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Three Ps April 8, 2009

Posted by Chuck Musciano in Leadership.
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5 comments

A big part of anyone’s job is absorbing information.  As leaders a lot of our crucial information comes from our team as they update us on the issues of the day.  I strongly believe that this flow of information must be accurate, timely, and succinct.

I worry that people spend too much time preparing and rehearsing what they are going to say when prompted for some sort of report.  I have sat in many meetings where people have produced beautiful PowerPoint decks or elaborate Word documents that summarize their work.  These things reflect a lot of effort, and it is clear that people put a lot of time into getting them done.

I appreciate that hard work and the desire to deliver a solid result, but I worry that a lot of that time is better spent on something else.  How do we coach people to deliver information without a lot of fanfare or flourish?  Ultimately, while I appreciate the packaging, I really want the content.

Long ago, I was taught how to present results using the Three Ps: Progress, Problems, and Plans.  Almost any activity can be divided into these three areas, and it makes for a good way to discuss any issue.

Begin by reviewing your progress.  What has been accomplished since we last met on this topic?  What action items were previously promised and have since been resolved?  Even if nothing has been done, note that as well and move on.  This part should be fairly brief, since the goal is to acknowledge progress, not shower accolades.  (You need to do that, but not in this setting.)

Turn to your problems.  This is really the meat of the discussion.  A problem is anything you cannot resolve yourself.  (It you could resolve it yourself, it should have shown up in the Progress section.)  As I’ve noted previously, for each problem you present, be prepared to offer a potential solution.  Drive the discussion to develop an approach for each problem as needed.

Finish with your plans.  What will you be doing next?  What accomplishments and actions should be expected when you next meet on this topic?  Depending on the solutions to your problems, your plans may change dramatically as the discussion evolves.

I like this approach because it brings consistency to any conversation.  Although one or more sections may be empty at some point in time, it helps to formally acknowledge that and move on.  Often, these kinds of conversations get bogged down in just one section.  I’ve seen people go on and on about progress to avoid problems, or focus on plans without reviewing what has been accomplished.  With this simple agenda as a framework, you can stay on track and make sure that everything that needs to be covered is addressed.

Have you tried this approach?  Do you have a different structure that yields good results?  I’d love to hear about it!

My Mentor: Dr. Evil April 6, 2009

Posted by Chuck Musciano in Leadership.
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It is often said that if you want to succeed in any position, find a mentor that will provide crucial advice and valuable feedback.  Choose wisely, and you get a significant advantage in finding success, no matter what your goal.

As leaders we need to find mentors.  Learning by example makes sense for leaders, so it helps to find leaders we admire.  My top choice for a leader that offers tremendous learning opportunities: Dr. Evil.

You may snicker, but the arch-nemesis from the trilogy of Austin Powers movies is a textbook case study for all leaders.  Consider:

  • Dr. Evil has a strong second in command.  His lieutenant, Number Two, quietly provides advice and guidance when needed.  He also keeps things running in Dr. Evil’s absence, keeping the Evil franchise successful even when Dr. Evil is cryogenically frozen for decades.  The lesson? Every leader needs trusted team members to ensure that the day-to-day tactical work gets done.
  • Unfortunately, Number Two is so effective he winds up making more money through legitimate enterprises than Dr. Evil ever would through evil, their core business.  As you would expect, this kind of deviation from the strategic plan angers Dr. Evil.  The lesson? Stay true to your vision, and don’t be distracted by lesser achievements.
  • Dr. Evil thinks big.  He has huge plans to rule the world, and repeatedly sets in place grandiose schemes to accomplish his goal.  Unfortunately, he often does a poor job of conveying his vision to his minions, yielding mixed results and some level of disrespect from his team.  His lack of direct knowledge of market conditions as it relates to appropriate world ransom amounts is a continual frustration.  The lesson? Develop a clear vision and communicate it effectively and repeatedly.  Ensure your vision is aligned with external events as they develop and change over time.
  • Even with a clear vision, leaders must sometimes compromise.  Dr. Evil is no exception. Although his plan to destroy Austin Powers using sharks with “lasers” affixed to their heads is stymied by the sharks being considered an endangered species, Dr. Evil is willing to settle for intemperate mutant sea bass.  The results should be the same, although with less dramatic flair.  The lesson? Know when to compromise so that your ultimate goal is still achieved.
  • Dr. Evil has a difficult relationship with his teenage son, Scott.  Dr. Evil’s lifelong dedication to world domination has left little time for effective parenting, and it shows in his day-to-day interaction with Scott.  The lesson? Although good leaders put in long hours to be successful, always make time for your family.  As rewarding as our jobs may be, the joys of family are priceless.
  • Dr. Evil knows that great success only comes with tremendous willpower and perseverance.   He never gives up, no matter what the setback. In spite of demoralizing events early in his life and later failure at the hands of Austin Powers, Dr. Evil stays focused on the evil tasks at hand.  Often, he is the only one who believes that he will succeed, keeping his head when those around him are losing theirs. The lesson? Never give up, and provide a calming influence to those around you during tough times.
  • As befitting a villain of his stature, Dr. Evil has a series of enviable lairs, including a volcano, a moon base, and a submarine shaped like himself.  While most leaders today do not enjoy such swank surroundings, we can still create an environment that suits our needs.  The lesson? Create a work space that enhances your vision and supports your team, allowing them to be more successful.

Tongue in cheek? A little. Valuable lessons?  You bet.  When you are confronted with your next leadership challenge, ask yourself, “What would Dr. Evil do?”  The answer may be more useful than you think.

Pansies And Tulips April 3, 2009

Posted by Chuck Musciano in Leadership.
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3 comments

Last fall, my wife bought some potted plants to put on our front porch.  As winter approaches, she plants pansies in our front flower beds.  The pots came with pansies pre-installed.  For reasons that escape me, pansies like cold weather and bloom throughout the winter.  As spring approaches, they wither and she plants new things for the new year.

This year, as spring approached and the pansies began to peter out, she got a pleasant surprise.  Unbeknownst to her, there were tulip bulbs buried in the pots, underneath the pansies.  As the pansies died, the tulips sprouted, providing a beautiful welcome to the spring.  Even better, tulips are one of her favorite flowers, so the surprise was especially nice.

The pots weren’t advertised as having tulips in them.  She wasn’t expecting tulips.  Had the pansies gone about their business and died, she wouldn’t have been disappointed. But she got tulips.  Without asking, she got bonus flowers that made her original purchase of pansies that much nicer.

Wouldn’t it be great if every purchase we made or service we provided had some hidden tulips in the bottom?  How much happier would our customers be if we always provided a little extra surprise at no extra charge?

As you go about your job today, big or small, deliver the pansies.  But make sure you plant a tulip, too.  It may not sprout for six months or more, but imagine the smile you’ll bring when it does.

Big Stretches April 1, 2009

Posted by Chuck Musciano in Leadership.
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Early in my management career, I ran the Unix portion of a large corporate data center.  There were close to one hundred people there, managing all the things you need to run a big, multi-vendor environment.  It was fun, challenging, and educational, in more ways than I expected.

It came to pass that one of the senior managers had a new opportunity and would be moving on to a different part of the company.  As was the tradition, there was a send-off event at work, which was always structured as a roast of the honoree.  I had never been to one before, as I was still relatively new to the group.

Imagine my surprise when the Director of Operations pulled me aside and told me that I would be one of the speakers!  I was expected to get up and speak for three or four minutes, telling jokes and entertaining the crowd.  Refusing was not an option, so I started putting together a routine of sorts.

People who know me know that I can speak to large groups at the drop of a hat.  I’ll get up and speak even if you don’t have a hat.  For me, “staff meeting” is just corporate-speak for “captive audience.”  However, “speaking” and “entertaining” are two very different concepts.  I enjoy the former; the latter is in the ear of the listener.  Coupled with being the new kid on the block, this seemed to be an overwhelming challenge. In short, I was terrified.

But I did it.  I got up, started talking, and they actually laughed!  No one was more surprised than I was.  And the benefits of the experience extended beyond overcoming extreme stage fright.  I became accepted into the group, developed more relationships, and became a more effective employee.

Later, I asked my director why he asked me to speak.  After all, he didn’t know me very well, and he was taking a bit of a risk.  He told me he thought I could step up to the challenge and that I would do a good job.

For me, it was a big stretch that had a big payoff.  Because my boss had faith in me, I showed I could succeed in a difficult assignment.  That success translated into other opportunities that helped me and the organization.

When is the last time you gave one of your people such a stretch opportunity?  When did you roll the dice and let someone really go beyond their comfort zone?  This is incredibly hard to do.  A few posts back, I talked about letting people solve their own problems; that is hard enough for some leaders.  Now we’re talking about letting people take on big, public challenges with a high-risk/high-reward payoff.

Can you do it?  Do you have people ready for that challenge?  Are you mature enough as a leader to let them try and support them if they fail?  It’s a test of their mettle to see if they can hit that stretch goal; it’s a test of your leadership skills to make it possible.

Print, Slowly March 30, 2009

Posted by Chuck Musciano in Random Musings.
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3 comments

I recently wrote about the demise of print media, lamenting the loss of PC Magazine as they shifted to an online-only distribution model. I received a lot of sympathetic email from people who also liked printed magazines. We all agreed that the world really needs printed media.

With such a fan base, why do print magazines make it so hard to subscribe to them? Subscribing to a magazine is, by far, the longest and most tedious process on the web.

With PC Magazine gone, I had a slot available in my reading hierarchy. In my world, you must always read the more transient items ahead of the less transient. Thus, you should read any available newspapers first, followed by any available magazines, and then any books you have on hand. I find that bringing rigid rules and structure to a relaxing pastime like reading makes it that much more compatible with a compulsive lifestyle.

I decided to replace PC Magazine with Wired. I had abandoned Wired years ago, when its propensity for ransom-note typography and “we’re too avant-garde for you” layout made the magazine illegible. Nonetheless, I had recently picked up an issue while traveling and found it much improved. At $1 an issue, a subscription was hard to resist.

I went to the Wired website and ordered the magazine. That was six weeks ago. I still haven’t received my first issue! In a time when second-day delivery is considered to be the slow, economical choice, taking six weeks to get anything is incomprehensible. I can go online and order a custom-made dress shirt and get it sooner! Why can’t I get a magazine in a few days?

I know why: my subscription was processed by some aggregating service center in Iowa and dropped into the Wired subscriber database. I’ll get a magazine when the next issue is mailed. This is the model the magazine industry has used for about 100 years. They’ll continue to use it until the last issue is sent to the last subscriber, about ten years from now.

Here’s a bold, out of the box idea: print a few extra copies of the magazine and keep them in Iowa. When my subscription arrives, send me a copy of the current issue right away. Even if I’ve already read it, the quicker response will earn you brownie points. You could even start my subscription with the next issue and spot me the current issue in the interest of (gasp) good customer service.

Will this happen? I doubt it. I fear that the print industry has all but given up. Their only focus is on making some sort of transition to online delivery that can still pay the bills. Rather than finding a way to make print work with a receptive audience using modern technologies, they are chasing the trailing edge of digital technologies with clumsy efforts at blogs and such.

It’s sad to realize that we live at the end of an era: 550 years of printing, drawing to a close.  We’re witnesses to history, but will be left with no way to permanently write it down.