Whose Throat Do You Choke

So this was an interesting term that I heard about getting people to take responsibility for their actions.

“Whose throat do I choke for this?”

Sounds a little severe, no?

I think this is partially an adverse reaction to “analysis paralysis” and “death by committee” — where no decisions can ever get made. 

And organizations where lack of accountability runs rampant and it’s more about finger pointing at each other, rather than owning up to your responsibilities, decisions, and actions.

So with dysfunctional  organizations, the pendulum swings aimlessly being no accountability and the ultimate chopping block. 

But choking off the life blood of our human capital certainly isn’t conducive to innovation, exploration, and discovery or to productivity, employee morale and retention.

So when it’s simple human error with our best effort and no bad intentions, how about we say a simple “Who done it this time,” do a post-action, figure out the valuable lessons learned, and resolve how we do better going forward. 

No throats or heads necessary (most of time). 🙂

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Hope vs. Change

So we were promised hope and change, but what’s the difference?

Daniel Henninger in the Wall Street Journal says, “Hope is the helium -filled ballon of politics. Governing in office is the gravity that pulls it back down to earth.”

Many politicians are giving the false impression that “giving people the rhetoric of hope, lifting them with words, is more important than delivering results, which some might call change.”

Despair is when we are told that there is hope and promise, but we don’t get meaningful, impactful, and lasting positive change.

The hard work of leadership is not just providing a beautiful Garden of Eden vision for people to salivate over and to get their votes, but rather it is making something REAL happen that makes people’s lives and the world better. 

As they say is plain english, “Words are cheap!”

We don’t need any more fancy oratory skills–Hitler had those too and it led to the murderous genocidal Holocaust and disaster of World War II. 

Time for some elbow grease and some results that aren’t fake like the news we’ve been getting. 

We’ve heard too many lies, too much spin, and been subjected to language control of the “media echo chamber.”

Just one prominent example has been regarding terrorism and radical Islam which is not and never has been “workplace violence” and traffic accidents. 

Who is the President of the U.S. fooling when he says that theres been “no foreign-planned terror attacks in 8 years.”

Gee, ISIS and their numerous terror supporters seem to violently disagree about the many terrorist attacks we indeed did have on U.S. soil in the last 8-years, including Orlando, Garland, Fort Hood, San Bernardino, Minnesota, Ohio University, and many more.  

It’s time that we stop being fed a bunch of false hope and political malarkey and instead we get some genuine change, improvement, and progress in our lives and the nation. 😉

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Like A Rock Star

It’s funny that people derive so much of their self esteem from others. 

If someone says something nice to/about them, then they feel on top of the world–full of worth, productive, successful, confident.

And when someone says something negative, then they get down in the dumps–depreciated, questioning, can’t do anything right, like a failure.

Yet, it the same person inside–the same heart, the same soul.

Of course, we are impacted by our behavior (when we do good and not) and people’s reactions to it–and we should be–it’s a helpful feedback mechanism to let us know when we are messing up or as reinforcement to continue doing good things. 

But at the same time, people’s feedback is not always correct or well-intentioned and certainly it doesn’t necessarily represent holistically who we are…it’s just a snapshot in time. 

So we need to take what people say and reflect back to us with a grain of salt–listen, try to understand, but also look at the bigger picture of you. 

You know yourself better than anyone else, so incorporate the feedback and use it to improve, but don’t get bogged down by any person, event, or cheap talk.  

Yes, you can be a rock star, by reflecting from what others tell you, but more importantly by listening to that voice inside that guides you. 😉

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

10 Ways To Improve Federal Technology

While it’s good to improve government services through advances in information technology, we also need to do better with what we have, which is our own valuable IT human capital.

In the Wall Street Journal today, the “health-site woes” are spurring a push for changes to federal technology, including the possibility of a “federal unit dedicated to big tech projects.”

Whether or not we carve our a separate big tech project unit, we can do so much to improve success in all our agencies by valuing our people and motivating them to succeed.

As democracy and capitalism have taught us, we need people to be free to innovate and reward them appropriately.

While the grass may look greener in Silicon Valley, our challenge is to utilize all our resources in whatever part of the country they reside, whether they be government or private sector workers.

Ultimately, like most things, this is a human challenge, and not just a technology issue.

Hence, I developed the above comic strip to demonstrate 10 Ways to Improve Federal Technology, so we can all succeed together. 😉

(Source Cartoon [click here to enlarge]: Andy Blumenthal)

The Measure Of A Person

Another candidate for picture of the week.

This guy is wearing “tape measure” suspenders.

Oh, how fashionable!

While the true measure of a person is their good deeds and relationships (to man and G-d), perhaps the suspenders is a reminder that we should take the time to stop and measure ourselves both quantitatively and qualitatively in our lives.

As we approach the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, a time of introspection and judgement, it is a good opportunity to take measure.

Performance management is not just for work–we can look at ourselves both personally and professionally and commit to do better.

(Source Photo: Dannielle Blumenthal)

Government By Decision

I saw this bumper sticker on a pole in Washington, D.C.

It says “Puppet for President 2012” and I don’t know whether this was referring to Democrats, Republicans, Independents, or whoever.

But it did make a statement about the perceived ability of government to lead and perhaps that someone is “pulling the strings.”

Governance is the act of administering, managing and of course implies leadership and decision-making.

Yet what is driving the American people crazy is that our government seems for all intensive purposes broken, almost paralyzed.

Current reading are of political stalemate, problems that are too big and complex and the compromises too painful after years of excess, where indecision reigns supreme, and with that the popularity of government is at all time lows–10% for Congress and 36% for the President.

Here’s a basic example written about today in the Wall Street Journal: despite a drop in first class mail over the last decade (thanks to email and texting) from 100 billion to fewer than 70 billion pieces of first class mail and cumulative losses from 2006 to March 2013 of $41 billion, we still can’t decide whether to cut Saturday mail delivery that could save over $3 billion a year alone.

Other examples of government indecision are almost too numerous to name:

– Should we intervene in Syria’s civil war that has taken more than 100,000 lives and displaced millions?

– When should we take action against Iranian nuclear facilities that violate nuclear non-proliferation and threaten world peace?

– How should we handle militant Islamic and Al Qaeda threats that don’t seem to dissipate?

– What do we do about the mounting federal deficit with a national debt approaching $17 trillion that is still rising about $2 billion a day!

– With fiscal cliffs, debt ceiling, sequestrations, and cuts to the U.S. credit rating, can we find our way forward?

– What should we do to get people back to work with an employment level of 58.6%, still around the lowest in the last 30 years?

– How do we reign in entitlement spending that needy people depend on, but where nearly half (49%) of Americans households today receive transfer payments, and entitlement spending has risen to $2.3 trillion annually and now are over 60% of entire federal outlays.

– How do we improve morale of the U.S. middle-class when only 33% think their children will be better off than their parents?

– What should we do about so many hanging issues out there–immigration reform, spiraling health care costs, improving our education system, balancing surveillance and privacy, and much more?

However, the ultimate question really is whether no decision is better than a decision?

With no decision, the problems continue to escalate until they sort of magically go away on their own (they are “overcome by events”) or more ominously, they reach epic crisis proportions.

With a decision to act, we may make good decisions that positively impact the situation or we may make bad decisions that have a negative impact, but even with a bad decision, we can monitor the effects and course-correct until we show true improvement.

Decisions often mean winners and losers–and no one wants to lose anything–and there are lobbyists and special interest groups–and no one wants to be voted out of office…so what do we do?

Oh no, I can’t decide!

The reality is that we will will have to make hard decisions or they will be made for us–we will either be the masters of our own fate of the slaves of our indecision.

We can take back control and fix what is broken or wallow in despair and disrepair.

We can act now or kick the can down the road and have much more painful decisions later.

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Difficult Employees x 7

So I was learning about some management best practices in terms of there being 7 major types of difficult employees:

1. Challengers–employees that are oppositional; they resent authority, are disrespectful and confrontational.
2. Clingers–people who are overly dependent; they are uncertain about what to do, fearful of making a mistake, withhold their opinions and may harbor deep resentments.
3. Drama Queens/Kings–these folks crave attention; they can be found spreading gossip and rumors and making dramatic pronouncements both professional and personal.
4. Loners–people who like to be left alone; they tend to hover over their computers and avoid personal interactions.
5. Power Grabbers–staff that tend to get into power struggles with their boss; they ignore instructions and resist direction.
6. Slackers–those who don’t do the work they are supposed to do; they tend to linger on break, calls, or the Internet or be out of the office altogether.
7. Space Cadets–employees whose minds and discussion always seem to be in la-la-land; they tend to be off topic and impractical.

Obviously, each presents a unique set of management challenges, but one of the most important things a manager can do is focus on specific behaviors and the impact of those on the quality/quantity of work and on the organization, and work with the employee whether through coaching, counseling, mentoring, or training on how to improve their performance.

It should never be about the manager and the employee, but rather about the results and the outcomes. Keep it objective, be empathetic, document the issues, and work in earnest with the person to improve (where possible).

Difficult employees are not evil characters (or villains) like in the James Bond movies, but rather humans being that need inspiration, collaboration, guidance, feedback, and occasionally when appropriate, a change in venue–where a square peg can fit in a square hole. 😉

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

The Shofar: We Can All Improve

The Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah) is tonight, and it is a time of introspection and commitment to do better in the future.

On Rosh Hashanah, we blow the Shofar (traditionally made from a ram’s horn) in synagogue.

My sister-in-law, Sara Herbsman, told me a beautiful learning about the three types of blasts on the Shofar that correspond to 3 types of people that think they may be beyond repair, but who can still improve their lives:

1) Tekiah–tekiah means rooted and is one long blast–a person is never too stuck, stubborn, or set in their ways to change.

2) Shevarim–shevar means broken and the sound is 3 short broken blasts–that is a person is never to broken to fix.

3) Teruah–comes from the word Ra which means bad and is 9 rapid very short alarm blasts–that is a person is never too bad or evil to repent.

For those who have heard the Shofar blast, it is a moving experience–as if your very soul is stirred to introspection and fear of heaven.

I remember learning in Jewish Day School that our prayers would ascend to G-d in heaven on the blast of the Shofar.

But what I always like the best was the story of the one little boy in synagogue who did not know how to pray, but instead just cried–and his tears, full of sincerity, ascended beyond all the other prayers all the way to throne of the Almighty.

May G-d bless us with a happy, healthy, prosperous, and peaceful New Year.

Andy

(Source Photo: here with attribution to Elias Punch)

Accomplishing What?

What do you want to accomplish before you die?

Four university students in Canada developed a list of 100 things a few years ago and as of the publishing of their book on this called The Buried Life, they had accomplished 53 of them–including playing basketball with President Obama at the White House!

Also on their list was to “get in a fight”–and so a couple of them beat the h*ll out of each other. Uh, now you can cross that one off your list.

Number 100 on their list is “go to space”–now are they really going to make it there?  Maybe one call to CEO Elon Musk and they’ll get on the next flight of the new SpaceX Dragon capsule.

MTV made this into a reality TV show in 2010 and aired it for two seasons, and it was nominated for a number of awards.

The book came out in March 2012 and it hit #1 on the New York Times best seller list the very first week!

The premise of the book is pretty cool–they collected ten of thousands of entries on what people wanted to do before they died, chose the ones they thought best, and had an artist creatively portray these.

Some of the items in the book are things you’d expect from people in terms of becoming rich, powerful, famous, and so on.  Others are more intimate and from the heart like reconciling with estranged family members, forgiving those that have hurt them, understanding why bad things happened to them, and even finding true love.

What I find interesting is not so much even what people want to do with their lives, but how everyone is in a way (or actually many ways) imperfect and they seek to fill the voids in their hearts, souls, and lives.

Does creating a list of 100 things and checking off the list really mean anything or is it just a gimmick to get on TV, write a book, and earn some cash?

I think to me it’s not how many things we accomplish, but what we are really trying to achieve–is it bragging rights and fulfillment of our mortal desires, or is it to get a deeper understanding of ourselves, improve who we are, and give back to others.

I don’t have a list of a 100 things or even 10 things…I just want to live my life where I can look myself in the mirror in the morning for who I am as a husband, father, son, as a professional, and as a Jew.

I am not sure it is the big splashy things like the authors put down, including getting into the Guinness World Recordsthat is all it’s cracked up to be–but all the power to them.

My parents used to have a little sign hanging over the kitchen that said “It’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice”—yes, a little corny and cliche, but the point is well taken about setting priorities for ourselves that we can truly be proud of–and those things don’t necessarily make a list, a record, or get you an ovation.

Today, I read in the news about how Lance Armstrong, champion cyclist, may end up losing all 7 of his Tour de France titles for doping–just another example of what people are willing to do or give up of themselves to get what they want in life.

I say dream big, try your hardest, but don’t get lost in lists of accomplishments and stardom–stay true to who you really are and want to be.

And like the picture shows, it’s good not to take yourself too seriously.  😉

(Source Photo: Dannielle Blumenthal)

Perfect Is The Enemy of Good

Perfection is a destructive force. 

And the French philosopher, Voltaire recognized this when he said “Perfect is the enemy of good.”

I never really fully understood this saying, until recently reading a Harvard Business Review article (June 2011) called “The Paradox of Excellence.”

The article states: “High achievers often undermine their leadership by being afraid to show their limitations.”

At the heart of it…high achievers can let anxiety impede their progress through stress, alienating others, and failure to seize real opportunities. 

Here from the article are some of the “classic high achiever” behaviors that can get in the way of success unless artfully managed and balanced (my views):

1) Results-driven: High-achievers can be so work-oriented that they forget the people the make it all it happen. This is why they need to remember to delegate, empower, share, and CARE about others. The work is a team effort!

2) Highly-motivated:  They can be so serious about all aspects of their jobs that they “fail to distinguish between the urgent and the merely important.” Instead, they should take a bigger-picture PERSPECTIVE on the tasks and prioritize these accordingly. Not everything is life and death, thank G-d, and we need to keep a sense of humor and take the time to enjoy what we are doing. 

3) Competitive: They “obsessively compare themselves with others,” which can cause them to feel insufficient or make false calibrations. You have to remember to INTERNALIZE that the competition is not with others but with yourself–be the best you can be!

4) Risk-managed:  “They may shy away from the unknown” and avoid risky endeavors.  As they say in Wall Street, without risk, there is no reward. To INNOVATE and transform, you need to take calculated risks (without betting the farm!) after doing due diligence on an investment or opportunity. 

5) Passion: This can lead to powerful, productive highs, but can also result in “crippling lows.”  Recognize that there are natural ups and downs in the course of one’s work.  You can STEADY yourself through these by seeing it as incremental growth and improvement, rather than as either pure success or failure.

6) Guilt: “No matter how much they accomplish, they feel like they aren’t doing enough.”  This is an endless trap of it’s never enough and never good enough. Hey, we’re all mortal. Do what you can and balance the many demands that you have on you in your life, but FOCUS on what’s most important, since you can’t do it all and you can never get it all done. 

7) Feedback: High-achievers “care intensely about how others view their work” and they require a steady stream of positive feedback. Don’t get hung up by what other people say or think–it’s not personal and they have their own problems. Stay focused on delivering excellence in products and services to the customer, and use whatever feedback you can get–positive or negative–as valuable information to IMPROVE your offering. 

If you are a high-achiever and demand much (if not the impossible from yourself), take a step back and a breath in and out–you can accomplish a lot more of what’s important to you if stop trying to be perfect, admit your vulnerabilities and limitations, and just try to do your best–that’s all that anyone can ask.