WM #15: "Bar Fight"

Snow in OCTOBER?

I had an argument with woman I met in a bar in Mystic last night over the CL&P's post Winter Storm Arnold debacle. While sitting peacefully nursing a lovely Tanqueray martini with three olives, a couple entered the bar who were very gregarious and  sociable. Not sure how the conversation started but we got to the topic of the power outage in western and northern Connecticut and everywhere else in between. Essentially the female half of the couple felt very vehemently everyone needs to give CL&P (Connecticut Light and Power) a break and make the best of the power outage by going out and buying generators. While I can appreciate this point of view being an outdoorsy kind a gal adapting to a couple days without power, what I took offense to was her assertion that CL&P as a business do not have to report to anyone about their business practices and how they deal with this type of situation. She argued, "They were ill-prepared for a big storm that shook our state back to the 19th century and was comparable to Katrina in it's damage!"  Bull Shit!

Danbury, CT

First of all, CL&P is a customer driven enterprise that remains always and forever obligated to the their 1.2 million customers who rely upon them for power that sustains businesses, safety, comfort, and light. For this reason they must inform and prepare customers accurately and honestly on delays and failures in restoring power - PERIOD!

Second, whenever I hear someone who drinks deeply of the corporate greed "kool-aide" it just pisses me off - thus - a "bar fight." I see it as an opportunity to educate and influence a more appropriate point of view - MINE! Okay maybe I'm a little self absorbed but hey - this is my blog and I'm weird - but not too weird cause someone agrees with me.

Senator Joe Courtney sent his insights and plan of action recently via an email. Due to the missed CL&P deadlines and poor communications, Courtney called upon a Congressional Delegation Investigation. YES! Let's hold those bastards accountable while they languish in their multimillion dollar homes protected by their fancy, schmancy stock portfolio and gold Bullions housed in a Swiss bank account.

You can read an interesting (and short) letter to the Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission at the following link: http://courtney.house.gov/index.cfm?.sectionid=206&sectiontree=4,11,206&itemid=1035

Because I'm not one to pass up an opportunity to comment, I wrote the following to Mr. Courtney:


Mr. Courtney, 


Thank you for your recent email regarding the current issues with CL&P. I am a professor of management at Eastern CT State University and often use organizational mishaps to discuss with my students on communications that have fallen short during a crisis (last year I discussed Toyota's accelerator issues and their poor response time to consumers and dealers). 


With all that our country and state is confronted with economically, CL&P and it's leadership must be held accountable for their failed communication and clear disregard for importance of holistically responding to this type of crisis. No organization is an island! 


I believe you are in a unique and hopefully pivotal spot to give them a clear understanding of the consequences of this situation. While I did not lose power after the winter storm, I did after Tropical Storm Irene. Many of your constituents recognized our dependence on electricity yet, unfortunetly, failed to recognize the "power" of a monopolistic entity such as CL&P. We can't switch power companies like we can banks. 


I look forward to seeing and hearing about the outcome and repercussions laid upon CL&P for their abuse of power and lack of respect for their citizens, customers, workers, and other public agencies that had to pick up the slack! Thank you for your continued communication and diligence in overseeing our state and it's entities. 


Lisa McRoberts

WM #14: Hiring Managers: What they are looking for?

My husband retired from the Navy two weeks ago. As of today he has been looking for work for two months. Because of the BS going on between the Democrats and Republicans over jobs and budgets, a job that would have secured my husbands dignity and overall view of post Navy life would have been rosy! But alas, the two jobs he interviewed for dried up because of the political pissing contest that is going on in D.C.

What I find amazing is a recent blog I read by Jason Seldon (My blog is Profersonal) about the current critical shortage of employees reported by some organizations. Now this really surprises me with millions of often high-level, qualified, and competent people (like my beloved spouse) that are out there. According to Jason, a recent Career Advisory Board study done by DeVry University reports that the skills that employers are looking for are absent from the available candidates looking for work. According to the survey of hiring mangers, 86% of them felt that the candidates did not have the skills their company were looking for. These skills are:

1. Strategic perspective
2. High integrity
3. Global outlook
4. Strong base work ethic
5. Dependable and accountability

So the first thing that popped into my brain was "DUH! NO kidding, really!?" If these employers are talking to only fresh out of school college students, I can see where they may be struggling in getting a valuable read on candidates for these characteristics but from seasoned employees who come from various walks of life and perspective in the United States? Really? I would suggest they need to ask the right questions and not base their conclusions on an electronic copy of a resume or a 30 minute telephone interview. 

First of all - what is their filtering criteria to get folks into their office or on the telephone? Is it a HR generalist or recruiter that likely does not have a degree in business and fail to recognize these requirements and attributes correctly. Or are managers using some fancy wham-o-din software program to select key words that any idiot can strategically place into their word document uploaded to the company web site? Granted, I know there are a trillion applicants for every single job but really, figure out what your software is missing by actually selecting a random sample of resumes and looking at them. 

Second, spend some time with the folks that you have selected (call around and find out who hasn't applied, networking works both ways) and device a few short questions and scenarios that enable you to gain insight on someones knowledge of strategy. "Strategic perspective" is tough for professional strategist; it's a lot like Philosophy and requires some pretty high level thinking  to articulate so don't expect someone to really understand what that means unless you clearly understand it in the context of your organization and how you EXPECT a potential new hire to articulate it. In other words, was the candidate able to search out your organizational strategy (Internet, company brochure, sign in the lobby) and understand it. Many organizations don't even have a clear strategy so if you can't articulate it - how can a potential new employee provide perspective? 

Finally, remember job searching is extremely stressful - especially for someone scared to death NOT to get the job because then they have to go out and beg for money from their parents to make it to the next interview and unemployment check. This is a crazy time and everyone should be trying to work together to get our economy jumped started again. Businesses have to start recognizing that they have an obligation to hire and sustain growth but also to at least prepare themselves to interview constructively and without intimidation. Slow down, take some time to prepare, give the candidate an opportunity to try and fit in to your organization. 

Check out the Press Release from Career Advisory Board: http://careeradvisoryboard.com/public/uploads/2011/10/CAB-Job-Preparedness-Indicator-Press-Release-FINAL-10.28.11.pdf

WM #13: References from BAD Bosses

I really like this video about  right and wrong in employment references. I always heard from HR specialist (which I am not) that when asked for a reference one must only give dates of employment, last wages earned, and confirmation of employment - that's it! WRONG!  This is especially timely considering the state of flux in our US and global economy and the impending or actual doom for more workers to either be laid off, fired, or downsized. Or to have fired a bad employee how to prepare for those requests for references.

While the good advice to managers looking to "separate the chaff from the wheat" in a business that may have too many employees to support is "Last Hired, First Fired" many still look at firing or eliminating positions based on other criteria. For example workers that managers construe as unlikable or unproductive when in fact it may be a personality issue or just plain mean-spirited in a bully-like environment. This is becoming more and more a problem in organizations that hire young or inexperienced micro-managers with narcissistic tendencies (we all know who they are). They may be cheap and full of fire but they just create a fire-storm of angst among the ranks.

The video from this link is a valuable and important reminder of what you can expect when getting a reference from a bad boss (with really good advice to protect yourself from subjective and inappropriate responses) to what managers (the good ones) can say if asked for a reference on a bad employee.

Ways to stop a bully boss from giving a bad reference!

The website - Undercover Lawyer - is chock-a-block full of helpful information!

WM # 12: West Meets East

I went to the Academy of Management Annual meeting in San Antonio Texas at the end of August. The theme was East Meets West with over seven thousand participants - management geeks like me - from across the globe. It was a fascinating and enriching experience where collaboration and networking between countries was definitely the pursuit. I met an interesting professor from Meiji University in Tokyo Japan. I think I was meant to meet him because our paths crossed twice in exactly the same place and twice in one day. I invited him to dinner. He teaches diversity and communications. He has been contracted by the US military to discuss his perspective on how to effectively communication with other cultures. He is preparing to teach and consult at the American University in Washington D.C. later this year. These were some of things I learned from him during our short time:

1. Be brave enough to explore controversial topics and ask people questions about it - even if you are not from the area (He decided to study the cultural perspective of Barack Obama's leadership style by asking citizens from Virginia - he went door to door with his survey.)
2. Teach and speak like a rock star (He wasn't afraid to be enthusiastic about his topic. I was immediately drawn to his energy and excitement. His average class size at Meiji University is over 1000 students! From what he told me - they love him! I know I did!).
3. Be willing to discuss your ideas while also promoting your own work. (He was not fearful of discussing and promoting his own work. I'm often reluctant to do this because I don't want to come off as arrogant. He was so excited to share his ideas and what he was working on you couldn't help but want to read what he had done.)

Japanese symbol for "Friendship"

Here is the link to my friend Dr. Motoo Unno's work : http://www.meiji.ac.jp/cip/english/frontline/unno/index.html

#12 - Amy Winehouse, a unique individual!

RIP Amy!

I have not always been a big fan of Amy Winehouse but respected her musical talent, quirky identity, and pursuit of individualism. Since her untimely death, I have to feel and see a bit of a kindred spirit within her and others who have tried to break out. Amy Winehouse had a special gift that she wanted so desperately to share through her incredible voice and personal perspective; yet she was unwilling to change her identity to "fit in." Her famous song Rehab reiterates this desire.

As is the nature of the entertainment industry, it is wrought with it's critiques - those who don't particularly like or agree with what a unique talent is doing. One has to be really brave to try to break into this elitist and often degrading industry since ones bones will be picked dry by vultures called paparazzi, tabloids, industry big wigs, promoters, PR agents, and an abundant list of others who look to sponge off  talented individuals and their business naivete. And to think, people are clamoring to break into the entertainment industry in just about any way possible; no thanks, I'll pass.

From my perspective this is a very common phenomenon within any industry where someone looks to break out (or into) and do things differently or create fundamental change. Change is feared and unique individualism is scrutinized. It's one of the reasons I think that America is economically "stuck" - any new ideas are squelched by cronyism. While technology is running along at breakneck speed (because by golly - too many people are making money at it), America remains rooted to very out-dated and staid thinking.

Take for example public education - walk into any school in this country (except for maybe a few charter schools) and each one will replicate the same pedagogical model: sit at your desk and listen to your teacher. But it doesn't work any more - kids are dropping out, failing, or just not learning enough to advance to the next phase of growth, e.g. dynamic problem solving and creative thinking are stilted and squashed resulting in social and economic inertia!

We could learn from this travesty of Amy and others - those who look to break out usually break down.

WM #11 - Virtual Insanity

"Virtual Insanity"


(Partial Lyrics taken from Jamiroquai)


"Futures made of virtual insanity now
Always seem to, be govern'd by this love we have
For useless, twisting, our new technology
Oh, now there is no sound - for we all live underground"


On my walk this morning I was listening to this song. The lyrics seem so appropriate for an introduction to this blog. 


As a management scholar I get to look at others research mind boggling reveals some interesting insights about technology which many of us realize but don't seem to do anything about. While technologies like the Internet, Facebook, MS SharePoint, Blackboard and a inexplicable number of other software platforms are being developed, there are NOT enough qualified workers to maintain, secure, and administrate them. 


A good friend ('sup Charles) is preparing a study to explore this as it relates to Information Assurance (essentially computer network security) and his insights are facinating. What he has discovered is network security doesn't have enough people with experiential learning to equip them for this type of work. The current workforce for this field and often organizational spending is focused on technology rather than human resources. Those who do have the training and experience command such high salaries that only MAJOR corporations can afford to hire.


So what is going on  here? Why don't we spend more time helping people learn technology instead of just piling on more technology? This is what I think:


1. Organizational leaders love new gadgets (blame it on the Geeks from Wired Magazine).
2. Organizational leaders think technology can replace the work of two people (but need to be maintained by support desk "Betty" in India at $70/hr).
3. Organizational leaders think new technologies will eliminate or catch up with competitors (really - worry about the customers!).
4. Organizational leaders don't revisit their SWOT analysis and ask do we have the skill set within the organization to handle this new technology?


Stop the Virtual Insanity people - workers are having a hard enough time checking our three email accounts, linking our phones to our Outlook accounts, and programming our VCRs or DVRs to record reruns of Friends or M.A.S.H. Don't keep piling on new technologies on your employees in hopes that they will adapt - it needs to go the other way around!


Check out the Virtual Insanity Video - AWESOME!

WM #10 : Either you run the day or the day runs you.

I read this quote today: 
Either you run the day or the day runs you.
~Jim Rohn


As managers, leaders, teachers, students, parents, ... human being, we are often directed by everyone but ourselves. The proverbial 'fires' that sprout up every few minutes and demand our attention versus the other way around. Today - being Monday - this quote from famous life strategist Jim Rohn really resonated with me.  


During adolescents our schedules are dictated to us versus the other way around - and this is for a reason - because you know that children and students are often not yet disciplined enough to make their own schedules (I think I'll schedule Microbiology at 8:00 a.m. on Monday because I will never party the previous weekend and need to have late classes on Monday!). When I was an undergraduate at Washington State University, my 8:00 a.m. class every Tuesday and Thursday was Philosophy 101. WHY DIDN'T I drop that class! Probably because it was a pre-requisite for Abnormal Psychology and I had no other course choices - I was a victim of someone else's schedule. I did poorly in that class.


We all can recall looking forward to the ultimate freedom of creating our own schedules; when and where we want to be and do. Huh!? Does it really work that way? Sick kids, disorganized bosses, urgent phone calls, doctors/dentists office hours, etc.... Life is too complicated and it is filled with other human beings who fail to heed schedules or those with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder who do and force us to use them. We are a product of our environment and it is drilled into our brain since birth - when to eat, sleep, sit, study, and play. Then BOOM - you are on your own baby!


If this is your struggle, as it is for me, do the following right now: list all tasks that are important for you to accomplish during the course of this month (starting today). Example: an article that needs to be written, schedule car tune-up, a budget completed, talk with poor performer on your, a presentation that needs to be outlined. Everything that is a must do but is easy to put off - write them all down and prioritize one through ten or whatever length of your list. (If you have a list of over twenty things - OK - quit micromanaging and delegate - shesh!)


Now, give yourself a deadline for each of these items. In school we have forced deadlines (mid terms, finals, advisor office hours). Force yourself to do this - realistic or not, you may not know because of others that are involved (the source of our fires) but this will force you to keep it on your radar. For example this is my list: 

1. Practice Dissertation Proposal conference call with Accountability Partner - July 11 (Mon)
2. Finish Writing WM #10 - July 11 (Mon)
3. Finish reading "Taming the Abrasive Manager" (for possible course text) - July 13 (Weds)
4. Download NVivo9 Software onto laptop - July 15 (Fri)
5. Email "hello" to French students - July 16 (Sat)
6. Finish outline short story (Invisible Fence) - July 22 (Fri)
7. Pack for AoM in San Antonio - July 28 (Thur)

Notice that each of these are actionable and not ambiguous. This is key to ensure that there is something you are able to actually do versus something that is rather vague and non actionable. For example 'Email "hello!" to French Students' is precisely what I need to do versus "Contact students" which could have all sorts of meanings (phone, email, which students, etc.). Giving yourself very direct instructions for your list will increase the likelihood that you will DO it! 


Now, think how long will it take to complete each of these tasks? Finish outline of short story could take me one to eight hours depending upon how far I want to take it so I may consider breaking this up into pieces putting it into my schedule incrementally but I don't work that way - once I start it I have to finish it with no interruptions. Same with writing a blog - I lose the flow if I'm interrupted. So know your style of dealing with these things. Don't let others dictate it.


As managers we are often caught up in the ad hoc role of firefighter versus productive and proactive leader, organizer, and planner. If you heed this advice, you'll likely be the one forcing others to move to your schedule versus the other way around!


So why is this weird management - because few of us actually do this and accomplish it consistently thus making it a extraordinary phenomenon. Ask a few colleagues - "How many fires did you have to put out today?" Their response will be 'enlightening!'