My friend Sally works for a company that holds monthly small-group “open forum” type meetings for cross-sections of various company departments. The purpose of these meetings is to promote cross-departmental communication.  Each month, leaders from different functions in the company moderate the discussion. In general, Sally enjoys the meetings, except for one aspect: they are too long. They often go on for what seems like days three hours.  

She says that if she could give the meeting leaders one piece of advice to improve the process it would be this:

“After the conversation hogs have all repeated themselves three times and even the meekest member of the group has spoken up, it’s time to WRAP. IT. UP.”

Good advice for any meeting, I’d say.

I give the leadership at Sally’s company credit. Their intent to improve communication across functions is laudable. Unfortunately, they’ve ascribed to the thinking that if one hour of cross-functional conversation is good, then surely two hours must be better and hey, three hours is best of all.

This is definitely a case where “more” does not equal “better”. When people begin to repeat themselves, it’s a sure sign that a meeting has run its course.

If you’re in charge of leading meetings, you’d do well to use Sally’s rule of thumb. Don’t wait for the fat lady to sing; listen carefully and close it down long before then.

There’s a new game making the rounds these days called Phone Stack. Have you played it? The basic gist is this—when you dine out with friends, everyone puts their phones in the middle of the table and then embarks on a huge game of chicken— who  can resist the siren call of their phone for the longest time? The stakes are fairly high: the first person to take a call agrees to pick up the tab for the whole group.

Reporting on this game, the blog GetKempt says, “It’s a buzzing, flashing reminder of every phone-etiquette rule the world seems to have forgotten.”

I like it. A lot. In fact, I think we should kick it up a notch and play Phone Stack at our next company meeting. It’ll be like an intervention to see who’s the most addicted to their mobile device.

If I were to suggest this process (we’re in business, we don’t do “games”, right?) at a meeting, the outcry would be fierce:

“I’m expecting an important call.”

“I just need to sign off on this P.O. Accounting is emailing it to me any minute now.”

“My customers expect me to be available”.

“Who do you think you are?!”

There is truly very little that can’t wait. Most of the “emergencies” in our business lives are urgent because we allow them to be. When people are constantly checking their phones, it feeds the urgency, creating a vicious cycle. Every time a phone buzzes or someone glances down at their lap (do you think we can’t see that?!) it disrupts the flow of the meeting. It sends the message “What’s happening outside this meeting is more important than the topic of the meeting I’m in.”

“But wait!” you say, “What’s going on outside this meeting room IS more important.”

Well, you’re not alone in that opinion. According an infographic published by SocialCast, 71% of employees in the U.S. feel that most meetings are a waste of time.

Feeling vindicated? Hold on a minute. . .

Consider this: When you attend a meeting and fake your attention, you’re contributing to that statistic. Your attendance at a meeting doesn’t mean you’ve met the mark. It’s your participation that counts.

As I see it, if you think that meeting will be a huge waste of time, you have two choices:

A)    Put on your Big Kid Pants and accept that you need to be at this meeting, and you will give your 100% full attention.

B)    Prior to the meeting, find a way to speak up and suggest to the meeting planner in a professional manner that perhaps there’s a better way than conducting a face-to-face meeting.

Anything less is just contributing to the problem.

Now, if only I could figure out a way to have the offender “pick up the tab” at the meeting, we’d be all set . . .

 Photo credit: istockphoto.com © sndr

Earlier this week I presented a session on Influencing Across Organizational Boundaries to the Western Michigan chapter of the Project Management Institute. The session was so well-received that many people asked for copies of the Power Point presentation. Well, you know how that goes—a Power Point without the corresponding speaker commentary is a bit flat.

So, I created a modified version that excerpts a few key concepts. You can view it via SlideShare by clicking here.

Also, here’s a plug for the WMPMI group. They have a lot of really great things going on, including a brand-new event called THE Project 2012, which is a collegiate project management competition. I love it when our future business leaders help grow the talents of those coming along.

Here are a few photos from the event:

Participants at the pre-session networking event

It was standing room only! That's me waaay up front.

And look at this great book they gave me, Beyond Performance: How Great Organizations Build Ultimate Competitive Advantage. It’s authored by a couple of directors from the consulting firm McKinsey & Company, so it should be a good read. Look for a book review down the road.

Many thanks to the kind folks at WMPMI for your great hospitality and the wonderful things you are doing to promote professionalism in your discipline.

If your company conducts its performance appraisals on an annual calendar basis then the past month has likely had you knee-deep in the process. There’s an equally likely chance you are supposed to do a self-appraisal for your performance view as well. As a leader, do you dread this task because you’re so consumed with the process of getting your team’s reviews/IDP’s* done?

Here are six reasons people put off writing their self-appraisal and ideas for how to get “get the dread out” and get it done.

I don’t have time.

You’ve got the same 24 hours in a day that everybody else does. Rather than focusing on your lack of time, focus on why you’re putting off the task. Likely, the true explanation lies in one of the factors below. Check them out then form a game plan for getting some writing time on the calendar. It won’t get done until you make time to do it.

Our performance appraisal process is a joke.

There are those who say the current performance appraisal process is broken. There’s merit to that argument. As an organizational leader you have two choices: 1) Become a change agent and take up the gauntlet to help affect a positive, real improvement in the appraisal process in your company  2) Put on your big-kid pants and deal with it. Complaining about it is wasted breath.

My boss never gives me a performance review.

Yes, it’s frustrating when your boss isn’t setting a good example. Do you really want to follow suit? This is especially important if you are a leader of leaders. Decide you’ll be there for your team, even if you’re not getting the same courtesy from your boss.

Why bother? There’s a wage freeze.

C’mon, now, really? Look past the fact that there will be no money forthcoming during the appraisal process. Consider the reflection that you do during the self-appraisal as an investment in you— it’s your chance to get better at some aspect of your role. You can’t put a price tag on that.

I’ve been doing the same job for many years. It’s the same stuff, year after year.

This is a legitimate concern—to a point. Long-term, high-performing contributors do have to search harder to find something new to put on their IDP. But it can be done.  Eleanor Roosevelt said “Do one thing every day that scares you.” This is a great place to start on your quest for more interesting development plans. What one thing has been conveniently dropping off your professional-do list because it’s uncomfortable? Make this the year that it gets declared as a goal. Think of your sense of accomplishment when you complete that goal!

It’s been a rough year. I don’t really want to rehash it on paper.

Even top contributors have an off year. If you view it as a way to get it onto paper and into the history books, it may take some of the sting out of it. Even big project fiascos can teach us something, if we can just get past the downward pull of disappointment.

What other reasons are out there for a lack of interest in writing one’s self-appraisal? I’d love to hear them!

*Individual Development Plan. See Dan McCarthy’s fantastic primer on how to write an IDP at his blog Great Leadership.

photo courtesy istockphoto.com

I recently attended a local art competition called ArtPrize.  The free event is billed as “radically open”, meaning any artist, venue and citizen can participate. The openness creates a pretty random experience: grab a map, walk around downtown and check out the art. One of my favorite venues featured 25 artists in the Women’s City Club. Why was it my favorite? It wasn’t that I loved all the artwork. I’m still scratching my head over the artist who covered different types of phones with crocheted needlework.

The positive vibe was due to something else.  The art was arranged cohesively, with artist’s statements that provided context. There was a flow that allowed me to consider each piece of art separately, yet also as a whole exhibit. As I left the venue, I noticed a sign saying that the exhibit was curated by faculty member at the Kendall College of Art and Design. That’s it! A curator pulled it all together.

My experience with this art venue had me wondering: does curation have a role in the workplace?

Normally, we don’t think of the word “curator” and “workplace” in the same sentence. A “curator” is traditionally a person in charge of taking care of an organization’s, art, history or collectible items.

The word curator is derived from the Latin word cura meaning “care”.  So in essence a curator is a caretaker. Think about it— in your job, you are most likely a “caretaker” of sorts. If you work in human resources for example, you are a caretaker of employee concerns. If you work in facilities management, you are a caretaker of your organization’s physical space.  

Now, you may be wondering, “Isn’t curating just a fancy term for filtering information?” 

Not exactly. As I see it, when it comes to workplace communication, there are actually three levels to the way information is transferred:

Sharing. This is the simple act of forwarding information, with no attention paid to the receiver’s level of interest or knowledge. For example: I’m sure we all have friends who forward humorous emails to their entire email contact list, whether those friends are interested or not.

Filtering is a higher level of information transfer, where the person doing the filtering sorts the content a bit, paying attention to what parts should be left out. An example of this might be a colleague who writes up a quick synopsis of a phone conference he attended and shares it at a department meeting.

Curating. This is the highest level of information movement, where the person transferring the information takes care in what information makes the most sense for the recipient to have.  Ever been to a really great company presentation? (Yeah, I know, they’re rare.) If you have, then you’ve witnessed an example of effective workplace curation—the content was relevant, interesting and motivational.

Thinking you might want to add “curator” to your skill set? Here are five tips to help you become an effective workplace curator:

Decide who needs to hear your message. Is it absolutely necessary to copy everyone on this email? Keep in mind that people are flooded with data.

Determine the best way to communicate. Is it a highly volatile situation? Email won’t cut it.

Get clear about outcomes. Ask yourself, “What do I want people to do after reading/hearing this information?” That will help you know the types of information to include.

Look for possible areas for misunderstanding. Enlist a proofreader; ask him or her which areas might cause confusion.

Think about your timing. Even the best message can be messed up if the timing is off. When at all possible, consider time zones, workloads and the recipients’ general state of mind.

In the digital age, we all struggle with the torrential flood of the data stream. Professionals who learn to effectively curate their content will be a valuable asset—both for their teams and for their personal credibility.

I’ve never had a bad boss.

Seriously.

During my two decades in corporate America, I have had 14 direct supervisors. Add to that the dozens of project leaders and various quasi-leaders I had during my tenures on several non-profit boards and it adds up to nearly 30 people to whom I have had to account directly over the years.

And in all that time, I can honestly say I never once had anyone that even approximated a character out of Horrible Bosses.  I’ve heard the real-life horror stories too: incompetent managers, egomaniacs, womanizers, bullies. Somehow, they never showed up in my office. Am I the luckiest person in the world, or is something else at play?

It’s both. While it’s true that I’ve had the good fortune to avoid working for a psycho, maneater or a tool, I do believe that my choices about how to interact with my boss have also contributed to the No Bad Boss declaration.  Here are six ways you can actively do your part to ensure a solid manager-employee working relationship.

Attract them. If you’re really good at what you do, quality bosses will seek you out. It’s that simple. If you want to work for a great boss, you need to be a great employee.

Cut him or her a little slack. It often comes down to your mindset: What do you expect from your boss?  Is  it realistic? Face, it managers are human. They make mistakes. They are not superheroes. Even good bosses slip up sometimes, so cut ‘em a little slack.

Learn from them. Sure, you can learn a lot from a great leader, but even “meh” bosses can teach you something, if you just pay attention. Even if all they teach you is what not to do, that’s still great information that you can put to use.

Own your part. Realize that your manager is not there to rescue you or do your job for you. Before you blame him or her for the reason you’re so unhappy,  examine your actions to see if you are in any way contributing to the problem.

Make your boss look good. Yeah, I know, a completely old-school suggestion. I stand by it; it’s part of the deal in organizational life. But I’m not talking about blowing sunshine in the boss’ direction.  I’m talking about representing your department’s “brand” in the most positive light. When you work hard, honor commitments and act professionally throughout the organization, it reflects well on your entire department. That, in turn, reflects well on your boss. It’s just possible that he or she will show a tiny bit of gratitude for your efforts. Even if he/she doesn’t, you can sleep at night knowing that you’ve done your best.

And finally, if you are job-seeking or transferring into a new department, consider this proactive measure:

Screen them. The best way to ensure that you don’t work for a bad boss is to never put yourself in the position of working for one. So, if you are interviewing for a job with your prospective boss, be sure to listen to that little voice that’s whispering “this person is scary” or “seems kind of like an egomaniac”. Trust your gut. I once went on a job interview for a position that I was very interested in with an excellent company. However, during the interview, I could tell that the hiring manager was a real jerk. When the invitation for a second interview came around, I saved myself the hassle and declined. 

Your working relationship with your boss need not be a fodder for a comedy motion picture. With these tips, you can take an active role in making one of the most important work relationships more productive.

Question: what’s the best “get along with your boss” tip you can offer?

As a novice vegetable gardener, I often see parallels between gardening and networking. Below are some of the more common questions I get asked about networking, along with my answers, some of which use the gardening theme.

Q: How important a role do you think social networking sites (LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.) play in growing networks?

A: Here’s my take on social technologies: Use them, but recognize they are merely a tool that helps you stay connected to your network. They don’t replace genuine, human interaction. Networking is about seeking out business connections based on mutuality and “chemistry”—both parties in the equation desire to help one another for professional gain. Social technologies accelerate the process of getting “interested parties” together. Once that happens, you must still do the work of building trust one relationship at a time.

Q: How big a network is “too big”? 

A: While there’s not an upper limit to how many contacts a person can have, there may be a limit to how many people you can have meaningful, consistent interactions with. It’s OK to continually add connections to your network; just don’t sacrifice the relationship you have with your existing, most-trusted contacts. To use a gardening analogy: I have “radish” relationships (they sprout quickly, but have limited usefulness) and I have “tomato” relationships (they take more cultivation, but can be enjoyed in so many different ways). Both types of relationships are fine and needed in your network, but don’t overinvest in the one at the expense of the other.

Q: I’m so busy! How can I make time for keeping my network “alive”?

A: Nourishing your network need not be as time-consuming as you might think. You don’t need to make endless rounds of “work the room” type meetings. Instead, what if you did these three things each week: sent a congratulatory note or a recent article of interest to a colleague, dashed off a quick “how are you doing?” email to a connection you haven’t heard from in awhile and updated your LinkedIn status page. Add to that a lunch with a colleague outside of your company once a month. Over the course of a year, you’d have planted 24 “seeds” of connection with your contacts. It adds up quickly!

Q: I’m shy; I don’t want my introductory small talk to sound forced or fake. How do I start the conversation?

A: Any question that places the focus in a non-threatening way on the other person is a great place to start. Here are three possible conversation-starters:

1. “What do you like best about your industry/job?”
2. “What brings you to this event today?”
3. “How did you get your start in this industry?”

  Q: If I’m at a networking event and sense that it’s time to extricate myself from a conversation, how do I excuse myself gracefully?

A: One of my top tips for networking at large events is to imagine that you’ve been asked to act as a “host” of the event. One of things hosts do is ensure that people are mingling and getting to know one another. You can use this technique when you sense it’s time to move on. Say something like, “[person’s name], it’s been great talking with you. I made a vow to meet at least three new people tonight. Would you like to join me on that quest?” And then, look about the room for someone else to connect with. Introduce the person you’re currently talking with to another person. Listen for a moment, then politely excuse yourself move on to meeting someone new.

Photo credit: istockphoto.com © RawFile

Last night after dinner my ten-year-old wiped out on his kick scooter after trying to do some new tricks. He has a nasty scrape and some serious bruises to show for his efforts, but is otherwise all in one piece. After inspecting our son’s injuries, Mr. People Equation informed me “That boy actually left some skin in his t-shirt, but thankfully, he’s young and resilient. I think his ego’s more bruised than his chest.”
 

Then my sage hubby intoned “And that is why old men don’t ride kick-scooters.”

I laughed and agreed that yeah, it’s probably not a real good idea for those of us of a certain age to hop on an unpredictable contraption like a scooter. Our bones aren’t as pliable as those of a grade-schooler. 

Interestingly, here’s what Mr. People Equation took from our son’s mishap: what we seasoned folks lack in quick healing, we make up for in know-how.  We learn when it’s wise to test out a new “trick” and when it’s best to leave it to let someone else give it a whirl.

How does this relate to being workplace savvy?

As I reflect on my career (now twenty-five years in the making), I can definitely see that the passage of time has helped me avoid too many serious wipeouts. The best teacher out there is certainly Experience and here’s what she’s taught me:

1. Trust your gut. If something doesn’t sound right to you, then it isn’t.

2. If you price it too low, chances are you’ll resent providing the service. And it will show.

3. The deal has to be good for everyone, or the relationship will eventually sour.

4. When you say “just this one time” to a customer (or employee, or your boss) you’ve just signaled your new boundaries. “Exceptions” to the rule are really just a new line in the sand, so only agree to something that you’ll be willing to do over and over again.

5. People make mistakes. Before you judge others too harshly for their actions, be sure yours are up to scrutiny.

6. Blaming others won’t get you anywhere. Neither will making excuses.

7. Professionalism never goes out of style.

8. It pays to be a good sport. (This one is courtesy of my mentor, Mary Urban Wright.)

9. If you’re going to be a good boss, you have to be willing to be a grown-up: check your ego and insecurities at the door.

Question: what has the teacher “Experience” taught you? Any life lessons learned that helped you avoid leaving some skin in your t-shirt?

Photo credit: istockphoto.com © Robert Dant

A place suspended in time offers lessons for today’s hectic life

In August, fellow blogger Becky Robinson enjoyed the same Pure Michigan family vacation destination (during the same week!) as did my family: a day trip to historic Mackinac Island. When we discovered this serendipitous circumstance we decided to write companion blog posts reflecting about our time on the island. You can see Becky’s reflections on the value of perspective at her blog Weaving Influence.

Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island

Nestled in the Straits of Mackinac along the shores of Lake Huron in northern Michigan, Mackinac Island is famous for its lack of modern transportation. No motorized vehicles are allowed on the island, meaning that there are three ways to get around: by horse, bike or on foot. All visitors and inhabitants must arrive via private boat or ferry. A large part of the island’s charm is the way it harkens visitors to a bygone era, ala Somewhere in Time, a movie set in 1912 and filmed on the island at Grand Hotel in 1979.

You might think that a place reflecting life from the early 1900’s would have nothing to offer us in the way of instruction for contemporary business life. After all, today’s technology accelerates our workplace practices at breakneck speed. How could a place filled with the rhythmic sounds of clopping horse hooves have any relevance to our current lives?  A nice history lesson, perhaps, but not much else, it would seem. Upon reflection though, I definitely see parallels between how life was lived then and how we live it now.

Here are four work life lessons learned from my time on this delightful island.

Even the most scenic places get a little smelly sometimes. Given that one of the primary modes of transportation around the island is by horse-drawn carriage, the roads are sometimes strewn with road apples. The smell on a hot, sunny day threatens to overpower the gorgeous views. However, this doesn’t deter the intrepid vacationers of Mackinac; they understand that it’s part of the package. It’s sort of an olfactory reminder that, “with the good comes the bad”. 

From personal experience, I know that even companies listed as one of the 100 Best Places to Work have their share of road apples. Sure, they are great places to work, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t the occasional stink of bad business decisions or office politics.

Know when to change the game plan. Our family rented bikes so we could pedal ourselves to island attractions. According to the guidebook, the interior of the island rises steeply, so we chose a short route. After about 30 minutes of huffing and puffing up ever-increasing hills (mountains?!), it became apparent that we’d underestimated just how steep the terrain was.  We called a family meeting: continue uphill or retrace our path? We decided to cut our losses and walked our bikes back down the hill. We choose a different route, which took us around the flat perimeter of the island. Bonus! The views on this route were even more gorgeous than our previous trek, as the shores of Lake Huron lapped right up to our bike path.

Too many times in life I’ve seen people soldiering on, following the adage, “Quitters never win and winners never quit.” Don’t get me wrong, there is certainly a place for perseverance. However, I do think that sometimes we set our sights too narrowly and focus on the one path to success, rather than admitting there may be another way to enjoy the fruits of our efforts.

View from atop Fort Mackinac, 2011

Get to a vantage point that offers you the long view. The highest point on the island is Fort Mackinac. After climbing the 150 foot incline (yes, more hills!) to reach the fort’s entrance, visitors are rewarded with a spectacular vista. You can see for miles in all directions. Fort Mackinac was built during our nation’s colonial times, and this view from above offered a strategic advantage.

It’s much the same in today’s world— leaders who are able to scale the summit to take the long view often see things they might have missed at lower elevations.

Big-name isn’t always better. A trip to Mackinac Island wouldn’t be complete without the requisite tasting of fudge. We sampled the wares of several confectioners; all tasty. We ran short of time at the end of our visit, so we agreed to snag a few boxes on the mainland on the last day of our vacation. As it turned out, we ended up going with a lesser-known entity, the Mackinac Fudge Shop, a locally owned company in St. Ignace. We found the fudge to be just as tasty as that of the more well-known places, and the proprietress was an outstanding ambassador for both her shop and her hometown.

So many times, I see companies opting in favor of “big name” vendors, because they perceive them to be somehow more qualified than a “mom and pop shop”. It’s true that smaller operations don’t always have the extensive capabilities of large organizations, but that doesn’t mean they are any less professional. In fact, I often find that boutique-type organizations are more customer-centric than the behemoths.

Those are my reflections on a thoroughly enjoyable day of history in my gorgeous home state. Thanks Becky, for gamely participating in this dual blog post with me. It’s been fun!

Food for Thought:

Wildflowers line the shore of Lake Huron

Reflect on a recent visit you took to a place you’d not previously experienced . . .

Where was it?

Did you enjoy the experience?

In what ways did it inform your life as it is now?

Should you network with someone you don’t like?

This question was put to me recently. My response was emphatic: “No, of course not!”

Here’s why I say this with such conviction. My definition of networking is:

The purpose of networking is to connect people who have a mutual interest in developing a professional relationship or assisting one another.

I strongly believe that “mutual interest” is a key ingredient to successful networking. Think about it: if a business connection asks you for a favor and you don’t like that person, how willing are you to grant the favor?

Having said that, I’m not advocating being rude to someone. You should always reply to someone’s email inquiry or return phone calls. But, if after investing time with someone, if you don’t feel that interpersonal chemistry, move on. It’s not really fair to the other party if you’re acting strictly from a sense of obligation.

Might it be awkward? You bet; especially if the other person seems to “feel the love” more strongly than you do. Saying “yes” to the continued requests of someone you don’t like may seem like taking the easy way out, (after all, it’s only a meeting for coffee!) but you’re only making thing more difficult in the long run.   

“But, wait!” you say. “What if the person I want to network is sort of a creep but he’s really, really well-connected? I can tolerate a bit of ‘ick’ factor in order to have access to this person’s connections.”

My advice to you: don’t do it. In my opinion, if you give up the mutuality, you’ve traded away something far more valuable than business connections: your integrity. If you use the measuring stick of mutuality as a guide to your networking interactions, you’ll steer clear of that nagging feeling that you might be using someone. Think of it this way: saying “no” to a person that isn’t a good fit ensures that you’ll be available for a new connection that will be.

 photo credit: istockphoto.com