Leadership And Management

Reprinted With Permission

One of Carl Jung's favorite words was "synchronicity", that unexplainable convergence of unplanned events which offer insights and opportunities. When I agreed to join a trekking expedition through two remote provinces of the Indian Himalayas, I had no way of knowing that this adventure would coincide with the publication of my latest book, Gifts from the Mountain- Simple Truths for Life's Complexities. Ah, synchronicity!

One of the benefits of being a continual learner is that we are constantly overtaken by ah-hah moments which serve to not only whack us on the side of the head, but also hold lessons which can have universal application for anyone in leadership. The following are but some of the principles gleaned as our group drove along the highest roads in the world and wound up in the regions of Lahual and Spiti which are often closed to the outside world for seven frozen months. They come from trekking with tribesmen herding sheep and goats at elevations up to 16,000 feet and from crossing white water rivers on foot and encountering the Dalia Lama in a remote monastery near the China/Tibet border.

Watch for patterns. Different trees grow at different elevations.

The apple trees of the Kullu Valley could no more have survived at Rohtang Pass then a trout could swim at the North Pole. The natural world allows for adaptation but only to a point. As leaders, we must know where we belong, what adaptations we can make, and then how to help those around us find the best match for their growth and abilities.

Ankit Sood, our wise guide, demonstrated this principle during the trek. As the journey became more difficult, he voiced his concern in such a way that it allowed all of us to gracefully examine our skill levels. Four of our party self-selected to not continue when the trekking became more difficult and demanding on both a physical and emotional level. That's wisdom and courage on display. Had they continued, it might have caused harm to themselves as well as to the rest of the group. Ankit, as our leader, paved the way for that decision yet was also prepared to take them to a lower elevation had they insisted on continuing.

A leader gives the follower a chance to evaluate his own performance but is also prepared to make the difficult decision of transferring or terminating an employee. When an employee is not able to do the job at hand, it damages the morale and the performance of a team if that employee is left to struggle in work that does not match competency or innate potential.

Expect the unexpected and deal with it.

Change is one thing. The unexpected adversity or opportunity is something else. Great leaders live in the present moment and make decisions based upon what is before them.. As we climbed higher into Spiti, the Himalayan cold semi-desert region that has been described as one of the highest, most remote and inhospitable places on the planet, Ankit learned that the Dalia Lama would be teaching at a monastery in the village of Nako. To venture to Nako meant changing plans on a dime, jumping through mounds of bureaucratic paperwork, and going through time-consuming checkpoints. However the chance to see a world leader in a special setting was an unexpected opportunity not to be missed.

The same is true in the business world. Had 3M ignored an engineer's idea that a less-than-sticky glue could be useful, the world would never have known Post-It-Notes%u2122. Had Larry Page and Sergey Brin not paid attention to the unexpected response to their simple search engine methodology, the word "Google" would not have become a common word in our vocabulary.

The more critical the effort, the more teamwork is required.

The rivers of the western Himalayas cascade from melting glaciers. At night, when the glaciers freeze, water level is reduced. The timing of a crossing is critical as water rises along with the sun. Rocks and debris swirl into tumultuous rapids. Crossing alone can be suicidal. We created a human chain, grasping each other by wrists (not hands) and alternated smaller team members with larger ones. We succeeded, cold and battered, but safe.

How often do we encounter the leader or employee who insists on "going it alone" in a critical situation? To ask for help is perceived as a weakness. Yet, it is the strength of collective brains and maybe even brawn that can produce a better result. Equally important is knowing how to optimize the varying strengths of team members for the best results. The adage of "strength in numbers" bears consideration.

Action is the antidote for anxiety.

We made it in time to cross the dangerous river that had already claimed six lives. But other members of our expedition crew were not so lucky. Their pace had been slowed by rounding up pack horses. In horror we watched these men attempt three times to cross, spinning against rapids and almost drowning. There was no choice but to stay on the granite rocks and wait until early morning.

I could see the anxiety in the eyes of our leader. While we hiked ahead to make camp, he devised a plan. With another team member, he filled a water proof barrel with food, warmer clothes and a small tent. He hurled a rope to the stranded crew and together they created a pulley system for retrieving the barrel. While everyone was still concerned, taking action provided some comfort.

Hand-wringing never accomplishes anything. Action gives a level of control over what, at face valuable, might seem uncontrollable. A leader helps people take that action.

Everyone deserves to be welcomed home.

When the stranded crew appeared over the horizon at day break, we cheered, sang and welcomed them "home". Their faces glowed with a sense that we weren't just customers to serve, managers to follow, but rather individuals who cared for their well-being. They redoubled their efforts to work for us in the days that followed.

There's universality in wanting to be welcomed and cheered. Whether in the remote regions of India or the meeting rooms of Wall Street, employees deserve to feel that someone has seen their effort, their hard work and their long hours. The degree of engagement and retention might increase exponentially if leaders welcomed them "home".

Gratitude transcends latitudes

Regardless of nationality or geography, humans everywhere respond to expressions of gratitude Not only do we seek a place where we are welcomed, but our spirits rise when others let us know that we matter. The more personal the expression, the deeper is the human connection.

While it is customary to pool monies and give a bonus to the trekking crew, our expedition wanted to extend a more intimate thank-you. After all, these men had put our well-being ahead of their own. They paid attention to our personal needs, even found a way to bake a cake at 15,000 feet when they discovered that two of us had birthdays.

Our solution was to gift them with personal items we knew could be used by themselves or their families. My new Timberland boots, thermal jacket and ski hat went into the box along with my husband's favorite space-aged parka. Our party left gloves, socks, medicines, thermals, and even unopened bags of trail mix and jerky brought from home. We gave money to have everything cleaned and restored if need be.

When gratitude comes from the heart, is personal, unexpected, and out-of-the-ordinary, amazing linkages are created. The gifts demonstrated that we had observed their life, their needs, and responded appropriately. Spontaneous appreciation that recognizes the uniqueness of an individual beats standardized reward programs any day.

As for our band of intrepid explorers, my expedition partners who were strangers until we gathered at Chicago O'Hare for the fifteen-hour flight to New Delhi, we'll continue our relationships that were forged with shared experiences. You might say we have created a new company through collaboration, cooperation, and consideration. That's not a bad final lesson to carry into our respective places of work.

Eileen McDargh CSP, CPAE is ranked among Executive Excellence's top 100 providers of leadership development programs and keynote presentations. She is the author of, Gifts from the Mountain:Simple Truths for Life's Complexities and Talk Ain't Cheap-It's Priceless. Visit http://www.eileenmcdargh.com

Now is the time to pull together and think creatively about our businesses. When times are easy, unfortunately, we often lose the edge to monitor performance, to question out-dated procedures and unnecessary expenses. Maintenance items slip when we're busy "filling orders". This might be anything from physical maintenance to reconnecting with clients, to exploring new opportunities for growth, to taking classes for improvement and enrichment.

Consider brainstorming some of these questions:

What would happen if we had a product that was 180 degrees different from today?
(Example: A hospital with low census went from finding ways to get sick people in the door to finding ways to get well people in the door! They re-created their unused physical space into a wellness center and found lots of takers!)

What if we blew up the business and started all over? What would we get rid of because it is extraneous, irrelevant or an unnecessary expense?
(Example: How many people really READ that report? Does it have to be so immense? What's the bottom line here?)

Have we put people in positions where they play to their strengths?
Talk, talk, talk and figure out where is the match. (Example: One employee is great with web research, web design, and staying up on the competition. She's lousy on the phone. Right now, she's willing to cut back and work half-time from her house with a company-supplied computer and cable modem.)

If your job opened up today, would you get it? Are you consistently producing great results, solving problems and finding more efficient ways of doing things?
(Example: Take on a project no one wants and make it work. Can you persuade people to get onboard and achieve a goal? Now, that's leadership-a quality that is in GREAT demand and therefore, recession-proof.)

© Eileen McDargh, McDargh Communications. All rights reserved. You may reprint this article so long as it remains intact with the byline and if all links are made live.

Since 1980, Hall of Fame speaker Eileen McDargh has helped Fortune 100 companies as well as individuals create connections that count and conversations that matter. Her latest book is Gifts from the Mountain-Simple Truths for Life's Complexities. Her other books include Talk Ain't Cheap...It's Priceless and Work for a Living and Still Be Free to Live, one of the first books to address the notion of balance and authentic work. A 59 year-old grandmother, she recently returned from climbing among the highest mountains in the world. Find out more about this compelling and effective professional speaker and join her free newsletter by visiting http://www.EileenMcDargh.com.

Micromanagement and lack of trust are cries often heard in today's business arenas. In this age of accountability, downsizing, larger spans of control, complex global competition, and job uncertainty, all managers are faced with getting results through people. Managers preach empowerment and yet, if the results are not right, who gets the blame?

And so, I think, the issue of trust resembles a crystal with four facets. The first facet has to do with that term "empowerment". Too often management throws out the term without clarifying what are the limits or parameters in which employees may make critical decisions. When boundaries are not clear employees naturally think the manager is sending mixed messages. When employees feel micromanaged, they're basically saying, "Stop looking over my shoulder I can do this. Stop checking upon me. Why must I report in every step of the way?"

Good question. Why? Clarify for yourself first, and then with the employee, what is the performance outcome you need. The more quantifiable, the better. Note the word "outcome". This is not the same as "do it MY way". As long as you get the outcomes and results keep the team and ethics intact, who cares HOW they got the job done.

Ask yourself what are your "twitching" points. That's my term for those areas in which you have special sensitivity, where you get a knot in you stomach or the hairs stand on the back of your neck. The sensitivity might be caused by demands which your manager has placed on you. Share these demands and then find out how your colleagues can help you meet them.

You might have other "twitching points". For example, I value relationships. Form letters, bored telephone voices, disregard for returning phone calls, and impoliteness drive me crazy. These are all things which I think show a lack of concern for the relationship. If I micromanage in these areas, it could be that I have not either trained my support staff well, have hired wrong, or have failed to explicitly state my sensitivity.

Another facet of trust has to do with authenticity. "At the core of becoming a leader is the need to connect one's voice with one's touch," wrote Max Dupree, former chair of Herman Miller. Is what you say and what you do in line? I am constantly amazed at the systems, practices, and behaviors found in corporate America which send mixed messages.

...like the manager who claimed he had an "open door policy" but greeted anyone who entered with the statement "and this better not be a dumb question."

...like the company which touted itself as "innovative" and yet used a one-size-fits-all budget scheme for its diverse operations.

...like the vice president who sent around articles on TQM but refused to allow employees to go for training.

...like the executive who wanted her managers to learn leadership, communication, problem-solving, team-building, and visioning in a two-day training because "learning is important."

...like the vice president who sent around articles on TQM but refused to allow his employees off the job to attend TQM training.

And the list goes on. Never, I'm convinced, intentional. And always detrimental.

The third facet of trust has to do with fear. Of what are you afraid? What is your worst fear and what's the chance of it really happening? Are there checkpoints or fail safe measures which you and your employees could put into place to short- circuit a negative outcome? And once done, relax and enjoy. As Mark Twain said, "I've had 103 catastrophes in my life, only two of which actually occurred."

The fourth facet of trust rests in self-reliance. We all have heard the dictum that a strength overused becomes a weakness. Perhaps our life's experience has taught us that we depend solely by our own wits and wiles. Too many people have let us down. Or perhaps we take great pride in Frank Sinatra's mantra "I did it my way".

Our world is too complicated and interdependent to live solely by our singular guts and brain power. We need the insights and ideas of others. Too much now lies out of our control and coronaries await for those who attempt to do it all.

In the final analysis, trust is also a four-letter word; love. When people know we care about them, they respond in kind. Easy to say. Harder to do. Practice in action is the only key and trust blooms as a result.

© Eileen McDargh, McDargh Communications. All rights reserved. You may reprint this article so long as it remains intact with the byline and if all links are made live.

Since 1980, Hall of Fame speaker Eileen McDargh has helped Fortune 100 companies as well as individuals create connections that count and conversations that matter. Her latest book is Gifts from the Mountain-Simple Truths for Life's Complexities. Her other books include Talk Ain't Cheap...It's Priceless and Work for a Living and Still Be Free to Live, one of the first books to address the notion of balance and authentic work. A 59 year-old grandmother, she recently returned from climbing among the highest mountains in the world. Find out more about this compelling and effective professional speaker and join her free newsletter by visiting http://www.EileenMcDargh.com.