdly, your mentor should actually care about you. Your mentor needs to be someone who is deeply invested in your success; not financially, but intellectually and emotionally. If your mentor truly cares about your success, he or she will be more committed to regularly scheduled meetings, feedback and networking on your behalf. Of course, a crucial aspect of caring is honesty. The best mentor shouldn't be worried about hurting your feelings. Your mentor should tell it like it is, pointing out the weak parts of your business plan along with the strengths.

Risk Management-Business

Recognizing the Complexities of Risk Management:

The concept of risk management seems simple; perhaps that is why it is often overlooked. The unfortunate results of insufficient risk management are serious losses in dollars and management time. Risk management, crucial to all businesses, can be extremely complex.

In today's economy, parties are more litigious and businesses must understand and address issues that can lead to corporate as well as personal liability. Often risk can be limited or transferred through insurance, contract or proper documentation. The key is to track all contingencies and implement a comprehensive plan to monitor them. Missing one component could result in a catastrophic loss and make all other efforts futile.  There is less room for error as businesses strive to survive in this economy.

Injury and Business Claims:

Insurance is crucial to protecting a company against inevitable claims.  The type of coverage needed varies by industry.  Professional service companies such as law firms, accounting firms and medical practices will need professional liability coverage.  Construction industries will need policies to cover site injuries and auto accidents. Retailers will need general liability insurance in addition to "umbrella policies" that covers a number of risks such as personal property, liability, fire, theft, and medical.  Workers compensation insurance covers your employees, but not third parties, independent contractors or employees of others.

The implementation of policies and procedures designed to prevent accidents and insurance claims are as equally as important as maintaining insurance policies.   Maintenance on work equipment, comprehensive safety procedures and rules can limit accidents. Implementing investigation and documentation procedures minimizes exposure and ensures accountability. Warnings and safety rules should be posted and included in employee handbooks. If procedures are implemented, they must be followed and enforced.  

Business claims are expensive and, in most cases, a negotiated resolution is preferable to litigation. Contract, environmental, intentional torts and intellectual property claims may not be covered by insurance. Clear documentation of all agreements can help avoid confusion and limit future disputes.

Business Structure and Corporate Maintenance:

A company should generally operate as an entity (Corporation, Limited Liability Company (LLC), Limited Liability Partnership, Limited Partnership) for asset protection of both the company and its owners. Many legal and tax benefits also exist. Selecting the proper entity and maintaining it are essential.  Due to their combined tax and liability benefits, LLCs have been the entity of choice for those companies that qualify.  Corporations must be properly maintained to shield their shareholders. Establish separate corporate bank accounts, keep minutes, prepare State filings, and authorize transactions in minutes. If corporate form is not followed, the "corporate veil" could be pierced. The rules vary for LLC's and other entities.

Other potential business structure problems exist such as mixing LLC's and corporations, unwittingly exposing a parent company to the financial troubles of a project subsidiary, dissolution issues and securities law issues. 

Insurance:

Carefully analyze your insurance policies so you are aware of the scope to which you are insured. Are the limits of liability and deductibles appropriate for your business? Does you CGL (Commercial General Liability) policy exclude coverage for your "work product" or for damages that first manifested prior to inception? Are there contractually assumed liability exclusions? Be careful when renewing policies as new riders or exclusions may enter the contract.  Time spent regularly reviewing all of your insurance policies is essential.

Contracts and Administration:

Business contracts generally contain a promise by one party to defend and indemnify the other against claims of third parties. The extent of the indemnity obligation depends on the specific contract language. How the provisions are drafted is critical. Many indemnity agreements are too broad and, therefore, void and unenforceable. If shifting risk contractually, then the provisions must be specific.  

Many contract provisions have a great impact if there is a dispute. Care in negotiating or drafting indemnity, warranty, attorney fee, and damage limitation provisions is essential. Courts routinely reject "boilerplate" provisions. All contracts should be kept available and reviewed. Dates or milestones in contracts should be calendared.

Employment Issues:

As an employer, you have obligations to your employees that can lead to liability if those obligations are not met. The establishment of clear and fair written company policies can be an invaluable tool in avoiding employee confusion and complaints. However, one of the worst mistakes an employer can make is to establish a policy and not follow it consistently. An employer can actually create liability for itself by establishing a policy and not abiding by it.

Appropriate investigation of employee complaints and adequate disciplinary action can shield an employer from liability even if a complaint is valid. Formal training and regular refresher courses for all "management" employees regarding their responsibilities to identify and resolve potentially inappropriate behavior are necessary. Again, consistent and thorough documentation is invaluable. 

State and Federal regulations require employers to confirm citizenship and work eligibility for employees and submit I-9 forms to the appropriate agencies. Failure to comply can result in penalties as well as potentially forfeiting valid defenses to termination claims.

Typical employment-related lawsuits are generally not covered by a company's CGL policy. Because of the growing number of lawsuits, many insurance companies offer Employment Practices Liability coverage tailored to cover claims for wrongful termination, discrimination, and harassment. 

Succession and Estate Planning:

Succession planning is the transfer of business interests upon retirement, death or sale. All businesses need to ensure that ownership interests are transferred effectively, with minimal taxation. There are many planning tools available, such as buy-sell agreements, family limited partnerships, living trusts, life insurance, annuities and disability policies to fund a business upon sale or transfer. Failure to plan for orderly business succession can result in monetary loss. Estate taxes alone range from18 to 55%, frequently resulting in liquidation or additional debt.

All business has risk. Understanding the extent of risk, planning around it and minimizing it will ensure a smooth running business and help avoid catastrophic losses.

If any of the aforementioned gives you cause to question your coverage of Risk to your business, give me a call at 502/599-8313 or e-mail me at stevehomola@gmail.com .  I can help!

The Amoral “Boss/Supervisor/Manager”…

We’ve all had bosses do things we didn’t like, appreciate, or respect. And every manager has done things they later regret. The business world is, by necessity, one of real-time decisions and judgment calls that sometimes turn out to be bad choices, in retrospect.

After all, nobody’s perfect. We all make mistakes. And that’s a good thing, since that’s are how we learn lessons, including how to do our jobs better. That goes for every employee, manager, executive, business owner, CEO, everyone.

But sometimes a mistake can become a slippery slope. An exception can all-too-easily become the rule. Simply put, there are lines that managers should not cross, behavior they should not exhibit, and not to be overly dramatic, pathways that lead more or less to the dark side.

In 10 things great managers do. I went back in time to the best characteristics of the best CEOs I’ve worked for and with over the past 30 years. I decided to do the same thing here for the simple reason that I learned as much from the negative experiences as I did from the positive ones.

Keep in mind, this is not meant to be a whine-fest to get employees riled up and ticked off at their bosses. Think of it instead as a standard that employees and managers alike can agree upon and, perhaps, a wakeup call for those who need one.

10 Things a “Boss/Supervisor/Manager” Should Never Do

1.       Order people around like dictators. Contrary to popular belief, managers are not dictators. Every manager has at least one boss. Even CEOs serve the customer, board of directors, and shareholders. Any manager who thinks he can order people around or abuse his authority because he’s the boss is a terrible leader. Employees are not soldiers or children. You can tell them what their job is and even fire them, if you want, but if you order them around, the good ones will up and quit, as they should.

2.               Forget about customers. It never ceases to amaze me how many managers forget that organizations and companies exist for just one reason - to win, maintain, and support customers. Business is about business, and when you make it about you - your issues, your fears, your empire, your thin skin, whatever - you cease to be an effective manager.

3.           Behave like arrogant jerks that are better than others. Just to be clear, I am not saying managers or bosses can’ not be jerks. A lot of people are jerks, including plenty of employees, and almost everybody’s a jerk under certain circumstances. I’m specifically talking about the arrogant “I’m better than the little people” thing. It makes you look like a little brat and completely neuters your authority and credibility.

4.          Let their egos write checks that reality can’t cash. Oftentimes, leaders attain their position because they believe they’re special - a fascinating misconception that’s nevertheless often self-fulfilling. The problem with that is the slippery slope of drinking your own Kool Aid. Either you grow up or, sooner or later, things end up unraveling. I’ve seen it time and again and it isn’t pretty.

5.           Publicly eviscerate employees. Of all the things I’ve experienced over the decades, this is not only the most dehumanizing but also the most demoralizing to employees. I had a couple of CEOs that practiced this on a regular basis and both were universally despised, as a result. Moreover, both self-destructed in the end.

6.              Wall off their feelings. This may sound touchy feely, but it’s far from it. Researchers are fond of classifying executives and leaders as psychopathic, but the mechanism by which that happens is compartmentalizing of emotions. If you’ve ever wondered how people who seem to lack any semblance of humor or humility can behave the way they do, the answer is, if you’re not connected to your emotions, you’re far less human.

7.               Surround themselves with bureaucrats, B’sers, and yes-men. When you encourage the status quo and discourage dissent, you doom the organization to stagnation and eventual decline.

8.              Threaten. Threats don’t work. They’re just as likely to motivate the opposite behavior of what you’re trying to achieve. They diminish your authority and make you appear weak and small. You should communicate what you want and why, then act on the results. That works. Threats don’t. And for God’s sake, never threaten an employee with his job or a vendor with your business. That’s just out of control.

9.     Act out like little children. Everyone goes through the same stages of human development on the road to adulthood and maturity. Unfortunately, some of us get stuck in one stage or another, stunting our growth and rendering us dysfunctional. We look just like ordinary adults, but we actually behave a lot more like children, acting out, throwing tantrums, and generally making life miserable for everyone around us.

10.          Break the law. America is a nation of laws and, civil or criminal, they’re black and white for a reason. For some reason, executives will sometimes risk everything - power, wealth, careers, families, everything - for motives most of us will never understand.  We’re talking accounting, securities, bank, wire, and mail fraud; insider trading; bribery; obstruction of justice; conspiracy; discrimination; harassment; it’s a long, long list.

Doing Things Differently; Meeting Your Obstacles Head On

Whenever I’m discussing a challenge — oh, all right, whenever I’m whining about something — my friend only lasts about 30 seconds before he says, “Okay, I get it. What are you going to do differently?”

Hearing the same thing time after time could be pretty irritating… except he’s right. The only way to overcome a problem is to do something differently.

But here’s an even better approach: Instead of waiting until you’re forced to make a bad situation better, why not turn a decent situation into a great one and tackle your challenges head on?

Let’s call this business — and personal — strategy The Five A(s) of Awesomeness. (Then again maybe not; I might have just gone all Tony Robbins on you.)

All you have to do is pick a few of these to do differently:

Analyze

1.             Switch measurements. Over time we develop ways to measure our performance. Maybe you focus on time to complete, or quality, or end result. Each can be effective, but sticking with one or two could cause you to miss opportunities to improve. Say you focus on meeting standards; what if you switched it up and focused on time to completion? Measuring your performance in different ways forces you to look at what you do regularly from a new perspective.

2.             Shift benchmarks. If you create apps it’s fun to benchmark against, say, the runaway success of Angry Birds. Setting an incredible goal is fine — since if you don’t aim high you won’t reach high — but failing to hit a lofty goal can kill your motivation. Choose a different benchmark; look for companies (or people) with similar assets, backgrounds, etc. and try to beat their results. For a motivation boost, consider, finding the enemy.

Accept

Be who you are. I would like to climb like this guy. Or, ride a motorcycle like that guy. Or, change the world like Steve Jobs. I won’t. And for the most part I’m okay with that because I can always be a better me. I can climb better or ride faster or make a bigger difference in the lives of my family and friends. Think about whom you admire and pick a few of their qualities to emulate, not necessarily their accomplishments. You can’t be them — and they can’t be you.

Let others be who they are. Your boss isn’t going to change. The company you work for isn’t going to change. Your customers, your vendors… they aren’t going to change. Don’t expect them to. Pick one source of frustration and decide what you will do differently, including, possibly, walking away. When you stop focusing on negatives you may start to notice positive qualities you missed. No one is as bad or as good as you make him or her out to be — and that’s okay.

Assist

Help a coworker. Don’t wait to be asked. Pick someone who is struggling and offer to help. But don’t just say, “Is there some way I can help you?” Be specific: Offer to help with a specific task, or to take over a task for a few days, or to work side-by-side. A general offer is easy to brush aside; a specific offer shows not just that you want to help but that you care.

Help a superstar. Counterintuitive? Hardly. Compared to others, the best-performing people don’t need help, so they rarely get it, and as a result they’re often lonely, at least in a professional sense. Ask if you can help with a specific task. Not only will you build a nice interpersonal bridge, you may create a connection that helps improve your own performance.

Help anyone. Few things feel better than helping someone in need. Take a quick look around; people less fortunate than you are everywhere. For example, I did an interview skills seminar for prison inmates (after all, who needs to know how to deal with tough interview questions more than a convicted felon?) It only took an hour of my time and was incredibly rewarding. Most were touchingly grateful that someone — anyone — cared enough to want to help them.

Approach

Go opposite. If you haven’t reached a goal, what you are currently doing isn’t working. Instead of tweaking your approach, take an entirely different tack. If traditional advertising isn’t working, try cold calling. If you aren’t getting the promotions you want, start a small business on the side. Pick one goal you’re struggling to achieve and try a completely different approach. Sometimes adjustments will eventually pay off, but occasionally you just need to blow something up.

Drop one thing. We all have goals — often, too many goals. It’s impossible to do ten things extremely well. Take a look at your goals and pick at least one that you’ll set aside, at least for now. (Don’t feel bad — you weren’t accomplishing any of your goals to your satisfaction anyway, so what can it hurt?) Then put the time you were spending on that goal into your highest priority. You can’t have it all, but you can have a lot — especially when you narrow your focus to one or two key goals.

Change your workday. Get up earlier. Get up later. Take care of emails an hour after you start work. Eat at your desk. Pick one thing you do on a regular basis, preferably something you do for no better reason than that’s the way you always do it, and do it in a different way or at a different time. Familiarity doesn’t always breed contempt. Sometimes familiarity breeds complacency, and complacency is an improvement and progress killer.

Adopt

Pick a habit. Successful people are successful for a reason, and that reason is often due to the habits they create and maintain. Take a close look at the people who are successful in your field: What do they do on a regular basis? Then adopt one of their habits and make it your own. Never reinvent a wheel when a perfect wheel already exists.

Pick someone to mentor. I’m convinced I learn more from teaching than the people I teach. (Hopefully that says more about the process of teaching than about my teaching abilities.) Not only will you help someone else, you’ll build your network and learn a few things about yourself.

Pick a couple and do things differently. (And if you have ideas you’d like to add, feel free to share in the comments.)

When you do, tomorrow will be better — or at the very least more interesting.

The Penn State Scandal and What We Should Learn

Who decides when the CEO or leader must go?  That is a question that Penn State has faced for at least a decade in its decision about how long should Joe Paterno remain as its head football coach. Today, in the wake of a horrific child abuse scandal, the answer is clear: it is now! Joe Paterno and the university’s president were fired late Wednesday.

Paterno followed the letter of the law in disclosing an allegation of child abuse but in failing to follow up on those allegation - as it would seem a man of his principle would - he and his fellow administrators allowed an accused sexual predator to remain free of investigation for nine years.

Mindboggling? No, heart breaking to the Penn State faithful - student, alumni, faculty, staff, administration and most of all to the children who were allegedly preyed upon by Paterno's former coach and rumored heir apparent.

The problem is larger than what Paterno did or did not do. Penn State seemingly acted more in the spirit of self-preservation than in child protection. But there is a pattern. The university, for decades, has put football, or especially Paterno, in a separate category, seemingly exempt from close scrutiny, and to be fair until now Paterno acted in an exemplary manner. He seemed beyond reproach: his players graduated; he donated over $5 million to the school, most of which was used for a new library; and he was a genuine father figure to his players.

But there were cracks in the legacy. In 2004, the university president sought to have Paterno retire. But Joe Paterno paid his supposed boss no heed. And the university backed down and in the process, sublimated its rightful authority to his whims.

The lesson for boards of directors, university trustees and public officials are clear. Never allow one executive to loom larger than the institution he or she represents.

Here are some suggestions:

Set limits on tenure. Make it clear that the time of service is measured in increments of three to five years. The contract may be renewed regularly but it must be done so with a clear ending point. That prevents leaders from staying on indefinitely.

Groom successors. A leader's legacy begins on the first day of service but it is cemented by the people he grooms to succeed him both as successors and as members of future leadership teams. A deep bench negates the feeling that we have only one person in charge.

Insist on accountability. Leaders who remain in charge are those that deliver the goods. They produce returns that enrich the fiscal and social well being of the institution. Included in accountability must be personal behavior. That is, how do they treat others - colleagues, employees, and other stakeholders? As the saying goes managers get things right; leaders do it the right way.

Will there be exceptions to these guidelines? Certainly. An exemplary leader can extend his length of service. This may be especially true if the institution - more than the leader himself -- could benefit from his leadership for an additional period.

A more serious problem occurs when the reputation of a long-serving and well-intentioned executive becomes so entwined with the reputation of the organization they become synonymous. This is exactly what happened at Penn State. Joe Paterno became the public face of the university.

In good times, that may serve the institution well, but when trouble strikes the institution looks weak and vulnerable, not to mention culpable for failing to hold the leader accountable.

So much for my opinion, I welcome yours.

The End of a Business Relationship

The good news is most business relationships can work for years, and many, for a lifetime.  The bad news is that some are doomed and it is best to cut bait early.

There are several obvious reasons to walk away, including illegal behavior, violence (you’d be surprised how many times I’ve heard of coworkers throwing items at each other), or psychopathic behavior.

But the single most important indicator that it’s time to end the business relationship is much more subtle, which is why people ignore it for years.  It is when your core values, and those of another person, cannot coexist.  Before anyone starts packing, let’s make sure you see have a real core values clash, as this situation is surprisingly rare.

The technique to use is called “click down.” To see how it works, let’s go to a setting where the stakes are high and people are smart enough to have tried just about every strategy before deciding to leave the organization.  I’m talking about museums. Unlike many organizations, museums run on core values.  People study art history-a doctorate in the field is a prerequisite to leadership in many museums-because they love art.  They stay in the field for the same reason, and larger museums attract hundreds of volunteers that fill their free time by educating visitors about the museum’s collections.  When personal values of leaders collide with those of others, the result can derail the organization.  People often choose sides, the museum fragments into silos.  The rates of gossip soar, and people use spies and networks to find out what the “other side” is doing.  Volunteers sense the disharmony and many stop showing up.

Within the most difficult of situations, let’s pick one of the most toughest clashes: A nonprofit CFO and an Executive Director (ED) hate each other, and everyone in the museum seems to know about it.  The CFO values a balanced budget while the ED values growth and expansion of the museum’s collections.  Every time the ED brings up expansion, the CFO turns red and shakes his head.  Likewise, every time the CFO brings up “reining in expenses,” the ED tells her why that approach is wrong.  In some museums, this problem has been boiling for years.

Here’s how to use “click down.” Start with the ED, and ask him to identify his value that the CFO violates.  He’ll probably say, “She doesn’t understand the need for growth.”    Deepen the conversation by asking what about that value is so important.  You might ask: “what about growth is so important?”  Many EDs will say, “Because that’s how we become better known as a museum.”  Continue to deepen by asking about that statement-why is becoming better known important?  You might hear: “because our mission is to educate, and we can’t do that if no one knows who we are.”  There’s a good chance we’re now dealing with a core value, rather than something more superficial.  You can verify that “the mission” is a core value by trying to deepen it.  If you ask: “and why is the mission so important?” you’ll probably hear something like, “because it is.”  When asked why a core value is important, people circle back to it because there is nothing deeper.  A core value is the bedrock of a human being-there’s nothing below it.

Now let’s turn to the CFO.  When asked to identify the value that the ED violates, she’ll probably say, “He doesn’t see the need to operate with a balanced budget.”  Click down by asking why a balanced budget is so important, you might hear: “because that’s how we stay open.”  If asked why staying open is important, she might say, “because that’s part of our mission-to educate.”  And, like the ED, when trying to deepen “the mission,” it loops back to the same value.

In this case, the two people were fighting over values that weren’t core values.  A little dose of “click down,” and it turns out they have found a shared commitment that is deeper than the conflict.  The question to ask them now is: “how do we serve our mission of education, while managing responsibly and finding ways to grow?”

If you can find shared core values, you can work together.  In fact, some of the best partnerships have shared core values while clashing on non-core values.

If you go through “click down,” and end up with core values that cancel each other out, then it’s time to pack your bags.  Clashes I’ve seen include:

1.             Efficiency vs. excellence. One person will want to get a lot done at 80% quality, while the other wants to do less to perfection.

2.             Impact vs. quality of life. One person wants to work 20-hour days to make history, while the other wants to leave at 6pm and take the weekends off to spend time with his family.

3.             Professionalism vs. pragmatism. One person wants to set the bar on doing things in a way that adheres to professional standards while the other wants to just do what works.

If you want to sacrifice everything in service of a core value the other person doesn’t share, time to pack your bags.  Most workarounds will not work, and no amount of team-building, strategic planning, or therapy will help.  Better to learn from the clash and find people to work with who share your core values.

Entitlement: The Good; The Bad; and The Bored

People who feel entitled may think performing dull tasks is a waste of their precious time, resulting in a perception that time passes slowly, according to a new University of Michigan study.

Most people complete at least some dull and routine tasks daily. But if they feel entitled, they are more likely to view them as a waste of time, says Ed O'Brien, a graduate student in the Department of Psychology. This results in the perception that time drags while completing them.

The perception of the "waste of time" could affect time-related interpersonal tasks that might be considered dull, such as volunteering, recycling or driving. It could also extend to how much a person is willing to commit his or her time in a relationship (or his/her job), O'Brien says.

Entitlement is the sense that one deserves more than others. It does not have to involve resources, such as possessing materials or being rich.

"It is the feeling that you are owed something without necessarily putting in effort to attain it," O'Brien said.

For example, an entitled student expects that he "deserves" an "A" regardless of whether he studied for the test. An entitled employee expects that she should get extra vacation days regardless of whether she worked overtime or not. The research suggests that these students and employees more generally perceive their time as valuable and so are more likely to perceive time as wasted or dragging while doing tasks that do not benefit themselves.

The research looks at the link between self-focus and time perception. Three separate studies were conducted: the fun/boring word game, the online survey, and the word-flash experiment. All participants were college students, but each study was completed by a different set of individuals.

For Study 1, students saw a giant block of letters and were asked to copy it repeatedly word-for-word. Researchers asked students to rate how fun the task was from 1 (not at all) to 7 (extremely). The average score was 2.8. Even though all students did this task for 10 minutes, entitled students thought it took much longer.

For Study 2, researchers designed "dull" survey questions involving day-to-day things. Students were asked 27 questions such as, "What is your favorite day of the week," "In which campus building do you spend the most time?" and "How many meals do you tend to eat per day?"

Participants in the entitled group thought it took more time to complete the survey than those in the control group: 11 minutes and eight minutes, respectively. The entitled group also said the survey was a greater waste of time than those from the control group.

"Consistent with our theory, dull tasks crawl for entitled people because they view them as a waste of time," O'Brien said.

For Study 3, students stared at a computer screen for 12 minutes, every once in a while there was a flash of light, which were actually subliminal words. In the control group, the words included "water," "something," "another" and "little." The other group had entitled, self-focus words such as "special," "important," "deserve" and "superior."

Next, the students were told to exit the laboratory and walk down the hall where an experimenter was waiting to give them credit for taking the survey. Unknown to the students, the experimenter timed how long it took participants to walk to where he was sitting.

Participants, who saw the flashes of entitled words, rated time as passing more slowly, thought the task was less interesting, and thought it was a greater waste of time. In addition, the entitled group walked faster when exiting the laboratory (12 seconds) than the other group (13 seconds)—presumably because they felt they had wasted their time and were more anxious to get on with their day.

Informally, when researchers asked participants to describe the study after they finished, everyone reported that the task felt dull.

The study, which was co-authored by Phyllis Anastasio of Saint Joseph's University and Brad Bushman of Ohio State University, appears in the October issue of Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin: http://psp.sagepub.com/content/37/10.toc.

Your Tongue; The Enemy Within You!

Comedian George Carlin famously spoke about the “seven words you can never say on television,” but the following seven seemingly innocuous words/phrases might be even worse. To say them is almost like dousing your goals, hopes and dreams with sulfuric acid.

Creating a better life is hard work! It takes little effort to maintain the status quo, but if you have a dream of making more money, getting a promotion, starting a business, becoming healthier, or improving your relationships, you’re going to need as much support as you can get. Strike these seven deadly words/phrases from you lexicon today:

1. When. This is a filthy word when it comes to improving your life. It sounds like this . . . “When I lose 10 pounds I’ll start dating again. When I’m a little older I’ll go for that promotion. When I complete my degree I’ll start that side-business.” Most of the time, our “when’s” just don’t happen, or if they do, they take so long that we’ve forgotten what it was we wanted in the first place. “When” is rarely necessary, but just to be sure, ask yourself this: “Would it be illegal, unethical or immoral to start now?” If the answer is no, don’t wait for when.

2. Someday. There’s nothing wrong with having a “someday” list of things you want to do and places you want to go, but when you find that your “today” list is empty, you’d best start moving some of your future goals into the present. Someday is such a deceptive word. It makes you feel good by proclaiming you’ll someday achieve something, but months, years, and even decades can pass and you may find that your someday is still a long way away.

3. Willpower. According to behavior change expert Dr. BJ Fogg of the Stanford Persuasive Technology Lab, “Imagine willpower doesn’t exist. That’s step number one to a better future.” The problem with willpower is that most people either think they have it or they don’t. They’ll say, “Well, of course I ordered the double-fudge sundae. What did you expect from someone who doesn’t have any willpower?” Your genes determine the color of your eyes, NOT whether you order dessert.

4. Want/Wish/Hope. Don’t be a wimp! Stop wanting, wishing, and hoping to do something or for something to happen. If you want more control over your fate, you must take more responsibility for your actions and their outcomes. Don’t sit around expecting change to arrive in your mailbox. It takes a decision and it takes action, not wishful thinking.

5. Not good enough. How can a phrase with “good” in it be so bad? These two simple words will keep you from hitting the publish button, making that important phone call, or trying out for the audition. The solution? Flip it around. Instead of “This isn’t good enough…” change it to “It’s not perfect but it’s good enough.” Don’t wait for everything to be perfect. Just put it out there and see what happens. For more insight into this, listen to my interview on RicherLife.com with Peter Sims as we discuss his book, Little Bets: How Breakthrough Ideas Emerge From Small Discoveries.

6. I don’t have the time. The same guy who doesn’t have time to go to the gym with you after work will miraculously be able to free up an entire evening if you present him with free Laker’s basketball tickets. It may feel like you do not have the time, but with some focus and pruning of non-essential commitments (e.g., TV), you can free up 20 minutes to two hours every night to work on those actions that will help you create a better life.

7. It’s not the right time. If not now, when? No, really? If you are waiting for the stars to align, it’s not going to happen. Instead of waiting for the right time, shift your thinking and look for the least worst time to get started.

Think back to an achievement or goal you’ve accomplished. It took vision, dedication, and perseverance. Not excuses. Stop castrating your future with these seven deadly words/phrases and start working toward a richer life.

Becoming the Perfect Product

Breakfast with orange juice; every day of your life, sweet, tangy orange juice; perfection in a glass. It works. It delivers. It does the job.

What’s that got to do with anything like business, management, leadership, or your career? Everything.

You want to be like orange juice. You want your product to be like orange juice. You want your company to be like orange juice. It delivers on a promise, day in, day out, every time. You want to be like that.

Think about it. In a hypercompetitive world where everybody has a voice and every product has a level playing field called the Internet, in a business environment where differentiation is priceless, if you can deliver the way orange juice does, you can make a dent in the world.

Not convinced? Okay. How about this? There’s something called too much of a good thing. You can max out, play out, and overdo pretty much anything. Can you imagine watching Casablanca every day for your entire life? How about listening to Tony Bennet, or eating pizza?

You might love it that much, but you’re the exception. There are very few things that so perfectly do the job that, day in, day out, most people can eat, drink, watch, or listen to it, know it will always deliver on its promise, and never get sick of it. That’s orange juice.

You can say that’s a matter of personal preference, but it’s not. Not good old OJ. It’s so widely accepted as the morning breakfast drink that every hotel in every city in every country serves it with its morning buffet. It’s in just about every refrigerator. It’s perfect.

If you - as a manager, executive, business owner, marketer, leader, or whatever - can deliver the goods the way orange juice does, then you’ll go far in this world. Here are some recent and noteworthy examples:

President Obama. Talk about failing to deliver on a promise. He promised change, that things will be different, that Washington won’t be politics as usual. He promised to bridge both sides of the aisle. He promised us OJ, told us it was OJ, put it in an OJ container, but to me, it tastes like Kool Aid.

Say what you want about Bill Clinton, but he delivered the OJ. Not right away. It took a while for him to get the process right, but he listened to his constituents and ultimately, he delivered the goods. And he’ll always be remembered as a president who ultimately delivered, even if he did have his … issues.

That’s the first important point about OJ. You can have some glitches or make some mistakes along the way - we all do - as long as you deliver the goods, in the end. Nobody’s perfect.

Carol Bartz. She definitely made OJ as long-time CEO of engineering software-maker Autodesk. And she seemed to be making all the right moves out of the gate at Yahoo, but in the end, she couldn’t deliver. Guess she didn’t have the chops for the brave new world dominated by the likes of FaceBook, Apple, and Google.

Which brings us to the second important point. A CEO, a leader, pretty much anyone, can make OJ at one company or in one situation, but not necessarily at another. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

Some have managed to pull it off - Lou Gerstner at American Express and IBM, Steve Jobs at Pixar and Apple, Mark Hurd at NCR and HP - but they’re few and far between.

Sony. Back in the day, Sony made fantastically good OJ. Trinitron TVs. The Walkman. The Beta-max. The creation of the Compact Disc player (with Philips). Today, Sony says it makes OJ, but if so, it’s not the good stuff, like fresh squeezed or anything. It’s like reconstituted frozen OJ, the kind anyone can make. It’s sad, really.

That’s the third important point. Not only is it not good enough to have made it in the past, you can’t just say you make it, either. You’ve got to deliver and keep delivering the goods if you want your customers to keep coming back. The same goes for keeping your job, getting hired, or even getting reelected.

Now, don’t make the mistake of thinking this juicy little analogy is simplistic or trite. It’s not. It’s entirely accurate in describing what it takes for a company, a business, a manager, a CEO, a leader, pretty much anybody, to consistently deliver the goods and maintain a strong brand in a competitive market.

If you look back through history, every great company has had its glitches: Coca Cola, IBM, Toyota, Cisco, there are no exceptions because, in time, stuff happens. The same goes for every great leader or executive. Nobody’s perfect.

Still, we’ve all got to strive for something. So we set our sights, lock in our trajectory, and try our best to deliver the goods. If you can do that - make a promise and deliver on it on a consistent basis - then you’re a rare commodity in this world, that’s for sure.