With Kirk and many like him still very much in my face and on my mind, I was thrilled to run into the Anti-Kirk the other day. The timing couldn't have been any better because focusing our attention on professionals that are part of the proverbial solution, rather than those who define the problem, is the ticket to creating and sustaining high achievement.
For many years I've commuted home on the 8:04 PM Metro North train out of Grand Central Station and it was on this ride I got to know Joe the Conductor. If Joe ever told me his last name I've long since forgotten it, but I've gotten to know him rather well and have always admired his work. When bucketed in to stereotyped categories, Joe (a proud union member working for the Metropolitan Transit Authority on the Metro North New Haven Line where the train cars date back to the 1970's), would seem to be a leading candidate for a horror story. But Joe the Conductor served as a nightly reminder that pride in workmanship, a keen sense of professionalism, and a deep understanding of customer service transcends even the most hardened stereotypes.
Over the years I learned a great deal by watching Joe; the way he handled belligerent drunks, resolved disputes between passengers, calmly dealt with the occasional rider who didn't see any reason to buy a ticket, kept order when trains broke down or were forced to endure delays. Whether it was a cold winter night where several cars didn't have heat or brutally hot summer days when the air conditioning didn't work, Joe stayed in calm control. From time-to-time he would tell me about MTA policies or management decisions that made no sense, occasionally observing that the New Haven line was in sorry shape. Like all of us he undoubtedly had his bad days, felt pressures from professional or personal challenges, but Joe was the rare talent who was able to rise above any of these forces. I never saw him have a bad shift, I can't ever recall him mishandling any situation (and on the 8:04 there were many tough ones, none of them could have been predicted), and he lit up every car of every train with his constant smile.
Joe retired earlier this summer and yet there he was the other night, kicking back as one of the passengers. Maybe it was his farewell tour or perhaps he simply missed being at his office, but it was great seeing him one last time. Seeing Joe the (retired) Conductor again was a much needed reminder for me that companies, industries and the entire economy as a whole can only be rebuilt through the sincere efforts of the highly knowledgeable, the deeply skilled, and the committed professionalism of top performers like Joe.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Continue to let Kirk Grow Into His Role ----How Does That Kind of Decision Impact Any Company's Growth?
For several weeks now I've had opportunity to work closely with a mid/high level manager we'll call Kirk. He's a sincere guy with a work ethic anyone would respect and seemed reasonably competent. However, it's often difficult to know this about Kirk because he fell into the nasty habit of rarely thinking before he spoke. If this self and organizational destructive behavior was limited to Kirk I wouldn't bother writing about it. However, we've all encountered any number of Kirk's so discussing how he is progressing can be quite useful.
Kirk's on-the-job behavior fit a very familiar pattern. Pick any subject and he'd instantly tell you he knew all about it, but went no further than that one-liner. Because he was an expert in every field he was extremely busy all day long, "putting out fires" (as he would say) --which is why he just didn't have time for anyone else or anything else especially in-depth dialogue! Of course, high on the list of things he didn't have time to evaluate was why his day was dominated by putting out fires in his areas of responsibility. But more insidiously, Kirk the know-it-all had mastered the art of delegating every decision up the ladder, which then relieved him of any accountability. One thing Kirk always seemed to make time for was to bemoan the fact that his boss made some really dumb decisions, which explained why he had to fight so many fires.
In truth and fairness, though, Kirk's boss and other company executives fed into this nasty cycle because they not only enabled him they created conditions that allowed Kirk to delegate decisions large and small to them while he escaped accountability for anything other than always knowing everything and always being right. Whenever Kirk presented an issue or problem up the chain of company command executive leadership quickly supplied answers, always putting themselves in the middle of the most mundane business matters. Kirk always had time to run into his boss' office throughout the day or send dozens of emails, always asking for instructions never even making any recommendations. Internally, Kirk was held in high regard because he was such an important employee, always incredibly busy, and to anyone's knowledge the single most informed human being on any subject. But I write in the past tense for a reason.
Slowly, the tables have been turned in a way that's benefitting all. due to his obvious brilliance, Kirk was asked to lead a very important company project. Because he had greater knowledge and experience than anyone else could ever imagine he was given full control for developing and implementing an action plan. However, in this case, whenever Kirk tried to delegate his project work up he was met with the same reassuring response: "I really trust your judgment Kirk, what do you think we should do?" Yes, Kirk's prior pattern of behavior was a great cover-up, a defense mechanism, for a managerial incompetent....and now it was getting exposed.
Early in the process Kirk tried to continue his charade by giving his recommendations. In every instance his ideas bordered on the painful or comical...I mean you could have picked someone at random off the street who knew nothing about the company, someone who had never even worked anywhere before, and that person would have come closer to offering a useful idea than Kirk did. Indeed, he went from not thinking before speaking by serving as a router to not thinking before speaking when he was thrust in the role of accountable leader. But credit to Kirk, in remarkably short order he checked his ego at the door and started to work better with others by sincerely talking to them rather than deflecting and talking at others. Over the course of the past week or so Kirk has done some of his most meaningful work because he is actually now thinking through his own solutions, doing his own research to figure things out, and making himself accountable. He even went as far as telling one of his direct report employees that he didn't know something! Interesting, but not surprising, the junior employee first reacted in stunned silence--Kirk had never made such an admission before. But that employee then flashed a small smile...yes, she knew Kirk was not the man he pretended to be all along. The two of them then spent 15 minutes diagnosing the problem and coming up with a solid business solution.
While it's nice to see these small improvements where real progress is being made, it begs a couple of key questions for me...one rather large, and the other as finite as you can get.
The larger issue is how many companies have allowed themselves to similarly get set back, particularly when confronted by the most terrifying business conditions in recent history, how do they quickly recognize and permanently change it?
On the smaller matter, this company's ownership now has to do some serious thinking of their own. They pay and treat Kirk like a senior manager, but he's not even close to being one. Do they continue to let him grow into the role or do they replace him with someone who is actually credentialed?
Kirk's on-the-job behavior fit a very familiar pattern. Pick any subject and he'd instantly tell you he knew all about it, but went no further than that one-liner. Because he was an expert in every field he was extremely busy all day long, "putting out fires" (as he would say) --which is why he just didn't have time for anyone else or anything else especially in-depth dialogue! Of course, high on the list of things he didn't have time to evaluate was why his day was dominated by putting out fires in his areas of responsibility. But more insidiously, Kirk the know-it-all had mastered the art of delegating every decision up the ladder, which then relieved him of any accountability. One thing Kirk always seemed to make time for was to bemoan the fact that his boss made some really dumb decisions, which explained why he had to fight so many fires.
In truth and fairness, though, Kirk's boss and other company executives fed into this nasty cycle because they not only enabled him they created conditions that allowed Kirk to delegate decisions large and small to them while he escaped accountability for anything other than always knowing everything and always being right. Whenever Kirk presented an issue or problem up the chain of company command executive leadership quickly supplied answers, always putting themselves in the middle of the most mundane business matters. Kirk always had time to run into his boss' office throughout the day or send dozens of emails, always asking for instructions never even making any recommendations. Internally, Kirk was held in high regard because he was such an important employee, always incredibly busy, and to anyone's knowledge the single most informed human being on any subject. But I write in the past tense for a reason.
Slowly, the tables have been turned in a way that's benefitting all. due to his obvious brilliance, Kirk was asked to lead a very important company project. Because he had greater knowledge and experience than anyone else could ever imagine he was given full control for developing and implementing an action plan. However, in this case, whenever Kirk tried to delegate his project work up he was met with the same reassuring response: "I really trust your judgment Kirk, what do you think we should do?" Yes, Kirk's prior pattern of behavior was a great cover-up, a defense mechanism, for a managerial incompetent....and now it was getting exposed.
Early in the process Kirk tried to continue his charade by giving his recommendations. In every instance his ideas bordered on the painful or comical...I mean you could have picked someone at random off the street who knew nothing about the company, someone who had never even worked anywhere before, and that person would have come closer to offering a useful idea than Kirk did. Indeed, he went from not thinking before speaking by serving as a router to not thinking before speaking when he was thrust in the role of accountable leader. But credit to Kirk, in remarkably short order he checked his ego at the door and started to work better with others by sincerely talking to them rather than deflecting and talking at others. Over the course of the past week or so Kirk has done some of his most meaningful work because he is actually now thinking through his own solutions, doing his own research to figure things out, and making himself accountable. He even went as far as telling one of his direct report employees that he didn't know something! Interesting, but not surprising, the junior employee first reacted in stunned silence--Kirk had never made such an admission before. But that employee then flashed a small smile...yes, she knew Kirk was not the man he pretended to be all along. The two of them then spent 15 minutes diagnosing the problem and coming up with a solid business solution.
While it's nice to see these small improvements where real progress is being made, it begs a couple of key questions for me...one rather large, and the other as finite as you can get.
The larger issue is how many companies have allowed themselves to similarly get set back, particularly when confronted by the most terrifying business conditions in recent history, how do they quickly recognize and permanently change it?
On the smaller matter, this company's ownership now has to do some serious thinking of their own. They pay and treat Kirk like a senior manager, but he's not even close to being one. Do they continue to let him grow into the role or do they replace him with someone who is actually credentialed?
Thursday, September 10, 2009
The National Review Calls Home: A Brilliant Move by the Team at National Review--social media at its finest.
Since my last post featured Teddy Kennedy, it's only right that I give equal air time and praise to the other political viewpoint. Just as the late Senator Kennedy's best attributes are useful for business people, so too is this example:
At a time when everyone seems to be planning "old media's" funeral, Jack Fowler--National Review's savvy publisher, is blazing new trails by integrating disparate media with a live and interactive event his publication is launching on Tuesday, September 22nd. Featuring some of NR's best and brightest minds--Mark Steyn, Rich Lowry and Jonah Goldberg--you can learn more about and even register for National Review Calls Home at: http://www.nationalreview.com/callshome/.
Certainly the publication William F Buckley founded in 1955 is not immune from the same dilemmas faced by other publications; the nearly 55 year old National Review assuredly has wrestled with changes forced by "new media". But as a business leader, NR's Mr Fowler isn't throwing up his hands, shaking his head and asking for pity because the web changed all his industry's rules or because the economy tanked! Rather, Jack Fowler is a student of his field and is highly committed to his craft, thereby positioning him to be a true innovator. By the way, someone at NR (or?) should post an official Wikipedia listing for Mr. Fowler here soon.
The National Review Calls Home concept marries the magazine's strong brand with its extraordinary talent that has a loyal following. By extending NR's reach to now include intimate phone conversations, one can now interact with Jonah Goldberg, Rich Lowry and Mark Steyn in print, on the Web, TV, and radio--come September 22nd, like you would with your neighbor. In my view a truly brilliant strategy, one that other organizations in any field can emulate! Considering Mr Fowler is doing this at a time when most other businesses are focusing on cut backs, he's showing real leadership.
If nothing else, I would urge serious business professionals to sign up for National Review Calls Home on September 22nd just to see how it is done. My best wishes to Jack Fowler and his staff for their continued success!
At a time when everyone seems to be planning "old media's" funeral, Jack Fowler--National Review's savvy publisher, is blazing new trails by integrating disparate media with a live and interactive event his publication is launching on Tuesday, September 22nd. Featuring some of NR's best and brightest minds--Mark Steyn, Rich Lowry and Jonah Goldberg--you can learn more about and even register for National Review Calls Home at: http://www.nationalreview.com/callshome/.
Certainly the publication William F Buckley founded in 1955 is not immune from the same dilemmas faced by other publications; the nearly 55 year old National Review assuredly has wrestled with changes forced by "new media". But as a business leader, NR's Mr Fowler isn't throwing up his hands, shaking his head and asking for pity because the web changed all his industry's rules or because the economy tanked! Rather, Jack Fowler is a student of his field and is highly committed to his craft, thereby positioning him to be a true innovator. By the way, someone at NR (or?) should post an official Wikipedia listing for Mr. Fowler here soon.
The National Review Calls Home concept marries the magazine's strong brand with its extraordinary talent that has a loyal following. By extending NR's reach to now include intimate phone conversations, one can now interact with Jonah Goldberg, Rich Lowry and Mark Steyn in print, on the Web, TV, and radio--come September 22nd, like you would with your neighbor. In my view a truly brilliant strategy, one that other organizations in any field can emulate! Considering Mr Fowler is doing this at a time when most other businesses are focusing on cut backs, he's showing real leadership.
If nothing else, I would urge serious business professionals to sign up for National Review Calls Home on September 22nd just to see how it is done. My best wishes to Jack Fowler and his staff for their continued success!
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