NO YELLING: Commander's Intent

Today we continue our new journey into a practical study of leadership development titled: NO YELLING. The lessons contained within our study stem from the book "NO YELLING: The 9 Secrets of Marine Corps Leadership You Must Know to Win in Business" by Wally Adamchik.

Many within (and outside of!) the Delta Companies, Inc., organization will know Wally from his many training sessions at Colas University, various Colas meetings, and even our own Delta Days training events. As a former U.S. Marine Officer, Wally led a tank battalion before becoming a pilot of AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopters. Today, he serves as President of FireStarter Speaking and Consulting. To learn more about Wally, visit his website at www.firestarterspeaking.com.

Our exploration of "NO YELLING: The 9 Secrets of Marine Corps Leadership You Must Know to Win in Business", continues with the seventh secret: Commander's Intent which includes: Where Are We Going, Communication, and Getting the Point Across.

"It all goes back to trust. I need to give ownership. I tell them what I want to accomplish and then let them figure it out. Leave room for them to be creative when you can, and they will surprise you with the results." - Jimmy Lane, Captain USMC.

Where Are We Going

Where are we going - and WHY?

Commander's intent differs from vision in that it is more specific; it deals with a finite objective, a way of behaving, or a desired result.

Uncertainty leads to hesitation, which leads to marginal productivity and uncertain results.

"Since the function of leadership is to produce change, setting direction of that change is fundamental to leadership. Setting direction is never the same as planning. The direction setting aspect of leadership does not produce plans; it creates vision and strategy. These describe a business, technology, or corporate culture in terms of what should be over the long-term and articulate a feasible way of achieving the goal." - John Kotter, Harvard Professor.

When a leader tells you what he wants to accomplish and lets you go do it, he is sending a message that he trusts you to do the job. This trust is the bedrock on which effective organizations are built.

Intent, vision, mission, goals: all must be re-communicated and reinforced regularly so that everyone "gets it". When this process happens, a firm is energized and focused with predictable results on the bottom-line.

Communication

When it comes to issues of such critical importance, every available method should be employed. Communicate in writing, in memos and email, verbally in large meetings, small group meetings, and in formal (and informal) one-on-one meetings. Talk to people in their work spaces when you are visiting and walking around. On the flight line, in a fighting hole, around the water cooler, and on the plant floor you will find opportunities to reinforce what they are doing in support of your intent. And do not overlook opportunities to offer corrective action when someone is doing something counter to your intent. You undermine your credibility as a leader when you don't make corrections. Use all communication methods. No single method is going to get the point across.

Getting the Point Across

Communicate more, explain why, and use different methods. Don't forget the loudest communication of all - your behavior.

Without saying a word, you can send a message that totally undermines everything you are saying.

Another example of behavior's sending a poor message occurs when an experienced person takes a shortcut when completing a task.

Your body language sends messages you may not want to send.

All methods of communication must complement and reinforce each other. Any contradiction has the potential to undermine the entire message. Leaders must align their communication with their intent. This consistency generates trust and confidence in the leader. Alignment of communication is important but so is the alignment of organizational resources.

An organization in alignment has all its resources functioning in direct support of the vision.

Summary

Those we lead want to know where we are going and why. By sharing this information with them, you send the message that you trust them. Trust is the bedrock of successful organizations, and it inspires the people we lead to go out of their way to make us look good.

Communication about your direction is critical and must be continual. You must vary your methods, but not your message, to reach everyone and to keep them aligned with your goals.

"Just point me in the right direction and then get out of my way. I'll take care of the rest." - John Ruocco, Major USMC.

Donald G Rosenbarger
Senior Vice President
Delta Companies Inc

NO YELLING: Make New Leaders

Today we continue our new journey into a practical study of leadership development titled: NO YELLING. The lessons contained within our study stem from the book "NO YELLING: The 9 Secrets of Marine Corps Leadership You Must Know to Win in Business" by Wally Adamchik.

Many within (and outside of!) the Delta Companies, Inc., organization will know Wally from his many training sessions at Colas University, various Colas meetings, and even our own Delta Days training events. As a former U.S. Marine Officer, Wally led a tank battalion before becoming a pilot of AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopters. Today, he serves as President of FireStarter Speaking and Consulting. To learn more about Wally, visit his website at www.firestarterspeaking.com.

Our exploration of "NO YELLING: The 9 Secrets of Marine Corps Leadership You Must Know to Win in Business", continues with the sixth secret: Make New Leaders which includes: Cultural, Personal, and Accountable.

"All commanders should consider the professional development of their subordinates a principal responsibility of command. Commanders should foster a personal teacher-student relationship with their subordinates. Commanders should see the development of their subordinates as a direct reflection on themselves." - Warfighting

This recognition of the ongoing success of the company, or work group, is part of Adamchik's Third Law of Leadership: IT IS ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION. Personal glory and individual success are noteworthy, but organizational achievement is the result of the work of many people over time.

Organizations succeed because of effective execution by those being led. They succeed because all members of the organization recognize the contribution they make to the greater good. These members contribute as a result of good leadership.

The only possible way to execute at a high level is through a well-led workforce that exercises creativity and initiative. In the face of growth and change, tenured employees may yearn for the "good ole days". New workers may not know your system. Leadership is required at all levels.

Cultural

Leader development is cultural. Those leading in the organization must believe that it has a worthwhile mission - that it will endure. A natural extension of this philosophy is that the people in the organization realize that developing the next generation of leaders is integral to future success. There must be an expectation of developing future leaders.

"The key to unleashing the potential of others in large part rests on creating the right climate in the organization. People who are uninspired by the nature of their work, lack confidence in their skills, are uncertain about their responsibilities, are concerned with being criticized for mistakes, and who rarely get feedback on performance, are unlikely to surprise you with high performance or innovation." - John Woodmansee, Author.

Harvard professor, John Kotter, contends that "successful corporations don't wait for leaders to come along. They actively seek out people with leadership potential and expose them to career experiences designed to develop that potential".

Reading and discussion can be highly effective tools in leader development.

Personal

Development of subordinates may or may not be part of a given job description. However, whether it is written or not, make no mistake - the development of subordinates is a primary job responsibility of all positions. This emphasis on employee development is one of the key differentiators for the leader of the 21^st century. "That's not in my job description" is an oft-repeated, albeit weak, excuse for failing to "grow" new leadership. Perhaps coaching and mentoring are better suited to describe the process. A leader may coach anyone at any time, and will, hopefully, develop a mentoring relationship over time. (Mentoring means one-on-one, face-to-face interaction with the intent of preparing people to step into positions of increased responsibility and impact.)

Real leaders are always developing people.

"Professionals take responsibility for developing themselves first and then those they work with." - Colleen Ryan, Captain USMC.

Job exchanges are often cited as an excellent way to develop someone.

Much of leader development is informal, one-on-one coaching. Any situation can be used as a discussion point if the leader chooses to have the conversation. Every hour of the day presents opportunities to coach. The leader may take time to explain a decision, helping employees understand the big picture. The leader may ask an employee to explain the thought process involved in making a certain decision and then coach the person through seeing other courses of action. This behavior has value with all employees, but it is mandatory if there are to be leaders to step up to the next level.

Some employees assert that they don't want to move up. They say they are content with where they are and don't want the hassle of leading. They may not be truthful when they are saying this. Often they are really saying they don't have the training or they don't have the confidence in themselves.

Much of the development of leaders involves helping them learn how to think about the bigger picture.

The goal is to have a bench full of people who can operate independently because the understand the issues.

Accountable

Accountability is part of leader development. This ability to deliver feedback and have people receive it in a positive fashion stems from two distinct places. First is the culture: as we discussed, does the culture support and reward leader development? Second is the leader: does the leader have the interpersonal skills to regularly deliver effective feedback?

The challenge for a leader in developing new leaders is to respond with a question, rather than an answer, when asked by subordinates what to do. Rather than offer your answer, offer the question, "What do you think?" - they usually have it figured out already anyway. The role of the leader is to help people develop that confidence in themselves, to allow people to make mistakes, to share lessons learned, and to move on.

"My starting point is the understanding that it is my job to help you solve your problem, not solve it for you." - Roger Brown, Captain USMC.

Commanders are expected to develop subordinates and the outcomes should be viewed as direct reflections on themselves.

If you are really serious about developing people, you will schedule time for this interaction and you will protect it jealously.

The best leaders recognize that when their people succeed and advance it reflects well on them.

Summary

The best organizations consist of people who are ready to step up to the next challenge. They have a pool of able candidates who have been exposed to higher-level challenges, either through targeted opportunities in a concerted leader development process or through reading, study, and discussion.

The standard is the standard; we never want to lower the standard. We want to coach, mentor, encourage, and help people reach the standard.

Donald G Rosenbarger
Senior Vice President
Delta Companies Inc

NO YELLING: Take Care of People

Today we continue our new journey into a practical study of leadership development titled: NO YELLING. The lessons contained within our study stem from the book "NO YELLING: The 9 Secrets of Marine Corps Leadership You Must Know to Win in Business" by Wally Adamchik.

Many within (and outside of!) the Delta Companies, Inc., organization will know Wally from his many training sessions at Colas University, various Colas meetings, and even our own Delta Days training events. As a former U.S. Marine Officer, Wally led a tank battalion before becoming a pilot of AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopters. Today, he serves as President of FireStarter Speaking and Consulting. To learn more about Wally, visit his website at www.firestarterspeaking.com.

Our exploration of "NO YELLING: The 9 Secrets of Marine Corps Leadership You Must Know to Win in Business", continues with the fifth secret: Take Care of People which includes: At Work, At Home, and For Life.

At its core, leadership is about people. Fundamental to this concept is that leaders take care of their people.

At Work

Beyond the expectation and responsibility that the leader will take care of the led, when a leader takes care of his people he sends a clear message: I care about you, I respect you, and I want you to be OK.

If the leader listens to people and understands their unique needs and perspectives, individuals get the message that the leader cares.

Another way to show respect for those you work with is to be punctual. Timeliness does matter.

As humans, we naturally take care of people we respect. This mutual respect is essential to productive relationships.

Taking care of people often means going out of your way for them. The effort is well worth it. People remember it for years to come.

"...the leadership has the responsibility to take all reasonable measures to provide for the welfare of the 'troops' whenever possible, and especially following periods of hardship." - Tom Matkin, Major USMC.

Do not lower your standards. Leaders who overlook poor performance are compromising their integrity. Let's be clear, we should not coddle them. We should treat people as adults and expect the best from them. We should work to give them the best working environment we can, and we should implement timely and proper corrective action when necessary. We want to take care of them so they will want to take care of us.

At Home

Taking care of your people at home is more difficult to do, but that shouldn't stop you from doing what you can.

No one is just going to tell you about things at home. You have to build up to that by establishing credibility with your people. Research shows that if someone is dealing with issues of any kind at home, there is a high probability that those issues will negatively impact job performance.

There are times when we politely listen and move on, and there are times when we must take some type of action to help the employee.

Make time for people: turn off the phone and the computer. Talk to them at lunch or on a break; bring in doughnuts. Remember their child's birthday, their anniversary. These actions begin to create a bond that pulls them to work. They want to come to work because they are engaged, and they also feel more comfortable talking to you about personal issues.

People want their leadership to know who they are and that they have value as a person. People want to be respected. By getting to know them personally and treating them as people, respect develops, tight bonds form, and great deeds are accomplished. This process takes time and effort.

The cliché "don't tell me how much you care - SHOW me how much you care" comes to mind.

For Life

Transition assistance programs and graceful terminations are examples, in the civilian sector, of putting this concept of taking care of people and maintaining a relationship in place. People may ask, "Why bother? You are probably not going to hire them back." That is correct, you probably will not, but they are still out there in the marketplace with the opportunity to talk about your firm to peers and customers.

When I have to fire someone, I know I am impacting their livelihood and the family of a human being. Real people are affected by my action, so I make sure I have no recourse. I coach, train, counsel, document, and do everything else I possibly can so that if I have to let someone go, I know (and they know) that I did all I could and it doesn't come as a surprise. I treat people with dignity. Call it my "Golden Rule of Letting Someone Go" or call it "Dad's Rule".

Summary

Taking care of people is one of the fundamental responsibilities of leadership. It requires deliberate, intentional effort, and sometimes the efforts of the leader will be rebuffed. That is not a reason to stop doing it. The return on investment of time and money in taking care of people is very high.

Taking care of people is about setting a standard and helping them achieve it. This approach is not coddling nor is it a sign of weakness from the leader. It is quite easy to dismiss people but it is far too difficult to replace them. It is far better to create an environment where they want to stay and they want to make a positive contribution.

"It doesn't matter what they do for you, we have to treat them with human compassion." - Brooks Gruber, Captain USMC.

Donald G Rosenbarger
Senior Vice President
Delta Companies Inc