The Cranky Middle Manager Show #311 Serial Innovators Claudio Feser
The Cranky Middle Manager Show #304 Plugged-In Managers Terri Griffith
Posted on 23. Nov, 2011 by Wayne in General, Podcast
Today Wayne Turmel talks to Terri Griffith about her book, “The Plugged-In Manager”. How plugged in are you to your organization, your team and your customers? We also discuss Samurai spy masters and the pain of reading John Locke, even if he is a smart guy. Just another eclectic day at the office here in Crankyland.
If you’re going to use WebEx, GoToMeeting or any of those tools, don’t you want to use them well? At GreatWebMeetings.com we teach you the skills to present, sell, train or manage your team using web presentation tools. We offer programs in How to Create and Manage Remote Teams, Web Presentation Basics and Leading Effective Virtual Meetings. Drop us a line for pricing and more information.
If you manage remote teams, don’t forget to check out the ConnectedManager.com blog. New content twice a week!
Show Notes
0:00 No matter how you say hello, howdy.Today we’re talking about being plugged in, which is more about human connections than technology. To that end we dedicate the show to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, warlord and spymaster, but not a samurai. He reminds us that every job that doesn’t end in voluntary retirement ends in firing or death. Just saying.
4:12 The quote of the week is from John Locke (who you can read about in my first book, A Philistine’s Journal). A tough read but a very smart guy. Who are you plugged into? Does it make you smarter?
5:02 Welcome Terri Griffith, author of “The Plugged-In Manager: Get in Tune With Your People, Technology and Organization to Thrive”. Aren’t we already over-connected and too plugged in? Connection and plugging in isn’t about technology alone.
8:09 How do you plug in to the organization? How can managers be properly connected to their employers?What about companies that don’t make it easy to connect to it?
13:20 The three practices of the plugged-in manager are: Stop- look- listen, Mixing, and Sharing. First of all, you have to take stock of where you, your company, your employees and your customers actually are. Be a little reflective before buying the latest toys. What are you trying to do, and what do you have at your disposal?
18:26 Most of us do a pretty bad job of gathering and sharing information. It’s not that we’re not willing to share, we just don’t do it proactively. Terri uses the concept of “thinking out loud”, and finding ways to share those thoughts. Terri shares the idea of the Management Innovation Exchange. Click here to learn more.
22:34 I learn about the concept of the “Hackathon”. The trick is that it uses technology but requires really good human facilitation. How are your skills in that area?
27:34 Terri’s Resources
Her blog www.thepluggedinmanager.com
The Cranky Middle Manager Show #303 Manager’s Guide to Virtual Teams Yael Zofi
Posted on 15. Nov, 2011 by Wayne in General, Podcast
Today Wayne Turmel talks to Yael Zofi about her important new book, “A Manager’s Guide to Virtual Teams”. We also do a bit of a rant on name pronunciation, bad assumptions and French quotes about distance. You don’t find THIS mix anywhere else, gang.
If you’re going to use WebEx, GoToMeeting or any of those tools, don’t you want to use them well? At GreatWebMeetings.com we teach you the skills to present, sell, train or manage your team using web presentation tools. We offer programs in How to Create and Manage Remote Teams, Web Presentation Basics and Leading Effective Virtual Meetings. Drop us a line for pricing and more information.
If you manage remote teams, don’t forget to check out the ConnectedManager.com blog. New content twice a week!
Show notes:
0:00 Welcome to the show. I have to apologize for mangling the pronunciation of Yael’s name. It’s kind of a metaphor for the kind of thing that happens in this cross cultural, international, remote workplace so let’s make lemonade out of lemons and learn something.
3:12 The quote of the week is from Henri Poincare who was so smart it was just basically showing off. Doubt and belief are both a problem, especially when you’re remote from the evidence.
4:00 Forgive the mispronunciation. First, let’s start with.. how did we get so far down the road to virtual teams with organizations doing such a lousy job of preparing managers to work that way.
8:22 What are some of the challenges for managers? Much of it involves creating and defining context. It is also very difficult to establish trust and accountability.
11:00 Email is the least effective form of communication, and yet it’s the way we communicate most. What’s the alternative? Try actually , you know, talking. There’s also the whole “virtual-in-person” approach like web conferencing and video.
15:37 What do you do when team members don’t deal with each other well? They often connect to the manager but don’t work together. The role of the leader is not to do everything for everyone. You have to get the team to work for each other.
19:09 Asynchronous sharing is a great idea, but what do you do when you can’t get people to use the tools? Help the team set up protocols that they will build together. That helps build accountability and social interaction. These types of interactions don’t happen organically. You have to build it consciously. Don’t underestimate the power of birthdays.
25:34 What about conflict? How does working remotely impact conflict resolution? There are 4 different types of conflicts: performance conflict, identity conflict, data conflict, and social conflict. You need to understand what you’re dealing with in order to turn lemons into lemonade.
Yael’s Resources
She’s also on Twitter and Facebook
The Cranky Middle Manager Show #302 Reviving Work Ethic Eric Chester
Posted on 08. Nov, 2011 by Wayne in General, Podcast
Today Wayne Turmel talks about work ethic: what it is, who has it, who doesn’t and what’s with these darned kids today? He talks to Eric Chester about his new book, “Reviving Work Ethic- a Leader’s Guide to Ending Entitlement and Restoring Pride in the Emerging Workforce”. He also ponders his own usefulness as a father and quotes Teddy Roosevelt. Bully for him.
If you’re going to use WebEx, GoToMeeting or any of those tools, don’t you want to use them well? At GreatWebMeetings.com we teach you the skills to present, sell, train or manage your team using web presentation tools. We offer programs in How to Create and Manage Remote Teams, Web Presentation Basics and Leading Effective Virtual Meetings. Drop us a line for pricing and more information.
If you manage remote teams, don’t forget to check out the ConnectedManager.com blog. New content twice a week!
Show Notes
0:00 Welcome to the show. Today has me thinking all about all the wailing and gnashing of teeth we see when it comes to young people in the workforce. Do they have a different work ethic than we do? Whose fault is that? Forgive the lack of a dedication, but I’ve been doing some serious navel-gazing this week on this topic.
5:01 The quote of the week is from President Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt. Yes, hard work is rewarding, but is that idea driven entirely within ourselves? Are there external factors, and regardless of what the new hire looks like coming through the door, it’s our job to teach them.
6:10 Welcome Eric Chester to the show. What is he finding in the workplace that is so different from what we experienced entering the workforce? How is this any different than every generation complaining about “those darned kids”? Here’s a question I should have asked and didn’t: maybe they just can’t be bothered training them properly- huh?
10:10 So what is it about the new workers that drives employers crazy? Time, appearance and professional behavior (whatever that is to you) lead the list. Here’s a typical example…if they call in sick, are they really sick or just can’t be bothered?
14:05 Here’s a great definition of “work ethic”: knowing what you’re supposed to do and doing it. There are 7 things that he calls “sandbox values” that are universal: Smile and be polite, be prompt, look your best, do your best, tell the truth, obey the rules, say please and thank you.
17:27 Okay, so we’ve inherited these people. What do we do now? As managers and leaders, what can we do to help develop these habits? Anger is based on disappointed expectations. What do you expect? Do they know that?
21:00 It’s up to us to help teach, not just skills, but attitudes and behaviors. Let’s just say (if you’re anal-retentive like me) promptness is a key virtue. Chewing them out is not the best option. Help them understand why this attribute matters. Set the expectation and explain why it matters. It starts with the job interview.
25:20 I reveal my one shining moment in parenting on this topic. Ask your kid if they know why people are interested in hiring them? I can only hope Her Serene Highness believes me. Sometimes it takes more than that, though. Drat.
28:30 Don’t have time to go into them, but Eric has 5 strategies to help get the message across: 1) find your style 2) develop trust 3) value tact and timing 4) tell stories and 5) cast a vision. And the greatest of these is developing trust…
Eric’s Resources
The book is available for Pre-Order at RevivingWorkEthic.com