Marcia's Leadership Q and As: An Unbelievable Culture—It’s All About Leadership!

Q. Why is it that some organizations are so healthy and engaging while others are toxic and dysfunctional?

A. In the past few months (and many decades, too), I’ve observed and experienced a variety of organizational workplaces. Across all sectors from private companies to global corporations, education, healthcare, government, and non-profits, there are environments that are full of ideas, sharing and caring, high productivity, innovation, and unprecedented results. The other extreme is built on a foundation of chaos, busyness, stress, fear, arrogance, bullying, and a drive to succeed that can negatively impact success. Yet there are some dysfunctional workplaces that are also successful because people are driven to perform, and they do so to make a living.

There are the extreme work environments, but why do the differences occur? Recently my colleague and I visited a division of a very large media corporation, but this visit was like no other! From the warm hello when we walked in the door to the introduction with every staff member over several hours, we not only received a friendly greeting, but a warm, welcoming, engaging interaction! In more than 25 years of touring, assessing, and consulting, this was a rare experience.

Throughout the tour, I started pondering, what’s different here? How is this culture so incredibly warm? It’s not just a few people. It’s everyone. This high-stress and high energy work environment lived its common values.

At the core is leadership! Leaders who create a system where people not only identify their values together, but create the systems and processes to interview, hire and train for them have a foundation where people are one family. The team experiences support and collaboration under their high stress work (media reporting and breaking news.) Through the strain, they know they’re not alone. They can trust that everyone has each other’s back.

Leaders develop more leaders. No one needs to be arrogant or competitive because they are helping each other be the best they can be. Creating more teams and organizations across all sectors like this media corporation is a magical win-win in society. Let’s create it and help make a bigger difference and impact for the future.

Marcia's Leadership Q and As: How to Deal with Fear

Q. From our management to our front-line workers, we are fearful as post-election decisions unfold, and our business is struggling. How can we be resilient?

A. Fear erodes people, productivity, and profits. Both positional leaders and natural leaders (that’s you) need to address it. It’s essential that people come together. 

First, acknowledge that people are experiencing fear. Name together all the fears people have. Often the assumption is that there are six or seven fears. Once you being labeling them, you’ll discover that there may be 50 or 100. Being aware of them and naming them helps deal with them. 

Common fears are fear of change, the unknown, failure, making mistakes, speaking up, rejection or not being included, Loss (losing the job or business), and many more. Discuss what fears exist and how people are impacted. 

Anticipate the fears. If you don’t they can paralyze you and fester inside of you. Denial is not a healthy response to fear. Together you can acknowledge the fears that exist and make a plan to address them. Often having a discussion about fear will help it dissipate. 

Fear is an emotion. Some people have some fears while others don’t. People who are not fearful can help bring perspective to others. For example, some people fear change while others embrace it. Together people can alleviate some of the fear. 

Communication is a key component to reducing fear and building trust. Contemplate how to move forward and how to make a difference. Fear always exists (different kinds and to different degrees), but identify what you can control, and work together to problem solve and create a healthy environment around you.

Marcia's Leadership Q and As: Why Businesses Decline

Q. Our company is declining in sales and profits after being successful for decades. What’s happening?

A. Your competitive edge is waning, and there are probably multiple reasons why you’re experiencing those results. Basic causes for decline are that a business loses its innovative leadership thinking and its direction; customers don’t want to buy your products and services; and, the team isn’t providing an engaging customer experience.

To turn your decline around, leaders need to create a compelling vision and communicate it. A healthy, productive culture emerges when management invests in its team and develops individuals who can contribute and find joy in working together to serve customers. Eventually self-organizing teams are directly engaged with customers and anticipate and deliver the customers’ needs.

Continually improving and innovating means being in touch with customers and deeply understanding what’s most important to them. Does it mean delivering higher quality, faster service, responsiveness? That is the role of management. Understand the customers and what they want and need.

Organizations that struggle are generally first, out-of-touch with their customers. Secondly, they don’t have the systems, processes, or teamwork in place to deliver the customers’ needs. Third, leaders are focused on arbitrary numerical goals and bottom-line numbers rather than delivering quality products and services which produce better goals. That thinking needs to pivot, or the decline will continue

In addition, leaders need to rapidly decrease the complexity, waste, fear, and toxic behaviors in the organization to allow productivity and progress to flourish. A rapid transition can occur and save the organization, but it requires a quick assessment and rapid action to achieve success.

Marcia's Leadership Q and As: Leaders Develop Leaders

Q. Our company has promoted many people into supervisory or management positions in the past year because they excelled in their jobs. Some are excellent natural leaders, and some have become bossy, critical, judgmental and tyrants with their teams. How do we develop their leadership?

A. Everyone has natural leadership within them, but many people have never been taught to be a leader. They’ve seen or experienced poor management from parents, former managers, teachers or coaches, or television shows, etc. Great leaders are not judges or bullies. Executives and managers continually need to improve their own leadership. They do this with a coach, classes, conferences, books, etc. Learning never ends.

I recall a time when a Division Manager that I was consulting with asked me, “Marcia, how do I become a better leader?” He led an organization with 6000 people, and I led no one. Luckily, we had a three-hour exploratory conversation with numerous questions and reflections, and I was grateful I’d been intensely studying and reading about leadership with my mentor for several months. 

The role of a leader is to develop the people. That does not mean a leader tries to motivate or micromanage them! (common management beliefs or fads!) A leader’s role is to create the environment where people are self-motivated and can contribute! That’s where the power is! 

Great leaders question everything! They question beliefs and assumptions, the systems people work in, what resources are needed, what communication is needed, the way people work. Leaders are authentic and get people together often to engage, to ask for their feedback on what do we need to improve, everyday? 

Great leaders are great communicators. They communicate the aim and direction of the organization, and they give the teams the freedom to implement their ideas about how to achieve the aim. Leaders create a workplace where people get to know each other so they trust each other, collaborate, and problem solve together. They continually improve and create innovative products and services. Leaders appreciate employees, not through individual recognition ("Employee of the month", or making winners and losers), but by saying "Thank you," creating group/Town Hall meetings where people can share their successes. 

With a foundation of respect and transparency leaders show compassion, flexibility, and inclusion. They regularly ask, “How can I help you? What do you need to do your job better or faster?”

Marcia's Leadership Q and As: Create Deep Connections for Productivity

Q. Our team is remote across multiple time zones. How can we get to know each other so we can be more productive?

A. Team leaders strategize with their team to develop a solid foundation for team

development and optimal communication. People need to get to know each other

and build trust to effectively and plan for efficient customer deliveries. The work

together means asking probing questions to continually improve and innovate.

Ideally team members gather in person regularly to experientially learn together,

problem solve, discuss issues, and brainstorm the future opportunities and

markets. Investing in time to get to know each other allows people to support

each other and be open to hear new ideas.

When people talk, they explore what they have in common. Whether it’s hobbies,

where they went to school, or favorite activities, they are eager to find

commonalities. Their interdependence develops.

Once a team meets in person, they can more easily bond and are open to

communicate via Zoom or other Platforms. A day of internal planning can

expedite the work they need to accomplish. Regular in-person meetings are self-

sustaining, and self-organizing teams emerge to accomplish customer challenges.

Marcia's Leadership Q and As: How to stop bad behaviors at work

Q. We have a team environment where people criticize, blame and judge others. How can we improve this?

A. Dysfunctional behaviors where people (management and employees) criticize, blame and judge others is not healthy for the staff or for the business. 

Why and how do these workplace behaviors begin or persist?

When the organization or a team isn’t achieving the results it wants or what the customers need, there are fundamental root causes. It will take new knowledge that leaders and teams apply to improve this situation. 

If not, the team and organization will continue to struggle and decline (either slowly or fast) over time. 

A quick intervention is necessary. An organization or “team” full of poor behavior will only infiltrate more bad behaviors.

Clear communication and direction from leadership is necessary. Answer, “what are we trying to accomplish together?” Systems, processes, and healthy, respectful two-way communication are your foundation. People need to work in a healthy work environment. They are also responsible for communicating with respect, with asking good questions, and contributing ideas for accomplishing good work. 

Focus on learning and working well together, not judging, criticizing, or blaming others. 

If you’re not getting the results you want, look at your work process, your resources and training, and your communication. 

What do you need to improve together?

Marcia's Leadership Q and As: Leader or bully? Some common poor leadership traits

Q. Our company has a diversity of managers, some great mentors and leaders and others who are dysfunctional and toxic. Why the difference, and what can we do?

A. People have beliefs and assumptions about how to manage and lead. Some have learned bad behaviors from previous managers. Others learned good behaviors. Some studied leadership fads and “best practices” that create a toxic work environment. Some are arrogant. Others continually study leadership and seek to improve their leadership. Some ask questions and don’t think they know it all.

There’s positional “leadership.” Some people with titles and positions assume they know how to lead. Few do. Others are great leaders!

What’s the difference? Some leaders create a beautiful, productive culture where people are self-motivated, can contribute ideas and problem solve together, feel valued and appreciated, and achieve great results. This culture has a foundation of trust, respect, and creates joy in work.

Poor positional leaders have these traits. They judge, criticize, and blame people for the system results that they don’t like (and they are accountable for creating the sub-optimal system;) they micromanage (example: they insist on being copied on all emails;) they don’t include people in decisions, but rather dictate and tell; they lead with fear. A bullying, toxic workplace emerges, and it becomes contagious. People stop communicating and collaborating; they withdraw. Eventually they resign.

Sometimes dysfunctional managers don’t realize they are really bullies. They have internal fears, low self-esteem, are inauthentic, and have no self-awareness. Their arrogance (and title) continues to evolve, and the gossip about them increases. But no one wants to work with them.

Leaders have a choice, to become better leaders or to stay stuck as poor managers. Great leaders continually assess themselves and seek outside feedback, focusing and asking, “How can I be a better leader?” Chances are, if you’re not asking that question, your dysfunctional behaviors are pretty robust, and your authentic leadership is low!

Choose your legacy. Will you be a bully, or micromanager, or a great leader?

Marcia's Leadership Q and As: Are you developing leaders?

Q. How do we develop our new hires into our workplace?

A. Developing the natural leadership in your workplace is the fundamental task of the positional leaders. That starts with senior management being committed to their own continual learning. This includes self-awareness, self-development, skill development, improving communication and listening skills, asking pertinent questions, creating a culture where everyone can contribute to the aim of the organization.

Creating a learning culture will help a company achieve its competitive edge in the workplace and a collaborative team environment internally. With a mindset to serve each other inside the company and to serve customers in partnership with vendors, organizations can thrive and contribute toward a healthier society and economy.

That’s the foundation that only leaders can foster. To develop new hires (and all employees) means first, commit to continual education and training. Everyone is a natural leader, whether that leadership is deep inside an individual or it’s just below the surface. Positional leaders and managers develop others and teams. Create goals and bring people together to contribute how the work will be done. Make sure resources and training are provided. Does everyone understand the process and how to improve it to serve customers?

Developing people means developing their communication ability, process improvement knowledge, technical skills, team-building, tools and data collection and analysis, and much more. Develop an education plan. Make leadership development a significant part of it, and then add to it as the team flourishes. In time, you’ll develop self-organizing teams, and their contributions can be profound.

Marcia's Leadership Q and As: “Crazy Busy” is Waste

Q. Work is busy, busy, busy – always! How do we get better control?

A. Most organizations experience between 50 to 80% waste and complexity. But people become accustomed to the “way we do things” and the “status quo,” so they accept the waste because they don’t even see it. Busyness is not productivity. Yet people will stay busy rather than make the changes and improvements that can significantly streamline their work. Busyness becomes a bad habit. What needs to happen to reduce the busyness?

When teams work well together, they focus on a few essential elements. The team defines what they need to accomplish. They define their customer and what their customer wants, but more importantly what the customer needs! It’s simple, really: define the work and do the work! Easy, right?

To reduce the busyness, draw a direct line from the work to the client. Remove all the steps that don’t add value. Remove the barriers to delivering a high-quality product or service. Look at the flow of communication, information, and the work. How can you accelerate the flow by removing steps that add no value to the customer?

Focus on what the customer wants! When they call, do they want to be on hold to make a reservation or get technical support? Remove the complexity. The teams that streamline their processes and the management that have effective systems that deliver, can survive and thrive. Others will struggle and fail.

If your teams are busy improving, innovating and creating a spectacular customer experience, the waste and complexity will decrease. It’s a never-ending and relevant goal.

Marcia's Leadership Q and As: How can business owners make a difference to their customers?

Q. What is one thing that business owners can do to make a difference with customers?

A. Every business owner, CEO, president and executive should take 30 to 60 minutes a week and call their own company.

Experience if someone answers the phone; experience how long you’re on hold; experience if you get your questions answered; experience if your problem is solved — ever.

Many executives have no clue that they are leading a business that is so complex and full of waste, the customer cannot get their phone or email answered. Once the customer connects, executives should listen; then act.

Marcia's Leadership Q and As: Is it appropriate to discuss politics at work?

Q. As election day draws closer, my team members are sharing their opinions more about the issues as well as the candidates. Is it appropriate to discuss politics at work?

A. It depends on the culture and the work demands.

Some workplaces are very open to lively and robust discussions about almost any topic. For some, it is part of their work in a media, news or a political organization. Other workplaces discourage conversations on topics such as politics, religion, or other controversial issues.

Part of the question addresses:

• Are the people debating different points of view to explore others’ thinking to learn and share?

• Are people debating and trying to convince or strong-arm their co-workers to change their point of view?

Some cultures have a group of similar thinkers who welcome commiserating and build support among colleagues.

When there are opposite perspectives and people are not open to a respectful discussion about issues, but slide into disrespectful dialogue, it’s not appropriate to have those conversations at work (or anywhere). Employers want the work to get done and for employees to work well together. If there is tension or disrespect, that breaks down collaboration.

If people want to discuss politics, they can consider meeting after work or virtually on a Zoom meeting after the work day.

More people are engaging in discussions prior to this election than we’ve probably seen before. In the work environment, it’s probably best to keep healthy boundaries and take political discussions off-line. But do have them!

Marcia's Leadership Q and As: How should a new executive deal with office cliques?

Q. As a new executive, I’m quite surprised at the arrogance of some of my management team. While we are a service organization, many long-time team members have formed an exclusive, dysfunctional clique that has caused high turnover. What’s the best and fastest way to dissolve this?

A. As the new leader, you will need to create a new environment with a new culture.

Think about the vision you have for the organization and the values and behaviors you expect your team to have so that everyone can collaborate. Start with one-to-one conversations with your management team. Listen to their thoughts, concerns, mindset.

Ask each one if they are willing to learn, improve and work together and help you move the whole organization forward?  Of course, watch what they say and what they do over the next few weeks and months.

Once you assess the individuals, discuss with them as a team, the need to change their thinking and leadership. Share what works and doesn’t work. Communicate and discuss with them your vision. Be clear about your expectations.

Ask them how it can be achieved. People will need to change. Some will. Some won’t. All will need clarity and coaching from you. An outside coach can share an outside perspective for you, too.

Give them some time to shift their thinking and actions, but also don’t tolerate dysfunctional, arrogant behavior. Some people have been stuck for years with their control, power, and position. It won’t be easy to change, but be clear that the company needs a healthier style of leadership.

Marcia's Leadership Q and As: How can I improve my productivity when I'm working alone?

Q. I’m working independently with occasional connections with my team. How do I continue to be productive?

A. Productivity begins with clarity about what you need to achieve, how you will accomplish your tasks, and what resources and support you need to be successful.

You and your team can initially make your plan about what you want to accomplish and who will do what. Identify the timeframe and expectations.

Communication that is effective for all team members will help remove barriers and allow the team to feel supported. Identify your needs and ask how you can support others.

As you do your work, have a plan for your day and build in some structure as well as some flexible and break times. Remove distractions. Tackle the harder tasks first while you have energy and also have time to reach out to other team members if you need help or questions answered.

When the “must-do” priorities are done, assess your progress, what can you adjust and improve in the future, and reflect on the learning and contributions you’re making

Communicate with your team for fun, for progress, to plan, and to celebrate progress and results.

Marcia's Leadership Q and As: Why 'a great leader is a lazy leader'

Q. Our organization has grown, and now there are more people available to do the day-to-day work that managers used to have to deal with. But many managers still have a strong tendency to take on the tasks. How do we break the “I’ll take care of it” reflex?

A. Great question, and I’m smiling! One of my mentors told me over 20 years ago, “a great leader is a lazy leader.” That’s a pretty surprising yet memorable comment, isn’t it? It’s also powerful: A leader doesn’t do the tasks that can be delegated unless it’s a time when all hands need to work together to get the job done.

As people move from a more detailed and sometimes analytic role (like a salesperson or an engineer) into management and leadership, it means the mindset and the role of the person also must change.

Leaders need to think strategically, create and work ON the systems that the people work IN, anticipate and pursue opportunities, and develop the people. They delegate the work and create the environment where people contribute ideas and are self-motivated to contribute.

Marcia's Leadership Q and As: Why do so many startups fail?

Q. Why do so many startup companies fail, and what can be done to improve the success rate?

A. Gut punch! Entrepreneurs put their sweat and tears into their startups only to experience failure. Ten percent of startups fail in the first year of existence, and 70% more fail in the next two to five years. That’s a lot of waste, in ideas, energy, investments, and cash.

There are multiple causes for startup failures, but are the reasons just scratching the surface? Do so many businesses fail because the real root causes have not been identified and remedied? If business leaders and their investors understood the path toward failure the organization is likely to take (based on the statistics), they would pivot their company.

The common reasons for startup failures include:

• Poor product-market fit (there are few customers who will buy the products or services)

• The company was not solving a significant customer problem

• Poor implementation of marketing strategies

• Poor timing

• Lack of competitive edge

• Lack of cash or burning through it too fast

• Lack of management experience and business or industry knowledge

These are symptoms of failing businesses. However, the root causes of business failures are deeper. Yet, if they are addressed, more startups could survive.

Entrepreneurs must commit to not only ideas and a product dream, but a compelling purpose that everyone in the organization understands and understands how they can contribute to it. Startup leaders must also commit to developing a plan for success, a holistic system to strategically think and ask questions like never before.

Great leaders anticipate. They understand and communicate obsessively with customers and new markets to deeply understand what their customers need.

Startup entrepreneurs require a theoretical foundation of management principles to be successful. Personally, they make time to become more self-aware and continually develop their communication and leadership skills (leading is a continual process of learning.)

Seeking relevant, knowledgeable advisors and coaches is essential to engage in the pertinent conversations that a young team need to address and ask. Advisors who have management knowledge (not just people who have been a successful founder once or twice) can help guide and scale young organizations and help them survive and accelerate their growth.

Marcia's Leadership Q and As: What are some basic strategies I can use every day to succeed as a leader?

Q. What are some basic strategies I can use every day to succeed? 

A. Start with thinking about how you define success, then follow these five steps:

1. At the beginning of your day, identify a few actions you plan to take during the day, and write them down.

2. Work to implement your plan of action.

3. At the end of the day, assess how well you implemented your plan. Did you accomplish it? What worked? What didn’t? Did you stay focused or lose your focus with issues you reacted to? Allow time in your schedule for unplanned events. For example, a dental office will schedule unplanned time to accommodate the patient that calls in an emergency in the morning. 

4. Based on your assessment, identify what you improve for the next day. 

5. For the people you work with, appreciate them. Share your gratitude. Recognize their work or the effort they put in to make a difference on the team, in the organization, and for your customers. 

These are five easy strategies to make a difference as a leader. A leader is clear about what the team need to accomplish, communicates it, removes barriers to delight the customers, recognizes people, and works to improve tomorrow.

To understand an improvement model more clearly, think about the PDSA. It means Plan, Do it, Study how it went, Act or standardize what went well.

Then appreciate yourself and your team for learning and leading together.

Marcia's Leadership Q and As: Should I seek an outside perspective about my business?

Q. My friend who is a CEO just had his company assessed by an outside consultant. A few others in our business group are curious about the value. Will an outside perspective provide relevant value?

A. Do you go to your doctor for an annual check-up? Do you take your car in for periodic maintenance? To run smoothly, you get the diagnosis. You intervene before a major event occurs.

The same is true for you and your organization. You are working in your company day in and day out. It’s challenging to see the big picture. Over time, people get comfortable with the status quo, even though you may be growing. There may be an approaching crisis in the marketplace. Do you see it? Over time, executives develop assumptions, beliefs, “best practices,” and those need to be examined.

Management doesn’t know what they don’t know — yet. Seeking an outside assessment from a knowledgeable leadership and management consultant is like getting a gift into the future. The value that outside perspectives can bring you are full of gold nuggets.

How are you doing right now? How can you improve your leadership? How can you optimize (not maximize) the productivity and results? How can you accelerate quality, decision-making, and collaboration? Where is the waste and complexity in your organization that is impacting both your team and your ability to deliver your products and services to your customers?

The value an assessment provides may be the difference in your ability to lead, develop a healthier culture, grow your business, pivot as necessary, innovate, or transform. Reach out and make that appointment for your assessment.

Marcia's Leadership Q and As: How can I learn to be a leader?

Q. I started a business a few years ago and love the work, but I’m not good at managing people. What shall I do?

A. Being a business owner or having an executive title doesn’t equate with success. Managing an organization and leading people are two integrated skills, and they don’t just happen when a person has a title or role.

Having a great job being a mechanic, finance director, teacher or cashier doesn’t mean you have the knowledge and skills to run an organization. Great leaders are dedicated to continual learning about how to improve themselves and their organization. They don’t rest on the laurels of a title or think because they got the job, they know it all.

People who grow a successful business dedicate themselves to intensive learning to attain the necessary and ever-changing business skills. They also ask, “How can I lead my people better?” That requires leadership knowledge that is both foundational and constantly transforming.

Some people seek executive positions to add titles to their resume or build their own ego. But do they serve customers (or are they an after-thought?) Do they develop their staff into productive, collaborative teams obsessed with delivering a great experience to customers?

Leadership is not easy, but when fundamental values and behaviors are in place, it is easier: respect, trust, two-way communication, collaborative decision-making, inclusivity, and transparency.

Marcia's Leadership Q and As: My industry is stable. Why are my employees leaving?

Q. As a business owner in a stable industry, I'm puzzled at our continuing employee turnover. Why don't we have more stability?

A. Your clarification about being in a "stable industry" is helpful. Some companies should expect relatively high turnover because they operate in sectors like hospitality, where there are a high percentage of student workers who start and leave jobs regularly. But because you don't operate in an industry like that, your turnover rate is a signal that something's wrong.

You should look internally for the causes. Among other things, your own leadership style and that of your team and managers needs to be evaluated. There are a couple of ways to do this.

One method is to assess the situation yourself, together with your team. If you and your managers and employees can be objective and honest, you can have some tough conversations about topics including the quality of leadership within the company, how well people inside it communicate, its culture, the level of trust team members have in each other and management, and how the company solves problems.

Unfortunately, self-evaluation is often a challenge, because people inside an organization are typically too close to the situation to be objective about it. Even if they can identify the operation's actual issues, they often struggle to find solutions. Generally, if a team had the answers, it would have already solved the problems. 

Indeed, going the self-evaluation route often just delays the inevitable need to go the alternate path, which is to bring in someone from the outside.

An outside consultant will typically observe how the company operates, how managers lead and how people inside the business communicate, solve problems and make decisions. The consultant might also interview people inside the company to get better insights about it. At the end of the process, the consultant should be able to help you understand what's going wrong and offer solutions.

A knowledgeable facilitator is much more likely than self-evaluation to help you identify the root causes of your problems and find good ways to address them. 

Marcia's Leadership Q and As: How can we ensure a healthy culture as workers return to the office?

Q. As people come back to the office, how can we develop a healthy culture?

A. The more your employees engage with your company — via its recruiting, hiring and onboarding processes — your teams and your customers, the healthier your culture can be. As workers return — whether it be one day a month, one day a week, or even full-time — you and the management team should make a point to meet with them on a regular basis to discuss how thing are going and allow them to ask questions or voice their concerns. 

Town hall-style meetings can be an effective way to have these interactions with employees, as long as your leadership team offers them clear messages. But you and your management can also meet with employees in smaller groups, giving them a chance to share their ideas, brainstorm, discuss issues, bring up possible solutions and suggest opportunities that may be worth pursuing. People need to feel heard and to feel like they're having an impact.

The most important thing is for your top management and team leaders to come up with a plan. Prioritize and focus on quick wins that will make a difference to those you are serving. Then implement the tougher solutions that are consistent with your organization's aims.