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Monday January 17, 2011

Topic: Executive Management

Reference: Hill, Linda A., Lineback, Kent. “Are You a Good Boss-Or a Great One?” Harvard Business Review: Http: hbr.org/2011/01/are-you-good-boss-or-great-one/ar/pr. January 2011.

Monday January 17, 2011

Topic: Executive Management

Reference: Hill, Linda A., Lineback, Kent. “Are You a Good Boss-Or a Great One?” Harvard Business Review: Http: hbr.org/2011/01/are-you-good-boss-or-great-one/ar/pr. January 2011.

If you are an executive with direct reports, I believe that it is imperative to ask yourself how effective a leader are you? Do you have the right stuff? Are you able to handle and manage the ambiguity of change, imperfect information, and the varying personalities of staff members? Everything should be about continuous improvement, including your leadership and management skills. How do you know if you are effectively managing your challenges, and supporting your personal brand? Some default to instruments like 360 degree assessments, personal evaluations, or other instruments to tell the story. However, these instruments are often gamed and manipulated to produce certain results, whether or not the facts actually support what is written. As one philosopher put it, “the problem with truth is its many variations.” As a result, many executives may really not know how effective they are, what their employees really think about them, or if they have a good handle on reality. The same usually continues until something blows up. The only sure way is to continually monitor your own situation, build your skills, and add to your portfolio of successes.  The commentators in the referenced article echo many of these same themes in their thought piece. “Most bosses reach a certain level of proficiency and stop there-short of what they could and should be.” The rationale for the shortcoming is explained in at least four ways: (1) managers stop growing, working on themselves, or asking the tough questions about their performance; (2) managers fail to manage themselves appropriately and create dysfunctional relationships; (3) managers resist the need to manage organizational politics and environmental factors that co-determine success; and (4) managers poorly engage and manage their teams. “To do collective work that requires…experience, and knowledge, teams are more creative and productive than groups of individuals who merely cooperate. In a real team, members hold themselves and one another jointly accountable. They share a genuine conviction that they will success or fail together. A clear and compelling purpose and concrete goals and plans….Without them no group will coalesce into a real team.” A finer articulation of the team dynamic I have not seen. The commentators have the issues nailed. Their proposed remedies (be clear on how you are doing, what you can do now, and planning) were pedestrian in comparison. Even their suggestion of prep-do-review while adequate seems pretty basic. Rather  I suggest that you set a course, alter it based on specific facts, and that you constantly evaluate your performance not against what got done, but what could have gotten done. If you do these things it will keep you honest and force you to have more honest conversations with yourself and with others. Ultimately, the truth about your performance will find you.