NOT Another Meeting!

Photo Credit: Richard Chicoine iCopyright 2009


Meeting Mania? Try These Tips!

Let’s try this scenario for a change in your meeting strategy. Tools needed: one iPhone or recording device. One maverick meeting attendee who is fed up with long, boring, useless, trivia and ego infested agendas.

Maverick transforms blackberry into a fly-on-the-wall, positioning himself unobtrusively at the board room door, or at the water cooler. Audio/video on: what are people really talking about - the strategic items that need to be actioned, or the way that another hour was eaten by the meeting monster?

If only the hallways could talk. Actually, they can, if only you’d ask.

Enough said about useless meetings.
I’d like to introduce three tips which might improve the function and format of your next discussion at the board room table.

Tip 1

Get quirky.

I recently heard the story about a CEO, who was bothered by fast-paced and sometimes, inappropriate decision making during staff meetings. The pace was harried, driven by a collective need to just get this done. He wanted to slow things down to a conversational pace. He believed that rushing through the agenda was creating a dysfunctional arena for strategic thinking. What did he do?

He left his blackberry behind, and began recording his notes using a historic device. He purchased a fountain pen. Now and again, he’d say, “Excuse me, I didn’t quite get that point written down. Would you repeat it please?”.

Meetings became calmer, and the CEO gained control. The culture changed.

Tip 2

Surprise.

If the gang consistently and unconsciously protects their own turf - “this is MY seat” - change locations and stay standing.

A mid-level supervisor discovered, quite by accident (conversation overheard in the ladies room) that her division’s one hour meetings were draining and boring. She changed the format, location and without fail timed the agenda to start on time and end on time: 15 minutes max. Now into week 38, she’s excited about their progress. The grumbling has stopped.

Tip 3

Build Meeting Skills.

Invest in formal “presentation” or “facilitation skills” training for everyone on your team.

It’s easy to criticize if you’ve never had to manage a group conflict, or sort through a complex problem with twenty silent participants and a couple of very vocal dissenters. When the shoe is on the other foot - or the control of the agenda is on your own plate - you will understand the skills required to move the meeting to a satisfactory conclusion. The added value is that the chair role can be transferred easily, and people speak up more often.

What’s your best strategy for enhanced meetings? Slowing down, speeding up, collective leadership?


Final Tip

Let me suggest that you bring this column to your next meeting. Ask the folks around the table two questions.

The first: “What can we do to engage everyone at our meetings?”

Next: “What do we do at every meeting that’s frustrating you?”.

Then do what the group has advised you to do. Take the lead and don’t judge their feedback even if you think that the suggestions and comments are too quirky, too slow, too fast or just too...


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Maggie Chicoine’s company, The Idea Sculptor, specializes in “Strategies to Think Ahead.” Her weekly column, The Tuesday File, appears in www.lakesuperiornews.com. She posts to her MAGOHZINE blog on Tuesdays at www.theideasculptor.blogspot.com.

Maggie is a charter member of CAPS, a Master Coach (ICF) and professional writer (PWAC).

Reach her at twitter @ideasculptor or 1 800 587 1767.

Go With the Flow

Photo Credit: Richard Chicoine iCopyright 2009

Overprepare & Then,

Go With The Flow

Look up....waay up....
What does it take to go fly a kite?
Let me take that one step further: what does it take to lead?

The answers are similar...

"Over-prepare and go with the flow"

Kites, as you may know, were a Chinese invention more than 2500 years ago. Silk sails, resilient bamboo frames and strong silk flying line were the ideal materials to constuct art works, often displaying mythological characters. Ingenious tails kept the kites flying forward.

Not just entertainment, warrior kites were designed as a sky-field battleground, with opponents cutting each others lines to show dominance.

Flying a kite...much like leadership. Think about it...

Let me guide you along as you use the metaphor of "flying a kite" to review your leadership style.

How resilient are you?

How sturdy and how flexible your frame?

What is your visible shape and form?

What colours do you fly?

How do you manage tension?

What's your Plan B when the wind disappears, storms hover and environmental conditions are not ideal?

Who is the enemy who cuts your line?

When did you last check the condition of your kite, your tieline?

Who is helping you to untangle the strings, keep you grounded as you prepare to fly?

How do you celebrate a perfect flight?

How much joy results from your leadership?

Is it work and play in harmony?

And finally, what is your purpose?

Metaphors are useful in linking new information to past knowledge. We can speak in metaphors, or we can "play" or "model" images and pictures in action. Go fly a kite - it's not all child's play.

When you feel the perfect balance of tension, the breeze lifting you and the pleasure of going with the flow, you might just understand leadership in a new way.

Overprepare, and then go with the flow.

Perhaps a good team building exercise?

________________________

Maggie Chicoine specializes in Strategies to Think Ahead.

Her MagOhZine appears every Tuesday (leverage day!) at http://www.theideasculptor.com/. Reach her at 1 800 587 1767 or email maggiechicoine@gmail.com

Keynotes. Facilitation. Coaching.

"with a twist of ingenuity"

Leaders: Time to Wash Your Windows

Photo Credit Richard Chicoine iCopyright 2009

The Essential Leadership Question

What if every leader spent 2 minutes a day asking themselves one essential question. What would that all important question be?

Let me share the back story before we get to The Big Ask.

At a leadership event last week, the final presenter summarized the key messages of The Five Temptations of a CEO by Patrick Lencioni. He noted that this fable is an easy read, but, as all things which seem simple at the outset, the complexity surfaces in the urge to reflect on personal experiences related to the content. Reflection is fundamental leadership tool which unfortunately, takes a back seat to the daily grind.

Lencioni suggests that higher level leaders make authentic, consistent choices. He advises leaders to:

1. Choose results over status

2. Choose accountability over popularity

3. Choose clarity over certainty

4. Choose productive conflict over harmony

5. Choose trust over invulnerability

Results. Accountability. Clarity. Productive conflict. Trust.

Easy enough, but how do leaders really know that these are the standards they set for themselves: consistently, over time, authentically and passionately?

How do the people who follow them, repeat the mantra?

I could name a hundred leaders who fall into the category of “not” making these choices.

They have egos that drown out the potential of employee engagement in important projects.

Their need to be recognized by the community at large overshadows the white lies that cover up their accountability for financial decisions.

They do not listen to the part time staff person who deals with customers’ complaints, because “those people” with the gripes are only the minority. They let teams fall further into dysfunction because the surface story of the organization is covered in smiles and conflict is taboo.

They rarely say, “I was wrong” or “you are right”.

These leaders are stuck in their own blind spots. They might find more opportunities to wash their windows

- to really see the world around them.

On the other hand, I’ve been led by some of the best of the best.

Because of their leadership, I’m a better follower as well as a better leader. They’ve let me face the fire and go for “impossible” results;

held me to task when I offered excuses;

asked for the what and the how and the who instead of allowing a poorly executed strategy to be the starting point.

They have given permission for us to disagree, to engage in a productive conflict but more importantly, they have taught others to negotiate well and communicate clearly.

They have encouraged everyone to make mistakes, admit failures, discover breaking points, as well as to ask for help and support.

These leaders recognize their blind spots, and move toward self-discovery habitually.

?

So, possibly there is one essential question, if asked often enough, that would change how leaders lead.

Let me suggest this one as The Big Ask:

“Why should anyone be led by me?”

I’d like to leave that, with you.

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Maggie Chicoine specializes in “Strategies to Think Ahead”.

Maggie posts her MagOhZine blog weekly at www.theideasculptor.com

Her popular column, The Tuesday File, appears in www.lakesuperior.com regularly. Maggie is an experienced professional speaker, master of ceremonies and master coach as well as Lead Facilitator for Leadership Thunder Bay.

Twitter her @ ideasculptor or contact at 1 800 587 1767 or maggiechicoine@gmail.com

Comments more than welcome! I'll donate a loonie for every comment to a local charitable organization. Unless authorized, your comments will not be published.

Leadership By Mantra

Photo Credit: Richard Chicoine iCopyright 2009

"May you have warm words on a cold evening, a full moon on a dark night, and a smooth road all the way to your door." - Irish Blessing

Leadership By Mantra

The recent surge in layoffs and organizational restructuring, leads me to believe that leadership has new challenges at hand. The old mantra of “doing more with less” isn’t going to cut it with the front lines any more. CEO’s, managers and supervisors might consider asking the question, “What does it take to get along around here?”. If they listen closely, they might hear the clues which point to a characterization of their situation, from the people who are most familiar with the gaps, bottlenecks and opportunities. Listening for the everyday language and especially the mantras can lead to significant shifts in perspective.

Mantras, defined as “sounds, syllables, words, or group of words that are considered capable of creating transformation” are the keys to understanding an organization’s reality. What people state out loud, and repeat to one another, becomes one of the standards of organizational behavior. Glass half full? Say no more.

Remember “MBWA”, Management By Walking Around from the 1970’s? That mantra inspired leaders to pay attention to the human equation of the business by building personal relationships. Front line folks actually recognized the management staff. Let’s try "MBB" - Management By Blackberry. The relationship connection takes on a different meaning, because the process overtakes the relationship in the equation. The words are sent, the faces hide behind the e-screen.

Pay Attention To Mantras

During a recent strategic planning session, I logged a list of mantras which surfaced during the day. The team realized that many of these were closely related to their values. Subsequently they began to reframe how they talked about the future, and developed a revised vision. Here is their list, with minor editing:

- Bloom where you’re planted
- The crap is the flowers of tomorrow
- S*** or get off the pot
- Get it done
- Take lemons - make lemonade
- You get what you give
- We’re not going to be sinkable - never again
- Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
- I hate being locked into anything
- Need to sleep at night
- Practice what you preach
- All for 1, 1 for all
- Enthusiasm is a rare breed
- Present me with solutions
- Find a way
- No idea is wrong
- If you want to run with the wolves, then don’t pee with the puppies
- We become what we need to be
- Opportunity in difficulty
- Doesn’t matter, right or wrong
- Everyone is an expert at something

These mantras shed light on what needed to happen next for this organization. The decision at the end of the day was to move ahead with resilience, instead of preserving a vulnerable, victim-like stance. The shift they needed came from their mantras, the daily comments which are the invisible, yet obvious clues for leaders.

The Lesson for Leaders

Without the human equation, nothing exists. Process and product depend on people: employees, customers, suppliers. How each one sees the world through their own rose coloured glasses affects behavior. Those actions speak as loud as their words.

Isn’t it interesting, that the most common phrases are the ones that should not be ignored. Perhaps MBWA is an old mantra whose time has come again? What goes around comes around.

###
Maggie Chicoine is a professional level member of the Professional Writers’ Association of Canada, a charter member and director of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers, and a Master Coach. Her column, The Tuesday File appears in www.lakesuperiornews.ca weekly. Reach her at 1 800 5817 1767 or www.theideasculptor.com

Calling Leaders

Photo Credit: Richard Chicoine. All Rights Reserved 2008

If Leadership is a Calling, Then Why Don’t I Hear Me?

Leadership isn’t a title. It’s not a job. It’s a calling.

Leadership doesn’t attach to demographics.

Young. Old.

Male. Female.

Urban. Rural.

Rich. Poor.

Abraham Lincoln said, “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”

Leadership IS character. Character births passion, and vision. Leadership is speaking the truth – consistently, and visibly. It’s knowing when to race ahead, back off… let go… reflect on the multi-dimensionality of issues. It’s about tactics, strategy and synchronicity. In fact, it's all of those “ies”, like idiosyncrasies and ideologies.

Leadership is deep character...
Leadership is about being humble while being powerful. It’s mostly the pull, and sometimes the push. It’s about looking up and not being intimidated by an artificial ceiling that no-one but “me” erected. It’s about shouting loudly for what is right, and for quietly acknowledging the efforts of others even when.... it's doing the right thing, at the right time, in the right way, for the right reasons. It's being aware of doing it right - or wrong - ethically. It's knowing what you really stand for, at the deepest root.

Leadership is deepest when...

There's time to reflect. Leadership is about musings, like this one, inspired by the intriguing variety of pebbles and stones on the shore... in the big waters... of Lake Superior. When the waves roll in, the questions are carried ashore. Why do rocks, like leaders and followers, all have the same potential, but only one creates a gentle ripple that affects its surroundings?

“Sometimes a leader emerges from among equals, a man whose natural charisma, stability, and sense of purpose make everyone turn to him, just as office plants turn toward the window. There’s something special there, and everybody recognizes it, even if no one can put a finger on it.” – David Zinczenko, Editor, Mens Health Magazine

The Man/Woman Paycheque Myth: Is It A Myth?

Gender Alert: How to Negotiate Your Raise

Equal experience. Equal qualifications. The reality? Jack negotiates a higher salary and benefit package than Jill. The compensation gap between men and women is not a myth.

Gender stereotyping is still alive and well, according to a working paper published by Harvard Business School in May 2008.

The authors contend that “men are generally perceived to have an advantage in negotiations over women because they are expected to be more effective at asserting their self-interest and claiming value for themselves, whereas women are expected to act in a more yielding and agreeable and less effective manner in terms of individual performance.”

Stereotypes make attempting to negotiate for higher compensation “a more socially risky endeavor for women than for men, because people not only expect that women will be more agreeable”.

They go on to say, that “male evaluators were significantly less inclined to work with a woman who initiated compensation negotiations as compared to one who did not, because they found her overly demanding and lacking in niceness.”

In other studies, research on expectations for salaries, the entitlement effect, shows that women tend to report lower career entry and career peak financial compensation than men. In general, “pre-negotiation expectations are highly predictive of negotiation outcomes”.

3 Tips for Effective $ Negotiations

1. Do your homework. (Don't just sit there looking like a lame duck - wait, it's a swan!)

• Research the range in your field, and determine your own set point of expectations for annual salary and benefits.



• Do not negotiate an hourly rate.



• Think in terms of “value” to the employer, and



• What you need to balance with others in your household.

2. Learn

• key negotiation skills and



• communication techniques, so that you are not caught off guard.



• Practice!

3. With the assistance of a Master Coach, for example,

• get feedback about your thinking style, including



• a personal inventory of your facial movements,



• body language, and



• voice inflections.

The Bottom Line?

If you want it, you have to ask for it. Negotiate well. Leverage brilliantly. Amen.

Now, how can I help you? Do this now:

1. Click on email subscribe for weekly tips on leverage. We do not share your address. Even though "ideas du jour" are posted daily in the list, you can expect 1 leverage email each week through RSS feedblitz.



2. Send in a comment or a question - no strings attached. I'm your Coach on Call, and will respond to you personally, not publically.



3. Sign up for a workshop or coaching to increase your skills and your comfort levels in negotiating. Yes, you can, no matter how shy you might be at the moment. http://www.theideasculptor.com/ or 1 800 587 1767 in North America

Photo Credit: Richard Chicoine at Egli's Sheep Farm, Dryden Ontario Canada. All Rights Reserved.

(Source: Webgrrls: “Gender in Job Negotiations: A Two Level Game, H Riley Bowles and K.L. McGinn 2008)

Leadership Special Post

Leaders en Route in North

It’s 15 days of “brain forming” by 15 members of the Governor General’s Leadership Conference.

The first stop in their northern exploratory tour was in Thunder Bay, en route to Sault Ste Marie, Sudbury and North Bay, Ontario later this week.

The Governor General's Canadian Leadership Conference brings together 230 of Canada's future leaders from business, labour, government, NGOs, education and the cultural sector for a unique two-week experience aimed at broadening their perspectives on work, leadership, their communities, and their country.


Members of the Conference are Canadian citizens from different regions of Canada, different perspectives and different careers. All members share one thing in common: they are high potential individuals expected to achieve senior leadership positions in their organizations and communities.

Margaret Wanlin, Thunder Bay Facilitator arranged a unique collaborative meeting between Leadership Thunder Bay and the Governor General’s group at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery on Tuesday June 10, 2008.

In a fast paced and often humorous dialogue, the two groups compared perceptions and realities about the demographics of the city, commenting on economic, social and cultural issues.

Recognizing the geographic challenges (a spread out fusion of two former municipalities over vast stretches of land, as well as isolation from other larger centres), the visitors remarked about obvious developmental challenges.

A participant from British Columbia, for example, questioned the Art Gallery about its awkward location on the fringes of Confederation College property, which in itself is isolated from other attractions. “How can you build critical mass in your economy, when everything is so far apart in this city?”

An outspoken entrepreneur from Quebec commented about his perceptions of a “culture of entitlement”, where big business and government fuel the economy. He spoke about a perceived lack of entrepreneurship, specifically of businesses with 10 to 24 employees.

“This gap is crucial to growth in the economy. Here, it seems to be missing entirely. But, the new knowledge-based economy that is starting up, particularly the molecular medicine research operation, will fuel businesses which supply new industries, so there’s hope.”

A municipal employee noted that entrepreneurship is indeed, flourishing, with some global initiatives in the works.

A participant from Newfoundland was most curious about the influx of First Nations families from reserves in the north. She was pleased to hear that the City’s strategic plan includes an Aboriginal Liaison Office to work inclusively with aboriginal peoples.

The Conference concludes in Ottawa, Ontario, where reports from each of the study groups will be presented to the Right Honourable Michaelle Jean. The Conference celebrates its 25th Anniversary this year.

To read participant blogs, and for more information about the program, see www.leadershipcanada.ca

Maggie Chicoine is passionate about facilitating the Leadership Thunder Bay Class of 2008-2009. For more information, go to www.leadershiptb.com.

What You See?

Leadership Lens
Photo Credit: Richard Chicoine at Hecla Oasis Resort

I’m wondering what the 15 participants of the Governor General’s Leadership Conference will say about our City after their visit?

You know the old saying, “You can’t see what’s right in front of your nose”. It’s so obvious it’s invisible? We naturally become oblivious to the character of our cities and neighbourhoods. It’s like looking through a frosted window and not even noticing a new addition to the same old patterns.

So it will be interesting to interview a few of the 230 Executive Leaders from across Canada who are touring a variety of places in the country as part of their leadership experience. Canada, apparently, has the potential to have a leadership crisis because of the changing baby boomer demographic. It’s programs like this, initiated by the Governor General, which inspire a new generation of leaders.

This year’s theme: “Leadership and Community”

“The theme of the conference, “Leadership and Community,” is close to my heart. Our capacity to build the kind of society in which we all wish to live depends on the involvement of everyone. Our success, however, demands effective, committed leadership in business, government, unions and all other sectors of our country.

“Effective leaders understand that Canada can succeed only by building strong communities in which we all have the opportunity to flourish and help create a better country and world. Each action toward this goal is immensely important. Leaders understand we must fight against the indifference that is so common nowadays.”
Michaelle Jean
Governor General of Canada
More information at www.leadershipcanada.ca


Leadership Thunder Bay, which recently graduated its 5th class of leaders, has the opportunity to meet colleagues from the Governor General's Conference, for an informal dialogue about challenges and opportunities.

I will be listening closely for the depth of the discussion, and the commitment from our local representatives to move issues forward. Ideas are a dime a dozen.

Action, strategic action, collaborative action, gets the results. Let's support our upcoming leaders with strong voices, hearty appreciation and relevant mentoring.

- Your Coach on Call,

Maggie

1 800 587 1767

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Ever Heard of MBWA?

The Leader’s Guide to Shutting Down

Conversations clam up when Sam da Boss walks into the room,.

All hands suddenly get busy when Toni the Supervisor comes around the corner.

There's people in the room but the bleachers are empty!

Leaders, take note: your people are sending you clues! What’s up with you not noticing?

Back in the old days before acronyms became the norm, there was a leadership mantra, called MBWA: “Management by Walking Around”. Sounds simple, doesn’t it?

In essence, MBWA is about you as a leader paying attention to the little things that your staff do during their shift.

To pay attention, you need to get out there.

To get out there, you need to simply your own systems so that you have the time to build relationships, and correct the little things before they blow up into big things.

It’s about taking a positive, proactive and personal approach with people, so that your systems operate smoothly.

Put another way, it’s like that leaky faucet you are ignoring. You hear the drip, day after day, but don’t have time to fix it right now.

Wake Up Call

I am suggesting that MBWA leverages your organization and the results show up in black and white on your bottom line.









If you want to know what really goes on, day to day, go take a casual, relaxed walk and look for the obvious – the routine which has become invisible in your eyes. Look for what people are doing well. Pat them on the back; low time investment, zero financial cost, huge payback!

I could give you a long list of how to do MBWA right now, but I’m assuming that all you need is a gentle wake up call.

Pay attention to what happens in your staff meetings: if you talk more than anyone else, you’re failing at MBWA.









If you’re staff say there are no rumours floating around, you are out of the loop.









If your middle managers don’t remember their 6 top goals for this month without looking through the policy manuals, you’re failing at MBWA.









If your front line staff can’t tell you who your 6 best customers are, you need to send me an email and ask for the “HOW TO DO MBWA” list. Consider me your Coach on Call. I’ll gladly share that with you, and guide you through your first walkabout.









PS Check out the archives and the whole Idea Du Jour List.




Questions? Need help? Send a comment or email. Replies are confidential!





Photo Credit: Richard Chicoine