How to help people get things done (reference)

This is more of a reference posting to an article on Seth Godin's blog entitled "Three Ways to Help People Get Things Done". I don't have much to add as it's so well written, succinct and carries an important message. His preferred method of allowing people self-direction and then providing encouragement and support is mine as well. It is a powerful catalyst to helping people get things done. As Seth says once people have tasted success working autonomously they won't just get one thing done. They'll be self-motivated and get tons of other things done independently as well.

This reminds me of the book "Drive" written by another one of my favorite authors and fellow bloggers Daniel Pink. In this book he discovers the 3 most powerful motivators for humans are autonomy, mastery and purpose. People are most motivated when they work on something that has a greater purpose, something that they can get better and better at and something they can go off and produce independently (or in collaboration with a team but not under the watchful eyes of a manager). I discussed this in a little more detail in an earlier posting on motivation.

I believe a key goal as a manager, leader and mentor is to do just as Seth suggests. We aren't there to answer everyone's questions. We are there to guide, encourage and support our teams and mentees to be independent and come up with their own answers. It's akin to parenting where your goal is to raise healthy, capable and independent adults.

There are several ways to helping people get things done. Giving people a "platform and not a ceiling" will be one of the greatest gifts one can give at the workplace.

Enjoy the posting.

Be A "Yes I Did" person!

By Wakalani (Flickr)

One of the top attributes any leader wants exhibited by folks on their team is certainly a "Yes I Can" one. This proactive, positive and action-oriented phrase sums up what is essentially music to any manager's ear. It was also used very effectively in the last United States Presidential Election ("Yes We Can"). We all should be and surround ourselves with "Can Do", "Why Not?", "Let's Roll" kind of people.

But I want to go one further on the "Yes I Can" attitude and do better. I think the ultimate attitude to have is "Yes I Did". The most valuable folks aren't the ones with the "yes I can" attitude alone. The really prized people are the ones who are self-motivated and modest and go off to produce the deliverable. Then they come back and say "Yes I Did" only after succeeding. They don't necessarily boldly announce their intentions for action. They ACT. It is the actualization of "Yes I Can" that in the end is required for success!

So go be "Yes I Did" people and tell your mentees as well to do the same. Then come back and tell me you DID! :)

Be a Light in the Darkness

"It seems in every job I've ever worked everyone from managers to peers are so secretive" a mentee of mine once began a session. "I'm an open person and act that way. This brings on some strange looks from my colleagues as if to say 'Why are you being so naive?'" He was troubled and confused. He concluded by asking me "Why is this? You are a pretty open person. Is there any hope for people like us?".

The equation Knowledge = Power is well known and established. It should follow then that disseminating your knowledge is equivalent to disseminating your power and that can't ever be a good thing. Following that logic into absurdity will lead us to the conclusion that Teaching and Mentoring must be the worst activity in the world! How ridiculous! But the question above is really a great one: If everyone around me at work is secretive then shouldn't I be too?

I believe the answer is no!

Let's first examine the possible reasons for this secretiveness. Whenever I encounter a colleague who seems reticent or "closed up" the following thoughts pop into my head:

1. We haven't yet established a strong relationship so this person doesn't yet know or trust me.
2. This person is working on a project which requires him/her to 'keep things quiet' for business reasons.
3. This person may be intimidated or threatened by me for reasons I have yet to uncover.
4. This person feels a lack of job security and in general keeps knowledge to themselves to ensure continued employment.

You'll notice an underlying theme in all these reasons is TRUST. The person does not trust me or the work situation or their own value to the company (hence fear of unemployment should too much information be shared openly). One exception I'd like to point out is the "business reasons" possibility as there are legalities sometimes that do legitimately affect communication flow inside a company i.e. can't disseminate information for regulatory reasons so as to avoid making people 'inside traders'. Once I establish that there are no issues like that exception going on I try to understand which category the current situation falls under and work to address that.

Seeking to build open and trusting work relationships with each colleague one by one is a lengthy but extremely worthwhile process. It takes a lot of perseverance and openness - an openness which may not be reciprocated for awhile. And that's fine because your goal is to lead by example no matter where you are in the corporate food chain. By being the first one to open up you do make yourself vulnerable at the same time as you're making space for a trusting relationship in the midst of cynical mistrust. Like a candle being lit in a dark room each relationship will lighten and enlighten the environment. Hopefully others will follow and light candles of their own. It's very hard to keep something hidden in a well lit room.

And so back to my mentee I say to go ahead and be a light in the darkness. Being open is in and of itself a good thing (as long as you're being open in a legal and appropriate fashion, of course). People are mostly attracted to light. They may not change themselves necessarily but will be appreciative of your approach at the very least. Even better, you're likely to attract followers and together begin the long and important process of opening and improving your company's culture.

Manage as if you have no authority

One of the best pieces of advice I ever received was from one of my mentors at the time I was first promoted to being a manager. He said the following (paraphrased): "I only promote into management those individuals who have already gained the power to manage people. Once they've earned the power then I grant them the authority. Always try to manage through the power you have gained rather than the authority granted."

So what exactly does this mean?

Let me first define what I mean by the words "power" and "authority". These are definitions I will use for the purpose of this posting and are not necessarily the Webster Dictionary definition. Power is the quality one has when people want to listen to you and follow you because you have connected with them and have a positive vision for the team/group/company. Power is something you earn and attract. Authority is when people have to listen to you and follow you because of your position. You could give them a bad review or fire them, for example, when you are "the boss". Authority is something you are given by a group or organization.

Great leaders have always had a following independent of whether they had any authority. Leaders have been made because they already had a tremendous voluntary following. Think of Martin Luther King or Gandhi.

When a mentee of mine has had a strong desire to become a manager/leader and believes they are already ready for the move the first question I ask is: "Are you a 'go-to' person in your company?". In other words do people inside and outside of the mentee's immediate team naturally and spontaneously come and ask him/her for advice or help? This is the first strong indicator of power. If someone is sought after then they clearly have already built up their personal brand and their ability to influence. The larger one's sphere of influence the better leader that person will be and the more success and recognition they'll be able to bring to their team.

A great guideline many managers follow is to promote those individuals already operating at their next level. For example, if a Senior Programmer is already handling their job as if they were a Team Lead then they're ready to be a Team Lead. You've already seen them successful in that role before even being promoted. It's low risk to promote. Makes sense, doesn't it? So too with management. If someone is already leading people without that authority you've got the makings of a natural leader.

Once you have this authority why should you continue to manage as if you don't? For the following 2 reasons:

1. If you continue to manage as if you had no authority you will likely continue to treat people as equals even though you may not be hierarchically. Your team will respect you more because they'll feel you are part of the team and not "above" them.
2. Managing as if you have no authority will keep you in check! It will remind you that leading people is a privilege and not a right. When taking actions that affect them you will work to win over their hearts and not just their minds.

Having a team respect and follow you because they want to will propel both you and them to greater achievements. You will witness much higher productivity, creativity and job satisfaction because people will be inspired to do the work and not be simple followers. That is too much of a great, win-win proposition to pass up.

I'll end with a great quote about authority by Abraham Lincoln although slightly altered per my earlier definition of "authority"):

"Nearly all men can stand adversity but if you want to test a man's character give him [authority]."

The Power of Vulnerability

Taken in Maui

Happy New Year!!

I'd like to start 2011 discussing vulnerability and referring you to a superb TEDTalk by Brene Brown on the topic. From her bio: "Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work. She has spent the past ten years studying vulnerability, courage, authenticity and shame."

Vulnerability is in effect "letting your guard down". It's letting your real self be seen by the world and subjecting yourself to the possibility of criticism, attack, ridicule and disconnection. It is a feeling rarely sought out. But I believe to be a truly great mentor or a truly great leader one must be willing to be vulnerable with the right people at the right time. Brown's work in this area seems to support this theory.

In a nutshell her research finds that vulnerability which is "the courage to be imperfect" results in "connection as a result of authenticity". Vulnerability is the core of shame but at the same time is the "birthplace of joy, creativity and belonging".

Great mentors will create a safe space for their mentees to be vulnerable. A good way to do that is to be vulnerable themselves by sharing stories of past mistakes, learnings and beliefs. Allowing for vulnerability in your mentoring relationship will have 2 important benefits:

1. We all know that trust is key in any relationship such as mentoring. Being vulnerable with each other will deepen your trust and deepen your relationship with the mentee. It will allow for further growth and development for both of you.
2. As the "birthplace for creativity" vulnerability will be the catalyst to solving issues the both of you have been dealing with in your sessions and in your lives.

This advice doesn't just apply to mentors but to any leader in society. The best leaders throughout history were the most authentic and therefore vulnerable. Think of Abraham Lincoln or Winston Churchill. These were great leaders that did not try to appear infallible. They exuded confidence and positivity but not infallibility and certainly not perfection.

And it's tough, even impossible, to be authentic without being somewhat vulnerable. It seems our world lacks great leaders across all areas and perhaps it's because everyone is trying to be too perfect. Or perhaps we all expect and demand that our leaders to be too perfect and that's their response?

Up top of this posting is a picture I took in Maui several years ago. It's there because it gives me a sense of openness. Openness is a key to vulnerability. Try it some time....you may like the results!

Brene Brown's wonderful TEDtalk here.