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Cold Culture? Heat It Up in a Hurry!

April 19, 2010 By

Why do so many organizations’ “suck” and why do they just not get “it” right?

Here’s a letter we received recently from a leader looking to us to take his organization up a degree or two (Make that at least five degrees!)  When reading it, see if anything sounds familiar?

Dear Pathos,

I am writing to you after recently spending the last three days at a team building event my company held for its leadership development candidates (LDC).  After three days of alternating excruciating heat (think James Arthur Ray’s sweat lodge) and freezing cold (think Donner Party), I am left wondering exactly why I was so excited to be selected as an LDC?

I guess at the heart of what truly bothers me is that as I looked around the room at the other LDC’s, I realized that each of us were really left to our own demise regarding how we performed our roles within the organization.  Absent was any resemblance of consistency regarding our organization vision, picture of where we were going and values which would take us there.  Worse yet, the leadership in our organization put on what could only be described as a “cold, distant, and disconnected” panel session in which we were encouraged to listen to their stories about how great the company was back in the 90’s!

I’ve come to the realization that “What got me here isn’t going to keep me there!”  I feel disillusioned after my three days in close quarters with the organization’s leadership, a lot like Dorothy  realizing that the Great Oz was actually just a man behind a curtain with some special effects!  While I am grateful for the many things which the organization provides for me and my family, I worry about the cold culture causing lasting damage to me.

Cold Culture Survivalist

The letter from Cold Culture Survivalist prompted us to recall Dave Logan’s “Tribal Leadership” book in which he reveals that there are only 5 stages of organization culture, and that once you figure out where you are amongst those stages via what you have, you can determine how you can move  up.  Why would you want to move up in these culture stages?  Well, according to Logan, the organization that do are more effective, more profitable, and basically everybody wins.

Here is a summary of the five stages identified in the book:

Bottom – Stage 1: (2% of all organizations) The bottom of the barrel, well to put it bluntly performs the least well.  Here they say “life sucks!”  They may not come out and say it out loud, but this screams from the participants actions.  This happens rarely in the corporate world, but there are exceptions…

Stage 2: (25% of all organizations) “My life sucks” is their theme.  No hostility, instead there is apathy.  Performance drops, no innovation, new ideas are squashed, vision/values are laughed at (Mumbo jumbo), and so on is the way of life in this stage.

Stage 3: (48% of all organizations) Here they say “I am great, and you’re not!”  There can be only one… very competitive here.  In the end, you’ve got to look better.  When it comes to clients, they notice that you’re not on the same page.  If they only had a mirror to see themselves here in Stage 3!

From this point forward, organizations who operate in Stage 4 and 5 will reflect 300-500% improvement…

Stage 4: (23% of all organizations) “We’re Great, and They’re Not!” is the mantra here.  There is always a competitor, as you move to the top of the organization; the “they” gets more vague.

Stage 5: (2%) Atop the Winslow Hierarchy of Needs is the idea that “Life is Great”… Our competitor becomes an idea, or a thought.

So what can our friend Cold Culture Survivalist do?  Sometimes the realization of where you are truly at spending your time can be a valuable exercise.  Here are several questions to ask yourself if you can sympathize with them:

  • What stage do you believe your organization is at?
  • What stage do you believe you are at within the organization?
  • What are the “Top Three” actions within your control that you could take to improve the stage position?
  • What’s at stake if you don’t achieve those three actions?
  • What do you want to do?

▫   What’s your gut telling you is right?

▫   What’s your heart telling you is right?

Keep in mind, most leaders put themselves 2-3 stages higher than they really are (Positive Bias).    Individuals aren’t very good at assessing themselves.  The group is much better at assessing themselves, so perhaps you should also include feedback from those around you.

If you don’t get in touch with what’s really important to you, you will get yourself caught in one of those computer-programming-like loops we refer to as a “Downward-Death-Spiral.”  This spiral sees nowhere but down-and-out as options.  So how do you rewrite this?  Confront Reality… or as one of our clients says “Decide… Commit… Succeed!”

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Organization Development: Engaging the Baby Boomers

April 2, 2010 By

Five Organization Development Strategies for a more productive workplace.

As we slowly but surely pull out of the recent economic downturn, it’s time to assess our organization development to determine exactly who will fuel our renewal and growth.  “The rules of engagement have changed” said Sam Palazzolo CPLP PCC, President of Pathos Leadership Group.  “The landscape of talent management requires and entirely different horticultural approach.”

What’s at stake is an attempt to determine how to best move forward with the Baby Boomers (Those born 1946 to 1964) while continuing to engage the remainder of the Four Generation Workforce (Millenials, Generation X and Y).  We estimate that the recent recession caused this section of the workforce to extend, or delay, retiring by double their pre-recession plans.  “The Baby Boomers are pissed” says Palazzolo.  “and they should be!”  The light on the retirement train which was insight at the end of the tunnel has been snuffed out, or extinguished, causing most Baby Boomers to rethink, refocus, and replan their retirement efforts.

So how will you ensure that the extended length of time for this group is spent on results-oriented organization initiatives?  The following five (5) strategies should be implemented in order to engage Baby Boomers:

  1. Time, Time, Time… See What’s Become of Me! – Simon & Garfunkel originally sang the lyrics (later respun by Susanna Hoffs of the Bangels) which focused a generation (or two!)  Time has never been more important, and there has never been an age group that values their time more than the Baby Boomers.  With that in mind, insure that your organization development plan encompasses incentives that are time rich, including time off.
  2. Act Green Locally… Go Green Globally – Going green for Baby Boomers includes the opportunity to give back.  Allow opportunities for community involvement (Think Habitat for Humanity) as well as time for “good will” sabbaticals.  They’ll come back recharged, refocused and rededicated.
  3. Wrap It Up… I’ll Take It – Allow Baby Boomers the flexibility while working on projects to participate on specific modules which highlight their expertise, instead of the entire project.
  4. Send in the Clowns – Ok, not the circus clowns… think Cirque de Soleil!  In other words, allow Baby Boomers the flexibility of a rope dancer in your organization.  By providing the opportunity to pick/chose their schedule, as well as where they work, their productivity will blossom.
  5. People Let Me Tell You About My Best Friend – Install a mentorship (or coaching) program where the wisdom of Baby Boomers can be tapped before they depart from the organization.  Simply put, get the information from them before they’re gone.

By adopting any of the proceeding five organization development strategies for Baby Boomers, you’ll create an engagement initiative which few organizations can deliver.  Furthermore, the productivity and results of your organization will be cast for years to come, resulting in a much needed lift to any organization after the economic drubbing of recent years.

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Are You and Your Organization the BEST?

February 9, 2010 By

The ASTD BEST Awards annually recognize organizations that demonstrate enterprise-wide success as a result of their employee learning and development. They look for organizations that get it: they use the learning function as a strategic business tool to get results.  Award winners show that they are BEST at building talent, enterprise-wide, supported by the organization’s leaders, fostering a thorough learning culture.

HURRY!  The BEST applications must be submitted by March 31, 2010.

Each year we work with organizations who strive to be the BEST, so together we can help you and your organization:

  • Be honored for your contributions and identified as among the BEST in the world
  • Establish your organization as a leader recognizing learning has an enterprise-wide role
  • Share your innovative ideas with peers in the industry at Learn from the BEST meetings
  • Teach others to embrace learning and development as a strategic initiative

If this doesn’t sound like your organization, that’s even more reason for us to strategically partner together!  For more information, please contact us at 877-455-3133 or info@pathosleadershipgroup.com.


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Executive Coach Asks Leaders… “Should You Go Undercover?”

February 8, 2010 By

5 Reasons Why Going Undercover Could Save Your Business!

Executive Coach Asks You To Go Undercover

After watching the premier of CBS’ Undercover Boss last night after the Super Bowl,  we’re left here at Pathos Leadership Group wondering why more leaders don’t go “undercover” to identify first-hand what problems really are being faced day-in and day-out in their organizations.  In case you missed it, the Undercover Boss premise features a senior executive at a major corporation, who for one week works incognito in his/her own company as a newly-hired entry-level worker, to find out how the company really works (including the impact of “corporate policy”) and identify some of the unsung heroes among the workers.

Here are five reasons why if you are a leader you should schedule an undercover session ASAP:

  1. Find Efficiencies – We’d all like to think that our operations are running optimally.  Unfortunately, even though all the reports in the world say that we are, there’s still room for improvement.  For example, one business owner that we worked with had a fleet of delivery trucks.  While he believed that the delivery drivers were extremely honest, and the GPS systems he installed verified that they were working hard, until he actually went on ride-n-drives with them did he discover there was a lot more upside to the efficiency story than he had been reading about and being told.
  2. Production Bottlenecks – By working on the assembly line, production line, sales call routine, paperwork shuffle, etc. you’ll see first-hand where production is bottlenecking.  Most importantly, you can assess exactly what is causing the bottleneck.  Is it that your associates don’t have the right skills, tools, numbers, etc.?
  3. Human Capital Deployment – The adage “people are our most important asset” seems to be overstated yet underrated in the workplace.  With organizations attempting to do more with less and less, the opportunity exists to put together a business scenario for increasing new hires when the payoff is greater than associated expenses.  In other words, careful analysis can reveal if you’re running the operation too lean for your own bottom-line good!
  4. Strategic Policies & Procedures – The “Ivory Tower” is a long way away from where the action happens sometimes, and perhaps the best way to see what the ramifications of your decisions are is to talk to the people they are intended for.   An even better best practice would be to actively involve those that the decisions will ultimately effect in the actual decision making process.
  5. Avoid the “YES Man” Syndrome – As an Executive Coach working with leaders, I am often complemented that I ask the questions that the executive’s leadership team doesn’t!  While I’d love to admit that I have greater subject matter expertise all the time which I can tap to provide insight from, more times than not I ask the questions that the leadership team is scared to ask.  The New Orleanian saying “If you’re scared, just say you’re scared!” still doesn’t allow organization’s associates, regardless of level, to ask the scary questions.  I’ve come to realize that this has more to with job security than anything else (Yes, retribution and retaliation are alive and well in the minds of those that should ask these difficult questions!)

Management By Walking Around (MBWA) was a leadership fad that unfortunately seems to have come and gone.  By discovering the five undercover strategies listed above, leaders should rediscover the positive gains to be had!  What’s stopping you from going undercover?

Sam Palazzolo CPLP, PCC is President and Chief Influence Officer at Pathos Leadership Group. Since 2005, Sam and the team at Pathos have been helping leaders and their organizations get the influential edge, so that when they compete… They win! If you’re a leader and you’d like to see how you rank on the “Influential Leader” scale, complete the partial Influential Leader Inventory at http://www.pathosleadershipgroup.com/assessments/ILI/ today! For more information on Sam or Pathos, contact us at 877.455.3133 or email info@pathosleadershipgroup.com.

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Is Focus the Key to Business Success in 2010?

January 5, 2010 By

Executive Coaching sessions teach that If you stare at a business problem long enough… You’ll still have a problem!

Pathos Executive Focus

Most business leaders spent the majority of 2009 attempting to figure out how to overcome the economy. Some chose to slash expenses (Payroll, Advertising and Marketing amongst the favorites), while others chose to shut-down for extended periods of time.  Some brave leaders even chose to increase their spending!  The bottom line is that with the economy, all leaders soon realized just how much was out of their control. This “out of control” mentality lead many, nearly most, shunning their responsibilities and casting blame elsewhere.  So just what was in a leaders control in 2009?  In our executive coaching we identified the number one area was their ability to focus.

So just what should have been focused on, and perhaps more importantly what will be the focus for those achieving success in 2010?  We’ve identified the following seven (7) focal points for success:

  1. The Organization’s Vision – The vision should compel action, and should be repeated time and again by leadership to all that will listen.  If your people don’t know where you’re headed, don’t be surprised when you arrive someplace completely different!
  2. Think “Green” Clean – How would you describe the organizational climate where you lead?  Healthy or harmful! We can tell a lot about an organization just by walking around.  Imagine… no interviews, no assessments, no meetings or focus groups… just walking around and observing.  It’s biological to state that the successful crops receive the proper nutrition and climate.   Take a look around your facilities and take stock of what is growing.  If you don’t like what you see (and few do), you have the opportunity to change it.
  3. Actively Listen – When was the last time as a leader you went into a conversation without a script, an opinion, a perspective?  If you’re biased going in, everyone will be coming out of the conversation biased thanks to you!  Why not suspending your thoughts and actively listen.  Not just hearing alone listening, but actively engaging in asking questions, nodding your head up and down to reflect comprehension, and exhausting several possibilities before concluding on one of them?
  4. Converse Optimally – We have a preconceived notion as leaders to want to have the “perfect” conversation, or the “crucial conversation” as space and time would dictate.  Let’s face facts… there is no such thing as perfection and isn’t “crucial” really just one parties perspective?  Why not strive to hold your best conversation?  Conversations where you optimally extend and receive effort.  When you do so, you’ll receive better results.
  5. Pinky Swear! – Remember when you were a kid and something of great importance was at stake and you were asked to promise?  When the truth was on the line, and you weren’t crossing your fingers behind your back, you probably were asked to pinky swear!  Why not do the same when you’re asked, or asking, to do something important?  What could be more important than keeping your organization running successfully?  The answer lies in the power of the pinky…
  6. Innovate & Differentiate – If you do little else in 2010, you’d better figure out how to innovate and differentiate your products, your services, your people, your website, your everything!  If you don’t… your competitors will… and so will your customers!
  7. Invest – We see it all too often in our organization development efforts… Leader talks a great game about how his people are “his most important asset.”  When his people are interviewed we find that they don’t have exactly the same perspective, or feelings, or see the “walk” backing up the “talk” necessary!  Investing isn’t an expense… Investments look for returns while expenses look for expenses.  While capital improvements can bring about operational efficiencies, if you’re not investing in your people they’ll either do it themselves (wishful thinking on your part) or someone else to do it for them.

There are many aspects of leading a successful business, all of which require a focal pattern of a fly!  Perhaps the greatest example of control that we see in our executive coaching is the absence of control, or the delegation thereof —a leader who has cast-off their control and delegates responsibility often remains in better control!  So which aspect of control will be the right one for you and your organization?

Sam Palazzolo, CPLP, PCC

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