Ostrich Management ...

How many of you have experienced or are currently experiencing 'Ostrich Management' (A Watercooler Phrase ... Meaning when someone in a leadership position sticks their head in the sand, hoping a problem will just go away) ?

What are your thoughts and/or solutions to this problem ??

Try Feedforward Instead of Feedback

I am always on the lookout for interest ideas and approaches to different problems or situations, recently I read an article by Marshall Goldsmith that discussed the idea of Feedforward. Here is the article for your review (and comment if you like) ...

Giving and receiving feedback has long been considered to be an essential skill for leaders. As they strive to achieve the goals of the organization, employees need to know how they are doing. They need to know if their performance is what their leaders expect from them and, if not, they need suggestions on how to improve it. Traditionally, this information has been communicated in the form of feedback from leaders to their employees. And, leaders themselves need feedback from their employees, in the form of suggestions for how to improve procedures and processes, innovative ideas for new products and services, and input on their own leadership styles. This has become increasingly common with the advent of 360º feedback.

But there is a fundamental problem with feedback: it focuses on that past, on what has already occurred—not on the infinite variety of things that can be in the future. As such, feedback can be limited and static, as opposed to expansive and dynamic.

Over the past several years, I have observed more than five thousand leaders as they participated in a fascinating experiential exercise. In the exercise, participants are each asked to play two roles. In one role, they are asked provide feedforward —that is, to give someone else suggestions for the future and help as much as they can. In the second role, they are asked to accept feedforward—that is, to listen to the suggestions for the future and learn as much as they can. The exercise typically lasts for 10-15 minutes, and the average participant has 6-7 dialogue sessions. In the exercise participants are asked to:

• Pick one behavior that they would like to change. Change in this behavior should make a significant, positive difference in their lives.• Describe this behavior to randomly selected fellow participants. This is done in one-on-one dialogues. It can be done quite simply, such as, “I want to be a better listener.”
• Ask for feedforward—for two suggestions for the future that might help them achieve a positive change in their selected behavior. If participants have worked together in the past, they are not allowed to give ANY feedback about the past. They are only allowed to give ideas for the future.
• Listen attentively to the suggestions and take notes. Participants are not allowed to comment on the suggestions in any way. They are not allowed to critique the suggestions or even to make positive judgmental statements, such as, “That’s a good idea.”
• Thank the other participants for their suggestions.
• Ask the other persons what they would like to change.
• Provide feedforward - two suggestions aimed at helping them change.
• Say, “You are welcome.” when thanked for the suggestions. The entire process of both giving and receiving feedforward usually takes about two minutes.
• Find another participant and keep repeating the process until the exercise is stopped.

When the exercise is finished, I ask participants to provide one word that best describes their reaction to this experience. I ask them to complete the sentence, “This exercise was …”. The words provided are almost always extremely positive, such as “great”, “energizing”, “useful” or “helpful.” The most common word mentioned is “fun!”

What is the last word that most of us think about when we receive coaching and developmental ideas? Fun!

Ten Reasons to Try Feedforward

Participants are then asked why this exercise is seen as fun and helpful as opposed to painful, embarrassing or uncomfortable. Their answers provide a great explanation of why feedforward can often be more useful than feedback.

1. We can change the future. We can’t change the past. Feedforward helps people envision and focus on a positive future, not a failed past. Athletes are often trained using feedforward. Racecar drivers are taught to, “look at the road, not the wall.” Basketball players are taught to envision the ball going in the hoop and to imagine the perfect shot. By giving people ideas on how they can be even more successful, we can increase their chances of achieving this success in the future.

2. It can be more productive to help people be “right,” than prove they were “wrong.” Negative feedback often becomes an exercise in “let me prove you were wrong.” This tends to produce defensiveness on the part of the receiver and discomfort on the part of the sender. Even constructively delivered feedback is often seen as negative as it necessarily involves a discussion of mistakes, shortfalls, and problems. Feedforward, on the other hand, is almost always seen as positive because it focuses on solutions.

3. Feedforward is especially suited to successful people. Successful people like getting ideas that are aimed at helping them achieve their goals. They tend to resist negative judgment. We all tend to accept feedback that is consistent with the way we see ourselves. We also tend to reject or deny feedback that is inconsistent with the way we see ourselves. Successful people tend to have a very positive self-image. I have observed many successful executives respond to (and even enjoy) feedforward. I am not sure that these same people would have had such a positive reaction to feedback.

4. Feedforward can come from anyone who knows about the task. It does not require personal experience with the individual. One very common positive reaction to the previously described exercise is that participants are amazed by how much they can learn from people that they don’t know! For example, if you want to be a better listener, almost any fellow leader can give you ideas on how you can improve. They don’t have to know you. Feedback requires knowing about the person. Feedforward just requires having good ideas for achieving the task.

5. People do not take feedforward as personally as feedback. In theory, constructive feedback is supposed to “focus on the performance, not the person”. In practice, almost all feedback is taken personally (no matter how it is delivered). Successful people’s sense of identity is highly connected with their work. The more successful people are, the more this tends to be true. It is hard to give a dedicated professional feedback that is not taken personally. Feedforward cannot involve a personal critique, since it is discussing something that has not yet happened!

6. Feedback can reinforce personal stereotyping and negative self-fulfilling prophecies. Feedforward can reinforce the possibility of change. Feedback can reinforce the feeling of failure. How many of us have been “helped” by a spouse, significant other or friend, who seems to have a near-photographic memory of our previous “sins” that they share with us in order to point out the history of our shortcomings. Negative feedback can be used to reinforce the message, “this is just the way you are”. Feedforward is based on the assumption that people can make positive changes in the future.

7. Face it! Most of us hate getting negative feedback, and we don’t like to give it feedback reports for°. I have reviewed summary 360 over 50 companies. The items, “provides developmental feedback in a timely manner” and “encourages and accepts constructive criticism” almost always score near the bottom on co-worker satisfaction with leaders. Traditional training does not seem to make a great deal of difference. If leaders got better at providing feedback every time the performance appraisal forms were “improved”, most should be perfect by now! Leaders are not very good at giving or receiving negative feedback. It is unlikely that this will change in the near future.

8. Feedforward can cover almost all of the same “material” as feedback. Imagine that you have just made a terrible presentation in front of the executive committee. Your manager is in the room. Rather than make you “relive” this humiliating experience, your manager might help you prepare for future presentations by giving you suggestions for the future. These suggestions can be very specific and still delivered in a positive way. In this way your manager can “cover the same points” without feeling as embarrassed and without making you feel even more humiliated.

9. Feedforward tends to be much faster and more efficient than feedback. An excellent technique for giving ideas to successful people is to say, “Here are four ideas for the future. Please accept these in the positive spirit that they are given. If you can only use two of the ideas, you are still two ahead. Just ignore what doesn’t make sense for you.” With this approach almost no time gets wasted on judging the quality of the ideas or “proving that the ideas are wrong”. This “debate” time is usually negative; it can take up a lot of time, and it is often not very productive. By eliminating judgment of the ideas, the process becomes much more positive for the sender, as well as the receiver. Successful people tend to have a high need for self-determination and will tend to accept ideas that they “buy” while rejecting ideas that feel “forced” upon them.

10. Feedforward can be a useful tool to apply with managers, peers and team members. Rightly or wrongly, feedback is associated with judgment. This can lead to very negative unintended consequences when applied to managers or peers. Feedforward does not imply superiority of judgment. It is more focused on being a helpful “fellow traveler” than an “expert”. As such it can be easier to hear from a person who is not in a position of power or authority. An excellent team building exercise is to have each team member ask, “How can I better help our team in the future?” and listen to feedforward from fellow team members (in one-on-one dialogues.)

In summary, the intent of this article is not to imply that leaders should never give feedback or that performance appraisals should be abandoned. The intent is to show how feedforward can often be preferable to feedback in day-to-day interactions. Aside from its effectiveness and efficiency, feedforward can make life a lot more enjoyable. When managers are asked, “How did you feel the last time you received feedback?” their most common responses are very negative. When managers are asked how they felt after receiving feedforward, they reply that feedforward was not only useful, it was also fun!

Quality communication—between and among people at all levels and every department and division—is the glue that holds organizations together. By using feedforward—and by encouraging others to use it—leaders can dramatically improve the quality of communication in their organizations, ensuring that the right message is conveyed, and that those who receive it are receptive to its content. The result is a much more dynamic, much more open organization—one whose employees focus on the promise of the future rather than the mistakes of the past.
Adapted from "Leader to Leader" Magazine, Summer, 2002© Marshall Goldsmith 2002

Like I said ... I like interesting ideas and new approaches to everyday situations/problems.

Cheers ...

The WOW Project

One of the motivational speakers/writers that I really enjoy is Tom Peters and he has published many related articles regarding different aspects of "The WOW Project". The following is an excerpt from one of those articles ...

After decades of wholesale neglect, companies are finally facing the fact of pathetic white-collar productivity and realizing that they need to organize work in a fundamentally new way. The old ways of working are too slow, too convoluted, too hard to grab hold of -- and the value is too hard to capture. At the same time, white-collar workers themselves are catching on: They need to rethink the very nature of work. If they're going to have work in the future, they must be able to demonstrate clearly, precisely, and convincingly how they can add value. The answer -- the only answer -- is the project. And not just any project, no matter how droning, boring, and dull, but rather what my colleagues and I have come to call "Wow Projects": projects that add value, projects that matter, projects that make a difference, projects that leave a legacy -- and, yes, projects that make you a star. Distinguished project work is the future of work -- for the simple reason that more than 90% of white-collar jobs are in jeopardy today. They are in the process of being transformed beyond identification -- or completely eliminated.

Architects, accountants, graphic designers, lawyers, consultants, and all other workers in "official" professional-services firms understand life in the projects. As a professional, age 56, I can honestly say that I live the new formula: I = My Projects. Yet this idea is fairly new for the typical white-collar "staffers" in the human-resources departments, the IT departments, the finance departments, and all of the other departments in standard-issue manufacturing, production, and operations companies of the United States. All work of economic value is project work.

And because project work is becoming that important, a few rules are needed for thinking about projects the right way:

1. Project work is the vehicle by which the powerless gain power. Forget about "empowerment programs." Instead, volunteer for every lousy project that comes along: Organize the office Christmas party. (Turn that dreadful holiday party into an event that says, "Thanks for a terrific year!" to all employees.) Here's a dirty little secret from my professional career: The research that became "In Search of Excellence: Lessons from America's Best-Run Companies" (with Robert H. Waterman, Harper & Row, 1982) was a McKinsey project that virtually no one in the firm cared two hoots about.

2. Project work is the future of the company waiting to be discovered. Somewhere, in the belly of every company, someone is working away in obscurity on the project that 10 years from now everyone will acknowledge as the company's proudest moment. Someone is creating Java, designing the iMac, reviving the VW Beetle, engineering the Mach3. Why isn't that someone you?

3. Never let a project go dreary on you. Your goal should be to work in perpetuity with Wow people, on Wow Projects, for Wowable clients. How do you know when your project measures up? Each week, ask yourself and your teammates, "Will we be bragging about this project five years from now? If the odds of success are low, what can we do -- right now! -- to turn up the heat?"

4. When it comes to life in the projects, draft people as if you were a GM and invest as if you were a VC. Work today is about two things: talent and projects. If you're in charge of a project, you ought to think like the general manager of an NBA franchise: You've got to fill 12 chairs with the hottest people you can draft. And when it comes to picking your projects, you need to think like a venture capitalist: You bet on cool people who have demonstrated their capacity to deliver cool projects. Tom Peters Dec 2007

How to Stay Young (Best e-mail of 2009)

1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay 'them'.

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. 'An idle mind is the devil's workshop.'

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love , whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER …Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

Seven Traits a Project Manager Must Possess ...

While readinf the November 2009 newsletter from allPM.com, I came across an interesting perspective regarding strong Project Manager traits ... definitely food for thought ...

Who is responsible for dealing with the soft skill dilemmas? The demanding nature of a project propels the project manager to a leadership position the very day he is placed in that role. He becomes the fulcrum of the project, the one person who is looked to by all stakeholders. It takes a colossal amount of effort, and an equal amount of varying skills to complete a project successfully. Most project management trainings and courses focus on the methodology and principles that need to be employed to manage a project. These typically incorporate planning and estimating techniques, drilling down a work breakdown structure, what is change control so on and so forth. These are important but what is overlooked is the ‘softer’ side involved in projects. Resources are the most valuable asset on a project but they are the most complex and the most difficult to deal with. Interactions can get very complex when meshed with personal egos and jurisdictions.

Skill # 1 - Team Builder: A project brings together very quickly people of diverse backgrounds - social, cultural and with varying skill sets for a certain period of time. More often not enough time is given for team dynamics to play out and the project manager has to bring the entire team together for a common purpose. So a project manager is a team builder who gets a diverse working party to function cohesively.

Skill # 2 - Planner: Every team member comes to the project for his need and looks at the project typically from his perspective. In contrast the project manager needs to have a holistic view of the project and also understand the details that compose the big picture. So a project manager is a planner adept at understanding the gross details and the finer elements.

Skill # 3 - Salesman: Often the project manager has to deal with team members who are unwilling to perform project management tasks or even being a part of the project. Not to forget management that is unenthusiastic about the uncertainties involved in planning. So a project manager is a seller who can make people see the advantage of using a structured approach to completing projects despite some shortcomings.

Skill # 4 - Motivator: Only a handful of projects operate under the best of circumstances. Most begin with several hurdles - unrealistic deadlines, insufficient funds, and not enough resources available to complete all the tasks. And, if resources are available they do not have the right competency. As a result tasks are continuously monitored, prioritized and then reprioritized to complete what was set out in the beginning. The project manager has to be a leader capable of leading his team through ever changing uncertainties. What makes it more challenging is the fact that the project manager has little or ambiguous authority over his resources unless he works in a projectized organization. So a project manager is a motivator with limited influence over those who work for him but has to keep them focused in dire circumstances.

Skill # 5 - Innovator: As a project goes through its life cycle issues are inevitable. Things never go as planned – resources walk away from their assignments, requirements are not accurately defined, testing activities do not get completed as planned, etc. The setbacks are endless. The onslaught is perpetual and the project manager wades his way finding instant solutions. So a project manager is an innovator who has to constantly come up with new ideas to get rid of obstacles.

Skill # 6 - Collaborator: Another constant in all projects is change. Stakeholders alter their minds, business and technology scenarios are constantly changing, etc. These have an impact on the project’s deadline and cost. The project manager has to manage expectations and pull the project back on its course. So a project manager is a collaborator who can negotiate with all parties and make everybody comfortable with the situation.

Skill # 7 - Communicator: Stakeholders, be it team members, sponsors, subject matter experts, etc., are always anxious about what is taking place in the project – what happened, what is happening and what will happen. The project manager should be able to converse with ease across the board about status, issues and solutions and put minds at ease. Excellent oral and written skills are becoming very important in current times; the era of virtual organizations and project teams. So a project manager is a communicator who can understand and speak with all stakeholders effectively.

In a nutshell it is essential for a project manager to be multi talented. Different types of soft skills come in handy at different phases of the project life cycle. An experienced project manager knows the right time to use such skills for the benefit of the project. It is very difficult to teach these skills and that is why most project management courses do not focus a great deal on developing such talent. But the situation is changing as companies are realizing that only the best in class processes cannot deliver successful projects. Projects are delivered by people and their attitude and perception can have a mighty impact on the success of the project. Most times teams have inbuilt resistance or their own agendas. So despite the best execution of project management principles several projects fail. On the contrary, if the project manager can transform the energy of the team into a positive synchronous output within the project management process and structure framework, any project can be delivered successfully against all odds.

Thoughts ?

© 2009 allPM.com

Author: Charanya Girish, a project management consultant is a certified PMP with over 17 years of experience. During her career she has lead successfully several projects and programs of varying sizes, set up PMOs & has been involved with portfolio management and strategic planning. A trained facilitator she is known for her excellent oral and written skills. She has presented at numerous conferences and has publications to her credit. She is an active volunteer of the PMI Great Lakes Chapter, Women in Project Management SIG and the PMO SIG.

5 Steps to Take Before Moving

I am currently in the process of moving to a new city and the entire process is full of emotion, frustration and energy zapping. As I was working through my my e-mails and the internet this morning I came across this article, which has allot of good advise for those of you who are experencing the same difficulties ... hope it is helpful.

Ariane de Bonvoisin is the author of The First 30 Days and the founder of first30days.com, a Website dedicated to helping you navigate any life change. Log on for advice and to connect with others who are making transitions.

Why is moving to a new place so fraught with emotion?
There's a fear of the unknown and doubt as to whether you've made the right choice. And there's a sense of closure - every move brings completion to a chapter in your life, so take time to reflect on the experiences you've had and be grateful for the people you've met. Also, you'll feel excitement in trying new things, meeting new people, and having new opportunities. It's as if life has given you a blank slate to start fresh, so find the joy in that possibility.

How can I make moving easier?
Instead of tackling everything at once - and feeling totally overwhelmed - set small goals and reward yourself when you complete each task. Celebrating successes reenergizes you to keep at it - and ensures that packing doesn't take over your life.

The toughest part of a move is leaving people you love. My family lives in Europe, and I live here, so we've created a system. I'll text them if I'm on the train, e-mail them about a great concert I saw, or Skype with my nieces and nephews to see how they're growing. Keeping one another updated on life's big and small moments helps love flow.

How can I make new friends without appearing desperate?
Focus on doing what you love, whether that means taking a yoga class or volunteering at a shelter - it'll help you meet like-minded people and keep you occupied with activities you enjoy. And savor any alone time: Rent movies, write in a journal, or do whatever nurtures your soul. Soon enough, someone or something else will start filling up your time. Life has a natural way of unfolding - and you will eventually meet everyone who should be in yours.

What mistakes do people make when they move to a new city, and how can I avoid them?
Some people set too-high expectations: You're not going to get invited to the greatest party in town on your first day. Other people think they're going to love their new city immediately, but it takes time to form a relationship with a place. To adjust, stick to the schedule that works for you, whether that means reading in the local café on Saturday mornings or grocery shopping on Sunday nights. The quicker you put your normal routines into place, the sooner you'll feel comfortable. And give yourself credit for following through with your decision to move. You jumped in and took a risk; you'll make mistakes along the way, but on the other side, you'll find self-esteem and a new inner strength.

Setting Down New Roots: Top 5 Steps to Take

1. Make a plan. Create a checklist for everything that needs to get done - from packing to canceling utilities.

2. Say good-bye. Don't avoid discussing the move with your circle. Sharing your excitement and reservations will make this change easier for all of you.

3. Get the lay of the land. Before you move, buy a map and a travel book that tells you all about your new state or city. Once there, take a leisurely drive or walk to locate your neighborhood post office, dry cleaner, grocery store, and pharmacy.

4. Psych yourself up. Think of the move as an adventure. Appreciate each new discovery, from an out-of-the-way art-house movie theater to a great Thai take-out place.

5. Be patient. Settling in takes time, so go easy on yourself and let your new life evolve on its own. Little by little, all will fall into place.-Nicole Yorio