Manage your career

Busier Than a Squirrel on Speed

I once worked with a client who was perpetually behind the eight-ball – and not in the “everybody is busy” way, either. She was busier than a squirrel at harvest time on a triple-Starbucks, and a double-hit of Speed. She claimed this busy-ness extended to her personal life too, where she never had the time to do those things that were truly important.

Then she told me about her addiction to non-scripted television (I refuse to call it “reality TV” because Stargate is closer to reality than The Apprentice). As it turns out, her problem was not one of too much work, but too little discipline.

She’s not alone.

Back when I was in University, I elevated procrastination to an elegant form of art. Around the time every semester when I was supposed to be producing term papers, I would find just about any excuse not to do them. I would do the requisite scheduling of time to get them done, and lock myself in either the school library or my bedroom so something would get done.

As it turns out, I would have been better off going to the pub (where at least I would have had some fun) because those long lock-down periods produced either:

a) a thorough reading of the complete poetry works of Ezra Pound (more fun than managerial economics) when I was locked in the library

b) the cleanest bedroom ever, if I was relegated to home.

Luckily, twenty-five years later I’m starting to understand procrastination for what it is: a total and complete lack of discipline. Dr. Piers Steel recently wrote a book called The Procrastination Equation to help further understanding of this systemic problem. According to Steel, procrastination affects 95% of the population (I assume the other 5% are buddhist monks who spend upwards of 20 hours per day in meditation).

Dr. Steel spent about 10 years researching procrastination for his book. He probably could have gotten the research done in five years, if he was more disciplined, but I’m sure his room was as clean as mine was as a university student. Interestingly, he tags coffee shops as a huge enabler of procrastination. Add to this ubiquitous internet, television, video games and other people, and it’s remarkable we don’t all live in a catatonic state that Captain Christopher Pike found himself in in the original Star Trek series.

Now… I better get back to my writing – before I head over to the coffee shop.

How to Motivate People Using Attribution Theory

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Attribution Theory is more than an academic concept. It has real application in the business world. Below we talk about the following aspects of Attribution Theory:

What is Attribution Theory?
Why Should I care about Attribution Theory?
How do I use Attribution Theory?

What is Attribution Theory?

Quite simply, Attribution Theory explains how people tend to explain things. Whenever things happen, either good or bad, people will assign a cause to those events.

An external attribution assigns causality to an outside agent or force.
An internal attribution claims that the person was directly responsible for the event.

Attribution Theory can be used to explain things about your own performance, or about others’ performance. People can easily default to attributing success or failure in ways that favorable fits their view of the world. For example:

When good things happen to me, I attribute my own efforts to that outcome.
When bad things happen to me, I attribute the influence of others, or external forces as being responsible.
When good things happen to others, I may attribute external factors such as luck to that person’s good fortune.
When bad things happen to others, it is easy to say that the person brought that outcome upon themselves.

Why Should I Care About Attribution Theory?

Consider this chain of events:

An event (either positive or negative) occurs.
The world asks me, “Why?”
I provide an attribution, or an explanation as to those events.
My future behavior depends on the type of attribution. However I rationalize or explain those events will significantly influence my future behavior when similar circumstances occur in the future.

As leaders of people, if we can influence the attributions people make, then we can influence their future behavior.

How do I use Attribution Theory?

Research has shown that athletes who make more internal attributions were better able to improve their performance (Roesch and Amirkham 1997).
So your job as a leader is to help employees make more internal attributions about their performance. If people feel they can largely control the outcomes of their behaviors, they are more likely to work to influence those outcomes.
Occasional external attributions are sometimes also helpful to motivation – particularly if someone has been working very hard at something, but has yet to achieve success.
Leaders should arrange tasks so that employees are able to perceive themselves as successful.
Use positive reinforcement whenever possible to drive performance
Use Attribution assigning questions to help people get to the right frame of mind about their own performance. For example, ask people what they might do differently to affect a different outcome in the future.

Three Things to Remember About Attribution Theory

It’s another tool to help managers manage the performance of their people. It’s not the only tool we suggest you use.
In general, it is best for employees to believe that it is their own behavior rather than external circumstances that leads to success or failure.
Take advantage of the coaching opportunity. (Listen for employees making untrue/external attributions.)

Watch the ‘3-Minute Crash Course’ about Attribution Theory (CLICK THE ARROW TO START THE VIDEO):

Looking for the Full-Length Podcast/Video? …

Idiots, Maniacs and Me

When I drive my car, no matter where I go, there are only three types of drivers on the road:

1) Idiots – those driving slower than me.

2) Maniacs – those driving faster than me.

3) Me

Of course, the fact that to all the Idiots out there, I appear to be a Maniac, and to all the Maniacs, I appear an Idiot is not lost on me. Nor is the fact that I am simultaneously and Idiot and a Maniac – a pairing that is about as easy to achieve as someone willingly volunteering to go hunting with Dick Cheney. It’s all part of the dynamic of dealing with traffic, and one of the reasons I’m a huge proponent of Public Transit.

I’ve experienced this same dynamic in the workplace.

However you choose to define success, there are three necessary ingredients: hard work, smarts, and luck. The proportion of each may vary widely from situation to situation, but all three elements are always present.

Some managers achieve some success, and think it’s because they’re much smarter than everyone else. These same people are to be avoided at cocktail parties, and are typically very poor listeners.

Other managers are sure they’ve achieved success because they have always worked harder than everyone else. These people are the ones that work insane hours, and expect everyone else to do likewise. They are mostly dysfunctional as human beings, and don’t have time to go to cocktail parties.

Finally, there are some managers who believe they have achieved success because of overwhelming good luck. They likely suffer from Imposter Syndrome, and don’t believe they actually deserve the success they’ve had. They will be really thankful to be invited to the cocktail party, but will stand with their back to wall to ensure that no one sneaks up behind them, and asks them to leave.

There are two important things to take from this.

1) If you’ve done very well, don’t ever discount the role that luck has played.

2) If you’ve faced some challenges achieving success, you may want to try working smarter, or working harder.

Think about it next time you’re driving to work.

How to Receive Feedback if You Want to Be Promoted

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How to Receive Feedback is an important skill that is not talked about nearly as much as how to give feedback. Below, we talk about:

Why you would bother to care about How to Receive Feedback
How you go about gathering feedback.
How To Receive Feedback if you want to get fired.
How to Receive Feedback if you want to get promoted.

Why you should care about How to Receive Feedback

How to Receive Feedback is a critical career skill.

By learning How to Receive Feedback, you will have discovered one of the most powerful ways to develop and change your behavior.
Your powers of self-perception only go so far. People around you notice things, both good and bad. Remember — “What you think about your leadership is not as important as what others think about your leadership.”
The critical factor in making the feedback effective for your personal development is how you deal with and respond to the information you receive.

How to Get Feedback

The first necessary step in learning How to Receive Feedback, is to get feedback. Here are some ideas:

Ask – there is nothing wrong with asking people specific questions about your leadership or your performance.
360 Feedback – some organizations have infrastructure in place for formal feedback such as a 360 assessment. In the absence of such instruments, you can still solicit feedback in a more formal way.
Skip Level Meetings – The skip level meeting is an excellent way to solicit feedback. There is some risk in having your boss interview your direct reports, but the feedback can be very valuable.
Listen For It – Every day, people will offer clues to you about your leadership and your performance. If you can pay attention to these clues, it can be very helpful.

How to Receive Feedback if You Want to Get Fired:

Get emotional – if you become angry or emotional when receiving feedback, it sends a very clear signal about your maturity to others.
Be defensive – if you consistently rationalize the feedback, and fail to take responsibility, you will likely get fired.
Deny — if you fail to consider others’ points of view about your performance, it will compromise your career.
Explain and Make Excuses – there are lots of ways to explain away poor performance.
Sulk – if you fail to see feedback as a gift to improve, but rather feel injured as a result of having someone telling you something you didn’t want to hear, you are risking your employment.

How to Receive Feedback if you want to get promoted:

Listen — Attempt to listen without judging what the person is saying. Listen without expressing your opinion or responding.
Clarify — Ask probing questions to make sure you understand what is being said. Ask questions to clarify. Ask for examples and stories that illustrate the feedback.
Thank — Thank them for the feedback even when you don’t agree with all of it, there will be some good ideas – accept them. This shows respect for the other person’s perspective.
Think — Consider and reflect upon others perceptions of your leadership behavior. Work on developing your understanding of how others perceive your behavior and its impact – the intended and the unintended consequences on that person, other employees, and the work environment.
Change — Work to improve. Devote your energy to finding improvement rather than disputing observations. People can and do change. Choose one or two behaviors to focus on in developing your action plan. Identify concrete, observable actions to do differently. Get help. Monitor how well you are doing by keeping track of what you committed to change.
Follow Up — This step is the most critical one. Follow-up demonstrates that you are truly committed to changing your behavior. “You know that I am working on being a better listener. How am I doing? If you had any suggestions for me, what would they be?”

Three Things to Remember about How to Receive Feedback:

You do want to encourage feedback – it is a key career and survival tool
You can decide what to do with the feedback.
Don’t forget to follow up.

Watch the ‘3-Minute Crash Course’ about How to Receive Feedback (CLICK THE ARROW TO START THE VIDEO):

Looking for the Full-Length Podcast/Video? …

Your Call is Important to Us — and Other Lies

I was passing through airport security a while ago, and two of the people that are responsible for my safety in the air were having quite a conversation about how drunk they got on the weekend. I was completely invisible, and given that I was running a bit late for my plane, I made a critically poor decision.

I opted to offer these folks some feedback that they should probably be a little more focused on what we were paying them to do, and a little less on debriefing their leisure time. Much to no one’s surprise, I was selected for “random” additional security screening.

I can only claim temporary insanity at forgetting the very first (and only mandatory) rule of offering feedback: The recipient has to be willing to hear you.

Of course, everybody says they want your feedback, but in reality, they’re often not all that interested. How many times have you heard:

“Your Call is Important to Us”

“Tell us what you think”

“Your opinions are important”

Yes, we are constantly bombarded with messages that people want our feedback. In reality, people are really keen to receive feedback that tells them they have done well, or that reinforces their view of the world. Any other types of feedback will only begrudgingly be accepted.

Probably the most dangerous thing someone can do, is respond when their boss says, “I’d like your feedback”. That is the professional equivalent of a person’s wife asking, “Do I look fat in this?” In the history of humankind, no one has ever advanced their own cause by attempting to answer such questions.

The last time I was asked such a question, I ran away so fast, there was a Bob-shaped hole in the exit door. It’s like the “room-mate switch” – it has never been done, and we must never speak of it again. (Seinfeld reference – look it up on YouTube)

So the next time your boss asks you for feedback on his presentation, you need to answer as follows:

“I really thought you nailed the messaging, and came across in a powerful way.” If he pushes you for some constructive feedback, you might want to offer something like, “I probably would have opted for the arial font – I don’t think the cambria is as easy to read.”

Either that, or just run away so fast, you put a {insert your name here}-shaped hole in the exit door.

Born to Lead?

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To quote Somerset Maugham:

“There are three rules for creating good leaders. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.”

Why Should You Care About Developing Leadership Qualities?

Promoting the wrong people is costly.
Pursuing a career that is not in alignment with how you’re hardwired is exhausting and will eventually lead to failure.
Self-awareness of your own leadership skills offers an opportunity to manage behavior.

Essential Leadership Qualities

Both nature and nurture are a consideration in developing leadership skills. If you know what skills you don’t possess naturally, it can be instructional as to what leadership skills you need to learn. Here are what we believe are the most important leadership skills to be learned:

A Predisposition to Lead. Leadership is a calling for the best leaders. Others end up in leadership positions because they were good technicians of the work. The very best leaders know that good managers are hard to find, and that leadership is the most important job on the planet.

Receptivity to Feedback. All great leaders listen carefully to what others are telling them. They may not always agree, but they do consider what others have to say, and incorporate their feedback when appropriate.

Self Awareness. The best leaders are finely tuned to their own strengths and weaknesses, and know when they’ve made a mistake. Poor leaders don’t ever think their wrong, and rationalize or make excuses when things go wrong.

Other Centered. Great leaders promote others rather than being self-centered. They champion others work, and give away as much credit as they can. This shows maturity and confidence. “Grabbing Glory” and stealing credit shows weakness and insecurity.

Trusting. Control freaks do not make good leaders. Great leaders trust their people, and allow them to make mistakes.

Calm under stress. People look to their leaders for cues in times of crisis. The leader who remains poised and calm is the one who inspires others to do the same to resolve the situation.

Superior Interpersonal Skills. The great leader is highly emotionally intelligent and aware of others’ feelings and motivations. The ability to inspire and change behavior in others, is the hallmark of a great leader.

Decisive. Great leaders need to take risks and execute decisions with imperfect information

Balance of Values and Results. A leader must insist on results, but also be very aware of how those results were achieved. If you violate organizational values, or negatively impact people unnecessarily, you will fail as a leader.

3 Things to Remember about Developing Leadership Qualities

You can test for these personality traits. Be careful when doing so, but you test people for their predisposition to the qualities above.
You’ll never find or achieve anyone who has all of the above leadership skills in abundance. Hence the need to know how to teach leadership skills.
Self awareness of one’s own abilities in the above attributes can guide leadership development, but should not serve as an excuse because one or more predispositions are missing.

Watch the ‘3-Minute Crash Course’ about Developing Leadership Qualities (CLICK THE ARROW TO START THE VIDEO):

Looking for the Full-Length Podcast/Video? …

Tales of a Recovering Extrovert

Many people have asked the question as to whether great leaders are born or made. Certainly, we equate leadership success with the same shallow charisma that we simultaneously loathe and demand from politicians. But can an introvert be a successful leader?

Other than questioning someone’s parentage, is there a faster way to insult someone than calling him an introvert? Isn’t introversion something that we need to quickly cure people of by sending them to the Dale Carnegie Course?

People hear “extrovert”, and they think: outgoing, friendly, social, capable, productive, normal.

People hear “introvert”, and they think: shy, withdrawn, anti-social, elusive, dysfunctional, wall-flower.

In Good to Great, Jim Collins reveals the qualities that his research has shown as effective in running great organizations. Interestingly, many of the qualities of “Level Five Leadership”, are found more naturally in people with Introverted preferences.

You might also be surprised who may be a closet-introvert: High-profile leaders, television personalities, sports stars, maybe even one of your friends, neighbors, or family are introverted. They’re everywhere, so beware – you never know when they’ll want to slink into the back corner of a meeting room, and silently wish everyone would stop talking at once. Or perhaps pray that someone will listen to them for 20 seconds before interrupting them. Worse yet, they may think about something before responding to a question creating that awkward few seconds of silence.

So you may be wondering where I fit on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Grid.

As someone who spends a lot of time talking to groups of people, and a person who worked in television (for a short and spectacularly unsuccessful period of time), I am rarely accused of being an Introvert.

I prefer to label myself as a Recovering-Extrovert. We might need to create a new scale for measurement.

Does Business Education Matter?

Does business education matter?

I would hope it is a strong indicator that a person has a minimum proficiency in reading and writing. It probably also means that you survived for an extended period of time on a diet of beer and pizza – excellent training for future business trips.

There is no doubt that Business degrees should be more vocational in nature than they currently are. Therefore, it is up to the individual to ensure s/he gets the most pragmatic training from any academic business program. As a service to anyone considering business education, or is part way through such a program, here are some things I wish I knew before going to business school:

Kraft Dinner is not food.
Liberal Arts degrees may be fulfilling, but they almost certainly ensure a career in a location with a drive-through window.
However, you need at least a few Arts courses so you can learn to write clearly and quickly. This is a skill you will use far more often than the stats and accounting they teach you in Business School.
Likewise, good Project Management skills will serve you much better than anything you’ll learn in an Operational Research course.
Cheez Whiz isn’t something you eat – it’s something you seek out urologist for.
Take a Gap Year between High School and Post-Secondary. This is common practice outside of North America, and it will ensure much higher focus when you do start.
Your Business School Professors have most likely never been in Business.
Take Out and Delivery are not two of the food groups.
Student loans aren’t a bad thing. While it is true that society gets an 8:1 return on any investment they make in your education, you should still pay the bulk of it – your return over your lifetime is 17:1.
Build networks – that weird, awkward guy in your lecture might be building the next Facebook in his dorm room.

Missing Business School Lessons: 10 Things They Won’t Teach You in Business School

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Of all the Business School Lessons, there are several things you don’t learn at Business School. Below, we talk about the 10 things you won’t learn through Business School Lessons

Missing Business School Lesson #1: It’s all about relationships:

The smartest, hardest-working person will not be successful if she can’t get others to work with her.
“Trumping” doesn’t work. Being cranky and disrespectful to others works for the character Donald Trump plays on TV. In real life it never works.
Networks matter. The connections you build are more important than what you know.

Missing Business School Lesson # 2: Very few business school teachers have ever actually been in business:

The study of business, and research is a very important function of business, but it’s not the same as actually running a business.
The theory, and the research is only useful when it is applied.

Missing Business School Lesson #3: Cash Matters

Presumably, you would learn this in Finance class, but there are many Business School grads who will fail to recognize that their billion dollar idea that requires a $100 million investment is only useful if you have $100 million.
Cash flow is likely the most poorly understood concept in business. Much like your household finances, businesses are limited by their ability to raise capital through equity or debt. There is a limit, and sometimes good investments need to be ignored or deferred because the cash is not available.

Missing Business School Lesson #4: Listening is the most under-rating skill in business

Listening is typically not valued in our culture. Many inexperienced business people think they will appear smarter if they talk a lot. The opposite is true.
Listening is viewed as a “passive” skill – it is not. Listening requires energy and concentration. It also needs to be practiced.

Missing Business School Lesson #5: Very few MBAs become CEOs

If you go get an MBA because you think it will be a ticket to an Executive job, you will be disappointed.
You should undertake business education because you want to improve yourself.

Missing Business School Lesson #6: All you need to do to be a hero is do what you say you will

Careful management of expectations is key. Ensure you know what you are responsible for, and be careful not to over-commit.
Follow through is required. You need to get tasks and actions completed.

Missing Business School Lesson #7: Leadership is not a democracy

Contrary to many of the Management and Leadership books, consensus is only good sometimes.
Some decisions will not be popular, and leaders need to learn to execute them regardless of popularity.

Missing Business School Lesson #8: HR is not a department

The best run organizations insist that every manager be an HR manager.
The management of performance, and development of people is the responsibility of individual managers. HR can be used as a resource, but it is not their accountability.

Missing Business School Lesson #9: Education and intelligence are not necessarily correlated

Don’t think you’re smarter than anyone else because you have a business degree
Don’t discount the fact that others that don’t have a degree. You will meet someone who barely graduated from high school and may be incredibly bright.

Missing Business School Lesson #10: The alumni network is far more valuable than who is on faculty, and the reputation of the school

The world’s best business school have graduates that are very loyal to hiring graduates from the same school. See lesson #1.
It is questionable whether the quality of education you get is any better at highest prestige schools.

Three Things to Remember about Business School Lessons:

Any education will make an individual better than they would be without it, but not better than others.
Don’t do it for the credentials. You need to pursue education to improve yourself.
The “Education versus Experience” argument is boring and irrelevant. You need both.

Watch the ‘3-Minute Crash Course’ about Missing Business School Lessons (CLICK THE ARROW TO START THE VIDEO):

Looking for the Full-Length Podcast/Video? …

How to Take Meeting Notes: Save Time With These 2 Unconventional Methods

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It might seem easy, but how to take meeting notes is a valuable and under-rated skill. Below we talk about:

Why Meeting Notes Matter
The Basics of how to take meeting notes
Symbolic Method of taking meeting notes
Quadrant Method of taking meeting notes

Why Taking Good Meeting Notes Matters

Taking good notes makes the rest of us think you are on top of your game.
Good meeting notes help you stay on top of what decisions were made and who agreed to do what by when.
Good meeting notes are a historical record of
- decisions or agreements that were made
- why they were made
- who is responsible for what.

The Basics of How to Take Good Meeting Notes

Don’t record everything that you hear or see. Focus on topics, decisions, actions and maybe only the important facts that led to these.
Listen for clues and cues, and ask for clarity.
Leave lots of white space for later additions to your thoughts.
Use positive language.
Be objective. Avoid inflammatory or personal observations. The fewer adjectives or adverbs you use, the better.
Boring writing is the key to appropriate notes.
Notes should consist of key words, or very short sentences
Have a uniform system of punctuation, abbreviation and symbols that will make sense to you.
In most situations, you will want to take notes with a pen and paper, not a laptop.

The Symbolic Method of Taking Meeting Notes

Indent the pages of your notes in from the left margin. Then, use a simple system of symbols to categorize information types in the column space left in the margin.

[ ] A square checkbox denotes a to do item

( ) A circle indicates a task to be assigned to someone else

* An asterisk or star is an important fact

? A question mark goes next to items to research or ask about

After the meeting, a quick vertical scan of the margin area makes it easy to add tasks to your to do list and calendar, send out requests to others, and further research questions.
(This method is the brainchild of Michael Hyatt.)

The Quadrant Method of Taking Meeting Notes

Split your note-taking page into quadrants and record different kinds of information – like questions, reference and to-do’s – into the separate areas on the page.

3 Things to Remember about How to Take Good Meeting Notes

Be attentive. Make sure you pay attention
Look to be as brief as possible
Be action oriented.

Watch the ‘3-Minute Crash Course’ about How to Take Meeting Notes (CLICK THE ARROW TO START THE VIDEO):

Looking for the Full-Length Podcast/Video? …

Busier Than a Squirrel on Speed

How to Motivate People Using Attribution Theory

Idiots, Maniacs and Me

How to Receive Feedback if You Want to Be Promoted

Your Call is Important to Us — and Other Lies

Born to Lead?

Tales of a Recovering Extrovert

Does Business Education Matter?

Missing Business School Lessons: 10 Things They Won’t Teach You in Business School

How to Take Meeting Notes: Save Time With These 2 Unconventional Methods

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