Dr. Kathleen Miller Talks Leadership

Sustainability and Change Management

Kathy Miller — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 20:07:00 GMT

Finally the corporate world is beginning to come to grips with what sustainability means to their companies and to their survival. While varying definitions of 'sustainability' abound, more and more companies are embracing values related to sustainability and are defining actions to support the values. Some are merely looking for ways to comply with new regulations. Others are looking for better ways to manage their electrical and water resources, and reducing their carbon footprint. Still others are taking much broader approaches and looking at how the company does business with its shareholders, suppliers, customers and employees. No matter how narrow or broad a company defines its efforts, success will require activities to enable change within the company.

Many times those who are assisting with change enablement to support organizational initiatives use models of change management. However, change enablement for supporting sustainability efforts, whether broad or narrow, will differ substantially from the change management for most other corporate initiatives. Sustainability initiatives are much more complex than almost any other corporate initiative that I have observed or assisted with in my 30 years of consulting. Thus our traditional models for change are unlikely to be sufficient.

Certainly some parts of our traditional models will apply. However I do believe that fundamentally, our approach to change enablement for sustainability requires a new paradigm:

The changes required to enable successful sustainability efforts are enormously transformational.
The implications of the 'triple bottom line' are far-reaching and continue to evolve with more data, advances in technologies, etc. Thus the change process must be organic.
Usually the initiatives include a very broad range of stakeholders who must work together across internal and external boundaries to accomplish change .
Sustainability generally energizes the workforce. Resistance is more likely to occur at the top of the hierarchy than at the bottom.

We are beginning to build this new paradigm for change that companies are seeking as they take on the hard work of looking at corporate sustainability. Our work is truly cut out for us!

Six Sigma and Change Management

Kathy Miller — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:02:00 GMT

Will Six Sigma initiatives lead to sustainable change and long-term improvements in quality within an organization? I would argue that sustainable change will not result from Six Sigma projects if the focus is on the use of tools to drive short-term improvements that will result in immediate impacts on the bottom line. An article published by Aveta argued that all Black Belts must learn the principles and techniques of change management in order to succeed in their tool-based projects. I would go several steps beyond this assertion and suggest that long-term, sustainable success will require more focus on the culture within which the improvement projects are embedded.

As Liker and Hoseus argue in their book, Toyota Culture, the Heart and Soul of the Toyota Way, true sustainable success comes from embedding a philosophy of continuous improvement and respect for people into the organizational culture. In his book Strategy for Sustainability, Adam Werbach stated that "being a sustainable business means thriving in perpetuity." The short-term gains that come from Six Sigma projects can lead to businesses that thrive in perpetuity if the projects are couched within the context of an overarching long-term plan. Leaders who strive to build sustainable organizations will build on the current cultural strengths while planning for cultural transformations over time. This approach will require black belts to understand far more about change than how to succeed in their tool-based projects. They will need to learn the processes that lead to transformations.

Are we prepared to transform our organizations in order to sustain them?

Leadership for Green Business

Kathy Miller — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:45:00 GMT

Are you looking for a way to keep your employees engaged through this time of high economic stress? Leaders have found that their employees are motivated by assisting with their companies' green strategies. People are excited about helping their companies reduce energy costs and increase profits while demonstrating a real concern for the environment. However, the excitement must be sustained by a clear show of commitment from top-level leaders. If employees suspect that the 'green' initiatives are merely flavors of the month, they will be cynical instead of engaged. How do leaders successfully demonstrate commitment? One means of demonstrating resolve is to provide the manpower and financial resources to enable success. Also when leaders insert green-related targets into the Key Performance Indicators, their employees know that they are serious. Leaders must find ways to create a culture where the commitment to sustainability, energy and water efficiencies is merely part of the fabric of how work gets done. Commitment means long-term focus on the environmental challenges and opportunities within your business. As Andrew Winston stated in his book, Green Recovery , "increasing engagement and knowledge around green issues isn't just about pumping up morale - it also gives your people a solid foundation to innovate and create value in new ways."

Ten Tips for Leaders in Tough Times

Kathy Miller — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:17:00 GMT

As I have work ed with leaders who are challenged daily with the problems of these tough times, I have learned some tips for surviving and thriving:

1. Connect with those who care about you from the present and the past.
2. Engage in activities that help you control your anxiety about the future.
3. Don't get hooked by the small stuff .(Many are prone to volatility when under stress).
4. Take the time each day to engage in at least one task or activity about which you are passionate.
5. Several times a day ask yourself "what is the most important thing I can do now for the company?"
6. Several times a day ask yourself, "what is the most important thing I can do now for me?"
7. When faced with difficult challenges, reconnect with your core values to guide your decisions.
8. Find joy every day in some part of your life and experience it fully.
9. Recognize that leadership is stressful and that only the resilient survive.
10. Lead with strength and compassion. Others are emulating you.

Inspiration in Tough Times

Kathy Miller — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:07:00 GMT

2009 will certainly be a year that leaders will remember! The challenges just keep coming. For many leaders, the bad news has been relentless. Yet, at the same time, the challenges have forced reflection, renewal and change. How often have we talked about how nothing is constant but change! And yet I, for one, frequently spouted that phrase without any real emotional connection. Seems like it takes on new meaning when times are really tough. Change arrives whether we want it or not, whether we are ready for it or not, whether we are equipped to survive it or not. Miller Consultants has entered our 30th year of business during these hard times. In celebration, we decided to reconnect with all of our clients - or as many as we could find - to catch up and find out how all are faring in this down economy. Little did we know that the stories we would hear and the relationships we would reestablish would inspire us to work even harder and smarter, and would fill us with gratitude. We are not only grateful to our clients for the first 30 years of service and relationships, we are ready to move forward towards this uncertain future, renewed and reinvigorated. Leaders take note! No matter how daunting the challenges, take the time to reconnect with those parts of your work that you really love and the people who make it all worth it.

Dealing with Ambiguity - An Essential Leadership Skill

Kathy Miller — Tue, 06 May 2008 14:00:00 GMT

Over the past year we have conducted hundreds of leadership assessments. We have found a prevalent gap in leaders' comfort with and ability to deal with ambiguity. They don't like gray areas or uncertainty. This phenomenon is troubling since we are in the middle of unprecedented uncertainty stemming from global competitiveness, economic pressures, and a new generation of workers who don't hold the same approach to work as the current leaders. In fact, I could fill a few pages with all of the conditions that are currently creating a very uncertain business environment.

Certainly traditional training and development will not address the issue. Comfort with ambiguity can be developed (to a degree) through several avenues. When we coach leaders facing this problem, we start with practical suggestions such as developing several scenarios concerning the future over which they have little certainty. We ask them to develop plans for each of the possible futures. For example, if the uncertainty pertains to the cost of raw materials, we would suggest that they generate several scenarios concerning how the costs could vary and how strategy could address the cost variations. Or perhaps the uncertainty is with forecasting sales. Once again we would suggest that they generate a series of scenarios concerning sales, factors that could affect sales and contingency plans for addressing each scenario. We have found that this process of constructing scenarios and devising strategies for each gives the leaders a greater sense of control of the uncertain future.

In addition to the practical scenario approach, we also use a deeper coaching process. We work with leaders around issues pertaining to courage, flexibility and the value of reflecting before acting. We have found that some leaders become paralyzed by uncertainty while others act without thinking in order to reduce their own anxiety. These deeper levels of coaching require our coaches to first diagnose the root causes of the discomfort and the likely behaviors of each individual leader. Once the diagnosis is made, the coach can tailor a plan to the unique needs of the leader. Yes this process can be intense and takes time. However the payoffs are great. And can your company really afford to ignore the issues? The question to ask when considering these coaching options is this: In these times of great uncertainty and ambiguity, what is the cost to the company when leaders cannot deal with it? What is the payback for moving leaders towards a more balanced reaction to uncertainty and a more productive approach to managing their discomfort with ambiguity? The results will justify the efforts.

The Human Touch in Hard Times

Kathy Miller — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 17:05:00 GMT

Times are tough and we all need connections with others to help us through the turmoil. Never has human touch been more important than now.

I ran across an article recently that reported the latest research on how people feel about attending meetings. The interesting conclusion was that people complain about too many meetings. However, when their attendance at meetings is reduced, they report feeling isolated and missing the meetings. The authors of the reports suggested that people underestimate their need for human interaction in this electronic world. How much we still need to connect with people face-to-face, share jokes, stories, make eye contact.   Technology will never replace this need.

I would certainly agree with those who suggest that meetings can be very inefficient, use up resources, and generally waste a lot out time. However, I think that the suggestion that meetings should, therefore, be curtailed if not eliminated may be missing the point. The key to successful meetings is for those conducting them to know how to structure them appropriately, who to include, how to help people prepare, how to determine the meeting type,what to cover, and how to follow up afterword.  Well-planned meetings can be unsurpassed for value. Not only can much work get done in a meeting, but people can strengthen the bonds that allow them to be more engaged in their work and collaborate better with each other when the tasks require it. Meetings solidify the ties that last long after the meeting ends.  I find that people are much more likely to contact each other by phone or email when they have a question or a need after they have established relationships with each other face-to-face. Let's face it. No one really likes to make cold calls -- even within their own company.

I do a lot of professional and executive coaching. I carry out the coaching face-to-face and by phone. Most companies prefer that the coaching be done via technology because it is more convenient and cheaper. However, over the years I have discovered that the face-to-face coaching offers far more value for the money in comparison with the phone coaching. We can accomplish as much in one 2-hour face-to-face meeting as we would accomplish in weeks of phone coaching.  Communication is clearer. Connections are stronger and commitments to the process are greater.

I'm not saying that people can make no progress in virtual meetings, one-on-one phone conversations, or through emails. All of these approaches to working together have their place and their advantages.  I am saying that nothing will ever replace the face-to-face meetings that build human connections, trust, collaboration and engagement . Let's not give up on the necessity of the 'human moments' at work especially when times are tough and we are all feeling the stress of the challenges that we face.  The human touch is critical to productivity and morale in organizations facing hard times.

Tough Leaders for Tough Times

Kathy Miller — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 15:35:00 GMT

Leading an organization through tough times isn't for wimps! It is difficult to stay upbeat when faced with adversity.  Anxiety and defensiveness are natural reactions to challenging phases of organizational life. And yet those we lead will be watching us. To a large extent the leaders' behavior will set the tone for the organization. I believe that self-awareness is the foundation for strong leadership any time, especially during crises.  I base this assertion on a number of factors.

First, in order to control our behaviors, we need to understand our emotions.  For example, fear is likely to lead to defensiveness, sadness to withdrawal and so forth. Understanding our own feelings will help prevent self-destructive behaviors that could also harm our organizations.

Second, we must be in touch with our own feeling first before we can truly empathize with others. And empathy is critical to leading people through difficult times. I am not suggesting that all of our decisions should depend on the feelings of others. Sometimes we will need to make hard decisions that we know will affect others adversely.  However, while making these decisions for the sake of the business, the strong leaders will implement them with empathy and sensitivity to others. His or her behavior will not be cavalier nor callous. We must avoid the mistake of hiding behind these self-protective styles. They will not serve us or our organizations well as we navigate through the turmoil.

Finally, self-awareness is the first step towards humility. Strong leaders never forget that they are human and must show their human faces if they are to be respected and followed.

Leadership for Hard Times

Kathy Miller — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 19:59:00 GMT

As leaders of our companies, all of us have our share of challenges these days. Lately I've been reflecting on what it takes to show strong leadership when times are tough. Over the past few months I have observed closely leaders who are effective and those who aren't. I believe that the differentiating factor is leadership presence. This somewhat elusive characteristic is more than mere charisma. It stems from deep self-knowledge that comes from reflection. It includes the ability to be in the moment, reach out, express yourself and connect with others. In their book entitled Leadership Presence, Kathy Lubar and Belle Linda Halpern define it as the following:

Being Present not pretentious.

Reaching Out not looking down.

being Expressive not impressive.

being Self-knowing not self-absorbed.

The concept is very simple. The embodiment of it is tough - especially in tough times! In my opinion, the real test of leadership is in how leaders act during hard times. My observation is that many are able to exude "presence" when times are good, but revert to defensive, self-protective if not narcissistic behaviors when times are tough.

So what are the behaviors that leaders can strive to exhibit during hard times? In my opinion, the leader who listens a greater percentage of the time than he or she talks demonstrates "being present not pretentious." The leader who communicates informally and invites people at every level of the organization to share their thoughts and concerns is "reaching out not looking down. " A leader who clearly communicates the good news and the bad with compassion and acknowledgment of his or her own feelings is "being expressive not impressive." The leader who takes time to assess, reflect and acknowledge his or her own strengths, weaknesses, hopes and fears and spends an equal amount of time considering how he or she can understand and respect the needs of others is "being self-knowing not self-absorbed."

While these qualities and behaviors are always important, during tough times they are pivotal to the morale as well as the productivity of the organization.

Acting on Bad News

Kathy Miller — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 12:06:00 GMT

Good news

In that last blog I described an organization which seemed to resist (deny) any organizational health problems in their current culture. Just as I was about to post that blog I learned that this organization did, in fact, decide to accept the data in our assessment and to begin addressing the problems in their present culture wherever issues exist. We are now in the process of working with them to fulfill this need. Soon thereafter - - perhaps simultaneously - - we will begin the second phase, which is preparing them for a future culture of enormous growth. This company and its senior management are to be commended for their willingness to look at what no company ever really wants to see: Unhealthy situations in their corporate culture. - - And not only did they take off their rose-colored glasses for a clear, realistic look, they have now begun to address those issues. Wouldn’t it be great if all organizations could follow their lead?

Resisting the Bad News

Kathy Miller — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 12:04:00 GMT

Why do organizations spend so much time and energy discrediting hard messages? We have just completed a culture assessment for an organization which is growing rapidly and needs to meet the challenge of change head-on. The growth they are experiencing requires them to move from a small family-like structure and culture to one that encourages innovation - - one that is ready and able to keep up with a quickly growing customer base exhibiting new demands and desires. Our plan was to work with them to assess the gap (if any) between their current culture and the future culture which inevitably will continue to show the additional demands and desires of their ever-expanding customer base.

Our first step was to assess the current culture. Prior to beginning, upper level managers had convinced us the current culture was healthy - - that employees were engaged in their work, respected one another, were familiar with and embraced the goals of the organization, communicated freely between departments, and operated with true "team spirit." The focus of our assessment was to be an analysis of the "big picture" of the changes needed to support their rapid growth, not an assessment of the health of the organization in its present stage.

However, when we analyzed the data from the assessment, we were almost as surprised as their managers were. The assessment indicated that senior leadership had a very different perception of the present culture from that of the rank and file employee! In fact, the data suggested that the company had some rather serious "organizational health problems" in certain areas. Some remedial action in those areas would be necessary in order to attain an accurate baseline of the company as a healthy organization. The remedies, of course, would precede any changes needed to support their growth plans.

As consultants, we aren’t exactly naïve. We didn't expect this to be good news to senior leaders. But we did believe they would want to address some of the problematic issues in the current culture just as soon as possible. We suggested that the assessment results could be - - should be - - viewed as valuable information, allowing them to address these issues before attempting change efforts which would be doomed by what they didn’t know. To our surprise, they simply defended against the information! They attempted to explain away the problems as "data collection errors."

Sad but true, this type of reaction is typical. Very often leaders would rather "not know," even though their success can be imperiled by lack of information about their vulnerable spots. When they do receive hard-to-hear feedback, they often ignore it until the problem becomes so great it can no longer be dismissed. And then, unfortunately, it may be too late.

So what can consultants do to "soften the blow" of hard messages? I’m still trying to figure that out! But I do know one thing for sure: Effective leadership means choosing to put aside defense mechanisms and accepting the information in hard messages for what it is - - a valuable piece of the picture. If they can do that, how much more likely they are to succeed!

Why are the Soft Skills so Hard?

Kathy Miller — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 18:17:00 GMT

Myth: Soft skills aren't really as important in running a business, heading a department, or leading an organization as hard technical skills.

By now one would think this myth would have been completely debunked. However, virtually every week or two of the year I run into persons in the workforce who are not effective leaders because they do not recognize the importance of interpersonal skills, communications skills, and emotional intelligence.

Over the past few months we have been engaged in several leadership development initiatives. Very often the projects have involved some type of assessment of the leaders or prospective leaders, followed by resources and activities to help them address their developmental needs. Recently we completed an assessment and met with each leader individually to discuss his/her individual evaluation. I was struck by one manager (let's call him Joe), who told me he felt like writing a book entitled "How to be Right and Lose." He admitted he had learned - - the hard way - - some difficult lessons about the importance of interpersonal style and sensitivity in achieving goals. He recounted several examples of times when he had had the facts on his side but couldn’t persuade anyone else. He believes his success as a leader has suffered, and that career opportunities have passed him by as a result of his neglect of "soft skills."

Over the years I have coached many executives as they try to come to terms with factors that are holding them back from achieving the successes they desire for their organizations and for themselves. My coaching style is to assist them in sorting out the variables that may be affecting their performance. More often than not, they have been held back by undervaluing the importance of factors such as sensitivity to others' perspectives. Unless they are willing to face up to their own shortcomings, they will continue to believe they should have earned the trust of their colleagues merely by virtue of their position of power.

I wish that I could take Joe with me to talk with all those other managers and executives who continue to ignore the soft skills. As a result, they are sabotaging their own potential for truly successful careers.

Hidden Agendas and Hard Messages

Kathy Miller — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 20:55:00 GMT

How do you ever know when to give up, throw in the towel and walk away from a client, a project, an employer, an organization? What do you do when you believe that hidden agendas are in play?   No one has an easy answer to this question. I was confronted with this dilemma recently. I have been consulting for 27 years, yet I still lose sleep over client engagements from time to time. I almost walked away from this one. Here is what happened.

I was about to begin an organizational culture assessment when I began to suspect that the underlying but unspoken agenda was to get rid of one of the leaders in the company. The stated purpose of the audit was to  find the strengths and weaknesses in the organization (including those of the leader) and to make recommendations for addressing the weaknesses while fulling leveraging the strengths.  However, as I prepared for the assessment, I began to pick up on cues that led me to believe that something might be amiss. I did my best to determine how or whether to proceed. I decided that my path forward should be to confront my misgivings directly with my clients. (Of course this is always the best approach!)

My clients and I had several very frank discussions in which we set our boundaries with each other and reached consensus on how we would proceed and how our data would be used (e.g. who would see it, how and what decisions would be made based on it.)  The discussions were not always comfortable, yet we did not back away from them.

We did carry out the organizational assessment. While our clients heard some hard messages from the data, they handled the feedback professionally and without defensiveness. They seemed to have concluded that we did do a professional job of collecting the data even though some of it was hard to hear.

Now we are in the process of helping them address the issues that we uncovered. We don't always agree on interpretations of information nor on preferred actions. Nevertheless, we seem to be making progress in moving towards goals that are clearly on the table and desired by most if not all of the stakeholders.

This is one time when I am really glad that we did not walk away. However, if we had not had the frank discussions upfront with our clients, the entire process could have led to nothing - or worse could have led to results that would have tarnished our credibility and could have hurt people within our client organization.

This was a tough one that seems to be turning out ok. However, at other times we have been confronted with situations where the clients were not willing to communicate directly with us.  In these cases, we did walk away. The key is in knowing when to stay the course and when to choose to leave. And, of course, we must always have the courage to confront the hard issues from the start.

Providing Feedback to Managers

Kathy Miller — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 00:00:00 GMT

How do you react when your manager asks you to do something that you are fairly certain will not address the problem he or she is trying to fix? Do you follow orders or do you first provide feedback to the manager about your concerns? This dilemma is widespread and complex. I know -- I have been in the consulting field for 27 years and have been in a similar position with my clients many times.

I have found that managers tend to be impatient when they discover performance problems - especially if the problem involves an entire team. They want quick fixes and who can blame them? After all, they are accountable for achieving results. Nevertheless, their impatience can lead them to waste time and money on solutions that don't address the real causes of the problems.

I believe that those of us who proceed with implementing 'solutions' when we know that they won't work share the blame with the requesting manager for the failed attempts.  Frequently all we need to turn a lose-lose scenario into a win for all is the guts to push back -- at least a little! Collect some data (quickly when necessary) on the real causes of the problems. Organize the results and prepare your feedback for the manager carefully.

I respect managers' rights to make the final calls on how to handle the problems that fall under their charge.   At the same time, I am committed to providing them with the best information I can gather in a practical format to increase the probability of their really fixing the problems.

Cultivating a Culture for Change

Kathy Miller — Sun, 04 Mar 2007 18:54:00 GMT

What are you willing to do to create an organizational culture that embraces change? If you are like most of our clients, the price you pay when people resist change or, worse yet, sabotage it, is way too high! By investing some time and resources into setting the stage for change, you may avoid the costs of resistance and reap the benefits of an organizational culture that is change-ready. We have found that doing some work up-front is the key to successful change initiatives. (See Organizational Culture and Leadership by Edgar Schein for additional reading).

I talked with a client a while back who described a situation in which his employees' positive reactions to change truly exceeded his expectations.  With great delight he described his extraordinary experience with a major organizational change.  Upon hearing the details, I acknowledged that most of the change efforts that I have witnessed fell short of his accomplishments. When confronted with the need for change in his organization, he created a culture that was open to it. How did he do it?

His first step was to form a steering committee of his senior management team to lead the change. He assigned them the task of designing a game-plan for implementing the changes. He insisted that the steering committee include a detailed communications strategy as well as a training plan.  He expected the change leaders to think through who was concerned about what and who needed to know and do what. He asked them to craft specific communications and training tactics, both formal and informal, for addressing the employees' concerns. Likewise they were go develop a training plan that would equip employees with the knowledge and skills that they needed.

Believing that change takes place one person at a time, he firmly requested that the communications strategy include some face-to-face, informal dialog in addition to the formal web casts, memos, and town-halls.  Likewise, he encouraged the team to develop training strategies that were practical and went beyond the common but not always effective instructor-led classroom training. He believed that the company could do a better job of matching the training methods to the realities of the jobs at stake.

He expected each of his senior managers to play active roles in implementing the communications strategy.   Likewise, he expected them to enlist others to assist. He made it clear that they were accountable for the success of the communications and training operations.

He believed that the key to creating a change-ready culture was to stay close to employees, hear their concerns, over communicate key messages face-to-face whenever possible, and demonstrate clear and timely support for their learning. He said that the change wasn't without its hiccups, but that it was the smoothest initiative he had ever undertaken. He was glad that he had invested the time, energy and resources up-front to ready the organization for the changes. His return on investment for the up-front planning proved that he was right! (See Launching Organizational Initiatives for more information on how to plan for change.)

Keys to Success: Motivation, Skill and Support

Kathy Miller — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 17:31:00 GMT

Employees excel when they are motivated, skilled and supported. They need the right tools and an organizational culture that facilitates achievement.  Over the 27 years that I have been consulting, I have been asked to address performance problems with solutions that wouldn't even come close to improving employees' accomplishments. When my clients call me about an individual or team performance problem, generally they have jumped to a conclusion about what is causing it and, therefore, what will solve it.

Often they call and ask for us to train or retrain the individuals or teams in question.  While I am a great supporter of providing people with training, so many times the performance issue is not due to lack of skill or knowledge -- the only causes that can be addressed adequately with training. However, managers and their employees are familiar with training and comfortable with training solutions. Training events are concrete, frequently not too expensive and require little effort from the manager and the individuals involved. However training will not solve problems that are due to a negative organizational culture, lack of clarity around goals and expectations and other circumstances outside of the control of the performer.

Sometimes the clients are convinced that the employee(s) in question are just not up to the job and want us to coach them out of the organization.  Usually, if this is the client's agenda, they do not state it as such when they contact us.  They will tell us that they would like for us to work with the employee(s). However, when we question them about the issues, we can tell that they have already given up on any real improvements in performance.

What many of us fail to see when we look at the behavior and performance of others is how situational factors including our own behaviors may be affecting the behaviors and performance of others. This is especially true for those of us who are in leadership positions. Performance is affected by our expectations for others and how we communicate to them. Likewise performance is influenced by the degree to which we support the performers. We should ask ourselves whether the poor performers have the right tools and an environment that encourages them to use their knowledge and skills.

Think about those times when your own performance was not up to par. How would you describe the causes? According to research (fundamental attribution error research), in comparison to how we explain the behavior of others, we are more likely to attribute our own behavior to external circumstances.   Thus rather than saying that we just didn't have the skills or try hard enough to perform acceptably, we might say that our managers didn't communicate their expectations clearly enough, or didn't give us the support we needed to get the job done.  On the other hand, when we consider the causes of others' poor performance, we are more likely to attribute it to their lack of know-how or motivation. (See Chris Argyris's article entitled Teaching Smart People How to Learn).

So how do we sort out the real causes of performance problems? A first step is to become aware of and avoid falling prey to our own biases in making attributions about the causes of behavior.  We might also take a second, somewhat more complicated step. We can analyze the performance problem for the root causes (frequently referred to as performance analysis. See Performance Analysis Tool Kit).

While any kind of root cause analysis takes effort, if the problem has serious consequences for you, the individual performers, or the organization, it is worth the time and energy to sort it out systematically. Think of the time and money you will save if you come up with the right solution to the real problem!

Performance Problems: What We can Learn from the Stock Market

Kathy Miller — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 20:39:00 GMT

We had just added a new tool kit to our website on how to analyze and address performance problems (Performance Analysis Tool Kit ) when I saw the headlines about the stock market plunge.  My immediate impulse was to call my financial adviser and tell him to do something -- anything with my portfolio.

The first article I read about the plunge attributed it to the Tuesday sell-off of stocks in China which, according to the journalist, seemed to portend ominous global economic conditions. This speculation was followed quickly by those who blamed Greenspan's comments about a possible recession in our economic future. The media spun many theories for the decline before and shortly after the NY Stock Exchange closed on Tuesday.

Subsequently, clearer heads addressed the possible reasons for the poor performance of the stock market in a more thoughtful and systematic way. Articles such as Jon Markman's Is This a Market Meltdown, and the Wall Street Journal article A Shanghai Education were thoughtful and informative about how to think about and analyze the meaning, if there is any, of Tuesday's plunge.

About now you may be asking what all of this has to do with analyzing performance problems in the workplace. I believe that often we are too quick to jump to faulty conclusions about one or two instances of poor performance at work. We may decide to take quick action and reprimand or, even worse, remove the employees from the team or the project because of one or two missteps. Or we may decide that an individual or an entire team needs training. We might take hasty steps before analyzing whether the situation calls for any response at all, let alone what action would improve the performance.  In most cases, we would save ourselves and our organizations a lot of time, money and stress if we took the time to examine the situation with a cool head to determine whether we should act, and if so, how.

As with knee jerk reactions to the stock market fluctuations, if we act before we understand we might feel better in the short term. Acting tends to relieve anxiety for some.  However, we may actually create more severe problems for ourselves and our organizations in the long term. In most cases, the best thing to do is to take a deep breath, step back and look at the situation and the players in it before taking action. This process is called performance analysis.

Many times more than one cause is at work when performance goes awry. To turn performance around, we need to analyze the situation and choose the solutions that are most likely to solve the problems. Most of us do not have the time or the money to throw away on problems that don't need to be solved or on solutions that won't solve the problems that are important.

My financial adviser tells me to look at the long-term when I decide how to respond to the stock market. Likewise, I advise you to look at the big picture when deciding whether and how to address performance challenges at work.

Dick Cheney's Leadership Style: "I Won't Back Down"

Kathy Miller — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 13:53:00 GMT

"Cheney won't back down....." I read this headline while browsing the MSNBC portal this morning. I chuckled while trying to count the number of times I have read similar news headlines regarding Cheney over the past few years. I have observed this combative, heels dug in style in the workplace frequently during my 27 years of consulting. Many times the people exhibiting it truly believe that this style is universal. They believe that everyone is equally combative. The really ironic aspect of this world view is that their aggressive and often stubborn behaviors frequently elicit the same from others who normally are more collaborative. Thus they see combative behavior in everyone. Ah, how interesting is the fallacy of the self-fulfilling prophecy!

When leaders demonstrate this 'tough battler' style in the workplace, they create organizational cultures in which fearful and/or angry people do not perform to their maximum levels of excellence. Instead of behaving in the interest of organizational success, they will hide information from leaders, engage in covert schemes to work around the leader, or display other counterproductive behaviors that lead to less than optimal work results.

Anyone who uses this combative style consistently, whether a leader or not, is likely to find him/herself isolated in the long-term. These people tend to make many enemies who are only too willing to find ways to render them powerless if not actually 'do them in.'

Acting on the Hard Messages

Kathy Miller — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 19:14:00 GMT

Communicating the hard messages to clients is not an easy task. Likewise, from the client’s point of view, hearing the hard messages is not painless. This raises the following question for me: What is the psychological contract between the coach/consultant and the client? My 27 years of experience in the consulting and coaching field tells me that the implicit contract frequently differs from the explicit. Like all competent consultants, I work with my clients at the beginning of a coaching relationship or project to clarify their needs and our respective roles. However, I have found that many of my clients are not prepared to hear bad news or information that would imply that they must change to achieve their personal, professional or organizational goals.

Few of us really welcome the experience of confronting our own weaknesses. Changing our perspectives or, even worse, our behavior is difficult for most of us. We like to think we are open to change until confronted with the real need to do so.

I remember the first time I was told that I needed to lose weight. My first reaction was to deny it. I kept telling myself that I was older and that of course I would gain weight with age. When I found that my jeans didn’t fit, I finally acknowledged that I might be overweight. However instead of changing my exercise and eating habits, I looked for a quick fix. I tried crash diets and herbal weight loss remedies. When that didn’t work, I merely went out and bought new jeans!

Although I was working hard to avoid the reality of my weight gain, I kept hoping that my actions would solve the problem without a real behavior change on my part. Of course I would have succeeded in looking and feeling better more quickly if I chosen to change without delay once I received the initial feedback about my weight gain. Instead I wasted my energy fighting the “messenger” and the personal changes that I needed to make. On the other hand, the “messenger” could have delivered the feedback more effectively. I felt pushed and, therefore, became resistant to the change that was implied. I focused more on discrediting the messenger than on considering the validity of the message.

Advice to Consultants

So how do we consultants and coaches assist clients who don’t want to change? First, we must acknowledge that our clients may not be ready for change even if they have procured our services to help them. One of my colleagues is a therapist. Recently she said, “Kathy, just because a client comes to my office with a fistful of money and asks me to help her stop smoking doesn’t mean that she is really ready to give up cigarettes.” Second, even if clients are motivated to change, they are likely to experience ambivalence that will lead to fluctuations in commitment. If we push too hard when they are experiencing ambivalence, they may merely become more resistant. Thirdly, we must realize that we cannot make our clients change. The choices are theirs to make.

I believe that our role as consultants and coaches is to deliver the hard messages to our clients clearly yet unemotionally. Then we must step back and let them make their own choices. If we really believe that the client must change his/her behavior in order to achieve stated goals, we should say so. We can help them explore the ambivalence that they will feel when hearing these messages. We can help them envision the possible consequences of the various courses of action that they could take. However we must be dispassionate enough to allow them the latitude to make their own decisions.

Advice to Clients

If you are the recipient of the hard messages my advice is to watch for the resistance traps. Emotionally intelligent people have enough self-awareness to catch themselves before they ‘shoot the messenger’, deny, resist, or engage in thoughts or behaviors that will undermine their achieving their goals. Accept the natural ambivalence that will always accompany change. However, don’t allow yourself to get lost in it. Push through to a conclusion that will provide you with the results that you desire. Once you have chosen a path to follow, develop a personal action plan. I like to advise my coaching clients to list realistic steps that they will take each day or each week as they pursue the changes that will lead them to achieve their goals.

Super Bowl, Company Culture and Productivity

Kathy Miller — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 20:01:00 GMT

Culture in the work place can have a dramatic effect on one's overall happiness and success. In an article entitled Five Signs of a Lousy Job found on MSN's Careers page, Kate Lorenze summarizes some key points from Andrea Kay's book, "Life's a Bit*ch and Then You Change Careers." According to the article, many of us dread going to work each day due to issues such as our uneasiness with the company culture or a bad relationship with the boss. Inevitably, these negative feelings about work, work place culture and bad bosses affect performance on the job.

Last week Challenger, Gray and Christmas issued their annual warning about the huge losses in worker productivity that result from idle chatter and party planning at Super Bowl time. An AP article on Super Bowl Slackers, indicated that the Challenger firm estimated a loss of $820 million during the week before the game.

In spite of my alarm over such a hit on productivity this week, I can't help but think about the more serious, long-term issues at stake in the work place. The productivity loss occurring the week before the Super Bowl surely cannot compare with the hammering productivity takes every week when people dread to come to work because of company culture or a bad boss.

My recommendation to leaders is to worry less about the short-term Super Bowl disruptions and more about the steady erosion of performance due to dysfunction in the company culture. If leaders really want to improve productivity or keep it from deteriorating, first they should assess the culture of their work places. Does it promote worker dedication, commitment and loyalty, or does it thwart employee initiative and engagement? Leaders hold the cards for creating a culture that supports high performance and productivity. Never mind the Super Bowl!