KNOWING WHEN TO ZIP YOUR LIP IS KEY TO SUCCESS

Given that my company’s tag line is “master the people equation”, I’m always on the look-out for clever “equations” that tie to human dynamics. Of course, people are far too complex to be reduced to one “correct” answer like a math equation. Still, it’s fun when I discover one that seems to make sense if not in scientific way, at least in an intuitive one.

So it was with great delight that I read colleague Kevin Grossman’s Facebook post. Kevin is a Principal Partner for The Glowan Consulting Group and a fellow leadership development consultant.

“If A equals success, then the formula is: A = X+Y+Z, where X is work, Y is play, and Z is keep your mouth shut.” ~ Albert Einstein

A prominent 20^th century scientist weighs in on the human condition, acknowledging both work and play in an equation.  The added bonus of knowing when to keep one’s mouth shut is the “twist” that makes this equation so clever. Call it “The Z Factor”— the Zipping of the Lip.

Zipping one’s lips is far easier said than done.  How many times have you been tempted lash out with a scathing retort to a colleague’s thoughtless comment? In these cases, you ...

I’ll say it: men and women are different.  By many measures—physically, biologically, brain chemistry, shoe choice—we are different. 

We are the same, too.  We like to laugh. We are fierce protectors of those we love.  We seek meaningful work to occupy our time.

Can both men and women reconcile these two disparate notions and be effective leaders? If you read the business literature and believe what the media tells us, apparently not.

In my business reading, I see it time and time again—the pitting of men “against” women or vice versa as a model of leadership effectiveness.  For the longest time, the “male” or “masculine” archetype was the business model to aspire to.  This was certainly my experience when I entered the workforce in the mid-1980’s.

Over the past two decades, the tide has turned and now, it appears, it’s we woman who are “better” in the leadership arena. There is no shortage of articles touting research of the latest “proof” that women make better managers. For example, last year journalists Katty Kay and Claire Shipman wrote the book Womenics and declared in a Washington Post article—Fixing the Economy: It’s Woman’s Work.  ...

Perfection Messing Up Your Corporate Mojo?

Have you ever noticed how pervasive “perfection” is in our language?

• The phrase “perfect storm” is used to describe a “rare combination of circumstances will aggravate a situation drastically”.
• Last month, ump Jim Joyce ruined a “perfect” game for Detroit Tiger pitcher Armando Galarraga.
• Recently, corporate success coach Ann Farrell ruminated on striving for the “perfect” life.

Perfectionism isn’t limited to solely to our language, either. As a practice, The Quest for Perfect shows up on a regular basis in the workplace, most typically as a byproduct of a company’s culture.

When thinking of how workplace culture shapes employee behavior, a senior leadership work team that I consulted with comes to mind. The team was comprised of the top six leaders of a small manufacturing company and they were grappling with trust issues..  We were working offsite, trying to come up with some workable operating guidelines to ensure a more trusting, productive environment.  At one point, a Vice President bravely stepped out and said, “We are so demanding of each other, there’s absolutely no room for ...

Both of my kids are really into the stretchy bracelet craze. On the way to the grocery store today, my nine year old son remarked that one of his bracelets looked liked Medusa.  Feigning ignorance, I said, “Medusa? Who’s that?”  He replied, “You know, Mom, the mythological character who had snakes on top of her head.”

Of course, I know who Medusa is, but I wanted to know if my kid knew. Later, I realized that this conversation represented a technique honed during my years as a corporate trainer. I think of it as the “low-key testing for understanding.”  This method isn’t a new concept, of course. Greek philosopher Socrates is credited with creating a method to help people form their own conclusions by asking questions.  As a more contemporary example, Dave Meier, founder of The Center for Accelerated Learning, says “never do for the learners what they can do for themselves”. His point is that people know a lot more than we give them credit for.  Given the right tools and encouragement, people can usually figure things out for themselves.

Leaders can use this approach too. The primary objective of leadership is to bring out the best in  ...

The other day I was at a client’s office listening to a presentation.  The topic was how to effectively complete the company’s online timecard system. As the group was discussing the details of how to complete the online timecard, the talk turned to how to notify ones supervisor of impending PTO (Personal Time Off). One of the audience members piped up and said, “Well that’s easy— the XYZ system (not its real name) has a section in the upper right hand that says “Notifiy your supervisor via email.  All you have to do is click on the box.”  At which point someone else said, “Oh, that box?  It doesn’t do anything.”

“For real?”

“Yeah, for real. I learned the hard way.”

“Oh, man, I’ve been checking that box every time I file for PTO. You mean that my supervisor never gets an email?”

“Yep, pretty much.”

 The training participants looked to their instructor to verify that this was so.  Sheepishly, the instructor (who was a senior manager with the company) said Yes, it’s true. Actually, he did a marvelous job massaging the information so that the company didn’t look like it was hosting a total goat rodeo.

All the while, I’m quietly ...