Ann Tardy, Author at MentorLead

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.

7 Ways to Accelerate Trust for the Sake of Leading

If you want to influence anyone, trust is imperative.

People only follow people they trust, regardless of titles.

When you have the privilege of leading or mentoring others, trust is your bedrock to success. If you attempt to lead or mentor without it, you breed micromanagement, resentment, dis-involvement, and even active disruption.

Here are 7 ways to accelerate and strengthen the trust you need in order to lead others:

1. Commonalities:: When we discover something in common, we feel connected. Commonalities bond people automatically. I love dogs. So I am instantly more trusting of others who love dogs. Seek out common grounds.

2. Interest:: When we sincerely seek to learn about someone else, to appreciate our diversity, to understand their choices, experiences, and situations, we fuel trust. When we lack interest, however, we feed assumptions, judgments, and even prejudices – theirs and ours. Express a sincere interest in your differences.

3. Compassion:: When we offer empathy rather than indifference, we kindle trust. Before thrusting a change onto people, we need to first meet them where they are. Be empathic and understanding.

4. Experiences:: When we have experiences with others – projects, workshops, off-sites, retreats, community volunteering – we strengthen trust. There is a reason we still have those friends from high school. Our lives may be completely different now, but the experiences we shared as teenagers bonded us. Intentionally create experiences to bring you together.

5. Vulnerability:: When we share something personal or reveal some fears or aspirations, our vulnerability invites theirs, which promotes trust. We trust people who are genuine and we disconnect from people who are inauthentic. Drop your defenses and expose your authenticity.

6. Integrity:: When we do the right thing even when no one is looking, when we share credit for an idea or the success of a project, when we follow up as we promised, we operate with integrity. And people trust people with integrity. Our lies, however – even little white lies – will invalidate that trust. Demonstrate honesty of character.

7. Consistency:: When we execute, when we communicate, when we show up, time and time again, people trust us. Our consistency accelerates trust. Exhibit consistent actions.

If you want to uplevel your influence, start with trust.

If trust was easy to generate, it wouldn’t be so valuable.

Ignore Engagement. Obsess Over Employee Involvement

Employee engagement is like the war on terror. We’re not sure exactly what it means; we can’t exactly describe it; we don’t know what to do about it; we never really know if we are making any progress; and we will never know if we have won.

According to the Gallop Organization, only 29% of employees are engaged and 71% are disengaged. As defined by Gallop, employees are engaged when they “work with passion and feel connected to the company.”

These stats and this definition confound me. As a leader, I’m already feeling responsible for the success of people above me, below me, and beside me. Now I’m supposed to be responsible for their passion and connection to the company? In the words of the investors on the reality show Shark Tank, “I’m out.”

Every day, my focus is to lead better, execute effectively, innovate constantly, and make a difference. So I ignore “employee engagement” and I obsess over “employee involvement.” And engagement takes care of itself.

When employees are involved, they are included in decisions, they participate in improving processes, they undertake planning and strategy, and they are immersed in execution. As a result, they are committed, engrossed, and concerned.

As a leader of my own team, I don’t have a clue whether my people are engaged – and frankly I don’t give a damn.

What I do care about is that they are involved constantly. And as a result, I promise you my people are committed to the company’s success and the success of our clients; they are included in decisions; they participate in improving processes; they are engrossed in projects and program launches; and they are relentlessly concerned about responding to each other, to clients, and to program participants.

Here’s the difference:

With engagement, people are passionate and connected to the company.
With involvement, people are committed to, engrossed in, and concerned about the success of the company and its clients.
With engagement, managers are responsible for an employee’s feelings of passion and connection. (This is distracting and can ultimately breed entitlement and disrespect.)
With involvement, managers are responsible for involving employees. And employees are responsible for their own feelings.

Our job as leaders is to involve people. Their job is to stay involved. After that they can assess their own passion and connection.

What are you doing to intentionally involve people?

Even at 12 they tell me, “I have been so busy!”

“Ann! I’m so sorry I haven’t reached out. I have been so busy!”

My stepdaughter texted me these words while I was on my latest cycling adventure.

I could only laugh.

She is 12. She was on summer break. She has no job, no schoolwork, no chores, and her only obligation was going to the beach every day with her friends.

(Good thing she is so cute!)

After wondering if she was practicing to be a 40-year-old with three kids and a full-time job, I realized that she was merely parroting what she hears from people in her life.

“I have been so busy!”

Isn’t it ironic that we are never too busy for things that are important to us? The operative words being “important to us.”

We are never too busy:

* to get married
* to have kids
* to take a vacation
* to workout
* to watch every episode of The Blacklist
* to go to the latest movie or read a page-turning book
* to go out to a nice dinner
* to update Facebook/Twitter/ Instagram
* to walk the dog
* to sleep in on summer break and then go to the beach

We make time for things that we deem a priority.

What we could say is, “I have a lot of priorities right now and that (or you) is not one of them.” or “My priorities are a bit messed up right now since I’m not making time for you.” or “I want to do that but I need to re-prioritize.”

That would be audacious, refreshingly honest, and even radically candid.

Seriously. Nobody is “so busy” … isn’t it just a matter of priorities?

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?

Forget WIIFM. Shift the Focus to WSIC

Imagine my delight! I’ve been on a soapbox for years begging leaders to replace WIIFM with WSIC. Then I discovered that the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences published recently a paper that affirms my rant!

What’s WIIFM?

What’s In It For Me. With WIIFM people expect something in exchange for their efforts. I’ll do this if you give me that. But WIIFM is unsustainable, because it requires you to keep giving to me in order to keep getting from me. And after a while, I will want more for the same effort.

The following structures are fueled by WIIFM:

Sales commissions
Health benefits
Union contracts
Bonuses
Pensions and other retirement benefits

What’s WSIC?

Why Should I Care. With WSIC, while people have to work for money, they show up because they know it matters. They’re passionate about the work or the impact of their work. They are self-motivated to contribute, take initiative, work hard, succeed, and progress. They know that their efforts make a difference.

WSIC drives many people to:

Non-profits
Start-ups
The Peace Corps
Teaching
Performing arts (actors, musicians, dancers, artists)
Social Work
HR
Practice medicine (doctors, nurses)
Manage projects and lead teams

The Research Paper

Amy Wrzesniewski, associate professor of organizational behavior at Yale School of Management and Barry Schwartz, professor of psychology at Swarthmore College studied 11,320 cadets entering West Point over a 9-year period. They asked the cadets to rate the influence of various motives for attending the academy – some instrumental (ex: desire to get a good job later in life) and some internal (ex: desire to be a trained leader in the Army). They discovered that the stronger the internal motives (WSIC), the more likely the cadet would graduate and become a commissioned officer. Surprisingly, they also discovered that cadets with strong internal motives (WSIC) and strong instrumental motives (WIIFM) were less likely to graduate, less outstanding, and less committed. The presence of WIIFM actually thwarted success!

Why aren’t more leaders focused on WSIC?

We’ve been led to believe that people need commissions, bonuses, rewards, prizes, benefits, pensions, and retirement to show up to work, let alone stay motivated. But those instrumental motives (WIIFM) create merely fleeting motivation. They’re like bribes. When those motives are gone, so is the motivation. So, what will incentivize people to take action? A reason to care.

A Leader’s Job is to Influence WSIC

First, stop believing that you can motivate people. You can’t. They can only motivate themselves. You, however, can influence people to shift their focus from WIIFM to WSIC.

How?

Ask people what they love about their job.
Make it your responsibility to discover and know each person’s passion
Find out why they chose their career and their job
Ask: “What makes you show up to this particular job every day?”
Share with people how their work matters to the team, to the company, and to the clients
Give people opportunities to make a difference
Regularly recognize their efforts and contributions
Help people grow and progress so they are prepared to contribute and continue to make a difference

And don’t forget to intentionally shift your own focus from WIIFM to WSIC!

(Above is a picture of me and my good friend Alan at the border of Nevada and Utah. Alan joined me for part of my cross-country bike ride in 2011. I pedaled 4,240 miles to put my finger on WSIC and then produced a documentary showcasing what people love about their jobs.)

Even Congress Likes to Blame Middle Managers

“There is a culture of complacency among the agency’s middle management,” said Rep. Jeffrey Miller (R-Fla.), chair of the House Veterans Affairs Committee (HVAC). “These mid-level managers are evidently willing to just wait out those of us who are trying to change things.”

Not only is that statement riddled with assumptions, it’s laden with its own complacency.

But there’s even more in this game of blame.

Many in Congress argue that the problems in the VA stem from slipshod, incompetent middle managers who are not held responsible for outcomes in their medical facilities.

And yet, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported a year ago that the VA routinely rewards these managers with bonuses in spite of enduring poor conditions. According to the performance pay policy, managers can earn bonuses and advancement by reducing veteran wait-times. Those who fail suffer downgrades. The GAO noted, however, that the policy neglects to specify an overarching purpose that the goals are to support.

Lazy Blaming

So now it feels merely convenient to place the blame on the shoulders of the VA middle managers. By doing so, we don’t have to answer any of these questions:

Why would the managers need to manipulate wait-time data at all?
Why did leaders award managers bonuses in spite of festering poor conditions?
What was the point of the performance goals and the draconian consequences?
Why didn’t the leaders take any action in light of the GAO 2013 report and countless veteran complaints and VA whistleblowers over the years?
And what could possibly be written in the government employee contract that is preventing everyone from taking different actions to fix the enduring problems?

Imagine Being a Manager at the VA

You get offered a new job. You’re excited. You’re filled with enthusiasm, hope and possibility to progress your career, make a decent salary with nice benefits, and make a difference serving the people who served our country. (I highly doubt you’re excited about taking this new job because of the opportunity to manipulate wait-time data…)

But then, instead of helping veterans, you are hit with an onslaught of red tape, office politics and inane policies, union contracts, arbitrary performance goals that threaten your salary and benefits, a lack of resources to meet those goals, deaf-eared leaders, and ignorant politicians. All of which suddenly makes it impossible for you to make a difference.

And now you’re not only feeling helpless, you’re feeling resentment. That resentment shifts you from ‘I care!’ to ‘Why should I care if you don’t?’ And now you’re so busy trying to save yourself, you have no time to save a veteran.

The policies and politics are driving your behavior. You have long forgotten your initial enthusiasm, hope, and possibility of making a difference for veterans.

WYGIWYT (what you get is what you tolerate)

As leaders, it’s easy to blame managers for being incompetent and lazy. Just like it’s easy to blame your kids for being rude and disrespectful or your dog for not listening.

But it’s hard for leaders to accept the responsibility that you created it and you tolerate it month after month, year after year.

The bureaucracy, the manipulated wait-time data, the fraud, the waste, and the abuse… these are just manifestations of underlying, unaddressed issues. But those issues require the commitment of leaders to help their managers make a difference, not throw them under the bus in the midst of an election year.

United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki resigned under pressure last week. As a former United States Army general, he knows that failure flows up the chain of command. Too bad it skipped a few chain links on the way up.