Leadership thoughts

[shoei]

Originally Posted by chassis

CEO = Chief Encouragement Officer

Set quantified goals and measure progress towards them

Be present, visible and approachable

Expect teamwork and communication - the opposite of silos, cliques, fiefdoms and withholding information

A leader should know what a good leader looks like, throughout history. Be sure you have a few mentors from decades and centuries of the past.

I wouldn't be where I'm at today without the fortunes of some strong and caring mentors.
Even the ones who were terrible "leaders", there's plenty to learn from them as well. Even if it's just learning from their mistakes.

It's also mind blowing how many people don't know what a CEO's role is vs say a COO.

You just have to accept you'll never make a decision that will be met with jubilation from everybody. Sure give everyone a fat raise and all the employees will be happy, but your board won't be, lol.

Present day is a prime example. You've seen the "Pzifer thread" and I apparently missed out on another thread lol. So do you think many "leaders" were prepped on GLOBAL PANDEMICS? Or vaxxed employees vs unvaxxed? Masks / no mask. Et all.

If you aren't already secure and confident in your ways, this isn't a pleasant time for all.

[vreihen16]

Originally Posted by Nativetexan

It's like herding cats I'll admit. But when it works it's a damn fine thing to see.

Exactly what I had posted earlier.

I chaired a presidential committee at work for three years, and my colleagues all commented on my ability to get things done by managing other people. I explained my cat-herding to a few, and they quickly understand. As an example, I wanted to put on an employee BBQ. Party person I am not, but some people love to plan/throw parties. Recruit three party-loving "cats" and give them a budget and date for the event, and let them make it happen with some gentle herding towards the goal.

One of these days, I plan to write a book about leadership in volunteer organizations, since I have plenty of experience in that over the years.

My first boss out of school was a retired Army general, and my employer at the time had a handful of retired birds and stars from West Point in senior leadership roles. I owe my professional career today to what I learned about functioning in a civilian/corporate bureaucracy from the masters of the military's bureaucracy.....

[TheWatchGuy]

my #1 go to leadership technique is buying my guys breakfast burritos. They will walk through fire for you if you get them a good breakfast burrito.

[Tommy-G]

Originally Posted by TheWatchGuy

my #1 go to leadership technique is buying my guys breakfast burritos. They will walk through fire for you if you get them a good breakfast burrito.

My go to is donuts or cheese steaks…maybe I should try burritos

[burro_blasta]

A lot of great advice, and some great platitudes 😊, but the hardest part for me is dealing with reports that are vaguely underperforming...

I don't mean people that obviously need to be pushed out, but people that are solid role players but don't innovate and don't take much of a lead and always will coast when there's nothing pressing.

You don't want to micromanage them but the reality is that them just being role players makes your life that much harder as the leader because you shoulder that much more of a need to be the key visionary. Ideally they'd be working to step up and take small steps in leadership. Sucks when they just stay put and maybe don't have the capacity to think bigger.

[chassis]

Originally Posted by burro_blasta

A lot of great advice, and some great platitudes 😊, but the hardest part for me is dealing with reports that are vaguely underperforming...

I don't mean people that obviously need to be pushed out, but people that are solid role players but don't innovate and don't take much of a lead and always will coast when there's nothing pressing.

You don't want to micromanage them but the reality is that them just being role players makes your life that much harder as the leader because you shoulder that much more of a need to be the key visionary. Ideally they'd be working to step up and take small steps in leadership. Sucks when they just stay put and maybe don't have the capacity to think bigger.

Work with HR to develop the people in question to:

- higher performance
- another role (lateral or demotion)
- exit the organization (termination)

All three options above are win-wins for all parties.

[3.0L]

1. Observe the chain-of-command.
2. Don't make veiled threats.
3. Schedule occasional one-on-one meetings with your subordinates.
4. Show appreciation for good work and meeting expectations.
5. Smile.

[King Rudi]

This thread reminds me of exactly why I got out of management. Technically I am still somewhat a manager, but not a manager of employees. Project management and coordination is way easier to deal with. Rather than leading multiple sales teams, I'm much happier planning/coordinating/executing projects. At the end of the month I can physically look at the end result and feel good about it. In sales, it's simply manipulation for money. I do miss the mental chess games and the psychology that goes into keeping a team motivated.....which usually consisted of money and food.

Keeping it simple, take care of your people and treat them with respect and they will do the same.

[3.0L]

Originally Posted by King Rudi

This thread reminds me of exactly why I got out of management. Technically I am still somewhat a manager, but not a manager of employees. Project management and coordination is way easier to deal with. Rather than leading multiple sales teams, I'm much happier planning/coordinating/executing projects. At the end of the month I can physically look at the end result and feel good about it. In sales, it's simply manipulation for money. I do miss the mental chess games and the psychology that goes into keeping a team motivated.....which usually consisted of money and food.

Keeping it simple, take care of your people and treat them with respect and they will do the same.

I'm sure moving up to management involves inheriting employees, both good and bad. This happened to my RN daughter a few years ago and she gave up in frustration a few months ago and went back to straight RN work. There were several bad eggs in her RN staff that simply refused certain orders. HR just sat on their hands and my daughter's immediate superior failed to recognize the problem and give support.

[King Rudi]

Originally Posted by 3.0L

I'm sure moving up to management involves inheriting employees, both good and bad. This happened to my RN daughter a few years ago and she gave up in frustration a few months ago and went back to straight RN work. There were several bad eggs in her RN staff that simply refused certain orders. HR just sat on their hands and my daughter's immediate superior failed to recognize the problem and give support.

My issue wasn't employees. My employees were great....most of them anyway. There's always a couple that talk a good game in the beginning. My problem was corporate. I lead my people and they were behind me all the way. When corporate constantly changes policies to better suit themselves and ultimately screws the employees; it tends to put leadership in an awkward position. Most of my team I considered "sales mercenaries", I had a couple of "order takers" but they never lasted long once they realized what my good reps made. If a person came into one of my stores, they left with something in their hand; if not, a one on one came after. "Tell m a little bit about that interaction with the customer." "How do you feel like that went?" "What was their objection to buy?" "What do you feel like you could do better next time to close the sale?" Blah, blah, blah....

Getting employees, especially sales people, to get behind you isn't difficult if you're honest and incentivize their efforts. In management, you reap what you reward. Very symbiotic. However, when corporate kicks managements legs out from under them, you have no leg to stand on with your people.

[upstatedoc]

Originally Posted by Tommy-G

My go to is donuts or cheese steaks…maybe I should try burritos

I do bagels

[burro_blasta]

Originally Posted by chassis

Work with HR to develop the people in question to:

- higher performance
- another role (lateral or demotion)
- exit the organization (termination)

All three options above are win-wins for all parties.

Higher performance - easier said than done!

Another role - that's a great piece I haven't thought about enough

Exit - they wouldn't say there's a win-win there

[vreihen16]

Originally Posted by burro_blasta

Exit - they wouldn't say there's a win-win there

If the performance is a result of an employee who dreads coming to work every day and hates their job, it's a win-win for them as well to kick them out of the proverbial nest.....

[erickonphoenix]

idk, this may sound like a platitude but the best leaders I ever worked for gave me opportunities to fail. I'm sure they assessed my capabilities before hand but there was no better feeling that completing a project that you were sure your weren't qualified to do before you started. That keeps you motivated.

[burro_blasta]

Originally Posted by vreihen16

If the performance is a result of an employee who dreads coming to work every day and hates their job, it's a win-win for them as well to kick them out of the proverbial nest.....

More difficult for people that are comfortably an expert in their niche with comfortable pay, just that aren't jumping at the oppty to be a future leader and push the team to the next level

[King Rudi]

Originally Posted by erickonphoenix

idk, this may sound like a platitude but the best leaders I ever worked for gave me opportunities to fail. I'm sure they assessed my capabilities before hand but there was no better feeling that completing a project that you were sure your weren't qualified to do before you started. That keeps you motivated.

This right here! I was nowhere near qualified for the position that I'm in now. Was offered the position based on my former history. These people have given me complete autonomy in my position. I make my job as hard or as easy as I want. They give me a rough desired end product to shoot for and then step away. It's then my job to research, plan, coordinate and execute. I break a lot of shit, but always learn from it. My position has now transformed into being the guy that picks everything apart and determines whether or not something will work for our needs.

[chassis]

Originally Posted by burro_blasta

Higher performance - easier said than done!

Another role - that's a great piece I haven't thought about enough

Exit - they wouldn't say there's a win-win there

Coaching to higher performance requires an HR department with a spine.

Exiting an employee is indeed a win-win, also requires an HR department with a spine.

The exited employee has the opportunity to excel somewhere else. This is a blessing for the employee. It wasn't working out in their place of employ, so it's time to move on. The benefit to the employee is potentially higher pay, more satisfying work, and better overall living standard (shorter commute, more time with family, on and on). The employee has the cost of possible, but not necessarily, reduced compensation and the time and effort to seek a new position. And a personal growth awakening regarding skills that need improving or bad behaviors that need eliminating. All said, it's a net win.

The company benefits by having the opportunity to fill the role with a better-skilled and productive candidate. The company has the cost of recruiting and training, but it's a net win.

[Tommy-G]

Originally Posted by upstatedoc

I do bagels

We have very mediocre bagels (Panera, D&D, etc) right now but there’s a girl from Jersey opening a Brick & Mortar place who used to only do online orders and always sold out.
This I’m very happy about

[shoei]

Originally Posted by Tommy-G

We have very mediocre bagels (Panera, D&D, etc) right now but there’s a girl from Jersey opening a Brick & Mortar place who used to only do online orders and always sold out.
This I’m very happy about

Same problem in LA. Bagels don't taste the same as east coast.

In fact, some bagel companies either ship water from NYC (a lot of the pizza businesses have done the same) because they think it's the low concentration of minerals (calcium and magnesium) in the water in NY that make the dough "softer" and thats what makes the difference.

[vreihen16]

The funny thing about that is NYC's water supply comes from my septic system, and is sent down there via two huge underground aqueducts.

Seriously though, several of my relatives have relocated to coastal Georgia. Whenever I'm going down that way, they plead with me to bring bagels from up here because the lumps they call bagels down there are horrible. A New Jersey ex-pat opened a bagel shop near them, and has jugs of tap water shipped daily from NYC to make proper bagels.....

[shoei]

Originally Posted by vreihen16

The funny thing about that is NYC's water supply comes from my septic system, and is sent down there via two huge underground aqueducts.

Seriously though, several of my relatives have relocated to coastal Georgia. Whenever I'm going down that way, they plead with me to bring bagels from up here because the lumps they call bagels down there are horrible. A New Jersey ex-pat opened a bagel shop near them, and has jugs of tap water shipped daily from NYC to make proper bagels.....

Yeah it's crazy. Fucking NYC tap water shipped all over the country in bulk yet we don't fucking drink the tap water in NYC.

[burro_blasta]

Originally Posted by chassis

Coaching to higher performance requires an HR department with a spine.

Exiting an employee is indeed a win-win, also requires an HR department with a spine.

The exited employee has the opportunity to excel somewhere else. This is a blessing for the employee. It wasn't working out in their place of employ, so it's time to move on. The benefit to the employee is potentially higher pay, more satisfying work, and better overall living standard (shorter commute, more time with family, on and on). The employee has the cost of possible, but not necessarily, reduced compensation and the time and effort to seek a new position. And a personal growth awakening regarding skills that need improving or bad behaviors that need eliminating. All said, it's a net win.

The company benefits by having the opportunity to fill the role with a better-skilled and productive candidate. The company has the cost of recruiting and training, but it's a net win.

I just can't rationalize firing an employee as being a "win" for them, although it's a possible outcome.