BLURR: Dissertation

Learn Your Business Inside Out
-          enables you to spot trends
-          allows you to make better decisions
-          allow you to defend your thinking

Know the questions your boss is going to ask
-          It’s easier to poke holes in your own work and not have your peers or management do it
-          When might my boss ask for additional information?
-          Where is the hole in this argument?
-          What follow up questions will be asked?
-          Be prepared.

Make decisions as if you owned the Company
-          make choices from a company perspective
-          what is the best thing for the company

Work smart, not long
-          cut unnecessary meetings
-          don’t be a perfectionist if it is not called for
-          direct your best efforts towards what really matters

“I don’t know, I’ll find out” is Okay
-          no one expects you to know everything
-          a little humility goes a long way
-          shows honesty without panic
-          never represent a fact with a guess – do not bluff

Real employees do eat lunch
-          you need to give your circuits a rest
-          lots of important things happen outside the office
-          reboot your brain
-          staying in your office all day may be a great way to accomplish your tasks but may not be the best at your job

Creativity is not a one person job
-          getting a colleague involved in a thorny issue or cool idea could yield greater results
-          makes others feel more valuable
-          give credit where credit is due
-          “borrow the brain”

Make your boss look good
-          making your boss look like a star makes you look like a star
-          keep boss informed with honest feedback
-          support your bosses decision the best way you can

Don’t waste your bosses time
-          don’t use bosses time to think through an idea for the first time
-          be low maintenance
-          save unscheduled visits for urgent issues
-          prepare summaries with solutions and recommendations
-          be clear, concise and relevant
-          cut to the problem, issue or outcome
-          think through what the meeting should cover prior to the meeting

If dropping the ball – arrange to have it caught
-          if you can’t follow through on a commitment, find help fast
-          signs of dropped balls are:
-          less important assignments given to you
-          boss making sure you are doing your work
-          meet your commitments

Experience verses Instinct
-          go with your gut, even when you disagree with experts

Prepare your manager for bad news early
-          don’t surprise your boss with missed deadline or productive glitch
-          create early warning system to warn boss of issues
-          early warning gives manager time to help, opportunity to defend you, or prepare upper management what is to come

See how your boss works and what (s)he needs
-          what are your bosses strengths and weaknesses?
-          what can you learn from these traits?
-          Don’t be afraid to ask how they prefer to work or confirm with them what you’ve noticed so far
-          Aid your boss where s(he) needs it most
-          You many have been hired for a complementary strength – use it.

Let the manager know how they are doing
-          if you don’t let your boss know how he or she is doing, how can you expect them to change
-          give feedback in a positive and constructive way
-          great managers not born, they are made and often made by their teams.

Changing positions
-          your manager can either be a speedboat for your career, or an anchor on it.
-          If your anchored, plan an escape with the best possible terms
-          Give as much notice as possible and recommend a replacement
-          Always do your best for your boss and colleagues. You may never know when they will turn up again.
-          You may require a favor, recommendation, quick information, or advice from a past boss.
-          Leave on the best possible terms and with the best impression.

Business Sense for Managers

A Good Boss
·         Just because you are a leader does not mean your team knows how, when, why or where to follow.
·         Goals, deadlines and feedback will keep your team on track.
·         Giving credit is good for morale.
·         Stars gravitate toward strong managers
·         Your employees reflect on you

Communicate Strategy
·         Communicate overall strategy/goals and empower your team to make decisions without asking you
·         Make goals so easy to understand they could easily be recited.
·         What are your goals?
·         Can your team recite them?

Give Your Team Time
·         One short meeting with each team member can stop them from spinning their wheels for days
·         Your quick response on a plan keeps the team moving, not waiting
·         Give your time when your team needs it and your time will go a long way
·         At the top of each email, note a date you need a response by.

Give Your Team a Hill to Climb
·         A challenging rival can be a great motivator (another dept, competitor etc)
·         A little competition can make a big difference
·         Competition drives focus and motivation

Give Credit when Credit is Due
·         “Great job!” costs nothing (cheaper to push through a promotion or raise) and can go a long way
·         Boosts morale and makes your team work harder because they know they will be recognized for it
·         Reward the values you want to perpetuate.
·         Awards should be sparse and meaningful, not devalued in large numbers.

Take the Blame
·         Don’t blame another team member, your own group, or another organization for a problem.
·         You’ll gain the respect of higher ups and the loyalty of your team if you take the burden, no matter whose fault the problem was.

Act the Way You Want Your Team to Act
·         You set an example for your team and they follow your lead
·         Your team take cues from your attitude and actions.
·         Your example helps set the corporate culture.

Send Your Team in to the President
·         Give a representative from your team the opportunity to represent you in a big meeting or presentation.
·         Putting a team member in front of the head honcho shows that you trust the team member to know their stuff and to do a good job.

Prepare a Class of Successes Not a Successor
·         Best way to get out of your job is to train someone to take over your capacity. Your boss will feel confident letting you go and your employee will work hard to get your job.
·         Grow the whole team instead of one heir.
·         Give your team tougher and tougher assignments, debate issues and decisions with them.
·         Encourage creative and lateral thinking.

It’s almost never as bas as you think it is
·         Losing your temper never helps a situation
·         Be calm, factual and don’t get emotional
·         Let people own up to and fix mistakes
·         Remember mistakes are a result of learning, growing and developing
·         Calmly ask yourself:
·         How did this happen?
·         What can we do to fix it?
·         What can we do to ensure this doesn’t happen again?
·         Avoid severe punishment and wild tirades
·         Keep your composure and concentrate on the solutions not the problem

Stay Flexible
·         When creating a strategy, or action plan always be prepared to scrap and laterally think of another “outside” the box idea.
·         Keep an open mind about any potential solution
·         Never say Never

It’s OK to Be Designated Jerk
·         It’s ok to speak up and state your mind, even if it makes you look like a jerk. Use your gut feel.
·         It’s ok to have a reputation for wearing a Debono red, black, white, green, yellow or blue hat
·         Ensure your team understands that “designated jerk” is temporary so that it won’t be emulated.
·         It’s also ok to be “designated scapegoat” or “designated peacemaker”.

Grunt Work is not Beneath You
·         You may be called upon to do “grunt work”. Do it! You will look like a team player and people will do favors for you in return.
·         Don’t hesitate to roll up your sleeves and help your team through a crunch.

Manage Your Team, One Person at a Time
·         Your team is a group of individuals, and each needs to be managed differently.
·         Too little attention can send your “star” employee adrift
·         An under performer may require examination, motivation, or recognition
·         New employees may require continual checks to ensure they are on track

Mentor Your Team
·         Grow your employees and you, the team and the company will benefit
·         Make ways to help your team get to the next level of performance and responsibility
·         Show your team how you make decisions. Take them for a ride through your process.
·         Help them prepare or let them prepare one of your presentations.
·         Give assignments to give them upper management exposure.
·         Send them to a meeting in your place (and they will feel great about being chosen).
·         Give them responsibilities that will work on their weaknesses.
·         Let them spend a day in a different functional area of the organization
·         Encourage continued education
·         Bring them to higher level meetings to observe
·         Lead by example.

Friend verses Boss
·         It’s a difficult to strike a right balance between being liked and being respected.
·         If you are too friendly and socialize too much with your group you may find it difficult to give unpleasant feedback. Conversely, if you are too distant, your team may feel you are unapproachable for questions or problems.
·         Friendly is great, but ‘friend’ may be crossing the fine line
·         A boss who is a friend may ‘soft pedal’ his criticism.
·         Being friends with just one employee can cause jealously; criticism of favoritism and cause a lack of credibility/respect of the manager

No Surprises – No Shockers
·         Feedback along the way is easier to give, to hear and to take action on.
·         Let your team players know when they made a mistake and understand their learning
·         Communications will let them know where they stand with you

Hire Smart and Don’t Rush
·         A good hire can take weight off your shoulders, a weaker performer can weaken your entire team.
·         Ask yourself if this candidate can grow into the next levels and will they be successful with a variety of responsibilities (or just the current position).
·         Consider raw talent over experience “I’d rather have a fast computer I’ll spend time with and program to do a variety of things rather than one that comes programmed for one task” Is the person you’re interviewing smarter than half the group? They need to be since your intention is to raise the median, not lower it.
·         Provide Human Resources immediate email feedback on interviews. This forces your immediate impressions. Start the email with HIRE or NO HIRE at the top, then provide your feedback. Make certain you cc yourself so you have a copy for documentation. If you indicate NO HIRE be certain you don’t recommend the individual to another department. If they are not good enough for your team, don’t stick them with another group.

Keep the Atmosphere Fun
·         Teams bond in the course of hard work, sharing experiences and in play time. Fun builds morale and team work.
·         Organize team events and outings.
·         Encourage wild ideas and out of the box thinking.
·         Be creative