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0 Set the Herd Free

Animals herd. Cattle, geese, bees, birds, fish, wolves, and people.

We herd, flock, swarm, migrate, school, pack, gather, and crowd.

All of this herding breeds groupthink.

People tend to follow the behaviors, actions, and beliefs of those in their herd to avoid the herd’s rejection.

Here’s how it works. The herd starts circling around the same idea until it is unanimously embraced. And in the face of the growing consensus, people edit themselves, stifling their fresh perspectives, insights, and ideas for fear of ridicule or rejection.

And then we are left with a group of people who think alike.

Groupthink infiltrates meetings.

Everyone coming to your meeting has unique expertise and knowledge that could benefit the group’s decision-making process. But, as research shows, herds are terrible at pooling their information. Here’s why. Meetings are dominated by (1) information that people already know and (2) information that confirms the consensus. As a result, people dilute their contributions and lean nothing new. And we wonder why people hate meetings!

As leaders, we have the power to set the herd free.

How? By intentionally blocking groupthink. Here are 5 practical actions we can take immediately:

Ask for Ideas in Advance. Before gathering the herd in a meeting, have people submit three ideas or new pieces of information to help the group make a decision on a particular issue. This will thwart the addiction to pre-existing and consensus-driven information.
Brainwrite With brainwriting, you submit a question or an issue to your group and everyone writes their ideas on paper. Like brainstorming but without the influence of the loudest group members.
Assign a Devil’s Advocate Designate one person in each meeting to introduce opposing ideas, views, and perspectives. By assigning this role, you allow that person to contribute alternative viewpoints and positively dissent without the fear of the herd.
Talk Last When leaders go first, people follow. And when people follow, they mute their own ideas for fear of not only the herd but of you. By talking last, you set the herd free to generate solutions independent of your influence.
Engage with Smaller Focused Groups Literally break up the herd. Invite people based only on the expertise, knowledge, and perspectives they can contribute to the issue at hand.

It’s easy to manage a herd, but you’ll be a lot more effective if you focus on leading the people in the herd.

Lower Your Expectations

Lower your expectations.

I first heard this advice at RAGBRAI, the annual bike ride across Iowa held the last week of July. When my friends and I arrived at camp to start the adventure, the head of our outfitter, Pork Belly Ventures, welcomed us with the following, “This is going to be a great week. But here’s the reality: It’s hot. You’re sleeping in a tent. And you’re riding with 10,000 cyclists into towns built for 400 residents. Just lower your expectations.”

Brilliant. Most employed advice of the week. Whenever anything was about to cause an upset (like the mid-week downpour and tent-flooding), we would look at each other and say, “Lower your expectations.”

When our expectations are high, we easily get disappointed, angry, and upset. In fact, conflict is merely the result of missed expectations. One person’s expectations are higher than another person’s. That gap produces the conflict.

If you’re like me, however, you’re suddenly looking at an entire career rippled with high expectations of people. You cannot fathom lowering them for fear of breeding complacency and mediocrity!

But here’s why we should heed the advice from RAGBRAI and apply it to work:

We can have high expectations of things we manage: time, money, budgets, deadlines, and projects.
We get in trouble when we place high expectations on things we do not manage and therefore cannot control: weather, traffic, airlines, family, and people.

We manage things and we lead people. Expectations are things to be managed. People are not.

So what should we do with those high expectations we have been dumping on people? Exchange those expectations for aspirations.

As leaders, our commitment is for people to be wildly successful. So we need high aspirations for them. And only through leading can we contribute to and influence their success with those aspirations. We influence aspirations. We control expectations.

New Rules

If you cannot control it, then lower your expectations around it.
Exchange those high expectations of people with high aspirations for them.
Then influence the success of those aspirations by relentlessly leading and contributing.
Lower your expectations. Raise your aspirations.

Caveat: Lowered expectations does not mean no expectations. You must have minimum standards of expectations for every role.

Try on this perspective this week! Let me know how it looks through the kaleidoscope.

0 Would your people protest for you?

Would your people protest for you?

Forget going to war for you. Would your people protest for you? Would they demand you be reinstated if you were fired, risking their jobs and pensions for you?

What kind of leader would you have to be to attract no less than 4 major rallies in 2 months drawing thousands of employees, vendors, and customers in protest to demand your reinstatement?

You would have to be Arthur T. Demoulas.

“Artie T.” is the grandson of the founder of Demoulas Market Basket, a 25,000 employee grocer serving Massachusetts and New Hampshire since 1916.

The founder’s two sons (Mike and George) purchased the grocer in 1954 from their father. Over the following 60 years, a family feud ensued forcing the families to battle in out in court in the 1990s. Along the way, Artie T became CEO while the power of the board swayed from one side of the family to the other. Then in 2013 Artie T’s arch rival, first cousin Arthur S Demoulas, attempted to oust Artie T as CEO but withdrew the effort due to threats from employees.

Arthur S eventually gained control of the board over the past year, and on June 23, 2014, Arthur S led the board in firing Artie T as the CEO. Since then all hell has broken loose in the Market Basket world.

Executives, Managers, Employees Aligned

On June 24, 2014, employees gathered in protest to demand the reinstatement of “their CEO” Artie T. The rally drew 300 people. Subsequent rallies have grown and the last one was estimated to have drawn 7,000 people.

When Artie T was fired, seven executives resigned. The managers have already threatened to resign if the board does not bring Artie T. back declaring their refusal to work for anyone other than Artie T.

In the meantime, workers are picketing and customers are boycotting. Deliveries are being refused, produce has disappeared, and shelves are bare in each of the 71 stores. It is estimated that the company is losing $10 million a day as a result of the revolt.

But why are employees and customers revolting?

They love Artie T. They are fiercely loyal to him. Here are some reasons:

He is committed to paying above-the-competition compensation and benefits
He is committed to the profit-sharing program that allows all employees to benefit
He is steadfast in his promote-from-within culture
He runs a financially successful company

Artie T’s commitment to promote-from-within has engrained this undying loyalty far more than the money. It is not uncommon at Market Basket for employees to work their way up from bagger to leader. As a result, many people have been with Market Basket for over 40 years. This inevitably leads to low turnover and allegiance to the leader at the top who maintains this world.

Executives, managers, and rank-and-file employees are aligned in their convictions, a sign of the culture that Artie T cultivates throughout Market Basket

Financial Success of Market Basket

In addition to being a man of the people, Artie T is a brilliant businessman. He has created efficiencies throughout the business. For example, the company carries no debt; it handles its own distribution; it stocks the stores with the same products allowing it to buy in bulk and maintain low prices for customers; and its insistence on hiring from within creates low turnover and training, and a workforce with engrained experience and knowledge, with little need for heavy leadership at the top. Employees at the store level are incredibly experienced in all aspects of running the store thus allowing the workforce at headquarters to need only 125 people.

All of this equates to a $4 billion dollar business producing enormous benefits to shareholders, employees, customers, and vendors alike.

Artie T has clearly aligned the priorities of the company with the potential of his people.

Are you doing that? Would people at every level of your organization protest for your reinstatement if you got fired? Or would they merely wish you well on Facebook?

Lulu hated my gift

I have trained Lulu to expect a gift every time I visit. And she never forgets, regardless of how many months pass between my visits. My niece is a precocious 5-year-old.

When I visited in January, two weeks after my Christmas gifts arrived, I negligently handed her a gift to share with her brother. And not a good one. It was a deck of cards with puzzles, challenges, and word games to prepare them for 1st grade.

She did not find this amusing one bit.

She said incredulously, “That’s all you brought?”
I nodded sheepishly, knowing immediately I had failed.
She said, “I don’t like that gift. What else you got?”
I said, “That’s all I have, sweetie.”
She said, articulating every word, “No really, I don’t like that gift.”
I was speechless.
She wasn’t. “I want a Barbie. Do you have a Barbie in your suitcase?”
I said, “Nope. No Barbie. Sorry.”
She ended the conversation emphatically, “No. Really. I hate that gift.”

It took all I had not to laugh out loud. My feelings weren’t hurt. I knew I had blown it. But I wasn’t going to next time. Lulu told me exactly what I needed to do to secure my role as “Best Aunt on the Planet.”

Now when I visit Lulu, I make sure to bring a back-up gift. Rather than consider her to be rude, I find her incredibly refreshing. (Perhaps I’m a bit biased.)

Why can’t we be so transparent at work?

Wouldn’t it be refreshing to know where you stand with your boss, your employees, and your peers?

Boss: “Here’s your project.”
Employee: “Is that all you’ve got?”
Boss: “Yep.“
Employee: “I don’t like it. What else do you have?”
Boss: “That’s it.“
Employee: “No really, I hate that project.“

Employee: “Here’s the report you asked me to complete.”
Manager: “Is that all you’ve got?”
Employee: “Yes“
Manager: “I don’t like it. What else do you have?”
Employee: “That’s it.“
Manager: “No really, I hate that report.”

While it was entertaining when my niece said it, it is rather rude in my work example. But wouldn’t such transparency eliminate the endless games in which we constantly engage where we’re left wondering what the other person thinks?

In situations where we aren’t guaranteed unconditional 5-year-old niece love, consider an alternative to help you lift the communications fog while maintaining the relationship: permission.

Simply ask permission.

“Would you be open to some feedback?”
“Do you want my perspective?”
“Would it help to hear what my experience of the situation is?”

There’s obviously a lot more that goes into the art of giving feedback, making observations, and providing constructive criticism. But it would be an enormous step if we started offering feedback instead of avoiding it, and if we started preparing others before jolting them with a dose of Lulu-like honesty.

It’s not a concept Lulu will get right now. While she is endearing, she’s clearly not ready for corporate America. But that’s OK, because corporate America is not ready for Lulu.

I have a leader crush on ING Founder Arkadi Kuhlmann

I admit it. I have a leader crush on Arkadi Kuhlmann, the founder of ING Direct.

I have gushed about Arkadi previously when he was interviewed for Corner Office in the NY Times. I became a fan then. But now I’m reading about him in Mavericks at Work and I am an evangelist.

Here are some highlights from Arkadi’s service as CEO of ING:

He recruited from outside the banking industry to infuse the industry with fresh ideas to combat those of grizzled veterans.
He painted a white line outside the headquarters so employees know that crossing it signifies leaving the sleepy world to enter a different kind of place.
He posted a sign above the exit for employees to read before they leave “Did today really matter?”
He asked his associates (he didn’t call them employees) to vote yearly whether he should serve them as CEO for another year – he never wanted to serve as the leader unless they wanted him to.
He prided himself on constantly raising the bar for the company. He says “It’s not about getting people stressed. It’s about getting them full of conviction.”
He says, “We keep increasing the intensity, the passion, the goals. It’s very hard to work here and not ask yourself, ‘Am I up for this or not?’”

Who wouldn’t want to work at a place that tramples mediocrity like that?

As a leader, what can we do to inspire conviction like Arkadi?

Start with your own conviction (the banking industry needs to be recreated)
Create a vision for the people on your team (ING is going to be advocates for our customers)
Pepper physical reminders of that conviction throughout (the white line, the sign, the orange buildings)
Demonstrate the conviction (audacious publicity stunts, torrid PR moves)
Ask people to hold you accountable to that conviction (the yearly CEO vote)

I want to inspire conviction like Arkadi. Who wants to join me?

I want to Lead like Ilene Gordon

In the Corner Office in the Business section of the New York Times, Ilene Gordon, CEO of Ingredion, took the opportunity to pay tribute to mentoring then and now.

The Impact of a Mentor

Following business school, Ilene was responsible for acquisitions at Tenneco when a self-appointed mentor saw potential in her. He recognized her intellect, ambition, and focus, and challenged her to run those businesses she was acquiring. He put her in a job bigger than her and committed to helping her hone her business skills. Today she is on Fortune magazine’s list of 50 Most Powerful Women in Business as the President/CEO of a Fortune 500 company with $6.2 billion in net sales.

Ilene’s Commitment to Being a Mentoring CEO

Ilene excites people with opportunity as her Mentor did for her. She is committed to:

Seeing potential in others where they don’t see it themselves
Stretching people who demonstrate talent, people skills, and drive
Putting people into roles they’re not quite ready for
Allowing people to grow into those big roles
Offering young managers an opportunity to share with the board how they’re creating value for the company

Her Belief in the Lasting Impact of Mentoring

Ilene believes that people carry their mentoring experiences with them. “I’m not just hiring the person sitting there. I’m hiring the four people who mentored him. I don’t think there’s anybody who’s successful in their role today who hasn’t been mentored by somebody.”

In each interview, she asks:

Who mentored you?
Who did you learn from?
What was their expertise?
What companies did they work for?

What can we do to become a Mentoring Leader like Ilene?

Make a list of your own Mentors and acknowledge their influence on your success
Discover people’s list of influencers
Work to earn a spot on their list
See what they don’t see in themselves
Take a risk on their potential
Push people into their uncomfortable
Allow people to surprise you

It takes courage to leverage the spotlight of the NY Times spotlight to mentor aspiring, inspiring, and expiring leaders everywhere. Thank you, Ilene, for influencing each of us to make a difference by leading with a mentoring mindset.

Who do you know who leads like Ilene Gordon?

0 Joy is a Leader’s Job

Aretha Franklin was on to something. She sang it loud and proud, “all I want, honey, is a little respect.” And that applies to work as well. The number one reason people leave a job? A disrespecting boss. Not lack of money. Lack of respect.

What if joy was a leader’s responsibility? A skill required. An expectation of good leadership. A competency no less important than thinking strategically or leading change.

What is joy?
Great delight or happiness caused by something good or satisfying (thank you, dictionary.com). Could work really be the source of delight and happiness? Yes! And as leaders, we have an opportunity to fuel it.

So why should this be our job as leaders? As columnist Steven E.F. Brown summed it up in the San Francisco Business Times, it’s all about “karma.” Here’s a snippet from his recent article:

“To understand karma you just need to think about why you don’t pee in your own bath. Because you’re the one who has to sit in it! If you are an unhappy, cruel, ungrateful person, you make the people around you similarly unhappy, cruel and ungrateful, and you have to live among them.”

That’s why joy is our job as a leader. Because who wants to spend the majority of each day working in a miserable, disrespectful, crappy environment? Create delight, joy, satisfaction, respect, and you get to work in it too!

Still not convinced? Here are a few more reasons to choose joy as a competency:

People watch you to determine how to act (called, “social cognitive theory”)
Happy employees make happy customers (which generate more money)
High retention and low engagement are costing you thousands of dollars
You deserve to love your job too

So what would joy look like as a leader competency?

Creating a vision with/for the team
Partnering with people for their success (not yours)
Intentionally listening to people’s upsets (that’s without looking at the phone even once!)
Addressing conflict as a repairable “missed expectation”
Considering others’ ideas
Approaching mistakes as opportunities to learn
Communicating the “why”
Getting to know people personally
Showing appreciation and recognizing efforts daily (not once a year on a performance review)
Staying curious instead of jumping to judgment
Treating people like new friends
Remembering that people want to feel like the world really does revolve around them
Helping people connect the dots between their job and the difference they make with their work

What does all of this require? Courage and confidence to be remarkable. And relentless kindness. No exceptions.

What does joy as a leader competency look like to you?