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Executive Tips

Model the Behaviors You Want to See
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I was part of a new management team at the firm tasked to turn around a $100 million troubled project that was months behind schedule and over budget. Staff was working extremely long hours with no end in sight. They would drag themselves into the office  around nine a.m. and work until dinner. After a two-hour dinner break, they trudged back and worked until ten or eleven p.m. This was not sustainable, and the entire team was demoralized. It was a death march.

 

Though extremely difficult, we stopped the project for two weeks and asked all the staff to take a well-deserved vacation. The management team re-estimated the remaining work to create more realistic budgets, schedules, and contingencies. A new tool was put in place to accurately track project budget and schedule. We nicknamed the project tracking tool “The Rudder,” because we finally knew how to guide the project. In fact, someone found an old white and blue sailboat rudder, and we hung it on the main conference room wall to remind us that we were no longer rudderless. Some of the allegedly good managers turned out to be bad managers who could not adapt and soon left the project. After the project reset, morale dramatically improved as the team began to make real progress and was ultimately successful.

 

Model the behaviors you want to see. Do not respond to emails at all hours of the night. Do not expect your direct reports to respond to emails at all hours of the night. Do not work excessive hours. Do not expect your team leaders to work excessive hours. Stay home when you are sick, and ask them to do the same. Take vacations, and teach them how to do the same. Establish a family-first prime directive, so when team leaders and their staff are faced with decisions about whether to help a family member, attend a school play, or work, they feel safe to always choose family. I would always say, “Take care of your family and yourself. We have 330 people in our department who will gladly back you up.”

Building Authentic Business Relationships
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In one organization, I had seven team leaders reporting to me. Each of us had from five to 10 peers and customers in the enterprise who we reached out to in the liaison program. This liaison feedback was discussed in our weekly management meetings. We established and nurtured a strong network of business relationships, which served as our organization’s nervous system. We purposely met with people critical of our organization to better understand their concerns. We wanted them inside the tent solving issues with us, not outside throwing rocks. We gathered good and bad feedback, garnered input on team leader performance, and defused rumors that we could address. We also built up goodwill by getting out of our offices and letting people know that we gave a damn.

 

Just as I did for my one-on-one meetings with my manager, I would solicit topics for my liaison meetings with high-level executives. Often I would invite my team leads to my liaison meetings to give them greater executive-level visibility and to help them hear firsthand about those executive leaders’ needs, concerns, and priorities. This inclusive approach helped to improve communication countless times and fostered executive-level trust and confidence in my management team’s ability to deliver outstanding service.

 

Rumors can also be quickly addressed. One of my team leaders was falsely accused of not supporting a new program, and misinformation was quickly spreading about her views. I reached out to my peer liaison executive responsible for this program and said, “Sara has been working tirelessly to make sure your program is successful for both of our organizations. She and I are disappointed about the rumors.” My peer executive agreed and put a stop to the rumors.

 

You and your team leaders must establish and nurture authentic business relationships with peers and customers throughout the enterprise. The liaison program establishes a nervous system for your organization and builds trust and goodwill.

Setting and Managing Expectations — Part 2
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The firm once asked to lead a massive administrative reengineering program at a top public research university. The program was behind schedule and over budget. However, based on an independent consultant’s review and assessment, we had all the elements for success. I was asked to lead the program restart, which would begin in October and take at least a year.

 

When I had lunch at the faculty club with the provost and the chief financial officer, I said, “This role is a wonderful opportunity, and I’m certain we will be successful. However, I promised my wife and two boys that we would take a three-week vacation in June to Australia, where I was an exchange student in high school. I cancelled the trip last year because of work obligations and missed my 25th class reunion. Now passports are in hand, plane tickets have been purchased, and I cannot cancel again or risk another disappointment at home.” The CFO and provost said they understood and agreed.

 

By April the following year, the team had successfully achieved another major milestone, and the program was on budget and on schedule. During the monthly status meeting in May with the president, the CFO, and the provost, I reported that the program was on track and going well, reminding the president that I would be out of the country in June and that Debbie, one of my direct reports, would be in charge.

 

The president’s face blanched, and his hands started shaking. As I opened my mouth in slow motion to cancel my vacation, the CFO interrupted me and said, “Hold on, Brad. Mr. President, when Brad joined us, the provost and I agreed that he would be able to take this long-planned vacation. It is very important to him and his family. He says this is the best time to be away from the program, and we trust him. We should honor our commitment.”

 

The president agreed, and Debbie did a great job. Nine years later, at dinner with the CFO and our spouses, we recounted that story. He shared, “The provost and I were scared to death while you were away!”

 

In order to meet the expectations of executive leaders, you need to agree on the objectives, scope, timing, staffing, and budget at the beginning of an initiative. Use your words to set expectations to establish work–life balance.

To meet the expectations of leaders, you need to agree on the objectives, scope, timing, staffing, and budget at the beginning of an initiative to establish work–life balance.