The worst example of Leadership I've heard in a while...

The story goes something like this...

A relatively new employee arrived at work and as she settled into her day she got a call from Human Resources to come to their office. Upon arriving, she was informed she was being terminated; they went on to say it wasn't a performance issue, that they would give her a good reference, and the situation was the result of broader business issues. It was effective immediately, and did she want them to collect her things.

After hearing this, I asked where her boss was when as this was happening and was told he was in another office in the building. I could not help but become indignant on her behalf and said, "That is just awful leadership, and most likely reflects a gutless culture. You are better off not working for an organization like that." 

Before I offer a perspective as to why I said this, I should make it very clear that I understand employees get terminated, be it for cause or simply because the company is at a bad time in the business cycle. It is one of those hard realities of business. I operate under a simple premise that hiring managers hire and hiring managers fire, and there is a great responsibility that comes with hiring, managing, leading, and every so often, terminating people. This situation was a lack of ownership in my mind and avoiding the responsibility for the greatest asset a company has.

If you may be thinking Human Resources IS responsible for terminating, I will suggest that's not the case. Human Resources is responsible for governance of people, the systems and processes for people management, coaching, and maybe even development, but not termination of a person (or hiring for that matter). They are a partner in what has to be done, but the responsibility and ownership is with the manager.

Terminating someone from the organization needs be, and always should be, a very difficult thing to do. There needs to be a constant reminder that it is not a faceless exercise and that a person's life is being impacted. I understand that a person owns his or her career, as well as meeting the expectations that come with the role, but it is important to keep this in mind:

• If they are not working out, maybe you shouldn't have hired them in the first place.
• If they were struggling, did you work to develop them up to their potential or out of the organization in a clear and respectful manner.

In the case of the story that I heard the other day, the manager should have been front and centre to look the person in the eye and deliver the difficult news, if for no other reason than the respect owed to the person. 

And this brings us back to why I think it's the worst example of Leadership I've heard in a while. Why would anyone want to work for an organization that doesn't want to take ownership, avoids what is difficult, and doesn't respect the most important asset they have? I will also point out that the manager has a boss, and that boss has a boss, and this situation most likely reflects something bigger than just one person. It probably reflects a company culture and maybe that is why they are struggling.

What makes this story even more interesting is two days after being terminated the company called the woman back and offered her a job. She of course declined.

Rightfully so in my mind.

iamgpe

Fifty-seven and full of fucking advice...

Yesterday was my birthday and two things happened. The first was I got to spend a wonderful evening with my daughter and received well wishes from friends, and the second was I got to listen in on an interview. 

To the first point, and I believe this says it all, "I would like to say I am so blessed to have a wonderful family, and wonderful friends; I am so very grateful."

To the second point, I have a little more to say (this is not an aspect of being fifty-seven as it seems I've always had something to say). As part of my birthday celebrations, I found myself at one of my favourite "mobile office" spots crunching numbers, doing analysis and developing plans when two people sat down next to me and started to conduct an interview. As a quick aside, I would like to remind everyone that if you conduct a business meeting in a public place, people will be listening; sometimes they are just curious bystanders, but sometimes they may be competitors. I am just saying.

It was an interview for a sales position, with a woman who was looking to advance her career and the sales manager looking to fill a vacancy. They were both Millennials; the woman was on the tail end of the demographic and the sales manager was one of the first to hit the workforce. They seemed to be discussing an industry I was somewhat familiar with so I did what anyone in my position would do, I began to multitask. As my numbers started to take shape their interview progressed.

It was pretty standard stuff as interviews go and he was doing an average job. Since I have interviewed hundreds of people and hired at least seventy, I have earned the right to be a little "judgy". My interest was fading with the two beside me as my numbers started to speak to me; that was until the sales manager moved away from his standard interview format and started to expand on his philosophies, and thoughts on success. As their interview ended I fought the urge to turn to him and say, "You know, if I was your boss I would hire her and fire you. You are simply awful". 

I didn't say that of course because my business was in front of me. This is why I wanted to though.

• He openly criticized  team members that the rep would be working with.
• He was, in a very public forum, discussing details of the business, including sales territory size and quotas. Frankly, I don't know how they could justify a rep.
• He eluded to the expense account as a component of her compensation, and even went on to propose what salary she should ask for.
• He suggested that the work isn't really that demanding, and in the summer he played a fair bit of tennis, and worked less than thirty hours a week.

In all of this, his greatest sin in my mind was he made it clear he was a process guy, and although he would ensure that she got trained (and ticked the box), there was no indication of any competency development, career development, and what that meant for her. He was a people manager who obviously didn't really care about his people. Maybe this is just reflective of the collaborative nature of the Millennial, the new ways of doing things, and their belief they have it all figured out (which in fairness, sometimes they do). Maybe this is really more reflective that I'm into my fifty-eighth year and I just don't get it anymore; it is a youth culture after all.

I'm not sure that is it though because there is something important to remember, "I know what it is like to be young, but you don't know what it is like to be old."  In all of this, I am not suggesting that the sales representative and sales manager would not find their way. I am just suggesting though that having insight into experience and sage advice can sometimes make finding your way a little easier.

Go find someone who is at least fifteen years older than you and make them your mentor. In the case of the interview I witnessed, it would have helped the sales rep ask better questions and definitely helped the sales manager not say so many "stupid things." And one last thing, you can't use your parents, because although they love you, it doesn't mean they know what they are talking about.

There you have it, fifty-seven and full of fucking advice; if you are a Milliennial, go get a mentor.

iamgpe

As he looked at me, he shared his leadership regret...

I had the opportunity to sit down with a business leader (and his team) whose business was in transition. It was a solid company with seven-figure revenue, a healthy growth margin, employees, a solid customer base and good brand equity in the industry; it is a body of work to be proud of. As we were discussing his business, his challenges, and the opportunities for the future, he stopped almost in mid sentence and looked at me.

As he continued to look at me he said with a tone of melancholy, "You know, if I have one regret as I look back at everything, it would be that I did not delegate enough; I could have grown so much more".  

A thin cloud of discomfort filled the room, and as I reflect on it, I am not sure if it was because of the vulnerable position he had taken, or that he was sharing such a regret, or that we have all been culpable of doing the same thing at one time or another. Regardless of the reason, we were quick to change the topic and the tone of the banter on him because we knew, as well as he did, it was a failing in leadership; be it his or our own.

It is a very rare thing indeed for anyone to accomplish anything of worth by themselves and there is almost always a team of people involved*. This is what I was reminded of as we parted company, and I greatly appreciate the business leader's time, insight and the reminder.

• Hire the best people you can and hire them for more than the job you are currently discussing.
• Look for trustworthiness in the people you hire and the people you want to work with. When the challenges get difficult and the expectations are high, sometimes trustworthiness is the only thing that ensures it all gets done.
• Develop your people and the teams they work on. Although we all come with skills and competencies, more often than not, we need to be developed to take us where we want to go.
• Delegate activities to people and your team. A leader who rolls up her sleeves and gets involved is always well thought of, and it goes without saying how important it is to really know your business, but in the end you can't do it all yourself. It is important to delegate and assign activities to people to prevent burnout, re-enforce a culture of trust, and a culture of growth and development; this will ensure all the work needed to be successful gets done.

When I ultimately look back on the body of work I am creating, I don't think I will have the same regret as this business leader, but with that said, I can think of a situation or two when I probably should have delegated. 

iamgpe

* I probably should just say nothing of worth gets accomplished without a team of people but then again there is always the exception to the rule.