Leadership is mostly the art of doing simple things very well. However, we sometimes make it far tougher than it needs to be. Unlike some leaders, I prefer to build myself up by strengthening others and helping them feel good about their jobs and themselves. When that happens, their work improves, and my own morale leaps.

I left drill-sergeant bullying to other leaders with other goals. Running USS Benfold, a guided missile destroyer, demanded brains and initiative, not brawn. Only competent and self-confident sailors could handle the ship’s complexities and fulfill its missions. These sailors could not be sculpted into a fighting crew by ruling with fear and punishing them as though they were inept kids. My job was to turn kids into grownups who would make [Navy Petty Officer] Edward C. Benfold proud.

Show me a manager who ignores the power of praise, and I will show you a lousy manager. Praise is infinitely more productive than punishment—could anything be clearer? But how many managers give this fact more than lip service? How many really live it? Not enough.

I focused on building self-esteem. I know that most of us carry around an invisible backpack full of childhood insecurities, and that many sailors often struggled under the load of past insults, including being scorned at home or squashed at school. I could make the load either heavier or lighter, and the right choice was obvious. Instead of tearing people down to make them into robots, I tried to show them that I trusted and believed in them.

Show me a manager who ignores the power of praise, and I will show you a lousy manager. Praise is infinitely more productive than punishment—could anything be clearer? But how many managers give this fact more than lip service? How many really live it? Not enough.

The same principle applies when you’re dealing with bosses: Never tear them down; help them grow strong. If you want to achieve anything in a large bureaucracy, get inside the bosses’ heads. Anticipate what they want before they know they want it. Take on their problems; make them look so good that you become indispensable. When they can’t get along without you, they will support nearly anything you seek to accomplish.

In many ways taking over a lackluster operation is easier than taking over a high performing operation. The immediate impulse in this type of situation is to go in and change everything right off the bat. This would be a mistake as you might change some of the things that are actually working!

The first rule is: Don’t break what is already working.  I have seen that happen often and it would be a mistake to go in and simply implement what you did in a similar situation without assessing the new circumstances.

I have never gone into a new job and started changing things right away.   I had a 30-day rule where I would not change anything for the first 30 days, but would instead sit back and watch – listening, learning and asking questions.

When someone would bring a process or procedure to me I would often ask why we do things that way.  If I got in response, “Because that’s the way we’ve always done it,” then that process became one of the first candidates for revision.  That person usually also went on my list for “re-education.”  The response I was looking for was, “We do it this way because… we tried doing it another way, but didn’t get the results we needed.”  The person who responded this way went on my list as someone I could give the benefit of the doubt.

During the first 30 days was also my time to ask stupid questions and truly learn the nuts and bolts on how everything worked.  You lose credibility if you are still asking stupid questions a year after you have been there, so get them out of the way early when you have a grace period.

During the first 30 days I would simply observe – listening and watching.  By listening, you can learn who the leaders are and hear where the pain is in the organization.  By watching, you learn the dynamics of your new team.

Be on the lookout for the “superstar” who gets away with murder because he or she knows how to produce but is not a team player.  We often let those people get away with too much because they are producing short-term results.  In the long run, though, they might not be good for the organization.

After you thoroughly understand what you have, it’s time to implement change.  You may find that the processes are what is rotten – not your people.  That’s what happened to me on USS Benfold.

Make sure, though, everybody understands why changes are happening and why those changes are in the best interest of the organization.  Then communicate the reasons that organizational success is in their own best interest.  Clearly communicated, this is the vision leaders create.

How do you know when you should be taking risks and what happens if you come up short? Indeed, there are many things to consider when taking risks.
 
Before I would advise anyone to take risks, I would first ask if you are technically competent at your chosen profession. If you answered that you are not technically competent and don’t have sound judgment based on knowledge and experience, then risk taking could be reckless. So first and foremost, before taking risks, ensure that you are technically competent, because you can get by with technical competence alone. With this competence you can achieve a certain level of results. However, to get truly phenomenal results, you need to blend technical skills and a desire for success with great leadership skills.
 
Linking quiet time with risk taking is critical. If you are constantly fighting fires, you don’t have the time to contemplate all that is going on around you and to think about “what if” scenarios. On Benfold, after we instilled sound processes and procedures, it took about three months to get to a point where I was no longer continually fighting fires.  I came to have the ability to carve out some quiet time for myself to reflect and re-dedicate. I found I was best able to do this when sitting in the Captain’s bridge wing chair and staring out at the ocean. These moments of reflection and quiet time enabled me to consider my “what if” scenarios and then subsequently the action we would need to take to prevail if faced with these situations.

The situations dreamed up were all worst-case scenarios. That way, we were always prepared to deal with the worst and still come out on top. It was this thorough preparation that let me know what my limits were when taking risks. Risk taking does not mean taking a leap into the unknown.  You must first be prepared for all the possible scenarios and the upside potential, as well as the downside potential. That’s what I call taking “prudent, calculated risks.”

Trying to do your utmost to create a unified workplace while delivering excellence can be frustrating; especially when people above you undo everything you’ve worked so hard to create.  I worked for a person like this and one of my biggest personal failures in the Navy was not doing my level best to protect those below me.  As a result, we had an abnormally high resignation rate for junior officers on that ship.  At the time, I did not know how to deal with him and his abusive behavior directed toward subordinates.  What’s worse, some years later, I am still not sure what I could have done better to “manage” him.  But, I could have done more to soften the impact of his behavior on those below me. In the end, however, he never achieved his coveted goal of making Admiral as the Navy itself is growing and learning and no longer tolerates abusive behavior.  The Navy changed and he did not and so he was left by the wayside. Remember — you never go wrong if you do the right thing.

I should have been the firewall between him and the officers and crew. I needed to be the one to take the blame for everything that went wrong and portrayed my junior officers as the heroes when things went right. Your people know the score.  They will know when you are in a difficult situation and they will give you credit if you are doing everything in your power to protect them and provide them with the leadership that is needed.  They will know that you are pulling for them and you know what… sometimes, that makes all the difference in the world. When people leave an organization, typically, they leave because of their immediate supervisor.  They are less likely to leave due to someone several levels up.  This being the case, it’s even more important for them to know that you are there for them. 

Microsoft, Apple, Genentech, Skype, CNN, Clif Bar & Company, Wikipedia, Trader Joe’s, LexisNexis …The list goes on and on of successful companies that started and thrived during economic down times such as the mid1970s recession or the dot.com crash almost a decade ago.

We have been fortunate to work with many companies that are facing the current challenging economic conditions with flexibility, a positive attitude and knowledge that they will become even stronger. Here are some of the key reasons successful companies will thrive in a down economy:

1. The ability to quickly adapt and right size their company allowing them to be stronger, leaner and super efficient with less competition when the economy comes back.
2. Hiring is easier because more talented people are in the job market. Wages are lower too. Many HR people are feeling like kids in a candy store, as talent that was once untouchable is readily available.
3. Deals can be found everywhere, and everything is negotiable these days – office space, hardware and software, to name just a few.
4. Customer service – time and again the companies that are surviving and thriving in this economy have a relentless focus on customer service.
5. Build on your expertise through innovation. Ask the following questions: What do you do well? What do you know best? What do consumers want now? Companies that can answers these questions find new ways to reach their customers and continue to grow their business.
6. The best companies have a culture of investing in their team members. Continue to invest and focus on your team and their loyalty will grow and they will treat your customers even better.

You too can thrive in these down times. Prepare now for the inevitable end of this economic downturn and you’ll have a step on up your competition.

Teams are the the foundation to organizational performance and execution. The once fashionable term ‘team building’ has become an overused cliche. It has been supplanted by ‘high performance teams’ and a shift of focus toward results. The potential of high performance teams is a lure to many organizations in executing mission-critical projects, how products are developed and taken to market, and improving operational excellence and business processes. 

Integrated Project Teams (IPTs) are a long-standing approach to using teams to achieve business goals and objectives that span across multiple areas of the organization. IPTs are made up of multi-functional stakeholders working together with a common focus. The IPT is empowered to make critical decisions and oversee a project or function from concept through deployment.

The benefits are faster times to market, improved efficiencies, reductions in error rates and a significant increase in user adoption. Because it is a collaborative process by nature there is more buy-in and commitment at all levels of the organization to ensure the project succeeds, which often accounts for half of a projects potential and probability of success.

Implementation of IPT’s represents a transition from a functional stovepipe focus to a customer and collaborative focus. While IPTs evolved out of the product development environment (also known as integrated product development) its principles have tremendous value to anyone trying to improve project, process or performance through a team-based structure.

Some Characteristics of IPTs are:
1. The team is established with a specific responsibility or function. Its primary purpose is absolutely clear.
2. Multidisciplinary – team members represent all the necessary departments or functions related to the primary purpose and work together toward a common goal.
3. Members have mutual, as well as individual accountability.
4. Integrated, concurrent decision making.
5. Empowered to make decisions within their objective.
6. Planned integration among teams towards system goal.

Recent communications from our other clients have centered on the tough workforce choices they are facing due to the downturn in the economy.

As you think about this matter, here are two simple points to help guide in you in the process:

Be transparent – People would rather hear bad news than hear nothing at all

• Nothing is tougher for anyone than not knowing, especially when it comes to their job. The truth is they already know the economy is in a bad place. Take the time to explain the organizational challenges and keep them in the loop.
• With transparency and knowledge of the situation you may find that some people may opt-out on their own. Maybe they have been thinking about a career change, or another opportunity they have been thinking about may be available.

Communicate frequently and involve people in creating solutions

• Share with your team what you are doing and give them as much notice as possible on bad news.
• Be honest with others about the problems and challenges and invite people to be a part of the solution.
• When you involve your people in the process it’s always amazing how they can surprise you. They can be very creative and even provide ideas to you that you may not have thought of.
• The team may come up with cost-cutting ideas; ways to save money during the downturn that you may not have thought of – give them a chance.

So often leaders look in all the wrong places for suggestions that could help them become better leaders. The latest books, workshops and white papers are always enticing to a leader looking for cutting edge techniques to improve. Yet the answers a leader may be looking for may be right in front of them – literally.

The people around you probably know you best and see you in many types of situations. They are aware of your strengths and your challenges. Yet how often do you consult with your associates, direct reports or other people within your our own organization? And I’m talking about much more than just getting “feedback” at designated times.

Do you, as a leader, create an environment where you make it comfortable for people to present you with bad news in addition to good news? Do you make it comfortable for them to challenge your positions or your ideas? Do you state your position on a topic in a way that “chills” everyone else from presenting a contrary position? Do you make it comfortable for them to disagree with you? If not, do you really think you are getting the whole or correct picture? Do you believe you have the respect or loyalty of your people? If you are unsure about these questions, it’s not too late.

Leadership begins with self-awareness. Start simply in your normal business day and interactions – by being a better listener and by asking better questions. Allow people to take contrary positions as long as they support their positions clearly. Whether you agree with them or not, always let your people know “why.” By creating an environment for people to challenge you and the organization’s decisions, your organization will become “breakthrough” focused and you, as a leader, will continue to grow.