The Ultimate Corporate Entrepreneur

Killing Innovation: How Passive-Aggressive Organizations Get It Wrong

The odds are pretty good that you'll work in a passive-aggressive culture at some point in your career. In 2004 the landmark study (PDF) conducted by Booz & Co. indicated that 30 percent of the managers, employees and executives surveyed believed they worked in unhealthy, passive-aggressive organizations.

Would it surprise anyone if these numbers weren't substantially higher given the Great Recession and workplace dynamics now associated with it?

I've experienced passive-aggressive behavior in corporate settings, but it's an entirely different experience depending on your view of the playing field: employee, supply partner or consultant.

One of my first consulting engagements over a decade ago was leading an "orphaned" team whose leader had bailed four months previously, delaying the launch of their product. 

At first blush, team members looked to be one big, happy family. No one disagreed during meetings and members never directly discussed concerns or asserted their needs. Instead, they would come at you from behind or attack in pairs like nimble Velociraptors. If I asked the right question in just the right way (and the stars were aligned), I would get the needed answer, but never from the person who I had asked the question!

One team member divulged the family secret: members were betting how long I would last (I was the third "turnaround consultant" in less than two months.)

Although we successfully launched the product, I'll always remember what the company was leaving on the table by embedding this passive-aggressive behavior into its culture. It doesn't take a math wizard to see how this experience multiplied hundreds of times could negatively impact the business.   

Got Innovation?

Robert Brands and I were discussing his soon-to-be-released book Robert's Rules of Innovation (Wiley, March 2010) and got to chatting about how exponential growth for companies must come from introducing innovative products and services, not cutting spending to the bone or acquiring start-ups as the sole source of innovation.  

Corporations need their entire workforce to innovate and not only their R&D, New Product Development teams, or special assignment "innovation pods".

The elephant in the room? Innovation and passive-aggressive behavior don't mesh.

Of course, the process for changing a culture begins by knowing where your organization is in its stage of evolution. Booz & Co. offers a simple online DNA Profiler to get you started.

The Musical Chairs Dilemma

Thousands upon thousands of unemployed people in the U.S. alone include those who learned how to survive and thrive in passive-aggressive environments. Government, academia and private industry need to partner in retraining people to innovate in healthy environments, otherwise we're just changing the sheet music and slapping a coat of paint on the chairs.

We need gutsy leaders who "get it" and who know how to build effective partnerships both within their organizations and beyond its walls in order to drive deep cultural shifts. 

[Are you a leader who's raising the bar in changing your organizational culture? Contact me if you're interested in a guest slot for an upcoming radio segment here.]

The ability to innovate is a career differentiator. Professionals have a chance to rebuild and reinvent on a more solid foundation. Step back and assess your own behavior for signs of "PA creep" and take proactive steps to learn new ways of doing business. 

Let's make healthy workplace behavior a required "soft" skill for the new world of work!

Resume or Review - Quantify Your Success Stories

If you read the ChannelInsider's 2010 Employer Outlook: Top 10 trends you discovered what 2,700 HR professionals surveyed by CareerBuilder.com have to say about this year's employment outlook.

For those who regularly read my posts know that I'm not a doom and gloom kind of person, but I am a wake-up-and-smell-the-coffee kind of gal.

If you haven't taken advantage of opportunities to differentiate yourself in the workplace or marketplace by March 2010, you will increasingly find yourself at a disadvantage as the year progresses.

I introduced a similar "wake-up message" in my 2009 webcast Career 2010: Reinventing Yourself for the New World of Work (free, requires login); however, it's worth pointing out these reminders again, whether you're a job seeker, currently employed or a free agent looking for new opportunities.

Regardless of where you see yourself along the value chain continuum you must be able to quantify your business value. If you're interested in learning the "how" of quantifying your contributions and personal risktaking value to the organization, join us for our webinar on Jan 29. Learn and give back at the same time Responsible Risktaking: 7 Ways to Thrive in the New World of Work

Below are six areas from ChannelInsider's employer survey results along with my recommendations on how you can make the most of these opportunities/challenges.

  Employers plan to replace lower performing employers with out-of-work talent.

Looking for a job or freelance opportunity? Thirty-seven percent of surveyed employers say they plan to replace lower performing employees with new talent in 2010. Consulting and other freelance opportunities will likely surface first with 30 percent of these same employers planning to hire contingent workers before committing to full-time hires.

You may feel less giddy if you're uncertain whether your employer considers you an under-performing employee (real or perceived...you're still at risk).

• Know where you stand today and take immediate and aggressive action to quantify your wins in 2009. Ensure that key decision-makers know what you bring to the table.
• Don't allow company politics and other unhealthy workplace dynamics to blindside or distract you. Would you know the cues and clues about whether your department or business unit might be on the chopping block in 2010?
• Don't rest on your organizational "influencing laurels" to differentiate you. Effective influencers create audit trails that directly and indirectly capture their value in measurable terms.

Of course, if you've been waiting for an economic uptick to look for new opportunities, you'll view this data point as a chance to spring into action.

 

  Among companies who experienced layoffs last year, 32 percent plan to rehire with 3 in 10 of these employers already doing so.

Will you be one of the professionals rehired by a former employer of choice? Have you kept in touch with previous employers? Hopefully, you're on good terms with former managers. If not, use this time to reach out and reconnect using any of the social networking sites to locate former managers and colleagues. Absence can make the heart grow fonder and your value more appreciated.

Present yourself in a new light. If you've added new skills to your toolbox and new success stories to share since your previous employment, now is a good time to ensure that an updated resume is on file.

  1 in 5 employers plan to give current employees social media responsibility.

Learn and Give Back - Jan 29 Responsible Risktaking™ Webinar (Early Bird Pricing ends Jan 16)

Some years back I came across a non-profit organization that aligned with my personal and professional values.

I'm thrilled to be leading a special webinar on January 29 Responsible Risktaking™: 7 Ways to Thrive in the New World of Work in support of F.L.Y.'s fundraising drive that ends January 30. 

F.L.Y. (http://www.flyprogram.org/index.html) teaches at-risk teens how to make better decisions and is located in Silicon Valley. One of their programs has a striking 85% success rate! This is all at one-tenth of the cost of taxpayer dollars for incarceration.

Matching Donations

The Sobrato Family Foundation (http://www.sobrato.org) is gnerously matching donations received by the January 30, 2010 deadline (up to $30,000) and will given an additional $30,000 if F.L.Y. is able to meet its annual goal!

About the Webinar

I've pulled out all the stops for this 90-minute webinar on January 29. I've taken the top questions/issues about personal and professional "risktaking" that were asked of me during various speaking engagements and training programs in 2009 and pulled together a meaty presentation and eworkbook for our interactive event. (You'll be able to download the recorded WebEx webinar if you're unable to attend the event live.)

Early bird pricing ends this Saturday at midnight. Learn more and register here.

I look forward to your joining us on January 29!

Are You Risking Your Team's Success in 2010?

I was asked to "shadow coach" a junior program manager in his new role. His first big challenge was assessing the skills of a team who had been together for months, but who were behind schedule in launching their product.

This new PM was now responsible for figuring out who would remain with the team and who would be replaced. My role was to walk him through the process of asking the required questions and reviewing the results with him. Ultimately his job would be to select the right team for turning this situation around and launching the product in six months. 

What made the situation more difficult for the PM was that he came from this talent pool and felt he had a handle on their strengths and weak areas. I sensed early on that some of the members were his friends outside of work.

My "informal" role was to guide him through the process of making a tough decision as fairly as he could without losing his heart in the process.

Focusing on the Right Things

Given our turnaround challenge we had two weeks to assemble the team:

• Identify the required skills and knowledge for this "new" project
• Interview and select team members who would remain with the group
• Complete a resource gap analysis of missing expertise
• Negotiate with managers for shared resource expertise

Three questions we asked each of the current team members included:

"What do you consider to be your expertise?"

"Do you feel that you're in the right role with the right responsibilities?"

"How do you feel that you contributed to the team's current situation?"

We were listening for a sense of responsibility for the team and personal accountability for their area(s) of expertise. In other words, how much "skin in the game" did they have with this team and the product? We also wanted to find out if their current role and responsibilities weren't playing to their strengths.

A sense of urgency combined with the right attitude and approach to problem solving was critical. Although not optimum, we could always create a patchwork quilt of expertise with shared resources.

Moving Forward, Holding Back

When was the last time you assessed your contributions at work, in general, and to your team, in particular? 

Are you moving your team forward or holding them back?

Can you identify your skill gaps? Would you know what steps to take to raise your performance level, adjust your relationship cache, and adapt to shifting conditions before someone asked you to do so? Do you trust team members to tell you--do they "have your back"?

But let's also reverse the situation. Is your team holding you back?

Now, would you say that your current behavior and performance is consistent with your past peak performance? Is this the "true you" or an outer skin you're wearing because of the environment you're in today?

This "Great Recession" continues to play havoc in the workplace. You might be camouflaging yourself to survive in your current environment. It's not unusual for people to shift their performance and expectations downwards in order to accommodate the lowest common denominator of fearful behavior on the team.

You might consider asking the same three questions above that this PM asked his team members. We were able to select the right team for the right reasons at the right time.

De-clutter, Then Transition: 10 Items, 10 Minutes by 2010

It's the end of another year and we would all agree a rather tough one at that. You're ready to brush off 2009. But not so fast.

Before you can move forward, you'll want to acknowledge the baggage that you're still dragging along or it could wind up cluttering your life and any shiny new plans you have in 2010.

No matter how out of shape you think you are most of us can do one set of ten reps. So, I've come up with ten things that you can do in the waning days of 2009 in ten minutes. Many of you will finish them in under ten!

Clutter #1: Earliest insult to you in 2009.

Remember the time your colleague embarrassed you in that meeting in front of all those people? Now, think of one thing you can laugh about. Come on, you have to admit that this guy's haircut is what put him in such a foul mood in the first place.

You're so over it.

Clutter #2: Earliest insult to another person in 2009.

Remember the time you embarrassed that consultant in front of the client? She became flustered during the presentation and wasn't able to convince higher ups that your team's project needed the funding.

Apologize to her as if she's standing right in front of you. While you're at it, why not apologize to your team as well since they were forced to work on that other project.

Promise yourself to feel less threatened in 2010 and to learn from those who possess different skills than you.

Clutter #3: The best "I'm pissed" email that you saved, but didn't send.

You know the email. It was the one that you dashed off to yourself in the heat of anger and saved as a template in the "P.O." folder because of the language prowess and powerful use of verbs.

Go ahead. Re-read it once more, then delete the folder and clean out your recycling bin.

Clutter #4: The best "I'm pissed" email that you accidentally sent. 

Oh yeah. The one that was distributed by more people in a single minute than will take you the time to remember it, blush profusely (again), and remind yourself to write these emails at home with yourself in the "To" line.

Unless you were fired over the incident, it's time to laugh at your "human-ness" and let it go. If you did lose your job over it, it's time to forgive yourself, but still let it go.

Clutter #5: The worst outfit you own (even for the best of intentions).

You know the one. Your ex (spouse, S.O, etc.) bought for you and you can't seem to give it away. It's your way of remembering a relationship that was probably not very good in the first place. The problem is that a) it was never your color b) you've gained 15 lbs or c) the "ex" was known for h/her bad taste in clothing.

Remove the item from your closet or drawer. Place it in a bag to be donated to someone who will feel blessed by it.

Clutter #6: The best boss ever, now replaced by the worst.

Just when you were looking forward to working with the best leader at your company in 2010, she was promoted and replaced by an inexperienced manager who never smiles and BTW knows nothing about your business. Already, you're feeling a dark cloud rising over 2010.

Write down one good thing about your new manager. Try.

Then scribble on a piece of paper: "Jan 2010 - to stay or not to stay". You can answer that question next month.

Clutter #7: The idea you didn't act on in 2000.

Yes, the one that you've listed every year for the last decade. The feeling that continues to hold you back from acting on any of the other great ideas you've had since then.

Let yourself down--easy. You weren't ready to act on this idea a decade ago no matter how prepared you think you were at the time.

Instead, why not make a one-minute list of all the ways you're now ready to act on your best ideas in 2010.

Clutter #8: The fear you've outgrown (but won't let go).

You've hung on to this fear since grade school when your sad, unmotivated, and disgruntled teacher labeled you incompetent at _______, ________, ________, or ________.

Fear is a feeling that somehow you're not good enough. Tying Trying something doesn't mean that you have to be perfect at it. You can now choose to have some fun tackling any of these things (again). 

Then, forgive your teacher for not feeling a passion for teaching and yourself for feeling the need to hang on to this.

Clutter #9: One message that you didn't heed in 2009.

Messages come to us in many different forms--people we meet (even for fleeting moments) to books that we read or conversations we might overhear.

Synchronicity of events and coincidences are often the proverbial message in a bottle.

Heed one message that you didn't act on at the time by acknowledging it now. Then, promise yourself to listen to and trust your intuition more in 2010 so that this muscle becomes one of the strongest ones you possess.

Clutter #10: The love that you didn't feel.

The year 2009 was tough for a lot of people for many different reasons. But even in the midst of pain, you can probably remember one experience that made you feel good about yourself even if, at the time, you didn't acknowledge the feeling.

Remember it now.

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Win-Win Negotiations: Only for Wimps and Losers?

I recently participated in a discussion at a women's networking event about how guys always seem to play hardball during negotiations.

One of the women asked if striving for a win-win outcome could be perceived as a sign of weakness?"

The assumption was that women have a tendency to leave money on the table during negotiations because we're taught to "play nice" and want only to be liked.

No one considered that, perhaps, these women hadn't yet differentiated between "playing nice" and building / managing effective business relationships. They hadn't "learned the ropes", so to speak, of being tough and fair and likable.  

Along the same lines of the hardball theory are the "bad ass" types who aren't really effective negotiators, as much as they're hiding behind an aggressive communication style. (Ironically, aggression in either gender is the easiest behavior to leverage during negotiations because they're wearing emotions on their sleeves.)

Do Your Fieldwork (Age-Old Rule)

I know, no one enjoys homework. But this is where playing hardball comes in and where you can stand out and differentiate yourself during negotiations. Company professionals, small business owners, and micropreneurs tend to leave money, crown jewels, and long-range potential on the table during negotiations because they get L-A-Z-Y.

In fact, it's harder to prepare for a win-win outcome than it is to walk in with the attitude of slapping the other party around to get your way (500 lb gorilla). You can be tough and play fair and still get more of what you need (and want) in the bargain.

1. You come prepared knowing your primary needs/wants.
2. You feel comfortable knowing what your counterpart will ask for during the unfolding scenario.
3. You create nuggets of information gold; needs/wants combos that when taken together result in something more powerful than what you could accomplish on your own (Optional, but nice to have).
4. Your preparation allows you to remain open to developing combinations during negotiations. 

Even in the case of someone coming in with the intention of knocking you off the seesaw, you can come in prepared with enough information about their strengths, primary needs and wants and still aim for a win-win.

But never feel that walking away from a bad deal is a wimpy move. It's a smart move. Even in tough economic times, do you really want to do business with someone or work for a company that uses strong arm tactics to get (only) their way?

Of course, you won't know what a bad deal looks like if you haven't done your due diligence in the first place.

[Want to learn more about negotiations? Our self-paced 3-hour audio program Harness the Power of Your Natural Negotiating Style comes with an eWorkbook and full transcript. We take all the risk out of the deal by offering you a 90-day 100% guarantee!]