People
For the past two years, a person I’ll call Andie has been working on a special project for the CEO. With a small team reporting to her, Andie opened three new offices around the world and more than doubled the company’s workforce. The work was grueling, but Andie believed that the CEO would recognize her contribution and reward her with advancement. When the project closed last month, Andie was told that she’s no longer reporting to the CEO and her staff would be reassigned. She was also told that it’s not personal, but simply a reorganization. Andie feels like she’s been benched from the “A” team. Now, she’s wondering if she should update her resume, or accept her new role.
Reassignments like Andie’s can be disheartening and even humiliating. Even if she was told that the decision to reassign herself and her staff was not personal, she certainly was personally impacted. When she turned to us for advice, our answer boiled down to one fundamental question that Andie needed to ask herself — “Am I going to let my feelings about this change poison my attitude at work, or am I going to learn from it?”
Organizations are complicated. Realistically, a CEO can effectively lead only a limited number of people. As the company grows, so will reporting structures. What’s also a reality is that the longer you work, the more likely you are to face these career-shifting situations. It won’t hurt any less, but the sooner you can pivot from the hurt to deciding how you are going to make the best of this in a way that is true to who you are, what you care about, and where you want to go, the better.
Here are three suggestions we gave Andie for how to handle her reassignment:
1. Get closure.
You stated that your role for the past two years was a special project. That implies that it was a not a full-time position, but a project with a limited life span. You also stated that you helped open three new global locations and more than doubled the workforce. If you are unclear about whether or not the project was a success, you should ask to meet with someone, if not the CEO directly, who can give you clarity and closure.
2. Get clear about your why.
Take some time to reflect on why you accepted the position with this organization in the first place. Were you excited about the mission of the company and the impact it can have on the world? If so, this could be an excellent opportunity for you to explore more ways to use your talents to help the organization achieve its mission. Every organization needs people who can be “A” team players at every level. Use this chance to gut check yourself about your values, and whether you believe the mission is more important than your position.
3. If you must exit, do it with honor.
This is not the time to turn your hurt into toxicity by complaining about being treated unfairly, or slogging into the office feeling like you’re working with less important people. If you decide to stay, then give it 110% effort. If you cannot, give it 100% while you carefully search for a position with an organization whose mission is one that you would gladly contribute to, regardless of position. Titles come and go, but purpose-driven work will give you staying power.
Question: Have you experienced a reassignment from the CEO’s team during your career? How did you handle it?
Driven by the premise that excellence is the result of aligning people, purpose and performance, Center for Executive Excellence facilitates training in leading self, leading teams and leading organizations. To learn more, subscribe to receive CEE News!
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People
Does your team trust each other? If not, what impact do you think that’s having on the bottom line?
This is a question that we have explored with teams ranging from publicly-traded companies to nonprofits. Regardless of the size of your team or the industry you work in, “trust is the foundation of real teamwork,” writes Patrick Lencioni in his book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team.
In the mid-1990s, Lencioni observed a business climate that was manically focused on growth with little attention paid to the fundamentals of team alignment and organizational effectiveness. As a result, Lencioni and his colleagues developed a simple online assessment that measures team effectiveness in five key areas.
1. Trust
Think about a time when you worked with a team member who you trusted. What was that experience like? Did you freely share information with her? Did you ask her for help? Admit mistakes? Now, think about a time when you worked with a team member who you didn’t trust. What was that experience like? Did you ask him for more data? Did you question his motives? Did you try avoiding him altogether? Now multiply the results of these interactions by all of the possible team member combinations in your organization. You can quickly see how trust impacts speed, and how speed impacts results. We’re living in the age of Airbnb, Kickstarter, Etsy, and Uber – where trust is the fundamental economic driver. But, we have yet to master the ability to trust our colleagues as much as we do total strangers.
2. Conflict
Teams that do not trust one another will be reluctant to have open, constructive conflict. You’ve experienced this in the form of passive-aggressive behavior, circular conversations, veiled discussions, and guarded arguments. You’ve witnessed people nodding their head ‘yes’ in the room but shaking their head ‘no’ in the hall. Teams that trust one another freely engage in debate so that they can assess reality correctly before making a common commitment. Teams that lack trust also lack the ability to effectively uncover the root causes of issues that impact performance. Instead, they spend their time dealing with symptoms and side issues.
3. Commitment
A team that can accurately assess reality will have a better chance of making clear commitments. A note of clarity here. Team commitment is not the same as consensus. When you are encouraged and inspired to share your ideas and know that you’ve been heard, you’re more likely to agree to the final decision even if it differs from your original input. As a result, you walk away motivated and feeling valued rather than resentful. Commitment requires weigh in before buy in.
4. Accountability
If you manage a team of people, you understand that part of your role is to hold them accountable for delivering results. Holding your peers accountable, however, is harder. This is especially true when you haven’t built trust, participated in constructive debate about root causes, or felt that your opinions about what to do to move forward haven’t been heard. You’re much more likely to call your peers out when you’ve bought into the agreed upon direction to deliver results.
5. Results
“What gets measured, gets done,” is a familiar maxim. If you are measured and incentivized based on individual effort, human nature follows that you are more likely to put your individual results over collective results. High-performing teams, however, understand that if the team loses, everyone loses. When you’re held accountable for team results, you’re much more likely to make the extra effort to help team members when they need support.
Teamwork isn’t easy. But high performing teams understand that team alignment is a competitive advantage.
Question: Are you achieving results or experiencing regrets toward team goals so far this year?
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People
With the U.S. unemployment rate at the lowest point in nearly 50 years, filling open positions is becoming a serious pain point for many organizations. Talent acquisition today requires creative methods and critical thinking that goes beyond matching keywords to resumes.
Since 2013, The Honor Foundation, a San Diego-based nonprofit, has been working to help solve that problem. The 120-hour, MBA style program has helped nearly 450 Navy SEALs and members of other Special Operations forces apply their field experience to leadership positions in corporate America. These men and women enter the workforce as highly skilled problem solvers with years of experience leading teams, managing resources, and delivering results.
Thanks to The Honor Foundation, graduates of the program have the tools they need to translate their experience and enter the workforce with confidence. If your talent pipeline is running low, here are six candidates ready to join your team.
1. Mike Daley, Culturally Intelligent, Versatile, Solutions Focused Leader
What he brings to the team: Proven leader with over 20 years of experience delivering results and growing teams in Operations, Logistics, and Project Management. Meticulously driven to complete complex tasks on time and on budget while mitigating risk in situations with rapid change.
Areas of interest: To lead an Operations or Logistics team and contribute to the mentoring and development of team members. Mike wants to work with a team that is driven and fully committed to the mission and willing to put the needs of others before their own.
Education: Masters Degree, Business Administration & Management, University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business
2. Andrew White, Transformational Leader, Problem Solver, Change Agent
What he brings to the team: Task and outcome oriented professional with proven ability to build trust, motivate and lead diverse teams in planning contingencies, managing risk, maintaining accountability and achieving goals.
Areas of interest: Looking for a company that has highly motivated teams that aim above the status quo. Andrew wants to be part of the projects/program management process, lead, make impactful decisions, have autonomy, and get challenged on a daily basis.
Education: Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership, Associates Degree in Computer Science
3. Ashley Thompson, Servant Leader, Strategic Thinker, Problem Solver, Cross-Functional Integrator
What he brings to the team: Ashley thrives in complex, ambiguous environments. He naturally cuts through the clutter to identify and implement viable solutions to difficult problems. He is multilingual and excels at bridging cultures to create the conditions in which diverse teams can thrive.
Areas of interest: Looking for an organization that is committed to improving the world by creating opportunities for its people. His ideal role would allow him to lead multi-cultural teams in an international environment, to provide creative solutions to complex issues while challenging him to learn new things every day.
Education: Bachelor of Science, Biology, University of California Los Angeles
4. Tres Smith, Complex Problem Solver, Interpersonal Dynamics, Executive Leadership
What he brings to the team: Diverse experience in strategic and operational planning and execution, organizational management, and collaborative team building achieved through risk based critical thinking and competitive analysis.
Areas of interest: Seeking the opportunity to contribute, to be challenged, to lead and to be led, to participate in collaborative environments achieving unified objectives.
Education: BS Earth Systems, Sciences, George Mason University, MS Military Studies, USMC Command and Staff College, MS National Security and Resource Strategy, Eisenhower School, National Defense University
5. David Swartz, Strong Belief System, Stable, Clarity of Conviction to the Team
What he brings to the team: Developing, leading and leveraging his experience in a team-oriented environment. David provides a servant leadership style, and is passionate about professionally developing and teaching teams to be our future leaders.
Areas of interest: Director or Senior Leader of Operations, Leadership/Training Development, Project/Program Management, Business Development or Sales.
Education: SMU Cox School of Business Executive MBA Candidate
6. Ed Williams, Strategy and Development, Organizational Leadership, Cross-Cultural Communication, Program Management
What he brings to the team: Ed has developed a versatile, self-aware style of leadership. He brings over two decades of experience in design thinking and strategy development – figuring out what needs to happen with limited direction.
Areas of interest: Senior Strategy and Business Development, Chief of Staff, Director or Program Management for teams in the tech field or active lifestyle sector that share his future focused energy philosophy.
Education: MA from The University of Kansas; BS from The United States Military Academy
If your organization could benefit from service-minded, adaptable, problem solvers like these, there is no more elite group of talent than the graduates of The Honor Foundation. Contact The Honor Foundation here to learn more about employing, mentoring, coaching and sponsorship opportunities for this world-class program.
Question: What can you do to serve people who have dedicated their lives in service to others?
Driven by the premise that excellence is the result of aligning people, purpose and performance, Center for Executive Excellence facilitates training in leading self, leading teams and leading organizations. To learn more, subscribe to receive CEE News!
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People
Picture a leader. Do you see a woman? If not, you aren’t alone. A recent study published in the Academy of Management Journal confirms that getting recognized as a leader is more difficult for women than for men.
Yet, history is filled with women who defied the norms like the four women below who persisted in claiming their leadership role – though you may have never heard of them.
1. Victoria Woodhull, First Woman to Run for President (among other firsts). Victoria Woodhull was a leader of the women’s suffrage movement. She was the first woman to own a brokerage firm, Woodhull, Claflin & Co., on Wall Street, the first woman to start a weekly newspaper, and an activist for women’s rights and labor reform. At her peak of political activity in the early 1870s, Woodhull is best known as the first woman candidate for the United States presidency, which she ran for in 1872 for the Equal Rights Party, supporting women’s suffrage and equal rights.
“I shall not change my course because those who assume to be better than I desire it.”
2. Elizabeth Jennings, Sued a Railroad Company for Segregation (and won). A little over 100 years before Rosa Parks took a stand by sitting on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus, Jennings, a young African-American schoolteacher, struck her own blow for justice after she was forcibly thrown off a segregated streetcar in lower Manhattan. Jennings teamed up with future president of the United States Chester Arthur to sue the Third Avenue Railroad Company, paving the way for integrated transportation in New York.
“Ladies wear a lot of hats, and they deserve this.” (Note the double entendre.)
3. Lois Weber, First American Woman to Direct a Feature-Length Film. An innovative visual storyteller whose films tackled social issues, Weber was also one of the most respected and highest paid filmmakers in the industry. Her name was routinely mentioned alongside that of D. W. Griffith and Cecil B. DeMille as one of the top talents in Hollywood. In 1916, she was the first and only woman elected to the Motion Picture Directors Association, a solitary honor she would retain for decades.
” I like to direct, because I believe a woman, more or less intuitively, brings out many of the emotions that are rarely expressed on the screen. I may miss what some of the men get, but I will get other effects that they never thought of.”
4. Kathrine Switzer, First Woman to Run the Boston Marathon (and fight off a race official on the route). In 1967, Kathrine Switzer was the first woman to officially run what was then the all-male Boston Marathon, infuriating one of the event’s directors who attempted to violently eject her. In one of the most iconic sports moments, Switzer escaped and finished the race. She made history then and has continued to run the race with No. 261 emblazoned on her shirt nearly every year since, including last year at age 71.
Life is for participating, not for spectating.
To close with a quote from Shirley Chisolm,
“Tremendous amounts of talent are lost to our society just because that talent wears a skirt.”
Question: What women have you known who have changed the world despite the odds?
Driven by the premise that excellence is the result of aligning people, purpose and performance, Center for Executive Excellence facilitates training in leading self, leading teams and leading organizations. To learn more, subscribe to receive CEE News!
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People
No matter who we are or where we come from, our assumptions and beliefs are shaped by our experiences, our upbringing, our race, our gender, religion, culture. Those beliefs help us navigate and make sense of everyday life. But they can also mean that we believe that there is no difference between our perceptions and reality. For leaders, that means we must continuously question our assumptions and value the voices of people who are not like us to help us assess reality correctly. That requires creating a culture that is not only more diverse, but more importantly, more inclusive, so that our employees are encouraged to express their ideas and share their insights.
Here are five resources we recommend to help you develop a more diverse and inclusive culture.
1. Inclusion: Diversity, the New Workplace & the Will to Change by Jennifer Brown
What it’s about: A roadmap for anyone seeking to understand the objective reality of what diversity and inclusion mean, why it matters, and how to make it part of your organization’s DNA.
Why pick it up: To learn about how to build systems that embrace diversity in all its forms, from identity and background to diversity of thought, style, approach, and experience, that tie directly to the bottom line.
2. Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People by Mahzarin R. Banaji and Anthony G. Greenwald
What it’s about: I know my own mind. I am able to assess others in a fair and accurate way. These self-perceptions are challenged by leading psychologists Mahzarin R. Banaji and Anthony G. Greenwald as they explore the hidden biases we all carry from a lifetime of exposure to cultural attitudes about age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, social class, sexuality, disability status, and nationality.
Why pick it up: To reveal how our unconscious minds influence our beliefs and behaviors, and remind us to think twice about our instinctive reactions.
3. Is It Possible to Unravel Unconscious Bias? TEDTalk by Yassmin Abdel-Magied
What it’s about and why watch it: Abdel-Magied is an engineer, motorsport enthusiast, writer, broadcaster, boxer, and black Muslim woman. Her TEDTalk makes the case for how, if we want to live in a world where the circumstances of your birth do not dictate your future and where equal opportunity is ubiquitous, each and every one of us has a role to play in making sure unconscious bias does not determine our lives.
4. Can We Solve for Unconscious Bias in Tech? TEDTalk by Andreas Ekström
What it’s about and why watch it: We think of search engines as unbiased sources of information. But they’re not—and they can be manipulated. Andreas Ekström asks: who should hold the burden of addressing bias in search engines?
5. How Does Bias Affect the Way We Listen? TEDTalk by Tony Salvador
What it’s about and why watch it: We have to start every conversation fresh. We have to be vulnerable. We have to listen to ideas that we may not like and entertain them and struggle with them and keep them in our heads for a period of time until we develop a mutual understanding.
Bottom line. To lead effectively today, you need to constantly recalibrate your ability to assess reality correctly. Exercise your diversity and inclusion muscles by building your library of resources that challenge your perception of reality as a human being and as a leader.
Question: What resources do you use to challenge your perception of reality?
Driven by the premise that excellence is the result of aligning people, purpose and performance, Center for Executive Excellence facilitates training in leading self, leading teams and leading organizations. To learn more, subscribe to receive CEE News!
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Leadership, People
The best organizations today understand that culture is their strongest asset and can be the glue to retaining top talent. Whether you nurture it or not, you have a culture. It may be empowering or toxic. Either way, the results are showing up on your bottom line.
Here are the 12 companies we featured in CEE News this year that show how doing well and doing good are not mutually exclusive.
1. New Belgium Brewing, “Culture isn’t about what you say; it’s about what you do”
On December 29, 2012, employees at New Belgium Brewing started getting more than a paycheck. They got a 100% ownership stake in the company, and even more reason to be stewards in its success.
In an article for Outside Online, Simpson said, “New Belgium is the kind of place where you walk through the front door, high-five your co-workers all the way to your desk/lab/machine, and laugh out loud all throughout the day. At the same time, you’re working harder than you ever have at anything else, and it somehow means more. That’s a powerful alchemy.” [Read more]
2. Boxed, “Delivering joy across the country with every order”
In August 2013, an idea sprang to life in a 2-car garage that today is threatening to put Costco out of business. Chieh Huang founded Boxed (aka Costco for Millennials) when he realized that none of the big box warehouse titans offered home delivery of bulk-ordered items. Today, Boxed employs over 500 people in four state-of-the-art fulfillment centers from New Jersey to Las Vegas. Here are just a few ways that Boxed gives back to its employees:
- Unlimited, full-paid parental leave – Click here to check out why.
- Free college tuition – Learn more about why Boxed made education a priority here.
- Paid employee weddings [Read more]
3. Zillow Group, “Zillow Group is a team sport”
In case you have not been one of the website’s 188 million monthly visitors, Zillow is an online real estate database that allows users to search millions of for-sale and rental listings. What most people outside of the company don’t know about Zillow is that it has an impressive Glassdoor rating of 4.2 (out of 5), has made Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work list on four occasions, and CEO Spencer Rascoff has made the highest ranking CEO list three times. Much of Zillow’s success can be credited to the corporate culture that helps motivate the organization’s more than 3,000 employees. [Read more]
4. Bumble Bee, “Leading a healthy lifestyle and preserving our precious resources”
Bumble Bee Seafoods traces its origins back to 1899 and a handful of fishermen in Astoria, Oregon. Today, this privately-owned company employees 1,500 people across the world from its headquarters in San Diego to fish suppliers in Southeast Asia.
While its 119-year history is impressive, the company’s commitment to social and environmental sustainability is even more impressive. In 2009, the company founded the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation. The Foundation is comprised of 75% of the world’s shelf-stable seafood corporations, and scientists with the World Wildlife Fund. In 2016, Bumble Bee Seafoods joined the Seafood Task Force, an organization focused on providing supply chain oversight, addressing social issues such as human trafficking and slavery, and environmental issues like overfishing. [Read more]
5. First GREEN Bank, “A local bank with a global mission”
Like most banks, First Green Bank (nka Seacoast Bank) provides basic financial services: checking and savings accounts, CDs, and commercial, residential, and consumer lending. Why did it make our Business in Focus? Its commitment to environmental and social impact.
Since 2009, Orlando-based First Green Bank has worked by the motto “to do the right thing” for the environment and the community. The company’s headquarters is in a LEED Platinum building with a living plant wall, koi pond, green roof, and a solar array. The condensation from the air-conditioning system is collected to flush toilets and provide irrigation. Nearby trails make running and biking on lunch breaks easy. The complimentary refreshment bar—stocked with local, fair trade, organic products—makes post-workout recovery even easier. [Read more]
6. sweetgreen, “Inspire healthier communities by connecting people to real food”
In 2007, three hungry Georgetown students were constantly on the search for food. But, for Nicolas Jammet, Jonathan Neman, and Nathaniel Ru, Taco Bell just wasn’t cutting it. They started talking about their post-graduation plans and decided to fix their own problem. And sweetgreen was born. Eleven years later, the founders of this hip and healthy farm-to-table salad chain are controlling one of America’s most successful startups. With over 70 locations and 3,500 employees, sweetgreen is putting the sexy in salad. The secret to their success? In a word – culture.
As the founders told Bloomberg in a 2015 interview, “We’re all the children of entrepreneurs, so the standard institutional options for where we might work really didn’t appeal to any of us. We didn’t want to create in an institutional environment. So, in many ways, the desire to build a business of our own, in our own sustainable way, plus the desire to find better food options in Georgetown, did it.” Some of the hallmarks of the sweetgreen culture are values, experience, and impact. [Read more]
7. Twinings, “Improving the quality of life in communities where we source our products”
Since opening its doors in 1717, Thomas Twinings’ Golden Lyon tea shop at 216 Strand has become a staple of London’s history. 300 years later, it’s the world’s oldest running dry tea and coffee shop. You may not find it surprising that Twinings has a storied history with British royalty, was fondly remembered by a young Jane Austen, or fortified Londoners’ spirits by continuously brewing and serving tea during the bombings of the city during World War II. You may be surprised to learn, however, that Twinings recently achieved Best Place to Work, U.K., recognition four years in a row. [Read more]
8. CORE Foods, “Empower people with fresh foods and honest resources”
What do the Disney movie Bambi and the BBC reality show Last Man Standing have in common? Corey Rennell, Founder of CORE Foods. The same week that Corey first watched Bambi at age 7, his father brought home a deer he’d shot on a hunting trip. By the time he was old enough to decide what food he would and would not eat, Rennell declared himself a vegan. While attending Harvard, Rennell was recruited as a contestant on Last Man Standing.
By 2015, Core Foods was declared the Bay Area’s 29th fastest-growing company. A successful $90,000 Kickstarter campaign helped Rennell and his team open Core Kitchen, the world’s first produce-only restaurant. Today, not only does Core Kitchen deliver fresh, healthy food to its customers, but much of its workforce is made up of formerly incarcerated men and women who needed someone to give them a second chance. [Read more]
9. Panasonic, “A better life, a better world”
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Panasonic? Speakers? Light bulbs? TV sets? These products and many more have been the hallmark of the Panasonic brand since its humble beginnings 100 years ago in Osaka, Japan. The Panasonic of today may not look like the one you grew up with. But, its founder, Konosuke Matsushita would take pride in the company’s continuous drive to design the future.
This year, the company made good on that commitment by winning the Milan Design Week award for technology with its installation called “Air Inventions”. The installation marks Panasonic’s transition from a consumer products behemoth to a solutions-based company focused on improving our environment. [Read more]
10. Buffer, “A team of real people, aligned in common values”
If your job includes posting updates on social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn, you’re probably familiar with Buffer. Why? Buffer lets you automatically post across multiple social media platforms according to when you want your target audience to see those posts.
Tools to optimize social media may not be in your job description, but if you’re a leader who values culture, Buffer is worth learning more about. In the eight years since its inception, Buffer has grown to more than 4.5 million users and over $16 million in annual revenue. In a recent Globoforce study about the effect of work relationships on culture and commitment, 93% of respondents said that it is important to have colleagues think highly of them. [Read more]
11. Rathbone Group, LLC, “Exceeding client expectations”
A law firm in Cleveland, Ohio, is probably not the first organization you think of when you imagine winners of awards for organizational culture. Yet, under the leadership of managing partner Joel Rathbone, the Rathbone Group has been recognized by The Cleveland Plain Dealer and organizers of the Smart Culture Awards for one of the city’s Top Workplaces awards. The secret to the firm’s culture success lies partially in its unique workweek structure, beginning with Management Monday. [Read more]
12. W.S. Badger, “Family-owned, family-run, and family-friendly”
Heading back to work after you’ve just bonded with your newborn can be agony. In 2006, a new mother at New Hampshire-based W.S. Badger was hoping to make the transition easier when she asked if she could bring her new baby back to work with her. That question launched an innovative family-friendly program at Badger where healthy body care products – from mustache wax to baby products – are packaged and sold online and at retailers including Whole Foods and Wegmans.
The family-owned company created a family friendly program that includes an intake interview with the expectant parent (both mothers and fathers). Managers work with expectant parents to explore new roles within the company, shorten their work weeks or work remotely, bring babies under six months to the office, and more. Recently, a plant expansion led to discussions about whether the program was too costly. After reassessing the make-room-for-baby policy, managers decided to double down on the program by hiring fulltime daycare providers to make the program run more efficiently. [Learn more]
Kudos to all 12 of these amazing companies who understand the value of culture as a competitive advantage!
Driven by the premise that excellence is the result of aligning people, purpose and performance, Center for Executive Excellence facilitates training in leading self, leading teams and leading organizations. To learn more, subscribe to receive CEE News!
