S.E.X. sells…

S.E.X. controls…

S.E.X. is good…for business

I have been using an acronym to manage my team and projects…It stands for: 

S:  Satisfaction:  Make sure that your staff, customers and bosses are satisfied.

      a.     Your staff is the most important aspect for success so ensure that they are satisfied both financially but more importantly that they are happy at work.  Job satisfaction is the key to retention, motivation and provides the ultimate team mentality…if team members are happy the team is happy.   

      b.     Your customers need to be satisfied with your deliverables, that you are always on time and that the customer feels that they are getting what they paid for.  Simple concept…do it…more success will follow!

      c.      Your senior leadership must be satisfied with your performance, both economically and managerially.  You must make money and demonstrate growth.  You must keep costs down.  Your team needs to support you by letting upper management that they are happy with your leadership but help make changes/improvements.  

E:  Expectations:  There is an old quote from a fine industrialist Henry Ford:  “If you think you can, you can. And if you think you can’t, you’re right.” 

       1.      As a manger you have to make sure that expectations of growth, satisfaction, and revenue meet corporate expectations.  

       2.     Too high of expectations without resistance or explanation leads to failure

       3.     Too low of expectations, or sand bagging, leads to the loss of credibility…find the balance.

  X:  Xceptional (okay I spelled it wrong but it works):  This is a state of mind or a vision statement that you and your team need to rally around.  If your team, products and services are exceptional you are exceeding your and your management expectations.  Also your team will feel that they are better then they thought they were which in turn will generate more motivation.  Exceptional is a word that often is taboo.  Firms due not want to seem too lofty or fear failure of not meeting this level of satisfaction or expectations…see how this came full circle.  

S.E.X. is what makes the world a better place…it creates happiness, makes money and always exceeds xceptional, satisfied expectations.  …

Disclaimer: I have been married for a very, very, very long time…13 years to be exact. I have never, nor would I ever dare to cheat on my wife due to the threat of my very existence.

My observations are strictly from co-workers, colleagues and friends that have been burned and the results of their actions.This post will exclusively illustrate how you as a Manager can affect the growth, attitude and success of your team, your company and more importantly your managerial career. 

There once was a 39 year old senior manager who was managing over lets say $X million in programs a year. He had a niche market in the engineering field. His customer was completely sold on his product and looking to expand and yet he as a married man he felt the need to sleep with his secretary, as well as some customers. This either is to sheer stupidity or due to arrogance that he could do whatever he wanted…This back fired and crushed his career because as much as companies love to say that they are progressive and with the times the old conservative mentality to protect the company image always prevails over fixing individual scandals…and it should…you as a owner or a manger of a small company needs to defend your team, project and company at all costs for immoral or unethical behavior…sleeping with your hot 25 year old secretary as a married man is both…(as a side note your family should trump all your carnal or arrogant desires)

Once upon a time at this Dot-Com that I worked for our Vice President of Operations (age 48) was sleeping with the Head of Development. The department head was in fact a beautiful 29 year blonde woman…He was a not so good looking techno geek who did such a great job as a technician the company made him a VP…that never works by the way and I will delve into why techno geeks shouldn’t be managers in another post. 

Any ways this 49 year old man left his wife of 22 years and 2 kids, bought a BMW M3 and flaunted his hot new honey around the Colorado Springs area…when the quarterly results came back low for 3 quarters in a row he ignored the business reasons and blamed other peoples infatuation with his relationship…he was cut ( 7 days before Christmas) shortly after a outburst to the CEO via email. His hot girlfriend stayed with the company, got a promotion and left him…

This story has several lessons

1.  Never send a outburst via email…it is traceable and it is saved on email servers/back-up tapes.

2.  Never ever leave your family due to wanting a younger hotter model and a faster life…you will regret (as this guy does) this until the day that you die.  

3.  Never, not even for a second, think that you are not replaceable…you and your company have a agreement…you produce you are rewarded…you do not produce you are gone…it is in fact that simple! 

Finally…we will fire for effect…There once was a hot (when I say hot it will always be a woman) young PM who worked for a multi billion dollar company that began with a B…she decide that she would try to tempt some of the young engineers (me included) to satisfy her control over men.  I am not making this up! 

She would invite you into her office during a day that she wore provocative clothing and ask you out on a date…however she called it a mentoring session.  Our team consisted of 7 male engineers and her…she constantly boasted to there PMs that she had all of “men” (as she said in sultry southern voice) under her control.  There actually were 3 steamy trysts including one on top of a main-frame housing vital satellite data during the middle of the day. In the first incident ever in the history of this company several of my team mates filed a sexual harassment suit against a female manager…in my opinion it was because they did not receive the level of raise that she promised while they were taking care of her “needs”…

What do all 3 of these examples have in common…All 3 teams failed…The efforts and growth were consumed by scandal…All 3 companies spent more time fixing the problem then growing or succeeding.  All 3 companies spent overhead dollars on a issue that could have been easily avoided.  All 3 “examples” never recovered personally, professionally or programmatically…

All three issues involved managers not being managers but ego-centric narcissists who did not think of the future, their teams or the overall good of their firms…they only cared about themselves…the overall lesson…DO NOT BE SELFISH! 

Be a manger and take care of your team first and your careeer will flurish beacuse of that leadership…all managers are not leaders…but great leaders are always great managers!   

As discussed earlier in “Warning: Avoid Managerial Hubris at All Costs” I gave the theoretical answer to what hubris is…in this post I have listed the Top 5 acts of arrogance by a young Manager and how to avoid a problem. 

Top 5 Semi-fictional examples of Hubris :

1. When asked by a Vice President of your company: What are your career goals?

Your Response: To take over your job…Or…To be Vice President in 1 year…Or…You know I really like your office but when I move into it I would definitely change the paint scheme. Although this response has validity since we all want our bosses job it is inappropriate to state this as immature VP’s may feel threatened. Senior VP’s may feel that you are naive and/or idealistic and hold that against you during your progression within that company. Most VPs could see that answer as emotionally driven and once again lower their opinion of you as a manager.   

2.When asked by a Vice President of your company: What are your thoughts on growth for next quarter/ year/project?

Your Response: Well we will bring in X (X = a Unrealistic Number)?Never tell Sr. Management of a goal that you know you can’t reach…remember hubris is over-confidence and arrogance…success is realistic and attainable. Try not to sandbag too much as that will make you look secretive or untrustworthy but use real numbers that you know for a fact you can attain.  But never give a high number!!!  If you reach that high number you will always look like a hero…don’t hit that target…well you are the goat! 

3. When asked by a Manager more senior then you or at your level: What is your opinion of one of his/her peers?

Your Response: Well I think that person is a *&#@!…Always. always, always temper your responses by remaining positive and professional…altho some think that this is the opportunity in which to vault ahead of their competition I disagree…Vault ahead on performance, positivity and professionalism….it will also help you sleep better at night…enough preaching and on with the lesson…If you do not remain positive you will either become the questioners fellow complaining partner or they will sell you out to make themselves look good!!! As a professional manager you should avoid gossip at all costs. You should also avoid negativity at all costs. Those that would complain will continue you to complain or file you response away until they can use to make brownie points. A positive manager will never ask that question hence there will never need to be a response.The maintaining professionalism is a key concept that is often forgotten in today’s business world. This is key as this will be a lasting impression on the questioning audience. If you are negative and have learned the positivity lesson then you will be perceived as negative.

4. If confronted with a choice of staying or going to larger company/position because you think that you are not being treated like the superstar you are…

Answer: Seriously evaluate your self. I have detailed a process that I use…feel free to use it yourself…Make a list of the top 10 (and yes it has to be 10) things that you have done for you current company. Next to that list annotate your reward for these tasks. Finally add a third column listing what these successes meant to your current firm. The evaluation portion of this activity entails this simple truth…if all the rewards meant something for your company yet your company rewarded you none to little it is time to move on. This is just a firm taking advantage of you. In a small firm the counter argument will be that no/low reward is needed for growth. This counter argument is flawed because sometimes all that is needed is public recognition, a small token of appreciation or a simple yet personal email noting your accomplishment and what it means to the firm.Next if the list is 50/50 then steps will need to be taken to rectify the error of high performance. This usually accomplished by talking to leadership and asking for a little more and making yourself give more…this negotiation will force the balance one way or the other…however experience has shown that if Sr. Management is presented a problem and given choices for the fix they are more apt to make the situation better as opposed to forcing someone out.If the list equals 100% of effort and equals 100% reward then you would be a fool to leave…Oh yeah if you have received 100% compensation and have accomplished little to none I have one piece of advice…Get to WORK!…because Sr. Management keeps lists too…I must be honest…working for a small company and helping generate the type of success that we have had has generated interest from larger companies.  I have been offered positions that pay more are resume golden nuggets but once you leave the small company for the bigger company you loose control and you loose the hands on decision making powerI have turned down a position that would have made me $45K MORE a year because I love where I am at and what I can do as a manager…

5.If a Senior Leader asks: A unintelligent question

Answer: Provide a non-condescending answer.This is your chance to shine not be all high and mighty. Education and expression of knowledge is one key to advancement…take advantage of this opportunity but be humble and follow the ABC rule:  Accuracy, Brevity and Clarity. 

And always take the opportunity to teach!  

Hubris is defined as a state of overconfident pride and arrogance.  Hubris origin descends from the ancient Greeks in describing a belief that one was more powerful then the Gods thus leading to a fatal result. 

One such example of hubris is Achilles treatment of Hectors body after his defeat in Homer’s Iliad (long time ago) by not allowing for a proper ascension to the Gods and claiming the body as his thus defying the Gods. The Gods revealed to the Trojans that Achilles weakness was a arrow to the heel, thus felling the mighty hero. 

The Greek example that has always struck a chord with me in references to hubris is the story of Icarus. His father created a pair of wings made from wax as so his son could escape from King Minos prison. The father told his son to use this tool just for the purposes of escape. Icarus escaped but did not want to heed his father’s advice and decided to keep flying higher. As he climbed higher and higher Icarus thought that he was above advice, logic and became increasingly arrogant. However his hubristic attitude led to him getting too close to the son thus melting the wings and causing Icarus to fall and perish into the sea…and it now bears his name the Icarian Sea.

Let’s use some creativity and examine both of these Greek myths in a modern business scenario:

Achilles is now placed into a position as a middle manager…in charge of let’s say $5 million in contract value. His senior management (the Gods) gives him direction to accomplish a certain set of guidelines. Achilles feels that he is the “best performer” at the firm and decides that he is above the VP and blows him/her off and goes golfing. The tasks assigned goes unaccomplished and the a serious breach in leadership/command is compromised. As with Achilles being struck down by a arrow (the secret weakness being released by the God/VP) a manager must always strive for success but understand their place in the hierarchy of the firm or be felled by the arrow…

Let’s state that Icarus is a new team lead and his experienced PM decides to give him a task that requires strict direction for completion. The period of performance is tight and budget is even tighter…Since wax and budgets do not have the strength or consistency to stand long periods of stress the task (escape or monthly revenue goals) must be met. If they are not the belief that you can keep going without a solid plan( or fly on wax wings) will always cause you to fall…

The younger you are as a manager and the less you heed this lesson (i.e. the more arrogant you are) the harder you will fall!

In Management, especially as a young Manager, hubris can be a catastrophic career killer or at the minimum allow for the offender to find another job.  In my opinion there is a fine line between confidence and arrogance…write that down! 

A Manager needs to be confident to reassure his team that he is the leader and that the path forward is achievable. However to spit in the face of other Managers or company leadership is arrogant and will most likely cost you your job or at the very least delay your ascension…. regardless of the lame brain ideas that senior management comes up with…

The solution you ask? Become senior management…keep growing, keep innovating and if necessary find your own niche and form your own company!Greatest piece of advice I can give you:

In a managerial aspect one must never be perceived as being hubristic or arrogant…this is the first nail in your managerial coffin…Be humble yet confident…know your project like the back of your hand…continue to grow and be successful but plan for the time when you are in the drivers seat…and once you get there remain humble and confident and success will follow!

Once you have received the title Manager, or Lead, you are responsible for a whole lot more then your average worker. You are now responsible for managing the program towards success, you are definitely responsible for maintaining, if not increasing profitability, and you are responsible for being the ethical steward of company resources.

However the most important responsibility is usually downplayed, mishandled, or flat out ignored…and that is taking care of your people! A thought often forgotten by managers, consciously or sub-consciously, is that as a manager you have direct control over someone elses life. In as such you control what their salaries are, you control what tasks they accomplish during the day and you directly control their career progression, either upwards or downwards.

Direct Control is clearly a overt form of power. People see you as the boss. From that identification of the source of power the decisions that are made directly intensify feelings of satisfaction, both positive and negative. Positive work environments that have a manager who works to express a positive message should have greater retention, job satisfaction and more positive growth. I ask you, rhetorically, wouldn’t it be better to have a staff of people who are positively motivated towards success rather then having people work and live in fear and dread?

Managers also have indirect control over their team members lives. In other words decisions that you make as a manager can affect your teams motivation and emotional state. This indirect action has a effect of when the employee leaves that night for home the way that they drive home, their actions towards family members when they get home and that nights sleep are effected by your management actions. People who say that they leave work at work are nothing more then in denial…because work is always on your mind…whether you want it to be or not!

A third and often not spoken form of control is that of retention. A USA Today study shows that when a employee decides to apply for and move on to a new job 70% of that is due to a poor, ineffective or incompetent manager. I heard this statement many moons ago and it rings true today…People don’t leave Companies…They leave Managers.

As a Manager there are 5 major steps that are easy to implement and will allow you take care of your team:

1. Express Gratitude: Management author Marshall Goldsmith states that ” Thanking people works because it expresses one of our most basic emotions, gratitude”. As a manager I can clearly tell that when ever a thank you is issued to a team member there is a true spark of happiness. The employee feels that their efforts meant something. That satisfaction will reverberate through their performance, attitude and outlook. Small, but company/team oriented gifts, that are given as rewards will also allow for improved outlook. Some of these include company shirts which allow the employee to show pride in the company and the team.

2. Always Follow Thru and Then Follow Up: If you say that you are going to do something …Do It. Then let the employee know the results. This can be a learning experience for both parties and will demonstrate a true sense of leadership. Leaders always complete tasks and report results, good bad or ugly.

3. Stop Talking and Listen!: Too many times managers want to give advice or solve a problem without fully listening to the employee. Interrupting before the employee is finished talking is not only rude but it is part of ineffectually communicating the problem or issue. Let them speak…listen to what they are saying…think about several answers and convey them to the employee as options. Always allow the employee to choose the option thus the solution that you help derive fits the problem that they perceive.

4. Share your Vision…oh yeah and the Companies too: A managers vision can always be more intense or contain additional goals that are add-ons to the corporate vision. In other words if the company goal is to make a $25 million a year the manager can instill the fact that his/her team be a major contributor to that and perhaps push the company over $30 million. This leads to a sense of empowerment by showing the team that they are part of the strategic solution for the company…an not just a worker bee.

5. Feed Back and Feed Forward: Feed back on a job well done or positive reinforcement for improvements is required for future growth and team satisfaction. Feed Forward is another concept that Goldsmith espouses in his book “What You Here Won’t Get You There” (2007). Feed Forward consists of 4 steps.
a. Focus on 1 area of improvement and what the positive difference would accomplish
b. Describe this objective in a one on one setting
c. Ask the person for two suggestions to help achieve this positive change
d. Implement, Review and Repeat as necessary.

This will be a recurring topic of this Blog as it is my passion…Building great teams and achieving success with them. Hopefully over the course time I will be able to impart my knowledge and lessons learned so that other folks, especially younger managers can learn and achieve success.

I humbly thank you for visiting my Blog “Lessons and Struggles”. This Blog will be a site of reference, entertainment and information sharing. The lessons that a 35 year old Program Manager will be documented and shared with the world. Lessons in life, love and management will be the theme and topics. Struggles and their eventual defeat shall be illustrated, documented and displayed for all to see.