Show Notes

0:00 Welcome to our 150th Episode. Yeah you heard it, 150… I think the reason we are still here is people want to lighten up while still learning and getting better at what they do. We dedicate this episode to the Muslim Mullah Nasrudin. It’s hard to learn anything while being miserable….. whether it’s life or just how to do a decenjt performance review.

3:43 George Bernard Shaw has our quote of the week. If you’re going to tell people the truth, make them laugh or they’ll kill you.

5:18 Welcome Adrian Gostick. Why are we so darned serious at work and why should we lighten the #$%@% up? Research shows people stick around at companies where it’s fun to go to work. So why are companies so afraid of humor in the workplace?

9:21 Can you suddenly turn on fun in places that weren’t fun til now? Adrian’s research says fun is critical and it’s never too late. You can start with some goofy contests or Academy Awards ballots. People really are eager for fun.

11:51 People can be cynical…. programs like FISH can backfire on you… how do you avoid cynicism and the “flavor of the month”? Plus, let’s face it…. some people are fun and some don’t want fun thrust upon them.

16:47 Is fun cultural? How do you create fun when people are so spread out all over the planet? It IS doable. Tie the fun to work and celebration.

21:07 Don’t laugh, there’s evidence and lots of data that this works. Fun is a major factor in retention oh, and it’s your responsibility, middle managers.

More Resources

The Back of the Napkin- Dan Roam

The Speed of Trust- Stephen M R Covey

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This site is kept up and running by the IT geniuses at XMinds… check them out.

Show Notes

0:00 Greetings and welcome to episode 148. Today we’re talking conflict and teams, so the show is dedicated to Agamemnon and Achilles. (This link is to Diana’s site and she did the hard work here, not me).

Are you a winner or a whiner? How people perceive your behavior can cost your team everything…..

2:27 The quote of the week is fro Johann Kaspar Lavater- would it kill you to let someone talk without trying to look so smart??? Hey, you get my lessons too, gang.

Don’t forget our webinar on June 26th. Find out more here…..

3:58 Welcome Diana McLain Smith. Human dynamics can get weird, and when the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. Teams just get weird. Everyone from Dilbert to Drucker can tell you that. Why is another question. Is it too much to just ask people to act rationally? (Yes, is the answer)

7:29 We look at Steve Jobs and John Scully in the early days of Apple. On paper, a great relationship. IN reality, a car wreck. We have idealistic ideas of how relationships should work, but after a while reality sets in. Strengths become “failings” and behavior is assumed to be for all kinds of bad reasons.

12:59 We discuss the term “Frame”, which is how we look at someone and all the assumptions we make about their behavior. Visionary zeal can also be volatility, attention to detail becomes micromanaging….you have to check your assumptions at the door.

16:49 Does this mean that opposites don’t attract, and you should avoid conflict on the team at all costs? Not so fast…. when people are doing a task, do we look at the behavior or at the people? And it’s an old habit…. many of us have never learned to deal with conflict.

21:15 an example of a team that makes it work and you might not expect them to- Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer at Microsoft. What are they doing right?

25:15 When people say they need to “work on the relationship”… what do they actually do? Going off and thinking does not mean obsessing about the other person but grab a pen and paper. Then ask what you’re doing that you do to set that person off?

Diana’s Resources:

West of Eden :The End of Innocence at Apple Computer

John Meacham- “Franklin and Winston”

Doris Kearns Goodwin “Team of Rivals”

Wall Street Journal article on Gates and Ballmer

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0:00 Welcome to the show all ye who try really, really hard. Today we talk to Ken Blanchard about his new book and the last 25 years of management development. We dedicate this episode to King Sejong the Great of Korea. Others will notice when you’re management material. Oh and Tom Peters is the last one on my list.

3:45 Immanuel Kant had a lot to say about wisdom… good advice here. Also a shameless plug for a webinar on June 26th. Just go to www.dimdim.com and look for featured meetings. You can read about the webinar here.

5:45 Welcome Ken Blanchard, author of The One Minute Manager. Whatever the reason, we’re glad he’s here. One Minute Manager has sold over 13 Million Copies!!! Why? Maybe because everyone was tired of hearing how the Japanese were so brilliant. It came out the same time as Megatrends and In Search of Excellence, kind of a golden age of management books. It’s a classic, even if it is false advertising.

8:45 Over the years, middle managers have struggled with operational leadership. Vision is great but you have to help your people get things done. The real impact comes from operational leadership…so why is most of what we hear high-level leadership? Ken talks about a new concept- the triple bottom line.

12:34 Ken Blanchard is a “Seagull Manager”….. I love when people we look up to admit their flaws….. the greatest detriment to being a good manager is our own ego.

17:34 If you want to know why this show is different from others, the fact that Ken Blanchard just said, “Duh” sums it up, but sometimes there’s no other response. After all these years people management still impacts your business as much or more than other factors. This is a big issue for entrepeneurs (you can hear Jay Goltz talk about it on episode 130 )

23:30 Big Disclaimer…her name is Margie, not Marjorie…. Ken’s wife and co-founder is Margie… I know that…. didn’t hear the mistake til the third time through. Humble apologies. There are 5 principles of being an entrepeneur:

• Passion
• Profits (know your numbers and take care of the take care)
• People
• Priorities
• Perspective

27:00 Ken’s resources

Ken recommends Patrick Lencioni (who has been on this show)

Good to Great by Jim Collins.

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Show Notes

0:00 Welcome to the 146th Edition of the Cranky Middle Manager on our third anniversary. Since our guest, Melanie Holmes, works for a Temp Agency, it seemed the right time to commiserate with Commander Friedrich Adolph Riedesel. Managing temps has never been easy gang. Especially when the project fails.

3:11 The quote of the week is from another German, John Paul Richter…. change exposes character more than permanence….. stability is overrated. Righhhhhhht

4:45 Welcome to Melanie Holmes, the absolutely delightful VP of World of Work Solutions…nice when you can pick your own job title. She looks at the trends impacting hiring companies, government agencies and the like. What do employers have to say about their middle managers? If you’re looking for sympathy we won’t find it with Melanie I’m afraid….

7:35 What skills do employers most want to see in their managers? It’s soft skills rather than technical expertise. Communication, teamwork and working and playing well with others are all on the menu. Melanie gives a good IT example- like we’ve always said onthis show you have to understand what your business does and how it works. Check out our Manifesto.

10:00 Where does the company’s responsibility lie? What about our own? We talk about the value (or not) of an MBA.

15:00 How do we get in front of the right people with our resumes? Melanie suggests getting rid of the standard format for resumes and CVs to show off these special skills. If you’re hoping job boards gets the job done, guess again. you’re better off on Myspace and Facebook…. really.

19:20 What are the growing job areas? Engineers, machinists and skilled trades, finance and, for a group of people that are always around, sales weasels are in short demand. Who knew?

22:00 What about all of us who do development on our own. Josh Kaufman’s Personal MBA (you can hear him on our show here) is an example. Also don’t forget Manager Tools and all the other great blogs and resources….How do you quantify all the cool stuff you’ve been doing? Get proactive people.

26:54 If she had a magic wand, what would she tell her client companies to STOP doing that tortures their middle managers? Not allowing people to cross disciplines is a big one. We also quote Gautam Ghosh on the Working Week podcast about that situation in India.

30:00 Is the “war for talent” a conspiracy theory??????

Resources: Check out the Manpower BLawg with lawyer Mark.

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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

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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

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0:00 Welcome to the show.. a long conversation today so no dedication, try to control your gripping disappointment. Today we’re talking a common sense approach to your career and success. The Quote of the Week, however, is cool. How much will you choke on YOUR banquet of consequences? Robert Louis Stevenson has a little to say on the subject.

2:14 Bud Bilanich is the author of Straight Talk for Success. I feel the need for a good shaking so glad to make it happen. What does it take to succeed in life and your career? I struggle with this one- is Cranky Middle Manager a success? Bud tells us a successful person is happy with what he or she has achieved in their life.

There are 5 attributes they have in common. They are

1. Self Confident
2. Creating positive personal impact
3. Outstanding performers
4. Dynamic communicators
5. Interpersonally competent

6:25 Self confidence is believing you’re going to succeed when you begin something. It (obviously) doesn’t mean you don’t have your demons or voices in your head. You have to be optimistic, face your fears and surround yourself with positive people.

11:36 Are you the kind of person people want to be around? That’s positive personal impact.We get into the issue of Personal Branding.Think of it this way- when you leave the room, what do you want people to say? Finish this sentence: when I leave the room I want people to say, “There’s the guy (or woman) who _______”. Bud tells a story that teaches an important lesson. If you don’t brand yourself, someone else will do it for you.

20:43 The balance between technical competence and interpersonal competence is a tough one in a manager’s life. Being good at your job is not enough, nor is just being slick.

26:47 Why do we not use our common sense? Because it’s harder than just sliding by. It takes guts

Check out Bud’s Success Common Sense Blog

Bud recommends Her Corner Office by Trudy Bourgeois

Bill White’s “From Day One”

Jeffrey Gittomer’s stuff

BIG QUESTION OF THE DAY: How do we celebrate our upcoming Third Anniversary- any ideas??????

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Show Notes:

0:00 Welcome to the Cranky Middle Manager Show all you budding superstars and those who manage them. Today we look at one of our 4 Disciplines of Highly Effective, Leadership Exhibiting, Project Nailing, Cheese Moving Managers- Business Acumen…. in particular managing your own darn career and becoming a superstar.

It’s not easy, so we dedicate this to Marshal Louis Davout who came close but never quite figured out how to manage his manager…. You can learn more about Napoleon on the Napoleon 101 Podcast…check it out
3:12 The quote of the week is from William Allen White- Becoming a superstar just means you do, or have more and make do with, more than the average schlub.

Hey, shameless plug… check out www.greatwebmeetings.com if you want to know how you can make tight travel budgets sting less…you can also check out our YouTube video: Why Web Demos Suck and What You Can Do About It

4:36 Welcome multi-talented Dr. Myra White. She’s a fellow Management Issues columnist, and author of Follow The Yellow Brick Road- a Harvard Psychologist’s Guide to Becoming a Superstar. What the heck is a superstar and what does it take to become one? Myra’s book looks at some very famous people and what makes them superstars…

9:00 Superstars know what they’re good at and what they’re not. How do they stop wrestling with their demons long enough to focus on their strengths rather than obsess about what they don’t do well? Richard Branson is a good example…

11:40 You have to create your own “personal success syndrome”. What does success mean to you? Will you know when you hit it? First thing is you have to get on the playing field…getting that first job or opportunity is critical. Believe it or not, The Wizard of Oz serves as a good model… Toto, we’re not a line employee any more……

19:46 My feelings about Glinda the Good Witch as a consultant aside, a key is to know how to give and get help. Giving help often isn’t hard, but asking for help can get in our way.

23:46 As a manager, how do you deal with a superstar and help them work with their teams…. you have to help them recognize their “superstar-ness” on one hand and help them learn patience and teamwork.

26:47 What’s going on in Harvard Business School…are Business Schools teaching things people need? Maybe it’s time to quite telling 22 year olds they’re ready to run the world….. Yes I’m getting old.

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Today we welcome a young woman who will help us understand the situation in the United Arab Emirates, as well as dispel some of my stupid assumptions about working and managing there. Sarah Shaw tells us about managing in the booming, constantly changing world of the “Oasis Economies”.

Show Notes

0:00 Welcome to the show. Today we’re continuing our periodic look at managing in different parts of the world- circumstances are different but middle management never changes… hasn’t throughout history, why should it start now. Today we’re looking at one of the most unique booming areas of all… the Middle East, particularly the United Arab Emirates. We dedicate this show to Antarah the Black Knight. If you’ve ever had to do an impossible project to make your bones you can identify.

4:06 Our quote of the week is an Arabic proverb… it’s when you know what you know and don’t know, that’s when you’ll know… or something like that.

5:40 Welcome new friend Sarah Shaw. First we need to understand exactly what, where and how is the United Arab Emirates.

10:00 What are the challenges of creating a native business and management class in less than a generation and a half? The speed of change is part of it. Emirati culture is also an issue in blending Western companies and native Emirati workers. We spend some time dispelling some myths and learn a lot. Anybody want to pay me to go over and check it out for myself?

16:00 The cultural change is drastic. Sarah tells us her family history moving from a Bedouin, nomadic life to a more western one. There are a lot of misunderstandings between cultures, including an arab “expert” who told me something false. There IS an Arab word for customer… it’s Zabun. There, don’t you feel smarter now?

24:00 What’s the situation like there for ex-pats who suddenly find themselves there? Dubai is very much like Singapore in that it’s “Arabia for beginners”. I also apologize on behalf of American idiots everywhere….

28:00 We touch on the role of gender in the workplace… and the changes between the generations.

To Find Out More

The Abu Dhabi Tourism Department

The Dubai Tourism Department

Don’t forget to visit us at www.crankymiddlemanager.com or www.greatwebmeetings.com

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SHOW NOTES

0:00 Welcome to the show for those too low on the food chain to claim Omniscience, but too high for plausible deniability.

Today we salute Pericles, the brains behind the Athenian glory years. We salute him for thinking out of the box…by putting Athens in a box, where it was safe. It also made the world safe for theater and man-boy love….. unintended consequences, more than likely.

2:39 Lao Tzu has our quote of the week… comparing your company’s strategy to cooking a fish is a novel approach, but no more so than some of the other analogies we’ve heard.

Don’t forget to visit us and subscribe to our newsletter…..

4:01 Welcome Robert Thompson, author of The Offsite, A Leadership Challenge Fable. Jim Kouzes has been with us a couple of times so check him out if this interests you at all. (Episode 82 and Episode 112 to be precise). I have selfish reasons for liking it, but it’s a good way to introduce the 5 Practices of Exemplary Leadership. We also discuss why offsites often suck and what makes a good one.

9:23 Robert actually teaches the Leadership Challenge principles and we talk about the challenge of trying to teach leadership. This is trainer’s geek speak. So sue me.

14:30 Why are people so cynical about training, even expensive well-done training. Yes, it’s more about engagement and how to make it happen.

18:46 How does Robert deal with the prisoners- the ones who don’t want to be trained and aren’t there because they want to be?

24:00 The biggest challenge for managers is often the metrics they’re responsible for. How do you challenge the process and keep your job?

27:00 Robert has lots of people who have endorsed the book including our friends Marshall Goldsmith and Steve Farber among others, so he’s in good company. he also recommends

Twyla Tharpe- The Creative Habit

Leading Out Loud- Terry Pearce

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Show Notes

0:00 Welcome to the over-connected world of middle management. This show is dedicated to Sargon of Akkad, first ruler of Sumeria. It took a real leader to get people to follow someone they weren’t kin to, but he figured out how to create connections beyond blood. 5400 direct reports is a bunch and I’ll bet he didn’t do annual performance reviews.

2:54 The quote of the week is from Aristotle- we all need people unless we’re beasts or gods. My guess is neither is listening to this little show.

3:34 Welcome Michael Lee Stallard, one of the brains behind E Pluribus Partners. He is also the author of The Connection Culture- A New Source of Competitive Advantage. It always seems to take a personal crisis to bring our attention to what matters.

8:46 There is a business connection of course. Lots of research went into this work. What are the things that connect us to our work and our workplace? Trust, mission, identity and feelings connect us. When we feel threatened that darned cortisol takes over.

12:30 Some people are more comfortable with this discussion than others. (Hello, elephant). How do you start to have this conversation among your team? The Connection Culture e-book is a start. The 3 elements are Vision, Value and Voice.

Vision is how people see themselves. Anita Roddick from The Body Shop understood this. Values is how valued are you? Voice is about do you get a voice in what’s important to you? Oh, and a voice is not the same as a vote.

18:43 What’s the individual manager’s role in this (Note to all future guests, compliment the host’s questions)? One is to implement “Knowledge Flow” sessions. Tell them what’s going on in the company and ask their input. The second team is getting them together. Sargon understood this, why doesn’t YOUR boss? (Cheap plug here, webmeetings help and we can help with that, check out www.greatwebmeetings.com)

23:38 Connection in action can be seen in Xerox CEO Anne Mulcahy. The other is Proctor and Gamble CEO AG Laffley.

Michael’s Resources

Let Your Life Speak- Parker Palmer

The Identity Code- Laurence Ackerman

Big Ideas to Big Results- Michael Kanazawa and Robert Miles
The Employee Engagement Network including David Zinger (you can hear his CMM interview here….)

Herman the Ermine says: Don’t let the weasels get you down

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Show Notes

0:00 Welcome to the show. Today we are talking corporate survival strategies today with Eric Pennington. This show is all about realizing how insane things can be, but finding ways to cope. Therefore this episode is dedicated to someone who literally survived the rat race with his soul intact….Humphrey the Gerbil.

When you KNOW it’s a treadmill you can make peace with it…. if you don’t lose your mind.

4:16 The quote of the week is from Daniel Webster…. remember in corporate life it might be crazy, it might be benign, but it IS corporate life. Humphrey had it right, make peace with the wheel or don’t.

5:02 Welcome Eric, who is the author of Waking Up In Corporate America. We all know it’s crazy out there, but is there more to life than just whining about it? He talks about the inspiration for the book and some of the secrets to survival.

7:22 Being authentic while being part of the team is one of the biggest challenges. Where do you draw the line between shutting up just to move ahead and being part of the organization?

11:14 How do you create an environment where honesty is both encouraged and valued? The manager sets the tone… and once the decision is made you need to honor it. No whining afterwards. You need to be connected to your employees.

13:00 Leading a life of influence is another secret…. and it’s not just for those with Leader in their job descriptions.

17:15 What are the things that big companies do to suck the life from people? The biggest one is the manager not being as engaging and interested as they were during the interview. Engagement of course goes both ways and the employee has some responsibility here.

23:00 If we assume most people mean well, what is the biggest reason good, well meaning people turn into passive aggressive losers? Blame the stock market baby. Short-term metrics lead to short-term thinking.

26:31 Eric is host of the Epic Living Radio Show…. this sounds pretty cool and he’s promised I’ll be a guest one day. Some people will say anything to get on the Cranky Middle Manager Show!

Eric’s Resources

Kevin Kelly’s blog The Technium

Mission Minded Management

Cube Rules

Even Humphrey would be in trouble if he let the weasels get him down!

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Show 137 Notes

0:00 Welcome one and all to The Cranky Middle Manager Show… put down whatever report it is that rules your life. Today we talk Brand Engagement…. we salute Mongke Khan luckyrecipient of one of the few truly successful off-sites in history, and engage in some unproductive but satisfying daydreams.

2:28 The quote of the week is from John Lock and his Essay Concerning Human Understanding people will shoot down ideas just because they’re new. Not exactly news but doesn’t it feel good to know it’s ALL people, not just your company? No? Get over it.

Don’t forget to visit www.crankymiddlemanager.com and subscribe to our newsletter, visit the store, check our our Manifesto and why we’re here….

3:11 Welcome Ian Buckingham, author and brains behind The Bring Yourself To Work Fellowship. Okay so there’s bring your kid to work, bring your dog to work, I would have thought this one was a no-brainer….. Yes, I know Employee Engagement is the official annoying buzzword for 2008 but it is critical. We’re talking today about employees connecting with the company’s brand.

One example is a company’s bad idea to send zeppelins to England to advertise… not in 1939 but the result was about as pleasant…. And of course, re-orging in December does nothing to spread the love…. Management by balance sheet alone does NOT lead to engagement.

10:43 What is brand engagement? In a broad way it’s looking like everyone else (think IBM, Disney and the like) but it’s identifying and working within the culture. Lots of examples in this episode…we like that. This example is about top-down brand management when it doesn’t work.

13:03 How do middle managers connect to the brand since that’s usually a high-level job? It helps if they’re involved in the first place, but let’s assume that ship has sailed… If your brand ID is pioneering, try not to kill ideas in their crib. (See our quote, I do put thought into those you know….). Ian has an idea, and of course I have to dredge up 3M here in the US.

18:31 What are some short-term things a manager can do to help connect his team to the company’s brand? Learn to tell stories and not just in memos. Take the time to understand what your company really does, why you have the policies you have…. then be able to tell the story to your team in real language what they’re about.

23:07 Ian’s Resources:

Ginger Grant’s book “Re-Visioning the Way We Work- a Heroic Journey”

Don’t forget to check us out at www.greatwebmeetings.com. Helping people’s web meetings suck less since….well, January but we’re good at what we do.

Herman the Ermine says, “Don’t let the weasels get you down”.

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Show Notes

0:00 Welcome to the Cranky Middle Manager Show. Today we’re going to take a look at that first management job. For some it’s a distant memory, for some it’s coming soon. Either way Bob Selden will offer some great advice. We salute Burke and Wills, two Australians whose first management job didn’t go so well. Perhaps they needed our “4 Disciplines of Management”.

If you have a new manager in your life you can buy a copy of the ebook here.

3:17 The quote of the week is from the Indian book of Fables, the Hitopadesha. If you’re the boss’s spoiled kid with a new MBA and no real experience, may Peter Drucker have mercy on your soul and those of your employees.

4:17 Welcome Bob Selden. I met him as a columnist at Management Issues. It’s amazing how many new managers don’t get training until after they’re in the job. By the way, what IS the difference between orientation and induction training?
7:53 What should I be doing before the new job even starts? First thing you want to do is meet everyone you can, and try to observe the company…without getting arrested.

10:15 The first 100 days of any administration are critical. What should the new boss do on Day One? Meet everyone and establish trust. One way to do that is describe your communication expectations. How do you like your information…details or big picture?

16:14 What is the one thing most managers are really bad at? Appraising performance is something most of us are not comfortable with. Bob gives us a couple of good examples of how it should be done.

19:20 Now you’re the boss over people you used to work with. We offer a suggestion on speaking behaviorally so that it’s neutral and keeps personalities out of it. This is not an easy thing to do and involves reducing use of the word “You”.

25:49 Bob just got back from a training conference in Dubai (we will do a show on those Oasis Economies soon- know any good guests?). How are some companies building management cultures from scratch?

Bob’s Resources

Getting Things Done (You can hear the interview with David Allen here)

50 DOs of Everyday Leadership

From Grad to Great

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Greetings everyone, today we’re talking about creating the right amount of anxiety at work- enough to motivate, not enough to leave you weeping in a corner. Our guest is Robert Rosen, author of Just Enough Anxiety- the Hidden Driver of Business Success.

Special Announcement. if you’re a solo sales person or just know one person who wants to do better web demos, you can now sign up for public Conducting Great Web Demos classes at www.greatwebmeetings.com. Find out more here.

Show Notes

0:00 Welcome to the show. Whether you’re a team lead, a junior officer, a mid-level leader…whatever they call you if you’re a middle manager welcome to the mix. I’ve been feeling some anxiety of late which is natural- and good, kind of. Been that kind of week so we dedicate this show to the goddess Eris. Strife can be both positive or negative depending on how you use it, which is kind of the point of today’s conversation.

2:40 The quote of the week is from Friedrich Nietzche, not exactly a bundle of laughs and an inspirer of bullying bosses everywhere but he did have this to say about chaos…. are you birthing dancing stars?

3:44 Welcome Bob Rosen. What’s the difference between anxiety and stress? When is it good and when doesn’t it work for us? Stress is something from outside that comes at us… Anxiety is the emotional response to change and stress. The best leaders have mastered this balancing act.

8:11 What’s a “too much anxiety organization” look like? Are anxiety and uncertainty necessarily bad? Wearing emotions on your sleeve, managing through fear, perfectionism, lots of frustration. Sounds like fun, right?

12:54 What about a “too little anxiety” organization? Nothing changes, things get avoided, complaisance is rampant. How do you diagnose organizations?

14:45 Organizations that create just the right amount of anxiety do five things well:

• Have an open mind
• Have an open heart
• Master three paradoxes: 1)realistic optimism (Price Waterhouse Coopers is a good example) 2) constructive impatience (Cadbury-Schweppes’ CEO does this well) 3) confident humility (Toyota)

18:20 We love case studies. Bob takes us through ING’s transformation under Michel Tilmant

22:15 What are the first steps to take? Recognize your strengths, get comfortable with uncertainty (yeah we’ll get right on that one) and befriend your anxiety. Practice non-attachment in a very Buddhist kind of way. Be real. I love when PhD’s say “S*** happens”.

You can visit www.justenoughanxiety.com for some of these assessments.

Resources

The Emotional Brain and The Executive Brain
They Way of Transition

Marshall Goldsmith’s new book on coaching

Frances Hesslebein

Don’t let the weasels get you down.

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Greetings one and all, today we’re going to get all practical on ya, with Dr. Riaz Khadem, who is the author of . Total Alignment, Integrating Vision, Strategy and Execution for Organizational Success. Yes, getting everyone marching in the same direction is a challenge for middle managers, mainly because we don’t have authority to say where we’re marching or the power to force people to follow. Ahhhhh don’t you love our job?

Show Notes

0:00 Welcome to the show. Today we’re talking about who does what with which and to whom, and doing it in a way we can actually execute. A little consultant speak is involved but this is a more practical show than most. We dedicate the show to King Tiglath-Pilesser III (because we know how common the name is and we don’t want him confused with the first two). Creating an empire is one thing, running it is quite another (ahem, current office holders around the world take note). One solution- appoint eunuchs. Seriously….. tough to get past HR but effective.

3:42 The quote of the week is from Ancient Greece and the philosopher Hesiod. Have a system, work the system… maybe this time you’ll listen people.

4:22 Welcome Dr. Riaz Khadem… okay the subtitle of the book may have changed since I got my advance copy, but the idea is the same- Getting everyone in your organization aligned with the strategy. Maybe our biggest challenge as managers. Why is it so tough? I mean we all get the memos and read the posters.

7:22 The first step is to quantify the vision… what does it mean to be the “Employer of Choice” for example?

9:46 Okay, let’s start with the vision. How do you align all of the pieces? First you quantify and identify the indicators, then the next step is to align strategy… if you want to do X… what do you actually have to DO? This isn’t as easy as it seems. Trying to keep the consultant speak to a minimum here gang.

13:42 Now you have to assign who’s responsible for which tasks. The idea is to push accountability as low as possible. It’s not just dumping it on the people below you, you can only be accountable for things you actually do and paradoxically it’s empowering. Riaz explains it way better than I do. We pick on sales people because it’s an easy example to measure….and they’re sales people and deserve to get picked on

21:00 How do we put measures in place so everyone’s responsible to the whole vision and don’t just create silos? Accountability needs to include cross linkages and other stakeholders.

24:00 He takes us through a case study with a whopping big ROI. We like these…future guests… case studies and measurable results please!

28:00 Resources and stuff:

www.infotrac.com

One Page Management

The Wall Street Journal

Forbes Magazine

Fortune Magazine

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Hello one and all, welcome to a special edition of The Cranky Middle Manager Show. The idea for this show started with an interview at The Working Week, which is the official podcast for Management-Issues.com. Every once in a while a book comes along at just the right time, and such a book is The Go Giver, by Bob Burg and John David Mann.

The right time, was the launch of my new company www.greatwebmeetings.com . The right topic was the connection between people and being generous with your networking efforts. At first I thought it wasn’t right for people working in the corporate world, it was aimed at business owners and the like, then I gave my head a shake. Enjoy

Bob Burg, co-author of The Go Giver

Show Notes

0:00 Welcome to the show. Today we’re talking to Bob Burg, author of Endless Referrals-Networking Your Everyday Contacts Into Sales. This episode of the show is dedicated to the spymaster, Sir Francis Walsingham who used every connection he had to keep Queen Elizabeth I alive. Who is the spymaster where YOU work????? You really ought to know them. Be them if you can handle the intrigue.

3:30 Yet another quote attributed to Confucius. I’d like to believe he said all this smart stuff, but then I skew to the cynical on such matters. Never mind, he- or whoever- is right about reciprocity.

4:22 Welcome Bob Burg to the show. His book is the fastest rising book since Marshall Goldsmith’s What Got You Here Won’t Get You There (hear our chat with Marshall). The book is all about adding value to people’s lives. It’s a quick read but it’s a good one. Here’s the big question. What does networking have to do with the corporate world when you’re not job seeking or going out on your own?

9:18 Networking can seem awfully selfish. Is it about getting? Actually it’s more about receiving, and there’s a difference. There’s also a difference between being a giver and having people just take from you.

12:30 Let’s veer away from the New Agey-ness of this and get down to the practical. Most of us exchange time for money…but your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment. Value and salary are NOT the same darned thing. The accountant example works for me… Oh and a plug for Wallace Wattles.

16:03 All things being equal, people will do business and help people they like, know and trust. One of those folks is Anita Bruzzese, (who has also been a guest, check her out here if you didn’t hear it). Get to know other people in your company- you need to know how you connect with everyone else.

20:15 It’s easy for the generous folks like you to add “assets of value”. But what about when you need something…how do you reach out without sounding like it’s “Quid Pro Quo, Clarice”. It’s all about reaching out by assuming you’ve earned the right to say, “I have a problem you can help with…” or “I have a question about…”. Try writing out your approach so you don’t blow it…. we get some great examples here.

25:14 What are the rules for using social networking tools like LinkedIn? Jason Alba’s book “I’m On LinkedIn, Now What?” is a good resource.

Other Resources

Steven M R Covey The Speed of Trust

Happy For No Reason Marci Shimoff and Carol Kine

How to Win Friends and Influence People

Think and Grow Rich

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Welcome one and all to the 132nd edition of The Cranky Middle Manager. If you’re new to the show you can find out more about us at www.crankymiddlemanager.com. Check out the archives, lots of cool stuff. If you’re a return visitor, thanks and please tell your friends about us……

Show Notes

0:00 Welcome to the show. No historical dedication this week because since the theme is learning from our fathers…. I thought I’d talk about what I learned from my daughter, Her Serene Highness. The generation gap is digital and real and God help us….

3:49 The quote of the week is from Herbert Spencer… we are all parents of the future gang, and that includes the team at work….

4:30 Welcome Tony Rino, author of “Footsteps of My Father- Everything I Know About Management I Learned From My Dad” What do we learn from our parents (Mothers are part of this discussion too, you just go with the title they bring ya) that stick with us when we go to work? It’s all about learning from those who go before us, whether it’s your father, a mentor at work…. and you’re the model for your kids and the people who work for you. Sleep well.

9:01 The word Mentor gets thrown around a lot, but how do you find one? Even the CEO is likely to be honored and share at least something with you.

13:50 What is the biggest lesson that he learned from his father? It’s about work-life balance. You have to make time for the kids….. pay particular attention to Shaving Lessons.

19:45 Don’t forget to feed your employees. I don’t think we’re just talking pizza in the break room here.

Tony’s Resources

Not surprisingly, a lot of dad books….

Tim Russert’s Wisdom of Our Fathers

John McCain’s Faith of Our Fathers

Why Is Everyone Smiling? The Secret Behind Passion, Productivity and Profit (for the record, the author is Paul Spiegelman)

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Have you met Herman the Ermine?Think he’d make a good T-shirt?
Show Notes

0:00 Welcome to the show. Today we talk to Bill Catlette about his book “Contented Cows Moove Faster”. Lots of cow talk today, including our dedicatee… Joseph McCoy, brains behind the Abilene Cattle Drive and supporter of ummm entrepeneurs.

2:46 The quote of the week is from Epicurus who talks about contentment and being happy with what you have…. assuming what you have doesn’t suck the very soul from your being.

4:00 Welcome Bill Catlette. A lot of cow puns and I make the worst one but it’s my show darnit. Their research shows organizations can help contentment…but now they look at the manager’s role. That’s us, gang. By the way, there’s a lot of talk today about oomph- it’s the discretionary effort we all put out (or not). We do a quick dive into American football but stick with us.

8:45 Not everyone gives 100% all the time… so what makes the difference? When do they spend that extra effort and what’s the cost if they don’t?

10:35 There are “oomph boosters” out there that are up to us managers. Trustworthiness, competency (YIKES!) and concern for your teammates and compassion. Authenticity is vital, as is optimism. Yeah, we’ll get right on that. “Oomph busters include Not earning trust and taking people for granted.

15:30 There are processes that grind people down, but there are things we can do to eliminate those. Examine policies and procedures that make people crazy. Middle Managers should be on a relentless search for those things. Top of the list would be expense account reimbursement.

23:20 Bill’s resources include:

If Disney Ran Your Hospital Fred Lee

What Got You Here Won’t Get You There Marshall Goldsmith (you can hear him on two episodes of this show…. show one show two)
Take a field trip to somewhere people do great work and just watch them. Wegmans, Cirque de Soleil or Marriott hotels are examples.

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Before we go any further, I’d like to introduce you to someone:

This is Herman the Ermine. He’s kind of our mascot. You’re going to be seeing a lot of him.

The folks who subscribe to our newsletter already have seen this symbol many times. This (for the folks around the world who ask about weasels- apparently they’re in short supply in the Southern Hemisphere) is a weasel and the symbol is the motto of our show- Dont let the weasels get you down (T-shirts anyone?) Any time I send you an email or you see this on the blog, you know it means. Just thought I’d give you that explanation…. of course if you’d like to subscribe to our newsletter, you can do that by visiting www.crankymiddlemanager.com.

Today’s guest is Jay Goltz, who does the Boss School blog for Inc. Magazine. I’ve been a long time reader, but now that I’m running my own company (www.greatwebmeetings.com) I’m pretty much addicted. Today’s topic- managing when you really ARE the boss…. when you own the company. Is there a difference than when you’re just part of a soulless corporation?
SHOW NOTES

0:00 Welcome to the show. In line with the whole concept of Boss School, i got to thinking about business schools in general. Turns out the first focused, dedicated B-School in Europe was in Portugal (yeah like you knew that…) The Aula do Comercio. We dedicate this show to its founder, Sebastiao Jose de Carvalho e Melo, or the Marques de Pombal.

Apparently he needed to take some of his own courses, especially in succession planning.

3:04 The quote of the week is from Thomas Jefferson, who could have used a little business schooling himself, from Jay or someone… anyway the point of wisdom is to grow with power. Something to think about when you actually own the business and you ARE the boss. There’s also a plug for my e-book “The 4 Disciplines of Highly Effective, Leadership Exhibiting, Project Nailing, Cheese Moving Managers” and you can have me deliver the presentation at your company if you’d like…. check out the website for more details.

4:09 Welcome Jay Goltz, author of The Street Smart Entrepeneur as well as the Inc. Blog. We’re talking about what the difference is when you actually own the company, rather than just manage inside it. Is there a difference between being the Boss and being the Manager? First we have to define small business…most of them are WAY bigger than mine… but size is relative. No cheap jokes.. I’ll stop here. Stop snickering. Why don’t we like the word boss?

8:23 Like most of us Jay wound up thrown into the deep end. He learned the hard way that hiring is the single hardest part for the business owner. According to him, 75% of managing is hiring the right person in the first place.

11:10 The defining difference between the boss and the manager, is that for the business owner it’s intensely personal and the stakes are so much higher. The bottom line is a different sort of master than the regional VP.

14:45 Motivation is the number one problem… but demotivation is much more problematic. All the lovely programs in the world won’t help if you aren’t a responsible, respectful boss. And by the way, who teaches people how to hire?

19:30 Where do you go since “Boss School” doesn’t’ really exist. First, check out Peter Drucker…then there’s INC magazine ( of course). Seek out Business Groups to get the help because there are three disciplines for entrepeneurs

Marketing

Management ( of which there are 4 disciplines there, or so I hear)

Finance

27:42 Jay’s resources

Inc Magazine

Forbes

Business Week

The support of other entrepeneurs.

Don’t forget to vote for us on Podcast Alley so others can find us……

Don’t let the weasels get you down.