Labrador Leadership

Spring has sprung.  Alex, thinking seasonally, sees a lot of people moving into new positions for the next challenges in their lives. As they negotiate new opportunities, Bob and Alex talk about the basis of negotiations.

Bob compares value claiming and value creation.  Value claiming is about trying to win the biggest part of a fixed size pie, or any thing with no opportunity to create value.  This is distributive bargaining.  The other side is called integrative bargaining when there is an opportunity to create value.  The good negotiator knows when he has to recognize when to use one approach over the other.  This choice is tied to time urgency, risk, and the over all relationship.

In a team perspective, more often than not, we are trying to create win-win situations when you can create value for the firm.  When there is not common interest, when there are two separate cultures, such as with a merger, there is a great likelihood for a breakdown in the conversation.

When value claiming, you are thinking your want it all and you start delivering ultimatums.  They compare the experiences as oldest and youngest siblings.

To create value, focus on the problem rather than the person.  Find metrics that can measure the good, with the numbers being much less emotional.  When the emotions are piqued, your clarity suffers, impacting your ability to focus on the issues.

Bob suggests  that there are two things you recall need to know--how much you care about the issue, and how much you care about the relationship with the other side.  This is worth some thought because the answer drives at least in part your choice in strategies. An example:  if you care about the relationship with the other side a great deal, but the issue is a small one for you you may want to yield and walk away.  If you care about the other side and care about the issuer, thee may be an opportunity to try to create value for both sides.

 

Bob and Alex review a list of executives, entrepreneurs, and business leaders offerings of their most important habits.  At the top of this list is how you craft your daily to do list and how you remember other people's names.

Bob reminds us that your daily to-do list is not the whole repository of all the things you have to get done.  It is a plan for today.

Alex says that remembering names is important.  Bob's strategy is to immediately say and use the name upon introduction. If it is within the context of a business meeting, do some research on LinkedIn or elsewhere so you can find out a little bit about them.

Bob cites one executive who says it is important to clear his email inbox to one page by the end of the day.  Another says it is important to him to make a crazy personal statement each day, even if it just a loud pair of socks.  Alex says that she makes sure she leaves her personal imprint on her work.

Bob cites another leader who says he has to avoid all carbs before noon.  He does this because the morning is an important time and he feels they weigh him down.  Alex totally takes the counter position.

The final two from the list that are discussed are paying attention to people not devices and talking constantly with you team.

Christine Desmarais' article on Inc. on the daily habit of highly successful people.

Bob and Alex hangout over the weekend with family and friends on an analog basis.  Back on the airwaves, they bring up what the top leadership traits might be like in the world of project management.

Bob says that it is one of the hottest job skill sets now.  He has worked in that role in financial institutions, information technology, and education.  The list of traits looks similar to the more general list of desirable leadership traits we have discussed.

Inspiring a shared vision is at the top of  the PM skills.  Bob notes that it is part of transformational leadership.  Alex talks about the importance of not only creating a shared vision but selling it to the full project team.

Good communication is not enough...you have to be a great communicator.  This is largely driven by the fact that a project team is at its roots a matrix organization.  Alex talks about having the ability to give criticism with the appropriate information and tone, and Bob reminds her of the need to be able to receive that feedback.  Empathy is on the skill list as well, and in this case it is needed by both sides.  The leader needs to be empathetic in the way all leaders do, and the team member needs to be empathetic toward the challenges of the leader.

A project manager also has to be agile in team building skills. He has to able to build consensus among all the team members.  To do this he needs a visible sense of competence, not only in leadership skills, but in the area of expertise in which the project is involved.  Just as important is for your sense of integrity to be visible and valid.  Your actions must align with your words.

And to cap this all off,  a project manager needs massive problem solving skills.  There are tools to help you do the project related calculations and scheduling, but you must be able to offer alternatives that you can quantify while trying to stay on time and on budget.

Finally, Bob says that you have to be cool under fire.  He quotes Warren Bennis and his concept of crucible moments.  As the late Stuart Scott said, you need to be "as cool as the other side of the pillow".

One of the most subtle but most important differences that leaders must take into consideration (if they are serious about being the best) is the attention they pay to handling different types of personalities.  One dimension of this is the difference between the extroverts and the introverts.

Bob and Alex recount their experiences with the Myers-Briggs (MBTI).  Alex is an ENTP.  She says the P for Perceiving at the end of her type reflects her tendency to be open to communication and alternative ideas.  Bob is an ENFJ.  His J for judgmental is very strong (perhaps rooted in wanting to be a baseball umpire).  The J is usually task oriented.

The letters at the front end though are just as important.  The I is for introvert and E is for extrovert. This quality is not how you act, though...it is about how you recharge. Bob is a borderline E.

Companies that use the MBTI or other similar instrument often look for E's because they wrongly infer that they are more driven to results.  He points out that the book by Susan Cain Quiet  talks about how significant the contributions of the introvert can be.  While the extroverts are driving forward at high volume in a hyperactive way of problem solving, the introvert is the one that is sitting back collecting the thoughts and synthesizing what they are hearing into a significant contribution.

The trend toward open architecture office space is troubling to the introverts.  Alex suggests these people need their own head space.  Organizations attempt to create a friendly environment can be totally overwhelming to the introvert.  In her book Susan also suggests that in an open environment no real intimate working relationship develops because there is much less opportunity to have those more private intimate conversations.

The answer to this though is not setting all the introverts aside to their own space in a quiet room.  Another example: as a group develops from the start and the extroverts are loudly setting up the team infrastructure and driving the development of the norms, the introverts are the ones doing the work.

As for the seat at the top, which type is more suitable? An introvert runs the risk of seeming aloof and unapproachable while they feel thoughtful and problem solving.  On the positive side, the best manager for an extrovert may indeed be an introvert because they are more likely to give them the communication bandwidth they need to bring their solutions to the table.

Susan Cain and Quiet

Sample MBTI Test

Bob welcomes Charlie Poznek of The Boomer Business Owner. Charlie stresses the point that folks in the Boomer age range are Digital Immigrants rather than Generation Y and Millennials that are Digital Natives. Younger folks understand the technology because they have always been in it. The immigration is not rocket science, but it often seems that way due to things like the lingo.

After looking at the challenges that Boomers face when communicating with Millennials, Bob and Alex discuss an article from Lindsey Pollak about Millennials who are leaders that manage boomers.  Her first suggestion is to try and keep away from terms and phrases that will keep tagged as being young  Awesome is a little prevalent for Bob.  Absolutely is the word for Alex.  Spiffy? They both are lost.

Podcasters will take out the um's and ah's, but Bob leaves them in for the authenticity and casual atmosphere of the world...dog barks are welcome.  Alex says she'll stop and take a breath rather than drop an um or like.  When she is listening to others, Alex counts them.

Her tip to get rid of it?  Alex suggests consciously taking a breath...

The other point concerns communicating with them in the style with which the listener is most comfortable.  Bob agrees that if you know their preference it will be well worth the effort to use that.  If you're on a job search it may be useful to ask the gatekeeper what the hiring manager's preference is.  Alex says we need to get the message out there quickly. Alex compares it to creative writing versus writing a press release.

Bob tries to write like he sounds, so if someone has heard him already, they can hear his voice in the message.  But when you get shorter, the words that convey Bob's voice also gets edited out.  Of course as Alex points out that face to face medium is so context rich that you cam make the communication even shorter, as well as get the chance to confirm understanding.  It's takes practice...give yourself the time to figure it out.  You want to me as effective as possible in the organization.

Lindsey Pollak's article.

Bob and Alex talk about the ways that managers use to motivate their teams. Sometimes money is used, but is that always the right answer? Another common mistake is leaders who don;t realize that the opposite of satisfaction is NOT dissatisfaction! The answers here will make you think about ways you can motivate your key employees...today

Bob and Alex talk about the five sources of power. The biggest lesson to take away os the realization that some power comes from your position, but more important power comes personally from you.

Frank Gustafson, recently named one of the top influencers among business podcasts and host of Lead Like a Marine and The Leader's Bookshelf sits down with Bob to share his experiences and compare notes on leadership.

He talks about his story of service.  One of the key mantras in his life in that "It's all good."  Whatever it was, no matter how stressful it was or how tough it was getting through it , it makes you what you are. Whether it was easy or tough or rewarding, it makes you who you are today.  He loves to tell people he is "living the dream."

The number one trait that he sees on his 14 traits of Leading Like a Marine is compared to building the foundation of a new construction.  He says that integrity is at the top of the list.  If this is missing, the other 13 traits are just good ideas.  Bob agrees and says that integrity is tightly bound to trust.

After serving in the Marines and jumping through the corporate world, he was glad to not have too difficult a transition.  He recognizes though that many veterans today do have difficulty.

His first executive leadership job was in his 20s and there were two other people.  They cam in only from a couple of hours a day and he did the rest.  Everything.  By having to do this, he learned a lot about what to do, and what not to do.  The greatest days are the day you go to work and the day you leave.  On that day you take all of the experience you have garnered.

Keeping the leadership conversation going is important.  Without it, nothing happens, whether it be self, ;leadership, leading others, or follower ship.  It is all about education and practice.  This was the inspiring need for the Leaders Bookshelf.  He did this for himself, reading a leadership book a week for a year.

Bob says that entrepreneurs on both sides of the Boomer divide have to focus on these skills.  It is all about the relationship...not about title, or mailing list size, or subscriber base.

Lead like a Marine was a show set to talk more about leadership and less about transition.  As he rolled this out though, it became a discussion of what veterans brought out the the service and entered the business world and how difficult the transition is.  Frank says the process of leaving is difficult.  Training could take as long as a year, but the transition out is only dine through five 8-hour days. He quotes John Maxwell saying, "We hire for what they know and fire for who they are."  It is impossible for hiring managers to look a resume and see who they are.

Frank and Bob come to the conclusion that leaders don't have to be born, that leadership can be learned.  He is currently working on a new course offering.

Frank on the web at One Bold Move.

Frank on Twitter

 

Bob opens this episode with shout outs to folks that have supported the podcast with  great ratings and reviews, and he thanks all who have joined the conversation by subscribing to our list.

In the episode, Bob shares a list of fourteen steps to follow in life and work that will help leaders keep their bearings on true north.  This comes from the writings of former JPMorgan investment banker Jimmy Lee and his advice on steps for success.

The steps that he discusses are:

* Character is everything.

* Become known as a trustworthy person.

* Become great at your craft.

* Relationships matter. Learn how to build and maintain them.

* Develop good judgment and learn how to make the right decision.

* Learn how to resolve conflicts.

* Family comes first.

* Be crazy organized and prepared.

* Be the person everyone wants to work with.

* Develop great working habits.

* Learn how to win gracefully and pick yourself up when you lose.

* Treat everyone you meet with respect regardless of their walk of life.

* Be proud of your work.

* Dream big.

Bob also mentions a book by Bill George on the concept of True North.