Talent

This week's post was written by Jack Woelber.

I recently had an opportunity to attend a conference that focused on talent. Recruiting, hiring, and retaining good talent can be a challenge. Thirty years ago, companies chose the talent. Today, it appears the talent chooses the company. At the conference, I reflected on some ideas that serve as good reminders when thinking about talent.

Encourage Feedback

Allow constructive and honest feedback from direct reports by allowing that type of dialogue in a safe environment. Encourage others to share feedback and then be an active listener. I remember a quote that has stayed with me: “Listening is different than waiting to speak.” In addition to encouraging feedback, how we respond to that feedback is equally important. Responding negatively or in a way that discourages conversation will likely result in a decrease in constructive feedback.

Accept Feedback

There is great value in having critics around to give feedback. The best critics provide honest feedback and an opportunity to learn. However, a critic is different than a saboteur. Saboteurs are focused on themselves and it is unlikely they will be a good cultural fit. In addition to saboteurs, passive individuals can cause problems. Passive individuals are difficult to understand. When it is unclear if a passive individual is helping or hurting, it can be more challenging than actually knowing. For example, a gas gauge that works intermittently is often worse than a gas gauge that doesn’t work in any capacity.

Mentor

Mentoring has become a big part of assimilating new talent into an organization. A good mentor will encourage others to become engaged and provide an in-depth understanding of the culture. However, if the foundation of the mentor relationship is not strong, it may not be as successful. The conferenced claimed that on a scale of 1 – 10, the relationship score must be higher (stronger) than the issue score on the scale. Typically, if a relationship is weak then the issues and value of the relationship will also be weak. Spending time building relationships is very important. Additionally, it is important to accept that not all relationships will work successfully. Rather than spending time on a relationship that is not working, focus efforts on strengthening relationships that are working well.

The Right Fit

Today, the amount of technical talent a person has is key, but not sufficient. The right fit and attitude are also important. A strong candidate must have as much EQ as IQ. This becomes even more crucial the higher you go in an organization. Keep in mind, EQ does not mean leadership style. There are many different types of leadership styles and many styles can be effective.

For many companies, finding, developing, and retaining talent has become a major key to success. For some, it has evolved from a task strictly dedicated for HR to a strategy for the entire organization. In either case, strong leadership is crucial to success.

Continue leading the Interstates way!

Jack Woelber 

The Tension

This week's post was written by Dave Crumrine.

I recently had the opportunity to work with the current EIL class and travel to my electrical peer group. The primary topic of discussion within this group was 'making change'. During EIL, we discussed the tension between Setting Direction, Aligning and Motivating (SAM) and Planning, Organizing and Controlling (POC). Different initiatives and activities require leaders to utilize different levels of skill. The more SAM is needed, the less POC is effective and vice versa; there is always tension between these ideas.

In my peer group, we talked about the changes we are making and how much we can accomplish at once. Again we discussed the idea of tension between operating well on a daily basis and the need to improve through change and adaptation. Many viewed this idea from the perspective of a team's time. For instance, if operating at 120% of plan, then there is not much capacity to change or improve. A member of my peer group added some valuable and memorable insight arguing that this isn't about time, but rather mind share and priority. Managing time is a fool's errand as we all have the same amount of time; it is a matter of managing individual and corporate priorities. To do so, we must understand our team's commitments, priorities, and mindset.

Ultimately, we concluded that tension will always be present and in a way it serves as a scorecard for leadership. Are we balancing the needs of serving our clients with the needs to get better for our clients? Are we acknowledging that if we don't do something, there is a consequence in the future that we must be aware of? If we wish to impact the priorities of our people and help align their efforts, then we must lead! We must talk about the trade-offs and the consequences. We must help our people make trade-offs and equip them to make the right trade-offs. 

In summary, there is no perfect mix of change and daily execution, there is only a tension. One that will always exist and require us to lead. It is in place specifically to make us choose and to challenge us to be our best each day and as we continue to adapt.

Where does your team need help working through the tension? 

Continue leading the Interstates way!

Dave Crumrine

Learning to Land

This week's post was written by David Krahling.

Many years ago, I learned to fly and earned my private pilot license. I was fascinated by the art of flying and drawn to the beauty of the endless blue sky. It took some practice for me to become comfortable controlling airspeed and elevators for take-off and climb, along with blending aileron and rudder to execute a coordinated turn. However, like most student pilots, I mastered the basics of climbing, descending, and turning fairly quickly. Interestingly, we tend to use the expression “learn to fly” when describing this accomplishment. Yet, learning to fly is relatively simple; mastering a safe landing is the real challenge. Unlike flying, landing is an entirely different maneuver and there is a much lower tolerance for error. Successful landings require a high degree of skill and a great deal of practice. Nailing a perfect landing is challenging enough in calm weather conditions, but throw in a crosswind and the difficulty increases significantly. For an ideal landing, the pilot must reach stall speed at the exact moment the wheels touch down with wings level and flight path perfectly aligned to the center of the runway. Pilots refer to a perfect landing as, “greasing the runway.”

Similar to the skill, focus, and practice required of a pilot, athletes must also refine their skills to be safe and successful. The Rio Olympics offered a wonderful opportunity to view some of the world’s greatest athletes compete in various sports. There are many leadership lessons to be found in the stories of the dedicated athletes whose strength, balance, and courage allow them to push the limits of the human body. In gymnastics, for example, there is extraordinary focus on the landing at the very end of the routine. Commentators and spectators alike discuss, in great detail, whether or not the gymnast “stuck the landing.” As I watched gymnasts demonstrate impressively complex maneuvers on the vault, pommel horse, beam, rings and bars, I could sense their disappointment when a landing was disturbed by a slight hop. The path to a perfect ten is determined by the difficulty of the routine and point deductions. Although a slight hop in the landing may seem insignificant, sticking the landing is crucial.

If you hold a leadership role, at Interstates or elsewhere, successfully completing a project may be just as critical as a pilot greasing the runway or a gymnast sticking a landing. This is because how we complete a project can have a significant impact on those we serve. The ending is typically the most important part of a project for Interstates. At the end of a project, we strive to create a memorable experience and positive, lasting impression for each of our clients. This is why we invest a great deal in our check out commissioning and start up processes; we too need to stick our landings. Other leadership activities have a similar need for successful endings. A strong finish is crucial when leading initiatives and executing strategic programs. As leaders, it is often easier to start something new or get distracted in performing the routine, while losing sight of the need to finish something well. Great leaders understand the value of having enough energy to close out initiatives and programs with a strong finish. Therefore, our challenge as leaders is to determine how to get our teams to a successful ending. Some aspects of leadership don’t always feature a clear ending, such as coaching our teams and developing our company culture. These features are an ongoing process where leaders must work to set us on a path in the direction of a strong finish so that eventually we can stick our landing.

Continue leading the Interstates way!

David Krahling