Sam Palazzolo, Managing Director

The Leadership Challenge: Innovator or A$$hole – 5 Tips!

August 2, 2016 By Sam Palazzolo, Managing Director

The Point: In a constant drive for success and achievement, most leaders find themselves challenged with how best to spur on the creativity of their team to produce innovative results. However, 9/10 (but who’s counting?) this drive for innovation is misconstrued for a$$hole (Yes, that’s the word you’re thinking of – ahole!) behavior. In this post, we’ll examine the leader’s drive for innovation and provide five tips to avoid the ahole innovation trap… Enjoy!

In Steve Jobs We Trust

Meet Susan (name changed to provide anonymity), a hard-driving mid-level manager for a Fortune 100 organization. Susan recently graduated from a top-tier Executive MBA program and is on career path fire in her organization (Even though it is an extremely BIG pond as far as companies go). Having made the half-way point for the year, she finds herself in the luxurious position of being ahead, well ahead, of her individual and teams goals. However, there is one small problem with Susan… She’s an A$$hole according to her team members.

In reviewing results for a recent Behavioral 360 Degree Assessment (One where not only Susan, but her stakeholders – Superiors, Peers, and Subordinates – provided feedback on her behavior/performance/leadership qualities) it was not surprising to see Susan ranking her self higher (at times significantly higher) than that of the stakeholders who she invited to provide feedback. The results were brushed-off by Susan with a simple shrug and accompanying statement of “They [stakeholders] just don’t understand my ‘Steve Jobs’ persona replication… I’m ahead of goal, right?”

The Drive to Innovate

The fine line between leadership innovation and aholery is an easy one to cross, criss-cross, and/or stay on one side as a leader. “Those that innovate survive!” is Susan’s motto, but is it all there is to the road to successful innovation attainment?

I would argue that establishing course direction and accompanying correction upon identification of off-course moments is crucial. However, technique for original goal development, implementation and adaptation is crucial to your stakeholders identifying you as either innovator or ahole. If as a leader you think your stakeholders are misreading the situation, then do something about their perception because their perception is the reality!

5 Tips to Avoid the A$$hole Innovation Trap!

The following are five tips to avoid what I have come to term the “Ahole Innovation Trap” as a leader:

Tip #5 – Goals 1.0

Establish goals with your superiors for what high performance results should be. These should include not only desired results, but metrics that will be captured along the way so as to verify goal attainment (Think of the all too popular ‘dashboard’ and you get the picture).

Tip #4 – Goals 2.0

Review goals established in Goals 1.0 with your team, and with your team’s input identify how these goals should/will be accomplished.

Tip #3 – Delegate Responsibilities

If in Goals 2.0 you’ve identified the desired course forward towards goal attainment, delegate responsibilities to your team members. Establish who will precisely do what by when. IMPORTANT: Review with the team what has just been developed a the conclusion (This might take more than one meeting!) NOTE: You as a leader are not void of responsibility here… Insure that you provide goals for yourself as well in addition to Tip #2 and Tip #1 as follows!

Tip #2 – Accountability

Establish accountability to achieve delegation responsibilities at frequent time intervals with the team. This way, not only can you police activities, but fellow team members can help keep each other on-time/on-target as well.

Tip #1 – Monitor/Measure/Modify

Lastly, as the leader it’s important that you monitor what was established through non-judgmental measurement intervals. If you are on-time/on-target identify how you can accelerate through the timeline. If you are off-time/off-target identify where you came off-track and how you can quickly get back on-track.

SUMMARY

In this post we’ve taken a look at the leadership challenge of innovation or ahole, along with five tips for success in being known as an innovator. Regardless of your level of leadership, the skill of innovation can distinguish you from your peers. However, the ability to conduct goal attainment with accompanying ahole recognition can be career limiting.

Sam Palazzolo

PS – Susan turned out just fine… Through a series of executive coaching sessions with stakeholder feedback she quickly regained “Innovator” title!

The Leadership Challenge: Title Dilution – 3 Tips!

August 1, 2016 By Sam Palazzolo, Managing Director

The Point: If you’re an achiever in your career, your title not only represents what you do BUT your accomplishments as well. So what happens if you’re at an organization that elects to water-down or dilute titles so that everyone appears to be harmonious/at the same level operating as an entire team? In this post we’ll examine the leadership challenge of title dilution and what you can do to elevate yourself from mediocrity as you escalate the org chart on your career path… Enjoy!

The Elevator to the Top!

Every once in a while I find myself in a situation that bears repeating. Case in point this past week in an elevator riding to the top floor to spend some time with a client. Enter onto the elevator two young women also traveling to the top floor. Their conversation could be captured as follows:

Woman #1

How are things going for you over at Company XYZ?

Woman #2

They’re going fine, but I’m so concerned about our policy of title dilution. While I’ve never been concerned for me, or my abilities to achieve, the fact that we dilute company titles makes me feel like I’m not being recognized for my achievements. I mean, I know I could go over to Company ABC and make more money, but I’m not certain they’d even give me an interview because it looks like I do the work of an entry-level employee. I’m concerned…

We’re All One Team, Right?

Title Dilution is the concept that all members of a team are provided with equivalent titles. Leaders and Team Leaders not only sit/work together with their teams, but they all have the same title to boot! So what if you work for an organization that chooses to similarly title dilute? How will you be recognized? What will you do to not only stand apart from the team crowd, but remain a valued member of the team?

While you may not have to worry about title dilution as you ride the career elevator in your current organization, I see a trend of more and more organizations wanting to equate equals as part of the team as opposed to different (or same as but different).

3 Tips for Title Dilution

So what is the career savvy achiever to do so as to avoid title dilution? I provide the following Three Tips to overcome title dilution regardless of where you are at on your career path journey:

Tip #3 – To Thine Own Self Be True

Shakespeare spoke of a clever conversation between a father and son regarding escalating the org chart (or as good as career advice could be provided back in his day). It all starts with knowing who you are and what’s important to you… Here’s the passage from Hamlet (Act 1, scene 3, 78–82):

Polonius:

This above all: to thine own self be true,

And it must follow, as the night the day,

Thou canst not then be false to any man.

Farewell, my blessing season this in thee!

Laertes:

Most humbly do I take my leave, my lord.

Tip #2 – Fish Determination

Are you a BIG fish in a little pond, or a little fish in a BIG pond (or does pond size matter?) I meet with a lot of leaders that either struggle or excel depending on the situation that they find themselves. Know this much about yourself: You probably have greater comfort in one setting versus another. With that in mind, identify what your best setting is and look to maximize your impact.

Tip #1 – GOALS

If you don’t have goals, you’re either (A) dreaming or (B) letting someone else determine your fate/destiny/outcome. If titles are important to you (either for ego purposes, marketing your brand, or the perception of greater income – either real or imagined) then an organization that dilutes the titles of achievers may or may not be the right place for you.

SUMMARY

In this passage we’ve taken a look at the leadership challenge of title dilution and presented three tips. Important to note that while careers aren’t built/realized overnight, they can come unwound in a relatively short time period. Identifying who you are (and what’s important to you), where you are at, and a plan for success should assist you in overcoming dilution moments in your career regardless of whether you are just starting your journey, midway, or looking for a way to “ride off into the sunset” as you leave your legacy for others to marvel at.

Sam Palazzolo

The Leadership Challenge: Pollyannaish

May 9, 2016 By Sam Palazzolo, Managing Director

The Point: You want to have a positive outlook… I want to have a positive outlook… I think we ALL want to have a positive outlook! But is that positive outlook actually doing more harm than good for you? In this post, we’ll take a look at The Leadership Challenge Pollyannaish to determine if it’s actually working for the good, or if it’s acting as evil in your leadership development… Enjoy!

Blinded by Optimism

I was introduced to the “Pity Parade” concept about a decade ago. This concept goes something like “it’s easier to be down in the dumps, as opposed to upbeat and optimistic.” If you ever notice, or took the time to count just how many people are down as opposed to up, you’d quickly surmise that the ratio is about 10:1 (Down:Up). That’s a pretty staggering quantity… So why are there so many people choosing (It is a choice after all to determine your attitude) to be down?

The reason so many people prefer to be down, or negative, is that it is simply far easier. If it takes less muscles in the human face to smile as opposed to frown (43 to frown while only 17 to smile – Check it out for yourself at http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/emotions/muscles-smile.htm), why put in the extra effort to be negative. The choice (again, it’s a choice!) is that while the initial effort/energy might be greater, the long-run follow-up effort/energy is, well, effortless. You will expend far fewer calories as a leader being negative. Being positive strains your leadership muscles and causes you in the initial moments to exert additional effort/energy as well as in the long-run. So this is why the “Pity Parade” has so many members in it… and it’s a long parade!

Menander vs. Marcus

Let’s go back in time to see if leadership “Pollyannaish” tendencies are dictated by human history… All the way back to around 150 AD. Picture a world very different from the one today (What, no iPhones? Tragedy!) A world ruled by the Roman Empire, stretching for nearly 75% of the known world. A world run by Roman Emperors and in this time period the great Marcus Aurelius. The backbone of this empire some could argue came from the philosophical lessons handed down from the Greeks. One such Greek was none other than Menander. Now Menander was a sort of Steven Spielberg meets Saturday Night Live of his time, and is the best known representative of Athenian New Comedy (He penned 108 comedies and took the prize at the Lenaia Festival 8 times – something akin to the Oscars I would imagine).

Menander was known for his quick wit, and captured many a stinging quote in his work. One such capture consisted of the quote “So surrounded by good things was he…” which allowed the audience member to fill in the blank regarding exactly what it was that our hero in the work had regarding choices to be made. It was in this Pollyannaish moment that we can realize that when everything is going right, perhaps there is some major wrong taking place! To the rescue comes our Emperor (Marcus Aurelius)! He quickly quips back regarding this line “So surrounded by good things was he… That he didn’t have a place to take a sh!t!” (Of course this is a relative translation and loose interpretation, but you get the point). This must have caused some sort of Pity Parade to form… Do you think there were those whispering ‘memento mori’ (remember you are mortal) to one another in the parade? Me thinketh not…

Pollyannaish for Good or Evil?

So the leadership challenge of being Pollyannaish is staring you right in the face… What are you going to do? How are you going to behave? Week in and week out I see leaders struggling to maintain composure and control of their operations. At the heart of this struggle is their attitude… The attitude that they have 100% control over! They choose whether or not to be positive or negative, and it’s often in these choice-trenches that they win or lose the business war for the day, the week, or their careers.

One of my favorite lines or questions in conducting a conversation, be it a consulting engagement, a coaching conversation, or just a mere acquaintance conversation to align around a topic is to ask “Are you up for an observation?” Surprisingly, I’ve never had anyone say “No” to my request! Perhaps because it is a level-reset opportunity, or the truth is staring both of us in the face, but my intentions are to share something for the good. My experience has shared with me that because just so many of us dwell in the negative that a good moment shared just might establish the trajectory of the day, week or career.

SUMMARY

In this post we’ve taken a look at the leadership challenge Pollyannaish. Remember, being negative is easy. Strive for the hard leadership moment of being positive, while not forgetting to simultaneously be cautiously optimistic and you will set a tone/pace in the much better positive direction for your organization, your stakeholders, and yourself!

Sam Palazzolo

The Leadership Challenge: Legacy Lessons from My Father – 5 Tips!

April 21, 2016 By Sam Palazzolo, Managing Director

The Point: Today marks the nine year anniversary of my Father’s passing. It seems like just yesterday… And in another sense, it seems like forever ago! My Father is responsible for making me the man I am today (Son to my Mother, Brother to my Sister, Husband to my Wife, and Father myself to my own Children). So in order to honor his legacy, I wanted to share with you five (5) legacy lessons that he espoused to me… Enjoy!
What’s a Legacy Anyway?
Why do you do what you do? How is what you’re doing today going to benefit others tomorrow? If you’re a deep-thinker or ever bumped your head against your own mortality, you’ve probably asked these questions of yourself. Depending upon your answers (and it’s a self-assessment, so honesty counts!), you’ve probably maintained or course corrected your personal/professional direction.
So the legacy you leave behind basically is what you want others to remember you for. What was it that you stood for? What will they remember you for when it’s all said and done and you’re no longer present? And perhaps most important, will anyone even notice if you’re gone? If you contemplate life’s legacy moments as such, then the following tips represent moments shared with me by my Father. While they may/may not be appropriate for you given your station in life, no doubt there is something that may resonate for all so that you are not only remembered after you have departed, but missed as well!

Tip #1 – It’s Up To You!
The great Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius said it, and my Father reinforced it in me. Whether you’re having a good day (Why are you settling for “good” when “great” is available? A topic for another day…) or a not-so-good day, it’s up to you to identify and either accept or change it. It’s up to you!

Tip #2 – What Are You Thinking?
Action without thought leads to disastrous outcomes regardless of age. My Father asked repeatedly (perhaps because of my pension for trouble) what exactly I was thinking that caused me to do what it was that I had done. While not coming from the perspective to gain understanding, so much as to teach me to NOT repeat similar choices. When my Father spoke, I listened… This thought-message was sent/received.

Tip #3 – Keep Your Eye On The Ball
My Father was also my Little League baseball coach. While the legacy lesson may appear to be focused solely on that sport, it actually applied to everything in life. From his perspective, detail and attention therein was perceived crucial for a successful outcome. So keep your eye on the “ball” could easily mean “business” or “relationship with your wife” or everything else as was intended. Think of it as limitless attention to detail and you’ve got it!

Tip #4 – Work is Sh!t
My Father was never big on believing that his work defined him as a person, and more importantly his significance in life. Instead, work was a means to an end for him. I remember telling him repeatedly that he was wrong, and that if you truly do what you love you never work a day in your life (I think Jim Rohn said that or something akin to?) My Father encouraged me to go in that “love” instead of “sh!t” direction then, but to buckle-back with him to tell how that worked out.

Tip #5 – It’s All Right
My Fathers final conversation came as he was in a nursing home after suffering a series of heart attack/stroke combinations (2, 3, 4… Who knows? The doctors could never give us definitive quantity). Throw on top of that deadly series of heart attacks/strokes a severe case of dementia and you’ve got nothing… No comprehension… No reaction to pain… No Father that I grew up knowing and loving. He was simply a shell of a man, hollow inside and an exterior that was far from who I knew/loved/idolized. However, it was in just this state that while eating breakfast one morning he extended his hand, placed it on top of mine, told me “It’s all right” and tapped my hand three times as he had done a thousand times before. He passed within 12 hours of that limited conversation, so it was the last time I ever heard his voice.

SUMMARY
I have cried a thousand tears for my Father since his passing (I’m crying now as I write this!) My hope is in sharing these five legacy lessons learned from him that you are able to live the life you deserve and leave behind a legacy worthy of you/your efforts.

Sam Palazzolo

The Leadership Challenge: Nature versus Nurture?

March 23, 2016 By Sam Palazzolo, Managing Director

The Point: Perhaps it’s a “haves” versus a “have nots” moment. Better yet, what if the Jones’s in their perpetual conquest to stay ahead of us all, are just plain better at attaining levels that the far majority of us will never “sniff” as a leader? If such rarified air and leadership levels leave you frustrated beyond all contempt, then this post is for you. Here, we’ll take a look at leadership from a nature versus nurture perspective, and if you were hoping that legacy-leadership moments could be yours “just because” you may have another thing coming… Enjoy!

Leadership Legacy Study

The US National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health report that if you have predisposal to leadership (i.e., a member of the family is a leader in an organization), you have approximately a 24% chance of likewise attaining such leadership capacity in your own career endeavors. They furthermore drill-down to share that the leadership association is with rs4950, a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) which resides on a neuronal acetylcholine receptor gene (CHRNB3 if you’re keeping score at home). While the results are predominantly found in twins, there may be the likelihood (however unlikely) that singletons may have such predisposition as well. Score one for nurture!

Huh? The Leadership Challenge is What?

So with all the leadership challenges surrounding the leader of today, pile one more on top which represents the age old debate whether one is born into a leadership role or one can be shaped/prepared for them. While I’ve spent time working with many a leader over the years, some who had formal education and others that had nothing more than emotional intelligence to run on, one thing has proven consistent… It’s not who you were born from, it’s what you’re born of that matters!

Leadership: It’s Not What You Think

While certain leaders have the fortunate situation of being born into the role, the vast majority earn their stripes (or title in this instance). As such, there is little doubt in my mind that leadership is a dish best served with fresh ingredients (Score one for nurture!) In other words, leaders who have no legacy to uphold typically are afforded greater leeway and latitude, whereby those seeking to uphold such legacy are often weighted down by the burden of upholding what those family predecessors have paved (Score another for nurture!)

Regardless of what the US National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health purported to learn about leadership, the simple fact is that leaders typically come from a wide range of geography. As such, they have varied backgrounds and often times escalate the career ladder at their own pace. Without knowing what is, or can be, accomplished typically is up to the individual to pursue. While certain organizations provide for an enhanced leadership learning atmosphere, most leaders lead as a result of being given an opportunity and therefore learning “on the fly” or with the help of those around them.

SUMMARY

If the leadership challenge at hand is nature versus nurture, nurture prevails. In experience after experience I’ve seen leaders that are made, not born into the role succeed.

Sam Palazzolo

Sam Palazzolo, Managing Director

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