Mediocrity is Bliss!

I just ran across some great perspectives on the word, "mediocre." It's such a timely word to look at, since one of the biggest issues many leaders struggle with is workers who are content to be just "OK"...nothing more, nothing less.

Why is it so hard to motivate some folks to go beyond the minimum effort (or brains) required? Maybe these quotes (which I found in this month's Harvard Magazine - my husband is an alum) will give some insight:

"Only mediocrity can be trusted to always be its best. Genius must always have lapses proportionate to its triumphs." (Max Beerbohm, in the Saturday Review, November 5, 1904)

"Only a mediocre writer is always at his best." (W. Somerset Maughm's introduction to The Portable Dorothy Parker, 1944)

So true! This idea ties back to a previous blog I wrote about failure. If you're just mediocre, you stay under the radar, in your comfort zone. It's easy to be good at being average. But if you venture out of your comfort zone and strive for excellence, there's a chance you may fail. And you may fail big. That's scary to most people.

As leaders, what can we take from this? If you want excellence, you've got to:

• Hire for it. By nature, some people are afraid to fail...and therefore afraid to be excellent. Hire people who aren't afraid to push themselves.


• Allow failure. Create an enviroment that encourages educated risk-taking. Let people know you expect them to go beyond mediocre...and don't castigate them when they try and fail.


• Celebrate excellence. When you see it, celebrate it. If it happens and you ignore it, genius may not happen again.

© 2006 The Loyalty Group. All Rights Reserved.

Is it OK to Cry at Work?

Early in my career I had a colleague (let's call her Liza) who was a self-professed "crier". She was young, professional and competent. But when she became angry, frustrated or felt backed into a corner, the water-works would start. I remember one day Liza left our boss' office after receiving her performance review. I asked her how it went. She said, "We're just on a break. We stopped because I was crying. I'm humiliated."

No matter how hard Liza tried to choke back the tears, she couldn't. It made her feel weak and stupid - she didn't want to be crying - but she claimed that she just couldn't control it. I felt so bad for her. It was hard enough back then for a young female professional to get respect in the consulting world. Tears just made it near impossible.

I bring this story up because today's Wall Street Journal online edition has an article by Sue Shellenbarger headlined, Crying at Work Gains Acceptance. In it, Shellengbarger makes the case that the proliferation of Gen Y'ers in today's workplace is making it more acceptable to show emotions, including crying. The article says that the younger generation is generally more in touch with feelings than baby boomers - and that clashes between more stoic older bosses and more sensitive younger workers are ensuing in the workplace.

So will crying be "cool" at work? Will managers get promoted for their open sensitivity and ability to openly shed tears? Is crying really gaining acceptance at work?

I think this remains to be seen. A few things I question:

- Even if people (including those interviewed for the WSJ article) claim that they accept crying at work, I wonder what they actually feel about it. I'd like to think that I'm an open, accepting person and wouldn't judge someone who cried at work...but subconsciously, would I feel differently? Would I somehow see the person as weak? (I'm not sure, but I guess it would depend on the circumstances and why the person was crying.)

- I wonder how many of my clients would want their consultant to cry in front of them...or worse yet, in front of a group of their leaders. My bet is that while a client might feel sorry or embarassed for the consultant, they'd be a lot less confident in that individual - and may question their "emotional toughness" or tolerance for stress. Let's face it. There are some situations where crying is just bad for your image and can be damaging.

- When does crying become a real problem? Sure, most of us have felt like crying after we've received bad feedback or had a particularly horrible day. But if an employee cries at seemlingly inappropriate times (for example, he makes a typo or she spills her coffee) and it happens frequently, there might be an underlying issue.

- What can tears tell you? I recently had a client, a sales manager, tell me about a new hire who was a terrific salesperson. She was blowing away her numbers in the first few months on the job. Yet when the manager did her ride-alongs with the rep in the field, she found that the rep would cry before and after every customer call. When the manager asked the rep why she was crying, the rep said, "I'm terrified of making calls. I feel sick to my stomach before I make every call...and then I feel so relieved after the call, I feel sick again!" Needless to say, this rep's crying betrayed an underlying, serious issue - she hated her job even though she was great at it.

Crying at work may be gaining some acceptance...but I wouldn't yet say there's a crying revolution at work. Like any other expression of emotion (yelling, laughing loudly, cursing) - there's a right time and right place. And some very wrong times and places.

© 2006 The Loyalty Group. All Rights Reserved.

Are you an EXTREME Talker?

Want to lose credibilty really fast? Talk in extremes.

Here's an example. I was just reading a white paper on performance management. I was engaged and thinking "this is really good stuff." Then I came across this sentence:

"Training never provides managers with the practical tools they need to set clear objectives with their teams."

What's wrong with the word "never"?

Subconsciously, the word just begs to be refuted. As soon as I see or hear an "extreme" word like never (or always, or nobody), I immediately try to think of a contradiction. (Perhaps this is my contrarian nature...am I the only one who thinks this way?)

There are very few things in life that are absolute, so words like "never", "always" or "nobody" should be used cautiously and sparingly. When you do use them, be aware that other people may, like me, question your credibility and become distracted.

Here are some scenarios that demonstrate credibility-damaging extreme talking, and alternative statements that give speakers more credibility.

Scenario 1:

Salesperson says: "We've never had an unhappy customer."
Customer thinks: "Oh really...I don't believe you. NEVER?"

Alternative:

Salesperson says: "Our customer surveys show that they're are happy with our work. We score a 9.5 out of a possible 10 average."

Scenario 2:

Manager says: "Remember that the customer is always right."
New customer service rep thinks: "Gimme a break!"

Alternative:

Manager says: "Even if we disagree with customers, we must still be
respectful and try to make them happy."

Scenario 3: (During a product development meeting)

Team member: "Nobody will ever use that technology!"
Rest of team: "We can think of lots of people who WOULD!"

Alternative:

Team member: "I'm sure there will be some customers who would adopt this technology. My concern is that there won't be enough volume, and the price point won't be high enough, to justify our investment."

© 2006 The Loyalty Group. All Rights Reserved.

How to Drive Your Clients Crazy

Dear Fellow Consultants,

How many times have you said, "My clients are driving me CRAZY!"? Well, now you can get them back - give them a taste of their own medicine - by driving them crazy. Read below to discover the secrets all good consultants know. These are our top four ways to bug the hell out of your clients.

• Pepper your conversations with "consultantisms": A recent article in Consulting Times (page 10) cites a survey listing the most annoying phrases used by consultants. Topping the list were: going forward, leverage, core values, on the same page, paradigm (my PERSONAL unfavorite) and synnergy. Use these at every opportunity, even in your personal life.

• Maximize complexification: Take a really simple concept and make it sound difficult and complex. Watch your clients nod their heads, as if they understand. They probably won't ask what you mean, so you're off the hook to explain yourself.

• Dazzle em' with longer words and sentences: According to Language Monitor, there were approximately 988,968 words in the English language as of March 21, 2006. So why not use as many as possible? Instead of saying "before," why not say, "prior to"? Instead of saying "use," say "utilize". Why use the word "to" when you can say "in order to"? Instead of talking about change, why not talk about "shifting paradigms"? (This is a bonus because you're using one of the top annoying words!) When strung together, you can create one long sentence that will leave your clients scratching their heads. For example, Prior to the utilization of technology to manage shifting paradigms, aligning intangible organizational requirements with nebuluous customer-defined specifications in order to capitalize on opportunities had been challenging. (Say what?)

• When questioned, go on the attack: After all, you are the expert. Your clients hired you because you're smart and you know more than them. Don't let them threaten your credibility by asking you questions or challenging your recommendations. If you back down, you'll be perceived as weak. Instead, show your superiority by going on the offensive. Make sure to point out how long you've been in the business and your past successes ("I've been doing this for a million years." "When I invented the Internet...") If that doesn't get them to back down, act indignant and suggest that "if they don't trust you, maybe we shouldn't work together." They should be crawling back in no time.

A personal disclaimer: We at The Loyalty Group, Los Angeles, pride ourselves on keeping things simple and straight-forward. This blog entry does not reflect our approach, philosophy or practices. We love and respect our clients!

© 2006 The Loyalty Group. All Rights Reserved.

Is "Social Networking" Impacting Performance Management at Your Company? (Maybe It Should Be...)

Social networking (Facebook, MySpace, Twitter) is impacting your workplace, whether you realize it or not.

According to a GenY article in Workforce, Gen Y'rs (born between 1979 and 1994) will number 80 million - versus about 77 million Baby Boomers and 44 million Gen X'rs. In other words, as more Boomers retire, our corporations' cubicles and meeting rooms will be filled with young, tech-savvy workers, many of whom had MP3 players when they were six and had their own websites when they were seven. Social networking sites have become the new roller rinks of today (OK, I'm dating myself...but in my day, we "kids" went to the roller skating rink to meet, hang out and share gossip).

Mike Gotta tackled the issue of social networking's impact on organizations on his Collaborative Thinking blog this Tuesday. It's a well-laid-out discussion of the issues and challenges posed by social networking on organizations.

I agree with Gotta's assertion that "socially oriented systems will significantly reshape organizations over the next several years." And it is already reshaping how people are managed, trained and coached in business, whether we realize it or not.

On the one hand, business is squeezed by growing legal and compliance pressure. For example, in our consulting practice (www.theloyaltygroup.com) we teach performance management and coaching skills, and it's always been a struggle to get managers to record notes on employees' performance. It's harder than ever now, because managers (HR and Legal departments too) often are afraid to put anything in writing...as it may come back to haunt them later in a legal investigation. As a result, important notes from coaching and performance discussions don't get noted, which means the value of feedback to employees is diluted (for lack of written details).

At the same time, the new generation entering our workforce is accustomed to social networking sites and reality TV, where it's completely OK to bare your soul, disclose frank (and sometimes hurtful) opinions, and share intimate thoughts in writing.

Smart companies will need to help employees and managers balance the need for security, professionalism and privacy - with today's technology and social networking culture. To strike the appropriate balance, companies should focus on:

• Training both employees and their managers on how to talk directly to people (actually hold face to face conversations) rather than put every detail in writing.
• Creating a strategy for how to incorporate social networking, blogging, instant messaging and other emerging technology into their business practices - from managing human resource issues, to managing projects across departments, to communicating with customers.
• Communicating clear guidelines about the difference between appropriate "business writing" in the organization and inappropriate "personal writing" that should be kept outside the work environment.
• Teaching managers and employees how to select the appropriate method (face-to-face, phone, instant message, email, blogging) of communication in day-to-day performance management (coaching, giving feedback, sharing information or conducting reviews).

Companies that don't pay attention to these issues will struggle with miscommunications and unhappy employees that aren't getting the feedback and coaching they need - not to mention legal challenges.

© 2006 The Loyalty Group. All Rights Reserved.