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Genuine Curiosity

Author Dwayne Melancon is always on the lookout for new things to learn. An ecclectic collection of postings on personal productivity, travel, good books, gadgets, leadership & management, and many other things.

 

Tone at the top

"You must be the change you want to see in the world."
--Mahatma Gandhi

 

Gandhi's words represent a formidable challenge for us.  Not only in our role as global citizens, but a challenge to us as managers, leaders, and corporate citizens.

Lately, I've been doing a lot of work with auditors who are dealing with the plethora of regulations that companies have to comply with these days. One of the first things auditors look for when assessing the effectiveness of a corporation's policies is "tone at the top."  Essentially, this means they look for evidence that upper management is providing an ethical compass for the organization.  Tone at the top is created with clear communication of expectations from corporate executives, accompanied by congruent behavior throughout the company.  In essence: communicate your expectations, say what you mean, and do what you say.

In the CFO Magazine article, "Tone At The Top," Steven Shallcross says it well:

"One of the big reasons companies with difficulties have failed is that they lacked that basic discipline of understanding where they're going, how they're going to get there, and how much it's going to cost. But well-run companies do that day in and day out," he says.

This is important for big things like financial reporting, fiscal responsibility, and other aspects of corporate governance. However, I think it's just as important for the little things in our world as managers.

Our employees and associates will all be better off if we establish the proper 'tone at the top' in the areas for which we're responsible.  Ultimately, your company and customers will be the beneficiaries.

As I reflect on this, I recognize that mastery in this area is difficult to attain, but I believe it's a worthwhile effort.  I also feel a personal desire to work to improve in this area every day.  What does improving mean?  That will be different for each of us, but here are a few things I came up with that are relevant to me:

  • Communicate expectations explicitly - clarity improves the results you get
  • Don't take commitments lightly - deliberacy in making commitments enables excellence
  • Ask for help when you need it - using the resources available to you is a sign of strength, not weakness
  • Share what you know with a giving spirit - through sharing, trust is built and relationships are strengthened
  • Deal with difficult situations as soon as you recognize there is a problem - procrastination will not improve the situation, and the conflict isn't likely to go away

These are just examples - why not make your own list?  As Shallcross reminds us, we must strive to do what we say - to 'be the change we want to see in the world' - day in, and day out.

So -- what's your tone at the top?  What can you do each day to change it for the better?

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The coming of summer

"Man is the only animal that laughs and weeps; for he is the only animal that is struck with the difference between what things are, and what they ought to be." - William Hazlett

Many people make New Year's resolutions, and vow to change their ways 'round the beginning of each year.  Not me - it seems that I become introspective about this time every year.  I'm not sure why that is - maybe the long days remind me there is so much more I could be doing; maybe it's some hold-over from when I was a kid and summer always seemed like a new start.

Whatever the reason, I've been reflecting on the aspects of my life that I want to change.  This is, at once, both empowering and discouraging - I think that's the essence of Hazlett's quote.

Among the abilities that set us apart from the other animals are our capacity to choose, and our ability to consciously acquire new skills.  Combine these with our capacity to hope, our ability to alter our environment, and our ability to love, and you have something amazing.

Of course, not everyone chooses the same way.  Some choose to be destructive, to hurt others, or to steal others' joy.  I must admit, after the fact my choices sometimes feel closer to this end of the spectrum.  My wish is that I always recognize these, learn from them, and make better choices the next time.

I've learned a lot in the past year, I've met some very cool people, and I've gained new perspective on what I really want for myself and my family.  I feel like I'm in a pretty good position to make better choices for the coming year.

So, as summer comes, I encourage you consider who you are, who you want to become, what you've been doing for yourself and others, and what actions you can take to improve.

Laugh or weep - the choice is ours.

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Practice: The key to "Practice what you preach"

Christopher Bailey really hit home with a post on his "Alchemy of Soulful Work" blog this week. Like me, he was recently reminded that the answers to his questions could be found in his own previous blog posts. And, like me, he sometimes feels not-so-genuine in offering thoughts on what people should be doing when he hasn't mastered the techniques himself.

This reminds me of something I've heard in various forms over the years: It's not about whether you fall down - it's how quickly you get back up.

No matter how good we get at something, there is always room for improvement. As David Allen says, "The better you get, the better you'd get."

If we all waited until we were perfect at something every time before we shared what we've learned, we'd never share. And that would be a shame, wouldn't it? So keep practicing - and keep sharing, Christopher. Your tidbits of advice could be just the thing someone else needs to improve.

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Management without emotion? Or management with only "approved" emotions?

Like millions of other people in the US, I watched The Apprentice last night.  It was the end of the season, where Donald Trump actually hires his apprentice.

One thing that bugged me was how much criticism Kendra, one of the final two, received for crying in the boardroom on the previous episode.  Trump kept talking about how he didn't like crying, making "even though you cried..." remarks, and things like that.

While I think it's important and professional to have control over your emotions, I think there are appropriate times to share your emotions as a manager or a leader.  In Kendra's case, she was overcome by the emotion of having a team come together and help her win a task - a team made up of people she'd had disagreements with in the past.  She was touched and grateful, and I thought her emotions were appropriate. And hey - I'm sure we've all been there at the end of projects, when you're worn out and your emotions are pretty close to the surface.

At one point, Trump asked Kendra if she thought her crying was a sign of weakness.  Her response was a good one; that she'd seen 300 lb. football players crying as they held up SuperBowl trophies.

I've seen displays of emotion from my managers and leaders before - not a common occurrence, for sure, but it's definitely happened.  Did I see these emotional moments as a sign of weakness?  Not in any case I can recall.  In each case I've experienced, it was a sign of humanity - of being "real."

Oh, yeah - Trump hired Kendra anyway, and recanted saying her crying was OK.  But I think his first reaction is probably fairly representative of the attitudes throughout the corporate world.

What about you - what have you experienced?
What are the "approved emotions" where you work?

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It's all about you, isn't it?

I got some great advice and commentary on my last post about the accidental commitment. In case you don't read the comments and trackbacks, here's how I'd roll them all up:

  • Own your commitments and only make promises you can keep;
  • Once you make the commitment, keep your word by following through and delivering;
  • If you realize you've screwed up by making a commitment you shouldn't have made, come clean right away and do something to renegotiate or cancel the commitment.
  • Don't feel guilty, as we all make mistakes. It's what we do about the mistakes that makes us who we are.

It all came crashing together when a friend of mine reminded me that I had the answers all along, and I've even blogged on them. Which, of course, means I wasn't using the skills I already have very effectively - gee, ever done that before?

Develop the habit of taking a moment to think before committing, and then putting yourself in a position to own the commitment. When you make a mistake, analyze it and take steps to keep it from happening again. That is a lot like what I talked about in "Pretend you create everything that happens to you."

When you find yourself in the midst of an accidental commitment, you need to fix it by "Taking responsibility for your own well being."

It's hard to argue with your own advice. And sometimes, it's even harder to take that advice.

Rosa hits the nail on the head in her response, "Let's be honest":

"...what compounds the situation is that we don't admit to making the mistake as soon as we catch it. Instead, we let it play out the best that we can manage, and the person we made the commitment to is likely to get a mediocre result. We disappoint ourselves in the process too, because we know we are capable of better.

"As usual, honesty is the best policy, and the sooner the better. It is so much easier to deal with truthfulness that is out in the open versus those hidden lies of omission."

Sincere thanks to everyone who chimed in on this one!

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Copyright 2005-2015 Dwayne A. Melancon, all rights reserved. Licensed under Creative Commons - see the "About the Author" page for details.