Author Archives: Tom Foster

About Tom Foster

Tom Foster spends most of his time talking with managers and business owners. The conversations are about business lives and personal lives, goals, objectives and measuring performance. In short, transforming groups of people into teams working together. Sometimes we make great strides understanding this management stuff, other times it’s measured in very short inches. But in all of this conversation, there are things that we learn. This blog is that part of the conversation I can share. Often, the names are changed to protect the guilty, but this is real life inside of real companies.

Why Do People Work?

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Next Monday is Labor Day in the US. And I wonder, why do people work? Elliott Jaques is very specific in his response.

“People want work in which they can have the opportunity to exercise their full potential capability, to spread their wings widely, to receive a fair compensation for that work and to be recognized and understood as not needing artificial carrot and stick treatment on order to get on with that work.

By work, I mean an organism’s use of judgment in making the decisions necessary to reach a goal. Goal directed work is a basic feature of all life.

All humans need to do work that not only benefits oneself, but is, at the same time, of value to others.

It may be noted that, not only do millions gain work opportunities by becoming engaged in employment, but need something on the order of 40 hours per week of such engagement. That is what explains the fact that the employment work week, which came down to 40 hours during the first half of the twentieth century, has gone no lower. Any smaller number of hours is not sufficiently fulfilling. Indeed, people who work on their own, routinely spend many more than 40 hours per week.”

Elliott Jaques – Social Power and the CEO

Undercurrents Will Surface

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“The economic news is disturbing,” Morgan explained.

I nodded in agreement. “So, what are the actual impacts to your business and your market? The world is not ending, it is shifting. You think you are dancing on bullets. You have to find the rhythm in the dance.”

“I know, I know,” Morgan shook his head. “But, this recession has lasted so long. My people are tired. My customers are tired.”

“Then stop whining and figure it out. Get rid of the long face. Search for your advantage. Your competitors are suffering, just like you. In this market, in the midst of this chaos, there is opportunity. New undercurrents will surface. Are you watching them?”

The Peter Principle

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From the Ask Tom mailbag:

Question:
When I hear about the concept of Time Span, I am reminded about the Peter Principle. Any connection?

Response:
This is an easy one. The book The Peter Principle is an amusing description of Time Span Capability and what happens to someone when we have mis-match in a role. I have written more about that at the following link.

The Peter Principle

Let me know if you have more questions.

Getting the Truth in an Interview

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“Tell me about a time when accuracy was very important. How did you make sure you balanced to the penny? -That’s the question,” I recited. “When you ask that question in an interview, what will you find out related to values?”

Sara was thoughtful. “First, I would learn how the candidate decides that accuracy is important. Accuracy is a nice thing to say, but it’s not an absolute on every project. I could ask – What was it, about that project, that tipped you off, that accuracy was important?”

“And what else would you learn in their response?”

“I could have the person step me through their methods that ensure accuracy. If it’s an inventory count, or a price estimate, their response would tell me what they did, to make sure the numbers were right.”

“How would you make sure they aren’t giving you some memorized textbook answer?” I prodded.

“Because I would ask them for real examples,” Sara insisted. “And more than one. They may have one story cooked up, but when I press for a second and third example, the truth always comes out.”

How to Interview for Values

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“I get it,” Sara smiled. “I know, for someone to be a high performer, they have to value the work in the role. If they don’t place a high value on the work, it isn’t likely they will do a good job.”

“Not in the long run,” I confirmed. “In the short term, you can always bribe people with pizza, but once the pizza’s gone, you’re done.” (This is known as a diagnostic assessment.)

“I’m with you,” Sara nodded. “But how do you interview for values. I am afraid if I ask the question, straight up, I am going to get a textbook answer. The candidate is just going to agree with me.”

“Sara, when you are observing your team, watching them work, can you see their values?”

Sara stopped. “I think so, I mean, I can see enthusiasm. I can tell when someone is happy.”

“How can you tell?”

“I can just watch them,” she replied. “I can see it in their behavior.”

“Exactly. You cannot see a person’s values, you can only see their behavior. And that is what you interview for, their behavior. As a manager, just ask this question – How does a person with (this value) behave?”

Sara’s eyes narrowed. I continued.

“Let’s say that you have an accounting position and that accuracy, specifically with numbers is an important value.”

“You can’t ask them if they think accuracy is important. Of course, they will say – yes.”

I nodded. “As a manager, ask yourself this question. How does a person behave if they value accuracy in their work.”

“I know that one,” Sara jumped in. “I once asked our bookkeeper how she always balanced to the penny. She told me she always added things twice. People who value accuracy in their work always add things twice.”

“So, what question would you ask?” I pressed.

“Tell me about a time when accuracy was very important. How did you make sure you balanced to the penny?”

Job Fit Requires This

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From the Ask Tom mailbag.

Question:
You talk about the importance of Interest, or passion in the workplace and that we should interview for it. How does this play into job fit?

Response:
Elliott Jaques (Requisite Organization) talked about four specific criteria for success in any role.

  1. Time Span Capability
  2. Skills
  3. Interest
  4. Reasonable Behavior

While most of my workshops focus on Time Span Capability, the other three are as critical to success. I may possess the Time Span Capability for a role, and I may possess the necessary Skills to perform in that role, but if I lack Interest in that work, it is not likely that I will perform to a high level.

So, what is it, that we are interested in? What is it, that we have passion for? Especially in the workplace?

We have interest and passion for that work on which we place a high value. So when you include questions about values in your interviews (or managerial conversations), you seek to discover the interest and passion of the candidate for the work at hand.

While you may be able to beat me into short-term compliance for a specific task, long-term effectiveness in a role requires this Interest.

A Summit Picture in Their Pocket

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From the Ask Tom mailbag. This comes from Thomas Hochgeschurtz at 2eck.com, in response to The Consultants Kept Their Fee.

Question:
Telling the truth is painful, therefore you had a painful day, writing this post. However, I missed the one step further. “What you believe determines your behavior” brings up the question, how to change the “beliefs” of our employees. And this is “trust”. We can make the craziest decisions, if your people trust us, they go with us. Otherwise, if the people don’t trust us, even the best decision is not accepted. Tom, give us your opinion how to built trust in today’s working environment.

Response:
Say what you mean and do what you say. Are there any questions?

Trust is central to managerial effectiveness. Here is a great question to ask in any situation. “In the decision I am about to make, will it create trust or destroy trust?” There is no neutral. You are either building or destroying trust.

Creating trust is a battle for the thoughts of team members. A manager is either winning or losing that battle. And it is not just decisions, or actions. Organizations have entire systems that create and destroy trust. It’s a thousand things.

And when it is a thousand things, we cannot write them all down in the Standard Operating Procedures Manual. Our only hope is a small word, culture. Culture is that unwritten set of rules, beliefs that govern our behavior. It is organic, non-linear and by hook or by crook, it exists. A manager can intentionally influence it or allow it to go its merry way, at great peril.

I got started on this track last week after spending three days with Don Schmincke, High Altitude Leadership. He traveled up and down some treacherous climbs, studying leadership in “death zones.” Chris Warner, his mountaineering guide describes conditions on K2, where the death to summit ratio is 1 in 5. Chris is careful to point out, on the ascent, the bodies that must be stepped over, all facing downhill, with a summit picture in their pocket.

While climbers certainly perish on the way up. It is the unexpected trek down that snares those not paying attention. You see, the goal is gone. That, which bound the climbers together, that welded their trust toward the summit, has disappeared. Each climber separates and selfishness resumes its character. The path is dangerous in either direction, but trust fades and punishment is swift, sometimes fatal.

So, what is the lesson, for us, as leaders? You must snare the imagination of the team, and earn their trust through a goal, a vision, a story for which they have passion.

The Consultants Kept Their Fee

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I spent three days last week with Don Schmincke, author of High Altitude Leadership. Don is deliberately irreverent, intent on shaking the boots of commonly held, but misguided managerial practices. “And for their flawed advice, the consultants kept their fee,” he railed.

We spend time, as managers, crafting our plans, working our processes, attempting to achieve the Holy Grail, results. It is our sword in the stone. We fall into the trap, thinking that, through ERP or JIT or MBO, we will magically create those results, only to find that, in the end, we are working with humans.

It is only through behaviors that results get created. We can monitor those behaviors, try to time those behaviors, put a carrot in front of those behaviors, but it is only beliefs that drive behaviors.

It is not information, but our belief about the information that determines our response. It is not the goal, but our belief about the goal that determines our response. What we think we know about managerial leadership practices often leads us down a rabbit trail into the briar patch.

And since I am in the business of learning, specifically, managerial leadership practices, Don forced me, with a smile, to examine my own curriculum.

Working Leadership Online, as a learning curriculum, has little to do with memorizing anything. It is not a collection of supplanted wisdom which must be carefully studied. Instead, it is about behavior, specifically changing behavior. It is about our beliefs.

I used to worry if my planning model had five steps or six. I found out that it didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was what you believed about planning. If you believed that planning was a waste of time, it didn’t matter if the model contained five steps or six. If you believed that planning was helpful in getting a team on the same page, it didn’t matter if the model contained five steps or six.

What you believe determines your behavior. Your behavior produces the results. And that is why Working Leadership Online is different. When we talk about delegation, it doesn’t matter that the model contains five steps or six. It matters what you believe about delegation. Do you believe, if you want it done right, you have to do it yourself, or do you believe you can gain 10x leverage over your time through delegation. What you believe will determine your behavior.

On September 7, we kick off the next Subject Area in Working Leadership Online. Coaching Underperformance. It’s a dangerous Subject Area. It’s all about changing behavior. It’s all about changing beliefs.

As is our custom, we are opening 50 slots for a free Introductory Membership to Working Leadership Online. Let me know if you are interested.

Every Person Has This

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“Did you know that you can measure that mental horsepower by measuring the Time Span embedded in each of the goals?” I repeated. “You see, each of us has an innate ability to handle a measured amount of uncertainty in the world. For some, that Time Span is short. It is impossible for that person to think out beyond a week, or a month. Impossible to plan and execute goals, business or personal, beyond that measured capability. It makes that person uncomfortable to consider what life might be like in a year or two years.”

Jonas was listening.

“There are just a handful of critical factors that determine success in any role on your team. Measuring a person’s Time Span Capability is an intuitive judgment. Every manager keeps this running assessment going about each team member. This is a judgment you have been making about each person from the minute they joined your team.”

“But isn’t that subjective?” Jonas interjected.

“It might feel subjective, but when you realize that this intuitive judgment can be measured, using Time Span as the metric, this judgment becomes scientific.”

Jonas tilted his head, puzzled.

“Jonas, the temperature in this room, does it feel warm or cold to you?”

“Warm, I guess,” he replied.

“For me, it feels chilly. Those observations are subjective. But if we look at the thermostat on the wall, here, can we both agree that the temperature is 73 degrees?”

The light came on for Jonas. “Warm for me, chilly for you, but 73 degrees is an objective observation. Measuring capability, and agreeing on the Time Span,” Jonas was thinking out loud. “That measurement is an objective observation.”