Listening and Learning

What do groups learn by playing stupid games? One of most common excuses I hear is that no one was appointed the leader. But is that true? Hogwash, I say. Lack of leadership does not drive failure, rather the inability of the group to listen to and hear each other.

Listening makes the difference. Once members of a group listen to one another, anyone can lead; understanding and problem solving occur, people focus and work together. This is one of the lessons groups learn from Stupid Games.

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Seven Rules of Strategic Guessing

Rule Number One

The first rule is always pick the right team for planning. It is crucial that planning team members are people who are committed to and can add value to the conversation about the company’s growth. The only exception is if there are key employees or managers you want to train. If you want them to better understand the strategic issues facing the company, it might make sense for them to be a part of the process. In addition, you can have members of the planning team who are outside the leadership group. These could be sales-people and other key employees. It is important that you vet them and ensure that they are of the quality and stature required for being a part of the planning group.

A number of times over the years, I have seen the wrong leaders and key employees involved in planning. Their participation actually hurt the effort. Take Carla, an HR manager that was naturally included at a manufacturing plant’s planning sessions. After the planning sessions, she took employees into her office and gossiped about managers. Then she left. (Thank goodness.) After her departure, the plant’s CEO added Lucinda, the new HR manager, to the team. She was young, energetic, knowledgeable, and had a clear vision of what the company could be. Her role was completely different than the first HR manager’s was. Lucinda’s addition to the planning team was constructive and positive.
The message here is to pick wisely and selectively. Members of the planning team must be able to maintain complete confidentiality and be fully engaged in the growth and well-being of the company. Select employees who are passionate about growing the company, developing an extraordinary organization, and, essentially, being the CEO’s partner. Don’t accept mediocrity or include people in the planning process simply because of their positions.
For more information about picking the right team click here.

Raving Fan Customers: Creating Customer Focused Teams

A Normal Process for Team Development

Like people, teams go through different phases during their development. This is normal. A two-year old human is very different than a 16-year-old. Likewise, a team that has been together two months behaves very differently than a team that has been together 16 months.

There are five stages of development for customers focused teams, each with its own distinct characteristics:

Stage 1 - Getting to Know You

• Feeling that this customer service stuff could be fun combined with some anxiety about how to do it
• A degree of excitement about the concept of team
• Figuring out who is in charge
• Clarifying the rules and developing standards
• Dependence is on the coach/leader
• Coach/leader uses a directive approach

Stage 2 - Wish We Weren’t Here

• Feeling that this is not fun
• Leadership and/or members are all screwed up
• Feeling that “something is definitely wrong here”
• Feeling uncertain and incapable
• Performance standards not being met and a lot of finger pointing
• Little agreement among team members regarding standards
• Customer focus is rhetoric only
• A lot of internal strife and no sense of mutual accountability
• Task driven but a lot of individual agendas
• Performance standards are not agreed upon

Stage 3 - Getting Behind the Game

• Performance standards hammered out
• Increasing ownership of those standards
• Decreasing hostility as the team begins working out personal differences
• Focus on customers
• Starting to like and feel comfortable with mutual accountability
• Positive feedback from customers starting to come in
• More honesty among team members
• Failing forward -- learning and improving from trial and error, with rapid recovery from mistakes
• Enthusiasm and energy levels increasing
• Support for each other evident
• Small wins bring large smiles

Stage 4 - High Performance and Raving Fan Service

• Customers are consistently overwhelmed by the service and product
• Team standards are met and moved outwardly by the team
• Members feeling good about consistency
• Shared leadership
• Open and honest communication
• Meetings are full of straight talk
• Results are recognized by customers as high performance
• Members feel deep concern for each other’s personal growth and success
• The team outperforms all reasonable expectations
• Team members are having a lot of fun

Stage 5 - The Times They Are A-Changing

• A major change occurs, such as members joining or leaving, a new coach, new performance standards, etc.
• Confusion
• Uncertainty regarding the implications of change

 For more information about Team Stages click here.

Not the top, not the bottom: the third strategy for middle management

The Third Strategy
Still another way of developing the middle is through the establishment of a middle management development and training program. What this does is either bring in talented new hires or promote key employees into a rotation of positions throughout the company. Rotations can last from six months to a year, and the entire program can last up to two years.

At one company I worked with, the underwriting manager became the claims manager, and the claims manager became the underwriting manager. What was great was that the employees of each department stepped up to support and train their new managers. This had some positive results. By teaching their new bosses, the employees better learned their own disciplines and roles. They also gained experience in managing up and supporting a manager to win. Meanwhile, the new managers got trained in an aspect of the business with which they were unfamiliar. They became better-rounded executives.

At another company, managers formally rotated to sales and production management positions before being eligible to be plant and territory general managers. This type of initiative provides a training and development course that allows employees to experience and learn about the different facets and aspects of the firm. This makes them more valuable as future leaders of the company.

To learn more about CMI's strategic development programs click here.

Not the top, not the bottom: the second strategy for middle management

The Second Strategy
Another way to support the growth and development of the middle is to form a group of middle managers from various companies. Participants are leaders from different departments: sales executives give input to production and human resource department heads, and so on. There is learning and sharing of different views that goes on during the group sessions, which I also recommend being led by an outside facilitator.

I have led such a middle manager key-employee group. We met for each session at different companies, which allowed participants to see the different facets of participating organizations. This key middle management group also gained perspective by reading a different book for each session. Members coached one another on issues and concerns brought to the meetings. The coaching model we followed goes like this:

1. A participant presents a problem with which he or she wants coaching and counseling. This is something challenging that they want their peers’ perspectives on.

2. In “round robin” style, everyone asks questions about the issue. You are only allowed to ask one question at a time. Once the question is asked, the person presenting the issue responds with an answer. Then the next person asks a question. Once all questions are asked and responded to, it is assumed that everyone understands the issue.

3. Participants then give coaching and feedback to the person presenting the issue. The participants, in effect, become one another’s board of advisors.  
For more information on CMI's leadership development programs click here.

Not the top, not the bottom: the first strategy for middle management

The First Strategy
Hire people in the middle who have aspirations, who want to grow and develop and are mobile. Thus you have leaders who are eager for opportunity. They are attracted to moving and working in a new location is attractive for them, and they are excited about establishing a new beachhead for the company.

Create a process in which, as one of its yearly goals and objectives, top leadership has to develop and take courses. In one company I worked with, if you could not demonstrate to the CEO that you had improved your skill set and thinking abilities in the last year, you were not eligible for a raise no matter how well you had performed. In another company, if you aspired to be a director, you had to get an MBA. These policies can supported a company in dramatically growing both revenue and profits.

For more information about CMI's process for improving your leadership team click here.

Not the top, not the bottom: 3 strategies for middle management

I have never been a lover of the sandwich. It sounds un-American and un-manly. However, my lack of interest comes from the bread - the sandwich’s top and bottom. What’s the purpose? However, I am wildly attracted to the middle of the sandwich. Whether the sandwich is ham and provolone, chicken and mustard, or peanut butter and jelly, for me it is always the middle that dictates how much a sandwich is enjoyed and appreciated.

I can imagine that you think an ode to the middle of sandwiches cannot in any way be related to a series of blog posts about successfully growing an organization. Stay put and hang in there, as I am truly a genius; here comes the transition.
Not the Top, Not the Bottom


In privately held companies after a certain size (50-500 employees), it is the middle—as in management—that is a critical element of a company. We are talking about the layer of leadership and coordination between the top strategic leadership and the front line. It is this middle that will help dictate the firm’s long-term success.

This assertion flies in the face of what most business commentators offer. These talking heads focus on the importance of the top of the company—the Steve Jobs, Jack Welch, and Ken Leahy CEOs are all, according to the pundits, apparently single-handedly responsible for the success or demise of their organizations.

Typically, companies of about 50-500 employees or more, have a “middle” as in management. ” These key employees are important to the success of the overall organization. These key employees, now called managers and/or team leaders, become crucial in leading and developing different sectors of the company.

So, what should be done? How is it that a company dealing with today’s myriad challenges can also develop a strong middle that aspires to leadership? How is a cast of characters like this developed? In the next few weeks I will outline three strategies that I have seen utilized in successful companies.

Interested in learning more about CMI's strategic leadership development programs?  Click here.

Want to sample some buffet options from the menu of options in Front Line Heroes?

Plate #1: It’s All About the Middle

This is the dieting portion of the book. Not. It is actually about how critical middle management is in growing a company. The lack of a dynamic middle management group can bring growth to a screeching halt; I have seen it with my baby brown eyes (one of my cutest features). If you are going to avoid this common pitfall, make sure you read this piece.

MMM... Let's go back for seconds!

Plate #2: Why Hold Annual Kickoff Meetings?

Kickoff meetings allow the leadership team and employees to focus and set priorities—and they are underutilized in companies. Shocking. Included here are ways you can design these meetings to be valuable, worthwhile, and—yes—even enjoyable.

Delicious! Why not indulge in thirds?

Plate #3: Go Live With the Whales

Come to Patagonia with me and meet the penguins. Recognize that you are your own most valuable resource. Explore how to get the most of that resource. Also look at what you can actually learn and apply from truly getting away. It is a whale of an adventure tale that you will enjoy.

Scrumptious! But don't get too full! View more options on the Front Line website.

The Top 5 Reasons to Read Front Line Heroes

(5) It is fun, entertaining and informative. This book’s chapters include, “Posters, Plaques, and Horse Manure,” “Go Live with Whales” and “Why Stoopid Games?” which describe how values, teamwork, communication and your own potential can make your company successful.

(4) It is universal. The stories described in Front Line Heroes are based on real companies and real people from business groups of large corporations, non-profit organizations and family businesses, to name a few.

(3) It is practical. The book offers concrete advice and ways in which to use it. Most business books talk about what other companies did to succeed and not about how to do it. Front Line Heroes is all about the “How.”

(2) It really works. Front Line Heroes is based on 30 years of real life experience. Since 1984, Bruce has helped companies develop and grow with strategic business planning and team building programs.

(1) It is personally signed. Autographed copies are available for purchase on the CMI website.

Interview with the Author

An interview with Bruce Hodes, the author of the new book, Front Line Heroes

Interviewer:  What is your book title?

Bruce Hodes (Author): Front Line Heroes: How to Battle the Business Tsunami by Developing Performance Oriented Cultures


I: Did you consider any other titles for your book?
A: Books as Compost or Business Compost/Fertilizer

I: Why did you decide to write a book?
A: I realized that this was the next thing to take on. As I was developing my career I found that I could make a difference and contribute. The business climate is terrible and it impacts businesses. There are opportunities for businesses and ways to impact the face of media, so I wanted to write about them to help people.

I:  Who/what were your sources of inspiration?
A:My ability to make a difference and my clients. They are the ones that asked the right questions and gave me the ideas.

I: What do you hope to achieve by writing and publishing your book?
A: Well, I hope people read it, but I really hope that they use it as a tool and get inspired  to make create safe and straight forward cultures in their workplace.

I: How long did it take to write your book?
A:1.5-2 years

I: Who designed the cover?
A:Writers of the Round Table

I: Who is your publisher?
A:Writers of Round Table

I: Why did you choose to write this particular book?
A:Tried and true ideas on growing/focusing organization

I: What was the hardest part about writing this book?
A:Sticking to it.  The promise to the writing group and the publishers helped me out with that.

I: Did you learn anything from writing this book and what was it?
A:I can write and I might even like it a little! But publishing is easier than I thought and the resources were outstanding. I also learned that people gain from knowledge from what my book has to say.

Front Line Heroes

Front Line Heroes: How to Battle the Business Tsunami by Developing Performance Oriented Cultures by Bruce Hodes is going to be available so soon! Read the back cover below.

It is possible to develop and grow powerful organizations in challenging times—it just takes courage, determination, and actionable techniques that work. In Front Line Heroes, Bruce Hodes offers executives and business leaders advice culled from 30 years of coaching privately held companies ranging from $5 million to $100 million in size. With humor, real-world examples, and step-by-step guides, the book explains:

• How to make mission, values, and BHAGS relevant to daily organizational life

• 7 essential rules for effective strategic planning

• How to transform groups into high-performance teams

• 4 organizational enigmas and the missing link that solves them

• How to eliminate mediocrity from employee performance—for good



If you are ready to stop playing victim to the times, Front Line Heroes will arm you with the tools you need to achieve sustainable business growth.


For more information visit our website here.
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Enigma #3

Everyone hates the annual review process (except you, Mr. or Mrs. Perfect Executive). No one likes feeling judged, to start. Employees find the whole thing meaningless. Managers, at best, find it flawed and, most often, not well executed. So the third enigma is this: how do you make the annual performance appraisal more than something that is disliked and disrespected?

One organization I know of did not set its yearly goals until more than halfway through the year. (I’m sure this is shocking behavior to you.) Then the leadership team started the appraisal process based on the goals they’d just created—after which, they argued about goal consistency (or lack thereof) between departments. Talk about a process that was UN–motivating. It was the perfect storm for organizational resignation.

This appraisal morass is a big deal. I have listened to lots of whining and complaining about how appraisals are done and how they are utilized. The biggest issue I see is with the appraisal review system is that it takes place after the fact, the appraisal occurs after the work season ends and the year is over. It is not a coaching and development system that can allow for improvement and performance enhancement. It is all about rating past performance and, as such, is missing the point.
As for the answer to how to make the process understood and valued, read on—but first, Aare you ready for the fourth enigma? This one has especially plagued and vexed me throughout my long bloodsucking consulting years.

For an alternative to the appraisal review system, click here.

Enigma #1

A company and its leadership team can spend a lot of time and effort creating a strategic plan. They may even spend money on the process and bring in a bloodsucker like me to facilitate. Creating the plan, however, is the easy part. Implementation and execution is the real challenge.

So, once you have a plan, how do you ensure follow-through and implementation? How do you support real action throughout the year and prevent the unintended syndrome that results from a beautiful plan in a beautiful binder sitting with all the other similar binders in the CEOs office?

My breakthrough came when we came across the execution management philosophy called the Keyne Methodology. We support the execution management methodology by utilizing software called Keynelink.

This is all a simple philosophy and approach to execution management. After a leadership team has created the strategic plan and corporate initiatives this is the approach to apply towards ensuring execution by the entire company and follow through. Another way of expressing this is that this is the way to truly ensure that a company is focused on, executing and aligned to the strategic plan. More to come on this later.

For more information about KeyneLink, please click here.

The Second Rule of Planning

The second golden rule of planning is to, “make sure the design of the planning is one that will get you a good result. I am not a believer of leadership teams locking themselves in a room at a resort for two to three days. This type of planning may be sprinkled with some golfing, gambling or other type of “fun” stuff. From this design, a strategic plan is supposedly born and created.

The problem with this design is that it curtails critical thinking. This process begins to smell of “plan in binder” syndrome. Poke me in the eye with a hot stick. If you do all your planning during one session you risk just doing more of what you are doing in the present. There is no opportunity for research or involving others within the organization who are not at the planning session.

Here is what to do. The process should take place over two to three months and take three to four days. It is predicated on white papers and dialogue. Listening and understanding are critical. Better research ensures better debate and thinking. “What is a white paper?” you ask hysterically. “Hang tough,” I say. That is covered in rule five.

For more information about CMI's planning process visit our website: www.cmiteamwork.com 

The first rule of planning

The first rule is “always pick the right team for planning.” This poses the question of who should be part of the planning team. This is an important question. It is important that planning team members are people who are committed to, and can add value to the conversation about the growth of the company.

The only exception is if there is a key employee or manager you want to develop. If you want them to better understand the strategic issues facing the company, then it might make sense for them to be a part of the process.

In addition you can have members of the planning team who are outside of the leadership group. These could be sales people and other key employees. It important that you vet them and ensure that they are of the quality and stature that is required for being a part of the planning group. It is also important that they are all getting their jobs done and are employees of stellar standing within the company.

A number of times over the years I have seen the wrong leaders and key employees involved in planning and their participation actually hurt the effort. Pray give us an example you ask? Ok, well there was Jason who in the middle of the year abruptly left the company.

After an investigation it became apparent that Jason was not returning customer’s calls. In fact, lots of work around Jason’s customers was not getting done. Yet we spent a lot of time in planning on improving customer service. Jason had actually taken on being a Champion in and working on improving customer service. Then we got to see what he was actually doing—talk about a buzz killer. It was enough to make me want to use that aforementioned pointed stick.

How did this happen? What allowed Jason to be on the team that was led to this dark place? Clearly there was a lack of supervision. His manager was not providing oversight. What was really going on you ask? This could be the subject for an article or book and that is for another time.

Then there was an HR manager at a manufacturing plant who took employees into her office and gossiped about managers. A number of times she would run out of the planning session crying. Again a buzz killer. Then she left. Thank GOD and music please!

After her departure, the CEO added Lucinda to the team. She was young, energetic, knowledgeable and clearly had a vision of what the company could be. Her role was completely different than the first HR manager. Lucinda’s addition to the planning team was constructive and positive.

So, the message here is pick wisely and selectively. Members of the planning team must be able to maintain complete confidentiality and be fully engaged in the growth and well being of the company. Select the employees who are passionate about growing the company, developing an extraordinary organization and being the CEO’s partner in accomplishing those things. Don’t have people be part of the planning process only because of their position or accept mediocrity.

For more information about CMI's planning process visit our website: www.cmiteamwork.com

Can You Hear Me?

Listening is what will make the difference. Once a group is listening, anyone can lead. Once ‘listening’ is present, understanding and problem solving occur naturally. People can focus and work together. Prior to this there is reaction and yelling. Listening, the power of listening is one of the lessons I have seen groups get from utilizing stupid games.

Another lesson that groups learn from stupid games is the value of practice. For many groups it is a revelation to discover that to improve a group’s performance will take conversations, learning and practice. When people realize that practice is necessary while playing a stupid game, the drama suddenly ends and people relax. They get that it is ok to make mistakes and learn from them. That is what happens when you ‘practice.’ We learn that we can be safe with each other.

Learning about failure is still another lesson that can be learned in stupid-game land. There is failure and then there is failure. Whenever humans learn and develop, there is failure. There are failures from not doing something that needs to be done as well as from doing the wrong thing. The problem is that there are real consequences for failures during real business.

I have seen corporate groups play the same game over and over again and yet still get value from them. The standards can change, the parameters can change, what people learn can change, and it still is all training and development.

In business, when a group alienates a customer there are consequences. With a stupid game when the group alienates the customer (who is really the bozo facilitator pretending to be a customer) there is learning and development. This goes back to the games as a practice field that is safe and in which members of the group can learn and develop. There are no long-term consequences on the practice field.

For more information about CMI's team building events click here.

Why Do Any of This?

Groups, if they are going to perform together, need to practice together. That is obvious. The Army and Marines get it and call it ‘boot camp.’ Theater and dance groups get it and they call it ‘rehearsal.’ Sports teams get it and they call it ‘practice.’ Business groups don’t get it and for the most part don’t do anything. Typically business groups have low group performance. Do we see a pattern here?

So that is where the stupid games come in. They start to look like they are not so stupid. They let groups take a look at their own behavior in order to discover how they can improve their performance. The notion is simple: a group solves problems the way it does because the people are the same. A group’s ‘group dynamics’ are the group’s dynamics. This is true whether it is in the stupid game or back at the ‘ranch.’

The major difference is if the group back at the ranch does not perform well there are consequences internally and with customers. If the group does not perform well at the stupid game, it is a big-time opportunity to learn. There are no consequences in the stupid game except learning, having fun and laughing at yourself.

So what do groups learn? Here are the some of the lessons I have seen groups of people learn over and over again. Again, there is a game called The Tent Pole. Using just their index fingers, the group is to lower the tent pole down to the ground. At no time are you to lose contact with the pole. The fingers are all under the tent pole trying to maintain contact. The pole goes up instead of down. People scream and yell at each other. Blame is heaped on some poor scoundrel. It’s all great fun.

One of the things that people typically say as an excuse for their lack of performance is that no one was appointed the leader and that is why chaos occurred. That is often the obvious and agreed upon excuse. But is that true? In reality, people are deaf to what is really missing which is listening. No one is listening when this exercise starts.

For more information about CMI's team building events click here.

The Coach's Handbook VII - Facing the Future

Managing and coaching are different systems of human interaction. Both are necessary for
successful organizational life. In managing, one tends to make decisions based on established
directions, emphasizing knowledge and reason supported by intuition and acting in the present
based on the past.

In coaching, one needs to make decisions based on an envisioned future. A coach emphasizes
intuition supported by reason, belief and commitment in others, and acting toward the future
based on the present.

Coaching as a predominant style is a new development because of the changes and pressures
which are overwhelming business. It will be a prominent management style in the future.

Managers and team leaders who are going to be successful need to invest themselves in this
system and become extraordinarily proficient at it.

Read more of my writing at: http://www.cmibusinessplanning.com/news.html

The Coach's Handbook Part VI - Extraordinary Coaching

Extraordinary coaching is brought about by fusing the uniquely human characteristics mentioned
above. An extraordinary coach will be one who truly measures his/her performance by the
performance of the employees (the players). This approach will yield superior results.

The following are questions to ask yourself to see if you are an extraordinary coach.

1. Would people around you say that your team gets extraordinary results (enables the production of results beyond business as usual)?
2. Is there evidence that you are someone who develops great players? By a “great player,” we mean people who are able to make things happen far beyond what one might expect given history and past predictions of your organization?
3. Do you consistently demonstrate the ability to bring the capabilities and possibilities of coworkers to a more advance or effective state? The coach does this with whomever he or she interfaces with, either directly or indirectly, in the organization. The coach develops people in a 360 degree circle—above, below and laterally within the organization.
4. Do your commitments and sphere of influence go beyond traditional business channels and relationships? The coach does not get entrapped by his or her position in the organization. This person uses influence and coaching to move the ball wherever he or she moves within the organization.
5. Are you a person who presents yourself for coaching? Are you coachable?
6. Do you take on projects that require self-development?

Your answers should give you a sense of whether or not you are coaching. Be tough on yourself
and differentiate between your coaching activities and management activities. All too often, we
find executives claiming to coach, but really managing.

Next week - my final post in this series: Facing the Future

Read more of my writing at: http://www.cmibusinessplanning.com/news.html

Get the latest Gardening Tips……from the bald one

An article called "Using Books For More Than Compost" by Bruce Hodes, CEO of CMI, has been published by Vistage, the largest provider of CEO Groups in the world. Click here to read the article. Let us know what you think.