Just be nice...

Bullies. Jerks. Egomaniacs.

All have been used to describe domineering bosses. Leaders who are abusive, raise their voices, and intimidate. Personally, I call them something else.

Failures.

A leader who resorts to intimidation, brow-beating, threats and coercion is self-admitting the inability to successfully lead. I call it "business card leadership." The sole source of this leader's authority comes form a business card that says "you must obey me."

Remove the business card, and these unsuccessful leaders couldn't get a wolf to follow them while carrying raw meat.

Here's a suggestion: "Be nice."

For movie fans, remember the movie "Roadhouse" with Patrick Swayze? He's a "cooler" (apparently some bigwig bouncer), and in one scene is giving other bouncers the rules. His commentary goes something like this:

All you have to do is follow three simple rules.

One, never underestimate your opponent. Expect the unexpected.

Two, take it outside. Never start anything inside the bar unless it's absolutely necessary.

And three, be nice.

He ends this conversation with the parting statement, "I want you to remember that it's a job. It's nothing personal."

We could do well to internalize those three instructions above:

1. Expect the unexpected. "Stuff" happens. Remember that leading is only difficult "when it's difficult." When everything is running smoothly, all playing well with each other, everyone working at full competency, leading is easy. When something breaks down -- and it will -- it takes some skill.

2. Take it outside. Reprimand in private. Coach in private. never get emotional in a crowd. When you force defensiveness, career-altering emotions come into play. If you yell with others around, it's apparent to others you are incapable of leading effectively. is that what you want?

3. Be nice. That's right, be nice. At the end of the day, if someone simply refuses to be coached, comply with suggestions, etc., you can always fall back on "because I said so." Don't lead with that. Be nice. Calm voice. Phrase your demands as a question; reasonable (read :"keepers") employees don't really think a task question from their boss actually has a "no" potential response. It's just courtesy. be nice.

And finally, remember this isn't your life... it's a job. It's not a calling (for most of us), it's employment. A way to make a living. A way to pay for the things we do when we AREN'T working. Think of it that way, and remember when you lose control, "your leadership is showing,' and it's not the best example to set.

...and be nice.

Cheers.

KB

KB

Kevin Berchelmann
http://www.triangleperformance.com/

Egalitarian Folly

I recently read a blog posting from someone holding themselves out as a "contrarian" HR professional (consultant, of course).

Now, I consider myself something of a contrarian myself, as many have used words like that (and sometimes even MORE colorful) to describe my rants, thinkings, and positions on various issues, and I'm OK with that.

This particular blog entry, however, brought a couple of things to light...

1. Can you really call yourself a contrarian? Isn't that for others to determine? Kind of like calling yourself "easy to get along with." Yeah, maybe... but who says??

Someone else, that's who.

2. The specific "contrarian" issue was about performance evaluations and pay. We can argue for hours about the concepts and ideas surrounding this, but the most significant (I'm guessing "contrarian") comment was:

"I am an advocate of 'when the team wins, we all win.' In my opinion when you reward individuals for their individual effort you can unconsciously promote a zero sum game where I win at another employee’s or the company’s expense."

Huh?? "When the team wins, we all win?" Maybe, but what if that "team" is being carried by just one or two super-performers? And of course employee pay is a zero-sum game; dollars (including payroll dollars) are fungible, not infinite. Dollars spent in one direction are potentially at the expense of another direction. Not everyone can be a star employee, and those who are should be rewarded -- those who aren't, well, shouldn't.

Let's not dumb-down performance management -- and subsequent pay initiatives -- to the lowest denominator. We should manage performance responsibly, and pay appropriately for the results and accountability defined.

This isn't rocket science. But it's not "everyone is the same" either.

Rant over...

KB

Kevin Berchelmann
http://www.triangleperformance.com/