The Cranky Middle Manager #145 Responsibility Redefined with Christopher Avery

Posted on 24. May, 2008 by Wayne in Podcast

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Cranky Middle Manager Wayne Turmel talks to Christopher Avery, author of “Teamwork is an Individual Skill” and the “Responsibility Redefined” blog. What’s the difference between accountability and responsibility? Find out. A little responsibility could have changed the outcome of the American Revolution too…..

Show Notes

0:00 Welcome to Episode 145. Today we’re talking responsibility with Dr. Christopher Avery, author of Teamwork is an Individual Skill and The Responsibility Redefined blog. We also talk about George Germaine, Viscount of Sackville, who basically redefined NOT taking responsibility. A little accountability could have kept the United States a colony where it belongs

2:40 The quote of the week is from Thomas Carlyle- are you the architect of your circumstances? Would it stand up to inspection?

3:00 Welcome Christopher Avery…we get off to a rocky start but he’s free, powerful and at choice so what does my reaction matter? We hear all the time that we have all of the responsibility and none of the authority… no sympathy from Christopher. First, we need to define (or redefine) responsibility. We own the ability to make our own choices.

6:03 How do you take responsibility in a team when you can only control yourself? It’s about a shared responsibility and that doesn’t happen by accident. We also discuss the difference between accountability and responsibility. One is external and one is internal.

12:00 The most successful team builders’ sense of responsibility is more than they are held accountable for. Every member has to take responsibility for the outcomes of the team members. How do you get the other members of the team to do the same thing?

16:45 You need to have explicit conversations about more than just the metrics the team is responsible for. It’s about the people….

19:00 You can understand responsibility by looking at Christopher’s Responsibility Model. (You can get a poster of it on my website along with other Free Downloads). Here’s how we respond when things go wrong:

• Denial
• Blame
• Justify
• Shame
• Obligation
• Responsibility

Blame doesn’t help, although it does feel kinda good.

24:00 Once you get past Justify you get to Shame, where I dwell a lot. This is where managers beat themselves up. Anyone else spend a lot of time there?

25:43 A big difference between obligation (have to do it) and responsibility (want to do it). You know the difference.

Christopher’s Resources

Agile Software Development blog “Leading Answers”

He’s a big fan of audio books:

How to Win Friends and Influence People- Dale Carnegie

Voice of a Leader – Arthur Samuel Joseph

Don’t let the weasels get you down!

Phil Gerbyshak and The Back of The Napkin

Posted on 23. May, 2008 by Wayne in General

The ubiquitous and ever-peppy Phil Gerbyshak has posted a really terrific interview with Dan Roam, maybe the hottest author in the business world right now. If you’ve heard the buzz about The Back Of The Napkin-Solving Problems and Selling Ideas With Pictures (and if you haven’t, you will) you’ll want to check out the interview here at his Make It Great blog.

I haven’t completely drunk the Kool-aid on this book, (I am a notoriously anti-visual learner) but it’s intriguing and might just help cure PowerPoint paralysis in our lifetime…..

The Cranky Middle Manager #144 Big Ideas to Big Results- Michael Kanazawa

Posted on 19. May, 2008 by Wayne in Podcast

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Wayne Turmel talks to Michael Kanazawa, co-author of “Big Ideas to Big Results- Remake and Recharge Your Company Fast”. We also take a look at the Mongol general Subotai…. delegation is a critical skill gang even if you’re a “working manager” and I have a meltdown over the term “working manager”….

Show Notes

0:00 Welcome to the show. Today we dedicate this episode to Subutai, the great Mongol General (but then you knew that, right?) Even when you get called a coward, staying above the situation so you can really see what’s going on is part of a manager’s job. Subutai conquered half the world for his boss, even though he wasn’t a fighting general…or a “working manager” As opposed to WHAT?

2:42 The quote of the week is from Michelangelo who was a right pain to manage but knew a thing or two about getting results…

3:07 Welcome Michael Kanazawa of Disserro Partners and co-author of Big Ideas to Big Results. Why do those of us with big ideas have such a hard time getting the desired result? Organizations are on overload- they have what he refers to as “Corporate ADD”. There aren’t enough resources actually committed to one idea. A little corporate Ritalin would be good.

7:50 How do you gently tell someone their good idea isn’t getting any love this month, and how do I respond when it’s my baby that gets ignored? The company has to decide, then communicate their plans clearly and then stick to the plan. Will it accelerate growth? Do we have the bandwidth? It’s often decided by what the Sales weasels want….

12:51 You might want to create a Market Map. Organizations need to align with where the market is going. Is your whole company aligned to serve the customer? It’s not as obvious as it sounds.

15:31 As you move up in a company, do you understand how power works? A good individual contributor probably has no power… which can make you crazy. By the time you get high enough you can’t micromanage…it’s not possible. A great example is from the book, an operations guy at an airline…. it’s all about how engaged (that word again!) the employees are with the strategy.

25:59 What happens when metrics are imposed from above without consulting the people on the ground? They are usually not outcome metrics, but “check the box” metrics…..

27:53 Michael’s Resources

The Employee Engagement Ning Site (also known as the Cranky Middle Manager Alumni Society)

Michael Lee Stallard- Fired Up or Burned Out you can also check his interview out here.

Rick Barrera- Over Promise and Over Deliver- the Secrets of Unshakeable Customer Loyalty

Another Carnival of HR

Posted on 15. May, 2008 by Wayne in General

One of the cool things in the blogosphere is the “Carnival of HR” which happens twice a month or so. The best HR-focused bloggers get together and submit their best articles of the last few weeks. It’s a great way to catch up on a lot of reading wtihout tracking upwards of 20 bloggers.

Well, the newest edition is out, which includes my contribution which is lifted from Management Issues this month. Check out Peggy Andrew’s Career Encouragement Blog.

Lots of cool folks like Wally Bock, the Evil HR Lady and many, many others you might know about participate.

Yeah, I know it’s HR but lord knows they have their weasels to defend against too.