Friday, October 31, 2014

outside interests

As the leader of an organization, there is always too much to do.  People make demands on your time, budgets need to be looked at, it's important to walk around and talk with people, and then there is the planning and dreaming that needs to take place.  After the energy and excitement around Inauguration last week, I found myself having more time in the office these past few days to "get things done."  While it was good to go through the piles that had built up over time and good to make contact with people throughout the buildings, I found myself missing my morning coffees at Starbucks with new people and outside acquaintances.  As I got on the plane yesterday to come to Minneapolis for a Lutheran Music Program Board meeting, I felt a little guilty about not being in the office, taking care of all of the items listed above.  And then I remembered...it's good to have outside interests.

On an individual note, having outside interests keep you fresh, introduces you to new people, provides new ideas, and let's you get away form the day-to-day details of the organization.  Having a fresh perspective...being around creative and smart people...using other parts of your brain...being at meetings where you are not in charge...having time to think on the plane or in the car...catching up on sleep in the hotel room...making new friends and relationships.  All of these are good for one's growth and energy, thereby adding to one's leadership capacity and capability.

Having outside interests is also good for your organization.  Consider what you can bring back to the organization after being involved in these outside interests:

  • new ideas from organizations that are different from yours
  • new friends who could possibly become customers or donors
  • new partnerships that build on current or future programs
  • new ways of saying the same thing - a fresh rhetoric
  • opportunities for others in your organization to get involved in outside interests
There is much that can be learned from one's outside interests - both personally and for one's organization.  The trick is balancing the time needed for both.  Perhaps the mix changes during different seasons of one's career or different stages of the organization.  Few people will tell you to spend more time outside your organization - it will probably be up to you to figure out the mix.  Don't be afraid to ask your team if you need to spend more time inside or outside..they will probably be very honest with you.  And here's the final paradox...when you feel as if you are spending too much time on outside interests, you are probably not spending enough...and if you feel you are spending too much time on inside issues, you are probably not spending enough.  It is never a balance - it is an understanding that both are important...both will take more time than you have...and both need to be managed.  Enjoy your outside interests!

Friday, October 24, 2014

the value of friends

Last night at our inaugural concert I had the privilege of having a long-time friend attend and watch me accompany our choir.  Suzanne Pence (nee Tiller), one of the choral conductors at The University of Texas at Austin, was one of my high school friends, or as she put it, we were part of the choir and band geeks.  I reconnected with her at out 30th high school reunion and we have stayed in touch ever so slightly...and the fact that she would take the time to come this concert meant the world to me,.  Having her there brought back so many memories and reminded me of the value of friends.

The concert kicked off our Inaugural Weekend, a time in which I am officially placed into the office and role of Chief Executive Officer here at Concordia University Texas - and it is a great excuse for a celebration and party.  To help me celebrate and party, many of my friends have come from near and far to make this weekend special.  While I cannot name them all here, I do want to reflect on the value of friends, especially as it relates to leadership:

  1. friends are a reminder of all the great things that have happened in your life and the journey you took to your leadership role
  2. friends are a reminder of the struggles in your life, and the bumps and bruises that made you stronger for your leadership role
  3. friends encourage and build you up when you need to make hard and gut-wrenching decisions
  4. friends pray for you (and they even tell you they are praying for you)
  5. friends will keep you humble because they know the real you, inside and out
  6. friends will counsel you when you need some advice - and will keep your issues confidential
  7. friends laugh with you about the past, the present, and even the future
  8. friends cry with you when the world is crashing around you
  9. friends know exactly when to call you (I have no idea how they know to do that)
  10. friends don't need your constant attention (like others might)
  11. friends have your back, and will cover for you when needed
  12. friends don't let you do stupid things (and when you do stupid things, see #11)
  13. friends have pictures of you they like to show others (and know which ones to NOT show)
  14. friends are God's gift to you - steward them well
Consider the friends in your life and take some time today to drop them note, thanking them for their friendship and reminding them that you too are a friend to them.

Friday, October 17, 2014

being new

What do you do when you look around and you are the "new kid" in the room...especially when you have not had to play that role for awhile?  These past few days (and others over the past several months) I have been the "new kid" in the room, hanging out with new faces and new friends, many who have done their role for many years.  Even if I know their names, and have met them previously, I am still new in this particular room.  Here's the problem...there is NOTHING I can do about that.  I AM the "new kid" in the room - and I'm glad I am (well, at least I am glad I am in the room).  Being new can cause anxiety, uncertainty, embarrassment, and sometimes downright fear.  There is also a certain freedom in not knowing what you don't know and being able to use the excuse "I'm still new."  Trying to balance all of these emotions is a part of the job - and how one is able to travel this new road can say a lot about their character and can help in shaping the future of their role.  After three months of experiencing being new once again, here are a few thoughts on how to best navigate this time:
  • keep reminding yourself that in one year, you will no longer be new...and there may even be other "new kids" around
  • keep reminding yourself that everyone else in the room was once new...and they felt the same things you are feeling
  • don't be afraid to ask questions - remember that this is what got you to this new position in the first place
  • don't ask too many questions - you do not need to bore the others with what you don't know
  • find a friend - and start asking that person those questions that you did not ask above
  • get to know people by engaging in conversations - have your list of questions ready that are more than just about work
  • don't insert yourself into others' conversations all the time - remember that the rest of the people are not new...be respectful of their deeper conversations
  • get comfortable with sometimes having to be by yourself - they aren't ignoring your...they just don't know you
  • be cognizant of where you sit - look around and be smart about where you actually take your seat at the literal table
  • be interesting - be willing to share your story and talk about things other than work and the job
  • listen intently - the people in the room are actually a lot smarter than you right now
  • be patient - your turn to take the lead will come in time (this is especially true when you are the "new kid" with a group of high level executives)
  • have fun - embrace being new as an honor and privilege...you only get to do this ONCE with this group
In a year or so I will look back on these days and months and remember those feeling of what it was like to be new...and I will be thankful for the many colleagues and friends who were patient with me as the "new kid" and helped acclimate me into the group.  Until then, I'll just keep reminding myself of the joys of being new.

Friday, October 10, 2014

learning to talk horizontally

It a classic case of the sales people not being able to communicate with the design people...or the finance people not being able to communicate with the human resource people...or management not being able to communicate with the line worker.  It happens in every organization, in every business, in every government function...and even in most homes.  Some people refer to it as only communicating within one's silo...I speak of it as communicating vertically.

It's easy to communicate vertically...everyone has a similar function, you spend most of your time with this group of people, you see the world through the same lens, you are all working toward the same goals, and you all get rewarded in a similar manner.  For most of the people in this vertical alignment, this is the function of business in which you have spent most of your working life - and in which you have found your greatest success.  It's  warm and cozy in the silo...who wants to ever leave it?  And yet, in order to get things done and make the best decisions for the organization, people need to get out of the vertical and move into what i call HORIZONTAL COMMUNICATION - talking across the verticals and learning to communicate with the "others."

We have already established why horizontal communication is do difficult.  The need to do so has been characterized in many books, articles, blogs, and podcasts having to do with effective and efficient practices in organizations.  So what can be done about it?  Here are a few thoughts on how to get people talking horizontally:

  • create a different organizational chart - remove the boxes and lines and show how different functions of the organization need to connect with one another
  • bring people from different functions into the same room and force them to talk together (it may help if you force them to sit next to people outside of their areas).  And then get them talking about important things with each other
  • find a way to reiterate the importance of this over and over and over...and over.  People will naturally fall back into vertical conversations when they are not reminded about it over and over and over...and over.
  • name horizontal conversations as one of your organization's core values - and then find ways to reward people who do it really well.
  • keep asking the question, "who else needs to be in this conversation before a decision is made?"  and then get them into the room as quickly as possible
  • when people forget to have the horizontal conversation, go and see then right away and ask them why that happened...and then get them to agree to have the horizontal conversation as soon as possible
  • hold multiple horizontal conversations yourself...and let it be known that this is how you operate. 
  • hire people to work in areas different from what they may have been grown up in...not only does it expose them to new functions of the organization; it also forces them to ask questions because they will not have all the answers (not to mention this is a great way to develop future leaders)
I am sure there are many more ways to create a culture of talking horizontally.  It is a process - and it is worth it!