BECOMING CHAMPIONS OF CHANGE

This month's blog is dedicated to a couple of our clients who have decided not be victims of the economy, but are choosing to be victors. One company is up 20% year-to-date over last year at this time, and the other is ready to aquire a 400+ competitor in a different state.

Change is all around what are you doing to be a victor not a victim? Enjoy ...

Change Management Issues

A recent study documented the three most important issues/responsibilities facing today’s managers as: human resources; accountability and ethical behavior; and, leadership. Let’s consider each of the top three: (1) Human Resources: Is your workforce skilled? Are they motivated? How do you know? When’s the last time you conducted a thorough morale survey or focus group with your internal customers? (2) Accountability and ethical behavior: Are you believable? Do those who work for you and purchase from you view you as fair and ethical? How do you know? (3) Leadership: Are you a visionary? Are you one others are willing to follow? What do you have in place to avoid the herd mentality in your organization? How do you bring you value and ethics systems to life in your organization?

Personal Application:

What do you need to change about how you’re managing change in your organization?

It’s Getting Hot in Here!

Smart thinking says the best time to start making changes and to try something different in your organization is when you’re on top rather than waiting until you’re in trouble and then attempting to claw your way back up. Remember the old frog syndrome: If you throw a frog in a pot of boiling water, he jumps out. But, if you put a frog in a pot of cold water and heat it slowly, he’ll sit there and boil to death. You don’t want to get boiled…do you?

Personal Application:

What’s one (just one) change you could make today that would positively impact the level of value you create for those you serve? Remember, it’s not about change for change sake, it’s about creating greater value for those we serve. What’s your first step?

Chains of Change

Change – it’s become a corporate and national mantra. Change, change, change.. the dictates fly so fast and furious that the concept of change has become overused and many see it as trite and meaningless. Others have said change is nothing more than doing it faster or cheaper. But at its core, change is about improvement – about taking a process, a project, an organization and affecting positive, meaningful improvements.

It requires a dedicated effort to assess the as is, strategically acknowledge improvement opportunities, and to take action to impact meaningful change. Critical to any change process is follow up systems to ensure change is actually achieving the desired impact.

Personal Application:

What do you desire to change in your organization? What’s the ‘as is’ of the situation you desire to change? What action will you commit to taking to improve it? How will you know it’s better.

Secrets to Success in Changing Times

“I attribute my success to this:

I never gave or took an excuse.”
--Florence Nightingale

“The essence of real leadership is to allow your people to see your need and desire for learning. Your actions speak more than your words. Today’s leaders must be students of change first, before they become teachers of change to others.”
--Jack Kahl, Manco, Inc

“An executive cannot gradually dismiss details. Business is made up of details and I notice that the chief executive who dismisses them is quite likely to dismiss his business. Success is the sum of detail. It might perhaps be pleasing to imagine oneself beyond detail and engaged only in great things, but as I have often observed, if one attends only to great things and lets the little things pass the great things become little; that is the business shrinks.”
--Harvey Firestone

July 2009

on a personal note: I certainly hope you enjoyed your Independence Day holiday and had a chance to reflect on both the blessings and responsibilities of freedom and what a privilege it is to live in America. In our little city of Temple Terrace, we start with a parade through town. Politicians, City officials and clubs from the community along with bands from the local high school and university strutted and tossed beads and candy. While the city government had to cut fireworks from the budget earlier this year, the citizens and businesses chipped in. Over $20,000 was raised and the display was even more spectacular. To highlight the evening's event The Florida Brass and Woodwind Band played (with the conductor dressed as John Philip Sousa) and as they began to play the 1812 overture the fireworks started! What a thrilling way to end a great day!

Sincerely, Dr. Mel Jurado

Now as the summer heats up reflect on the following ...

Communicating with People ... Inspire or Expire!

What Did You Say?!

As an Industrial-Organizational Psychologist, my practice management focuses on the human-side of enterprise. One of the most intriguing aspects of my practice is observing how miscommunications can pre-ordain unintended outcomes.

One of the pitfalls many fall prey to is a failure to get to the point. It's happened to some of the greatest writers and communicators of our time. Case in point: the young B.F. Skinner was inspired to follow a career in psychology after reading a book by George Bernard Shaw. It's interesting to note that the last chapter of the book actually denounced Behaviorism but Skinner never read that far - he thought the end of the book was dull. After he became one of the world's most influential thinkers, Skinner met Shaw and told him that his book had convinced him of the truth of Behaviorism. "Good God," Shaw replied, "I though I had demolished it!"

Perhaps he would have, if he'd made his point sooner.

Personal application:

When are you apt to beat around the bush rather than getting to the point? Review the last several e-mails or letters you sent, how could you have communicated more succinctly? Are you upfront with the most critical pieces of info you need to convey?

Don't be a But-head

Eliminating the word "but" from your e-mails, conversations, and dealings with others will strengthen your ability to persuade others. The reason is any time you use the word "but", what others hear you saying is that you disagree with them. For example if you say "I liked your report, but let me share this ... ," others wonder if you really liked their work or not. The solution? Always replace "but" with "and." Replacing "but" with "and" eliminates verbal missteps that can lead to hurt feelings and strained team relations.

Leadership Strategy - Making Failure Work for You

It seems incongruous, how can failure ever work to a leaders benefit?! From the perspective of those we lead, work alongside, do business with, we can actually increase other's positive perceptions of us in the face of failure if we get in front of it, take personal responsibility, and are forthright with those around us.

Case in point: John F. Kennedy achieved his highest level of popularity after he flubbed the Bay of Pigs. Although it doesn't seem to make sense, JFK gained a ton of popularity after this very public failure. In psychological terms it's known as a "strategic-pratfall effect." Although the invasion was botched, the President was quick to accept responsibility for it. In doing so, he showed the public not only that he was human in making mistakes, but also that he was honest and open about owning up to them. When JFK failed so publicly but didn't pass the buck, people identified with his problem and actually reported a greater confidence in his ability to lead and be trusted.

Personal Applications:

What do you need to take responsibility for without passing the buck or making excuses?

What might such transparency do to you ability to inspire and build trust with those you work, live, and play with?


WARNING - Are you Inspiring or Expiring Around People?

How do you hold up against these ending quotes?

"Management problems always turn out to be people problems."
--John Peet

"Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody else expects of you. Never excuse yourself."
--Henry Ward Beecher

June 2009

Stimulus Thoughts for Your Enterprise

The Stimulus & You

Stimulus defined is something that acts as a spur to mental processes. So how is the current economy shaping thinking in your organization? Challenging economies bring anxiety and change that is often motivated only by fear. People, including you and me, get protective. We are inclined to throw our arms around what we have and hold on. This reassures us that we are in charge of something. We are reluctant to let go because we feel more threat than opportunity in the change that surrounds us. Can you relate? Are you:

* Approaching your daily work with survival in mind?

* Making sure actions look good and finding yourself reducing the risks you take?

* Less tolerant of failure and more protective of your turf?

So, how can this challenging time benefit you and your organization? Now is the perfect time to reshape our work priorities. As we find our organization pressured to provide greater value, there are several success strategies we’ve been assisting client partners with. How are you doing? Have you…

…been a part of focused, facilitated discussions about where the entire organization is going and actively redesigned work to support only that direction?

…linked your work to client and community results? Have your internal customers (employees) identified what they especially need in order to deliver those services?

The underlying theme of the above options and those we employ is to focus not just on polishing, or trimming back, or modifying, but truly on rethinking the work from the ground up given new priorities due to the realities of today’s economy. The good news, we garner greater control and support when we’re proactive, NOW.

Your Choice -- The Highest Position

It’s amazing during times of change, and for some of the most monumental decisions we will make, results seem to be left to chance. Or, just as damning, decisions are made around politics and personalities rather than greatest benefit to the organization and those we serve.

As a doctor of human behavior, it’s been interesting to observe the recent news around the confirmation process of Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court. Political pundits, on both sides of the aisle, launch attacks at one another. Invasive tentacles and narcissistic rants of high-falutin' folk reduce the process to a cockamamie circus sideshow. The question for you – Does succession planning within your organization mimic Supreme Court confirmation hearings?

Have you ensured buy-in of those your hire and promote by succinctly providing to all stakeholders a clear picture of the evaluation criteria? Have you clearly articulated ‘musts’ and ‘wants’ skill sets for succession planning (& placements)? Have you quantified the process? Are you confident in the process your organization has adopted to address the multitude of baby boomer leaders readying to exit the workplace?

Value Creating

During challenging times those who lack an understanding of value focus on dollars alone. Value encompasses the total experience – dollars, time, and psychology. Time: How much time will it cost me or save me to work with you? Psychology: How much of a hassle (or delight) are you to work with? Dollars: Am I getting more than it’s costing me – taking into account dollars, time, and the hassle factor? Research shows these are the criteria we use to evaluate our interactions. Are you creating value for those around you?

May 2009

LESSONS FROM MEMORIAL DAY

Marines & The Power of Words

As we enter into the summer -- a season of patriotic holidays, it seems fitting to pay deference to a great management book penned by a couple of Marines, Semper Fi: Business Leadership the Marine Corp Way. Whether you’re a veteran or not, if you are required to get results with and through people, this book offers valuable insights.

Marines are very focused communicators. For example, Marines never use the word “repeat” in radio communications, for fear that it may be misinterpreted as “retreat.” Instead, a Marine will use the phrase, “I say again”. And, while Army personnel refer to their drab, olive green, field uniforms as “fatigues”, Marines call their exact drab, olive green, uniforms “utilities.”

There is another word you’ll never hear a Marine Corps officer, sergeant, or drill instructor use, the word is “manage.” In fact the word is treated with such abhorrence, it is often referred to as the “M Word.” That’s because Marines are trained to lead, not to manage.

Not sure if this message is relevant to you as a leader in the private sector? Well, consider how Marines view the difference between “managing” and “leading” – Would your team (platoon) view you as a manager or a leader?

• Managers push their people; leaders pull theirs’ by sheer force of personal example.
• Managers order their personnel to get the job done; leaders inspire their personnel to get the job done.
• Managers build a fire under your butt; leaders build a fire in your belly. “Hands on”
• Managers cultivate obedience; “hands off”; leaders cultivate independence and resourcefulness.
• Managers consider themselves part of an exclusive club; leaders maintain the respect and fellowship of the rank and file.
• Managers accept credit for the success of their subordinates; leaders turn away from the spotlight, letting it shine upon those they have the honor to lead.
• When a project turns sour, the manager asks, “Who is responsible?” Leaders say, “I am responsible.”
• You work overtime for a manager; you work all the time for a leader.

So, what are you – a manager or a leader? What action can you take over the next 30-days to ensure the “M Word” is never uttered about you?

Remembrances for Today’s Leaders

“The house we hope to build is not for my generation but for yours. It is your future that matters. And I hope that when you are my age, you will be able to say as I have been able to say: We lived in freedom. We lived lives that were a statement, not an apology.”
--Ronald Reagan

Application Challenge: Are you building a business that will stand in the future? Are you actively pursuing making your vision (statement) a reality? Are those in your organization living their lives as statements rather than apologies?

“I neither ask nor desire to know anything of your plans.

Take the responsibility and act, and call on me for assistance.”
--Abraham Lincoln to General
Ulysses S. Grant, on his Appointment to
command the Union Armies, 1864

Application Challenge: What type of delegator are you? Do you trust and empower?

“A sense of humor can be a great help – particularly a sense of humor about (oneself). William Howard Taft joked about his own corpulence and people loved it; it took nothing from his inherent dignity. Lincoln eased tense moments with bawdy stories, and often poked fun at himself – and history honors him for this human quality. A sense of humor is part of the art of leadership, of getting along with people, of getting things done.”
--Dwight D. Eisenhower

Application Challenge: When’s the last time you had a good laugh (on yourself)? Commit to adding laughter to your life and the lives of those you lead.

“The time to take counsel of your fears is before you make an important battle decision. That’s the time to listen to every fear you can imagine! When you have collected all the facts and fears and made your decision, turn off all of your fears and go ahead!”
--Gen. George S. Patton

Application Challenge: We are living in a change culture. We’re surrounded by change on all sides. In what situation do you need to take counsel, make a decision, and act?

Back to the Basics (POWER or POTTY Training)

Recently, a client asked me to come back and review some learning and materials we delivered for his sales team over the past several years. I really enjoy that kind of work because it tells me the client saw and still sees value in the original programs and wants to keep the content fresh and full of power.

We tweaked the content, added enough new information to make sure the people who first heard the material didn't feel like they had heard everything already and most importantly, I integrated content from three of the resources they have been reviewing over the past year!

Which leads me to a great couple of questions to ask you ...

1. After you dedicate time and resources to training, what do you do to reinforce the messages you worked so hard to implant?
2. Do you ever come back and review past material?
3. Do you look for new material that adds to and strengthens the previous information?
4. Is your training program focused on moving the team forward over time or do you look for the themes that are currently "hot"?

We call reinforced learning "P.O.W.E.R." Training:

Programs Overcome Weaknesses Especially when Reinforced

Sadly we run into organizations that jump from one good idea to another and the value they wanted is lost over time because each old idea is replaced with new idea before the last lessons are internalized and take hold.

We call buzzword or new idea training "P.O.T.T.Y." Training:

Program Or Theme This Year

I hope your training focus is "P.O.W.E.R." not "P.O.T.T.Y." training! It's powerful if it fits your mission and goals and moves you closer to your vision. If not be careful!

Anyway, after conducting the training refresher event, I worked this weekend on reworking an older e-mel creating this new (and hopefully fun) one-page motivational piece reinforcing as much of the program key ideas as I could ... I'd like to share that with you now!

THE ABC’s FOR 2009 ...

BACK TO THE BASICS

Success: As Easy As A, B, C…

Action. The days of ready aim, aim, aim, aim are over! You have to be willing to fire!
Belief. A firm belief and commitment to your vision & mission is a mandate.
Communication. The single factor that, when it’s weak or missing, can kill relationships and squash results.
Dedication. Beyond lip service, are you willing to make the necessary sacrifices to achieve your personal & professional mission in 2009?
Excellence. Have you defined what it looks like in each of the goal areas (Key Result Areas) that are important to you?
Focus. Where are you headed? Is it clear to you and others?
Grateful. Have you cultivated this most important habit & spirit?
Humor. Laugh, relax, and lighten up. It’s fine to take your work seriously, but develop the ability to take yourself lightly!
Integrity. How you go about achieving results is as important as what you achieve.
Joy. Are you happy in your pursuits?
Knowledge. How will you go about building your knowledge base this year?
Loyalty. Are you loyal? What are you doing to nurture it in others?
Mission. Why do you exist? Why does your business exist? Are your everyday actions a testimony to these missions?
Network. How are your expanding personal & professional contacts?
Optimism. Have you cultivated the ability to see the positive in all situations and stay focused on achieving the mission/task at hand?

Productivity. How are you measuring the progress toward your goals?
Quality. What does it mean to you?
Relationships. We get results with and through people. Would the people who know you best say you’re “R” is a success?
Smile. It changes your physiology, for the good; and makes it more inviting for others to approach you.
T ime. We all have all there is, yet all complain about not having enough. Determine this year to invest your time in those activities that will allow you to accomplish your personal and professional mission.

Understand. Who or what do you need to gain better understanding of?
V ision. What’s the future you want to create for yourself by 2020? 2030?
Wisdom. Defined it’s ‘intelligence drawing on experience and governed by prudence.’ Are you exhibiting it?
Xtra. What’s the little ‘eXtra’ you want to commit to do for self/ others this year?
You. Are you really committed? Do you go to work daily for You Incorporated?
Zeal. Do you exhibit a persistent fervent devotion to your cause?

So, are you employing this entire alphabet in your work & life? Which of the ABC’s could most benefit you? Over the next thirty days, which of your ABC’s will you be minding?

“Ability is what you’re capable of doing.
Motivation determines what you'll do.
Attitude determines how well you do it.”
--Lou Holtz

Well, there you have it, I'll post a new e-Mel the first week of May and will enjoy your thoughts!

April 2009

FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT

MILLION DOLLAR LESSONS FOR TODAY’S LEADERS

Many know, Dr. Mel is a boxing fan...

In early 2008 I was honored by Florida's Governor Charlie Crist, to serve as one of five statewide commissioners on the Florida Boxing Commission - it's the second most active commission in the country and we oversee any professional Boxing or Mixed Martial Arts match in the state. Not only am I the only woman to current hold a seat on the commission, I am the second woman ever to have this appointment!

So after watching over a hundred Boxing and MMA cards in the past many months, I thought I'd share some lessons I see play out on a regular basis, both in the ring and at your office!

A couple of years ago Clint Eastwoood directed (and starred in) a great fight film that still today provides powerful lessons for business and governmental leaders. It received seven Academy Award Nominations and four Oscars including: Best Director (Clint Eastwood), Best Actress in a leading role (Hillary Swank), and Best Actor in a supporting role (Morgan Freeman). And you may have already guessed it won the 2005 Best Picture Award as well -- it was none other than: Million Dollar Baby written by F.X. Toole.

Lesson:

“Instead of running from pain, in boxing you step into it.”

–F.X. Toole, Author

Application: What ‘pain’ have you been running from in your business? You continue to run, but it’s still there! What’s the issue you need to turnaround, face, and step into, head on?

Lesson:

“You cannot call yourself an actor (leader) if you’re not listening.” --

Morgan Freeman, on role in Million Dollar Baby.

“Listening is everything.”

Hillary Swank

Application: Do you believe listening is everything? Do your actions support your belief?

Lesson: One of the peripheral characters in the movie, “Danger” was a 100lb. weakling, a misfit, lacking a firm grasp of reality; this individual had no/low skills, in fact ended up getting himself hurt badly.

Application: Do you have such peripheral characters in your organization? Who’s the “Danger” in your organization – they’re low skilled, lacking a grasp of reality, under-performing, yet have been allowed to malinger? What steps will you take to address your “Danger”?

Recently, one CEO quite indignantly shared, “You think we’d invest in training and developing them!?” He was referring to employees filling service roles within his Fortune 500 organization.

He continued, “Mel, it’s low skill/low wage. It doesn’t matter.” What this CEO failed to realize was it was this level of employee that had the most direct and profound interaction with his customers.

A thought: If you don’t want to invest in your “Dangers”, then eliminate them from your team. Remember the maxim, “We are only as strong as our weakest link.”

Application: What significance do you think there is in the character’s name being "Danger”? By not addressing the “Dangers” in your organization, there’s a great cost in terms of time, dollars, and human resources. So, who’s your “Danger” and what are you going to do about it?

HOW CEO’S GET TKO’D

It’s a common belief that CEOs get fired because of financial performance. While the cases like GM's Rick Waggoner are made news, the reality is that’s wrong. According to a study by LeadershipIQ.com. It found that 31% of CEOs get fired for mismanaging change, 28% for ignoring customers, 27% for tolerating low performers, 23% for denying reality, and 22% for too much talk and not enough action.

The 4-year study interviewed 1,087 board members from 286 public, private, business and health care organizations that fired, or otherwise forced out, their chief executive.

Upon completing the 1,087 interviews, responses were compiled and distilled the most common answers to the open-ended question: “So why did the CEO really get fired or forced out?” The top five responses:

1. Mismanaging change (31%): Virtually every organization interviewed indicated they were undergoing, or had recently undergone, a change initiative. However, half of board members said that their change initiative did not go well. Most pointed to a failure on the CEOs part to properly motivate employees and managers, and more specifically, to adequately sell the need to change course.
2. Ignoring customers (28%): Even with Sarbanes-Oxley, many board members have close ties with, or are themselves, customers of the organization. Board members said their test for whether the CEO was sufficiently engaged in the business was the extent to which they evidenced intimate knowledge of customers, customer needs and developing trends.
3. Tolerating low performers (27%): Board members shared that when CEOs allowed an obvious low performer to linger (without any improvement or discipline), it destroyed the CEO’s credibility and made it politically difficult for them to hold others accountable.
4. Denying Reality (23%): When board members felt that they were closer to the market and customers than the CEO, the CEO was ousted. Board members said they would rather have bad news and a plan to fix it, than they would no news or sugarcoated news.
5. Too much talk, not enough action (22%): Walking the walk is more important than talking the talk. Boards want tactical plans for the who, what, when and where, as well as evidence of implementation.

The tagline to Million Dollar Baby went: "Beyond his silence, there is a past. Beyond her dreams, there is a feeling. Beyond hope, there is a memory. Beyond their journey, there is a love."

While true for the movie, what would your tagline be about the lessons you're learning in this economy?

Are you Fighting the Good Fight?

I'm Back ...

Thanks for checking in!

While it's been some time since posting to this blog, I've still been working. Now that I have a little more time on my hands, it's time to restart the blog process and even work to back fill the last 8 months or so since I last entered a note ... although I have been writing consulting and training steadily, and my clients still get a one-page update between sessions (in a two column, pdf file version). I just never got around to repurposing the thoughts and posting them here.

So beginning this month, April 2009, I promise to post new monthly messages, and even work on backfilling the blog with some of the articles and newsletters I wrote before.

Besides that, I have come to see the wisdom in a simple three word mantra:

CHANGE OR DIE ...

The sentiment may seem harsh, but is indeed becoming a reality for today’s leaders. During turbulent times, leaders are faced with tumultuous budget and productivity concerns. Your HR and admin staff are feeling battered from reduction in workforce discussions. What’s often left to chance, as leaders are stretched focusing on the fires of the day, is addressing those employees left to produce positive results and perform for your organization. All too often it’s our most valuable resource, our remaining employees, that are not addressed.

One uninformed executive recently shared, “Heck they’re happy just to have their jobs! I don’t need to do anything special for them.” Really?! Have I missed the reports of first quarter spikes in productivity, performance, and profitability in businesses across our nation? It’s natural when employees find themselves in seemingly intolerable situations and feeling overwhelmed by tension, anxiety, and a sense of powerlessness to retreat, shutdown, and go into a self-preservation mode. We create the exact opposite culture than we need to weather the economic storm and emerge victorious. By not addressing employee morale, we engender a survival and victim mentality.

Over the past several months, we’ve been contacted by several leading organizations and had the opportunity to partner with them as they’ve realized now is a critical and pivotal time to capitalize on their most important resource, their people. Although each solution has been tailored to the individual needs of client organizations, some of the strategies we’ve employed include:

• Culture Reconstruction: Building a Culture Where People Thrive
• Positioning for the Future: Leading in Uncertain Times With Shifting Expectations
• Diversity: Differences seem to be magnified during times of Crisis. Tailored to the unique needs of your organization, we explore cultural, race, gender, and generational issues that can rob an organization of productivity.
• Denial – Not a River in Egypt: Reality discussions, facing facts, resolving roadblock issues, developing strategies, action commitments, and holding self and others accountable is no longer a luxury in today’s tough business climate.
• Stimulus Success: Strategic Mapping for Stimulus Dollar Expenditures & Execution
• Change or Die: Principles to Live By.
• 2020 Habits and Skill Development: It’s not too early to identify and begin to develop in earnest the attitudes and skill sets that will be prerequisites to success in the next decade. Your choice, be proactive and develop core competencies now, or step into the reactive, victim role forever being frustrated and playing catch-up.
• Character and Ethics: More than ever this is the desire and desperate demand of your customers (constituents), co-workers, and the community your function within.
• New Ways of Thinking for a Change: What type of thinking is most manifested in your organization? Is it what will maintain your position and move you to the next level of excellence? Are you firing on all cylinders when it comes to thinking – big picture thinking, creative thinking, realistic thinking, possibility thinking, and shared thinking?

Maybe you're looking for a topic that's not listed, that's not a problem. Since 1991 we've been designing programs, events, and solutions around our customers concerns and needs ... we can do something special for you too!

From acting as a short-term organization morale officer, to offering action-oriented development sessions for employees, to one-on-one coaching, to offering follow-up support tools our organization is available to ensure your organization is maximizing your most valuable asset in employee productivity or just providing blog essays for you to pass along, we’d be happy to meet with you personally or talk via phone or e-mail to discuss a tailored solution for the challenges you’re facing in today’s challenging climate.

Regards,




Mel Jurado
(813) 985-4161