by Hilary Potts
As you gather information about the organization, you should be able to see both the official and the unofficial patterns of influence. To help you get started with this learning, follow these steps:
◆Identify the people who influence the business. These may be people directly or indirectly engaged in the business. They are not necessarily the decision-makers.
◆Describe the role of each.
◆Determine whom these people influence. What connections do they have, and why?
◆Assess the strength of the influence on a scale of high, medium, or low.
◆Learn about the history of the relationships and patterns among them.
◆Anticipate what the influencers will expect from you.
◆Create a plan to address any areas of concern.
Often, you can enhance the working relationships, to benefit the business. First, though, start by understanding how information, ideas, and work products are currently shared among all parties.
Chapter 10
Creating Balance through Healthy Daily Practices
I cannot make my days longer, so I strive to make them better.
– Henry David Thoreau
Times of transition can be hectic and stressful as leaders move out of their comfort zone. This is why “Balance” is one of the blocks in the Executive Transition Playbook. When you incorporate your personal activities and obligations into your transition, you can get a full picture of your schedule and commitments, and you will be creating the circumstances under which the business, you, and your family can flourish.
Healthy Practices for Peak Performance
The pressures of a new job and transition can test work/life balance. Energy, focus, and clarity are essential as you face a high learning curve and expectations of high performance. A transition, therefore, is an excellent time to reaffirm or reset your health habits.
Many leaders already have a set of healthy daily practices; if you do, you need to continue your practices during this time of change. Unfortunately, while most leaders have good intentions, their time commitments do not always let them follow a healthy regime.
I have found that exceptional leaders aren’t “super people.” Rather, they have found that daily healthy practices keep them at the top of their game. They have built their life and work around the healthy daily practices that help them stay energized, fresh, and balanced, so that they can tackle what they need to face in business and in life.
The marketplace is filled with programs to help individuals bring a healthy balance to the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual body. There are companies incorporating health and wellness programs into employees’ work lives as a way to reduce stress, improve health, and enhance productivity. These programs are designed to teach individuals how to manage their energy levels through healthy practices in order to maximize performance levels. The key is to use the tools regularly.
If you are not already following a set of healthy daily practices, I recommend that you start incorporating them into your schedule. The key is to do things that keep you at your peak performance. Below are daily practices I find most beneficial, especially during times of change:
◆Exercising at least 20 to 30 minutes a day — a brisk walk at lunch can make a huge difference
◆Getting up early to plan the critical tasks and to get energized to manage the day’s events
◆Eating healthy foods
◆Staying hydrated
◆Sleeping at least seven to nine hours per night to allow your body and mind to rest and regenerate
◆Regaining balance through deep breathing
◆Showing gratitude and providing others positive feedback every day
◆Finding a few minutes of silence and quiet time, whether through meditation or other techniques
◆Capturing your thoughts in a journal
◆Taking breaks from your electronic devices
Set an Example
As the new leader, you are setting the tone, pace, and cadence you want in the business. It’s one thing to discuss work/life balance; it’s another to live it. If you work long hours and weekends, people around you will start to follow suit. Your actions will turn into unintended expectations for others to meet. Long hours do not always equate to better results, however; these long hours may exhaust the creative minds around you. For some period of time, it will take longer hours for you to get up-to-speed. However, take care not to make these long hours a habit, as they can lead to a downward spiral of productivity. It’s important to work smartly and efficiently. And remember that sometimes a break can help spark new ideas.
If you want a healthy, creative, and focused organization, you need to set an example to create this environment. Your actions, your values, and the way you work can all show others how you want them to work.
People will be watching you for signs of how you work and what you value. Some may even start to copy you. In Chapter 7, I explained how to create a leadership plan that may include behaviors you want to instill throughout the business. I recommend being aware of your actions and determining whether they exhibit the example you want to set.
Attend to Family
Family and friends can help keep you grounded. They have different expectations than do your business colleagues. They can help you through the transition, if you let them know how they can help.
Savvy leaders build support systems. They make sure the important activities in their personal lives are incorporated into their Executive Transition Playbook. You should do the same. When all your activities are captured and sequenced into a timeline, it becomes easier to manage both your personal and your professional needs. Set aside time to keep up with personal activities and important events, and to spend quality time with your family during (and after) the transition.
Here are some ways you can engage your family in your transition:
◆Set mutual expectations with family members.
◆Listen to how your family is coping with the change. Recognize that your new role may or may not be as welcome to others as it is to you.
◆Identify the personal activities that will need attention. Carve out quality time to interact with family and friends.
◆Keep your family informed about time commitments and travel schedules.
◆Identify others who may be able to help at home with ongoing activities.
◆Incorporate your personal activities into your transition plan, so that you can manage the entire transition period in one place. When there are shifts in your business schedule, you can see how they may affect your personal schedule.
◆Do not simply forego community activities and commitments. Rather, transition your responsibilities to others.
◆If you need to move to a new location, involve your family in planning and organizing the move. This will help them recognize and organize the changes the move will bring to their own plans and activities.
PART III
Working with Others in the Transition
Chapter 11
Making First Impressions Count
The more you extend kindness to yourself, the more it will become your automatic response from others.
– Wayne Dyer
It’s true, people will be quick to assess you by the first impressions you make. People will look for answers to their questions about you in your opening introductions. Even if they know you, they will be curious about how you plan to approach the business. Entering the new role is an opportunity to make new relationships or build on existing ones. This starts with the first impressions you make in this new role.
Relationships can take time to develop and cultivate. In a transition, it can feel a bit like speed dating; however, these “dates” are with people you hope to be working with for a long time. So make your first impressions and subsequent interactions count. When you outline how to approach initial conversations with people, you can quickly build a level of rapport and trust in the dialogue and exchanges. Leaders oft
en get distracted by the activities in the transition, causing the building of key relationships to stall.
Stakeholder Preparation Plan
A useful tool to prepare for conversations and interactions is a Stakeholder Preparation Plan. Figure 11-1 shows a sample plan. The Stakeholder Preparation Plan is a vehicle for thinking through messages and tone ahead of time. When you plan how you are going to interact with others, conversations will be more productive. Better discussions aid in forging stronger relationships.
Start by identifying the individuals or groups you want to get to know, then prepare the key messages, questions, and comments for each stakeholder group. Your list of stakeholders could include:
◆The Board of Directors
◆Your boss
◆Peers
◆Direct reports
◆Key executives
◆Division or department heads
◆Managers of essential functions
◆Employees/Associates
◆Customers
◆Partners
◆Investor community
◆Key suppliers
◆Key external influencers (such as government officials and regulatory agencies)
The Stakeholder Preparation Plan outlines a framework to prepare for discussions with each stakeholder or stakeholder group. For each, use the following questions:
General Information
What is the purpose of this conversation? What do I want this individual to know and feel as a result of our discussion? What interests and excites them about the business? What do they value? How do they prefer to be engaged in the business activities?
Messages and Talking Points
What does this individual or group need to hear from me? What personalized messages do I want to convey in my conversations? What is the preferred communication style? How will we work together? What expectations do I have?
Reactions and Concerns
How will they react to the messages? What will they be most concerned about? What kinds of indicators will show they are engaged in my messages? Where might there be some resistance from this individual or group?
Questions from Them
What questions do I expect from the individual or group, and how should I respond?
Questions to Ask
What questions do I have for this individual or group? What do they need to know for us to be able to move things forward?
Actions
What actions should I or others take to help support this individual or group?
In Chapter 17, I suggest a sequence of conversations with direct reports, in which you can gather information and start building those working relationships. The Stakeholder Preparation Plan is a handy tool to prepare for these discussions.
Chapter 12
Opening the Channels of Communication
You are responsible not only for what you say, but also for what you do not say.
– Martin Luther
Communication Takes on a New Meaning
By now, you may be picking up how important it is to communicate effectively with colleagues and stakeholders throughout your transition. The role and title you have been assigned may be intimidating to some of them, even if you do not actually think you are an intimidating person. They will appreciate clear, concise, and engaging communication, which is an essential tool for any leader.
The same message you deliver may have to be repeated many times before people absorb and assimilate its meaning. You may get tired of saying the same thing and move on to a second message before people have fully absorbed and acted on the first one. Plan to stay on message, even when you grow weary of saying the same thing over and over again. By the time people start to repeat your message, thinking of it almost as a mantra, the organization should be well on its way to implementing the underlying changes.
Expect what you say to be amplified or distorted as your messages cascade throughout the organization. A single negative comment can send the organization swirling. It helps to convey positive, forward-looking messages that others can easily repeat and act on. Morale can dip during times of change, and people may lose their focus on the business. This is a time to keep the messages simple, clear, and consistent, so people stay focused on what matters. Also, use genuine praise to motivate people to keep moving in the right direction.
Check to see if the messages are getting through. You will want to test whether the direction is clear and whether people actually know what to do. From the beginning, find ways to make connections with all areas of the company, and check whether people are actually hearing the messages. Test your messages by asking questions. You can best learn about problems and issues in the company by asking people what they think and what they are experiencing. Make it a habit to regularly ask people what they need to solve the business challenges.
Eliminating the Filters
Even your most well-intended colleagues may filter the messages they hear, so as not to bother you with any questions about the details. People will quickly figure out what you want to hear and what disturbs you, and they will make the adjustments. Unless you do something to keep the lines of communication open, you could find yourself farther and farther away from the actual work.
The isolation makes it more difficult to thoroughly understand what is going on in the organization, and the flow of information becomes compromised. With the pulls on your time and the limited interactions, it grows difficult to stay in touch with the realities of the business. Your efforts to engage associates with the right levels of communication may fall short.
So make it your goal to remove the filters and keep the lines of communication open. Take care that your actions do not undermine your interest in having frank dialogue. If you find yourself seeing only one side of the issue, take the time to broaden communications to see all sides of the issue.
Everything Communicates
A leader’s actions can speak volumes, especially when communication is limited. It’s easy to find yourself spending most of your time with a few individuals or departments and less time engaging with the entire enterprise. A new leader such as yourself can easily become distracted with obligations, which significantly reduces the level of interactions.
People can also misinterpret your actions. Approach every connection as an opportunity to convey a message, to clarify the strategy, and to help people and the company move in the right direction. Convey messages through your actions. Consider the effect of even the most mundane actions, such as where you eat lunch (the cafeteria or at your desk), where you park your car, whether you fly commercial or use the corporate jet, or which facilities and customers you decide to visit. None of these actions are right or wrong, but recognize that others will try to read more into your actions and may even want to emulate your habits.
When a leader isn’t communicating effectively, employees complain that they haven’t heard from the boss. People want to receive messages, especially when those messages come directly from you. They want messages that speak to their issues and concerns, not corporate platitudes. Communication is so important that you must not pull back from doing it — and a lot of it.
Communicate and Be Visible
Part of working the social side of business is being available to others, so you can help them do their work. This may mean creating easier access to you and even developing an “open door” policy with specific hours when you are available for brief discussions. Be aware of how your verbal and nonverbal communications help or hinder conveying the messages you wish others to receive.
In one company I worked with, the President of one division would stop and chat with people when he went to refill his cup of coffee. Those two-minute interactions with team members inspired and motivated people to action. Similarly, any time you are entering or exiting the building or walking down the halls between meetings is a good time to demonstrate you are present and available. Unfortunately, with today’s technology, leaders are looking more at their
mobile devices than interacting with the people right in front of them. Be mindful of what you project to others.
◆Are you available and open to discussing business?
◆What language do you use to convey messages to motivate others to action?
◆How does your assistant handle requests for meetings?
◆How do you spend your time when visiting company facilities? Are you booked solid in meetings and hastily shuttled from meeting to meeting? Or is there time for people to interact with you?
◆Do you make time for customers and suppliers to have meaningful partner discussions? Or do you find that you are only meeting with customers when issues have escalated?
Your transition will set the stage for how people perceive your availability over the long run in your new role. Executive assistants and others who support you will also convey how available, open, and receptive you are to meeting with others. You may not have time to fit in an hour’s discussion, but it’s wise to clear your calendar so that you can find 15 minutes or so to speak with someone when they request it. When you manage the social and emotional side of the business as well as you do the overall business performance, you will start to see the engagement grow.
Chapter 13
Creating Your Communication Plan
To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to our communications with others.
– Tony Robbins
In everything you do, work to express yourself to others with meaning and purpose to convey crucial messages consistently and frequently. When communications aren’t clear, people spend too much time trying to interpret the messages. This chapter outlines how to communicate clearly and effectively from the start by creating a Transition Communication Plan.
Often, leaders think they are communicating enough— though few actually are. Communication is a core leadership skill that requires constant attention. Effective communications are ones consistently made, then repeated over and over in different formats, so people really hear and take in the messages. Test that these messages are aligned with the business strategy. Ensure that the communications match what is actually happening in the company, so that people don’t get confused. Above all, leverage communications to stay visible to your stakeholders.