Managing Change is an oxymoron. Change is not something to be managed. By definition, management is focused on efficiently applying resources to achieve pre-determined standards. Deviation is something to be reduced or eliminated. Change, on the other hand demands deviation from standards towards something new.

If your organization is experiencing change right now, it’s interesting to think of all the possibilities that are being created. A few years from now you will be able to look back to today and appreciate something that changed. Changes in the economic landscape are motivating companies to innovate at a frantic pace. The fruits of these improvements will have a long term impact.

For a person with a constructive mindset, change is exciting. Think back to a significant change in your personal or professional life. At the time it was likely painful to deal with the change. Now think about some of the things that have happened in your life or career because of that change. If the change had not occured you would have missed out on some very positive moments that followed.

At best, managing change can only create incremental improvement. You only need to look at the ailing General Motors, Chrysler and Ford and the unions that represent their workers to see how managing change is working for them. They have been trapped in incrementalism for most of their history.

A defensive posture is embedded in most management teams. Defending the status quo is seen as the safest route because it appears to have the lowest risk. In fact it may be the riskiest because the assumption is that other factors are static and will not change.

Leading change involves creating a compelling vision, communicating that vision powerfully so that people feel compelled to follow and then developing the followers so that they can make the vision a reality.

Today’s change is tomorrow’s normal.

Does your organization need to transform managers into leaders? Connect with us to see how we can help you build a consistent and capable change-ready leadership team.

There’s nothing like a full blown crisis to finally bring out the leadership that was missing in an organization. General Motors is finally having to confront the reality of becoming a smaller company with two profitable divisions and a lot fewer employees and dealers. The CAW and UAW have been humbled into becoming the partners they should have been all along.

A desperate, heroic Hail Mary pass is exciting when it connects and results in a touchdown. If it worked consistently teams would use it more often. The probability of success is too low to rely on it. Your organization cannot wait until the 11th hour, when your back is against the wall, (insert your own cliche here!) to have capable leaders.

Leadership is needed in your organization right now. It cannot wait until the future. Think for a moment about the managers, supervisors and team leaders in your organization. How many of them exhibit strong leadership skills? How many are barely managing, not able to rally their teams to achieve success?

Are your managers and supervisors moving foward with the necessary changes to ensure not only survival, but the ability to thrive in the future? Is there a boldness to the vision, a persistence to the message and a common thrust of momentum?

And what are you personally taking ownership of that will help your organization move forward? Now is the time to step up and make change happen. Set ambitious targets, encourage others to break out of their funk and move forward. Celebrate success.

Leadership cannot wait.

It was August 2006 when I received the good fortune to be a weekly guest on one of Canada’s top rated news stations AM800 in Windsor, Ontario. Jason Moore, News Director and Keith Chinnery, Program Director made it happen and the profile I received in Windsor/Essex was incredible. Morning Drive hosts Mike Kakuk and Lisa Williams always made me sound good. On the Streets reporter Arms Bumanlag had me on his shows as did Lynn Martin and Melanie Deveau. Many AM800 staffers made me feel welcome, helped promote seminars and contributed with their engineering and voice over talents.

Over the two and a half years and more than 125 segments, we jointly offered public seminars and business seminars attended by more than 350 people.

Good things come to an end and as the Morning Drive tweaks its format, segments need to change and so my last regular segment is Monday, March 30th at 6:50 AM.

So I reflected back on the past 2+ years and thought about what the three most significant leadership lessons I would like to leave with listeners:

1. Leadership is not the same as Management – The reality is that most managers are not leaders. Managers are focused on maintaining the status quo and allocating resources to do jobs faster and cheaper. Leaders are focused on making change and improving results by growing the capabilities of the people who work along side them. People are craving leadership and very few people are willing to step up to the challenge.

2. Leadership is more about Mind Set, not Skill Set – Having taught thousands of leaders, the secret isn’t in techniques – it is in having a constructive mindset that is focused on Achievement, Encouragement and being Approachable and Open. If you can shift from being overly aggressive or passive you can be a leader people want to follow. Remember that the situation could easily be reversed and you could be working for the people who report to you.

3. Motivation involves three things – helping people feel that they are important part of the team, giving them positive feedback for a job well done and challenging them to grow, make decisions and solve problems. Heaping more work on good performers makes them resentful. Avoiding addressing poor performance causes a lack of respect for your leadership ability.

I am launching a new podcast called BeABetterLeader which will be available through my website and itunes so if you haven’t signed up for my mailing list, please visit LeadershipWizard.com.

Likely you have heard the latest buzz about Twitter. After resisting it I finally took the plunge.

Twitter works similarly to a text message from your cell phone. It is 140 characters long and a record of your posts is kept on your Twitter page. Unlike a cell phone text message, everyone who ‘follows’ you can see your posts. In Canada, Bell Mobility customers can update Twitter and receive alerts on their cell phones by text message.

Twitter can allow you to stay in touch with like minded people easily. Companies and groups can use it to relay messages quickly, although one drawback is that it is completely public so you don’t want to share corporate secrets.

So why am I taking the time to make daily or even more frequent posts to Twitter, Facebook, my blog, LinkedIn and Plaxo? Two reasons. The next generation of employees and leaders are more tech friendly so I want to build connections with this group. Secondly it keeps me generating content that can be used in newsletters, magazine articles and even a future book and podcast.

If you are resisting all of this, perhaps its time to reflect and join in the change. With people spending less time with newspapers and television, the time and attention spent online is growing.

Want to join in and follow my posts on Twitter?

http://twitter.com/leadershipwiz

Does your manager give off mixed messages that leave you dazed and confused? In my work with various companies and organizations I have found a big difference from what the boss thinks he or she is saying and what people in the organization are hearing.

So let’s look at some of the hidden messages your boss is communicating, even if it doesn’t match what he or she says, along with some tips on how to clarify the real message.

Pay attention to what your boss does, not necessarily what she says

Actions speak louder than words and although we might like our kids to do what we say and not what we do, the reality is our actions speak loud and clear about what’s important. Watch what your manager pays attention to. Watch what seems to get them stressed.

Some examples:

• If the boss acts like nothing is wrong or tries to cover up the organization’s challenges, how can he or she expect employees to know there is a crisis? I’ve seen business owners attempt to “keep up appearances” when they really need to deliver some serious messages within the organization.
• If the boss is asking a lot of detail about one specific area (i.e. sales) then it means that either his boss is putting pressure on sales, or there is a concern about sales, or the person in charge of sales may not be meeting expectations. If you’re in sales, it’s obvious – lay out the plan and get moving on execution. If you are not in sales, tie in what you are working on to how it impacts sales.
• In sports you will often hear a rumor that a coach is about to be fired. Then the General Manager comes out in public and says they are 100% behind the coach. Then a few days or weeks later, the coach gets fired. If your boss has to defend you too many times in public it is a sign you’re going to be fired.
• If the boss says times are tough and you have to watch expenses and yet you see some spending in areas that might be considered discretionary – the hidden message is, “We are prepared to spend money on something we consider important.” Continue to submit your ideas and justify how they will help the organization. If all spending is severely cut back and there is no evidence of “luxury” then chances are cash is really tight.

If you are the manager…

It’s better not to confuse the people who report to you. Be straight about your messaging and be prepared to repeat your message until it is understood. If you are focused on increasing sales – say so; if you are conserving cash flow but willing to spend wisely in some areas, say so; if someone isn’t performing, tell them and lay out the consequences; and if your organization is hurting, tell your employees so they can help you turn it around.

In the same way as we watch managers for clues as to their true intent, managers should observe their employee’s behaviour to see if they are “getting the correct message.”

The Leadership Wizard segment will come to an end March 30th after more than 125 segments. For listeners who want to continue hearing this information I will be developing a new Podcast that you can have delivered by email, download it at itunes or get it from my website. All you have to do now is make sure you are on my mailing list at www.LeadershipWizard.com.

I realize that companies like AIG, General Motors and Chrysler have their backs against the wall and face the alternatives of either accepting a government bailout or declaring bankruptcy. Isn’t it interesting the kind of scrutiny they are now and will continue to receive because they said yes to government assistance?

It’s kind of the same if on a personal level you decided to loan a family member a thousand dollars because they were in a tight spot financially and then watched them blow money on a fancy dinner or a weekend getaway.

And even worse is when the government, which has a tough enough time managing its own finances, begins to point fingers at corporations because of their bad financial decisions!

It’s a good thing that Ford Motor Company has so far turned down bailout money. They might actually be able to increase market share while their cross town rivals have to face intense scrutiny over every decision.

All this only illustrates that it is difficult to work against market forces and save people from their own bad decisions.

The impact that training and experience can bring to your organization can be dramatic.

Continental Connection Flight 3407 experienced icing conditions and crash landed on February 12th outside Buffalo New York killing 49 people on board and one person on the ground. Captain Marvin Renslow was the pilot of that flight. Captain Renslow had only 110 hours of flight time on that specific model of aircraft and a total of 3,000 hours of flight time in total. Reportedly the crew may have been flying on autopilot in those conditions which was not advised.

US Airways Flight 1549 landed safely on the Hudson River January 15th piloted by Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullivan had more than 19,000 flying hours and enough experience that in seconds he was able to decide the best course of action and execute it flawlessly. 155 people were able to walk off that aircraft, something that hasn’t been achieved in 45 years (in terms of a water landing not having fatalities).

How companies can make sure their staff are competent and experienced

Understand What Is Expected: Captain Sully knew the outcome he was looking for. Do your staff understand the importance of looking after customers, reducing costs, and creating new products and services? Most employees only have a vague idea of what is expected. Managers have to repeat themselves many times in order for employees to know clearly what’s expected.

Training: Pilots take weeks of training before being able to fly a new model of aircraft. In my personal private pilot training I had to repeatedly practice what to do in case of emergency, radio failure, and engine failure. Do your staff get the training they need for success? Do you simply put a new employee with an existing employee and hope they learn the proper procedures? It is better to provide detailed training and then check in to make sure the skills are being applied. Perhaps the most shocking deficiency is the training of leaders in how to be effective. If the leader isn’t well trained, how well will the staff be trained?

Feedback: Employees need to hear how they are performing against the expectations. Many employees still do not have an annual performance evaluation or even regular feedback on what they are doing right and what needs to be improved. When there is no feedback or not enough – the manager is assuming the employee is doing things well and the employee assumes everything is okay but in reality the performance might be below what is possible.

Listening is a key skill for managers and in life in general.

Do people think they are better listeners than they really are?

Yes, most people THINK they listen well. In reality most managers and employees really don’t listen well. I see it in training classes when I give instructions. People usually miss it the first time and sometimes need to hear it three or more times. And then they wonder why employees don’t do what they ask them the first time!

When we teach listening skills there are a number of reasons managers, supervisors and employees do not listen.

• Not giving the person your full attention. If you come to my office and I keep my hands on my computer keyboard, I’m telling you that I am distracted. I shouldn’t pretend to listen. Instead I should either push back and give you my undivided attention or say I will come and see you later. Listening takes effort.
• We prejudge and don’t give people enough time to express themselves. Because we are in a hurry, we jump to a conclusion and cut the person off. As I learn at home, my wife does not want me to prescribe a solution – she just wants me to listen. Give your people a chance to share what’s on their mind and they will be happier.
• We let our personal biases get in the way. If I don’t like an individual or I’ve decided that they are a trouble maker or come up with dumb ideas, I’m going to ignore them from the get go. Instead I should listen more closely because they may indeed have a good idea or a valid concern.
• Lack of context – When you hear information for the first time often you cannot retain it because you have no context. For example when Rob Shervill says the weather, he says it once and then repeats it because your brain goes – was that the weather? and then you are ready to hear it.

We teach managers, supervisors and team leaders to become more effective communicators.