The synthesized voice over the speaker startled the crew, “Ugly, ugly giants bags of mostly water.” Star Trek The Next Generation fans may remember this quote from the “Home Soil” episode that originally aired in February, 1988.

Despite the capabilities of the universal translator, much was lost in that translation. Although the words may have been translated accurately, Captain Picard and the “microbrain” did not understand one another. They just didn’t connect.

These kinds of misunderstandings don’t just happen on the Starship Enterprise. They happen all the time in businesses all around the world. Many managers and people from non-technical teams simply do not understand their technical colleagues.

In a 90-minute breakfast workshop, Kevin and I will discuss the challenges of leading and working with a technical team. Whether you manage a technical team or work with one regularly, this session will help you understand the motivating factors that drive technical people and will help you to build a stronger sense of cohesion with the team.

When: 

Tuesday, Oct 22, 2013,  7:30 – 9:30 am

Schedule: 

7:30 am: Check-In and Networking
8:00 – 9:30 am: Program and Q & A

Location: 

Williamson College
274 Mallory Station Road
Franklin, TN 37067

We hope to see you there.

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“We need to pull out of the stops for this one. These changes have got to be put in place before the end of the year. Otherwise we’re out of compliance and our customers cannot do business. I know it won’t be easy and there will be a lot of long hours in the coming weeks but I know we can do this. So let’s get cracking.”

That’s what one VP of IS said to his team just before leaving the office for the day at 4:30pm. True story. I was there. All that was missing was the “Rah, rah, rah” at the end just before the door closed behind him.

His pep talk wasn’t the best I’ve heard but he did get his point across. This was important to our customers and we needed to pull together as a team to help them. He gave us the vision and helped us understand why our task was important.

But his actions spoke far louder than his words. Scurrying out the door before it hit his backside undermined everything that he’d said in the moments before.

It’s been said that only 7% of communications are the words used. The remaining 93% of the message comes from other cues – tone of voice and body language being two of the prominent factors.

For leaders, I’d add “other actions” in the mix as well. You could even call it character. When your day to day actions are inconsistent with what you profess, your team will believe your actions before they believe what you say.

As John Maxwell put it “People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision.”

I’m not saying that this VP of IS should have stayed to help with the project. In fact, doing so may have hampered our efforts. However, the team had grown weary and skeptical of him due to a pattern of actions that were at odds with his words.

Are you words and deeds saying the same thing? Or are they out of sync?

The post Actions and Words appeared first on The SERO Group.

In his book, Five Minutes on Mondays: Finding Unexpected Purpose, Peace, and Fulfillment at Work, Alan Lurie shares some of the inspirational messages that he was asked by his boss to provide at a standing team meeting each Monday morning. Many are thought-provoking and call business men and women to reflect on the way we work together as a team and the way we interact with our customers.

One of the messages was based on the Pirkei Avot. The Pirkei Avot, which can be translated to English as the sayings of our fathers, is a collection of short axioms or proverbs penned over 2,000 years ago in the Jewish Talmud.

In this particular message, Lurie shares seven characteristics or qualities of a wise man.

1. The wise man does not speak before someone wiser than him.
2. He does not break into his fellow’s speech.
3. He is not is a rush to reply.
4. He asks what is relevant and replies to the point.
5. He speaks of first things first and last things last.
6. Of what he has not heard he says, “I have not heard.”
7. And he acknowledges what is true.

The opposite is true for a fool.

Do these still apply today? You betcha! Some ancient texts are just as insightful and valid today as they were to moment they were put to parchment.

In today’s terms, we might say it something like this:

1. Listen to others who know more than you. Better yet, seek out a mentor to help you grow and mature.
2. Don’t interrupt; it’s rude and doesn’t make the other person feel that you understand them. Let them finish.
3. When someone else is speaking, listen to them. Don’t just sit quietly thinking about what you’re going to say when the other person finally finishes their monologue. Listen to them.
4. When the other person is speaking, they may go off on some rabbit trails. That’s ok. When it’s your turn to talk, you can bring it back around to the topic at hand.
5. Acknowledge and speak to the most important things first.
6. Don’t tell people more than you know. If you don’t know the answer to their question, admit it. You may actually learn something.
7. Sometimes, the other person may have a very valid criticism of you. If it’s true, acknowledge it. Remember, feedback is a gift.

As the author of the maxim that Lurie shared in his book knew: good communications is all about listening. The better you listen, whether in IT leadership, in sales, or at home with your family, the better you’ll understand the needs of the other person. And better yet, they’ll know that you understand their needs. And that can make all the difference.

The post 7 Qualities of a Wise Man appeared first on The SERO Group.

You wouldn’t believe some of the systems and processes I’ve seen over the course of my 16 years as a consultant.

Some people know that they have a horrible patchwork of broken systems that are loosely held together by duct tape and bubble gum. Others think their system is “flexible except for this one issue we’d like for you to fix.” I’ve learned that one man’s flexibility is another’s bad design.

Fortunately experience begets familiarity and some of the issues I see are remarkably similar to ones that I’ve solved in the past.

It’s tempting to show them just how smart I am and immediately jump to the solution. In fact, cutting to the chase would save them time and money so everybody wins. Except there’s only one problem: I didn’t listen.

You’ve Got To Listen

Listening is incredibly important, not only for consultants, but for everyone. Regardless of your walk in life, being an good listener will help you as you work with other people. Listening helps people to feel understood, to feel that you care. And that goes a long way in building a relationship.

Conversely, if you don’t take the time to listen, other people don’t feel understood. You’re not listening, so you simply cannot understand what’s going on. They assume you don’t care or that you’re just too self-centered. Without a good understanding of the problem, they reason, how can you possibly offer a good solution?

So before you offer a solution, take some time to stop, drop, and roll.

Stop

Don’t interrupt their description of the problem. Let them tell it to you in all its glory, even if you’ve heard it all before. It’s important to them to tell it.

Most people feel their situations are unique and quite different than the problems you may have faced in the past. Let them tell you why. In fact, you may actually learn that their problem is subtly yet significantly different that what you were expecting.

Two rules to keep in mind. First don’t interrupt. If the other person is talking, be quiet. You can nod your head in agreement or smile when appropriate, but don’t say anything. Second, when the other person has stopped talking, count to 5 to make sure that he is really finished and not just regrouping his thoughts. Only then do you know it’s your turn to talk.

Drop

Drop a few clarifying questions back to the other person. Ask them to explain in more detail or from another perspective. Many people will focus solely on the immediate affects of the issue or what they deem as pertinent. If you delve a little deeper you can uncover a lot more information. Asking relevant questions also reassures them that you are listening.

Don’t limit yourself to abstract or technical questions. Ask them about the impact of what they are describing. How is this situation affecting them personally? How has the problem affected their job or other’s perception of them?

Getting personal helps you to understand their motives. This is especially powerful when talking with a prospective client.

Roll

Roll back what you hear them saying. Restate their problem and its affects. Summarizing or restating what they’ve told you helps makes sure that you, do indeed, understand their issue. It also communicates to them that you understand.

This also helps to transition the conversation. It’s moving from their turn to talk to your turn. They’ve described the problem, now it’s your turn to offer suggestions or recommendations.

Solve

After they have completely described their scenario to their satisfaction, then you are free to offer your guidance. Your initial assessment may have been right on, but they wouldn’t have listened to you since you didn’t listen to them. Listening cost you only a few more minutes of time and the rewards were definitely worth it.

So, the next time you’re visiting a prospective new client or someone approaches you with a problem, remember: Stop, Drop, and Roll.

The post Stop, Drop, And Roll Before Answering appeared first on The SERO Group.

Have you ever taken a sip of sweet tea only to discover that it was soda instead? Eeww! What an eye-opening experience!

Don’t misunderstand; I like soda. But when I’m expecting sweet tea, the normally pleasant taste of the carbonated beverage is face-wrenchingly awful.

Thus, the importance of expectations.

What To Expect?

When working with your clients, your boss, your spouse, your kids, and everyone else for that matter, it’s critically important to set expectations. Let them know what to expect. Let them know when to expect it. Let them know any caveats that may exist. It gives them a sense of comfort.

As with the beverage example, expectations are important; the same result can be interpreted as good or bad depending on expectations.

If you promise a client that you’ll provide a deliverable in ten business days and you deliver it in seven, they’re very happy. Conversely, if you promise to deliver in five and you don’t have it ready until the seventh day, they’re disappointed. In both cases they receive the deliverable in seven days, yet in one case you’re a hero and in the other case you’ve failed.

How Can You Manage Expectations?

Managing expectations is not difficult. In fact, it’s straightforward.

• Under Promise. Don’t over commit yourself. Examine your workload, your capabilities, your own expectations, and then build in some margin.
• Over Deliver. This go right along with Under Promise. Going the extra mile and exceeding expectations is a nice way to give them a sense of “wow”.
• Communicate Clearly. It’s been said that there are four components to communication: the sender, the message, the medium, and the recipient. A breakdown and any of those can lead to a misunderstanding. Make sure that the message that you intend to deliver is the one that is received.
• Communicate Frequently. Providing timely updates about the progress along the way is just as important as setting the initial expectations. Any delays, any changes to the initial expectations should be communicated early in the process.
• Be Honest. As the old saying goes, honesty is the best policy. Be honest with others. If you are unsure of the outcome, tell them. It’s better that they know this up front.

Managing expectations, it’s definitely a win-win.

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