November 11, 2007 – Humility Helps

One of the ugliest things to hear about yourself is, "he thinks more highly of himself than he ought to." I heard someone once ask, "Aren’t you as impressed with him as he is with himself?" Brutal. I once worked with a guy that really thought he was something. When he finally left he let everyone know how lucky the new company was going to be to get him. We felt luckier ourselves.

I’ve been fortunate with my career and have done some interesting things, but people I know are constantly surprising me with what they have done. This happened twice yesterday. At breakfast one of my buddies told me about the success he has had with his writing. One of his recent submissions topped the charts at over 1000 hits. For the past four years I’ve known him as the "go to" man with tax questions who leads the discussion in our Bible class.

Then at lunch I was bowled over by another friend of mine. He usually speaks softly and carries a hammer. He volunteers his general contractor expertise working at our church to build the big backdrops for the stage. I found out that thirty-plus years ago he was a rock star with a seven year Capitol Records contract.

Whenever my pride starts to get the best of me, I need to remember these four concepts.

Pride goes before destruction. This is often true in sports. The team that is supposed to dominate ends up limping off the field in defeat. At work it happens when you think you have everything under control because of your great team building abilities, interpersonal skills and general greatness. It blinds you to how your attitude is impacting the team until they start leaving to get away from your ego. No team? No success.

Respect is earned. If you have to tell people how great you are, you probably aren’t. One of the hard parts of starting in a new place is building back your reputation. Until people see for themselves that you know your stuff, they aren’t going to listen.

Past glory doesn’t guaranty current success. Every situation is different. Every team is unique. Every environment has its own challenges. Because I have managed a multi million dollar project for one client doesn’t mean the $100,000 one is going to be flawless. You need to make it happen, not stand around telling people how great you were.

Picture a real hero. November 11, 1918 brought an end to World War I. People around the word and throughout history have fought and died to keep others safe and free. They continue to do so today. Locally, police and fire fighters put their lives in danger to protect us and our property. Place your accomplishments into that perspective. I spent over a year creating inventory applications for a greeting card company.

When you humbly consider others greater than yourself, you have a chance to truly lead your team successfully.

November 5, 2007 – Dealing with a Newbie, Part 2

Last week we looked at how to deal with a pretty standard newbie just trying to fit in, establish himself and be productive. But what happens when you get a problem newbie? Some are just killing time while collecting a pay check but others may actually be gunning for you and your job. Either one is a pain to deal with. Here are some suggestions for training your newbie to get his act together and recognize you as the manager.

Formally assign work. Come right out and say it. Don’t suggest or hint that you want something done, assign it to him. Show him where it is in the schedule with his name on it. Give him a task list. Find something that works, but make sure you set the expectation that he is responsible for accomplishing certain items. Formally assigning and receiving of tasks is an acknowledgement that you are the manager.

Agree on target dates. Work with him to identify completion dates for the tasks assigned that he can agree to and the project can live with. Giving him a say in the due dates transfers ownership to him. At least subconsciously he will know a measurement has been established and he will be held to it.

Hold status meetings. If you are not already have weekly status meetings with the team, start them. Have everyone give a synopsis of their accomplishments for the week. The peer pressure of hearing his teammates’ achievements may inspire him. Also, meet informally one on one with him to check on progress.

Give him praise. When he does a good job, recognize it. The act of receiving the recognition builds on the manager / team member relationship. Be sincere with your praise and don’t go overboard. For the non-productive newbie this can spark further good work. If you feel he is attempting to outshine you, don’t try to extinguish his flame. Give him the recognition he deserves.

Accept mistakes. When he misses targets or makes a mistake, don't ridicule or yell at him. Recognize that he messed up and say something like, "that's ok, I'm sure you will do better next time." For honest mistakes this approach should make him try harder next time where yelling might reinforce failure. If he is deliberately messing up, you now have specific, documented instances of poor performance where expected work, based on agreed timeframes, is not being completed.

Report the facts. There are several resource reporting processes in most companies. For functional organizations (project team borrowed from different groups) the newbie’s reporting manager will want specifics. Many companies have a 90 day review process for new hires that may lend to an easy out. Your management may sense tension or the newbie may actually be going directly to your boss to stirring up trouble. Keep report the facts. Either the newbie is accomplishing his assignments or things are slipping. Feed your manager specific expected accomplishments ahead of time (i.e. "Based on newbie’s estimates the following tickets should be completed by Friday. I've asked them to..."). Then follow up with the results.

The idea is to train the newbie to recognize you as the manager and become productive without resorting to outright warfare. He will either fall in line and start acting like you are in charge or it will frustrate him to the point that his actions will be too visible to hide. By keeping management informed on a regular basis it will be difficult for him to paint a different picture of what is going on. From there disciplinary action can be taken.

There are many other aspects to handling difficult resources and we’ve barely scratched the surface on the topic. Here are two more notes to keep in mind. (1) You may have actually hired a genius that deserves to move up the ranks. Hopefully he can do it without being a jerk. Your approach can help mold his progress and may determine your future employment. (2) Jerks have a way of eventually ticking off the wrong person. If he is trampling people to gain control, chances are you aren’t the only one noticing.