Archive for the ‘leadership’ Category

Looking for a Bigger Piece of the Pie?

Thursday, August 27th, 2009

I recently caught up with Greg Lippert, CEO of Mazzio’s Italian Eatery, the Tulsa-based restaurant company with 170 locations in 10 states.  From his days as a college soccer player to positions with heavyweights like Proctor and Gamble and Philip Morris, Greg came up through the ranks in typical Type A fashion eventually holding several executive positions in the fast casual dining sector before returning to Mazzio’s as CEO.

As we were kicking around the latest and greatest happenings in our worlds, I took the opportunity to ask Greg to share his advice for those  Type A’s who are looking to move into executive leadership.

Here’s Greg’s advice on how to get a bigger piece of the pie.

1.  You must know how to manage your time and your mind.

“As CEO, the toughest choice is knowing how to best manage your time and your mind.  As you get higher and higher on the ladder, you give up more and more of your time and your mind to issues that you may not have previously considered.  You must be constantly thinking about the results of others… the morale of employees, how the company is advancing, whether or not the business plan is accomplishing the company’s goals.  It’s no longer about your own results.  You have less and less brain space to focus on yourself or your family.   If you can’t manage your time and your mind, you’re not going to be successful.”

2.  Understand the financial impact of your decisions across the board.

“You are only as good as your bottom line.  More and more often pay is being tied to performance.  And it’s not just your performance but the entire company’s performance.  The company’s financial responsibility is shared responsibility.”

3. Explore your career and lifestyle options early in your career.

“Use your education years and the time in your 20’s to explore opportunities in lifestyle and career that you believe will help you feel fulfilled today and into the future.  Don’t make a commitment too early.  Find a career or industry that you will still enjoy years later.  And develop a secondary interest, such as a hobby or volunteer work, so you don’t become too job focused.”

4. Learn project management skills.

“The biggest gap we have between our experienced baby boomer leadership team and the next generation is strong project management skills.  No one is being taught project management.   Someone who has great project management skills will be invaluable to growing companies.”

Posted in Meaningful Work, Work Life, career, leadership, passion | No Comments »

Master the Rules Before You Break’em

Tuesday, August 25th, 2009

Admit it.  Rules can feel like a ball and chain around your neck.

In the minds of many turbocharged Type A’s, RULES get in the way of RESULTS.  The more successful Type A’s become, the more likely they are to rebel against rules in a short-sighted manner and send their companies or their careers down the stinker.

Pay attention if you’ve got any of these red flags waving in your head.

“If they would just get out of my way, then I could really get the big things done.”

“These damn rules are ridiculous!  They just slow me down and put up silly barriers to getting things done.”

“I’m a bigger producer than anyone else, so I shouldn’t have to play by the rules.”

“Rules are for losers.”

“I’m smarter (faster, more talented, more successful, etc…) than the people who made the rules, so why should I follow them?!”

Here’s the dark side to this Type A trap.  If you break the rules before you master them, you look disrespectful, rude, insubordinate, rash, arrogant… fill in the blank with a whole host of other unpleasant, stinky descriptors.

However, here’s what’s cool about rules.  If you master the rules and then break’em (in a constructive manner, of course), you look courageous, visionary and innovative.

What kind of Rule Wrangler are you?

As you ponder your answer, turn up your speakers and join me in singing The Type A Anthem…

Posted in Decision-Making, Problem Employees, Work Life, leadership | No Comments »

Rude Awakening

Friday, August 14th, 2009

Newsflash!  Research proves being rude at work hurts the bottom line!

Oh, please.  Did we really need a research project to tell us that?  Apparently so.

As reported in Human Resource Executive Online, researchers studying the effects of rude behavior found that both the targets of the rude behavior and the second-hand victims were negatively impacted by just one incident of rudeness.  Problem solving, creativity and learning all decreased after rude behavior occurred.

According to Donna Flagg, founder of The Krysalis Group in New York City, “Oftentimes…the rudest employees also just happen to be the highest producers and line management does not want to let them go.

Here’s the kicker:  Rude + High Producer = Type A on the path to a train wreck.  It’s just a matter of time before things implode.

Pulling rude Type A top performers back on track is not for the timid.  It requires a special touch.  Admonishing, threatening or hog tying a Type A with more rules is only throwing gasoline on a smoldering fire.   If you want to avoid the train wreck, you must get right to the root of the rudeness.

I’m going to tell you a secret.  With the exception of a few nut cases and some celebrity Type A’s who have built billionaire brands on hurling insults, Type A rudeness tends to grow from one of three roots:  frustration, fear or simply being unaware of how they are coming across.

Posted in Managing High Performers, Problem Employees, leadership | No Comments »

Digging Deep for Black Gold

Tuesday, August 11th, 2009

A big congratulations to Mark Bronston, CEO of Legends Exploration LP located in Houston, TX.  Mark, along with a team of fellow scientists, received the prestigious 2009 Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada’s Thayer Lindsley Award for the discovery of the Donlin Creek gold deposit, considered to be one of the largest umined pure gold deposits in the world.

During a recent conversation with Mark, I asked this award-winning geophysicist what are the toughest decisions he has to make as CEO.  Mark replied, “The toughest decisions are the people-related issues ranging from dealing with regulatory agencies to negotiating with landowners to keeping everyone motivated, enthusiastic and collegial.  It never goes away.”

In Mark’s opinion, the oil and gas exploration business attracts a certain kind of people – “Type A people on steriods” – who, at the end of the day, can handle a big failure with nothing to show for their efforts but a dry hole.

Mark offered some advice for high potential Type A’s who have their eyes on the top job.

1.  Be absolutely sure you love what you are doing.  Don’t let money be your driver.

2. Early in your career seek out the programs and learning opportunities that may not be the most glamorous but will help you create a strong foundation that will set you apart from your peers.  Don’t shy away from the blocking and tackling positions.

3.  Save yourself some heartache.  When you get angry or affronted, hold your breath and count to ten.  Consider that email you want to send before you send it.  Act professionally regardless of how you feel.

Great advice from a modern day prospector.

Posted in Work Life, career, leadership | No Comments »

Exploiting The Theory of Complaints

Friday, May 8th, 2009

What are you complaining about?

Maybe it was your rant yesterday during the Board meeting or the mumbling and muttering you did on the way into work this morning…. but I KNOW you are complaining about something… even if it’s only in the privacy of your mind.

What is it?

Not enough time to get everything done?   Your wife’s nagging?  Unrealistic shareholder expectations?  Your teenage daughter’s weird friends?  The nose dive your stock portfolio took over the past several months?  The irritating co-worker that takes credit for your ideas?

What are you complaining about?

Complaining is common.  You probably think you know all about complaining.

But did you know that complaining is the missing link between success and satisfaction?  Success doesn’t buy satisfaction.  It’s one thing to be successful and another thing entirely to be SATISFIED.

Yep, that’s right.  Your complaints hold the secret to turning success into satisfaction.  The MBA in me likes to call it Exploiting the Theory of Complaints.

To understand my Theory of Complaints, let’s take a quick look at well known biz school favorite, The Theory of Constraints.

The Theory of Constraints suggests that what stands between you and achieving your goals are the bottlenecks – or constraints – in your process.   Simply put, by identifying these bottlenecks and permanently removing them, you achieve greater success more quickly.  If you want to learn more about it, google business guru Dr. Eliyahu M. Goldratt.  There are oodles of info on this management philosophy.

Back to Cannon’s Theory of Complaints…

My Theory of Complaints says that what stands between success and satisfaction are complaints.  Stands to reason, doesn’t it?  Regardless of your success, it’s pretty darn near impossible to be truly satisfied if you are complaining.

Consider this.  Complaining is a signal that something is not right.  A complaint arises because some need is not being met.  You’ve got an itch that is not being scratched.

No matter how successful you are, you are not going to be truly satisfied if you, your life  or your business are being held hostage by an unmet need(s).

The unmet need creates tension in your experience which, in turn, leads you to vent, kvetch or bellyache to relieve the tension.  Unfortunately, the relief is temporary at best unless you identify the underlying unmet need and take action to fill it permanently.  Think about it like having a cavity in your tooth.  Until you fill it permanently, the little monster is going to keep bothering you and getting bigger… even if the rest of the world only sees your sparkling pearly whites.

And, just like pesky cavities, unmet needs can be hard to see unless you have x-ray vision, one of those odd little dental mirrors or the keen vision of someone else.  The quickest way to find the unmet need and create a strategy to fix it, is to enlist the help of a trusted advisor, mentor or coach.

Bottom line:  Remove your constraints to be successful and resolve your complaints to be satisfied.

There’s no sweeter spot than being successful AND being truly satisfied.

Posted in Decision-Making, Happiness, Meaningful Work, Positive Attitude, Positive Living, Work Life, career, leadership | No Comments »

What’s really capturing your attention?

Thursday, May 7th, 2009

Did you see the article in the New York Times,  Ear Plugs to Lasers:  The Science of Concentration?  In the book, Rapt, author Winifred Gallagher, reminds us of two well known concepts:

  1. What we pay attention to determines what kind of experience we create.
  2. Our brains work best when we concentrate and focus on one thing at time… multi-tasking is not good for us.

Gallagher goes on to make the point that we have the choice to focus our attention on the negative things or the positive things.  Not surprisingly, she points out that shifting your attention to and focusing on the positive things in life are the secrets to creating a more satisfying life.

I’m not going to disagree with that, but I do think it’s a black or white approach… especially for high level leaders who get paid to solve problems and achieve results in a technicolor world.

Here’s two more things to think about.

First, events are rarely all positive or all negative.  They are usually a bitter sweet mixture of both.  Wisdom comes from being able to see and appreciate both the good and the bad.  Remember the old saw… Learning from your mistakes?

Secondly, your unconscious mindsets have an enormous impact on how you see the world and what captures your attention.  Shifting your conscious attention without first uncovering your underlying unconscious mindsets is a little like whacking off dandelion leaves.  It’s just a matter of time before your unconscious mindset sends up another flower of frustration.  Just look at Kristie Alley’s failed weight loss…

Here’s my advice:

1.  Focus your attention on the whole experience.   Step outside of your judgment of good or bad.  Look at things from both sides at once.  Find the wisdom in the experience.  The great thing about wisdom is that you can take it with you whereever you go.

2. Cultivate your consciousness.  Dig out your unconscious mindsets so you get rid of the weeds once and for all.  That leaves plenty of room and nutrients for creativity.  And with creativity comes inspired problem solving and new perspectives.

Posted in Decision-Making, Happiness, Positive Attitude, Work Life, career, leadership | No Comments »

Why You Should Love Pain-in-the-Butt Employees

Wednesday, May 6th, 2009

I get the question all the time… “How can I deal with an employee who is a real pain in the a—-?  She’s driving me crazy!”

When I ask why the employee hasn’t been given her walking papers, the boss usually spits out, “Because she’s one of our best producers.  She’s too valuable to fire but she makes my life hell and stirs up everybody else!”

I love these kinds of employees and you should, too.  Here’s why.

They’ve still got a fire burning in their gut.  It’s just a misdirected fire.   As a leader it’s a lot easier to re-direct a fire than it is to rekindle cold embers.

I’d much rather have a passionate, pain-in-the-butt employee than one who is a business-as-usual employee or – even worse – an employee that has quit but still comes to work collecting a paycheck.

Re-direct the passion and you’re going to transform the pain-in-the-butt into an outstanding contributor.   I’ve done it myself and I’ve seen it done by other leaders countless times.

But here’s the deal.  You can’t just keep doing your same old leadership tricks and hoping for a different outcome.  You’ve got to drop your attitude and dig beneath your own frustration to discover what is motivating the employee to be difficult.  You need to become Sherlock Holmes.

Here are some questions to help your investigation:

1.  Is the employee angry about some perceived injustice?  (Hint: Bosses tend to expect more out of high performers than they do other employees.)

2.  Is the employee bored?  (Hint: High performers often feed on change and challenge and love to collect the next trophy.)

3.  Is the employee wanting more power and influence in the workplace?  (Hint:  Money only goes so far in rewarding a high performer.  Respect, responsibility and authority – even if it’s coming from the gossip club – often fill the gap between money and meaning.)

4.  Is the employee frustrated about some aspect of their job?  (Hint:  High performers frequently don’t like rules that seem ridiculous or decisions that don’t contribute to results – like time wasting staff meetings or ill-informed strategies.)

5.  What have I done to contribute to this problem?  (Hint:  High performers want to be heard and valued by the folks in charge.  If they only get your attention by causing problems, then that’s what they are going to do.)

One last thing.  Ditch the hero routine.  Don’t try to save a bad apple.  It’ll ruin your whole team.

Let’s face it.  Occasionally even the best leaders hire a dud or inherit a crazy person.  I know because I’ve been in both situations.  If your pain-in-the-butt employee is acting unstable or is a real threat to other people or your business, consult with your HR department pronto to determine the safest and quickest way to deal with them.   Don’t tackle this challenge by yourself.

But… if you have a pain-in-the-butt, high performing employee, get busy!  You’ve got a diamond waiting to be polished.  Want to solve the high performance puzzle quicker?  Call me.  859-266-2436.

Posted in Managing High Performers, Problem Employees, Work Teams, coaching, leadership, passion | No Comments »

You can’t escape who you are.

Tuesday, May 5th, 2009

It happened again this week.  I was talking with a fellow I had just met when he suddenly observed, “You’re like a lightning bolt!”.

Yes, that me.  A lightning bolt.   I can’t help myself.  It’s in my DNA.

In my first ‘real’ job, I got sick of listening to my co-workers sit around and whine about how overworked and underpaid we were, so I petitioned our employer – the city government – to raise our wages.

The suits on the city council were shocked and appalled that a 21-year old, fresh-out-of-college female would have such audacity to question the status quo.  They called my boss and demanded to meet “the militant troublemaker”.  I found it all quite amusing.

A few months and one whopper of a pay raise later, a co-worker presented me with lightning bolt earrings and a lightning bolt t-shirt.   Giggling, she said, “Cannon, those guys never knew what hit them!”

Four years later, emboldened by success, I zapped, scorched and incinerated my way to record setting profits in my first big leadership role.  Determined to succeed regardless of the cost, I left a trail of charred and smoldering souls in my wake.  Intoxicated with my own power, I had morphed into a lightning bolt bully.

Then one day I went up in my own flames.  My mother’s childhood admonishments echoed through my head, “You shouldn’t play with fire!  Someone’s going to get hurt.”

It was only then that I realized the full responsibility of being a lightning bolt.

Over time I mastered the fine art of tossing lightning bolts to illuminate instead of decimate and to catalyze instead of paralyze.  In the darkest and most menacing of storms,  a friendly lightning bolt is a flashlight for the soul.  It shows you where it’s safe to step and helps you see your way to the desired destination.

With some work, I transformed myself from a lightning bolt bully to a lightning bolt leader.

It’s true.  You can’t escape who you are… but you can master the fine art of who you are.

Thirty years later, I still can’t stand whiners…  I still have the audacity to question the status quo and… I still occasionally get called a ‘militant troublemaker’ because I refuse to play the ‘good enough game’.   And I’m still a lightning bolt…  in a more artful and masterful way.

Have you mastered the fine art of who you are?

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You Can’t Coach Effort.

Friday, February 20th, 2009

Last night the University of Kentucky women’s basketball team beat perennial powerhouse, Tennesse.  For Kentucky it was only the seventh win ever over the Lady Vols.

After the game, Pat Summitt, Tennessee’s coach and all-time winningest Division 1 basketball coach was quoted in the Lexington Herald-Leader.

“In 35 years coaching, this probably has been the least energy of any team I’ve coached,” Summitt said. “I’m not good at coaching effort. It was a total lack of passion. I don’t know that you can teach that to a player.”

Coach Summitt hit the nail on the head.  You can coach, teach, inspire, motivate, strategize, challenge and bend over backwards but it’s all wasted energy if your team – whether it’s in sports or business – doesn’t put forth effort… if they don’t have a fire burning in their belly.

Same holds true at work.  If you’ve got an employee that simply doesn’t seem to care about anything or doesn’t seem to want to put forth effort, why keep them?  Especially in today’s deep pool of top notch talent looking for a job.

There’s never been a better time to get rid of the deadwood.

Posted in Decision-Making, Hiring, Work Teams, coaching, leadership, passion | No Comments »