My grandfather (on my Dad's side) was a master carpenter and cabinet maker. When he retired, if you can call it that, he still worked a number of renovations and remodels, and he taught cabinet making at the local community college. I remember watching him in his wood shop in the garage when I was young, and helping him on projects as I got older.
One of the things that my grandfather did really well was planning his projects thoroughly in advance. One of his (many) favorite sayings was, "Measure twice, cut once." He had a funny related saying: "I've cut this board twice and it's still too short!" One of the truly legendary sayings was, "If if's and and's were pots and pans, we'd have a lot of cooking vessels!"
Before his "retirement", he was known as a master estimator. Many times, he would have to go to a job site and revise the estimates others had given. He knew that a proper estimate and thorough planning could make or break the profitability of the job.
I remember a time when I asked him to help me build some bookshelves. I was ready to get out to the garage and fire up the table saw and get started. Instead, he sat down at the table with a pencil and paper and began to sketch out what we were going to build. By the time he was done, we knew the exact dimensions of the bookshelf and the measurements of every cut we were going to make before we ever picked up a single piece of wood.
I am taking a class on Microsoft Project at work this week, and this is my first formal exposure to a lot of project management principles. The thing that struck me as I started to dive into this great software planning tool was how many of these principles were a natural part of the way my grandfather went about his work.
We have a tendency, I think, to dress up old ideas and package them as part of modern business management, when in reality, many of these ideas are timeless principles that characterized the work ethic of generations past. We simply have the benefit of some better tools to help us out. The next time I build a schedule in MS Project, I'll have to remember: "Measure twice, cut once."
Light it up...
Rob
Monday, April 30, 2007
Sunday, April 29, 2007
I Want To Be Like Steve
Today was game 4 of the first round NBA playoffs match-up between the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Lakers. Steve Nash, whom many expect to win his 3rd consecutive MVP award in a few weeks, turned in a stellar performance, registering 23 assists to go along with 17 points in the Suns victory.
I've been a fan of Steve Nash since he was playing with Dirk Nowitzki in Dallas, and I love watching his games in Phoenix every chance I get. Watching Nash in the playoffs, you get a sense that you are watching history, and I relish it in the same way I did watching Michael Jordan hit a jumper from the top of the key after faking out his opponent.
To put Steve Nash's performance in perspective, his 23 assists missed a playoff record by only 1; plus, that's more than double the average assists per game for the greatest of all players in history of the league (Nash already claimed the assists title for the season with over 11 assists per game).
What is said about Nash was also said about Magic Johnson - he makes everyone around him better. It occurred to me that the same ought to be said about the great managers in the business world - they should make everyone around them better.
Too often, my tendency is to try to do too much myself. In today's playoff game, Steve Nash would have had to score 49 points on top of his 17 for the game if he were to replace all those assists. Instead, he took control of the game by passing the ball to the right player at the right time to score, and as a result, his team is one win away from eliminating the Lakers from the playoffs and advancing to the second round.
When Michael Jordan was in his prime, the ad campaigns used to say, "I want to be like Mike". When I go to work in the morning, I want to be like Steve. Give me 23 assists with my team, and we'll nail our quarterly objectives every time. That's what being a great manager is all about.
Light it up...
Rob
I've been a fan of Steve Nash since he was playing with Dirk Nowitzki in Dallas, and I love watching his games in Phoenix every chance I get. Watching Nash in the playoffs, you get a sense that you are watching history, and I relish it in the same way I did watching Michael Jordan hit a jumper from the top of the key after faking out his opponent.
To put Steve Nash's performance in perspective, his 23 assists missed a playoff record by only 1; plus, that's more than double the average assists per game for the greatest of all players in history of the league (Nash already claimed the assists title for the season with over 11 assists per game).
What is said about Nash was also said about Magic Johnson - he makes everyone around him better. It occurred to me that the same ought to be said about the great managers in the business world - they should make everyone around them better.
Too often, my tendency is to try to do too much myself. In today's playoff game, Steve Nash would have had to score 49 points on top of his 17 for the game if he were to replace all those assists. Instead, he took control of the game by passing the ball to the right player at the right time to score, and as a result, his team is one win away from eliminating the Lakers from the playoffs and advancing to the second round.
When Michael Jordan was in his prime, the ad campaigns used to say, "I want to be like Mike". When I go to work in the morning, I want to be like Steve. Give me 23 assists with my team, and we'll nail our quarterly objectives every time. That's what being a great manager is all about.
Light it up...
Rob
Friday, April 27, 2007
The Revolution Starts Now
The books arrived today, and I am very excited to get started! I recently got approval to do the Gallup Strengths Finder with our entire group, and I am expecting some very positive results. We did Strengths Finder with the management team back in January, just as our new team was forming, and I believe understanding our complementary strengths has helped make us more efficient in our work together.
Starting today, and over the next 8 weeks, we'll be giving each frontline team member a copy of Strengths Finder 2.0, by Tom Rath, and having them take the online Strengths Finder survey. In addition, I'll be providing 1:1 coaching with each person as they complete their Strengths Finder profile, and working with the other supervisors to start aligning them with their natural strength areas.
I introduced the Strengths Finder concept to our whole group on Wednesday, and showed a short video by Marcus Buckingham. I've had generally very positive feedback from the team, and several people are very anxious to get their book. I expect some will remain skeptical of the whole idea for a while, but I hope the positive changes in our team will win them over in time.
There is so much more to write about what Marcus Buckingham calls "the Strengths revolution", and I'll do that at length in other blog posts. For now, I am just ready to get rolling with this new initiative in our group. I've got 32 new books sitting in a box under my desk just waiting to enlighten an entire team, one person at a time.
Light it up...
Rob
Starting today, and over the next 8 weeks, we'll be giving each frontline team member a copy of Strengths Finder 2.0, by Tom Rath, and having them take the online Strengths Finder survey. In addition, I'll be providing 1:1 coaching with each person as they complete their Strengths Finder profile, and working with the other supervisors to start aligning them with their natural strength areas.
I introduced the Strengths Finder concept to our whole group on Wednesday, and showed a short video by Marcus Buckingham. I've had generally very positive feedback from the team, and several people are very anxious to get their book. I expect some will remain skeptical of the whole idea for a while, but I hope the positive changes in our team will win them over in time.
There is so much more to write about what Marcus Buckingham calls "the Strengths revolution", and I'll do that at length in other blog posts. For now, I am just ready to get rolling with this new initiative in our group. I've got 32 new books sitting in a box under my desk just waiting to enlighten an entire team, one person at a time.
Light it up...
Rob
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
The Play is the Thing
I've been reading a series of short stories to my children that I remember my dad reading to me when I was young. I have vivid images in my mind of the characters and scenes from these stories, and I hope my kids have similar memories. The kids love for me to read to them at bed-time, even though I don't get to as often as I would like. The stories that we share create a bond between us that will remain for years to come.
As much as we love stories in our childhood, I think they are no less meaningful for us as adults. Whether we're catching a movie with friends, keeping up with the latest episode of a favorite TV show, or reading a book by the fireplace, we are captivated by stories.
What is remarkable to me is how quickly we tend to lose our ability to tell stories when we move into the workplace. Certainly, some people are natural story tellers, and they are able to effectively employ stories to persuade their audience, make the sale, or motivate their staff. However, I think we have countless lost opportunities every day where a story could be the difference maker.
What really drove this home for me today was a presentation I was giving where one key story appeared to sway some of the skeptics in the audience. I was challenged on a main point to consider the possibility of an extreme negative example. I could have discounted the likelihood of such a possibility, or I could have dismissed the negative example as irrelevant; instead, I was able to share the story of an individual that had faced a very similar situation, yet was able to apply his strengths in such a way that he is now at this top of his profession. It was the story that made all the difference.
Remember the scene in Hamlet when he decides to use a play put on by a traveling group of actors to test the guilty conscience of the new king? I think the same concept holds true for us in the workforce. We can work to drive home the importance of performance metrics, or continually highlight the need for quality systems, audits, and error checking, and we might have some success. Or, we could simply tell the stories of the customers that benefit from our improved performance, or the stories of the customers whose plans were ruined by a product that failed at a critical time. Such stories could do more to motivate people than all spreadsheets and charts we could trow at them.
Still, it's so easy to forget the things that can make us the most successful. The next time I find myself buried in spreadsheets and procedures, project plans and reports, I need to remind myself to take a step back and find the storyline underneath it all, to make it real, to make it human - to tell a story.
Light it up...
Rob
As much as we love stories in our childhood, I think they are no less meaningful for us as adults. Whether we're catching a movie with friends, keeping up with the latest episode of a favorite TV show, or reading a book by the fireplace, we are captivated by stories.
What is remarkable to me is how quickly we tend to lose our ability to tell stories when we move into the workplace. Certainly, some people are natural story tellers, and they are able to effectively employ stories to persuade their audience, make the sale, or motivate their staff. However, I think we have countless lost opportunities every day where a story could be the difference maker.
What really drove this home for me today was a presentation I was giving where one key story appeared to sway some of the skeptics in the audience. I was challenged on a main point to consider the possibility of an extreme negative example. I could have discounted the likelihood of such a possibility, or I could have dismissed the negative example as irrelevant; instead, I was able to share the story of an individual that had faced a very similar situation, yet was able to apply his strengths in such a way that he is now at this top of his profession. It was the story that made all the difference.
Remember the scene in Hamlet when he decides to use a play put on by a traveling group of actors to test the guilty conscience of the new king? I think the same concept holds true for us in the workforce. We can work to drive home the importance of performance metrics, or continually highlight the need for quality systems, audits, and error checking, and we might have some success. Or, we could simply tell the stories of the customers that benefit from our improved performance, or the stories of the customers whose plans were ruined by a product that failed at a critical time. Such stories could do more to motivate people than all spreadsheets and charts we could trow at them.
Still, it's so easy to forget the things that can make us the most successful. The next time I find myself buried in spreadsheets and procedures, project plans and reports, I need to remind myself to take a step back and find the storyline underneath it all, to make it real, to make it human - to tell a story.
Light it up...
Rob
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
The Relative North
I was looking at a map of a building site over the weekend, and it took me several moments to figure out the proper orientation of what I was viewing. It turns out that North was marked on this map as pointing to the left, rather than to the top. Once I understood where North was, I could immediately pick out the other landmarks on the map and make sense of the site being portrayed.
For centuries, sailors have used the North Star to navigate the seas. While I am sure I don't understand all the intricacies of navigation, or of the finer details of how exactly 'North' is defined, I can say with some certainty that North isn't occasionally found in the Southeast, or in the West.
I mention this because I came across two distinct references to North, or True North, in some of my reading this week. While I appreciate the intent and understand the meaning of both authors, I think that the real power of the concept of True North is so much more than is immediately apparent from the analogies they use.
I came across the first reference to the North in a book by Sally McGhee called, Take Back Your Life: Using Microsoft Outlook to Get Organized and Stay Organized. I have been looking forward to working through this book, and I recently carved out some time to dedicate to it. In the book, Sally McGhee talks about a strategy that aligns activities around a few key Meaningful Objectives. She then goes on to explain that these meaningful objectives are "your North Star, your guiding light, and your reference point for success or failure".
The second reference is actually the fundamental theme of a new book by Bill George, former CEO of Medtronic, and now a Harvard Business School professor. As a follow-up to his earlier book, Authentic Leadership, Bill George extends the idea of authenticity and highlights the example of countless authentic leaders in his latest book, True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership. I just picked up this book yesterday, so I am anxious to begin reading it, but the title concept intrigued me in it's own right.
In both of these cases, the authors talk about some guiding principles that will help define our activities, whether they are organizing or leading. To drive home the point that we need certain key principles influencing the core of our efforts, they both use the analogy of the North Star, or True North. While I readily agree that we will all be more affective at achieving our goals if we have clearly defined principles directing our efforts, I wonder if the analogy can be taken too far.
The reason I started this post talking about maps and navigation is to make the point that the value of the North Star is not simply that it is a guiding light for us to follow, but that it is immovable. It is, and will always be, True North, regardless of where you are. What the analogies in these books imply, however, is that your True North is different than my True North, since your objectives, or the things that make you authentic in your leadership, are different than my objectives, or my authentic leadership.
More accurately, I believe that the power of the analogy of True North is in finding the guiding principles that are outside of ourselves. From the standpoint of my organizational work, my meaningful objectives are only relevant if they support the objectives, or True North, of the business itself. From the standpoint of my authentic leadership style, my True North is not my personal style, nor the learning style of those I am leading, but rather the destination to which we are heading. Unless we are able to align our meaningful objectives or authentic leadership around a single set of guiding principles common to us all, we will all be left chasing our own 'relative' Norths, and little of lasting significance will be accomplished on our own.
I am actually expecting to learn a great deal from Bill George's book True North, and I'm already benefiting from Sally McGhee's Take Back Your Life. As I read and work through these books, however, I will be looking for ways to ensure I am aligned around goals bigger than myself so that I can accomplish more than I could have on my own.
Light it up...
Rob
For centuries, sailors have used the North Star to navigate the seas. While I am sure I don't understand all the intricacies of navigation, or of the finer details of how exactly 'North' is defined, I can say with some certainty that North isn't occasionally found in the Southeast, or in the West.
I mention this because I came across two distinct references to North, or True North, in some of my reading this week. While I appreciate the intent and understand the meaning of both authors, I think that the real power of the concept of True North is so much more than is immediately apparent from the analogies they use.
I came across the first reference to the North in a book by Sally McGhee called, Take Back Your Life: Using Microsoft Outlook to Get Organized and Stay Organized. I have been looking forward to working through this book, and I recently carved out some time to dedicate to it. In the book, Sally McGhee talks about a strategy that aligns activities around a few key Meaningful Objectives. She then goes on to explain that these meaningful objectives are "your North Star, your guiding light, and your reference point for success or failure".
The second reference is actually the fundamental theme of a new book by Bill George, former CEO of Medtronic, and now a Harvard Business School professor. As a follow-up to his earlier book, Authentic Leadership, Bill George extends the idea of authenticity and highlights the example of countless authentic leaders in his latest book, True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership. I just picked up this book yesterday, so I am anxious to begin reading it, but the title concept intrigued me in it's own right.
In both of these cases, the authors talk about some guiding principles that will help define our activities, whether they are organizing or leading. To drive home the point that we need certain key principles influencing the core of our efforts, they both use the analogy of the North Star, or True North. While I readily agree that we will all be more affective at achieving our goals if we have clearly defined principles directing our efforts, I wonder if the analogy can be taken too far.
The reason I started this post talking about maps and navigation is to make the point that the value of the North Star is not simply that it is a guiding light for us to follow, but that it is immovable. It is, and will always be, True North, regardless of where you are. What the analogies in these books imply, however, is that your True North is different than my True North, since your objectives, or the things that make you authentic in your leadership, are different than my objectives, or my authentic leadership.
More accurately, I believe that the power of the analogy of True North is in finding the guiding principles that are outside of ourselves. From the standpoint of my organizational work, my meaningful objectives are only relevant if they support the objectives, or True North, of the business itself. From the standpoint of my authentic leadership style, my True North is not my personal style, nor the learning style of those I am leading, but rather the destination to which we are heading. Unless we are able to align our meaningful objectives or authentic leadership around a single set of guiding principles common to us all, we will all be left chasing our own 'relative' Norths, and little of lasting significance will be accomplished on our own.
I am actually expecting to learn a great deal from Bill George's book True North, and I'm already benefiting from Sally McGhee's Take Back Your Life. As I read and work through these books, however, I will be looking for ways to ensure I am aligned around goals bigger than myself so that I can accomplish more than I could have on my own.
Light it up...
Rob
Monday, April 23, 2007
A Community of Introverts
Have you taken a Myers-Briggs type indicator (MBTI)? Most people are at least aware of such personality profiles. Tools like MBTI are useful for understanding interpersonal dynamics in small groups, and I've seen such profiles used effectively for team development in work groups and in pre-marriage counseling for couples.
Since most people in a corporate environment have taken the MBTI at least once, it's not uncommon for members of relatively new groups to compare notes on their individual profiles. This has been a topic of discussion early on in the last several teams I've been on. Usually, however, the discussion doesn't go to far beyond, "oh...well, that's interesting".
Outside of these group discussions, however, I am amused to occasionally find MBTI profiles popping up in a wide variety of places. I've known a few people that have posted their profiles in their workspace for others to view. Others bring it up in more social settings. Some post their profiles on a website, or in a blog.
Earlier today, I came across a blogger who posted her MBTI profile, and it happened to be the same as mine (INTJ, for those of you that are interested). What was particularly interesting about her post, however, was that she apparently shared the same profile with her sister, who was also her roommate. She noted that it seemed odd that the two of them would share the same profile, when research shows our particular profile is shared by less than 2% of the population.
As I reflected on my MBTI profile, shared with two roommates somewhere in the Midwest, I felt an odd connection with them, even though I've never met them, and I likely never will. Part of that has to do with the need for acceptance that we all feel; it's human nature to seek others like ourselves. However, I wondered if there was something more significant in this connection.
In a rush of memories streaming through my head, I suddenly realized that every time I've had occasion to observe someone advertising their MBTI profile, every time I saw someone's profile posted on a cube wall, or written about in a blog, it was invariably the profile of an introvert! What an irony!
I guess all the extroverts in the world don't have much need to relate to each other on the basis of some abstract personality profile, since relating to others comes so naturally for them. But we introverts, on the other hand, need some kind of crutch to lean on as we tentatively share of ourselves. Or, better yet, why even talk to others when I can post my profile on the web, or on my wall, or in a blog?!
This has got to be the funniest insight I've had in a long time. The Internet seems to be custom-made for introverts, and I'm one of them! I guess we'll take our community wherever we can find it :-)
Light it up...
Rob
Since most people in a corporate environment have taken the MBTI at least once, it's not uncommon for members of relatively new groups to compare notes on their individual profiles. This has been a topic of discussion early on in the last several teams I've been on. Usually, however, the discussion doesn't go to far beyond, "oh...well, that's interesting".
Outside of these group discussions, however, I am amused to occasionally find MBTI profiles popping up in a wide variety of places. I've known a few people that have posted their profiles in their workspace for others to view. Others bring it up in more social settings. Some post their profiles on a website, or in a blog.
Earlier today, I came across a blogger who posted her MBTI profile, and it happened to be the same as mine (INTJ, for those of you that are interested). What was particularly interesting about her post, however, was that she apparently shared the same profile with her sister, who was also her roommate. She noted that it seemed odd that the two of them would share the same profile, when research shows our particular profile is shared by less than 2% of the population.
As I reflected on my MBTI profile, shared with two roommates somewhere in the Midwest, I felt an odd connection with them, even though I've never met them, and I likely never will. Part of that has to do with the need for acceptance that we all feel; it's human nature to seek others like ourselves. However, I wondered if there was something more significant in this connection.
In a rush of memories streaming through my head, I suddenly realized that every time I've had occasion to observe someone advertising their MBTI profile, every time I saw someone's profile posted on a cube wall, or written about in a blog, it was invariably the profile of an introvert! What an irony!
I guess all the extroverts in the world don't have much need to relate to each other on the basis of some abstract personality profile, since relating to others comes so naturally for them. But we introverts, on the other hand, need some kind of crutch to lean on as we tentatively share of ourselves. Or, better yet, why even talk to others when I can post my profile on the web, or on my wall, or in a blog?!
This has got to be the funniest insight I've had in a long time. The Internet seems to be custom-made for introverts, and I'm one of them! I guess we'll take our community wherever we can find it :-)
Light it up...
Rob
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Hard Faces and First Impressions
My wife and I were walking through the park this weekend when we passed a group of neighborhood kids playing a game. After we were some distance away, my wife asked if I had noticed what hard faces the kids had. Glancing back, I understood what she was talking about; it was as if these kids had already lost their childhood innocence. It's not just that they weren't smiling, but that they seemed almost angry.
Seeing the hard faces of these kids made me wonder how I come across to others at work. Do I smile enough? Do I convey a positive image to those around me? Do I come across as approachable, or do I broadcast a "go away" message?
I read a brief article once in Fast Company magazine about a job called, "Director of First Impressions". I wasn't sure if the role was describing a receptionist position, or if this person played a specific role in Marketing or Customer Service (though I had the distinct impression the article could have been describing Kristen, the Administrative Assistant for one of the marketing groups at my company). However, what struck me is how directly applicable this concept is to me. Basically, I am the Director of First Impressions for brand me, and I am responsible for how people perceive me.
I sometimes have a tendency to become so absorbed in my work that I forget about the impression I am leaving with others. What I need to remember is that the work I do is ultimately wrapped up in the way I present it. I'm not talking about a formal presentation, but about the daily interactions I have with others. I can choose to ignore this and create an audience of skeptics, or I can choose to be intentional about how I interact with others, and reap the benefits of a simple smile.
Light it up...
Rob
Seeing the hard faces of these kids made me wonder how I come across to others at work. Do I smile enough? Do I convey a positive image to those around me? Do I come across as approachable, or do I broadcast a "go away" message?
I read a brief article once in Fast Company magazine about a job called, "Director of First Impressions". I wasn't sure if the role was describing a receptionist position, or if this person played a specific role in Marketing or Customer Service (though I had the distinct impression the article could have been describing Kristen, the Administrative Assistant for one of the marketing groups at my company). However, what struck me is how directly applicable this concept is to me. Basically, I am the Director of First Impressions for brand me, and I am responsible for how people perceive me.
I sometimes have a tendency to become so absorbed in my work that I forget about the impression I am leaving with others. What I need to remember is that the work I do is ultimately wrapped up in the way I present it. I'm not talking about a formal presentation, but about the daily interactions I have with others. I can choose to ignore this and create an audience of skeptics, or I can choose to be intentional about how I interact with others, and reap the benefits of a simple smile.
Light it up...
Rob
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Light it up...
When I started working in the Biotech industry several years ago, I began signing all of my emails with the line, "Light it up..." It's been interesting to me to see how many people ask what this means; even more interesting is to hear what they think it means, which is usually pretty funny.
I started using this phrase initially for two reasons. First, I wanted a way to distinguish myself in a large corporate environment so that people could easily remember me and my contributions. It's fun when others write an email and say something like, "As Rob says, Light it up!" Second, I had just started working at Guidant Corporation (now part of Boston Scientific), and I thought that the phrase, "Light it up...", tied in nicely with the Guidant brand, with an allusion to the "guiding light" of Guidant.
Over time, I have come to attribute more significance to the phrase, "Light it up..." For me, "Light it up..." is about my desire to inspire others to be their best and to give their best. In my role as a manager, I enjoy helping each person on my team identify what's unique about themselves and what they do well, and I work to help align their responsibilities with their natural talents. As an individual contributor to the success of my company, I love to tackle complex problems with no apparent solution, think about where we want to be in the future, inspire others with this vision of the future, and align everyone behind creative solutions that will get us there. As a coworker, I always look for ways to encourage everyone in their personal growth and career development, and will take every opportunity I can to build others up.
The other thing that motivates me and really typifies what I think of when I say, "Light it up...", is the power of ideas. Many people comment on the number of books in my personal library at work; I love to read and learn and find ways to apply new ideas. I started this blog to be able to share these ideas, these borrowed thoughts, that inspire and motivate me, with the hope that they will inspire and motivate you as well.
Light it up....
Rob
I started using this phrase initially for two reasons. First, I wanted a way to distinguish myself in a large corporate environment so that people could easily remember me and my contributions. It's fun when others write an email and say something like, "As Rob says, Light it up!" Second, I had just started working at Guidant Corporation (now part of Boston Scientific), and I thought that the phrase, "Light it up...", tied in nicely with the Guidant brand, with an allusion to the "guiding light" of Guidant.
Over time, I have come to attribute more significance to the phrase, "Light it up..." For me, "Light it up..." is about my desire to inspire others to be their best and to give their best. In my role as a manager, I enjoy helping each person on my team identify what's unique about themselves and what they do well, and I work to help align their responsibilities with their natural talents. As an individual contributor to the success of my company, I love to tackle complex problems with no apparent solution, think about where we want to be in the future, inspire others with this vision of the future, and align everyone behind creative solutions that will get us there. As a coworker, I always look for ways to encourage everyone in their personal growth and career development, and will take every opportunity I can to build others up.
The other thing that motivates me and really typifies what I think of when I say, "Light it up...", is the power of ideas. Many people comment on the number of books in my personal library at work; I love to read and learn and find ways to apply new ideas. I started this blog to be able to share these ideas, these borrowed thoughts, that inspire and motivate me, with the hope that they will inspire and motivate you as well.
Light it up....
Rob
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