leadership challenge

The Leadership Challenge: Radical Candor

November 3, 2016 By Sam Palazzolo, Managing Director

The Point: Do painful truths create faster growth, deepen trust, and build long-term relationships? This is the promise of a management technique known as “Radical Candor.” Popularized by high tech firms, the approach recommends cutting through the political correctness of conversations and therein allows for a more truthful dialog. But is the truth often clouded and dependent upon perspective of the truth-giver? In this post we’ll examine Radical Candor and provide 4 tips to assist in overcoming the leadership challenge of radical candor… Enjoy!

Let’s Be Honest… I’m a Jerk!

How many times have you found yourself in a situation where as a leader you should have zigged, but chose to zag due to the political climate of your organization? If you’re like most of the leaders I work with, you’ve probably fallen to the pressures to conform more times that you wish to admit. Enter the management concept known as “Radical Candor” where you no longer have to cow-down to conflict! Sounds pretty good right?

Radical Candor allows a leader to say what they want to say when they should be saying it. In other words, you have the right, no make that the duty/obligation to tell your stakeholders what they are doing wrong and why if/when you perceive it to be so. I’m not certain what you’re picturing in your mind, but my first image is that of the boss smoking a cigar and blowing smoke in my face… Pure humiliation results (in its purest form of course) and the receiver of such Radical Candor can only revamp their resume and begin their career search.

I Speak the Truth… Therefore I’m Right?

Radical Candor not only allows leaders to share from their perspective what happened, but also provide course corrections. Corrections that in and of themselves may very well be career course corrections. But what if the leader that practices this “speaking of the truth” has the situation misinterpreted? What if they simply don’t understand what’s occurring? Perhaps worse yet, what if they harbor a grudge/ill-will against the receiver?

As a leader there are times when you simply have to make the call and decide which direction is the best given the information you have at the time. You might be making the right call, but then again you very well might be making the wrong one (In which case hopefully you’ve read my previous posts regarding decision making and course correction!) As judge/jury/executioner of the corporate mission/vision/values a leader puts themselves in the perilous plight of having to determine right versus wrong. While business decisions involving dollars and cents might seem relatively easy, the stakes increase dramatically when it’s time to comment on the behaviors/actions of those around you. So should you do so without holding/bighting your tongue?

4 Tips to Overcome the Leadership Challenge of Radical Candor

The following 4 tips should act as assistance guides so as to overcome the leadership challenge of radical candor:

Tip #4 – Be Slow

You’re going to have the opportunity to provide radical candor feedback for nearly every sentence/action taken by your stakeholders. I’ll encourage you to be slow and more importantly go slowly when providing such feedback. I’ve seen way too many managers that jumped the gun (so to speak) and provided feedback prior to understanding everything (and yes, everything is needed!) Not only should you get all your facts in order, but perhaps comment after a pattern of events occurs.

Tip #3 – Be on the Same Radical Candor Page

Imagine how odd it would be for stakeholders to receive such radical feedback without the knowledge that their leader was invoking such leadership rules? It would not only surprise most, cause some to question your mental faculties, and at the minimum create a few human resources complaints! Share with your stakeholders the methodology, intended outcomes, and rules of the road so to speak at the onset of installing Radical Candor.

Tip #2 – Simply Say Thank You!

One of the most valuable tips I ever received was from Marshall Goldsmith (Yes, that Marshall Goldsmith who is the world’s leading executive coach to Fortune 100 C-Suite Leaders). He encourages the leader to respond to feedback with a simple thank you. No defending/deflecting what was said… No getting beet-red in the face… Just a simple thank you. Now you might want to buckle-back and get more details later, but in the heat of the moment say thanks.

Tip #1 – Reciprocate Radical Candor

Radical Candor can be great feedback to receive, but know as a leader that the most highly functioning organizations that adopt the technique allow for two-way communication of honesty (brutally honest that is!) Not only are you expected to dole out such candor, but part of the gift is also receiving (Your welcome!)

SUMMARY

In this post we’ve explored the management technique of Radical Candor. While the leadership challenge at hand might seem like no challenge at all, for those that engage in such open/honest dialog with their stakeholders there is always, always, always more at stake than meets the eye.

Sam Palazzolo

www.BloodSweatSpears.com

The Leadership Challenge: Firing – 10 Tips!

September 27, 2016 By Sam Palazzolo, Managing Director

The Point: You knew it was coming, but you didn’t want to see it (let alone admit it once it happened!) Be it for purposes of production, professionalism, or personal reasons, firing associates should always be looked upon as a leaders final reproach. A reproach that must take into account the best interests of the individual experiencing the employee firing. So in this post, we’ll explore the leadership challenge of firing and provide 10 tips to allow for leadership success… Enjoy!

Hire Slow… Fire Fast!

I worked with an organization that had what I would consider tremendous turnover primarily in their sales team. The turnover rate hovered at nearly 300% annually. While a certain amount of “churn” in a sales team can be expected (perhaps even desired?), this level appeared to be excessive.

In speaking with the sales leadership (they did the hiring), they had a process for hiring that was reminiscent of the Wild West! It appeared as though anyone, and I do mean anyone, that entered the hiring funnel that could pass minimal skills tests including fogging a mirror would be offered employment. It was of little or no surprise therefore that turnover was more often than not the result of these poor hiring moments.

From Love to Like to Letting Go

“Sam, anyone can fire employees. It takes a real leader to be able to work with people and lead them forward” were the words shared with me by my leader upon assuming leadership responsibilities for the first time. While it’s been nearly 20+ years since I first heard these words, the adage is just as appropriate today as it was then.

But what happens to cause employee dismissal? Is there a specific tipping point that causes irreparable harm to occur for the leader that just isn’t recoverable from? Was it them (the employee getting fired or the leader) that’s to blame? Firing for the sake of firing takes guts, but my experience has seen far too many firings occur because the leader is simply gutless!

10 Tips for Firing Employees

Herein are ten tips for firing employees that I’d ask you to consider prior to taking this last ditch effort in the employment lifecycle. Consider them to be ten bases that need to be run out prior to calling the employee out in the game of work:

Tip #10 – Process Training

Perhaps performance is the issue identified for employee dismissal. If so, provide training to the employee so that they know the process they are expected to conduct.

Tip #9 – Establish Performance Criteria

Having everyone on the same page is crucial, especially when you consider performance criteria. As such, establish performance criteria employees are expected to perform.

Tip #8 – Review Performance

From the “Establish Performance Criteria” above, you have shared what levels employees are expected to perform at. Now it’s time to conduct reviews of said performance to insure compliance with those expectations.

Tip #7 – Involve HR/Legal

If you are considering firing someone, you’ll want to bring in the human resources and legal professionals. They will assist in insuring that proper organizational and government (state/federal) rules are complied with.

Tip #6 – No Surprises

Earlier I said that “You knew it was coming, but you didn’t want to see it (let alone admit it once it happened!)” so insure that those employees being dismissed know in advance that things are not going well and perhaps a parting of the ways might be in everyone’s best interests.

Tip #5 – Consistency Counts

When releasing associates, insure that you are applying consistent expectations as well as firing mechanics… Your HR folks will be glad you did!

Tip #4 – Keep it Private

If praise is meant for a public forum, this antonym should be conducted in private. If you’ve followed the previous five steps, there shouldn’t be any surprises for any/all involved.

Tip #3 – Fire the Right Person

Make certain that you have provided all the process training and tools required to be successful on the job. Establish the difference between able (they understand the job) and willing (they want to perform the job).

Tip #2 – Insure They Exit

How many times have you seen a firing take place, only for a cloud of disturbance to be leveled on the organization on there way out because no one escorted the individual from the organization properly? Odds are if you’ve fired someone in the past, and not escorted them out of the building the cloud blew in badly.

Tip #1 – Maintain Dignity/Pride

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, dismiss people in a manner that allows for dignity/pride to be maintained (or at least try). Avoid being mean for mean’s sake.

SUMMARY

It’s the job of a leader to lead others. However, some simply aren’t meant to be lead. The best leader I ever worked for employed a 4-sentence dismissal that typically went something like this “Bob I want to talk about you/your affiliation with us here at XYZ Company. You know based on previous conversations that this just doesn’t seem to be a good fit for either of us. As such, we’re going to allow you to go be successful somewhere else. Thank you and best of luck.” When it’s over… It’s over!

Sam Palazzolo

www.BloodSweatSpears.com

The Leadership Challenge: Likeability – 5 Tips!

September 25, 2016 By Sam Palazzolo, Managing Director

The Point: While leadership isn’t a popularity contest, it isn’t an unpopularity contest either! There is much more to be gained than lost by being likeable as a leader. So in this post we’ll explore the leadership challenge of likeability and provide 5 tips so you can achieve the smiley face emoji of leadership likeability… Enjoy!

It’s about Respect… NOT Likeability!

Jim was a senior leader for a Fortune 100 organization that I had the pleasure of working with (Name changed to protect identity). Jim had a Top 20 MBA program degree, and from the outside-looking-in, a successful career going for himself. However, there was one problem that Jim couldn’t overcome in his race to the corner office… Jim!

You see Jim was one of those leaders that was raised in the “business” by a tough SOB. These years of hazing taught him that people don’t need to like you/your every move… but they sure do need to respect you. Those that fell outside of the respect rankings were belittled immediately and soon recognized for dismissal/reassignment. It was all Jim, all time, with little room for anyone else placing a premium on respect.

We Don’t Like You!

Jim’s organization recently conducted a 360* behavioral assessment, where Jim as well as his organizational stakeholders provided feedback. These assessments are great perspective on a leader’s abilities, and the competencies that shape their ability to execute. However, Jim’s feedback was far from positive from his stakeholders.

It appears as though the 360* feedback on Jim was extremely consistent (a good thing) in that it was nearly identically unfavorable (a not-so good thing). Time and again, the deltas (or gaps) between where Jim viewed himself and stakeholders were broad/wide. It was as if the 360* assessment was conducted on two different subjects (Jim being one and the stakeholders providing feedback on someone totally different!) What hurt the most were the open/honest/brutal feedback portions, where “We don’t like you!” was pretty well spelled out (because that’s what several people said… Ouch!)

5 Tips to Leadership Likeability

Was Jim clueless, and/or were these results inaccurate? Here are 5 tips that you can take so as to improve your leadership likeability and not be like Jim:

Tip #5 – Manners Matter

Jim had a nasty habit of cutting people off in communication. It wasn’t uncommon for him to interrupt others while they were speaking in meetings. He’d even cut them off while walking down the hall. Remember, manners matter if you’re the leader!

Tip #4 – Focus

Paying attention to others while they were speaking was another of Jim’s weaknesses. Instead of listening to what others were speaking of in the moment, Jim was too busy focusing on what he was going to say next. Focus on the present… Listen to others!

Tip #3 – Emotional Awareness

Pay attention to not only what others say, but how they say it. Sometimes, body language (especially facial expressions) can tell the story much better than the words someone is attempting to use.

Tip #2 – PMA

Your mental attitude is reflected in everything you do. As such, employ a Positive Mental Attitude (PMA) in everything you do (oh, and be sincere while doing so!)

Tip #1 – Respect Others

Keep in mind that no matter what you do, you’re not going to please all the people all the time. There are going to be those times when in fact you perceive that you are pleasing no one at all (not even yourself!) As such, remember that regardless of likeability, show respect at all times for those around you and especially yourself.

SUMMARY

In this post we’ve examined the leadership challenge of likeability and provided 5 tips. Different cultures, different personalities, different competing interests make today’s workplace much more challenging than in years past. Good news, the future appears to be shaping up even more dynamic! Therefore, your ability to achieve leadership likeability will certainly be tested (so make it a character trait in your favor).

Sam Palazzolo

www.BloodSweatSpears.com

The Leadership Challenge: Acceptance – 3 Tips!

September 20, 2016 By Tip of the Spear

The Point: No matter how much you’ve tried for a successful outcome (Diagnosed the problem from multiple perspectives, researched potential solutions, spent thousands of dollars, etc.), sometimes you simply have to accept that failure is an option. In this post, we’ll explore the leadership challenge of acceptance and provide 3 tips to help you draw closure… Enjoy!

Welcome to Reality Distortion!

In the “romance” stage of business, everything seems to come up smelling like a rose. For example, as a leader have you ever come up with a plan that you thought was “air tight” in design? Moments of failure after launch were most likely discounted/minimalized. Conversely, moments of success as only you can see them through your focal pattern were romanticized, blown-up to successfully epic proportions, and a comfortable glide pattern presented itself (Hence the “Walking on Cloud 9” analogy is appropriate).

The truth of the matter is that your leadership mind is playing a game on you. Unable to see reality for what it actually is, leads you to a state of reality distortion where the truth is “bent” in favor of what you want to see. Now you may really, really, really want to see things for the way that you want them and not as the way they really are. However, in the end, a slap of reality will occur snapping you out of distortion!

Just Get It Over With

I have worked with a leader for the last several years that is extremely bright, driven to achieve, and successful in their professional life (Not that there hasn’t been struggles professionally, but they’ve weathered many a storm!) This leader’s only downfall is that they continue to put themselves out of position on the personal playing field in the here and now. Their orientation is to simply be down the road where the future lies, leaving them to desire just get the current state over.

This “Just get it over with” mentality rings especially true when they encounter failure in the personal/private moment. Regardless of how much time, effort, or energy was applied to a given situation, their desire is to simply move on… But to where? (I’m not concerned of the “With Who?” as they are content being solo/alone in decision making).

Moving On

As a leader you are challenged to do your best, and depending on the situation at hand your best may not be good enough. So how do you fold tent after failure and simply move on? The following represent three leadership challenge tips for acceptance:

Tip #3 – Take Ownership

To simply “bounce” from project to project, initiative to initiative, and/or place to place might seem like a rather flipped acceptance response. While your visceral reaction might be to pull the sheets up over your head and never leave the bedroom, reality dictates that you take ownership and positively accept the situation for what it was. Whether you like it or not, you must take responsibility for where you’ve been and what you’ve done. Some albatrosses are larger than others to have around your neck, but start with recognizing that you, and you alone are responsible for your own actions (and quite frankly they are the only actions you are in control of!)

Tip #2 – Set a New Course

Upon positive acceptance of the situation at hand, set a strategic plan that identifies where you want to go. There are a host of visualization exercises that you can conduct to help you identify the where’s, who’s, why’s, and how’s that should be considered. Remember, the course you strategically plan for tomorrow might change due to situations outside of your control (But at least you’ll develop them for yourself!)

Tip #1 – Install/Sustain

Lastly, put your plan into action. Include a series of metrics to measure/monitor your successes as well as failures. Important to (1) recalibrate as appropriate and (2) lose your reality distortion goggles!

SUMMARY

In this post we’ve examined the leadership challenge of acceptance, as well as providing 3 tips to help you as a leader be more successful. If life is a game worth playing, I know two things are certain: (1) Tough times don’t last, but tough people do and (2) Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.

Sam Palazzolo

www.BloodSweatSpears.com

The Leadership Challenge: Deconstruction – 5 Tips!

September 16, 2016 By Tip of the Spear

The Point: If you are attempting to build leadership in your organization, you know just how difficult that can be. Who to select, what to instruct, and how to verify lessons learned/implemented are amongst the leading-edge decision points to be made for a successful leadership development program. But rather than work from the bottom of the org chart up, what if we went from the top down? In this blog post we’ll examine the leadership challenge regarding deconstruction, or how you can deconstruct top performers within the organization to identify key success characteristics to be replicated… Enjoy!

Leadership Autopsy

Building good leaders is hard, let alone great leaders. This was the central theme of a recent client visit where our task at hand was to develop a leadership development program. What exactly makes a good leader in this organization/division/department/role? If you’ve ever struggled with identifying that those characteristics look like, then welcome to the club. Most Human Resource Managers that lead leadership development initiatives will tell you that there are typically a common core set of characteristics/behaviors that those who are successful exhibit.

So if we know what success looks like, why is it so difficult to pinpoint the individual leader who achieve success characteristics/behaviors? One potential way is to receive input from the stakeholders themselves, rather than the individual leader. While the successful leader achieves great results, they typically can’t explain/replicate their exact methodology/reasons for. This is similar to promoting the super star associate to manager/leader level and seeing their performance not translate in their new role. Why the failure? The answer is simple… They either didn’t have the same passion/skills/knowledge to do so.

Deconstruction Tip Tools

So here is a list of 5 of my favorite deconstruction tips or tools for leaders to look for in order to replicate their success:

Tip #5 – The first tip I’ll share is to conduct a behavioral assessment. Behavioral assessments are good tools that “snapshot” who you are and what you’re comprised of (One of my favorites is from Hogan Assessments). Across a constant/similar characteristic categorization you then have a baseline measuring starting point.

Tip #4 – Conduct an employee/stakeholder survey of the leader with targeted questions pointed at key characteristics (identified in their behavioral assessment) for further input on not only what is important, but the how of execution for those important characteristics.

Tip #3 – Filter characteristics that are most important to the leadership development initiative at hand by comparing supporting position level with organizational mission/vision/values. In other words, if you have a characteristic that does not support/goes against what your organization stands for, you’re better off leaving it out.

Tip #2 – Align with a top tier leadership development methodology. There are a lot of schools of thought regarding what a leader should consist of and how they should learn therein. Top programs that come to mind are any Top 20 MBA program’s Executive Development sessions. While not nearly as long (most are 1-2 days versus 2-years of MBA school), these sessions provide laser focus on important leadership development topics. Presented by faculty that are considered subject matter experts (as well as typically consultants for example organizations), there can be a great transference of leadership knowledge.

Tip #1 – Implement your program and measure success much more frequently than an annual survey. Conduct weekly 1:1 (one to one) meetings, poll stakeholders for feedback, and observe for results.

SUMMARY

In this post we’ve examined the leadership challenge of deconstruction and provided five tips. While most leadership moments are worked from blank whiteboard to full whiteboard with initiative details/processes spelled out, sometimes a better approach may be to just start at the top and work your way down by deconstructing successful leaders.

Sam Palazzolo

leadership challenge

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