The Czar's Shadow

Opposing Agenda

2006-09-10T17:10:00.000-07:00

So the ants want to make the entire earth their antpile. And the humans, who can only view these ants as humans because they inhabit human forms, cannot collectively recognize the threat and thus resort mostly to defensive measures.

Though we (the humans) try to engage the ants in dialog and negotiations, these attempts at communication, while apparently effective, in fact only serve to promote uncertainty of will and delay of action while the ants continue to dig, Dig, DIG beneath the surface.

Ponder this and determine if you want to be killed or enslaved by the ants or instead prefer to fight back and survive...

Courage of Leadership

2005-08-08T20:20:00.000-07:00

Put the courage of leadership into perspective. When you ponder the implications of acting courageously on behalf of your team, your company, yourSELF, take a moment to ponder the context. Sure you might stumble, step on someone's toes, land on your face. But do you...

...linger in a chair unable to speak (or move for that matter)?
...toil each day in hard labor on a diet of less calories than you expend?
...spend your time confused, perplexed, and unable to recall precious memories?

Probably not. Many do. They would love a collection of your concerns, including courage.

Harsh? Well YEAH! So get up and get on with it. Be courageous. Speak up for your team, your customer, your ideas and ideals. The downside in less "down" than you might think...

Use your gifts and talents and freedoms to face your challenges with courage!

Chin Up

2005-07-11T20:25:00.000-07:00

Your customer is unhappy and when you go to settle you learn just how unhappy. Very.

The long-term relationship beckons, but short-term imperatives intrude (sound familiar?).

What do you do?

Well first off keep your chin up. No point arguing or debating. Providing new information can be helpful if offered in a positive manner with confidence yet suitable contrition.

So keep your chin up. Take your lumps. Accept the consequences. Retain the long view...

Keep your chin up.

Confirming Expectations / Minimizing Issues

2005-07-10T08:26:00.000-07:00

It would be nice to assume once we determine someone's expectations they would advise us of any change. Despite our belief we have taken steps to ensure clear and open communication, if our intuition tells us there's an issue, then there is probably an issue. It is easy to avoid ongoing engagement with the optimistic belief of "no news is good news", but alas this is rarely the case.

And applying the mantle of maturity: "they're experienced adults - they'll let us know of any issues" does not always apply. In fact, I do not think adults are much different from kids except in how they react to adverse conditions. However, the reactions are not necessarily better...

Crushing Leadership at the Last Moment...

2005-06-26T18:16:00.000-07:00

It always hits me hard when a leader or admirable personality ends badly. Some recent examples from the music world filed under "Cocaine in the tour hotel room/bus":
> Bobby Hatfield
> John Entwistle

By no means a comprehensive list (sadly). It really takes the leadership out of their history...

Clouds?

2005-04-26T17:52:00.000-07:00

What is it with corporate cultures which allow strugglers to become stragglers and eventually casualties? They fall behind, are smiled at in public and savaged in private. Everyone's fine knowing them, but no one wants to work with them. So the spiral continues...

What is a leader to do?

Nothing! People must take ownership of their careers! Why force the issue? It's natural selection baby. Hey make us both happy and find somewhere else to work. Blah blah blah...

We actually call this degrading death of a thousand cuts "managing them out". Shameful.

True leaders wonder what happened to managing them IN?
INto their responsibility zone.
INto recognizing and applying their strengths.
INto the mainstream of projects and operations.

Why let the "cloud" form over their head? The cloud everyone sees but no one points out...

When does active leadership take priority over personal comfort (also known as conflict avoidance)? Speaking with our actions, we often avoid performance confrontations until it's too late. Strugglers usually know they're not resonating with the group and they often do not like their cast-off assignments; roles; titles; blah blah blah. But if they're still coming to work, a true leader must respond.

Or do we continue to let their mediocre performance and related communication disconnects affect them, their work, their colleagues, their clients? I think you know the answer.

I suggest we replace anxiety with courage and act with our hearts instead of our heads.

Select someone with a cloud over their head and find a way to shine the sun on them. You'll be amazed.

Predictability?

2005-03-26T12:01:00.000-08:00

When should a leader be predictable?

Effective leaders provide clear and unambiguous expectations. For team members to take risks, learn from their results (successes and mistakes), and proceed fearlessly they must understand, with certainty, what is expected.

Clarifying expectations is a challenge which the best leaders embrace with every assignment. A leader must understand their team members' interests in performing tasks efficiently, effectively, and in a timely manner and support these characteristics by clearly telling their folks what they want.

Unclear expectations erode progress and allow the potential for ineffective behaviors to sneak into the activities. The behaviors (political, anxiety, anti-social) provide little in the way of benefits, but are instinctive reactions to gaps in leadership.

Pseudo-leaders hide behind the notion that being vague with their expectations allows team members to discover new options. The fact is, positive outcomes rarely occur in these situations with benefits outweighing the anxiety associated with trying to figure out what is expected.

Simply put, leaders should provide constraints and direction which lead to discovery and innovation. Even an assignment to "innovate" provides freedom for creativity and in a form directed to a purpose and results.