Malcolm O. Munro - The "Career Fitness" Coach

Encouragement is not an Annual Event

This week is the all-important Maryland School Assessments (MSA) here in Montgomery County.  This exam is a test of reading and math achievement that meets the testing requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

What's not widely publicized is that schools whose students don't score well get put on a School Improvement Process which is a complete assessment of what's being done and a look at the root cause.  In worst case scenario, senior staff might get canned and certain programs dropped from the school.

Now I've watched both of my kids endure the MSA for nearly 10 years and each year, the teachers spend a few weeks before the test getting the kids pumped up.  They come home with special instructions to sleep better and suggestions on the right breakfast to eat before the test.  The hope is that kids will perform well and the scores will be great.

I won't go into my personal opinion of how useless the MSA is considering kids get taken out of regular learning for several weeks to go into test prep which of course won't really measure learning.  The end-of-test brain dump is an annual event as well.  I'm more interested in the motivation used on the kids.

Last week, my 8th grade son got a handwritten postcard from his homeroom teacher which was inscribed "Good luck on the test."  It made me wonder...if these kids were encouraged from the first time they stepped into the classroom, would the MSA even be necessary or at a minimum, would extra motivation be needed to pass the test?

You see, the bottom line here is that the kids really have no dog in this fight.  Truth be told, there's nothing in this for them, particularly my 8th grader who goes to a private school next year.  If the kids really knew this, they'd completely blow the test off.  Hence, the need to get them engaged!

Both of my kids have great teachers and some that aren't as great.  Students on the other hand seem to be either hot or cold.  Some great scholars (my kids seem to be in this group - A's and B's across the board - yes, I'm bragging!) and those who really don't care.  I wonder what would happen if teachers made an effort to challenge the hot students and encourage the cold ones year round?

Taking this out of the school setting and into the workplace now, are you doing something each day as a supervisor to encourage your staff?    The bigger question is:  does your team see the big picture regarding your organization?  Do they see something in it for them?  Do they have a dog in the fight?  If not, you might want to re-think how you communicate your strategy to them.

If you're not in a management role, are you encouraging those around you?  Have you asked your boss to show you the "big picture" so you know what success looks like?  If not, you're tempting fate when layoffs come - how can you show your value if you don't know what the value adds to?

Once a year is not enough if you're looking for sustained performance.  Why not take some time this week to encourage somebody?   

Who's in Charge Here Anyway?

As you know, I fly someplace nearly every week.  Many people shudder at that, some from just the hassle of navigating airports and delayed flights, but most are flat-out terrified of flying.  When I poll a group about the fear of flying, most say they'd rather drive since they feel a sense of control.  Now  most people know deep inside there's a  better chance of dying in a car crash driving to the airport than from an airline accident, but that's how powerful the need to be in control actually is.

In the past month, I've been contacted by two different individuals who are facing absolute misery at work.  One person is working for a boss who plays favorites (and she is not the "favorite" therefore having a miserable time).  The other is working for a miserable boss AND company.  In her "Retention" award for her performance in 2009, she received a check for $1,000.00 but was forced to sign an agreement that if she left in the next two years, she's have to pay it back.  Both were struggling but saw no way out.  Economic conditions have a way of going with the misery you know rather than face the misery of uncertainty.

I know times are still tough for most folks.  Bailouts haven't trickled down to everyone and I travel around this country enough to see that first hand.  What I do know is people are still hiring and the best candidates are still finding jobs.

Your choice when faced with a miserable work situation is to either shut up and take it or do something about it.

The first individual felt empowered when I told her to simply put her resume together and look for new positions.  She has yet to interview, but just the proactive step of taking control was enough to get her thinking positive again.  The second individual felt as though she was giving up by looking for a new position.  Frankly, I can't imagine working for a psycho boss or a company that attaches strings to a "Retention" award.  After giving herself permission to look elsewhere for a job, she now has a better sense of control (and I told her not to give back the $1,000.00 award.  Make those morons beg you for it!!!).

There is plenty of bad news out there.  You don't have to look far.  If you let it bring you down, you basically concede that you're powerless.  I'm not buying it.  Focus on what you can control and you'll find you have much more power than you think. 

There will come a day, in the not-too-distant future when good times will return.  Rather than wait for that day, why not take some steps right now to retake control of your destiny.  You have more power than you think!

Smoking Can Be Beneficial to Your Health!

Did you know that NOT smoking can be dangerous to your health?  Actually, I'm talking about your ORGANIZATIONAL health.  Of course cigarettes can and will still kill you. 

This past week I delivered a three-day leadership development workshop in Georgia.  One of the many issues we discussed centered around engaging employees.  Some of the attendees pined for the days when both management and staff took time away to network and toss around great ideas.  This usually happened at the designated smoking areas.  I thought about that and reflected back on my Navy days when the smoking area was the informal gathering center for similar activity.  While I didn't smoke (I used Kodiak back in those days), I do remember how much business actually was conducted there, free from the bureaucracy and rules.  In fact, more problems got solved during those meetings than during lengthy, formal staff meetings.

Has the ban on smoking resulted in a lack of organizational health?

Possibly.

Unless you provide an outlet for some type of informal networking, free from the entrapment of normal channels, you may in fact be missing out on some new ideas or solutions to chronic problems.  Should smoking be allowed and even encouraged then?

Absolutely not!

Instead, if you're in a management or supervisory role, why not set up opportunities where this informal idea exchange can occur? If you don't have that positional authority, why not establish your own forum of informal networking?  There is strength in that network that you'll need if you want to succeed in any role.

Now I realize my readers may not always be in managerial roles, but the lessons of breaking free for short periods of venting and creativity apply to all.  Are you taking time to reenergize and reengage with those around you?  If not, why not take some time this week to do so!

You're the Greatest? Prove it!

I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was. Muhammad Ali.

When we read a quote like that one, most of us just roll our eyes.  After all, many athletes today brag on their greatness, "guarantee" victory, or simply carry themselves like they belong in another stratosphere.  But before all of them, there was Muhammad Ali.

I know some of my readers, like me, are old enough to remember Ali in his prime, when he took on all comers.  I thought about Ali this weekend while watching the NBA All-Star Slam Dunk contest highlights.  Ironically, this contest never seems to have the league superstars in it.  Most of them opt out.  Then I think about the Major League Baseball All-Star Home Run Derby.  That too is mostly competed in by second tier stars.  The players who in fact could run away with that title simply opt out.  Finally I think about the NFL Scouting Combine which runs in late winter.  It's a week-long opportunity for college football players to showcase their talent for NFL scouts.  Yet the players with the most NFL potential opt out of the competition, preferring to do individual workouts for NFL teams.  It seems nobody wants to prove their talent, choosing instead to let their reputation carry them.  It's almost as if they're afraid somebody may come along and actually defeat them.

Almost once a year, I face a hostile or challenging audience in a workshop.  It causes me to pause, rethink my strategy, and work some tough magic to bring them back.  While it's a tough challenge and stresses me out, it also reminds me that I always need to compete, to push myself lest I fall into the trap of complacency.  I always leave a session like that feeling a renewed sense of energy and personal growth.  I like to think my audience feels the same.

What about you?  Do you profess greatness only to duck away from a challenge or fierce competition?

Several years ago, I worked for a trade association where one of our members, and insurance provider, took great pride in his standing as a member.  He could do this since his company provided a huge revenue stream each year as a result of his exclusive arrangement to provide services to members.  When we had our Annual Conferences, he would always put up a fuss if we allowed his competitors to exhibit, and God forbid we ever allow them to put up their pop-up displays near his.  I always wondered...if he was a good as he said he was, why wouldn't he want his competitors to be placed right next to him so he could easily compare his services to theirs?  Why would he fear competition?  As it happens, his arrangement eventually ended and I haven't heard much from him since.

I understand outstanding college quarterbacks Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy are eagerly awaiting the NFL Scouting Combine.  Both have been criticized as not having the skills to compete at that position in the NFL.  Rather than do private screenings, they've opted to compete in public, even risking being seen not only by scouts, but the public too.  Both claim to have NFL-worthy skills.  Now they intend to prove it.

This week, let's all take a hard look at the last time we really proved our worth.  If it's been awhile, why not look for a challenging opportunity where the stakes are really high.  The kind of opportunity where failure could really hurt, but winning could increase our value, reputation, and marketability.  I won't suggest you brag a-la Muhammad Ali, but just knowing you are the greatest can certainly boost your morale!

With Will and Focus, You Can Fix Anything!

Take these three items, some WD-40, a vice grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone.

Walt Kowalski (portrayed by Clint Eastwood) - Gran Torino

This past week I had the privilege of working with a great group of working managers in Irving, TX.  Most were long term employees with this company that had been promoted to a management role just two years before.  These 12 men, on a daily basis, faced down a myriad of problems ranging from a changing customer base to difficulty screening and hiring qualified employees.

As I worked them through three days of fundamental management skills training, I couldn't help but notice how they soaked all the information in.  They did this while handing crisis after crisis from their workplace and still managed to have a great sense of humor.  When their HR manager asked me on the last day how it went, I commented on how well they responded.   After talking with him about what they faced as managers, we agreed that these guys could indeed fix any problem with the managerial equivalent of WD-40, vice grips, and duct tape. 

You probably know I crisscross the country teaching and facilitating management and leadership development workshops in a wide range of industries.  My workshops vary in size and scope but I have the most fun working with groups like this one in Texas.  They have the will to do the job and they are certainly focused, they just need more skill.  With the skills I taught them, they left with the mindset they could handle anything.  I know they can!

What does this mean for you?

Training is great if all you need is skill.  There is much more to great performance than just skill however.  If you read my book The New Rules of Engagement: How to Keep Your Superstars Loyal to You, you'll find out how important having skill, will, and focus is.  Skill can be taught, but will has to come from within.  Focus follows, but you have to WANT to do well in order to become effective.

Think about that this week as you watch your boss in action, or better, as you lead your own team.  Are you in the role to become the best or just taking up space, flaunting your positional authority.  If you don't attempt to fix problems without tools, how will you expect to do it when you get some good ones?  Skill can be had...you better find the will and the focus!  My friends from the workshop last week certainly did!

The Not-So-Secret Formula for Job Security

Always give a hundred percent, and you'll never have to second-guess yourself - Tommy John

This past weekend, my mom ecstatically shared some very good news with me.  Her company had just given her a 5% raise which was much more than the 3% given to the other employees.  Her boss shared that "insider" news with her because he wanted her to know how much he appreciated her doing her job AND anything else that needed to be done.  The interesting thing was that this 5% raise only came out to 60 cents more an hour but it was all the small company could afford.  For my mom, who used to pull down a big salary working in HR at a large defense contractor, the raise was very small but for her, the recognition made all the difference in the world.

While some say our Great Recession is coming to an end, there are still a ton of people out of work and others who still fear the dreaded pink slip.  What if I told you the secret to keeping that job or showing you're qualified for a better one was a simple formula?  Would you implement it?  I hope so.  Here it is:

Do the job you were hired to do to 100% completion and then look for something else to do.

Simple isn't it?  Then why don't more people do it?

Most people I speak with view work as an entitlement.  When something is an entitlement, it also becomes something that we take for granted.  When something is taken for granted, our attitudes toward it change to one of expectation.  Before we know it, we look at our job or employer as our adversary and it's our job to do as little as possible to get by and then live for weekends and holidays, only to dread the aftermath of returning to the job.

Before we know it, work is a politically-charged environment where a subjective boss rewards everyone else but us (and of course nobody works as hard as we do right?) so that now we do even less - just enough to get by.

How do I know this?  It used to be the way I looked at work.  It's also what I see as I travel around the country, working with lots of different organizations in both the public and private sector.  It's depressing listening to all the stories, but seldom do I hear anything but whining.

Maybe it would help to focus on the things we can change and not on those we can't. 

• We can't control what our boss does, but we can work as hard as we can.
• We can't control the reward systems, but we can work as hard as we can.
• We can't help that others slack off and get rewarded, but we can work as hard as we can.
• We can't change subjective performance management systems, but we can work as hard as we can.

Do you notice a theme?

We're only a couple of weeks into the new year.  Why don't we all make a resolution to give 100% in everything we do.  At worst, we can sleep better at night.  At best, we'll be rewarded for our effort.  I'm in...are you?

Accountability: The Key to Keeping Your Resolutions

Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. - The Wisest Man in the World.

As we move into a new year, many people are working hard to keep those resolutions they planned.  I don't know about you but I've always had a hard time keeping the momentum once a little time has passed.  One of the things that has helped though is to enlist the help of a partner.

Accountability is the real success secret of 12 Step programs.  It's also the key to effective leadership.  When we surround ourselves with other people to hold us to our promises and and give us encouragement, there's a very good chance we'll succeed.

I have a good friend who I meet with nearly every month to throw ideas around with.  While I really value his advice, the most important part of that meeting is the accountability.  Before we leave, we always ask the question: "what do you plan to accomplish this month?"  which we then follow up on.  It's a great way to put a plan in place and have some accountability for the results at various intervals.

Within the next month, I'm willing to bet more than half of the folks who planned grandiose resolutions will fail.  I'm not trying to be negative, but that's simply the reality I see.  Last night my gym was packed.  Will it still be that crowded a month from now?

This year will only be as great as the goals we set for it.  The greatness of course will only come if we succeed in accomplishing them.  Why not find a partner to keep you encouraged and accountable this year?  It's worked for me and I know it will work for you!

Navigating the Chess Match of Life

Surely you've heard about the ripple effect.  A pipeline bursts in Alaska and the speculation of disaster results in higher gas prices.  Forecasted snow brings a rush on groceries and snow shovels.  The thought of potential shortage spikes the price of the Christmas gifts to three times the intended retail value.  It's cause and potential effect.

In the same way, our actions produce a ripple effect.  Life is a bit like a chess match.  For us to win, we need to think three moves ahead.  Every potential move from the opponent should result in a selected strategy to counter.  Nothing is left to chance.  Unfortunately, few people choose to live their lives this way.

Recently I taught a workshop on management skills to a group of Executive Assistants.  One attendee complained initially of a boss who refused to delegate tasks to her and how this made her job incredibly boring and miserable.  Meanwhile, her boss was terrible to deal with, complete with emotional outbursts and other unpredictable behaviors.  She was very unhappy and even did her final group project focusing on a way to get her boss to trust her.  If he only knew the ripple effect his personal management style was having on his staff. 

I've seen this often with clients.  One or two bad decisions leading to an steady stream of negative consequences.  Our actions today produce results that either bring joy or sorrow...with interest.  If this concerns you, why not take these three steps when making important decisions:

1. Look at the consequences to me.  What will this action result in.  What are the short term and long term effects.  Will I benefit or suffer because of this decision in both the immediate and distant future.
2. Look at the consequences to others.  Will this action draw people to me or drive them away.  Who else will feel the negative effects of a poor decision.  Family?  Friends?  Co-workers?  Staff members?
3. Look at the consequences to my career.  Will my action produce benefits to help me reach my goals or will this cause severe impediments?  Could this decision become a career-killer?  Will I look back 5 years from now and kick myself for the decisions I make?

Life is full of choices.  It's what makes our day to day existence so dynamic.  We're products of our choices but so (fortunately or unfortunately) are our family, friends, co-workers, and staff members.  Take some time this week to consider the ripple effect.  Every action produces reactions.  Let's make sure the reactions are the ones we hope for.  The beginning of a new year is a great time to start a new strategy.  Maybe this is a good one to kick off with?

Successfully Navigating the "Red Zone"

As we near the end of the year, many of us are thinking about the new year to come and some of the goals and aspirations we want to accomplish.  I'm also sure many of you (and me included) are lamenting the fact some stuff didn't get done.

Most people I know start out a year with some short and long term goals and then get busy, pretty quickly, getting them done.  Personally I've often noticed that most goals are easy to achieve up to a point.  Then for some reason, I get ground to a halt.  This seems a lot like the American football phenomenon of the red zone defense.

One of the biggest challenges a football team faces is when they get down into their opponent's "red zone."  This is the area between the 20 yard line and the end zone.  Of course the goal of the offense is to move through the 20 yards and score, but these are often the toughest yards to get for the following reasons:

• The defense has to spread less - there isn't as much field to cover
• With the thread of the immanent score, defenses tend to tighten up
• If the defense is playing at home, it's hard for the offense to hear the signals of the quarterback due to the crowd noise
• Protecting your own turf is a basic human survival skill

With all this stacked against an offense, they have to work extra hard.  The best defensive teams have a remarkable ability to really lock down the red zone and thus get scored on very little.

Now this is a bunch of football speak and if you're not a fan, I've probably lost you by now but let's liken this to our own quest to score (and not in the singles' bar sense ok?).

Setting goals and making early progress is pretty easy.  I've worked with plenty of coaching clients who swear they're ready to write that book, get that job, or achieve that dream.  Most do pretty well to a point.  Then, as success is almost realized, they freeze.  Of the dozens of folks I coached on writing a book, only three managed to get it done: Pat Kastner, author of Caring to Change, Teresa Rome, author of MindOverGolfBall.com, and Bonnie Burnett, author of Halfway to the Moon.  How do you explain?

• Success means you have to set new goals.  There is a potential letdown
• Success means you open yourself up to criticism.  Everyone is excited when you say you're writing a book.  When you write a book, people then feel compelled to criticize it.  I know from experience!
• Success may not live up to the expectations you thought as you get close to reaching it.

In other words, the red zone defense tightens up on you!

What should you do?  How about putting in more effort as you near the finish line?  Realize that early success doesn't guarantee and easy finish.  The final stages of your quest may be the toughest, but keep in mind you're almost there!

I'm excited for some big breakthroughs this coming year.  Knowing the red zone will be there later in the year will help me formulate a winning strategy.  How will you break through the red zone?

How Real is Your Fear?

What is your most frightening memory?  Mine is from way back in 1972.  I was at the drive-in movie theater with my mom, dad, and younger brother when, in the intermission between movies, the trailer for a new movie The Return of Count Yorga projected on the screen.  It scared the crap out of me and I had nightmares that night about it. For months I was afraid to turn out the lights and from that point on, I always hid under a blanket when previews came on at the drive-in.

Through the miracle of YouTube, I was able to find that trailer.  You can view it HERE

It's kind of funny how something so silly by today's standard could frighten a 7-year-old decades ago.  I guess looking at the clip now, I can understand, but with the passing of time, it's almost humorous.

Sadly, I know lots of folks that go through life afraid of taking risks because of fear.  It prevents them from ever succeeding and results in lots of self-fulfilling prophecies of failure.  Interestingly enough, those fears are often based on imagined circumstance without a shred of credible proof it will happen.

Take some time and think about your greatest fear.  Is it about something real and tangible or is it POTENTIAL outcome?  Thank about people who fear flying.  The chance of actually dying in a plane crash is far less than dying in a car wreck on the way to the airport.  Actually I find it more frightening to have a short window of time between connecting flights.  That normally DOES result in a bad outcome! If you find yourself paralyzed by something you fear, think of the following acrostic: FEAR is an acrostic for False Evidence Appearing Real. 

Sometimes the things we fear most aren't that scary when you shine a little light on them.  In the case of Count Yorga, it just took about 40 years of dealing with real-life scary stuff to take the fear out! 

This week, take some time to list out the fears you're feeling right now.  List them out and next to each one, ask yourself if the fear is based on tangible fact or imagined hype.  I'm willing to bet your list will get real short! 

If you think about it, there are plenty of naysayers right now calling for a dreadful 2010.  What are they basing it on?  Certainly nothing I can tangibly hold onto.  I'm ready for a breakout year and I hope you are too!