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BlogPersonal

People Will Remember You

by Ron Potter

There was a chart on LinkedIn the other day that caught my interest.  I’m sorry I couldn’t find the original author.

Categories

By the time you’re my age, you’ve put most people in one or more of the following categories, just because you’ve seen about every type:

  • When you think of a person, will you think about the salary they earned?
  • How about those who believed being busy all their life was a measure of success?
  • What about those who were the first in the office in the morning and the last to leave at night?
  • Maybe being successful meant the number of Gucci bags (or other luxury items) they owned.

Traits

And then think about yourself.  It’s almost always easier to see these traits in others than in yourself.  But be honest.  (You’re by yourself and just quietly thinking.  No one else will know what you’re thinking.)

  • Have you made one of the highest salaries in your profession?  Is that what you’ll be remembered for?
  • Have you never stopped to relax?  Will being busy with your projects be what people remember the most?
  • Were you the first in the office in the morning and the last to leave at night?  Is that what people will remember?  Will they even remember it as a positive trait?
  • How about the possessions you own?  Just think of the ads on TV.  Is it that car, that suit, that Gucci bag, or the top-of-the-line golf clubs?

Are these the things that people will remember you for?  Not likely!

Now think about others and yourself in very different terms.  People will remember…

1. How You Made Them Feel

Have you stopped to tell that other person how well they’re doing?  How about your own child or grandchild?  How would you react to that statement?  It’s powerful.  That’s the person they’ll remember.  The one who made them feel good.   The one who gave them the courage to try something.  The one who gave them the confidence to take on difficult tasks, to take on the “world.”

2. The Time You Spent With Them

One of my earliest experiences with a grandchild is sitting on the floor with them as they played with Lego and made up stories to fit what they were making.  It struck me that I was comfortable just sitting there on the floor with them.  But then I began to think about my own children.  While I may have spent some time with them on the floor, it never lasted very long.  I had work to do.  I had the chores around the house that needed doing.  It struck me that while I was enjoying all the time I needed with the grandchild, I never could have spent that amount of time with my own children.   The grandchildren loved that time together.

Both of my girls have lived around the world as their kids were growing up.  I believe it gave my grandchildren a better understanding of people and cultures.  But that often meant that I would see my grandkids once or twice a year and how much I missed that time with them.  If you have the opportunity, make sure you spend as much time as you can with your own children and grandchildren.

3. If You Kept Your Word

It’s easy to think about this one in the short term.  But the statement is, you’ll be remembered for keeping your word.  No time frame attached.

I’m embarrassed by my behavior recently relating to a particular issue.  A friend of mine has kept one part of my digital world going for many years.  A couple of years ago it was becoming time in his life to let that go and turn the responsibility back to me.  I said I would take it over.  But I haven’t!  About once a month I would get a notice from the internet provider that would remind me that I had committed to taking the responsibility back.  However, it seemed like the notice from the provider came at the beginning of the weekend or right in the middle of something else going on in my life.  I would always find myself thinking, “I’ll get to that on Monday.”  But Monday would come and go and I wouldn’t think about it again until the next notification (always on a weekend or during some other issue).  Once again, I would forget about it, all the time leaving my friend with the responsibility.  I gave my word but I had not kept my word.  That was horrible behavior and not fair to my friend at all.  I’m sure it diminished my value in my friend’s opinion.  It sure decreased my own valuation of myself.

4. If They Could Count On You

I really just hit this issue in the topic before.  Giving your word is one thing (and must be counted on) but making sure you follow through on that word is just as important.  Think about the people in your own life that you know you can count on.  Where do you put that person on the list of valued people?  Now, think about yourself.  Can people count on you?  If so, you’ll be high on their list.  If not, you’ll drop down that list pretty quickly.  Probably to a spot lower than you would care to be.

In last week’s blog, I ended with, “Let your yes be yes and your no be no.”  The biblical versions (Matthew 5:37) go on to say that anything beyond this is of evil origin.  If you don’t keep your word and people can’t count on you,  it’s not just a bad thing, it moves into the area of evil origin.

What Will You Be Remembered For?

Think of the issues on the list that people will remember.  If you know a person high on all of the categories you’ll probably think of them as being some of the most outstanding people you know.  Don’t you want to be one of those people?

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BlogPersonal

Kell onni on

by Ron Potter

Kell onni on, se onnen Katkekoon.  I’m sure many of you know this already but this is an old Finnish saying that roughly means, “Don’t compare or brag about your happiness.”

I’ve lived through a few nasty winters in Michigan where I’ve lived most of my life.  But Helsinki, Findland’s capital, resides farther north than any other capital except Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland.  Finland is also the most sparsely populated country in the EU.  So if you’re not happy, what else do you have?

Happiest Country in the World

The basis for this blog are some notes from Frank Martela, a philosopher, psychology researcher, and lecturer at Aalto University in Finland.  He lists three things the Finns seem to avoid.

1. Don’t Compare Yourself to Others

I’ve been talking about happiness lately during poor health, loss, and life in general.  Here are three things that Dr. Martella talks about.

The first is the Finnish quote I gave you above.  Don’t compare or brag.  If you compare yourself to others and start thinking that you’re better than some (or the best in one way or another), something or someone will come across pretty quickly to knock you off that perch.

Also, if you’re bragging, you’ll create some enemies pretty quickly.  Someone will be gunning for you to knock you down a few notches.

Success to the Finns means looking like everyone else.

2. Don’t Overlook the Benefits of Nature

I grew up in the country.  Our nearest neighbor was a mile away.  Our property had a stream, fish, crawdads, and many trees.  I didn’t know it at the time (I was just a kid growing up) but research later showed how much being in nature is good for us.  If you’re feeling down, take a walk in the woods.

Sometimes there is not a woods available but further research discovered just how much one tree helped.  There was a study of kids who grew up in the “projects” on the south side of Chicago.  They found a small set of kids who seemed to be much happier than the others.  At first, there seemed to be no explanation but someone finally noticed that the group of happier kids had a tree outside their window.  If you only have one tree, sit down at its base and focus on the sounds and feel of nature.

I currently live in a neighborhood called “Thousand Oaks.”  It is well-named and I find myself looking out the window at the trees for long periods of time.  Because of the trees and our bird feeders, we tend to have many types of birds that hang around Michigan in winter.  I find myself getting lost watching them and lose all track of time.

3. Don’t Break Trust

This was an interesting one to me for several reasons.  One is that I see generally two types of people in the world.  One type starts out skeptical of everyone and won’t grant trust until they believe the other person has earned it.  The second type (I seem to fall into this category) is a very trusting person right from the start and only considers another person untrustworthy after they have violated the granted trust.

I see issues with both approaches.

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BlogIn-Depth Book Reviews

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

by Ron Potter

As I continue the review of some of the books I’ve read through the years, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni seemed like a natural fit after looking at Peter Senge’s The Fifth Discipline.

Lencioni pictures a nice pyramid with the following elements:

  • Absence of Trust (as the base)
  • Fear of Conflict
  • Lack of Commitment
  • Avoidance of Accountability
  • Division of Company Results

Absence of Trust

This comes from the unwillingness to be vulnerable and not genuinely open within the team.  This makes it impossible to build the foundation of trust.

The absence of trust comes from several issues but I believe the main one is a lack of being open about our belief system.  It’s good to hold strong belief systems.  But it’s important to remember that each of us is unique based on history and experiences.  While holding too strong beliefs, it’s also important that we be open to exposing our ideas and beliefs to others on the team for scrutiny and building a shared belief system.

I have three siblings.  We grew up in the same household with the same parents.  However, speaking to each other as adults it became clear that we each have very different memories and belief systems.  Think about that for a minute.  Today’s society assumes that if we’re in a particular category then we all must think alike and have the same belief systems.

Oh, you’re a white person who grew up in rural America, therefore you must have these belief systems!  Not true!  Yes, I am white and, yes, I did grow up in rural America, but as I just explained that even with those similarities I don’t have the same belief system as my siblings who grew up in the same household with the same parents.  Don’t let people (or for that matter yourself) be put into a category just because we have some broad-based backgrounds.

Fear of Conflict

The failure of building trust in a team can be damaging because it sets the tone for fear of conflict.

Teams that lack trust are incapable of engaging in an unfiltered and passionate debate of ideas.  Instead, they resort to veiled discussions and guarded comments about people, never allowing their own belief systems to be questioned.

Lack of Commitment

Without healthy conflict, it’s impossible to reach team commitment.  If we lack trust because of fear of conflict, it’s impossible to expose our ideas and beliefs to passionate and open debate.  Team members may sign-up as being committed to an idea or position during the meeting but as soon as they walk out of the room and are questioned by someone who knew they believed something else going into the meeting they may say something like “I don’t necessarily agree with the team goal but I’ll support it until a conflict arises between the team goal and my true beliefs.”  This is not commitment, it’s compliance.  True commitment must be in place for a team to move forward together.

Avoidance of Accountability

This most often happens when team members are fearful to call out other members whose actions don’t align with their supposed commitment.  Not holding each other accountable to the team commitment will quickly break down the trust and commitment of the team.  Being a leadership team means you’ll need to make difficult decisions.  Without the accountability to the difficult decision, you’re not really a team, just a group of people trying to lead on your own belief system without the commitment of a team with you.

Cohesive Teams

Cohesive teams:

  • Trust one another
  • Engage in unfiltered conflict about ideas (not people)
  • Commit to decisions and plans of action
  • Hold each other accountable for the commitment
  • Focus on the achievement of team results
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BlogRegrets

Regrets – Moral

by Ron Potter

In Daniel Pink’s latest book, The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward, Pink lists four core regrets:

Items included in Pink’s book on moral regrets include:

  • Deceit
  • Infidelity
  • Theft
  • Betrayal
  • Sacrilege

For me, I can eliminate infidelity from my life.  I worked all over the world with many leaders and never once was drawn to infidelity.  Part of it may have been my low self-esteem when it came to my own looks, not thinking about why any woman would be attracted to me.  Most of the time I just felt God made me invisible so there was no temptation.  In any case, I was never drawn to infidelity.

In My Life

However, the other four seem to have been present through most of my life.  Deceit can either be not telling the truth or not committing the truth.  I have several regrets about the commission of truth mainly as one of my regrets.

Theft is one thing that was not prevalent in my life but one of my earliest regrets is taking a candy bar from the local drug store fountain shop where we all seemed to congregate as kids.  I felt so bad about it that I purchased a candy bar and put it back on the shelf when no one was looking.

There were a few instances of betrayal when I would “throw my best friend under the bus” so that I wasn’t blamed for something.

Sacrilege is an interesting one.  Most of us think of it in religious terms.  But it’s not.  The dictionary says it is the “violation or misuse of what is regarded as sacred.”  What do you consider as sacred?

Self-Examination

This one takes a lot of self-examination and honesty with yourself.

I once had a client that I had a hard time connecting with.  He then explained that he was a player!  I didn’t know what being a player meant so I asked him.  He said it meant that he had affairs with numerous women.  The number was astronomical to me.  When I asked about his wife, his response was that she knew the kind of person he was when she married him.  He had spent very little time self-examining.

Are you a truthful person?  If not, then what?  Does that make you an untruthful person?  A liar?  Then you should probably spend more time in self-analysis.  With a trusted friend if that’s possible.  Have you developed that kind of friend who can tell you anything that causes you to self-exam yourself?  If not, what have you been avoiding?  We’ll talk about this one in more detail in next week’s blog on connection.

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BlogLeadership

Are You the Smartest or the Hardest Working?

by Ron Potter

Jamie Dimon has been a very successful leader of JPMorgan Chase for many years.  He talked of the traits to succeed that I found very interesting.

Traits of Successful Leaders

Mr. Dimon’s list of successful leadership traits included:

  • Humility
  • Openness
  • Fairness
  • Authenticity

He also included a shortlist of traits that don’t lead to being a successful leader.

  • Smartest person in the room
  • Hardest working person in the room

Later in the article, he enhanced these traits even further by distinguishing between management and leadership.

He identifies Management as

  • Get it done
  • Follow-up
  • Discipline
  • Planning
  • Analysis
  • Facts, facts, facts

This is a great list and is much needed to run a business.  But these are management traits, not leadership traits.

Dimon goes on to say that the key to leadership is not just doing the management thing but having respect for people. (Italics mine)

Elements of Leadership

Humility.  This is the number one trait of great leadership that I list in my book Trust Me.  The understanding of humility has taken a wrong turn since the original definition.  Humility is not being a doormat or turning the other cheek.

The original definition of humility meant tremendous power under complete control.   Notice that there is tremendous power.  Much of that power is identified in Dimon’s management list above.  But leadership has this strong element of humility.  One of the key elements of humility is having a deep respect for every individual.  If that respect is not there, it leaves untethered power.

Humility is the number one issue of great leadership.  Humility doesn’t happen without a deep respect for each individual.

Openness.  Some of the words related to openness include accessible, lack of secrecy, and frankness.  Being open means that you’re accessible.  Being accessible in general, people can talk with you at any time about anything.

Being accessible in meetings—because people feel and experience the respect you have for them, they are completely at ease talking about any issue.  And because you’re frank, they also know they can state their beliefs and assumptions and they’ll hear the same from you.  They also know that your frank opinion is not the final say but another point of view to be considered in the “team” decision.

Fairness.  Once again, a dictionary definition is very helpful:  “Impartial and just treatment or behavior without favoritism or discrimination.”  Can you see the equal respect for each individual in that statement?  Being fair with your team means taking each and every opinion and belief as equally valid.

Great teams understand that their individual beliefs and assumptions may not be the final answer but if they feel listened to with great respect, then they believe a great team decision will result.

Authenticity.  Authentic people are the same no matter what the circumstances.  There’s no question that you’ll hear the same thing from an authentic person regardless of who they’re speaking to.  They’ll say the same thing to an employee as they will to their boss.  There is no doubt in anyone’s mind.  They are simply themselves regardless of the situation or person they’re speaking with.

Be authentic.  Not being authentic is clearly and immediately noticeable by anyone and everyone.

Are You a Great Leader?

Or do you hope to become a great leader?  Yes, you’ll need to be a good manager but “good” managers begin to let their leadership traits come through even when they’re in a management position.  Even if you’re just a manager you can let the traits of a leader—Humility, Openness, Fairness, Authenticity—come through.

Great leadership traits always shine brighter than great management abilities.

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BlogCulture

Noise Is Overrunning Us

by Ron Potter

We recently remembered the 20th anniversary of 9/11.

I was in New York City working with a client on 9/10.  Trying to get home that evening from La Guardia, we left the gate three times only to return each time for various reasons.  On the last return to the gate, the pilot came over the speaker and said that anyone who wanted to get off the plane was welcome to but he was going to try to take off one more time.  If I stayed on the plane and this take off didn’t work, I was unlikely to find a hotel room anywhere.  I would have to spend the night in the terminal.  If I stuck with it and the plane was able to take off, great.  It would be late but I would get home.

We finally did take off and I arrived home about 1:30 am on 9/11.  After a few hours of sleep, I awoke and watched the events of that horrible day on my TV.  But I was home.

For the next several days there was not a plane in the sky.  There was no noise from the jets flying overhead.  It was a bit unnerving.  I realized that we had become so accustomed to the noise of jets flying overhead that we just didn’t hear it anymore.  Until it stopped!

That was 20 years ago.  The noise in our lives has gone much beyond jets flying overhead.

Noise has Increased

The sound of jets in the sky has returned (although diminished during Covid).  And once again we barely hear it anymore.  But it’s a little frightening to me how much other noises have increased in our lives.

One that I find particularly annoying (although it may simply be my age) is the sound in restaurants.  When I go to dinner with someone I enjoy the conversation as much as the food.  However, as the noise levels of talking and laughing increase, for some reason the restaurant feels compelled to turn up the background music.  If you look around, no one is listening to the music, they’re trying to talk.  But because of the sound, they need to talk louder.  It’s a vicious cycle and renders quiet conversations impossible.  I’ve given up.

Invisible Noise

The noise that I’m worried about even more is technically not noise at all.  It’s the constant distraction and overwhelming presence of email, texts, and social media, etc.  Even in open-air restaurants where a conversation is possible, I see couples and families all setting together, all on their own devices.  This “noise” has diminished human contact.

I’m Not A Luddite

I’m not opposed to technology.  In fact, I purchased my first Blackberry in early 2000, just months after it had been introduced in late 1999.  Back then I even had to search for a nationwide network for the Blackberry to run on because the phone companies had not discovered that it could be a great revenue stream for their own networks.

Overworked and Increased Stress

It was soon after that I began to hear from clients and colleagues about how overworked they were and the increase of stress in their lives.  I tried to observe what was causing this feeling of being overworked and I really couldn’t see that people were working more than they always had.

What I did observe however was that they got no relief from their workload.

Prior to the availability of smartphones, people would close up shop at the end of the day (even long days), and head home for time with the family, rest, and relaxation.  That wasn’t happening anymore.  They felt they were suddenly on call twenty-four hours per day.

It’s not that they were working harder, it’s just that it never shut off.  If they received an email from their boss late in the evening, they felt it was important (maybe even required) to respond as-soon-as-possible.  This pattern interrupted their time of rest and recuperation, got them thinking and responding, and turning their work brain back on with no opportunity to recover.  This “noise” of being in contact 24/7 has overrun and disrupted our lives.

The Boss is Often Not Aware

One leader I was working with had a reputation of being a demanding tyrant.  I was surprised to find a very pleasant and caring person when I met her.  As I began to ask those who had labeled her a tyrant about the behavior that caused that reputation, they began to talk about her 24/7 demands through email and texts.  In their opinion, it never let up and was destroying their health and family life.

When I asked her about the behavior, her first response was that she had tried to make it clear that she wasn’t expecting an immediate response.  However, if you’re a direct report, it’s always hard not to respond to your boss.

I encouraged her to write her thoughts as an email draft whenever she wanted to but not to hit send until either late Sunday night or early Monday morning.  She was very happy to do that.

Within a week her direct reports asked what I had done because their stress levels had gone down and they didn’t feel obligated to think about work all weekend.  Simple things can make big differences.

Take Control of your Life

I wrote a couple of weeks ago about not allowing technology to take over our lives.  It requires personal discipline.

When you go on vacation but dedicate late night or early morning to “getting your work done” you completely override your body and mind’s need for rest and to just be unplugged.  Let your boss and colleagues know that you’re going on vacation and will be unplugged for a while.  For the most part, they’ll understand.

When you get back to work, delete those emails that have filled your inbox while you were gone.  The really important ones will resurface.

Take control.  You’re not a victim unless you choose to be.  You’ll be a stronger, healthier, happier person in the end.

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BlogLeadership

Your Title Doesn’t Make You a Leader

by Ron Potter

This comes from an article in INC magazine with that same title.

In that article, they list a couple of issues that do make you a leader.

  • “From Intimacy comes ‘Into-Me-See'”
  • “Forget your Title and Be Yourself”

From Intimacy Comes “Into-Me-See”

I’m not sure if I’ll ever remember the “Into-Me-See” when I see the word Intimacy but the point is very clear.

I’ve written many times how important it is to develop trusting relationships with your team.  The manager who says “I’m not here to make friends, I’m here to get the best productivity” doesn’t ever quite realize that the best productivity only happens when people are treated like people and not wholly about what they can accomplish.

This usually breaks down with the manager blaming others for not meeting deadlines, not tackling the issue with enthusiasm, or even being too stupid to get the task done.  They never realize that the task doesn’t meet expectations because people don’t feel valued and connected.

In the article Brene Brown says,

“I define connection as the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard and valued; when they can give and receive without judgement; and when they derive sustenance and strength from the relationship.” 

Sustenance and strength from the relationship!  Without building trusting relationships, that sustenance and strength doesn’t exist.

I recently wrote a blog about the Neuroscience of Trust.  Building relationships releases Oxytocin which promotes trust.  In the Inc. article the “into-me-see” statement is explained,

“With intimacy, we mean ‘into-me-see’:  it means that you are seeing the other person, the other human being at the other side of the table with whom you are having a discussion.  Only when someone feels seen, heard, and valued will then listen to what you have to say and, as appropriate, follow your leadership.”

See into other people.  Let them know that you know who they are, not just what they do.  You will build the trust needed to be a great leader.

Forget your Title and Be Yourself

Charlie Munger, partner of Berkshire Hathaway recently said, “It is remarkable how much long-term advantage people like us have gotten by trying to be consistently not stupid, instead of trying to be very intelligent.”

Somehow with new titles comes this concept that we must be smarter than we are or at least smarter than those around us.  That’s stupid.  Charlie says, trying to be consistently not stupid results in long-term advantages.

I’ve coached a few people lately who are taking on a new job and feeling they weren’t quite smart enough for the new role.  I tried to help them understand that everything they needed was already inside them.   They should just be who they are!  They already have what it takes to be great at the new jobs.  They don’t need to be something more! They don’t need to be smarter!  In fact, trying to be smarter only creates obstacles and doubt that keep them from being the best.

Just be yourself.

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BlogTeam

Curiosity Killed the Cat

by Ron Potter

My first reaction is that I’m glad I’m not a cat because I’m very curious.

The saying originally meant don’t be too nosey!  It was related to the term “busy body”: someone who seemed to be nosey about everyone else’s business.

But in 1912 the saying was altered to say—

Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back

While curiosity may harm you, the satisfaction of finding knowledge or the truth is worth it. So be curious, strive to find the truth and gain knowledge!

I liked this addition much better.  Curiosity that seeks knowledge and truth brings great satisfaction.  So how do we be curious to seek knowledge and truth while not being nosey?  I think there are two ways of accomplishing this goal.

Blame Game

People who are seeking enough information so they can assign blame (to anything or anyone other than themselves) are nosey.  That’s the kind of curiosity that killed the cat and will kill open and honest discussions.  We know these people.  They want to make sure that it’s never their fault.  They are always looking to shift the blame as an excuse for their bad behavior or poor decisions.  It’s never their fault.

Avoidance Style

Human Synergistics has a leadership assessment titled Life Style Inventory (LSI).  In this assessment, they identify a style they call Avoidance that has similar characteristics.  Their list includes:

  • A strong tendency to deny responsibility for one’s own behavior.
  • Fear of failure
  • A preoccupation with one’s own concerns
  • Lack of self-disclosure that eventually leads to emotional isolation.

If you’re interested in this assessment, find out more on their website.

Being Curious without being Nosey

The other way of satisfying your curiosity for knowledge and truth is to practice Listening with the Intent to Understand.

You’ve seen this concept in many of my blogs.  But the fact that I keep coming back to it is a testament to how important this is as a skill.

When you listen with the intent to understand, people notice.  You’re truly curious about what they think, what experiences they’ve had, and what would lead them to their conclusion.  People not only notice, they feel respected and empowered and want to share to great depths.  And in addition, they become much more curious themselves about what you think.  It’s a two-way street.

Be Curious

Be curious, but be curious to learn, grow, and understand.  If you’re genuine, this will keep you from being a busy body.  Learn, grow, and Listen with the intent to understand.  It brings great satisfaction.

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BlogTeam

Thinking on 3 Thoughts Together

by Ron Potter

My mind is a little bit crazy.  I often find that three very different ideas come together in my head at a particular moment. I have learned to pay attention to and think more about these three things.

It happened to me recently when three thoughts came together:

  1. Commute times.  Working with companies in New York, Boston, and California exposed me to commute times that I was unfamiliar with living in Michigan.
  2. American Express Travelers Cheques division moving from New York City to Salt Lake City
  3. Hearing leaders talk about the increased productivity they’re experiencing in the new virtual world

Commute Times

The first time I worked in New York City as a consultant I showed up at the office on east 42nd street at 8:00 am assuming that was the normal start time.  The office was empty.  People didn’t really start settling into their office until around 9:00.  As I got to know some of the team I would be working with I found out some of them lived in Pennsylvania.  They would take a bus from their community to the rail station, take the train to New Jersey, take the ferry to Manhattan then either cab or walk from west 42 Street to the office on east 42 Street.  It was nearly impossible to arrive before 9:00.

Then the office would begin to empty out by about 3:30 pm as the reverse commute took place.  I had similar experiences in Boston, Chicago, and California.  I always found it amusing in California when I would ask how far it was from one location to another.  The answer was never explained in distance (4 miles) is was always explained in time (2 to 4 hours depending on the time of day).

American Express

I was living in Salt Lake City when American Express moved their Traveler Cheques Division from New York City to Salt Lake City.  As I was reading about the move in the local papers, an American Express Official expressed how impressed they were at the increased productivity that came with the move.

Let’s think about that for a minute—

  • New York City business day: 9:00-3:30.
  • Sale Lake City business day: 8:00-5:00.

And you’re acting surprised by the increase in productivity?

Virtual Meetings

I’m having the same reaction about all of these articles from business leaders (most in major corporations in major cities) expressing surprise and pleasure about the increased productivity they’re seeing from working virtually.

Let’s see—

  • Commute times even in reasonable locations: 30 to 60 minutes.
  • Commute times for a virtual meeting: 3 to 6 minutes.

Increased productivity?  I don’t think so.  Just increased availability.

Teamwork

While this virtual world that we now find ourselves in may seem to be or even be more productive, it still takes more than that to build the kind of teams that will be trusting and innovative.

A client the other day asked me how to build a better team in this virtual environment.  I didn’t have a great answer.  It’s very difficult.  There is something very real about the shaking of a hand or sitting down to talk face-to-face and being able to look into each other’s eyes.

Virtual One-on-One

I believe we can do some of this in a virtual environment but it takes planning and commitment.  I have often done an exercise called “Assessment-Commitment”.  This exercise can be accomplished in the virtual world but it takes time and commitment.

Each pair of people on the team must commit to spending virtual time one-on-one.  Once this is accomplished, the team needs to meet (virtually) to discuss together the learnings that were accomplished in the one-on-one sessions.  This means that the virtual meetings can’t be all about productivity, assignments, and getting things done.  There must be time spent building the team!

Because we now find ourselves in this virtual world, don’t forsake the effort and time it takes to build great teams.  It may take a bit more effort but it will reward you and the company many times over down the road.

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BlogLeadership

7% Increase in Shareholder Returns

by Ron Potter

Did that title capture your attention?   What company today wouldn’t like to provide that kind of increase to their shareholders?

185 CEO’s

A research paper looked at 185 CEO’s and the performance of their companies in the S&P 500 between 2000 and 2013.  The conclusion was that the more humble leaders produced 7% higher value to their shareholders.  The paper used modesty, fairness, and sincerity to measure their “humbleness”  Let’s take a look at these three characteristics.

Modesty

A dictionary definition says “the quality of being unassuming or moderate in the estimation of one’s abilities.”

Unassuming.  There are several areas where a person can be unassuming or assuming.  Any of them can be good or bad.  One statement I like comes from Jordan Peterson in his book, 12 Rules of Life.  Rule number 9 says “Assume That The Person You Are Listening To Might Know Something You Don’t.”  That’s a good thing to assume and it makes you unassuming.  When leaders make this assumption about their team, it’s inspiring and leads to great conversations about the business.

Moderate about one’s abilities.  I think the word moderate is key.  Not too high, not too low.  It’s interesting to me that team members often prefer to work for a boss that they consider above average or even higher.  It only becomes an issue if the boss starts believing her own press and assuming she knows more than everybody else on the team.  Remember Jordan Petersons rule number 9.  As long as the leader remains unassuming, the team loves a strong, knowledgeable leader.

Trust Me

In my book, Trust Me: Developing a Leadership Style that People Will Follow, the number one characteristic is Humility.  The word has lost its original definition over time.  The early definition was “tremendous strength under complete control.”  As I mentioned earlier, people like leaders who have great strength and ability but are modest or humble at the same time.  That’s the winning combination.

Many leaders exhibit power and strength in their roles.  They may get things done but they don’t build great teams and they don’t develop shareholder value.

Be a humble leader.  The rewards are high and the relationships you develop will be tremendously valuable over time.

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BlogCulture

The Coming Ice Age: Leading Beyond the Blizzard

by Ron Potter

As we try to figure out the new normal, many comments and images have been tossed around.  I ran across this article by Andy Crouch, Kurt Keilhacker, and Dave Blanchard of Praxis that gives us a good overview of what we’re facing.

Blizzard, Winter, Ice Age

For a minute, put your own thoughts to each of those words.

Blizzard

Years ago when my children were young, my wife and I decided to drive from Salt Lake City where we were living at the time back to her family farm in Michigan for Thanksgiving.  Everything went great getting there as was our time with family at a very comforting time of the year.  But then it was time to drive back from Michigan to Utah in early December.  Things were going fine until I woke up (my wife was driving at the moment) and realized that we were spinning (a full 360) on the Interstate along with the cars and trucks near us.  We had hit a blizzard in Nebraska.  No one crashed and no one was hurt and we were able to get to the first exit which had a Holiday Inn where we checked in for a couple of days until the blizzard passed and the roads had been clear.

It was a scary experience!

Even after we were able to restart our journey, there was this anxiousness in the back of our minds as we headed out on the plains of Nebraska and into the mountains before making it to Salt Lake.

Blizzards are like that.  Scary.  They can be dangerous.  And the possibilities can linger in our mind even after they clear.

Winter

Unlike blizzards that can come upon you quickly, we know that winters are coming.  The calendar tells us so.  The only thing we don’t know is how severe the winter will be and how long it will last.  Keep in mind that we live in Michigan near the Lake Michigan side of the state.  A couple of winters ago, we had an extremely cold spell of a couple of weeks during winter.  Temperatures were below negative 20 degrees for nearly two weeks.  When it’s that cold you need to protect people and things and be prepared if you lose your power.  Even things in our garage began to freeze.  But just like blizzards, we know that it will end sometime and things will get back to normal.

Ice Age

Back when I was a kid, we didn’t hear about global warming; we heard about another coming Ice Age.  (Both based on science… supposedly.)  We have beautiful, great lakes and terrain in Michigan because of the last ice age in which glaciers reached what is now the southern border of the state.   It must have been impressive and awesome and it created and left a beautiful environment.  But it was uninhabitable!  The last Ice Age lasted about 12,000 years.  Ice Ages create new normals.

What Are We Facing

Which category —Blizzard, Winter, or Ice Age— do you place our current Covid situation and the virtual workplace it has spawned?

Blizzard

I believe it’s clear to all of us that this is not a blizzard.  We may have had some hope of that a year ago.  We may have thought that “this will be over soon” and we would get back to normal.  It is now obvious that is not going to happen.

Winter

I’m often asked why I continue to live in Michigan when I could live anywhere.  My answer is that when you have a perfect day in Michigan, there is nothing like it anywhere else in the world.  I’m sure it’s the result of the great lakes and beautiful forests.

But with Covid, we don’t get a summer full of beautiful days.  We’re at least in winter.  There will be no “perfect” days with Covid.  We will not return to “normal”.

Ice Age

We may even be into an Ice Age with Covid and virtual work.  Things are not likely to return to “normal” in our lifetime.  It will be a much more cautious and virtual world.  Because I have children and grandchildren who live in other countries of the world, I’m very familiar with virtual connections.  But I can’t wait until I can be with them again to give them each a big hug.  And with the teams I work with, there is nothing like that shake of a hand, that pat on the back, and being able to look directly into the eyes of each other when dealing with difficult issues.

New Norm

This is the new norm.  We’re never quite sure what the new normal will actually look like.  We only know that it will be different (and confusing) until the new normal emerges.

We haven’t really figured it all out yet.

I know that many of our collaboration platforms (Zoom, MSTeams, Webex, and others) are working fast and furious trying to figure it out.  But I do know that they’ll miss the mark if they rely on transactional measurements rather than personal relationships interactions to create the new normal.

Trust

As the team from Praxis says, “Out greatest resource is trust”.  Trust is difficult to cultivate virtually, although I believe it can be done with focus and effort.  It’s more important than ever in this time of winter and/or ice age to build trust.  It will be hard work but it will also be worth it.

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BlogLeadership

Elements of Trust

by Ron Potter

In the Harvard Business Review was the following article:

The 3 Elements of Trust by Jack Zengar and Joseph Folkman.

Three Elements of Trust

I think Zenger and Folkman are right on when they identify

Positive Relationships
    • Stay in touch on the issues and concerns of others
    • Balance results with concern for others.
    • Generate cooperation between others.
    • Resolve conflict with others.
    • Give honest feedback in a helpful way.
Good Judgement/Expertise
    • They use good judgment when making decisions.
    • Others trust their ideas and opinions.
    • They can anticipate and respond quickly to problems.
Consistency
    • Are a role model and set a good example.
    • Walk the talk.
    • Honor commitments and keep promises.
    • Follow through on commitments.
    • Are willing to go above and beyond what needs to be done.

Let’s unpack each one of those.

Positive Relationships

Of the five points that Zenger and Folkman make, the three I would pick as the most powerful would include, concern for others, resolving conflict, and giving honest feedback.

Concern for Others

Human beings have an amazing ability to determine if someone really cares for them or is just using them to accomplish a task.  Don’t kid yourself, you can’t fake this one.  If you don’t truly care for the other person, they will do what they are told because of your position but nothing more.  To build winning teams, you need more.  You need people’s energy, creativity, and cooperation.

Resolving Conflict

Resolving conflict relies on good listening.  I identify this skill as

Listening with the intent to respond vs Listening with the intent to understand

It takes a great deal of energy to listen with the intent to understand.  First, you must suspend what you “know”.  People know when you’re just lining up your points to make as soon as you see an opening in the conversation.  It’s even worse if you create that opening by interrupting with your points to counter their points.  They know you’re not trying to understand them.

There is a great deal of talk about diversity these days.  Listening with the intent to understand and teaching others to do the same, actually takes advantage of the diversity.  It’s not about our origins, race, gender, or whatever is being thrown into that diversity bucket these days, it’s about understanding.  The diversity identities being tossed around today don’t mean anything if we’re not listening to understand.  Individuals will have very different belief systems, even if they’re part of the same category of people.

Good Judgement/Expertise

The biggest issue to watch out for in this category is what Robert Quinn in his book “Deep Change” identifies as the “Tyranny of Competence”.  Some of my more difficult consulting and coaching times occurred when I had to convince and then help leaders dismiss people who fell into this category.  The first word in this title is “tyranny”.  People who fall into this category are incredibly competent and knowledgeable in their subject matter.  However, they use that competence as an excuse for not developing good relationships.  Every time the person who lives by the Tyranny of Competence is asked to leave, I’ve observed teams blossom into highly effective teams based on trust.

Zenger and Folkman put three elements in this category: Good judgment, trust of others, and they respond quickly.  I believe the middle point of the three —”Others trust their ideas and opinions”—is the hinge that makes the other two work.  One reason that the trusts exist is that there has been listening with the intent to understand.  I can’t emphasize enough how much this element builds trust.  Because good leaders have listened well and built trust, they tend to have good judgment and can respond quickly to threats.

Consistency

I believe consistency requires Integrity.  Integrity comes from the Latin word “integer”— meaning whole or complete.  Integrity means that you are the same person regardless of the circumstances or the people present.  It has a foundation of honesty and character.  Are you a person of integrity?  Are you always the same person?  When you have integrity and are consistent, it builds trust.

Elements of Trust

Evaluate yourself.  Get feedback from others.

  • Do you develop positive relationships?
  • Do you exhibit sound judgment?
  • Are you consistent and would people say you are a person of integrity?

Regardless of the environment, be it leader, team member, family member, or citizen, nothing will carry you farther than developing trust.

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