The Key
November 4, 2008

Entelechy's Newsletter for Trainers, Managers, 
HR Professionals and Others Responsible 
for the Performance of Others.

Letter from the Editor

My brother-in-law, Greg, died two weeks ago. He was 57 and was just about to retire from 30 years in the U.S. Post Office.

Greg’s cancer was diagnosed in early July. Surgery in late July supposedly removed all the cancer. A checkup at the beginning of October found the cancer had spread throughout his body. I flew out to Minnesota to spend what ended up being the last weekend of Greg’s life.

Over the past month, I’ve shared the story of Greg with four classes of managers that I’ve taught. The story of the big rocks (see below) helps keep the important things in our lives front and center. Untimely deaths like Greg’s should cause us to celebrate a good life – and cause us to pause to reflect on our own lives. Are we doing what we want to do? Are we doing what we meant to be doing? If not, why not? And how do we get there?

Cathy (my bride of 27 years) and I discussed our lives and future, asking the tough questions: “Are we happy with what we’ve done, where we’ve come, and where we are?” “Are we happy with where we’re going?” “If we were to die next month, would there be any regrets?”

In 1992 I started Entelechy primarily to spend more time with my family. In fact, my big rocks back then were to spend six weeks of vacation with them and to attend every school function and sporting event. I did. No regrets.

Since 1980, I’ve been working in a field that I think is the absolute best in the world. I’d probably do what I’m doing – designing and developing innovative, pragmatic training that changes lives – as a hobby if I retired. No regrets.

My only regret may be that I don’t always tell everyone how much they mean to me. Greg was able to spend time with his two boys and tell them of all his dreams, aspirations, and hopes for them. Big conversations about life topics. He was able to spend time with my sister and relive the many good times they spent in their 32 years together. And he was able to tell her what she meant to him through those many years.

So, dear readers, live your lives with no regrets. Find your big rocks and put them first in your lives. And tell your family and friends what they mean to you – do it today and next week and next month…

Terry

Big Rocks

We use this story in our High Performance Management courses to help managers and supervisors focus their personal and professional lives on things that are important.

A professor stands in front of his class on their very first day at the university, all bright-eyed and bushy tailed. He says, “I know that you’re expecting me to talk to you about biology since that’s the title of this class. But I’m going to teach you the most important lesson of your college career. Something that will help you in college and in life.”

From underneath his podium, the professor brings out a large glass jar and places it on the table next to the podium. He proceeds to put several large rocks in it until he can’t put any more in.

He asks the class, “Can anything else fit in this jar?”

The class says “No, those rocks fill the jar.”

The professor then reaches down and lifts a jar filled with smaller rocks and puts them in the jar with the big rocks, filling it to the top. 

He asks, “Can anything else fit in this jar?” The class says – a bit more tentatively now, “No, the little rocks have filled the jar completely.”

The professor then reaches down and grabs a jar filled with sand and proceeds to add sand to the jar. He shakes the big jar and continues to pour more sand into the jar until he can get no more sand in the jar.

When asked if any more things can fit in the jar, the class yells, “No way! Now it’s really full!”

The professor then adds water to the jar. He stands back from the jar and asks, “What’s the moral of this story?”

One bright freshman yells out: “You can always fit in more stuff into your day. You can always find room.”

The professor shakes his head and says, “The moral of the story is: ‘You need to find and put your big rocks in first. If the sand, the water, and the smaller rocks went in first, there would not have been room for the big rocks.’”

We need to identify our “Big Rocks” and make sure we focus on those. Otherwise our jars – our LIVES – get filled up with little rocks and sand and we never get around to those big rocks.

This comes from High Performance Management, Entelechy’s customizable management and supervisor training. For more information, contact Entelechy at info@unlockit.com.

Delegating Effectively

As a project leader, manager, or business owner, you may suffer from a fatal disease – one that can suck the very life force from not only you but from everyone and everything around you. The disease is called delegitis and its symptoms include:

• Feeling overwhelmed not just by the amount of work but also by the broad range of work that you need to do.

• The nagging suspicion that people around you – your employees and staff – are not as competent as you always thought.

• The increasing sense of responsibility with the knowledge that there’s no one who can do the work as good as you and as fast as you.

• The meltdown that occurs when you DO count on others and things go south.

If you’ve ever experienced these symptoms, you may have delegitis. In its final stages, it can devastate a team or company. In this article, we’ll talk about the causes (delegitis is actually spread from monkey bites!) and the cures.

Delegitis Linked to Monkey Bites 

Has this happened to you: You’re walking down the hall and one of your employees greets you and says, “We’ve got a problem. You see, ....” As you listen, you realize that 1) you know enough about the problem and possible solution to get involved, but that 2) you don’t know enough to make a decision on the spot. So what happens? You say, “I don’t have enough time right now. Let me see what I can come up with....” As you rush off, the problem – the monkey – that your employee was carrying is now on your back. You own it. Your employee does not – CANNOT– do anything until you “see what you can come up with.”

The monkey – the problem – started off as your employee’s responsibility. Now it’s your responsibility. You don’t have time for yet another priority. And your employee will be forced to wait for you.

Your employee gets frustrated with the bottleneck you’re creating. You are frustrated by the mounting problems you have to resolve (not to mention the monkey bites you’re receiving). Both of you are becoming angry at the apparent incompetence of the other person.

Why does this happen? Because the manager and the employee assume at the outset, wittingly or unwittingly, that the problem under consideration is a joint problem. It isn’t. The problem is – and should remain – your employee’s problem.

Get the monkeys off of your back and onto your subordinates’ back where they belong. If a decision is required, make it. If more work needs to be done on the problem, have the subordinate do the work and provide you with 1) a recommendation and rationale, 2) a decision and report, or 3) whatever you need.

Keep monkeys off of your back by performing the duties required of you as a manager and by NOT performing the duties you expect of your employees. Become proficient at recognizing monkeys and adept at refusing to accept monkeys!

You’ll get more done and so will your employees! And you’ll avoid the monkey bites that cause delegitis!

Delegation

Most managers accept monkeys because they believe that there are only two levels of delegation: 1) I do it, or 2) YOU do it. They further believe that if you can’t do it, then they MUST do it. Ouch, another monkey bite!

Delegation actually happens at five distinct levels. Knowing these levels helps you prevent monkey-jumping (and enables you to actually start coaxing some of the monkeys off YOUR back!):

Five Levels of Delegation 

Selecting the Appropriate Level

Choosing the appropriate delegation level is fairly straightforward: “Does the person have the capability to do the work at the level I’m delegating?”

Capability implies:

1. Time and priority; the employee must know the time requirements for this task and must have – or get from you – the authority to complete the work.
   
   

2. Skill; the employee must have the skill or knowledge required to do this work or must be provided avenues for getting the skill or knowledge.
   
   

3. Freedom/responsibility; the employee must understand clearly what is allowed and not allowed, what kind of reporting/check-in is required for YOU to feel confident, and what success looks like. Then the employee must have the appropriate freedom and latitude to do the work without interference from you. (As managers, we subconsciously invite most monkeys to jump onto our backs!)
   
   

4. Confidence; provide the appropriate level of support depending on the level of delegation. Too much support seems like meddling. Too little support seems like abandonment.

Delegate Effectively

Delegate effectively by:

• Matching the task to skill set or development area.
  
  

• Discussing the end goal with the employee.
  
  

• Allowing for flexibility in solving the problem or accomplishing the task.
  
  

• Clarifying expectations, timelines, and support needs.
  
  

• Following up appropriately (depending on the task and the capability of the employee).
  
  

• Recognizing good performance.
  
  

• Coaching unsatisfactory performance.

Delegation Dos and Don’ts

• Do ask yourself, “What is the most important thing I can be working on right now?” If you’re not doing that thing right now, consider delegating what you’re doing!
  
  

• Do be realistic. No one will do it as good as you or as fast as you the first time. Get over it. Your job in delegating is to determine what is acceptable and to manage to that level. Perfection is an unforgiving taskmaster.
  
  

• Do use delegation to develop employees. Increase the level of delegation and provide the support they need. Don’t know what support they need? Ask!
  
  

• Do monitor appropriately. Don’t confuse delegation with accountability. Even though you may delegate an entire task, you are still accountable at some level for its success. Check in. Recognize effort and results!
  
  

• Do ensure success. Provide communication guidelines to help prevent failures or stalls. “Give me an update every Thursday by 5:00.” “Call me if you have trouble getting the figures you need and we’ll brainstorm….”
  
  

• Do network. Often managers don’t delegate because they don’t know whom they can delegate to. Sometimes the best talent is within your own organization. Consider colleagues, other departments in the company (e.g., mailroom, copy service), vendors, and organizations outside the company. Consider personal contacts to whom you can delegate non-work related tasks (such as house cleaning, shopping, lawn care, etc.)
  
  

• Don’t delegate things that only you can/should do. These include motivation, coaching, team-building, organization, praising, reprimanding, performance reviews, and promotions.
  
  

• Don’t hang onto pet projects only because you like them. A pet monkey bites just as hard as a rogue one! Look for opportunities to free up your time and effectively use your resources.

Recognize delegitis before it cripples you or your organization. Keep the monkeys off your back and use delegation techniques to increase your productivity and the health of your organization.

This information comes from Entelechy’s Time Mastery for Managers, a module in our High Performance Management program. To discuss how Entelechy can help YOUR managers and supervisors delegate more effectively, contact Entelechy at info@unlockit.com.

Entelechy Speaks to Doris Kearns Goodwin about Leadership

When forming teams, who do you select? Do you tend to tap people with whom you get along? People who tend to think like you? Or do you seek out those who have the special and unique talent the team needs in order to succeed – DESPITE your feelings toward the person.

Recently we had the opportunity to work with Doris Kearns Goodwin, author of the best seller, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln. Goodwin examines the dynamic team Lincoln created during his presidency, surrounding himself with political enemies – many who despised him. However, Lincoln knew that they were the best individuals for the job and HIS job was to create the best TEAM of individuals.

Together, the team faced one of the most critical times in our nation’s history. The country was divided with a bitter civil war. The country was divided over the issue of slavery. Lincoln knew that he needed the strength, wisdom, and support of key leaders, many of whom had only recently been his political rivals. With his team, he not only ended one of this country’s most devastating wars, but also ushered in a new era of freedom for all.

Lincoln followed ten leadership principles that made him one of the world’s best leaders. They are:

1. The capacity to listen to differing points of view, to let his advisors argue with him, and question his assumptions. He created a climate in which people felt free to disagree without fear of consequences.
   
   

2. The ability to learn on the job, acknowledge errors, profit from mistakes, withstand adversity, and come through trials of fire. Everyone is broken by life, Hemingway said, “but some are strong in the broken places.” This ability, Stephen Covey argues, “literally turns failure into success.” It is not our mistakes that hurt us most, but our response to those mistakes.
   
   

3. To have a ready willingness to share credit for success, creating what has been called “an emotional bank account,” a reservoir of good feeling. Harry Truman once said, “You can accomplish anything in life so long as you do not care who gets the credit.”
   
   

4. To have the willingness to shoulder blame for the failure of subordinates. 
   
   

5. To possess an acute awareness of your weaknesses which will allow you to compensate for them, like Lincoln in forming a team with his opposite, Edwin M. Stanton.
   
   

6. To be able to control emotions. Lincoln had a ritual of writing hot letters hoping if he put it aside he would cool down psychologically and never need to send it. If he did lose his temper, he followed up with a kind gesture immediately.
   
   

7. To be able to relax. Lincoln understood how to relax, replenish his energies, and shake off anxiety. He used the theatre and humor as stress relievers so he could keep a clear head in the office.
   
   

8. At crisis moments, his immediate instinct was to go to the battlefield, walk amidst the soldiers, visit the wounded in the hospitals, bolster morale, and assess the situation directly. This reaction is equivalent to managing by walking around. Indeed, he never lost sight of the people he represented. His White House was open to ordinary people. Sensitivity to currents of opinion allowed him to become a master of timing.
   
   

9. Lincoln possessed a quiet but steely resolution to stick to his long term goals even at moments when his own popularity was at stake.
   
   

10. Lincoln had a remarkable ability to communicate his goals to his countrymen, with stories, everyday metaphors, as well as with a beauty of language.

The above comes from the support Entelechy provides Linkage, Inc. in providing distance learning broadcasts to its clients. For more information about Linkage’s distance broadcasts, check out http://www.linkageinc.com/.../default.aspx 

And Now for Something Completely Different

Real Age Test

You know your “calendar” age; now find out your “real” age based on your living and eating habits: http://www.realage.com/...NEXS6_P 

Animator_vs_Animation

Just click on the link below and then click on PLAY. Sit back and enjoy a piece of creative brilliance. http://fc01.deviantart.com/..._by_alanbecker.swf 

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Terence Traut, President of Entelechy "unlocking potential"
ttraut@unlockit.com   
phone: 603-424-1237
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