Monday, November 28, 2022

Do the Difficult Things Now!


One of the strange things about being a business professional is when you take time off; you are not free from your work. Current events in the industry are still present in the news. Recruiters and trainers are reaching out to businesses. Finally, blogs and social media promotions do not write themselves. While I took a week off from work to enjoy the thanksgiving holiday, work seemed to find me in some strange ways. Today, I want to talk about your hard work in silence. 

This week's big news was the FTX cryptocurrency exchange's destruction and the technology industry's continued layoffs. The cynic in me takes some satisfaction in knowing that I avoided the tragedy of losing a boatload of money in crypto. It is a smug feeling of superiority, but people lost life savings thanks to Sam Bankman-Fried and his collective group of crypto kids. The layoffs in big tech also illustrate that the technology business is maturing, so they need to concentrate on business basics instead of growth.  

The drama in the industry is a natural result of the basic rules of global business. Sooner or later, a company needs to have positive cash flow and pay the banks and inverters back. It made me think about all the tough decisions business leaders need to make and how introductory psychology works against that decision-making. In her book Radical Candor, Kim Scott talks about ruinous empathy. The desire to avoid conflict and be well-liked prevents leaders from correcting processes and behaviors because they are afraid of hurting the feeling of others. In truth, problems fester until it is too last to fix them.  

I blame this behavior on the culture of executive leadership. Many business leaders see their advancement based on their appearance to their superiors, so they spend plenty of time ingratiating themselves with those leaders. At the same time, they are attempting to win the loyalty of the people who work for them. It is a petri dish for ruinous empathy because you are kissing up to leadership and failing to hold your team accountable. It creates a situation where it is all fun and games until revenue declines or a customer has an issue, then all the good feelings evaporate. 

Leaders need to do the unpleasant and challenging things early so that the positive experiences are more satisfying and profitable. A poor team member can poison an entire organization, so it is necessary to elevate them to a particular skill level or let them go. I hate planning meetings and coordinating team rooms, but they are required to make my team successful, so I attend. Walking peers through their duties and holding them accountable is tedious, but without that coaching, the entire enterprise will fly apart like a runaway carousel. 

Doing unpleasant and hard things is why others entrust you with leadership. Before a client demo, I go through a mental calculus to determine if I have done everything possible to make the team successful. For the last few years, my anxiety has subsided, but I still want to ensure that the teams have everything they need to succeed. The hard work eventually pays off in the trust of other business members relying on the team to solve problems and deliver customer value. 

The business world contains plenty of distractions. Conferences need speakers, media appearances need to happen, and there are countless opportunities to wine and dine clients. Don't let these fun parts of the business undermine the hard work necessary to generate success. Being liked is a different experience than the respect and trust of colleagues. What makes that difference is the arduous and unpleasant work each business leader must do.  

Until next time. 


Monday, November 21, 2022

Focus is the Key


The older I become, the more I am struck by how the contemporary office is resistant to change. The COVID-19 pandemic proved we could work from home and deliver value to customers, but business leaders are pushing employees to return to the office. We are also seeing business leaders demand employees become 'hardcore,' whatever that means simultaneously. We are seeing business leaders juggling more opportunities and distractions than concentrating on the core of the business. The trend of the superstar CEO and founder is becoming tedious, and it is time that coaches and agile professionals emphasize the importance of focus if we are going to make the business world better.  

Ed Zitron in Business Insider this week points out the hypocrisy many business leaders illustrate when they complain about the work ethics of their employees. Zitron points out that many CEOs do not create value for their firms and are "A chaotic blend of unproductive micromanagement and highly paid absenteeism." The problem is that there are too many temptations for an executive to moonlight outside their core responsibilities. Today, a CEO has meetings to attend, boards of directors to sit on, and a television appearance on cable to show the shareholders they are making a difference. Lost in this busy work is the operation of the business and leading the people who work there. 

The lack of focus on the part of executives directly impacts the firm's bottom line. The fact that distracted leaders struggle to deliver value means that as a coach, you must point out the destructive behavior to the organization and then guide people to fix it. Leadership and getting people to work together toward a common goal is hard work. It requires dedication and commitment. The result can get tedious. Frankly, it is more fun to appear on television and make public speaking engagements talking about how good you are at business. 

The sad reality is television opportunities and public speaking engagements are transitory. A business leader who is absent doing other things puts the business's long-term survival at risk. As a coach, you need to concentrate on what is essential, and that focus should be on the company and its executive leadership. Anything else is a wasteful distraction. 

The economy is becoming more challenging, so now is the time for a change of perspective. Instead of building personal brands, concentrate on customers' needs and building the business's brand. Take a good look at your organization's operations and see what you can do to improve. It is not glamorous, but what's best for the business's continued success. 

Until next time. 


Monday, November 14, 2022

Layoffs are Not the End

It was a rough week to be a technology professional. Layoffs hit the industry hard, and the biggest casualty was Meta which ended the careers of eleven thousand employees for its failed bet on the Metaverse and overenthusiastic hiring during the pandemic. I watched the news with a strange pang of memory. My career contains plenty of firings, layoffs, and assorted catastrophes. I know what it is like to not have a job anymore. This week, I feel it is necessary to talk about layoffs and how to muddle through the process of starting over. 

The first thing you should understand about being laid off is that it is not a personal failure. It was a failure of the company to manage it's business and workforce. People who work in professional fields are told from high school that their success is their responsibility. The sad truth is success in a corporate environment is not merit-related but relationship based. Having good mentors, visible success in front of senior leadership, and looking like a leader are often more important than being good at your job or having actual leadership skills. To this day, I am still amazed people are in charge of millions of dollars and the careers of dozens with the emotional understanding and leadership skills of a fraternity member you find urinating in your hedges each week after a home football game.  

Someone I respect in this business once said, "Do your job and if they have a problem with that, let them fire you." It was a bit of wisdom I have carried with me for my entire career. I say this because plenty of business decisions happen without consideration of merit. Thus, layoffs are another example of poor leadership and planning creating problems for others. It is upsetting because one day, you have a job, and the next, it is gone, and you feel guilty, wondering if something could have saved your job. The truth is nothing you could have done would have held your position. Someone put together a spreadsheet showing the cost savings of a reduction in payroll; then, it was up to executives and managers not affiliated with the people doing the work to decide who stayed and who would go. It is not personal, just a cell in a spreadsheet and a business decision. An employee delivering value to the company with a family to support is cast aside like a broken office chair. 

The impersonal nature of layoffs is what is so demeaning about the process. It stings and creates a grieving process that will take a few weeks. One moment you were a valuable employee helping the team, and the next, you were packing your desk and being escorted out of the building. I experienced a workforce reduction numerous times in my career and have found a better job with better pay each time. Career instability will take a toll on your personal life because nothing undermines a romantic relationship like unemployment. Still, the good news is that with the right partner, a layoff is a temporary setback, not a life-ending event. 

The technology business is tiny, and word travels fast in this community. Already support groups are popping up to help people caught up in the layoffs at Meta and Twitter. Recruiters are working the phone, attempting to place skilled engineers with new jobs. Executives at companies are looking to snatch up talent who can provide value immediately for the business. Finally, technology workers are in great demand because there is still too much work and insufficient skilled people. 

As a survivor of layoffs, I understand the disappointment and heartbreak which comes with being let go. Technology is a harsh world. This week was especially rough, but it will improve, and each of us will be better for the experience. 

Until next time. 



Monday, November 7, 2022

Some Reasons Why We Are Less Productive


This week's big news in technology is Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter. He has terrorized the staff quickly, made changes, instituted an 85-hour work week, and laid off half the team. I would love to talk more about this, but Musk already receives too much attention, and I firmly believe in denying trollish people the attention they desperately seek. I will wait for Elon to explain himself to a bankruptcy judge before commenting on his leadership style. Today, I want to concentrate on something which popped up during the week: the decline in productivity among the global workforce.  

The Washington Post featured headlines that productivity is down among U.S. workers. I wanted to dig a little deeper into the headline, and it is clear that a combination of factors is creating a perfect storm of low productivity. I will blame three main elements; inflation, fatigue, and poor leadership.  

It is no secret that inflation is driving plenty of angst in the economy. Supply-side problems and a tight labor market are making prices for gas, food, and rent a significant burden. Pay rates are not keeping up with the inflation rate, which means that as of November 2022, a person's wages can purchase six percent less than one year ago. It means that if you are earning a paycheck, your labor provides less money for you and your family. It creates a cycle of despair where you work each day and fall further behind in your commitments. It is no wonder that people are not working harder because they do not see any benefit from that effort. 

Next, I want to point to an article by Mary McNamara,  who correctly observes that American workers are tired. Fatigue is hallowing out the American workforce. COVID-19 tested American workers and businesses; in the aftermath, people lost their businesses, careers, and lives. Combined with the loss of life of over one million people in the United States, it creates a mourning situation where people must process the things lost during the last three years. Unfortunately, business does not take a break for anyone and relentlessly demands that we set our issues aside and get to work. It is why the World Health Organization has said that the pandemic created a 25% increase in depression and anxiety. Combine this emotional exhaustion with the daily cultural challenges of political polarization, climate change, and concerns about a recession triggered by rising interest rates. Most of us are not right emotionally to be at our best. You have a particular type of demotivation.  

I also suspect a final factor involved in the lack of productivity: the poor leadership of many people in the business today. It looks like plenty of incapable people in leadership roles are using their positions of authority to hurt others. The results show companies that could do no wrong in the past are now losing value with shareholders because their leadership will not face market realities. It also does not help when leaders behave like monarchs and treat their employees like peasants. Working for a bad leader is another factor hurting productivity because people hate working for a jerk.  

As an agile coach and consultant, I take these things seriously. Often, I feel like the kid who points out that the emperor is not wearing any clothes. Work should not be a source of alienation or drudgery. Instead, it is a vehicle for change, empowerment, and value if we allow it. It means recognizing the impact of inflation, fatigue, and poor leadership on the workforce. The entire global economy is counting on us. Once we have that recognition, it is time to take action and prevent it from falling further. 

Until next time.