The Cranky Middle Manager Show #316 The Final Cranky Show and the Future of Work with John Blackwell
The Cranky Middle Manager Show 86- What Good Leadership Training Looks Like- Steve Farber
Posted on 09. Mar, 2007 by Wayne in Podcast
The Cranky Middle Manager Show #086
Before we get into the show, please don’t forget to take the First Ever CMM Listener Survey. We plan to keep doing this show until we get it right. What do you want to hear? What do you NOT want to hear? Now’s your chance to give us feedback- and we all know feedback is a gift.
I confess, I’m getting “leadershipped out”. I even wrote kind of a cranky article about it in Management Issues (read the article here). Steve Farber is the right guy, though
Show Notes
0:00 Welcome to the show. Yup, another show on leadership with Steve Farber, of Extreme Leadership. We’re going to talk about what is wrong with the way most companies tackle the topic.
Today’s dedication is to Marcus Vispanius Agrippa of Rome… not only was he a heck of a soldier but took what he learned and used it to manage projects at home.
2:45 Our quote of the week is from Marcus Aurelius- you can follow leaders and still be a free agent. I also digress and turn into Captain Ahab… it’s been a long winter.
4:10 Welcome Steve Farber of Extreme Leadership. I ask him- what’s with all the talk about leadership? Why isn’t leadership training more effective? Steve nails down a definition for us.
9:35 Here’s a definition of leadership you don’t hear very often: DON’T BE A JERK. The inherent challenge with bringing in a program is- 2 days at the Ramada won’t change anyone’s life, especially if you’re sent.
11:56 At the end of the day, good training has to have content that’s applicable, they can see how it makes their work better and/or easier, but it also has to have heart. Oh yeah, upper management has to work on themselves, and be seen doing it.
13:57 What is it about the workplace that sucks the life out of us? Okay, I’m bringing my own bias into the discussion, but we’re talking generalities here. Leadership is a learned art, not a job title. You need to ask for feedback on a regular basis.
15:47 Are you actively seeking feedback? What do you do with it when you get it? How do you get the people beneath you to give you honest feedback and not fear you? It’s about building trust.
22:05 Leadership is part of you, at work, church, school… it’s a radical LEAP.
Love- does it come from the heart?
Energy- are you generating energy?
Audacity- do you encourage risk taking?
Proof – do you walk it like you talk it?
You can find this in his books, The Radical Leap and The Radical Edge
29:30 so where does Steve find resources?
You’ll be shocked to discover that Tom Peters Blog is a favorite. Also check out their newswire service.
Please Take The Official CMM Listener Poll
Posted on 05. Mar, 2007 by Wayne in General
85 episodes later, it has become apparent that we’re going to be around for a while. I’m stunned and flattered at the positive response we’ve received, but as we have said on this show so many times, feedback is a gift- and I’m asking for your opinion.
The first hundred responders will have a chance to answer 10 questions about what you like, what you don’t like, and help guide the direction of the show.
Come on, what do you say? Click here to take survey
The Cranky Middle Manager Show #85 One on One Leadership- Wally Bock
Posted on 01. Mar, 2007 by Wayne in Podcast
The Cranky Middle Manager Show #085
Welcome to the 85th edition of the Cranky Middle Manager. Today we take a look at the “how-tos” of some of the high-falutin’ leadership talk we’ve been doing lately. Wally Bock, listener and all around good egg has a great blog called Three Star Leadership
If you want the tip card he talks about in the interview, click here. Almost every week there’s something cool you can get from this show- we aim to please.
Show Notes
0:00 Welcome to the show. Today’s episode is dedicated to Nanautzin the Aztec god of humble bravery. If you don’t have a deity of choice, he’d be a good one for any manager to adopt.
2:40 The quote of the week (the first of 2 cool quotes this show) is from Abraham Lincoln. A manager’s gotta do what a manager’s gotta do.
5:00 Wally starts with a quote from the American writer Ring Lardner that basically says, you do the right things right and the odds are in your favor. Management ain’t easy, so why does he ( or any of us?) go through it and even actually like it?
8:50 Wally’s book, “Performance Talk: The One on One Part of Leadership” is a good one, and talks about the nuts and bolts of managing, not just the theory.
12:19 One of Wally’s big ideas is the sharing of ideas with others…just like this show. You learn from others, not from books. Leadership is an apprentice trade, you have to:
- Learn from people
- Practice, or at least try, it
- Get Feedback
You can get Wally’s tools and forms by simply emailing him at tipcards@threestarleadership.com
Interested in forming a manager’s round table for yourself? Here’s some info- go to it.
15:15 Managers have two jobs: 1) Accomplish the mission and 2) Care for your people.
You can coach your boss the same way you coach your people- feedback
17:14 We talk about controlled confrontation and the need for it. Have the kids today gotten more conflict averse? We have made confrontation a dirty word, but it’s essential to leadership and management. You confront your people, you confront your boss, you confront your peers and you’d better learn it when you’re young.
20:29 We promote people because they’re good at their job and not because they have the tools, aptitude or skills to do THAT job. You have to be willing to confront people, be willing and enjoy helping people, and be willing to make decisions.
22:00 The Prime Directive- Show Up A Lot. If you’re there all the time (even if you’re not physically there) good things happen. Another good term he coins- The Dinosaur Rule. The only way to kill a T Rex is when they’re in the egg. Wait til it grows up and you have a world of trouble on your hands…..
26:10 Here’s the practical, face-to-face stuff. There are three parts to setting up the conversation- describe the behavior or performance, tell them why it’s important (both logically and emotionally), then SHUT UP!
29:00 Good list of resources this week-
David Maister’s Blog: Passion, People and Principles by the way, you can hear David Maister’s interview on this show, Episode 41
Peter Drucker’s The Effective Executive
More Bob Sutton, Hard Facts, Dangerous Half-Truths and Total Nonsense
Seriously, check out the resources, check out Wally’s blog and website, and don’t let the weasels get you down.