Surprises Are Rarely Enjoyed

I just want one normal day at work. No surprises, no emergencies, just a simple day where we can all do our jobs without feeling like the sky is falling.
—Unknown

Surprises at work are rarely well received except for maybe raises, promotions, or at Halloween. Even surprises that have positive impacts are dimly viewed by some as they are removed from their comfort zone.

In general, being kept in the loop about daily activities, pending changes, and known issues is appreciated, and this also holds true for leaders and clients.

We once worked with a leader that strongly shared, and in colorful language, that he should not find out about problems caused by his team by someone other than a team member.

His intent was actually very positive despite his delivery being a bit harsh.  Once he explained his intent, his message made sense. When he’s informed, he won’t be blindsided, he can share the known facts, provide status updates, perhaps have an idea when the issue will be (or has been resolved), and most importantly, he shared he’d do all he could to support his team member.

Communication is the first and most important step for preventing surprises. When in doubt, over communicate and be sure to provide as many details and facts as possible:

1.    What’s the situation?
2.    Who is/was impacted and in what way?
3.    Who needs to be kept in the loop?
4.    Is the root cause known? What can be done to prevent a reoccurrence?
5.    Provide status updates

a.    For large issues with severe impacts, we suggest hourly
b.    For medium issues with a moderate amount of disruption, twice daily
c.    For issues with minimal impact, daily

6.    Once the issue/problem is resolved:

a.    Identify and share the root cause
b.    Document the solution and what will be done so it does not happen again.

Having a work culture that owns issues, communicates them, and works towards a permanent solution will build integrity and trust levels and prevent unpleasant “surprises”.

Good management is the art of making problems so interesting and their solutions so constructive that everyone wants to get to work and deal with them.
—Paul Hawken

Colin Powell – Public Servant and Trailblazer

If a leader doesn’t convey passion and intensity then there will be no passion and intensity within the organization and they’ll start to fall down and get depressed.
—Colin Powell

This week we want to recognize General Colin L. Powell (1937 – 2021) as it builds on last week’s topic of Quality Person, Quality Leader.

Powell’s accomplishments are many. He was a former U.S. Secretary of State, the youngest and first black Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and was instrumental in shaping foreign policy for the U.S. He earned the Presidential Medal of Freedom twice (along with many other medals), and was respected by U.S. Presidents on both sides of the political spectrum.

Powell had the courage to admit his mistakes and took full ownership for them. The one he regrets most is reporting that “Saddam Hussein has biological weapons and the capability to rapidly produce more, many more”. It was later determined that this was false, and he called his reporting of this a “blot” that will forever be on his record.

His leadership style was respected and appreciated by many. He was known for being direct, for being a straight shooter, for his passion, and his problem-solving skills. He also created 13 Rules of Leadership:

  1. It ain’t as bad as you think. It will look better in the morning.
  2. Get mad, then get over it.
  3. Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when your position falls, your ego goes with it.
  4. It can be done.
  5. Be careful what you choose. You may get it.
  6. Don’t let adverse facts stand in the way of a good decision.
  7. You can’t make someone else’s choices. You shouldn’t let someone else make yours.
  8. Check small things.
  9. Share credit.
  10. Remain calm. Be kind.
  11. Have a vision. Be demanding.
  12. Don’t take counsel of your fears or naysayers.
  13. Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier

    In closing we’ll share another of the General’s thoughts on leadership:
    Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate and doubt, to offer a solution everybody can understand.

A Quality Person, a Quality Leader, a Public Servant, and a Trailblazer.    May he rest in peace.

There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work,
and learning from failure.
—Colin Powell

Quality People, Quality Leaders

If you want to be a leader who attracts quality people,
the key is to become a person of quality yourself. – Jim Rohn

Do you agree that before you can be an effective leader you must be viewed as a “quality person”?

A good starting point is to think about Maya Angelou’s quote: People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

As a leader, how we make people feel absolutely impacts our work culture. It’s essential that we deliver messages with not only clarity but also respectfully. There’s no doubt we will have the need to deliver tough messages, but the way we do it makes a huge difference on how well the message is received, and it will also impact the ongoing relationship.

Author and motivational speaker Jim Rohn identified the following key leadership traits:

  • Learn to be strong but not impolite
  • Learn to be kind but not weak
  • Learn to be bold but not a bully
  • Learn to be humble but not timid
  • Learn to be proud but not arrogant
  • Learn to develop humor without folly
  • Learn to deal in realities

Leaders want to show compassion and empathy. We need to be authentic and let people know they are valued and appreciated, and better yet, we can provide specific details supporting our perspectives.

If we are a “quality” person and leader, chances are our behaviors will be modelled by those we interact with. We want to engage people, we want to interact with others in their preferred style (not ours!), we truly listen to what others have to say (understanding that sometimes our message may not be well received), but we can show empathy and explain what prompted the message. ie. Company mandates, errors, cost savings, growth, etc

Quality people (and leaders) are known for their integrity, for being trustworthy, for having no hidden agendas, for influencing and inspiring others, and in general making others feel good about themselves, with a desire to want to be around us.

Are you a quality person and leader?

Become the kind of leader that people would follow voluntarily; even if you had no title or position. —Brian Tracy.

Effective One on One Meetings

One on ones are the bedrock of any relationship you have within your team and any organization.
-–Danielle Leong

How do you feel about attending or facilitating one on one meetings? We were in a group meeting last week and were surprised to hear that readiness levels were sometimes an issue.

  • Either the leader was ill prepared and asked “do you have anything to talk about”? If the answer was “no” the meeting would end.
  • On the flip side the, the attendee could be uncomfortable and not share their thoughts, issues, or successes.
  • Have you experienced either of these?

Tips for effective one on one meetings:

1. Schedule them regularly; some prefer weekly, others monthly. Regardless, get them on your calendar.

2. Establish expectations of the session

3. You can prepare conversation points to discuss but try not to have it too scripted, rather let the conversation flow naturally

4. Make time to “get to know” each other and build your relationship (and trust)

5. Ensure the sessions are comfortable and interactive

6. Be attentive and listen; don’t dominate

7. Ask what the attendee needs. Are there any obstacles or barriers you could help eliminate?

8. Obtain their perspective on what’s going well and what could be improved upon

9. Make them feel valued

10. Ask for feedback.  Ex. what could you do to be more effective?

11. Provide them with meaningful feedback

12. Discuss developmental wants and needs and career path desires

13. Recap any “to do’s” or commitments by either side (with target dates)

Often the sessions are primarily about business updates and not about the person. Use team meetings for business updates, organizational goal achievement, and strategic objectives instead of during one on one sessions.

How effective are your one on one sessions? Do you enjoy them? What could you change to make them even more meaningful?

Reminder: One on one meetings are meant to focus on the person.