Tuesday, March 11, 2008

The Cause of Sickness

As you can probably discern from the volume of my recent blog output, I’ve been out sick. This made me think of the root cause of sickness or at least of the common cold.

Doctors tell us that virus and bacteria cause infectious diseases. If I recall correctly, viruses cause most colds. While that is true, not getting enough sleep, breathing in cold damp air, and eating junk food contribute to a weakened immune system. So while I don’t have direct control over the true root cause, I do have direct control over several of the contributing factors.

What does this have to do with work balance? We often experience a similar conundrum at work. We have little or no control over the root cause of a problem or barrier. Therefore, always take positive action over contributing factors that are within your sphere of influence. Complaining about issues we can’t control is about as effective as yelling at a microbe.

Friday, February 29, 2008

High Flyin'



The Contral Endeavor 1 of 7
High Flyin' as told by Otto Margus

The Blue Elephant caters to the business crowd. The atmosphere speaks to an elegant comfort. Patrons enjoy the quick service and the ability to network with business associates in the local community. Even if no resume changing experience occurs, they get an opportunity to “kick back” and relax.

Peter Schiller decided to go to the
Blue Elephant for the free appetizers on Thursdays. While most of the other customers were ordering what was on tap, Peter asked for tonic on ice with a slice of lime (no gin). A man with a clean shaven head and a curly mustache noticed Peter momentarily before ordering another bourbon (neat). While slowly swirling the bourbon around his glass, the clean shaven headed man detected Peter’s cufflinks. They displayed a symbol depicting an anvil and a quill on opposite sides of a simple scale.

The clean shaven headed man kept dividing his gaze between the cufflinks and the bourbon. Finally the cufflinks won. “Say, I gotta know. What’s the deal with those cufflinks?”

Peter first looked at the finely waxed mustache and then up directly into the man’s eyes. “Before I answer, can you tell me what you think of them?”

The man with the curly mustache said, “As a piece of artwork, I don’t see much to them. I’m guessing there is something more involved like a logo or a specific meaning.”

Pointing to one of the cufflinks Peter replied, “This is the symbol for ergolibrium”.

“Never heard of it.”

“I’m not surprised; I formulated the idea. Perhaps a little explanation is in order. Do you think work is more like walking a tightrope or digging a ditch?”

The clean shaven headed man took a small swig from his bourbon causing his mustache curls to dance unexpectedly. He momentarily looked upwards and to the right. He smiled and exclaimed, “Work is like digging a ditch while you’re on a tightrope!”

Peter gave a slight snicker and responded, “That must be the first time I’ve heard that response, but if you have to choose one or the other, how would you answer?”

“I really don’t like being backed into a corner.”

Peter said consolingly, “I promise there is no wrong answer here.”

“Not a chance. What’s the point of asking a question if the answer is meaningless?”

Peter responded, “Let me ask another way. Have you had any recent work experiences that remind you of walking a tightrope?”

The man with the clean shaven headed retorted, “Man have I!”

“Can you tell me about it?”

The clean shaven headed man swirled his bourbon once, took a long sip, swirled it three more times, and gently placed it down. He began speaking.

I work for an outfit called Custom Toilet. We meet the customer need. Our roots go back before they invented indoor plumbing. We provide safety and reliability with a touch of flare.
This whole thing started when I met with Danny our designer, Sarah Rasis our sales rep, and Paula Mensi our project manager. No one talked to me before the meeting. Sarah wouldn’t blink an eye about doing something like that, but I was surprised Paula did. She’s usually a straight shooter. Anyway, the meeting turned out to be about some project called the Contral Endeavor.

I can’t remember whose idea it was, but they decided to call the name of the project the Contral Endeavor after the customer’s name, Contral. That was a lousy idea. Custom Toilet helps all our customers not just one. Why doesn’t anybody listen to me? We are extremely competent in custom work, but we get there by leveraging our expertise for everyone’s benefit!

The key point I remember coming out of that meeting is cloud 9. Sarah Rasis wanted the customer to feel like they were on cloud 9 when using this product. Although our toilets are already the most comfortable, elegant, and function rich in the business, I took this as a real challenge. I still have the brainstorming notes I took after that first meeting. The Contral Endeavor needed to create the following toilet product:





  • When you sit on this one, you should feel like you are in a 747.


  • Sink and controls are in total stainless steel.


  • Everything within reach of the smallest person.


  • High Flyin’, High Flyin’, High Flyin’!

A few days later, I met with Danny and Bart Andress. This was one of those boilerplate meetings I’ve had about 15 billion times. Bart always goes through a 95 page presentation deck that he hasn’t changed in three years. I’ve learned to tune him out until we get to the part where he asked if there are any questions. (A couple of years ago, I interrupted him and demanded he get to the point. That meeting went overtime and I later got dressed down by a couple of high level managers for not being a team player.) During the questions part, I layed out my ideas. Danny just gave me a blank stare. Bart blandly told me those ideas had to be discussed with the project team; this meeting was about process.

I’m amazed we got anything off the ground with the Contral Endeavor. Somehow the company put together a “project” team that had nothing in common. I’ve heard that bunk about diversity before, but we all needed to be on the same page. From day one, no one wanted to be on the same page with me.

Our designer Danny remained quiet at every meeting. Whenever I asked him a direct question, he answered with a bunch of techno-babble. How hard can it be to answer yes or no to a question? If I thought he had more imagination, I would have accused him of being a politician. He can never go straight to point number 4 or 5, but has to start with 1, 2, and 3 first. I got long involved mumbo jumbo answers to questions like “when will this be done?” or “who is going to take care of customer service problems?”. Let’s put this into a formula even Danny can understand. Where DP is Danny’s personality, DP = zero.

I’ve got to admit Sarah Rasis has some verve. She sells even when there is nothing to sell.
With this Contral Endeavor, she tried to sell the world when all she had was the dream of an out house. I’ll give her a nod for her gutsy approach. She doesn’t let anyone in or out of Custom Toilet from dampening the gleam in her eyes when she’s working the sale.

When it comes down to it, Bart Andress is nothing but a Process Nazi. It’s really fun telling him that to his face. When that happens, Bart goes even more by the book (if that’s possible). He doesn’t let you say anything unless the right form has been filled out and signed by umpteen people. He probably wouldn’t let us use one of our products unless we had a form filled out in triplicate.

I’m in awe of the Project Sponsor, Petra Schuler. No matter what problem I bring up to her, she comes back with a highly charged emotional response. You would think that I’d get annoyed by that. When Petra does it, I forget about the reality of the situation and get excited. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought she is some charismatic evangelical leader in a mega church. I guess there’s more money working for Custom Toilet.

The jury is still out on Paula Mensi (at least the jury locked up in my gray cells!). She overdoes the diplomatic approach. She never gets upset with anyone, but never seems to take a stand with anyone either. Paula does like to blame process for problems that come up. I had to chuckle out loud once when Bart Andress turned red because Paula said we need a process improvement. I get the sense I could really use her for something useful if she reported to me. Instead she’s wasting herself on this project management stuff.

The weekly “project” meetings were particularly a joke. Paula Mensi just can’t handle it if you bring up something that is not on the agenda. One time when I brought up a cost overrun on one of the aspects of seat manufacturing, Paula Mensi and Bart Andress both gave me the third degree. I hadn’t followed some pet process they have for communicating problems. If speaking your mind in an open forum isn’t a good way to communicate, I don’t know what is!

In spite of all these issues, the Contral Endeavor was a total success. I don’t know how we pulled it off, but this was High Flyin’! I’m disappointed when I don’t get to sit on the High Flyin’ special. When I see the gleam of the stainless steel and know I can reach anything without standing up, I fell on top of the world. Move over Mount Everest!

I have to admit the project wasn’t all wine and roses. The design team had no feel for manufacturing, marketing or the customer. Danny has no flare at all. He took the simplest approach possible and then didn’t agree to any changes. When I didn’t like something I was totally ignored. When Danny didn’t like something, he somehow took control of matters in the blandest way possible. No passion, no excitement, he just didn’t do anything he didn’t think wasn’t good for the design team.

This whole idea of naming the project after the customer really reeked of a poorly designed Custom Toilet. We want to meet customer’s needs, but we need to leverage everything we do for the benefit of all customers. I have nothing against Contral personally, but the Contral Endeavor sounds more like some spy mission than a project to develop a Custom Toilet. But, as I’ve been telling you, no one listens to me.

After verifying the bourbon was finished, the bald shaven man pushed his glass forward and motioned that he didn’t want any more. He said, “I’d love to talk more about your anvil and quill thing, but I’ve got to get going.”

Peter asked, “It was nice to meet you. My name is Peter Schiller. My I ask your name? You appear to be quite the sales guy.”

“Otto Margus is the name and I wouldn’t want to be associated with the sales department if they were the last department in the company. They magnify customer issues with no regard for the rest of the company.”

Peter commented, “Thanks for telling me the story of The Contral Endeavor. You’ve once again convinced me that work is more like walking a tightrope than digging a ditch.”

The clean shaven headed man smiled, waved, and walked out of the Blue Elephant acting as if he was walking a tight rope. He put both arms out, pretended to walk a line in the floor, and moved his whole body with a few fake feigns as if he had difficulty staying on the line.

Disclaimer
This is a work of fiction. Any similarity to work situations, toilets, or conversations (past or present) is purely coincidental. Any similarity to future events is your responsibility. Graphics used are either in the public domain or covered under the GNU Free Documentation license.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

The Seatbelt

Although not a jet-setter, I do occasionally fly for business purposes. I’ve been through the flight attendant speech enough times to categorically tune it out. I’ve learned how to buckle and unbuckle the seatbelt (I still wonder why airplane seatbelts and car seatbelts don’t unbuckle the same way). I know where to find the exits and could probably locate the life vest under my seat.

This brings me to the subject of rules. I know I have to wear the seatbelt when I fly. The flight attendants make sure I have my seatbelt fastened before take off. Due to the cramped environment of an airplane, complaints tend to surface more frequently while flying than in other circumstances. And yet, I’ve not heard anyone complain about wearing a seatbelt (at least not so far). People tend to abide by rules that make sense and are enforced.

When you get beyond rules that make sense and are enforced, you are imposing unbalanced rules. If the parties involved need to look up rules in detail to see if they are being followed, you’ve got a sign that the rules are too complex to make sense. If there is no obvious way to enforce the rule, it easily goes unheeded.

Therefore, I advise you to either create a simple enforceable rule or instead create a guideline. A guideline will force the appropriate conversation between the two or more parties at odds in a work situation. A convoluted rule will require the same conversation to take place, but everyone will righteously assume that their view is backed by organizational mandate. If you can’t make a seatbelt rule, make a guideline instead.

Monday, February 25, 2008

Freeness of Speech

I saw an interesting communication phenomena a few years back. I was running a project for one line of business while I actually reported to a different line of business. There was some new business case process being implemented and a special meeting was called. Most of the people attending the meeting were two or three levels of management below the lady who facilitated the discussion. She went through her spiel and asked if there were any questions. Although I was not disrespectful, I was forthright in my questions and expected candid responses. The other attendees were considerably more timid. It was clear they had a reverence for the facilitator and did not want to do or say anything that would reflect badly on anyone.

Then and since, I’ve observed this particular manager through impartial eyes. She treats her people fairly with appropriate body language and verbal etiquette. In other words, making people feel comfortable to open up their true feelings requires skill and diligence. Hierarchy structured organization makes this particularly challenging. Therefore, don’t forget the importance of fostering freeness of speech.

Friday, February 22, 2008

Short Meetings

Communication is always key in any work endeavor, however, you have to remember that how we communicate has as big an impact as the message being communicated. You may want to check this post about how programmers feel about meetings (http://management.curiouscatblog.net/2008/02/22/what-motivates-programmers/). Rarely should a meeting be the only way to communicate something. A long meeting is never an appropriate way to communicate since our attention will drift in and out over long periods of time. The shorter your meetings, the more you will be liked and the more effective the meeting results.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

The Snowflake

As I write this, snow is falling. Every snowflake is unique. We often don’t think of their distinctiveness when shoveling snow or throwing snowballs. One snowflake may do us little good, but many, many snowflakes together can make up a snowball, a snowman, or a ski run.

This brings synergy to my mind. When we purchase a product or use a service, we often only think of the product, service, or company as a one entity. I don’t know if snowballs wouldn’t be possible if snowflakes weren’t unique. Synergy, however, wouldn’t be possible if people weren’t unique. I encourage you to value every person that’s part of any business process. By valuing each person individually, whether you are on the buy or sell side of a transaction, your snowballs will pack a greater punch.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Is that sanction or sanction?

Do you want to sanction that or should we put a sanction on it? That sounds redundant, however, sanction can have two diametrically opposite meanings. It can mean to formally approve, but sanction also means a formal restriction.

Yesterday I saw a woman walking about ten yards from me. She tilted her head to one side. She may have been holding a cell phone, but from the angle I saw her I couldn’t say for sure. She emanated either hysterical laughing or deep sobbing. I couldn’t tell if she just lost her job or had found out great news.

These examples indicate the importance of true communication. We have to provide an atmosphere where open and honest communication is possible. An important aspect on our part is sensitivity. If we lash out formally or informally when we hear something we don’t like or don’t understand, we are creating a communication barrier. Others should feel comfortable asking if we mean sanction or sanction. We need the sensitivity to discern if someone is upset or if they are experiencing schadenfreude.

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Memory Motivates

Take a look at Mike Neiss post to Tom Peters Weblog (http://www.tompeters.com/entries.php?rss=1&note=http://www.tompeters.com/blogs/main/010250.php). He demonstrates that any brief periods of great insight are usually preceded by long periods of hard work. Those amazing instances of epiphany (the Aha! Moment) can be career or life changing events. Just like a gold miner who finds a few nuggets and is hungry for more, memory of an epiphany can keep us going. We want to experience that feeling where a resolution becomes clear or we reach a new level of understanding. Dwelling on these memories gives us a great reminder of why we are working hard. Memory motivates.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Two Key Outcomes of Vision

Putting together and seeing the big picture impacts work in a big way: 1) Motivation and 2) Problem Reduction.

When you clearly communicate the vision for your effort, people are motivated. They recognize their efforts are not mundane. They can take pride in their work.

When people understand the big picture because of the vision that has been communicated, problems are also reduced. This helps understand why they are doing what they are doing. It allows everyone to gain an appreciation of how the puzzle pieces fit together allowing tasks to get done according to the spirit of the law not just the letter of the law.

You can either say: 1) I put tab A into slot B, 2) I make money by being an assembly line worker, or 3) I build the safest, coolest, fastest cars on the road. The choice is yours.

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Work Balance - The Picture

I sit here in a doctor’s waiting room. Recent temperatures have been swinging by as much 30 degrees Fahrenheit. The receptionist said they have been busy non-stop for the last two months. When I asked her if they had been challenged to keep their balance, her face lit up with a smile. “Absolutely”, she said.

That woman immediately connected with the importance of balance as it relates to work. Take a look at the symbol of ergolibrium that is showing on the left side of this blog. Which part of your work belongs on the anvil side of the symbol? Which part of your work belongs on the quill side? If your work is out of balance, you will only be able to proceed at one speed – slow.

Thursday, January 31, 2008

The Near Zero Sum Game

Money I give to you, I no longer have. You can’t have your cake and eat it too. Your loss is my gain. These are different ways to describe a zero sum gain where benefits to one party automatically detriment the other party. This describes all competitive sports and many business situations. (For an example of a near zero sum game in a business situation see http://blog.inc.com/the-breakthrough-company/2008/01/the_right_kind_of_conflict.html.)

Zero sum games intrinsically create conflict. Although business presenters seem to love to use sports analogies, business situations are usually near zero sum games not complete zero sum games. If we look at ways to balance positives and negatives amongst the involved parties, not all of our gains will be someone else’s losses. Look for ways to come up with win win or both win ideas. The only limit to finding these possibilities is your imagination and ability to openly communicate your ideas.

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

The Impasse

Two projects need the same person. Two groups need the same physical space. Two departments compete for the same funds. On the surface, impasses appear to have either no way out or no way around.

Nine times out of ten*, impasses are caused by a communication problem that needs to be resolved. That explains why impasses are so hard to overcome. We often don’t view communication as real work. The impasse itself may actually be relatively minor in surmounting once we are truly on the same page with the other person. Put effort into the true work of communication and the impasse will look like an opportunity to deepen a relationship instead of appearing to be an obstacle.


* - feel free to make up your own statistic that means most of the time.

Monday, January 28, 2008

Emotional Sunk Costs

A common negotiation technique is to get someone emotionally involved in an agreement and then make slight adjustments just before agreement closure. The negotiating "victim" hasn't lost anything yet, but since his or her emotions have become involved, pulling out of the deal becomes considerably harder.

In Project Management terms, this would be called a sunk cost. You may have no reason whatsoever to continue along a certain path, but because you have already spent some sum of money (your sunk cost), you feel the path still needs to be followed. A similar phenomena occurs with owning a stock you bought at a certain price. You may be unable to sell it until some profit has been realized even though there are far better places for your investment dollars.

Emotional sunk costs are harder to quantify which often makes them easier to justify. This can be particularly true of work related arguments. The real organizational benefit may now be marginal, but because you've already expended large amounts of emotion and energy, you can't stop. Learning to let go at the right time will reap you large benefits.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Analysis Paralysis

Johann Friedrich von Schiller (not one of my ancestors) said, "He who considers too much will perform little." While it is certainly true that facts are our friends (see http://blog.fastcompany.com/experts/dkarlin/2008/01/leadership_combined_forces_of.html?partner=rss), too much reliance on fact analysis becomes equivalent to lack of decisiveness. A true leader needs the ability to quickly ascertain the pertinent facts and then move on.

You may find yourself questioning decisions because you feel the facts were ignored. This may even be true of decisions that you made. Keep in mind that decisions are made in the gut and not the head. We make decisions first and then think of reasons afterward. This is being smart. If we sifted through all facts and reasonings first, we would never get anything done.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

The Zeignarick Effect

The Zeigarnick Effect states that once you've truly made a decision on something, your active memory on the issue shuts down and all creative thinking regarding the matter stops. Therefore, you need to be balanced in your decision making. If you decide too soon, you will not have allowed enough time for creativity. If you wait too long to decide, you will never get anything done.

This highlights another reason that work is more like walking a tightrope than digging a ditch. You need to be balanced in setting the timetable for making decisions. Executive types tend to force decisions as soon as possible. Analytical types tend to put off decisions for as long as possible. You need to strike a balance.

Friday, January 18, 2008

Is the Deadline Real?

Douglas Adams said, “I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.” (See http://www.pimpyourwork.com/deadlines/) To quote myself, “A deadline becomes truly real when there is a clear commitment on the part of the service provider and a clear expectation on the part of the service recipient.” (See http://www.lulu.com/content/1178752) Although Adams’ comment has more zing to it than mine, are whooshing deadlines real?

If you don’t sacrifice anything when a deadline is missed (including something important like your dignity), the deadline is just a date about as important as keeping track of the anniversary of the third time you took your dog to the vet. Likewise, if the person waiting on your work only gave you the date because they wanted to make sure you’re doing something, the deadline is also arbitrary.

You need true commitment on your part and clear acceptance on your customer’s part for a deadline to be valid. When these valid deadlines go by, there isn’t a whooshing sound, but more of a dull thud.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Appreciate the River

Taking advantage of greater external forces can help achieve momentum. Once you get into a state of momentum, your natural inclination is to continue down that path. It takes effort and willpower to get momentum going in a different direction.

Carmine Coyote wrote an interesting blog entitled "Stop Pushing the River" (http://www.slowleadership.org/blog/?p=363). I'm going to differ from that view slightly. A river (or speaking more dramatically - The River) is one example of a greater external force that we can use advantageously to pick up momentum. A river has a natural ebb and flow to it causing stretches of rapid movement and periods of doldrum. Markets work in a similar fashion. Instead of using that as an excuse for dishonest or unethical activity, you need to appreciate that different action is necessary depending on where you are in the market life cycle. You may recognize the need for training, product development, or change in focus.

Clearly we want to stop pushing The River, however, a more subtle point is to appreciate the River.

PS - Just saw a quote from Dolly Parton that succinctly sums this up: "We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails." (See http://selfhelpdaily.com/motivation-from-the-mouths-of-country-legends-and-legends-in-the-making/)

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Balancing the Three P's of Labor

A recent post about childbirth at home (http://blog.washingtonpost.com/onbalance/2008/01/birth_business.html) made me think of the three P's of labor: power, passenger, passageway. The three P's originally describe the attributes of giving birth, however, they apply to all labor. Although over fifty percent of the U.S. workforce does professional / clerical work instead of physical labor, the three P's still apply to all work (at least in a conceptual sense).

When you have two resources (passenger and passageway) negotiating for the same space at the same time, balance is needed. Using power (or effort or money) before the passageway (or infrastructure or process) is large enough or the passenger (or people) is ready will lead to avoidable conflict. Here is a clear case for ergolibrium.

Friday, January 11, 2008

Beginner Stuff

Beginners are not stupid, backward, or slow. Beginners do, however, lack knowledge and wisdom. Therefore, while it is vital to ultimately decrease the importance of methodologies (see Pawel Brodzinski's blog that explains why --> http://blog.brodzinski.com/2007/12/clue-of-project-management.html), the beginner requires strict orders to follow.

Ken Blanchard calls this the directive stage of situational leadership. You need to tell the beginner exactly what to do and when to do it. The beginner only wants to hear what they need to know and not endless rhetoric about the background of a problem. The stricter and tighter you make the instructions to the beginner, the faster they will get to the point where they want and need to know more.

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Work/Life Balance Versus Ergolibrium (revisited)

On the surface, ergolibrium may sound the same as work/life balance, but it isn't. Ergolibrium focus on keeping our work in balance which is only a subset of work / life balance. It's important to maintain a healthy work/life balance, but keeping each aspect of our lives balanced leads to overall balance. Taken as a discrete unit, our work itself should be balanced. I refer to this as the law of the rubber band. People are like rubber bands; if you leave them lying around, they will go limp; if you challenge them, they will perform; if you stretch them too far, they will break.For a good blog important aspects of work/life balance go to http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/10-signs-of-work-life-balance-blow-out-and-10-inquiries-for-getting-it-back.html

Note: This corrects the earlier blog on this topic which had an invalid link.

Monday, January 7, 2008

The Benefits of Pain

Ouch! Accidently banging your arm against the sharp corner of a desk stings. Ouch! Being told your presentation lacks zest hurts. Ouch! Finding out your water leak will cost $500 in wasted water alone (not to mention the pipe repair bills) causes pain.

If you consider the real reason for pain (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pain), you will discover a two fold purpose. Physical pain informs us that some damage has already occurred or that damage may occur in the future. On a physical level, our bodies give us no choice. Our pain receptors immediately inform us of damage or potential damage. On emotional, financial, and other levels, the pain realization may not occur until well after the damage is done.

Therefore, when life (or our work or our current project) gives us a lesson, we need to listen. Since we normally only feel physical pain instantaneously, other forms of pain require us to look further back in time for the right root cause. So while the arm on the sharp corner can easily be remedied, the unenthusiastic presentation, water leak, or work problem may require greater proactivity on our part and more effort to determine the real problem.