Someone asked me recently for my views on favoritism in business.

I said that any leader guilty of it could expect the same result as holding a hand-grenade with the pin out, i.e.:


I have more than once in this blog looked to sport to provide an analogy. With favoritism as my subject, I didn’t have to look very far.

One of the greatest motorsport categories in the world is Formula One. Different teams tend to prosper from one year to the next, of course. This year it’s the Red Bull team.

One of the biggest events of the year is the Grand Prix held at Silverstone in the UK. At this year’s event, the Red Bull team driver Sebastian Vettel’s new-design front wing failed in qualifying. There was only one other new wing available—on his team mate Mark Webber’s car.

Now—Vettel was marginally in front in the driver’s championship. For this reason the team principal (boss) decided to take Webber’s wing and give it to Vettel for the race.

The outcomes of this crass decision (crash decision!?) were many and damaging:

• one disaffected Red Bull driver wonders openly at a press conference why he’s signed for another year at the team
• the press reception is very hostile
• the disaffected driver wins the race with the old front wing… and with the comment ‘Not bad for the number two driver’
• open hostility between the two engineering teams within Red Bull
• difficult media questions
• damaged brand?

I put a question mark after the last bullet point because that outcome is not yet known. But it is possible that the sponsors will not like an association between their brand and unfairness.

So… my question to you is…

Are you guilty of unfairly preferring one of your direct reports or key personnel to another?

If so, what problems are you storing up for the future?

Tags: analogy brand boss crash damaged brand deadly sin favoritism formula one grand prix hand grenade leader mark webber media questions motorsport categories nasty open hostility red bull sebastian vettel silverstone sin team mate unfairness
 

A fundamental tenet of business activity in general and marketing in particular is that the products or services offered by a company match customer needs.

Few if any business leaders would argue with this. No strategy based on launching a product and then chasing the market is ever going to be as effective as understanding the market and then developing the right product.

A personal frustration I have, however, is the number of business leaders who fail to apply the same principles internally.

By this I mean… why treat your internal audience (your staff) any differently when it comes to motivating them? In fact, how can you properly motivate them if you don’t understand their needs?

This is the point where a lot of business leaders get their checkbook out… or their stick. But motivating people need not cost money—and it certainly shouldn’t cost good will.

So, what do your staff want?

You’ve probably come across the concept of ‘hierarchy of needs’ – a theory in psychology developed by Abraham Maslow in the early 1940s.

Maslow suggested that once basic physiological (food, water, shelter and so forth), security (employment, health, property and so on) and love/belonging (friendship, family, intimacy) needs were satisfied then humans were motivated by things that bolstered their self-esteem and confidence and ultimately, things that allowed them to self actualize (be creative, problem solve and so forth).

Subsequent theorists have taken Maslow to task with some of his thinking… but I still believe a lot of his theory holds good.

So, once you’ve paid people properly (and not all leaders do) and sought to protect their sense of employment longevity with you (not always possible, particular in the current climate, I know) what can you do?

Well, you can listen to them (and listening really is an art) and act to show that you’ve listened. You can encourage them to use their knowledge and creativity. You can empower them, so they feel they have control over what they do and outcomes.

And you can recognize them in ways other than financial.


What Do You Pay?

Tags: 1940s abraham maslow business activity business leaders checkbook climate creative problem creativity friendship family fundamental tenet hierarchy of needs internal audience intimacy longevity match motivating people personal frustration security employment self esteem theorists
 

Nature or nurture is one of life’s great questions.

Is there an inherent disposition in individuals to think and behave the way they do?


Or is behaviour influenced/learned?

My view? Well, I think the jury’s still out. What I will say, as far as leadership is concerned, is that there are some qualities that make being a leader ‘easier‘. I mentioned one of these—a thick skin—in an earlier blog.

Sensitive personalities can make great leaders, but can also find the criticism that inevitably comes with the job, from inside and outside their company, at best a burden and at worse a source of depression.

And as well as a thick skin? An ability to listen and take other opinions on board, but also to be autocratic when necessary, helps but does not sit easily with some personality types. A willingness to trust desired outcomes to others is also a useful trait (those who cannot loosen the control reins risk crash and burn) provided people understand the parameters and report back.

And leaders who recognise that you cannot run with the hare as well as the hounds (ie: want to be everyone’s friend) will benefit from distinct demarcation lines.

So, from this you’ll imagine that my ideal leader is insensitive, autocratic, delegating, stand-offish and unfriendly.

Not at all.

But I’ve known good and capable individuals falter at the leadership hurdle because of the dissonance between their personality and the demands of the job.

Tags: being a leader burden capable individuals crash demarcation lines depression dissonance great leaders hounds hurdle nature or nurture parameters personalities personality types reins thick skin willingness
 

Some 75% of all companies are in desperate need of highly qualified employees. With baby boomers starting to retire this is an ever increasing challenge for business owners. Losing the talent—to competitors or retirement—can become a question of survival, especially for smaller companies.

In addition too often talent isn’t used properly: The strong negotiator whose income is based more on their negotiating skills than their working skills. (You do understand that those people are in the wrong position at that company, right?)

Your way out of this dilemma?

Manage your talent

While most companies understand the value of mentoring, there is rarely one with a standardized process for it. And talent management is rarely existent.

1. Plan ahead!
   Do you have a plan B when one of your top performers heads off? Most companies don’t!
   
   • Is your top performer already mentoring someone?
   • Do you have at least two candidates that can replace a leaving star?
   
   
2. Focus, Focus, Focus!
   Reduce the number of key positions; create clear job descriptions. Too often nobody has a clue what the top performer really does and when she is gone chaos sets it.
   
   • Do you really want to be in a position that your business’ success depends on the goodwill of a former - maybe even fired - employee?
   • How can you choose the right person for the job, if you can’t even tell what the job is?
   
   
3. Develop a talent pool
   Most companies neither have one nor have considered one. Is it a surprise that they fall behind?
   
   • Remember your plan B?
   • How do you know who to mentor when you do not have a talent pool?
   
   
4. Transparent and disciplined hiring process
   
   • Is it clear who does the hiring and who has a saying?
   • Does your talent pool help to decide if the job can be filled internally?
   
   
5. Review it!
   It is good to be prepared for a loss. It’s better to have measurements to predict one!

Tags: baby boomers business owners business success chaos clue desperate need dilemma goodwill hiring process job descriptions measurements mentor mentoring negotiating skills negotiator plan b retirement smaller companies survival talent management talent pool top performer top performers
 

If a company has no standards to follow, its culture will seem inconsistent from the inside as well as the outside.

Frank Kanu

Tags: kanu
 

When I was researching publishers for my book Stop Telling… Start Leading! The Art of Managing People by Asking Questions there was one publisher I almost went with. Almost, because I got told that e-mailing my network was considered spamming and was a big no-no.

Imagine my surprise receiving one of those “SPAM” e-mails from just that publisher. Yes the publisher—not the author!

What do you think: Changed values or just a desperate move during a recession?

Tags: desperate move managing people publishers recession surprise
 

Tune in on July 9th for Attracting Ideal Clients, aired on BlogTalkRadio. We’ll be talking about how to Lead & Empower your Team by Asking Questions.

Attracting Ideal Clients on BlogTalkRadio
Lead & Empower your Team by Asking Questions

July 9th — 3pm Pacific / 5pm Central / 6pm Eastern

Special Guest: Frank Kanu

Author of Stop Telling… Start Leading!
The Art of Managing People by Asking Questions

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/thepdapro

Listen online (live or archived) or call (646) 478-4558 and ask a question during the show.

Click Here to Set a Reminder for the Show

Tags: attracting ideal clients blogtalkradio frank kanu start leading stop telling
 

in helping people deal with high energy prices and food prices,” said the President.

Way too little way too late.

Someone needs to tell him in something like three words or less that the stimulus is supposed to boost the economics, not to offset the cost increase we see everywhere.

But than what can one expect from the Commander Guy who spends trillions for a war that was announced to cost less than 600 billion and has its mission accomplished—5 years ago.

(I for one am tired of hearing about the progress being made. It’s years later and there are more and more American soldiers giving their lives for—yeah, for what?)

Did you read that the economic actually grew slightly in the first quarter ? One has to wonder how that can be with all the companies reporting income losses and layoffs. Oh, wait a minute—Dubya’s friends at the work: The oil companies (I am extremely disturbed by the obscene profits the oil companies are reaping. ) report new profit records every quarter.

Let’s face it: If a commander in chief needs to call himself the “commander guy ” he got his priorities wrong and is everything but a leader.

Anyway, for me the real issue about the stimulus pay is this:

By law, the stimulus payments are offset to satisfy past-due taxes, student loans, child support and certain other debts.
Child support? Yes! I fully support that—after all that money goes to a child (at least in theory…)

Past due taxes, student loans and certain other debts? You got to be kidding me!

Not only that even Dubya recognizes how useless the stimulus has become—now the pay does not even go to those who more likely would actually spend it…

What’s even worst—a family with children that has debts will not get a darn thing. Or get what children need: School supplies, clothes, etc. And those cost. But one has to guess that the debt is already so insanely high that even a little not paid stimulus helps…

But since children do not have a lobby…

Families need more support, especially in times with a rotten economics. Other countries—like Germany —pay Kindergeld an allowance for every child.

Wouldn’t it be nice if this President stopped telling and starts leading?

Tags: american soldiers child support children need clothes commander guy debts economics energy prices first quarter food prices germany high energy income losses layoffs money obscene profits oil companies priorities school supplies stimulus student loans trillions