- Excerpt from The Wisdom of the Flying Pig -
Managers don't get paid for what they do, they get paid for what their people do.
Several years ago, on an early August afternoon, my friend Bill Hanson was managing a kid's baseball team in a suburb of Kansas City. August is hot and humid in Kansas City, this particular August more oppressive than most. In the late innings of a play-off game, Bill-who has always been a little excitable-suffered heat exhaustion and collapsed on the bench.
A couple of the parents carried Bill into the shade and wrapped a cold towel around his neck. A few minutes later, Bill's eyes uncrossed and he glanced up at the scoreboard to see his team had scored three runs and taken the lead. Bill chuckled and said, "Great managing".
"When I was a small boy, a friend of mine and I went fishing. I told him I wanted to be a real major league baseball player. My friend said he'd like to be president of the United States. Neither of us got our wish." - Dwight D. Eisenhower (34th President of the United States)
Imagine tomorrow is opening day at the ballpark in your hometown. You just got a call inviting you to the game-box seats behind the third-base dugout. No question, you're going.
But there is a question. If you go to the game, but all of your direct reports show up at work as scheduled, how much of the work that is supposed to get done will get done?
Now let's turn it around. If all of your direct reports take off and go to the game, and you alone show up for work, how much of the work that is supposed to get done will get done?
Your answers to those questions should make it clear that you need your direct reports more than they need you-and that your time is best invested in clearing the obstacles and providing the support your people need.
A few days ago I had an opportunity to hear David Thomson speak. David is the author of the recently published, Blue Print to a Billion. Let me tell you, this is one double smart guy. I was listening hard and fast and I think I got about 20% of what he was saying. I'm about halfway through the book now, and here's the message I'm getting:
Companies that acheive a billion dollars in revenue sell a lot.
Now, you might think I'm dissing the book, but I'm definitely not - it's a fascinating, well-written book. The idea is just so simple (not easy - simple) that it's profound. Thomson says that Blueprint Companies, "create a Big Idea that delivers breakthrough value for their customers ... (Blueprint Companies) look for blockbuster ideas with quantum leap value propositions."
That might seem obvious. If you read a lot of business books, you might be tempted to blow by that thought without grabbing on. But it's worth slowing down for, I think. Quantum Leap Value Proposition is a pretty high bar. Whether we're shooting for a billion or something a bit more modest, a quantum leap value proposition is an inspiring objective.
I've posted several time about ideas I got from Mavericks at Work. If you're tired of hearing about the book, I trust you're at least enjoying the ideas - and I promise this is the last post that references the book ... for a while, anyway.
The question in the title of this post comes from the book - and if you're interested in growing your business, I think it's one of the best questions of all time. The authors say the answer to the question can't be about salaries, bonuses or stock options. And they amplify the question when they ask:
"What is it about the ideas your company stands for, its point of view in the marketplace, the ways in which employees interact with customers or collaborate with one another, that becomes irresitible to the best people in your industry?"
Now that's what I call a provocative and productive question.
- Excerpt from The Wisdom of the Flying Pig -
Radical Contrast
Last night I attended the annual Entrepreneur of the Year dinner in support of the business school at the University of Missouri at Kansas City. The room was full to bursting, with most of our community’s civic and business luminaries in attendance.
The event honored two astonishingly successful entrepreneurs. Both had started from humble beginnings. Both had built their businesses into the undisputed leader in their respective industries. Both had taken their companies public and achieved international success.
But there the similarities stopped.
After accepting his award, the first entrepreneur seemed unaware that the English language contains plural personal pronouns. As close as I can remember, the word WE never crossed his lips. In my opinion his chest-thumping, self-aggrandizing diatribe amounted to little more than a litany of “I did this, I did that, I AM the greatest.”
And then came Mr. Bloch. In his remarks, I don’t believe Henry Bloch (co-founder of H&R Block Tax Service) ever uttered the singular pronoun, I. His reflections were totally imbued with WE. Mr. Bloch’s genuine humility was palpable—he seemed to think his remarkable success in life was mostly a result of serendipity and good luck. Those who have watched him lead know better.
Now, perhaps I’m overreacting. Maybe it’s just a matter of style. But the most influential thinkers on leadership think the “I/We” contrast is critical. In their seminal work, The Leadership Challenge, James Kouzes and Barry Posner instruct leaders, “Always say we.” The authors even suggest conducting an “I/We” language audit.
And Jim Collins, in Good to Great, says “In contrast to the I-centric style of the comparison leaders, we were struck by how the good-to-great leaders didn’t talk about themselves. During interviews with the good-to-great leaders they’d talk about the company and the contributions of other executives as long as we’d like but would deflect discussion about their own
contributions.”
The difference between “I” and “We” is huge.
More posts on:
Entrepreneur of the Year,
Henry Bloch, H&R Block Tax Service, The Leadership Challenge, James Kouzes, Barry Posner, Jim Collins, Good to Great
- New To Be A Leader Episode -
Learn why you can't pile enough good people together to make a great one.
Watch the full episode.
Last night I went to the sparkling new Crate and Barrel store near my home. In many ways it's a wonderful store - great merchandise, terrific displays - it should have been a delightful experience. But one employee ruined it. Here's the story:
My wife and I are having a dinner party Friday night (which makes us a little nuts because we're not particularly good at this sort of thing). Anyway. We're looking for service plates that go under salad plates we already have. Although a number of employees are trying to help, we're finding nothing. Then, one of the employees suggests a service plate that clashes horrendously with the plates we have - and here's the incredible part - she tries to tell us that, "no one will really notice." Now, I don't really have a response to that other than to leave. Which I did.
We got in the car, went directly across the street to Pottery Barn, but still weren't really finding anything. My wife picked up one plate and mused, "maybe we could make this work". To which the Pottery Barn employee replied, "Maybe - but really, you need to love it." Wow!
In Setting the Table, author and restauranteur Danny Meyer says, "Hospitality exists when you believe the other person is on your side." That is a stunning insight. The person at Pottery Barn was on my side ... "you really need to love it" ... while the person at Crate and Barrel made me feel like I was getting bent over. And as Danny Meyer also says, "Virtually nothing else is as important as how one is made to feel in any business transaction."
I don't believe Crate and Barrel would be happy to hear how their employee performed last night. So, I'll give them another chance. But I'll be on the lookout.
A friend sent me a copy of an industry specific marketing newsletter this morning. Apparently, the source of the newsletter is a well-regarded and very successful consultant to that industry. But these folks proffered some really terrible advice, which I'll paraphrase to protect the guilty:
"Don't get yourself in a dither about customer loyalty. Studies find that while 85% of the customers say they are happy, only 67% will make their next purchase with the company they're happy with."
I'm not sure where that research comes from and the newsletter didn't say, although I don't doubt it for a minute. But the authors missed the point big time. Happy isn't the same as loyal. It's not even in the same area code. Happy means the customer hasn't necessarily eliminated you from contention. Loyal is a much higher standard.
For my money, Fred Reichheld is the preemient authority on customer loyatly. His books, The Loyalty Effect, Loyalty Rules and The Ultimate Question are required reading on the subject. But what it comes down to is how do your customers answer the following question:
How likely is it that you would recommend this company to a friend or colleague?
More posts on:
Fred Reichheld,
Loyalty
In Mavericks at Work, the authors talk a bit about GSD&M, an advertising agency in Austin, Texas. From what I read, GSD&M sounds like a remarkable, creative, inspiring and insightful company. The agency's headquarters is called Idea City and features a movie theatre, a classic diner, a bookstore and plenty of "offbeat art and wild decor".
But the one thing that really caught my attention is that the agency's values are carved in stone - and not just in the figurative sense. In the town square of the company, called the Rotunda, the following words are actually written into the concrete floor:
community, winning, restlessness, freedom and responsibility, curiosity, integrity
That makes it pretty clear what matters at GSD&M. I'd like to ask what matters in your company - and that's not a rhetorical question. If you would, please comment on the values that inform your culture. Thanks.
- Excerpt from The Wisdom of the Flying Pig -
I Refuse to Squander My Life
Maybe it’s the birthday I just celebrated (54). Maybe it’s Hurricane Katrina, or Hurricane Rita, or the heart-breaking stories we’ve all watched on CNN. Whatever it is, I’m more determined than ever to make my life matter.
Like many who read this, I find myself in fortunate circumstances. Yes, I’ve worked hard. But I’ve also been astonishingly lucky. I was born to parents who loved me and provided a remarkably stable home to grow up in. And even though I’ve booted a number of wonderful opportunities, I seem to always be presented with another. Today I realize what a gift every single day of my life actually is.
So the question is, how do I respond to the gift? How do I express my gratitude?
“Think of giving not as a duty, but as a privilege.”
John D. Rockefeller, Jr.
If I am to avoid squandering the gift of my life, it seems I’m faced with two primary responsibilities.
The first is to contribute. For me, and I believe for all who lead, contribution is the core tenet. Every day, I want every person I meet to be better for having been with me. I want to lift them up, to encourage them. I want to add something positive to their life.
The second responsibility is to be happy, to enjoy my life. Robert Louis Stevenson once said, “There is no duty we so underrate as the duty of being happy. By being happy we sow anonymous benefits upon the world.” If you doubt Mr. Stevenson, ask yourself if you’d rather be around someone who is sad and depressed, or someone who is authentically and gratefully happy.
For leaders who are wondering how they’re doing, maybe contribution and joy are worthy yardsticks.
More posts on:
John D. Rockefeller, Jr.,
Robert Louis Stevenson
- Excerpt from The Wisdom of the Flying Pig -
Are Management and Leadership the Same?
Although the terms management and leadership are often used interchangeably, they are, in theory and in practice, very different disciplines. Please understand, management and leadership are both honorable and vital pursuits. And they are both central to organizational success. But the roles and responsibilities of managers and leaders are fundamentally different.
Without question, the roles often overlap. Managers sometimes lead, and leaders often manage. But at the end of the day, while managers make their unique contribution in one particular way, leaders contribute in quite another. In overly simplistic terms, managers look first to the individual, in the present moment. Leaders look first to the group, and toward the future.
Managers help organizations grow one person at a time. As I’ve emphasized in the preceding pages, the focus of all great managers is on the individual. Great managers help each employee discover his or her own talent. Great managers provide the opportunity and resources for employees to use their talent in pursuit of achievement and personal satisfaction. And great managers revel in the accomplishment and growth of individual direct reports. The playing field for managers is the present—today, this week, this month. The manager’s focus is always locked on to what is happening with his or her direct reports in real time.
On the other hand, every leader on the planet woke up today thinking about tomorrow. The gift of great leaders is that they rally the collective passion of the enterprise toward a better future. Great leaders use their talents of optimism, believability, and lifelong learning to inspire widespread, shared commitment to a new reality.
Managers and leaders have profound impact on the culture of the organization and on the lives of the people who comprise the organization. It is sadly and unfortunately true that in the current environment, managers are sometimes vilified while leaders are glorified. To say this attitude is small-minded and wrong-headed doesn’t go anywhere near far enough. No organization can excel without extraordinary performance from both managers and leaders.
So the answer to the question, Are management and leadership the same? is no. Emphatically, no. Management and leadership are most certainly not the same.
More posts on:
Managers,
Leaders
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