The People Skills Blog

Time for some Spring Cleaning!

Even though the weather here in Maryland fluctuates between gorgeous and crappy, there's not doubt Spring is in the air!

Although I used to enjoy the cold winters, I'm now a full-fledged member of the "I Hate Winter" Fan Club. 

With the oncoming Spring comes the annual Spring Cleaning most of us do.  As I went through my home office this weekend, it made me think about doing some internal Spring Cleaning.  Without removing the junk, there's no room for new growth.  If I wanted to turn my basement into a state-of-the-art home theater, the first order of business would be to get rid of the junk right?  What junk do you need to get rid of to grow this year?  Here are some suggestions.

Negativity.  Have you ever noticed how negativity is contagious?  Hang around negative people long enough and you'll start whining like them.  I know. I've been there.  Clearing the negativity from your life might mean staying away from negative people, which could also mean friends and family.  Just think about it.

Anger.  What makes you angry?  Sometimes anger is triggered by a single event tied to something that may have happened previously.  Those of you who have been through my workshops heard about my incident with "Shopping Cart Rage" at the Gaithersburg Costco.  The narrow aisles and sample tables are my trigger.  I know now to avoid them.  What are you doing to avoid your triggers?

Bitterness.  Did something happen to you years ago that you're still holding on to?  When I left the Navy in 1999, my old Executive Officer gave me his "blessing" telling me I'd never reach my goals of owning my own business doing training and consulting.  I must admit I held onto that anger for several years.  Finally in 2006, I realized that if Capt Richardson was even alive anymore, he'd probably long forgot about me.  I was the only one holding onto that anger.  When I let it go, I found my career move into hyperspeed!

In the coming weeks, we'll all begin to enjoy steady, sunny weather.  I'm ready for some Spring Cleaning.  I hope you are too!

Making Some Necessary Changes

Everyone talks about change management, specifically around resistance to change.  I should know.  I teach a few workshops on how to leverage and survive change.

This past week I experienced a couple of minor shifts which in turn have prepared me for a major shift in my business model.  The first one was the removal of my Leyland Cypress trees in the back yard.  These were in place when we moved in back in 2002 and they, at nearly 25 feet tall, provided a great deal of privacy from the house behind us.  Sadly, some kind of disease hit them a few years ago and they've been slowly dying.  I really didn't want to cut them down but knew eventually they could fall and damage our home or the neighbor's.  With the Snowmaggedon event this winter, even more branches came down.  So we took them down this weekend.  Traumatic!  Interestingly enough though, it wasn't nearly as bad as I though it would be.  With some smaller replacements, we may have some semblance of privacy again soon.

The second change was my decision to shave the beard and mustache that have been a part of me for nearly 10 years.  I started looking in the mirror and saw Wilford Brimley looking back at me.  I felt like an aging walrus.  Yes it was traumatic too!  My daughter said I looked like Lord Voldemort from the Harry Potter movies.  A few days later, it's feeling a little more normal and I am getting used to it.

Are there some changes you need to make but just don't have the guts to?  I can tell you now that you ought to just do it and get it over with!  Yes, there's some pain and anxiety but like the quick ripping off of the band-aid, it's better to get it done!

As for my major change, it's the shift away from career coaching and outplacement and into management development.  Career Fitness Coach, LLC will remain as the parent, but my new company The Management Foundry will be the brand you'll know me for.  My goal is to help companies forge their next great generation of managers.  Yes, it's exciting but I'm already gathering flack for not focusing on leadership.  You'll know why in a few weeks!

So anyway, that's the big news!  Big changes and bigger ones on the way!  What about you?  Are you ready to get off the fence and make something happen?  I hope so!

The Necessary Step of "Doing"

This past week I spent the an entire day speaking to high school students at Seneca Valley High School here in Germantown, MD.  Each year, the school coordinates an awesome career day where they bring in professionals to speak to the students throughout the day about their particular jobs. 

Since what I do encompasses several areas, I chose to speak to them about being a career coach.  Rather than talk about it, I simply took them through 10 principles I use to help others (and myself of course) reach success.  It's important for them to learn these principles now instead of approaching career development haphazardly. The principles are:

1. Define who you really are.

2. Define success. 

3. Dream big and set good goals. 

4. Let go of assumed constraints. 

5. Commit to continuous learning. 

6. Expand your network.

7. Get better.

8. Create your own luck.

9. Go full speed. 

10. Never quit.

It was a good day and I think the students found  my presentation interesting and fun.  The bigger question though is how many will heed the advice and make a difference? 

There's no shortage of good advice on this planet.  I was in a Border's Book Store this weekend and couldn't believe just how many good books are for sale in the "Self-Help" section.  With all of this valuable information, why isn't everyone successful?  Simple.  There is the necessary step of "doing." 

Often when I teach a workshop, I get participants who comment how the material is something they've already done.  Fine.  The bigger question is what have you done with that info? What will you do with it now?

This week, let's all make a plan to take the necessary step of "doing."  Maybe just one simple thing.  I'm willing to bet doing one thing leads to doing many things.  It just might lead to the breakthrough we all need.  Are you in?

Encouragement is not an Annual Event

This week is the all-important Maryland School Assessments (MSA) here in Montgomery County.  This exam is a test of reading and math achievement that meets the testing requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

What's not widely publicized is that schools whose students don't score well get put on a School Improvement Process which is a complete assessment of what's being done and a look at the root cause.  In worst case scenario, senior staff might get canned and certain programs dropped from the school.

Now I've watched both of my kids endure the MSA for nearly 10 years and each year, the teachers spend a few weeks before the test getting the kids pumped up.  They come home with special instructions to sleep better and suggestions on the right breakfast to eat before the test.  The hope is that kids will perform well and the scores will be great.

I won't go into my personal opinion of how useless the MSA is considering kids get taken out of regular learning for several weeks to go into test prep which of course won't really measure learning.  The end-of-test brain dump is an annual event as well.  I'm more interested in the motivation used on the kids.

Last week, my 8th grade son got a handwritten postcard from his homeroom teacher which was inscribed "Good luck on the test."  It made me wonder...if these kids were encouraged from the first time they stepped into the classroom, would the MSA even be necessary or at a minimum, would extra motivation be needed to pass the test?

You see, the bottom line here is that the kids really have no dog in this fight.  Truth be told, there's nothing in this for them, particularly my 8th grader who goes to a private school next year.  If the kids really knew this, they'd completely blow the test off.  Hence, the need to get them engaged!

Both of my kids have great teachers and some that aren't as great.  Students on the other hand seem to be either hot or cold.  Some great scholars (my kids seem to be in this group - A's and B's across the board - yes, I'm bragging!) and those who really don't care.  I wonder what would happen if teachers made an effort to challenge the hot students and encourage the cold ones year round?

Taking this out of the school setting and into the workplace now, are you doing something each day as a supervisor to encourage your staff?    The bigger question is:  does your team see the big picture regarding your organization?  Do they see something in it for them?  Do they have a dog in the fight?  If not, you might want to re-think how you communicate your strategy to them.

If you're not in a management role, are you encouraging those around you?  Have you asked your boss to show you the "big picture" so you know what success looks like?  If not, you're tempting fate when layoffs come - how can you show your value if you don't know what the value adds to?

Once a year is not enough if you're looking for sustained performance.  Why not take some time this week to encourage somebody?   

Who's in Charge Here Anyway?

As you know, I fly someplace nearly every week.  Many people shudder at that, some from just the hassle of navigating airports and delayed flights, but most are flat-out terrified of flying.  When I poll a group about the fear of flying, most say they'd rather drive since they feel a sense of control.  Now  most people know deep inside there's a  better chance of dying in a car crash driving to the airport than from an airline accident, but that's how powerful the need to be in control actually is.

In the past month, I've been contacted by two different individuals who are facing absolute misery at work.  One person is working for a boss who plays favorites (and she is not the "favorite" therefore having a miserable time).  The other is working for a miserable boss AND company.  In her "Retention" award for her performance in 2009, she received a check for $1,000.00 but was forced to sign an agreement that if she left in the next two years, she's have to pay it back.  Both were struggling but saw no way out.  Economic conditions have a way of going with the misery you know rather than face the misery of uncertainty.

I know times are still tough for most folks.  Bailouts haven't trickled down to everyone and I travel around this country enough to see that first hand.  What I do know is people are still hiring and the best candidates are still finding jobs.

Your choice when faced with a miserable work situation is to either shut up and take it or do something about it.

The first individual felt empowered when I told her to simply put her resume together and look for new positions.  She has yet to interview, but just the proactive step of taking control was enough to get her thinking positive again.  The second individual felt as though she was giving up by looking for a new position.  Frankly, I can't imagine working for a psycho boss or a company that attaches strings to a "Retention" award.  After giving herself permission to look elsewhere for a job, she now has a better sense of control (and I told her not to give back the $1,000.00 award.  Make those morons beg you for it!!!).

There is plenty of bad news out there.  You don't have to look far.  If you let it bring you down, you basically concede that you're powerless.  I'm not buying it.  Focus on what you can control and you'll find you have much more power than you think. 

There will come a day, in the not-too-distant future when good times will return.  Rather than wait for that day, why not take some steps right now to retake control of your destiny.  You have more power than you think!

Smoking Can Be Beneficial to Your Health!

Did you know that NOT smoking can be dangerous to your health?  Actually, I'm talking about your ORGANIZATIONAL health.  Of course cigarettes can and will still kill you. 

This past week I delivered a three-day leadership development workshop in Georgia.  One of the many issues we discussed centered around engaging employees.  Some of the attendees pined for the days when both management and staff took time away to network and toss around great ideas.  This usually happened at the designated smoking areas.  I thought about that and reflected back on my Navy days when the smoking area was the informal gathering center for similar activity.  While I didn't smoke (I used Kodiak back in those days), I do remember how much business actually was conducted there, free from the bureaucracy and rules.  In fact, more problems got solved during those meetings than during lengthy, formal staff meetings.

Has the ban on smoking resulted in a lack of organizational health?

Possibly.

Unless you provide an outlet for some type of informal networking, free from the entrapment of normal channels, you may in fact be missing out on some new ideas or solutions to chronic problems.  Should smoking be allowed and even encouraged then?

Absolutely not!

Instead, if you're in a management or supervisory role, why not set up opportunities where this informal idea exchange can occur? If you don't have that positional authority, why not establish your own forum of informal networking?  There is strength in that network that you'll need if you want to succeed in any role.

Now I realize my readers may not always be in managerial roles, but the lessons of breaking free for short periods of venting and creativity apply to all.  Are you taking time to reenergize and reengage with those around you?  If not, why not take some time this week to do so!

You're the Greatest? Prove it!

I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was. Muhammad Ali.

When we read a quote like that one, most of us just roll our eyes.  After all, many athletes today brag on their greatness, "guarantee" victory, or simply carry themselves like they belong in another stratosphere.  But before all of them, there was Muhammad Ali.

I know some of my readers, like me, are old enough to remember Ali in his prime, when he took on all comers.  I thought about Ali this weekend while watching the NBA All-Star Slam Dunk contest highlights.  Ironically, this contest never seems to have the league superstars in it.  Most of them opt out.  Then I think about the Major League Baseball All-Star Home Run Derby.  That too is mostly competed in by second tier stars.  The players who in fact could run away with that title simply opt out.  Finally I think about the NFL Scouting Combine which runs in late winter.  It's a week-long opportunity for college football players to showcase their talent for NFL scouts.  Yet the players with the most NFL potential opt out of the competition, preferring to do individual workouts for NFL teams.  It seems nobody wants to prove their talent, choosing instead to let their reputation carry them.  It's almost as if they're afraid somebody may come along and actually defeat them.

Almost once a year, I face a hostile or challenging audience in a workshop.  It causes me to pause, rethink my strategy, and work some tough magic to bring them back.  While it's a tough challenge and stresses me out, it also reminds me that I always need to compete, to push myself lest I fall into the trap of complacency.  I always leave a session like that feeling a renewed sense of energy and personal growth.  I like to think my audience feels the same.

What about you?  Do you profess greatness only to duck away from a challenge or fierce competition?

Several years ago, I worked for a trade association where one of our members, and insurance provider, took great pride in his standing as a member.  He could do this since his company provided a huge revenue stream each year as a result of his exclusive arrangement to provide services to members.  When we had our Annual Conferences, he would always put up a fuss if we allowed his competitors to exhibit, and God forbid we ever allow them to put up their pop-up displays near his.  I always wondered...if he was a good as he said he was, why wouldn't he want his competitors to be placed right next to him so he could easily compare his services to theirs?  Why would he fear competition?  As it happens, his arrangement eventually ended and I haven't heard much from him since.

I understand outstanding college quarterbacks Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy are eagerly awaiting the NFL Scouting Combine.  Both have been criticized as not having the skills to compete at that position in the NFL.  Rather than do private screenings, they've opted to compete in public, even risking being seen not only by scouts, but the public too.  Both claim to have NFL-worthy skills.  Now they intend to prove it.

This week, let's all take a hard look at the last time we really proved our worth.  If it's been awhile, why not look for a challenging opportunity where the stakes are really high.  The kind of opportunity where failure could really hurt, but winning could increase our value, reputation, and marketability.  I won't suggest you brag a-la Muhammad Ali, but just knowing you are the greatest can certainly boost your morale!

Who Cares?

If you're a regular reader of my blogs and Career Fitness Tips, you probably know I spent 15 years in the Navy.  Back in 1997, while stationed at Naval Dental Center, Northwest in Bremerton, WA, we went through a change of command.  Our new CO Capt John Berude, in his first speech, gave his  philosophy in one statement:  "You need to care."

This morning,  13 years later, I remembered that speech.  The question to wrestle with this week is: Who cares?

If you follow the news, you'll know that the East Coast experienced a record snowstorm that dumped  nearly 30 inches of snow in a 24 hour period.  This morning, we went out for a walk since our cul-de-sac was completely blocked with snow.  When we got down the the feeder road in our neighborhood, only a few vehicles were moving - just 4x4s.  As we walked around the block, we moved out of the road as a silver SUV passed.  It was the newspaper man on his rounds delivering the Sunday Washington Post.

Why did this intrigue me? 

Of all the things people probably didn't need, it was The Washington Post.  We quit subscribing last year since it was so thin on material and we get our news up-to-the-moment on the Internet.  Considering the amount of snow on the ground, most people were busy trying to dig out and get prepped for the Super Bowl game.  I wouldn't think anybody would have missed the Sunday Post.  It would have been pretty easy for this guy to just bail on his rounds and stay home. 

Yet, he didn't.  He cared. 

Imagine what would happen if everybody cared?

• Stores would open up right on time because employees would be checking in early to make sure they were ready when the doors opened.
• Customer service standards would skyrocket as people would do just a little bit more to win over new customers and dazzle the old ones.
• Companies and Federal agencies would boom with productivity because people would do more than just "look busy" when the boss came around.
• Organizations would win more business because they'd demonstrate their willingness to go full speed in getting the job done.

Maybe it's cabin fever that's making me jump on a soapbox on this topic, but it took the simple act of the newspaper man to get me thinking.

Who cares?

I think we all should.  I'm thinking of a list of things I'll do this week to show I care.  I hope you'll do the same. 

About the coach!

So Malcolm, What do you do?

You know how you read about really bad managers at companies or see parodies of them TV?  Well I go into organizations and fix that problem.

How do you do that?

Good question.  Normally I start with an assessment that helps me pinpoint the real problem.  I try to see if these managers really don’t know how to manage, know how but don’t want to do it well, or simply don’t have enough information to get pointed in the right direction.  Then, I either teach workshops or do individual coaching.

What are some of the biggest problems you’ve seen?

Normally it’s around performance management.  Managers need to understand that setting good goals and holding employees accountable is the core of management.  Then they need to use feedback and coaching to help drive better performance.

What other areas do you help them?

I like to start by helping them figure out what their roles are as a manager and some goals they set for themselves.  Then I like to use assessments to help them figure out their strengths.  My favorite is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator or sometimes the DISC Profile.  I also teach them skills in handling conflict, motivating, solving complex problems, strategic thinking, delegating, and creating a climate where workers will give their best effort.

Who is your ideal client?

Basically, any company that is determined to develop the best managers.  My ideal client is not afraid to make some serious changes, even if it means getting rid of managers who show no motivation to improve.  They also need to be willing to invest, which means not only financially, but with time as well.  My workshop attendees need to feel free to give their full attention during training days.  It’s that important.  They also need to use coaching as a tool for follow-up.

Are you good at it? 

Yes.  In my workshops the evaluations are excellent and usually those who attend that are dedicated to making positive changes get very good response from their staff.

Who have you worked with?

I’ve worked with both public and private sector organizations in health care, manufacturing, hospitality, retail, non-profits, and education.

What else do you do?

While management development is my first love, I also do outplacement work, career coaching, marketing consulting, and publishing.  I also provide workshops for administrative professionals that give them the skills to partner better with their bosses.

Service - A Key Component of Career Success

Is it just me or have you noticed how much customer service standards have really slipped?

Now keep in mind I provide customer service training as one of my company's offerings so maybe I'm a bit critical.  Maybe not though because in addition to a REALLY bad customer experience with The Fireplace Shop last week, I was also dazzled by a great customer experience with B&B Air Conditioning and Heating.  More importantly, what would this mean for individuals who are trying to add value to their organizations?

In my opinion, here are the 3 hallmarks of great service:

• Show up when you say you will
• Do an outstanding job
• Do something extra to dazzle me

Last week our heat pump went out.  I called B&B first thing in the morning and they showed up before they said they would.  They spent all day fixing the problem.  The following day, the owner called me to check in about how things were going.  He also told me his guys shouldn't have charged me for Freon removal so he told me he was going to send me a check for $160.00.  Outstanding!!!!  Oh and by the way, their service wasn't cheap.  Don't confuse cheap with great service.

What does that mean for us as individuals?

Simple.

Do what you say you are going to do.  Do the best job you can.  Do something extra.  When you're done, look for something else you can do.  Here's one for you.  On a day you're scheduled to telecommute and you know darn well you don't have anything to do, come into the office!  It's the little things like this that help you add value and prove your worth. 

None of us are indispensible.  I like to think I am but I know I'm not.  The best we can do is constantly add value.  I'm really going to think hard this week about the service I give and make a commitment to do even better.  What will you do?