From the Ask Tom mailbag:

Question:
I have been following your blog for a while and I have learned a lot. My question is a bit unorthodox, but here goes. My manager is very happy with my work, but is hesitant to give me more responsibility. I know he is afraid that if he does promote me, and it doesn’t work out, it might be a bit of a mess. The problem is that I feel like I have reached the peak of my position, and I am ready to move on. Tom, how can I show him that I am ready to start moving?

Response:
This is a dilemma for every manager. If we promote people and they fail, we have to fire or demote, neither of which is in our best interest. I will give you the same advice I give to those managers. Volunteer for project work.

Project work allows both the manager and the team member to experiment with designed task assignments that might be a stretch in capability, skills or interest. If the project works, everyone is more comfortable, trust based on evidence of success. If the project fails, then we just have a failed project. No firings, no demotions.

So, it is time to schedule that conversation. The risk in not having the conversation is that you will remain frustrated, it will impact your work and relationships. In the end, you will move, one way or the other. We all do.

Today kicks off our October session in Working Leadership Online. Managerial Authority – Time Span and Accountability.

In this session, we will explore the four required authorities that must be granted to every manager. And then, with those authorities, what we can expect to hold every manager accountable for. This session lays the groundwork, sets the context, for managers to clearly understand what we expect in their roles.

As is our custom, we will open (50) FREE Introductory Memberships to join the rest of the group. Follow this link.

Working Leadership Online – Introductory Membership

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.

Michael Cardus has a new URL to his Team Building site. Yesterday, he was curious and posed the following question.

Question:
Is Time Span capability something you are born with? Or is it learned? Can it be taught?

Response:
Nature or Nurture. The short answer is nature. We are born with our innate capability curve, which can be measured in Time Span.

The longer answer is that we can only see a person’s Applied Capability. Applied Capability, what a person demonstrates, at work, at home can be dramatically affected by education, skill development and training. I may have the capability to perform a function at work, but without the proper skills training, you will never see it.

The hat trick for every manager, working with a team member, is to discover that potential, so we can see it.

From the Ask Tom mailbag:

Question:
It appears easier to identify training and skill development for Strata I, II and III in the organization. What training and development do you recommend for Strata IV and V?

Response:
Training and skill development is the typical playground for corporate training departments. Understanding Time Span helps us add another dimension directed to the development of personal effectiveness.

Skill development has two sides to it. Side one is a piece of technical knowledge. If the skill is to effectively throw a ball, there is some technical knowledge that must be acquired. What shape is the ball? Round or oblong? What is the size of the ball? Does the ball have seams? Is the ball thrown overhand or underhand? What sport is the ball used in?

But side one requires side two. I can tell you all about the ball, I can even show you how to throw the ball, but if you want to get good at ball throwing, you have to practice.

Training and skill development earns its butter on side one and two, technical knowledge and practice. Yet, as we grow up the layers in the organization, especially for Strata IV and V, traditional training and skill development begins to disappear. Development needs center more on circumstance and often the prescription is to “read a book about (you name the managerial dilemma).”

When I look at training and development, I start by looking at the role. What is the superior purpose for that role and what are the tools used to accomplish that role?

Stratum I – the role is typically a production role of some sort. This leads to traditional training contexts using the tools of production, which turn out to be “real” tools, machines, equipment, fork lifts, trucks. If the role is clerical, the tool is likely a computer.

Stratum II – this role is typically one of coordination, making sure production gets done. The primary tools in Stratum II are schedules, checklists and meetings. While the technical knowledge of compiling daily, weekly and monthly schedules may be straightforward, even with computerized scheduling systems, it is the practice that emerges important. How to schedule and how to change the schedule, coordinating materials, people and equipment in concert to produce the product or service on time at a specific quality standard.

Stratum III – this is the systems role, creating systems, monitoring systems and improving systems. The tools are flow charts, sequencing, time and motion, planning. Root cause analysis can be used to solve problems. These activities go way beyond “best practices.”

And so now we arrive at Stratum IV – this role is engaged in system integration. As organizations grow, so do their systems, and at some point, those systems begin to compete for resources, budget, priority. For the organization to move forward, these competitive pressures must be resolved. Where Stratum III solves problems through root cause analysis, Stratum IV must engage in systems analysis. I encourage managers at Stratum IV to pay attention to Peter Senge (Fifth Discipline), looking at reinforcing systems and balancing systems.

These conversations are rare inside most organizations because there aren’t that many Stratum IV thinkers in the general population. One in two hundred (age 21-50). Professional development in Stratum IV can benefit from participation in facilitated peer groups. They need exposure to other managers at this level to help each other grapple with these systems issues.

Stratum V conversations are even rarer. The frequency of Stratum V thinkers in the general population is seven in 10,000 (age 21-50). Professional development for Stratum V (Business Unit President) also benefits from facilitated peer groups created for discussion of business issues where longer Time Span elements can be considered.

If you have more specific concerns for professional development at any level in the organization, follow the link to Ask Tom.

Resource: https://practicepath.com/2024/02/26/practicepath-expands-business-intelligence-solutions-to-unlock-next-level-mid-to-enterprise-medical-practice-performance/

From the Ask Tom mailbag:

Question:
One of my biggest frustrations, as a manager, is the expectation from the people that report to me that I ‘spoon feed‘ them answers to all of the problems and challenges that they face. Do I have the wrong people? How can I get out of this trap?

Response:
Your solution is in your question. You are spoon feeding them the wrong stuff. When you provide answers to your team, you are creating a co-dependent relationship that you turns you into Radio Shack (you’ve got questions, we’ve got answers). You are actually training them NOT to solve their problems, but to bring them to you for solutions.

So, STOP it.

Every team member is entitled to have a competent manager, with the Time Span capability to bring value to their problem solving and decision making.

As a manager, you do NOT bring value by spoon feeding answers. Learning happens through questions, not answers. As a manager, your greatest value is in the questions you ask your team members. And if you are not getting the response you want, then you are asking the wrong questions.

A quick heads-up about our Working Leadership Online program. Our next Subject Area – Team Problem Solving starts Monday. Here is what we will cover.

• Five reasons to get your team involved in problem solving.
• Three things that keep you from involving your team.
• Why no one on your team should get a free ride.
• How to create active disagreement to shake out the best solution.

Once again, we are offering scholarships to the first ten people who send me an email. ($250 value). I look forward to seeing you online.

Coming up July 6, we begin our coaching series. Here is our schedule for the rest of the year. You can sign up for one subject, three subjects or our annual subscription (best value). Visit Working Leadership Online.

Jun 8 – Team Problem Solving – Power of Team
Jun 29 – Summer Break
Jul 6 – Coaching – Two Powerful Models
Jul 27 – Coaching – Underperformance and Misbehavior
Aug 17 – Coaching – People to Their Maximum Level
Sep 7 – Fall Break
Sep 14 – Managerial Authorities – Managerial Accountability
Oct 5 – Employee Entitlement – Yes, there is one.
Oct 26 – Performance Effectiveness Appraisal
Nov 23 – Break (Thanksgiving – USA)
Nov 30 – Bringing Out the Best in People
Dec 21 – Jan 10, 2010 – Winter Break