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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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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.

The CIO Is In January 26, 2009

Posted by Chuck Musciano in Leadership.
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Like almost every other executive I have ever met, I have an open-door policy.  I look forward to talking to my team and appreciate those that take time to stop by and chat, on matters large and small.  I try to wander about as well, keeping in touch with people whenever possible.  In spite of this policy and my efforts, though, I still don’t get enough contact with my co-workers.  In short, being accessible is easier said than done.

A big part of the problem is that I have a hectic schedule.  I am often out of the office and hard to find.  When I’m in the office, I am often in meetings and unavailable.  Even if people wanted to talk to me, I can be hard to find and pin down.  For those who might be a bit reluctant to stop by, I am essentially unreachable.

To make myself more accessible, I started scheduling “Office Hours.”  Simply put, I promise my people that I will be in my office, otherwise unoccupied, for a set period of time each week.  Anyone who wants to see me can stop by and know that I will be available and ready to listen.  If no one shows up, I’ll certainly find other things to do; when they do, I set aside what I’m doing and focus on them.

When I started office hours, I laid out the rules so that people would know what to expect.  Here are the rules:

  • I will be in my office every Thursday, 1:30-3:30, except when I am on vacation or a serious emergency has occurred
  • Anyone can stop by to talk about anything they want
  • First come, first served.  If I am talking to someone else, put your name on a Post-It and stick it on the door.  I’ll call you back when I am available.
  • Except in rare circumstances, you cannot “book” time during office hours.  Just show up!
  • Except in rare circumstances, you can’t shut the door while we are talking.  I don’t want others to be put off by a closed door.  If you have a sensitive topic, we’ll set up a separate time where we can have some privacy and adequate time to discuss it.
  • Topics should be relatively brief (less than 15 minutes) to give time for others

Office hours have been a big success!   Many times, I am the pacing item on some project, for a signature, approval, or recommendation. People know I will be available for these kind of “quick hit” items during office hours, so they stop by and get things moving forward. Beyond these kind of items, people stop by for almost every imaginable topic: advice, personnel issues, venting, bouncing around ideas, and just saying hello.

Communication is crucial to our success as leaders and to our teams.  Office hours have had a big positive impact on communication within my team. What started as a quick experiment has turned into an important part of my weekly schedule.  I couldn’t imagine removing office hours from my schedule.  Give it a try; I hope you find it as useful as I have.

How Big Is Too Big? December 15, 2008

Posted by Chuck Musciano in Networking.
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I’ve been using LinkedIn for a long time, at least six or seven years.  In that time, I’ve accumulated 270 links in my network.  In all but a few cases, I know each person, why I linked to them, and what relationship I currently have with them.  Certainly, some links are stronger and more robust than others, but they all were created from an initial meeting of some sort that justified the connection.

Some people are compelled to collect links and compete to see who has the most.  Some of these people even include their link counts in their LinkedIn account names, as a sort of badge of honor.  I’ll confess: I do not understand this behavior, beyond some natural desire to compete and win at something.  Certainly, the network that results from this kind of link-hunting is effectively useless.

Network connections have value because you leverage the trust relationship for a mutual benefit.  That might be some advice, or a job reference, or a quick answer to a question.  You know to whom to turn in your network because you actually know these people and know what they can offer.  My recent post on “knowing who knows” expands on this.

When requests are sent to me through my network, I know that I can trust them and deal with them with some level of confidence.  The original goal of LinkedIn was to replicate the traditional face-to-face business network with its semi-formal model of introductions and references.  That whole practice only works when knowledge and trust is part of the network.  If you don’t know the person at the other end of the connection, the interaction is worthless.

I routinely ignore requests to connect with people I don’t know.  No offense intended, but my network is valuable to me.  That value is diluted when anonymous connections begin to accumulate.  Honestly, my rejection improves the quality of the requestor’s network for the same reason: if they don’t know me, why would they want to trust me?

I feel sorry for those link hunters that you see on LinkedIn.  Their network is worthless, and everyone else (except for the other link hunters) knows it.

There is far more value in a small, carefully maintained network than in a large, unkempt one.  Guard your network closely and grow it carefully.  You’ll reap the benefits for years to come, and its value will grow immensely over time.

Disaster or Recovery? December 5, 2008

Posted by Chuck Musciano in Leadership.
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What is the biggest impediment to a successful disaster recovery plan?  Server availability? Network redundancy? Available hosted services?  Price?

The answer: none of these.  The biggest impediment to a successful disaster recovery plan is spouses.

Almost all disaster recovery plans have a step, early in the process, that says “Critical personnel meet at the recovery site.”  This looks great on paper and even works during tests, when travel is planned in advance.

Real disasters usually involve big events: hurricanes, tornadoes, ice storms, floods, wildfires.  Whatever is forcing you to declare a disaster is most likely affecting your staff and their families.  At some point, your key systems administrator is going to look at his wife and announce that he has to fly far away, for an indefinite period of time, to recover the company data center.

She is going to look at him, surrounded by kids, in a house without power or heat or some other crucial necessity, and give him the unspoken ultimatum: them or us?  And every smart man will put down the suitcase and resume his hunt for power or heat or other crucial necessity for his family.

That’s a smart choice: family always comes before work. But that doesn’t do much for getting your company back online.

Good disaster recovery plans presume that no one, not a soul, will be available for an extended period of time immediately after the disaster.  Once their families are secure, your staff will be able to travel and help with a clear mind, focused on the business issues.  You don’t want them restoring your databases while they are distracted with thoughts of wives and kids who need them at home.

Build a plan that respects your staff and their families, and you’ll have a plan that will actually work in the real world.  Your staff will appreciate it and if that day ever comes, so will your senior management team and shareholders.