Category Archives: Leadership

What are the Consequences of Not Meeting Goals? Four Points

Situation: A company recently established a weekly objectives program. Weekly objectives are set on Monday, with reminders to complete objectives for the week sent by email on Thursday. However, some team members are failing to meet goals for the previous week and want to roll over previous week’s unmet objectives to the new week. Should there be consequences for failing to meet stated objectives? If so, what is the best method to phase these in? What are the consequences of not meeting goals?

Advice from the CEOs:

  • Track which objectives are being met and which are not. Measure the impact of not meeting objectives on original timelines. Assess the depth of the problem.
  • Watch the process for four weeks. At the weekly meeting following the end of the four weeks, discuss the process as a team.
    • What’s working and what is not?
    • Are realistic objectives being set?
    • If objectives are not being met, is there something that regularly interferes with objective completion?
    • Are monthly or quarterly objectives at risk as a result?
    • Reset and reestablish expectations for the following four weeks as a team. Raise the bar for compliance, as a team, as you mature the process.
  • If any team member shows signs of chronic difficulty meeting weekly objectives, meet 1-on-1 to assess the situation and reset expectations.
  • Discussion builds team support of the process and adds a layer of peer-pressure to prompt individuals to improve their consistency in meeting weekly objectives.

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How Do You Improve Your Time Management Skills? Four Recommendations

Situation: A CEO is finding that reduction in staff over the last two years combined with expansion of business have left her in a quandary trying to manage too much. While the prospects of bring in new staff are improving, she wants to improve her time management skills to support company growth. How do you improve your time management skills?

Advice from the CEOs:

  • Delegation and communication around delegation is about “monkey” management – getting the monkeys off you back and onto the backs of others. In addition, it’s about not letting others put inappropriate monkeys on your back.
  • Think about the difference between:
    • Empowerment versus involving yourself in all aspects of the business.
    • Empowerment is more effective and frees up time to focus on new opportunities and growth.
    • Involving yourself everywhere quickly leads to a time crunch and is less effective.
  • Set quarterly goals for yourself, just as you set quarterly goals for the company. This drives achievement and growth. It helps you to:
    • Clarify your role – where you should be focusing your time, and to
    • Let go.
  • Think of your staff as your customers. Like customers, the more you give and recognize them, the more they love you. Effectively, this is serving your staff just as you serve customers. This is called Servant Leadership and builds both empowered employees and great employee loyalty.

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How Do You Improve Resource Allocation? Three Suggestions

Situation: A company is so busy with ongoing projects that they are unable to allocate resources to major infrastructure development projects. The CEO wants to know what the company can do to make sure that these projects get the attention that they deserve. How do you improve resource allocation?

Advice from the CEOs:

  • Most of the time, and in most companies, some slack resources exist for at least part of a day. While it may not be the most efficient solution, one CEO divides 2nd tier projects into chunks and assigns work to individuals who have time.
  • Consider hiring an outside contractor who is hired exclusively to work on infrastructure projects.
  • Design a long-term solution:
    • Look at actual downtime over the course of an extended period.
    • Review the opportunities, prioritize them with the most important having the highest priority, and sequence them.
    • As resources have free time, assign them to work on the top priority project available at that time. When this project is completed, queue up the next highest priority project for work.
    • Review the opportunity list on a regular basis and reprioritize based on current conditions.
  • Key Take-Aways from this Discussion
    • Be patient; let it happen.
    • Space and resources exist. Establish a process to focus on opportunities one at a time.

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How Do You Shift from an Operational to a Strategic Focus? Three Points

Situation: A CEO is concerned that her company is too focused on day-to-day operations with much less focus on strategic objectives and initiatives. She estimates that the company is 75% day to day vs. 25% strategic. What is the best way to shift the focus, and over what timeframe? How do you shift from an operational to a strategic focus?

Advice from the CEOs:

  • Look at the current mix between day-to-day and strategic activity, set a timeframe for the shift and set interim objectives.
    • For example, if the current mix is perceived as 75% DTD / 25% Strategic, set monthly objectives to move first to 50% / 50% and eventually 25 DTD / 75% Strategic.
  • While the objective is to move the CEO’s and company’s activity more in the strategic direction, it is necessary to assure that the day-to-day bases are being covered.
    • Select a key member of the team to take on this responsibility and train that individual to assure that the day-to-day operations are covered as the company makes this transition. This will be a bonus for the individual selected and will help to deepen the organizations talent pool.
  • During weekly meetings push the discussion more toward the strategic direction.
    • How can the metrics and operational reports be automated and readily available to team members so that less time is spent on this during weekly meetings? Consider an executive dashboard – developed by the CEO and key staff but maintained and updated by staff.
    • This will help to build confidence that the team is able to monitor the business and should reduce the time spent understanding operations. This will allow the team to focus more on strategic vision and plans.
    • This is also important to the company’s ability to monitor operations in its remote locations as these are set up.

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Is Team vs. Individual Project Responsibility More Effective? Four Thoughts

Situation: In the past a company assigned R&D projects to individual employees who were responsible for shepherding the project through to completion, seeking input from others as necessary along the way. The CEO has instituted a new system built around teams of specialists. In this new system the team is responsible for the project, not just an individual. This leverages people to do more with fewer resources, seems to be increasing throughput rates, and may reduce the impact of the departure of a single individual. Is team vs. individual project responsibility more effective?

Advice from the CEOs:

  • This seems a positive move, particularly if the groups seem to be responding positively.
  • Factors that will help:
    • Assure that there are strong leaders within the individual teams; leaders who are sensitive to individual team member’s contributions and needs.
    • Try the following theme – there is no “I” in Team, but there is an “I” in Win. Individual contributions still play an important role and must continue to be recognized.
    • Be proactive and sensitive to difficulties arising within particular teams. Work actively to resolve these difficulties so that they do not harm the team.
  • Another CEO has successfully used teams in development projects. When it comes to bonus time, she assigns a lump total bonus pool to the team, and asks them to come up with the distribution scheme within the team, subject to management review. The review is to assure that nobody on the team takes advantage of the others.
  • Immerse yourself in the literature on team structure and dynamics, to understand both the benefits and pitfalls of team management. This will help the company move smoothly through the transition.

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How Do You Move from Informal to Formal Processes? Five Keys

Situation: A company is growing its sales capabilities and adding staff. The CEO wants to improve the company’s ability to generate new business. To date they have relied on informal channels to generate referrals. How do move from informal to formal processes?

Advice from the CEOs:

  • Establish as standard practice that all personnel ask for referrals in normal communications with:
    • Clients
    • Sales associates of partner firms
    • Individuals who are trusted advisors of potential clients – lawyers, CPAs, financial advisors.
  • Different groups – CPAs, lawyers, financial advisors, etc. – have different interests and potential fears about making referrals. In conversations with individuals from each group, ask why they make referrals, how they are serving their own clients, and what potentially concerns them the most about making a referral.
    • Once this data has been collected, develop proof statements for each audience that address their needs and concerns. These may be different between different audiences.
  • Do the same with new clients, as they become clients. Ask why they chose your firm, and what most appealed to them about the firm. Make this part of the initial client services interview. Collect this data and create proof statements about company performance that will appeal to other potential clients.
    • Note that the responses from brand new clients may be significantly different from those of clients who have been with the company for a year or more. The latter group knows the company, and this will color their vision. Responses of new clients will be more germane to the needs of prospects.
  • Create a system to track frequency of contact with key referral sources. This system will identify, among other things:
    • Contact name, contact information
    • Contact history (contacts to the individual by the firm)
    • Referrals received from the contact
  • After contacting an individual who has been referred, always communicate promptly back to the referrer that the company has made the contact and the results. Always say thanks. Provide the referrer comfort that they will not be shut out.

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How Do You Improve Communication Skills? Four Strategies

Situation: A CEO wants advice on how to strengthen his communication skills. In particular, he is concerned that occasionally his direction of subordinates is misunderstood. What are the best techniques to communicate clearly and assure that the other party understands not only the direction given, but responds positively to the way that direction is given? How do you improve your communication skills?

Advice from the CEOs:

  • When Delegating equals Empowering, this immediately eases communications.
    • In part because the empowered employee will be more at ease talking and working with the person who delegates.
    • A quick read – The One Minute Manager by Kenneth Blanchard – provides excellent techniques for communicating effectively with subordinates.
  • Before concluding any conversation involving the delegation of a task or responsibility, make sure that both the delegator and the person delegated to repeat back their understanding of the task/responsibility and what is to be accomplished.
    • When a subordinate provides information, say “Let me be sure that I understand you. What I heard was _______. Did I understand you correctly?
    • This helps assure both parties that understanding is mutual.
  • When assigning a task or responsibility to another take one of three tacks:
    • “So that we are on the same page, please repeat for me your understanding of the (task/responsibility) and the deliverables.”
    • “Based on our discussion, what do you see as the next steps? When do you anticipate that you will be able to complete them?”
    • (After the individual has demonstrated that you both have the same understanding, or any discrepancies in understanding have been cleared up) “Thanks, would you please send me an email documenting this?”
  • If a documentation hand-off is involved, go back to the broad task or objective. Ask for their understanding of what is to be accomplished and when this will be done.

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How Do You Train Others to Fill Your Shoes? Four Points

Situation: A CEO of a small but rapidly growing company needs to transfer her knowledge and experience to current employees and new hires. This includes project management, IT management and engineering. To support the company’s growth, she needs to focus on business development and closing sales to important clients. How do you train others to fill your shoes?

Advice of the CEOs:

  • Quash any skepticism associated with the release of control of areas that were previously overseen to grow the company to its current state.
    • Selected individuals with the capacity oversee these operations. As the working relationship develops trust will replace any existing skepticism about these individuals’ ability to take on these roles.
  • Focus on your strengths, not your weaknesses. Focus on team management.
    • Hire sales people who will be tolerant of the odds and ends of prospective client behavior. Focus on effectively managing the sales team.
    • Train them to bring the CEO into key points in the sales process where that input can assist – after they have completed initial client development and know that a potential client relationship exists.
  • From time to time, it will be necessary to refocus the efforts of others. What can be done to facilitate this?
    • Ask questions. Try to refocus the conversation.
    • Seek clarification of what is said – “Let me summarize what I heard” – then refocus the conversation.
    • Adjust perspective. When an individual starts to ramble, they may divulge important information without considering the implications. Make mental or written notes and look for opportunities. Their talking can become a gold mine of information.
    • Use the conversation to make a personal connection. People love others who will listen patiently to them and infer trust and connection from this.
  • As CEO, the job is to help others succeed. The result is the success of the whole enterprise.
    • Remember that there are different levels of sophistication. Adjust the mindset and exercise tolerance over these differences.
    • Focus on passions and strengths. Get others to assist in areas which are not your strengths, but which may be strengths for them.

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How Do You Deal with a CAVE Person? Four Options

Situation: A CEO has an employee who is very talented as an individual contributor but is destructive in a team atmosphere. The CEO wants to give this individual the opportunity to succeed and contribute, but simultaneously wants to limit the negative impact on other employees. In colloquial terms, this individual is a CAVE Person (Citizens Against Virtually Everything).  How do you deal with a CAVE person?

Advice from the CEOs:

  • Limit this individual’s focus to his strengths. Work with his manager to facilitate this.
    • Let him focus and crank out work as an individual contributor.
    • Don’t require this individual to participate in group meetings. Approach this by asking if he likes meetings. The likely answer is no. Follow-up by asking whether he’d prefer to focus his time in areas where he can contribute the most.
    • Be sure to compliment him on his work when this is deserved.
  • For the last three years we’ve learned the utility and limits of remote work. Consider remote work as an option for this individual. Work out a schedule of individual one-on-ones with his manager via Zoom to assure that he has what he needs to fulfill his role.
  • Drive the department to company’s and the manager’s attitude – not his.
    • If he is having a bad day, keep up a good attitude without allowing his attitude to bring the team down.
  • Realize that it may not be possible to fix this individual’s attitude or save his position.
    • Make every attempt to find an appropriate niche for this person in the company.
    • Document the efforts and accommodations made.
    • Have his manager write him up when he is destructive to the team.
    • Be prepared if, at the end of the day, it’s necessary to let him go. It may be the best thing for both him and the team.
    • Another member shared her experience with a CAVE person at a previous company. They made every attempt to accommodate the individual, but documented as they proceeded. When they finally let the person go, everybody’s productivity increased because the distraction was no longer present.

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Is Burning the Candle at Both Ends Doing Harm or Creating the Legend? Four Points

Situation: A CEO fills nearly every minute of the day with activity. All are meaningful, and he enjoys the contribution that is made to each. Many activities involve his children and activities important to members of his family. However, because he asks the question there is something that is nagging at him. Is burning the candle at both ends doing harm or creating the legend?

Advice from the CEOs:

  • The priority is a positive, healthy lifestyle. Two answers to the group’s questions are in conflict with this.
    • Four to five hours of sleep at night is not enough to sustain the current level of activity.
    • Medical studies indicate that while some people can get along on 6 hours of sleep per night, most need 7-8. Those who get less than 6 hours on a regular basis are taxing their bodies as well as their psyches
  • What does your family think? Are there messages or hints indicating that too much is being taken on or that there isn’t enough time for them. If so, there may be too much on your plate.
    • The one person who does not seem to fit into the lifestyle described is your spouse. This individual needs attention – on a regular basis, not on a once-per-week evening out. Comments about too much activity are more likely a request for more quality time.
    • Given the importance of this relationship, not just currently but looking out 10-20 years, this indicates a need to reallocate proprieties.
  • Do what makes you happy. Each of us is the only person who can really monitor our activities, so each of us must set the metrics.
  • Create some monitors to assure that you are not over committing and that you are giving sufficient time to rest and your wife. After all, this is a marathon. It makes no sense to burn out in the first mile!

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