You get a 2nd Chance to make a 1st Impression

Hi, I’ve heard so much about you, it’s a real pleasure to meet you in person!

About 2 months ago, I had a very specific request from a female client. A seasoned executive, she was concerned about her ability to make a great first impression. The job was simple: Could I help her to develop ‘Killer Connect Skills’? Hmmm. I told her the following story…

It was a couple of years ago now, but the day remains tattooed into memory. I was going out with Linda (now my wife) for about 6 months. I lived alone at the time, and she hadn’t met my mother.  So, a big event was organized for the coming together of the tribes. It was set up as follows: My mother and three sisters would come to the house. Linda would cook a ‘Sunday Lunch’ while I played the role of MC, keeping everyone entertained. What could possibly go wrong?

Menu Planning:  Linda worked in Dublin City Council (at that time better known as ‘The Corpo’). All the women in the computer section were involved in selecting the ‘perfect’ menu for the gig – as if she was prepping for a starring role in Come Dine With Me. Eventually, roast beef was selected; they were sure it would be a hit. To this day, my culinary skills come to a dead stop at ‘Spaghetti Hoops on Toast’ – so I took a back seat on the cuisine planning.

No Smoke without Fire: My mother was a warm lady (she passed away many years ago) but a bit shy. Linda has terrific people skills, so the issue of whether they would get on was pretty much a racing certainty – but it was still bloody awkward for everyone. I’m sure that you’ve been that ‘soldier’ when everyone is dancing at arms length.  As it turned out, the lunch went great. We’d bought a cake for my mother’s birthday – event management par excellence, designed to win the gold!  Then, somewhere during dessert, we noticed a smell of burning. About 2 minutes later, the dining room began to fill with thick black smoke.  I’d completely forgotten that the electric oven had a dodgy switch and needed to be turned off at the mains; fat in the bottom of a roasting tray had caught fire. When I went into the kitchen, the flames were leaping out of the oven. Being a very clever and resourceful guy and absolutely wonderful in an emergency, I immediately threw a pot of water onto the burning fat. You could almost hear Johnny Cash singing: “And the flames went up higher, as they burned, burned burned”. My next inspired idea was to open the back door to let the smoke out. The added oxygen gave the flames another whoosh and the small kitchen began to resemble a scene from the Towering Inferno.  An emergency  999 call was made. Thankfully, the fire station on Tonlegee Road in Raheny was only about 10 doors down (I hadn’t banked on being a customer when I bought the house).

Breaking News: Picture the scene. One of my sisters, Teresa, suffers with Asthma. She’s lying on the grass in the back garden, throwing up. My mother is in shock, being comforted by the other two sisters, both of whom are semi-hysterical.  There are approximately 27 firemen in the house (must have been a slow day at the office), spraying enough water into the kitchen to keep the Irish Syncronised Diving  Team practicing for a month. Linda is going bananas, whispering abuse to me about not telling her about the ‘f……g oven’ (struggling to disguise her language in front of my mother).  When she went into work the next day, all the women in the ‘Corpo’ asked her: “How did you get on with Paul’s family?” They had the best laugh ever on the back of that story.  Despite the inauspicious start, Linda established a great (if all too short) relationship with my mother, who passed away about a year later.

2^nd Impression: We are often fixated about making a great first impression.  We think that we need to have terrific ‘front of house’ skills, and become paranoid that we will never recover from a bad start.  We’ve bought the tagline: ‘you only get one chance to create a first impression’ and we continually hear horror stories about how a ‘brilliant job in Dubai’ went south because of a badly chosen word or gesture. Indeed, there are times when creating a positive first impression is critically important. If you work in a cold calling sales role or if you are a motivational speaker completing a world tour – great connection skills are very important. But, for the rest of us mere mortals, we should understand that people generally have the capacity to look beyond the outward packaging. Take comfort in the fact that it’s the 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th impressions that really count. The really good news is that you don’t have to be an off-the-Richter-Scale extrovert to be successful. Sometimes great first impressions are created by people who are all packaging and no ‘present’. Just try this formula: Say what you are going to do. Then do it. Over time that usually trumps killer ‘connect’ skills.   Become someone who actually follows through. Now, you’re talking.

Paul Mooney

 

PS Lighter Moment (this one is a slow burn).

Guy goes for an interview. At the end of the meeting the interviewer sums up:

“I’m impressed with your academic record. You have a solid history of achievement. And, work wise, you have a ton of relevant experience. Absolutely Blue Chip. But, tell me this. On the development side, is there anything about yourself that you would ‘tweak’ or change a little bit? He adds helpfully: “We are all flawed diamonds.”

The interviewee responds:

 “Yes, actually there is something I would change. Honesty”

The interviewer is a bit stunned with the reply and says:

“Honesty? I wouldn’t really see honestly as a weakness.”

The interviewee says:

“I don’t give a shit how you see it”

PPS: 2 more minutes to spare? If you think you’re having a bad day, have a look at the following clip. It fits well with the ‘burning’ theme. Thanks to Kenneth Buchholtz for this gem from Holland…I have absolutely no idea what the ad is actually about, but it’s still very funny.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YZcFrBKKCk

Check our website http://www.tandemconsulting.ie or call 087 2439019 for an informal discussion about executive or organization development.

Improve your performance by Narrowing Goals: How to Stay Focused

Stay Focused: Watch the Birdie

Let me start with a confession. I don’t really know anything about politics. Yes, I religiously follow all the political spats in the media. And, I’ve been in the Dail on a variety of missions. But, overall, I know as much about politics as Ivor Callely knows about estimating the distance from Clontarf to Kildare Street (it’s about 380 kilometers, right?).

Political Contact: That’s why I was surprised when the contact came. A budding politician – seeking election in Dublin – wanted someone to manage the campaign. Was I interested? I was intrigued enough to go along to the meeting. This woman, whom I instantly liked, had spent most of her life on the fringes of politics. It was now time to move out of the shadows and make a real play for a Dail seat. The Question: Could I help her craft a winning election strategy? I deployed the Manuel Defense (‘I know nothing’) but she didn’t seem to be put off. So, we decided to do a ‘mini-election-strategy’ session there and then in the restaurant. It made a change from discussing Ireland’s ‘8 month long winters’. The conversation ran along the following lines:

“What sort of issues will you campaign on?”

“That’s not the way it works. The electorate decide the issues and I represent them.”

“Talk me through that?”

“Well, you thoroughly canvass the area. Then you group the data that people have raised and categorize this.”

“OK. What sort of issues are important in your area?” (a mix of Dublin City Council and middle class housing).

“Well, there are tons of issues. Crime and fear of crime is a hot topic. Of course, there is always economics – zero jobs and high taxes. Then there are working mothers; a lack of provision of crèche places along with the general cost of childcare. There are also some environmental concerns around the proposed construction of an incinerator. There’s a heap of stuff emerging around the reform of politics itself, how expenses are recorded and all that”.

“It’s a long list. What do you see as your particular ‘calling card?’ What will you focus on?

“I don’t think you understood the original point. Politicians don’t decide the issues, the electorate decides”.

“Where do you see yourself having a particular interest? Where is your own passion?”

“I keep telling you” (getting somewhat agitated now). “I will follow the electorate, not push them down avenues which are pet topics for me. Are you hearing the message?”

“OK, I have it.”

“You have what?”

“I’ve figured out your campaign slogan. It’s really memorable.”

“Jesus, that was quick. Go on, what is it?”

“Vote for me. I will improve absolutely everything.”

Not Funny: She didn’t think that was particularly funny. Neither did I.  I told her that politicians need to take a stance on issues. It’s called branding. Think Ming Flanagan in his heyday (allowing people access to cutting turf – despite EU regulations that this is illegal). She understood the point – but – felt that you couldn’t narrow it down to a handful of issues. There were 100+ issues in the constituency and she would provide a platform for 100+ views. I thought her proposed strategy was nuts and we parted amicably. I’m not sure who eventually helped her with the campaign, but she didn’t get elected (in fairness, she was running against some very seasoned players).

Banking Executive: I had a somewhat similar experience in one of the main banks. Like President Clinton daydreaming about the 80’s, let me inhale a moment of nostalgia here. Oh yes, the good old days when the banks used consultants.  An executive was promoted into a role where he didn’t have a lot of experience and I was asked to coach him, specifically to co-author his objectives for the next coming year. I asked about his legacy, what he hoped to achieve over the next 3 years (the average lifespan for an executive in that bank to remain in a single role). He said: “Can we skip the philosophy lesson and get on with setting the objectives?” But you can’t just roll over at the first sign of opposition, so I stuck to the point.

His Legacy: I asked him how he would like to be remembered. Did he want to be ‘Mr. Top Line’ – the man who had improved revenue flows (there were a number of possible M&A options)? Or did he want to be ‘Mr. Bottom Line’ – using business process reengineering to rip out every non-value-added step in a slimmed down organization? Perhaps he wanted to be ‘Mr. Customer Service’ improving the Net Promoter Scores? As a final twist, he could become ‘Mr. Staff Engagement’ – making sure that the group managed (about 2800 people) were in 5^th gear, happier than a group of alcoholics on a guided tour of the Jameson Distillery.  The only answer that was disallowed was: ‘I want to be remembered for all of the above’ – because some of these ideas are mutually exclusive.  As soon as he decided his intended legacy, I would work backwards from this and clinically set out what he needed to achieve in the next 12 months. As a final kicker, I reminded him of the Einstein quote: “Intellectuals solve problems;  geniuses prevent them”.

Stay Focused: Lots of us behave like that budding politician and the banking executive. In trying to appeal to ‘everyone’ – we run the risk of appealing to no one. We’d do well to remember the Chinese philosophy:  ‘When you chase two rabbits, you catch neither’.  The suggestion is as follows: Fold up that Superhero cape. Consider what you can actually achieve in your time in the chair. Yes Earthling, focus on human scale stuff. And then actually deliver it. Move out of the land of dreaming and into the land of doing. Because results pay the bills. You are paid to get things done, not to go home tired. Being focused is the engine of performance improvement. Simple, isn’t it?

Have a productive week.

Paul Mooney

PS Lighter Moment: For Golf Fans (courtesy of Tim O’Neill). Since Tim retired his wife Geraldine claims that she got twice the husband for half the money! Apologies to all non-golfers for the ‘insider’ jokes.

Subject: Fwd: My New Golf Book …

I have written a book on golf and am quite proud of the results. In order to market  the publication, I’m asking friends and family to spread the news about this essential read. The book gives the  reader valuable playing tips and insider information that I have  gained over many years of experience. Highlights  include:Chapter  1: Properly Lining Up Your Fourth Putt Chapter  2: Hitting a Maxfli  ball from the Rough When You Hit a  Titleist from the Tee Chapter 3:  Getting More Distance off the Shank Chapter 4:  Magically Finding a Ball That Everyone Else Saw Go in the  Water Chapter 5:  How to Relax  When You Are Hitting  3 off  the Tee Chapter 6:  How to Relax   When You Are Hitting 5 off  the Tee Chapter 7:  Timing: When to suggest Major Swing Corrections to Your Opponent Chapter 8:  Helping your opponent find her ball  when you are standing on it The  book also includes some key golf terminology. A Salman Rushdie – an impossible  read.  Rock   Hudson – thought it was straight, but it  wasn’t.  Cuban  – needs one more  revolution. An  Adolf  Hitler – two shots in the   bunker.  A   Kate Moss – bit thin.  Rodney King – over-clubbed.  An   O. J. Simpson – got away with it. Extra copies in stock but I anticipate a rush so be quick and  ensure you don’t miss out! Pass this  information to anyone who you feel may benefit from  my expertise…

PPS: If you have 2 more minutes to spare and are in dire need of a laugh – Google what Pepsi did to this poor, unsuspecting car salesman. Brilliant! Should be a standard part of inductions for everyone in car sales.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5mHPo2yDG8&feature=em-share_video_user

Check our website http://www.tandemconsulting.ie or call 087 2439019 for an informal discussion about executive or organization development.

Jesuit Leadership: Potential Management Lessons from the New Pope

Lead with Humility

‘Oh Lord, it’s hard to be humble, 

When you’re perfect in every way

I can’t wait to look in the mirror

Cause I get better looking each day’

Most people will be familiar with the lyrics from this Mac Davis song. Here’s my thesis. A dilemma for senior executives (albeit, one seldom discussed), is maintaining humility. When people write up your thoughts, book your travel, laugh at (all of) your jokes and otherwise curry favour, you start to lose perspective. The problem?  If you lose perspective, you start to make stupid decisions and people are afraid to say: ’The Emperor has no clothes”. Given enough exposure to high office, even the most grounded individuals can begin to act like they are part of the Ming Dynasty (get it?).  Now, you may be thinking “Not I”. But, losing humility sneaks up on you. Before we consider how to guard against this, lets consider the recent election of Pope Francis. Stay with me on this one for another minute or so.

Church Structures: In the Catholic Church there are different ‘types’ of priests. Diocesan Priests work in Parishes; others are connected to particular Orders and work in specialist areas (education, dealing with poverty etc.). Historically, the Jesuit community was heavily involved in education. At one point they operated more than 300 Universities across Europe. I know this from my time working in the National College of Ireland – which was founded by the Jesuits in the early 1950’s as a vehicle to educate workers (who couldn’t access 3^rd level education at that time).

Choosing the Route: The Jesuits have long held a reputation as the ‘intelligentsia’ within the church. An old joke underscored this. A woman, hoping her son would become a priest, was confused by all the options and asked the Parish Priest for advice:

“Well, he could become a Diocesan Priest.”

“Ok. And how long would that take?”

“About 6 years. Alternatively, he could become a Franciscan. You’d recognize them by their dress code. They wear long brown robes.”

“Yes, I’ve seen them. How long would that take?”

“About 9 years. Or he could become a Jesuit.”

“Right. What sort of time are we talking about?”

“14 years, give or take.”

“That’s grand,” she said. “I’ll put his name down for the Jesuits.”

“Is it because he’s a very religious boy?” the Parish Priest inquired.

“No, not at all. It’s just that he’s a slow learner.”

Authority Structures: Different parts of the church operate different mechanisms to elect leaders to office. We are all familiar by the Curia meeting behind closed doors in Rome to elect the new Pope with the ritual of black/white smoke, which denotes a decision. In the Diocesan world, the career ladder is straightforward. A priest can get promoted to Parish Priest, Monsignor, Bishop, Cardinal and Pope. It’s a little different in the Orders. Each of the people holds a leadership office for a fixed period of time.

Office Rotations: This is more akin to the University system where people hold office (e.g. Dean of the Business School) for a period and then revert to their former job.  The Good News about this rotational system is that it stops people developing an inflated notion of themselves, taking on the mantle of ‘Being in Charge’ – believing that they are smarter than everyone else (“If they were smarter than me, I would be working for them”). But this system has one major hidden imperfection. When the role is rotated (sometimes referred to as ‘Muggins Turn’), many leaders become paralyzed, afraid to make waves for fear of distancing themselves from colleagues. They are all too aware of having to ‘go back into the fold’ at some future point in time and do nothing to rock the boat. In the worst cases, the leadership role represents little more than a temporary title on a business card.

 I read the recent reports of the new Pope Francis, washing the feet of women prisoners in Italy. If you are the CEO, perhaps suggesting that you wash the feet of the front-line staff is not the best idea to engage the troops. But, having the humility to make this type of gesture is critically important. The central question is: do you lead with humility? And, when you don’t (and we all fall down on this one), do you have someone with the guts to tell you? Terry Neill, former MD of Accenture stated this forcefully when he said: “When you start to believe your own bullshit, you’re in trouble”. 

 Sweet Spot: The target point is to lead your organization with conviction and without fear of being unpopular. David Cameron said: “If Christopher Columbus had an advisory committee, he would probably be still stuck in the Dock”. But, and here’s the rub, can you lead in this confident way without becoming Attila the Hun?

Paul Mooney

PS Lighter Note: FIFTY SHADES OF GREY – Pensioners Version (note larger type).

Having written a number of ‘worst sellers’ – I’ve decided to shamelessly copy the success created by other authors. I think that my next book is going to be a real winner. Here’s a sneak preview…

The heat from the fire was comforting as the three electric bars glowed brightly in their metal cage. Nora peeked across the room over the rim of her Reader’s Digest. Gerald was snoring lightly, with his half-moon spectacles balanced on the end of his nose, a thin ribbon of drool sliding down his chin onto the edge of his striped pyjamas. His half-read newspaper had fallen to the floor, and the cat had curled up on top of the unfinished crossword.

She closed her book, turning over the corner of the page she had been reading so as not to lose the article on herbaceous borders, and placed it down next to her half–drunk Horlicks. Nora slid out of her chair, and grabbed the armrest. Carefully kicking off her sheepskin slippers and, sliding the wheeled hostess trolley out of the way, she hitched up her velvet dressing gown and padded towards him.

She slid her hand under his pyjama top, rubbing his arm gently. He smacked his lips together, as though he could taste the cod in parsley sauce they had for supper. His eyes flickered open and he squinted at the light and the looming shadow in front of him. Even with the cataracts, Gerald could see she wanted him to follow her.

He took off his glasses and placed them on the coffee table as he rose out of his chair, his knees and back cracking as he straightened. She reached forward and grabbed the long-shaft of his walking stick, gnarled and rough, and placed it in his hand.

Nora began to negotiate the stairs, gripping the banister, the light from the landing highlighting grey roots in her blue rinse. Gerald could hardly wait to get to bed; he settled onto the green padded cushion of his Stannah stair lift and flicked the button, slowly ascending towards her waddling behind as she stumbled up the last two steps. Nora waltzed into the bathroom, anticipating the moments ahead while  Gerald sank down on the edge of the double divan. She returned after a few moments, passing a cold and cloudy glass of tap water into which he dropped his teeth with a quiet splash. She placed her own glass onto the bedside table and removed her top denture, dropping it into the glass and adding the cleaning tablet with a plop and a fizz. Gerald had already slid under the 15-tog duvet and was smoothing out the wrinkles on his V-pillow.

Nora slipped her shoulders out of her gown and placed it next to the commode, then slid under the paisley polyester, her hand brushing Gerald’s as she fumbled for the TV remote. Gerald gripped the handrail as he slid open the drawer under the dimly lit touch lamp and pulled out a blister pack of Viagra, his face falling as he realized it was empty. He could’ve sworn there were a couple left. Nora smiled to herself as she pressed the remote and the TV flickered into life on the opening credits of Come Dine with Me – Omnibus edition.

She sank back into the memory foam pillow and her eyes glinted happily knowing that Gerald would not be able to get another doctor’s appointment until late next week and that the little blue pills dissolving in the U-bend of the toilet would be completely gone by the morning.

 PS Executive Relaxation: Nice piece from Britain’s Got Talent – Attraction Shadow Act.  Take 2 minutes to reboot those tired batteries.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYA8qodccv0

 Check our website http://www.tandemconsulting.ie or call 087 2439019 for an informal discussion about executive or organization development.

Apply for the Job you crave – 2 years in advance of the Advertisement

Séan Mooney: Climbing the Ladder

Breaking News:  My son, Cillian, has just got a summer job in Lemon Jelly, a café in the centre of Dublin. So now I can officially boast that he has become a Barista (to the untrained ear, it sounds quite like Barrister and should certainly fool the dyslexics). Yes, he’s an absolute whizz on the Espresso machine. And while I’m in the mood for boasting, one of my daughters has become an entrepreneur. Amie set up a false eyelash business on her Facebook page and it’s going gangbusters. Streams of women are coming to our house. That’s the upside. The downside is that she called the business ‘Get Lashed’ (I kid you not).  Oh, Sweet Jesus, the joys of parenting. But, there is a glimmer of hope that they are using this ‘in-between’ time to prepare for bigger future roles. Perhaps that’s the triumph of hope over experience.

When I Grow Up: One of the great things about the consulting role is that I get to paddle alongside a lot of executives who are future focused. I have to admit to a personal bias here; I love ambition.  It puts rocket fuel in the tank. My general response to people who are aiming high is: “Great. When do you want to start working on this stuff?  Where the answer is: “The interview for the CEO role is on Friday next week”, it drives me mad. You don’t enter the 100 meters butterfly race to learn how to swim – you punch in endless hours in the pool in advance of the starter gun. Putting yourself forward for promotional roles follows exactly the same trajectory. You train endlessly, and then get your chance to shine.

Preparation Step:  My nephew Séan Mooney is climbing Mount Everest. He’s currently at Base Camp becoming acclimatized and it will take him up to 6 weeks to make the climb.  Séan is Canadian, hugely driven and has wanted to do this for a couple of years.  As pre-work, he learned how to technically climb in the Canadian Rockies and got himself fit to Olympic athlete standard to take on the challenge. Now, there’s no guarantee that he will actually make it to the summit, as so many variables can intervene. I’m guessing that the tagline “There is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing” will be put to a severe test at those altitudes. But Séan did all the groundwork for the expedition, maximizing his chances of success. And while taking risks on this epic scale is sort of nuts, GK Chesterton reminded us that: “There is a road from the eye to the heart that does not go through the intellect”. So, what’s the career ascent that you want to make? And, just as importantly, how do you get ready for this?

 Learn by Doing: In order to get ready for a senior role you need to do 2 things:

Deep Understanding: Develop a deep understanding of the key requirements of the role. For example, in relation to becoming a CEO you need to acquire a range of specific competencies including crafting strategy, designing organizations, communicating a sense of purpose, networking with key stakeholders and driving measurable results (for a more detailed description, have a look at the Leadership Skill Inventory on http://www.tandemconsulting.ie). The same basic points apply for any role you are chasing.

Real Experience: Then you need to spend time in a similar role or acquiring the ‘sub-skills’ required to do this job really well. Get yourself ‘blooded’ – with actual experience – and consolidate that experience into your CV.

The Question: “How long should I spend getting ready for a CEO role?”

The Answer: The perfect time to get ready for a job is about 2 years before it’s advertised. If you do this, the selection process will be a doddle.

The Alternative: Just sit back and wait to be ‘discovered’. I suggest that you make yourself really comfortable. Because, it’ll be a long wait.

Paul Mooney

PS Lighter Moment 1:  Have a look at this funny Dutch commercial from insurance company Centraal Beheer. Might stop you rushing to judgment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8WZNq2PnZI

PPS Lighter Moment 2:

Husband: “I wasn’t that drunk last night”

Response:  “You were sitting on the couch trying to put on a seat belt”

Call 087 2439019 for an informal discussion about executive or organization development.

Aerobic Coaching: How Speed Coaching is taking off like Wildfire

I’m ‘bursting’ to tell you about this new idea…

OK, you know a bit about fast food. Admit it. You’ve sampled a couple of Big Mac’s in your heyday. And you’ve heard of speed dating. Rather than commit to a full 3-course dinner, some people opt for a 3-minute ‘make your mind up’ quickie to determine if the person sitting opposite is a potential psychopath (a female friend, who’s single, memorably described a recent date as: “A waste of make-up”). We’re surrounded by companies using speed as a competitive weapon. Dominos Pizza guarantees delivery times and the VHI injury clinics offer a quick ‘running repair’. For a fee you can get yourself patched up, which beats sitting in the madness of an A&E department for hours. I suppose it was only a matter of time before the ‘need for speed’ impacted the coaching game. And… it happened.

Slow Burn: The ‘red thread’ that connects Psychoanalysis, Psychotherapy and Counseling is that they are all slow processes. The ‘stealth’ of Psychoanalysis is captured by the popular image of Woody Allen attending twice-weekly sessions with his therapist in a New York Brownstone, (supposedly) for over 20 years. In my experience, the Irish market for 20+ year therapies is limited; clients want something that delivers results a tad quicker. When Executive Coaching entered the frame, it seemed to meet this need for a ‘quicker fix’. Based on many of the underlying principles and techniques used in psychotherapy and counseling, Executive Coaching offered a ‘speeded up’ solution to people who are attuned to making things happen on speed dial. In Executive Coaching, the timeframe is months, not years. Fast enough? Not for some people.

Speed Up: The strength of Capitalism is that there is always someone notching up the game.  The World Economic Forum annual Meeting is held in Davos, Switzerland. This year’s theme was Resilient Dynamism (thinking beyond crisis management). Big topics, big hitters, a big event. At Davos, Coaching Sessions were offered to participants in 15-minute time slots. Now, that’s what you call re-engineering a process, a sort of Moore’s Law applied to coaching.  As soon as he heard about this, one of my favourite clients asked me if I could conduct speed coaching for his team. 15 minutes of powerful, impactful advice. Get them in and out, an executive ‘sheep dip’. It’s such an innovative idea, I almost felt bad about declining. I asked him if he’d picked up the first name of the coach in Switzerland. Was it, by any chance, Mandrake? And I reminded him of the Woody Allen quip: “I learned speed reading and read War and Peace in 20 minutes. It’s about Russia”.

Slow Cooking: Firstly, you can’t fix a problem that you don’t understand. Secondly, Executive Coaching needs to reflect what’s working well for a client, not just drill into things that are broken. While everyone wants to get to the BAD NEWS, my job is to make people realize how many things are working well. The foundation of good coaching is confidence building and the Coach has to keep repeating the mantra ‘the client owns the problem’. Sometimes it’s easier to understand definitions when something is framed in the negative, so lets try this one out:  Executive Coaching is not like being a medical consultant, where disempowered patients are stacked up in the waiting room, landing like planes every 7 minutes for the wisdom to be declared. Executive coaching is completed in Tandem with the clients (pun definitely intended) – because they own the responsibility of following through.

Speeded Up: While I couldn’t sign up for those 15-minute sessions, we did agree the following: A long diagnostic meeting (2.5 to 3 hours) after which I ‘captured’ the notes in a draft coaching plan which took several hours to construct. I also gave structured readings or books to each client to work through on their own. This was followed by a 2nd meeting (about 2 hours) to discuss and amend the draft plan. At that point the agreed coaching plan (clear diagnosis of the key presenting issues and the suggested ways forward) was handed over and the client was flying solo.

Does it work? Cecilia Rowan in CITI is trained as an ‘Aerobic Coach’ (metaphor is with a short, intensive physical workout). She believes that the process can work well – if – the client buys into this and really wants to engage.  Essentially the coach is focused on the diagnostic element of the coaching with the ‘implementation phase’ completed on a D.I.Y. basis. Did this speeded up version work with my clients i.e. help them get a better handle on their lives or change their behaviour? It’s too early to predict the medium-tem impact, but it has certainly worked well at the front end. It’s short – so therefore respectful of their time. It’s enjoyable – an intensive process which is completely focused on the client, what’s happening in their lives right now and what they want to happen over the next couple of years. Overall, my take on Aerobic Coaching is as follows: It allows coaches to provide a ‘menu’ of support – rather than a 1-size-fits-all’ proposition. Depending on the organization (and the individual client), you choose the option which best fits the circumstances. It’s like buying a bespoke suit from Louis Copeland rather than an off-the-shelf readymade from Marks and Spencer.

Active Listening: Whichever route is chosen, there are a couple of ‘givens’.  When people are listened to with empathy, it has a positive impact. Coaching is definitely a verb rather than a noun. Like climbers on Mount Everest, executives can suffer from a variety of altitude sicknesses as they scale the heights. Managing internal politics, dealing with underperforming staff, getting to grips with the implications of competitor moves and so on are all stressful.   The top of the mountain can be a lonely place and Executive Coaching provides a ‘safe zone’ (rather than a ‘Death Zone’) to discuss concerns, readjust and plan a forward path.

Reduced Costs: A key upside of the ‘speeded up’ version is that it’s very cost effective. The typical cost of a full-blown executive coaching exercise is €10-15k. It’s a big punt on an individual when the outcome is uncertain.  The revised cost of this ‘speeded up’ version is €3k -€4k. On that basis alone it’s worth trying to make this simpler process work really well.

The Lesson: While we don’t always like it, tough clients help us to notch up our game. Consultants are in the business of telling clients how to improve their business and drive performance upwards. Now and then we have to soak up a bit of that divine advice ourselves. Doctor, heal thyself!

Paul Mooney

 

PS Lighter Moment: Have you given up trying to impress your friends with your golf? It’s never really going to happen, is it? How about switching the focus completely and impressing them with your golf cart? Have a look at the attached clip. This should do the job nicely!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5u_2bGPdUY&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Check our website http://www.tandemconsulting.ie or call 087 2439019 for an informal discussion about executive or organization development.

The Number 1 Productivity Rule : Understand the difference between inputs and outputs

Lots of Musical Inputs – less sure about the Outputs

The first time I ever came across a BYO (bring your own) restaurant was in Sydney Australia.  People bought along the wine that they really liked and it was cheaper from an off-license. The trend never really caught on in Ireland (albeit a couple of BYO restaurants have popped up in Dublin since the start of the recession). Perhaps we are culturally averse to anything that smacks of ‘tightness’ or maybe just too lazy to go to a ‘take away’ for booze and then onto a restaurant, preferring a 1 stop shop night out. On that same night in Sydney I was attending a divorce event. A couple who were breaking up had invited all of their friends to a celebratory party. Their marriage was over, but they were celebrating becoming friends again, after a lot of aggro around “who owns the spoons?”.  Can’t see it catching on in Leitrim!

BYO Laptop: The BYO trend is now taking off in another direction. Many people are now ‘bringing their own’ laptop, IPad or mobile phone to work.  A couple of reasons underpin this. Firstly, it can reflect a lack of customer focus with internal IT departments (“The answers NO. Remind me, what’s the question?”). Paranoid about security concerns, IT departments often ranked these head and shoulders above usability. Secondly, corporate spend on IT often lags personal spend – so staff have to downgrade when they hit the workplace. Thirdly, there is a small but growing movement towards working from home, using that great liberator, the Internet.

Company Implications: Since the invention of the steam engine, most of us have become used to clocking into a central location where managers could ‘see’ the workers. Many years ago I worked in the Ashtown Tin Box Company. The Supervisors’ office had full glass windows and this was elevated above the factory floor. This allowed the super-visor (literally, a man in a white coat) to visually assess that everyone was busy and not on the doss.  With ‘remote workers’ it’s much more difficult to exercise this level of control. When you can’t physically see the workers, you have to have some other way to figure out if they are productive. Karl O’ Connor in Ulster Bank sent me a newspaper article about an office worker in Asia who was dead for some days (at his desk) before anyone noticed it. I’m guessing that his employer was not BIG on output measurements!

Outputs Focused: So, the emerging managerial challenge is to understand outputs, what is actually being produced. Not time at the desk. Not complying with the dress code. Not ‘making electrifying presentations’.  It’s about measurable outcomes. An old joke captures this.  Two sales representatives, working in Cork, are talking and one says: “I made a lot of strategic contacts today” and the other one says: “Yes, I didn’t get any sales either”. The lesson is simple. Managers have to become focused on ends rather than means. We want you to win the game. You can score with your left foot, right foot, your head or any other appendage. Just win the game. Moving to this way of managing will challenge those of us who are sporting a bit of grey hair, because knowledge workers play an invisible productivity game. The Lesson: Develop a new scorecard based on outputs. It’s the end of ABC (attendance-based compensation) as we know it. It’s not an effort contest, it’s an outputs contest. And you’d better get used to it; this is not going away any time soon.

Paul Mooney

 

 

 

 

PS Lighter Note: Some golf related quotes by the non PC US commentator David Feherty, a former professional golfer…

On a poor shot: “That ball is so far left, Lassie couldn’t find it if it was wrapped in bacon.”

On Nick Faldo: “I am sorry Nick couldn’t be here this week. He’s attending the birth of his next wife.”

 

Know someone who’d benefit from this blog? Ask them to email paul@tandemconsulting.ie and we’ll add them to the list. Check our website http://www.tandemconsulting.ie or call 087 2439019 for an informal discussion about executive or organization development.

Some People are Poor: What’s this got to do with the way I manage?

Some people are born poor. Leading is about making nuanced decisions

This week, I want to bring you on this journey that goes back a couple of years. Picture the scene. I was about to ‘pull the trigger’ on a guy that reported into me. He had been underperforming for quite a while and had recently stepped over the line. I was meeting the Full-Time Union Official  – simply as a courtesy – to tell him what was about to happen. After he’d heard the details, he made the point: “Why don’t you give him a break. That guy was born with a rusty spoon in his mouth. ”

Poverty Explained: It was a graphic description of poverty and a timely reminder that not all of us have equal privilege.  The question around why some people are poor is one of the perennial debates in sociology. A number of structural causes are normally put forward to explain why individuals find it difficult to escape the poverty trap. These include:

 

Low Income: You’re one of a large number of children whose parents never finished second level school.

Family Support: Your parent’s work in minimum wage jobs. Your father does not support you in any way (€ or emotionally).

Educational Difficulties: You are gifted with average intelligence. People rarely show interest in your schoolwork.

Social Capital: You don’t know anyone well who’s been to college. You’ve no real idea what you’d do in college since you don’t have any exposure to the professions.

Role Models: The only people around you that have money are criminals. Everyone else is poor and a lot of them manage on welfare. No one expects you to be any different.

Reduced Opportunities: The job you secure is 20 hours a week, pays minimum wage, has few benefits and barely pays for the petrol used to drive there.

Low Expectations: The goal that everyone seems to have for you is to stay off drugs and stay out of Prison.

Moral Fibre: There is an alternative right wing view that sees poverty as an outcome of the absence of moral fibre (essentially, a lack of character). This includes a fear of working hard, acceptance of state handouts, using money for immediate pleasure, substance abuse and so on. Evidence for this is often grounded around stories of individuals who started out in poor circumstances, but managed to scramble up the mountain and become successful.  Those individuals sometimes love telling their own ‘rags to riches’ story a la Bill Cullen. Indeed, this view of the world has some universal appeal. It makes the rest of us feel ‘We’ve earned our success’ (better than admitting we were just lucky to be born into a particular family and social strata).  Overall, the ‘lack of moral fibre’ argument is a minority view as an explanation for poverty. The general consensus in the literature is that (a) there will always be exceptional individuals who can overcome adversity (b) for every career that poverty ‘supports’, it blights 100 others. To summarize, while there are elements of truth in both perspectives, poverty can be better understood by a range of structural factors rather than being the outcome of individual underperformance. John Lonergan was the former Governer of Mountjoy Prison in Dublin. He regularly said: “It’s not just a coincidence, that most of the inmates come from 4 or 5 postal districts”.

Tackling Underperformance:  In organizations, a similar debate sometimes takes place when underperformance occurs. When an organization  (entire business or a particular section) underperforms, the question ‘why’ is raised.  In broad terms, underperformance occurs for one of two reasons.  A range of ‘structural reasons’ can negatively impact performance or it can be down to a lack of individual effort or talent.  The structural elements can include changing market conditions, new regulations, key competitor moves, lack of talent in the organization (a failure of previous leadership) and so on. Professor Charles McCarthy (RIP) in Trinity College, in his book The Decade of Upheaval declared: “Very often, the events were too great for the men”. McCarthy understood that the wave is sometimes bigger than the swimmer and people cannot always cope with this.   At other times, it’s absolutely correct to take someone off a project or take them out of the organization entirely. Central Point:  ‘Underperformance’ is typically diagnosed as a lack of individual talent.  However, just like the poverty example cited, there are often hidden structural elements which help to explain how performance gets derailed.

In the end, we decided not to fire the guy. It’s a couple of years ago now and he never became a star performer, but he did knuckle down. In this instance the union official was right and I was wrong.  As a Leader, your role is to separate truth from fiction. And, just like a surgeon in Beaumont Hospital, you have to be careful that you don’t remove the wrong organ.

 

Paul Mooney

PS: Absolutely Brilliant Video: Noel Hennessey sent this on to me. It is really worth a couple of minutes of your time. I challenge you to watch this and not be moved by it.  Perhaps use it with your own staff?

http://www.maniacworld.com/are-you-going-to-finish-strong.html

 

Lighter Moment: The Locker Room. A bit sexist, but still funny. Look away now if you are of a sensitive disposition….

 

Several men are in the locker room of a golf club. A Mobile phone on the bench rings. A man getting dressed engages the hands-free speaker function and begins to talk. Everyone else stops to listen.

MAN: “Hello”

WOMAN: “Hi Honey, it’s me. Are you at the club?”

MAN: “Yes”

WOMAN: “I’m shopping in Grafton Street and found this gorgeous leather coat. It’s only €2,000. I was thinking of buying it”

MAN: “Why not? Go ahead if you like it that much”

WOMAN: “Earlier this morning, I stopped by the Lexus dealership in Blackrock and had a quick look at the new models. There was one beauty that I really liked. Low emissions so the annual tax is practically for nothing”

MAN: “How much?”

WOMAN: “€82,000″

MAN: “OK, but for that price I want all the options. Top Spec”

WOMAN: “Great! Oh, just one more thing. I was just talking to Janie and found out that the Penthouse Apartment I looked at last year in the IFSC is back on the market. Wow! It’s great value now. It’s down to €780,000″

MAN: “Make an offer of €700,000. In this climate, they’ll probably take it. If not, go the extra eighty-thousand if it’s what you really want”

WOMAN: “OK. I love you so much. See you later!

MAN: “Bye! Love you, too”

The man hangs up. The other men in the locker room are staring at him in astonishment, mouths wide open. He turns and asks: “Anyone know who owns this phone?”

 

PPS: Charity Event: On of the regular readers of this blog, Donie Wiley, is just about to celebrate a big birthday. As part of this he wants to work with a charity for a week. It’s a novel idea. Have a look at  (www.aweekinmay.com) and contact Donie directly if you have any ideas around this.

Know someone who’d benefit from this blog? Ask them to email paul@tandemconsulting.ie and we’ll add them to the list. Check our website http://www.tandemconsulting.ie or call 087 2439019 for an informal discussion about executive or organization development.