Cat Herding: The hardest (read: best) part is unseen

Intelligent, independent, unpredictable ... and so valuable!

Managing any program or project is, on the surface, all about timelines, milestones, stakeholders, plans, and budgets.  It's easy to look at the tangibles.  But what does a program manager (or indeed, anyone who leads any initiative) spend the vast majority of his or her time and energy on?  It's the cat herding: getting people onboard and keeping them onboard throughout the entire experience. 

It's Tough ... 

I mean this in the best possible way.  Why cat herding?  You can formulate a strategy to round up everyone needed for the project to succeed, but each person will have his or her own agenda and priorities - as should be.  What's tough is that you'll never know exactly what will become especially salient or present a roadblock, and when they might occur.  As far as I'm given to understand, this is not unlike the highly individualistic and unpredictable cat - and that's not a bad thing. 

Fostering a collaborative environment in any project is of paramount importance to me, because working with people to make something happen isn't about wrangling folks, getting what you want out of them, and then discarding them (or locking them up in a pen ... what does one do with cats after herding them, anyway?).  

These are people integral to the success of the initiative, and it's my job to present and remind them of the overall goal we're trying to reach.  Sure, there may be a million and one ways to get to that goal, so if I spend the time and effort getting to know everyone and what's important to each person, I can hopefully work with him or her in a way that allows their key wishes to be met as part of the main outcome.

... But Worth It

For better or for worse, all this work isn't readily quantifiable and come status check or performance review time, it doesn't show up as part of the metrics of accomplishment.  However, an astute manager will understand what it takes to get a project of many moving parts and people off the ground, much less to success.  

For me, whether this cat herding is ultimately recognized or not, I have the satisfaction of knowing that I led the project in the way I believe should be done: having done due diligence with everyone involved, taking the time to explain in a customized way when needed, to persuade and to simply show you care about each person's needs.  Whether they're all met or not, at least I'll have set expectations and there's understanding on both sides.  

It's all about cultivating strong, healthy relationships - if the project succeeds and the team falls apart, I'm not sure I would consider that success for the long term. So onward with cat herding!  If we're going to do something, let's do it right. 

Leadership Maxims: Leading People

All together, now! Motivated people => harmonious output.
Note: I'm not in any way implying that people on real teams are muppet penguins! 

When people ask me about what's most important in leading others, I first tell them that coming from a place of openness, transparency, and caring is key.  Then, I direct them to my posts "Nurturing People = Nurturing Motivation" (Part 1 and Part 2). While this is good reference, it's more reading; I needed to distill key points to help people get the gist in a conversation.  Here's the written version!

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Leadership Maxims: Leading People

After starting a tiny team from scratch and growing it to a much larger team, thereafter inheriting another large team, I've had the pleasure (and rocky moments!) of experiencing what it took to build a productive, happy group of people.  

Here, in no particular order, are my maxims:

Present Reality, Inspire Hope

You can't hide the truth, however ugly, from anybody for very long.  People are smart; they figure things out!  I always try to convey to my teams the reality of the circumstance, but follow it up with what I am (or what management is) doing to mitigate and/or what we can do as a team to make lemonade out of lemons.

Let People Know You're There For Them

Making yourself accessible boosts engagement, and I don't mean just "ping me if you need anything" but as in visiting folks and just saying hello and asking how they're doing. 

Let People Know You Understand

Know their job so they know you understand what they're going through. Provide context to them: acknowledge any parts of the job that aren't exciting, convey the ultimate impact their work has on the business, encourage them to bring their creativity where it makes sense. 

A Few Kind Words

A congratulatory email on a job well done. A quick stop by your team member's desk to say "I like what you did," or "You're going in the right direction" - anything to let them know you care, and you notice them and what they're doing.  It only takes mere moments, and it goes a long way. 

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I shared this on Mike Figliuolo's Leadership Maxims forum, a great place to read and share best practices on leading in four areas: Leading Yourself, Leading the Thinking, Leading People, and Leading a Balanced Life.

Mike is the author of the book and site One Piece of Paper, which gives you tools to distill and convey your approach to leadership in a simple, authentic way.

I was inspired by Mike's method, and the Maxims forum helped me identify the most important elements in my leadership style to share with others. Check out the forum, and come back to share any maxims you contribute.

Here's to nurturing happy, motivated people!

Image of conductor Gustavo Dudamel with Sesame Street friends (love the penguins!) - Google Image Search

Nurturing People = Nurturing Motivation: Part 2

That's right, even Superman's got heroes to keep together!

This is a continuation of what I've found makes a team happy and motivated - see Part 1!

Let People Know You're There For Them

Making yourself accessible boosts engagement, and I don't mean just "ping me if you need anything" but as in visiting folks and just saying hello and asking how they're doing.  Stopping by at least once a day (if you don't sit near your team) to share a few words with folks you haven't talked to much before and asking if they need anything doesn't take much and can go a long way in helping people feel that you care.  I knew that I cared for my team but more important, I wanted them to know that I did, so that they felt comfortable enough to come to me with any concerns or feedback that could improve our processes and organization in any way.

Everyone is Great - In Their Own Way (but maybe not for your team!)

You may find that some people on your team aren't doing well.  On my team, many folks assumed that these people had some flaw, some fault in character, or simply possessed a lax work ethic.  I generally haven't found this to be true when someone isn't performing.

I sat down and talked with the so-called "problem people" individually.  They were all incredibly smart in their own way.  It came down to job fit.  People work because they want to: When they feel connected with their task and with their colleagues, they feel engaged.  No amount of carrots and sticks will make people really bring themselves fully to their jobs if it's a case of trying to fit a round peg into a square hole.

Nonetheless, the wrong fit can cause problems and grief to the greater team, so I made sure to address these cases in a timely manner for resolution.  But, it's usually not the case that there's just something "wrong" with the person.  When I spoke with underperformers, I opened without accusations or assumptions - just observations.  Then I invited the person to present his or her point of view first.  I acknowledged their viewpoint and gave them a realistic view of what they'd need to do to succeed on the team.  It was their choice - they could do what was needed, or they could always choose another path.

Each time, I found that not only did the individual feel vindicated, they were gratified that they weren't seen as a cog in the machine; consequently their attitude improved even though a few ultimately decided to leave.  I was happy to see them move onto great roles suited to them.

Moreover, other team members saw that it's possible to figure out a solution that doesn't dehumanize anybody involved.  As a result, team members felt safer to be themselves within their roles.

Present Reality, Inspire Hope

I never imagined I'd quote Napoleon, but he purportedly said something akin to "Present reality, but inspire hope" with regards to firing up his troops. I really do believe in this.  You can't hide the truth, however ugly, from anybody for very long.  People are smart; they figure things out!  I always try to convey to my teams the reality of the circumstance, but follow it up with what I am (or what management is) doing to mitigate and/or what we can do as a team to make lemonade out of lemons.

If people know that influencing factors are internal and therefore controllable, they are more at ease.  I know that's true for me!  Most important, let everyone know that you're in it together, and that there's nothing that you can't overcome as a team. Solidarity is a great feeling, and it binds people; they know they're not cast into the waves of uncertainty alone.

These are the main themes of what I believe makes a difference in nurturing a team of productive, motivated individuals.  A team may be a collective of people, but it comprises individual human beings who have their own perspectives and histories to bring to bear.  If you see your team as people no matter what kind of organization you're in - even if their core job is flipping widgets - you're already well on your way to having the kind of approach that cultivates a strong ship.

Nurturing People = Nurturing Motivation: Part 1

Yes, you *can* motivate people!

Have you ever slogged away at some task, whether for work or school, and thought, "Why am I doing this?"  I certainly have - whether it's because I didn't know why it was applicable to my life (during school - I won't mention which subject!) or why I was being asked to do what I was doing because I didn't have the appropriate context.

There has been no shortage of discussion on how to motivate people, especially at the workplace.  During the past two years I've had the pleasure (in all senses of the word) of managing teams.  I've learned a great deal from working with these wonderful people.  Overall, I cannot emphasize enough that every manager should see their team for what it is - a group of distinct individuals who are wholly human, just like you.

It doesn't matter whether you have one person reporting to you, or 50 (as has been the case for me).  The moment you begin to see a team merely as metrics of output, you've dehumanized everyone.  That can lead to behaviors or actions/inactions that lead to disengagement.  People pick up on these subtleties in communication, or lack thereof.

I'd like to share with you some of my most valuable learnings.  They may seem like simple common sense, but often the obvious bears revisiting.

Know What Your Team Does

It's critical to know what your folks do so that you can connect with them and understand what they're going through.  Otherwise if they come to you with a problem, you may not know its nature and how to best handle it.  If possible, the best way to do this is to do the job yourself.

My teams' core directive is work that is crucial to the business and yet rather repetitive in nature. Team members can't simply "check out" mentally either, because the task itself requires a great deal of detailed analysis, research, and concentration.

To understand their job, I went through the same training as new hires, and placed myself at the mercy of quality control as I completed tasks.  Having done this hundreds of times, I can understand what my team does on a daily basis and troubleshoot when needed.

Let People Know You Understand

In having done the same job as my team, I can also understand how easily one can become demotivated: Why am I doing this? It's repetitive, my work won't readily lead to significant innovations or recognition, why should I work hard?

In other realms, I know that I am willing to work on such "drudgery" as tendus at the barre for dance and scales on the piano because I understand the context, and I know what's in it for me: If I don't regularly practice these rote tasks to the utmost of my ability, I won't be able to dance well, or play music well. Everything, even the smallest thing, has its place in the overall goal of being an artist and performer.

As a manager, it's important to provide this context to people. I've found that it can make a real difference in motivation if you:

1) Acknowledge that your folks' work may be repetitive and boring in nature/difficult/whatever challenge they face … 

… but …

2) Convey what ultimate impact their work brings to the business so they can make the connection

3) Encourage them to look for ways to bring their own creativity and problem solving skills into the mix within the parameters you work in - and to share any best practices they develop.

That way people know you understand what they're going through - the good, the bad, and the ugly - but they know they can bring themselves to their roles in a way that makes sense for the business.

We All Want to Learn and to Grow

Give people the opportunity to learn, and give them the chance to stretch the limits of their ability in ways that are manageable.  In other words, promote good stress - present surmountable challenges.  It creates a tough but scalable mountain for people to climb.

If you present Mount Everest and tell people to get to the top, which is so high that no one can see it from the ground, few are going to be motivated enough to even get up to base camp because there is no end in sight.

For example, I've looked for opportunities for my team members to work on special projects.  Sometimes projects have come to us, but often I've reached out to the engineering teams to see what we can help them with.  I give those folks who are poised for more stimulation to keep them growing and motivated the chance to work on these projects.  And depending on how they do, they may get more in the future, or become mentors to others.  They grow, and the projects break up the monotony of their core jobs.

A Few Kind Words

In general, I believe that people want to serve, people want to be of value, and they want to matter.  I certainly do!  As my mother said to me and my sister when we were kids, "Be a Useful Bunny!",  referring to a coloring book of Bugs Bunny being such a slacker that he nearly lost his girlfriend before he finally shaped up.  (He even let all her ice cream melt because he didn't turn on the freezer like he was supposed to - he took a nap instead!)

This innate desire to be of value is why acknowledgement of achievements and efforts is so important.  Especially in a job function where the activity is rote and people can feel reduced to a set of quality and productivity metrics, it's a manager's job to bring back the humanity of the job to make sure people remain engaged.

Otherwise, people begin to lose the sense of personal connectedness to their role and to the greater good, and why they matter to the team, the organization, and the company.  If they feel like they don't matter, why should they even try to do well?  Disengagement is not where anyone wants to be, and it causes the organization and business to suffer.

Little things don't take much effort, and they can go a long way.  When I saw that people on my team were making improvements in their productivity and quality, even if they hadn't yet met targets, I sent them emails congratulating them on their progress and encouraged them to keep it up.  I asked them to let me know if there was anything I could do to support them in their journey.  This not only showed that I actually noticed their individual progress; it showed that I noticed them at all.

This had a profound effect.  People responded enthusiastically, and the morale improvement was palpable on the floor - there was energy and a heightened sense of connectedness.  And, it only took me a few minutes to talk to my leads to see who they were concerned about, check the metrics, and send an email.  Such a simple thing took almost no effort on my part, but I wanted them to know that each of the recipients was a valued team member - I took it upon myself to care, as I believe every manager should.

There's more to come - I didn't want to create an unduly long post, so please stay tuned for Part 2!