wallydownundy

Michael C. Hyer is a former publicist who now leads a human capital firm, Novations.  He is also co-author of a book, “The Power of Inclusion.”  He is to address the issue of leading with authenticity in a global work environment.

Arthur Page principles he wants to stress are:

• Listen to the customer
• Manage for tomorrow
• Realise a company’s try character is expressed by its people

Peter Drucker said leaders spend more than half of their business day in communications situations.  Business days are basically communications situations that have an impact on people.  Yet before today very few leaders have taken that seriously.   Yet an organisation cannot perform to its maximum until people fully understand the company’s mission, vision and strategies.  It’s all about moving people to action.

Insights into today’s workforce:

• 21 year olds today have played 10,000 video games, spend 10,000 hours on the phone and have received 250,000 emails or text messages. 
• MySpace visits in 2006 exceeded 100 million and it started only in 2003. 
• Today’s leaders will have 10 to 14 jobs by their 38th birthday. 
• 50% of 21 year olds in the USA have created content on the web. 
• 1 of 2 workers have been with their current employers for less than 5 years.  (Source: Did You Know Video)

Companies are driven by cost efficiencies and that’s leading to a true global economy. Skills required that enable you to work and communicate effectively with people whose world views are unique - you need to meet the localised needs of people, while remaining true to yourself. 

When trying to nurture people in the workforce, we see through generational filters:

• Traditionalists (Born 1922 to 1943)
• Baby Boomers (Born 1943 to 1960)
• Generation X (Born 1960 to 1980)
• Millenisals (Born 1980 to 2000)

This poses problems for companies - as Baby Boomers are retiring and plan to retire.  How is the intellectucal capital these people have being saved and passed on?  This is crucial as clients are more and more demanding.

Lots of insights into the differences between the generations - one of interest is that Baby Boomers believe work comes first and socialisation/relationships come second.  For Gen X people the most important is the relationship.  Work is a social connection and the task is secondary.

I always see it coming.  The Immigration Officer starts kindly enough and uses the same old banter.  “Welcome.  How long will you be staying? Business or pleasure?”  My passport goes in the scanner and it comes up clean.  But then she flicks looking for a space to put the stamp.  The eyebrows furrow.  The questions begin.

It’s time for me to confess; I own a dirty passport.  It is littered with stamps from countries far and wide.  It has many of the unusal suspects (England, France, Italy).  But then there are some wierdos (Argentina, Malta, Burma, Egypt). 

I blame my university.  They offered a great “study abroad” program and soon I was hooked.  Montreal for six months was an appetiser to a year in France.  Senior year back on campus felt like a dog year - it was tough not to travel. 

Immediately after school I landed a junior account executive role with Hill & Knowlton in New York City.  Two years later I was at Edelman Worldwide.  After three years there they volunteered to send me overseas.  I wound up in Sydney for seven years then three years in Hong Kong.  I did go back to the USA but the pull of an international posting had me boomerang back to Sydney.  Here I rest.

And in-between I’ve gone everywhere I could.  I learned more about communications outside my home country than I could have ever learned back home.  How do you get your message across when you’ve not experienced the same upbringing? How does culture influence perception? Can you ever truly understand another nationality’s points of view? 

If you want to enjoy a monster puzzle then head overseas.  Travel is a good way to start, but try to find a posting outside your home country.  If you need to stay in an English-speaking country, try a former British colony - there are plenty!  If you really want to test your head go to a country where you need to learn a new language.  You can - I learned French through school and picked up Mandarin nearly 15 years later!

Try an international posting.  The worst thing that can happen is your passport can get dirty - and you’ll start getting THAT look from the next Immigration Officer!

Note from Me: I just started contributing to a blog dedicated to teaching and mentoring public relations (see: http://www.marcomblog.com/).  This posting first appeared on that site!

In a book on the challenges of managing workplaces today, author Anna Maravelas talks about the rise of tension and stress in society.  She lists a number of unrelated statistics that make it appear as if we’re mid-epidemic.  From road rage to attacks on referees at sporting events to poorly mannered children - it’s a daunting compendium. 

We don’t need to go to the movies to realise life has changed since Forrest Gump sat on a bench pondering the simplicities of life.  Last month I read Bill Bryson’s The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid and then this past weekend watched a film called My Dog Skip.  Both reflect back on a lost era when times were simpler and the biggest challenge was winning friends and surviving school.

I won’t deny life has gotten a lot harder and a lot more complex.  I thought it might be the rise of email, mobile phones, Blackberries and other productivity-enhancers.  But then again every era feels faster and more rushed than the simpler times that preceded it.  Imagine the horror of life during World War One as mechanised warfare took a toll greater than any cavalry every could.  Or the hubub of the Industrial Revolution compared to life on the farm.  Or the demands my father faced in boom-time America after WWII.  Every day is faster than the other - every modernisation sets us up to be more productive. 

But I didn’t intend this to be a rant or cynical post.  Let me move on…

What is refreshing about Maravelas’ work is her ability to take away the complexity and focus instead on the actions of the individual - herself included. 

“In reality, most conflicts are the results of predictable errors made by very conscientious, well-intentioned people.  Surprisingly, and somewhat annoyingly, I found the same patterns in my own behavior.”

Her central argument is that men and women are innately good and want to do good work.  Politics, misunderstandings, pettiness and other human failings get in the way.  She then outlines ways to overcome these difficulties in any work environment. 

It’s starting off as a good read.  The simpler the insights, the more profound the impact they have.

I’m in mourning. Funny as this may sound I’m in a deep funk because my boss resigned. I don’t see him often - we speak monthly. He’s in Hong Kong and I’m in Sydney. I’ve seen him a grand total of four times. Yet he’s smart enough to leave me alone yet available when I need him.

Am I missing the man (even though he’s tendered his resignation and has yet to leave - that’ll be months from now)? Or am I disappointed by the mere fact there’s change coming?

I’ve had more loser bosses than most people had suits. The micro-manager. The tyrant. The absentee. The control freak. The ambivalent. The unclear. The meanie. The head-tripper. They start to take their toll.

So a request: Define for me the perfect boss. Give me examples - of the good. And what makes the worst boss the worst? Let’s not name names - but profile real jerks.

A good laugh or an inspiration may help the mourning process.

Australians shorten everything. Christmas becomes Chrissie. Sunglasses are sunnies. Swimsuits are cossies (figure it out yourself).

And every single name gets reduced to the shortest nickname possible. Is it the heat? Does the extreme temperature make it hard to get more than one syllable out? When I first moved here in 1990 Walter became Wal. That’s right - Wal. But try dragging the vowel sound out by a yard or two. Oops - make that a metre.

And then there are the nicknames. Some of them come from Cockney rhyming. Americans are Septics. (Yank rhymes with Tank and while we’re there I think Septic Tank.) Every person gets a nickname. One of my colleagues has the surname Churcher. She got the nickname Cherry and now can’t shake it (see the photo she sent - I think she’s quite proud)!

What was your nickname? What’s the worst nickname you ever heard - or gave? What’s the fascination?

We’ve changed the way we manage performance reviews - instead of an end of year formal review we’ve shifted to ongoing

It’s a hard work, no play kind of industry - most times.  The stress of life at a public relations agency can be formidable.  There are multiple clients, competing demands on time and then the high profile issues that break on short notice.  It’s a perfect role for the adrenalin junkie or those with some forms of ADHD - you get to swap back and forth across a wide range of subjects daily.

But there are rewards.  This week we paid local staff bonuses in Australia.  This is the second year in a row and comes after a year of incredible change.  Throughout the team focused and delivered.  And tonight after work we had a drinks celebration to honour the accomplishment. 

Today is all about new friends in the Burson-Marsteller DC office

Came back to work Monday.  Had a great two plus weeks away from work.  Feel guilty about not wanting to be here.  Haven’t fully shaken the sever case of “Sunday-itis” that left me awake some of the night before the return on Monday. 

I’ve never been one to do things in half-measures.  I drink or I don’t (haven’t touched alcohol since 1987).  I smoke or I don’t (gave up the fags in 1990).  I exercise or I don’t (have two wardrobes - am currently wearing the “in shape” set of clothes).

So Sunday I dreaded the 110% energy required to get the job done.  Then I had a thought - What if I approached the job with measured energy?  How about a sane, rational approach to work. 

Then I laughed. 

Sorry - with me it’s all black or white, on or off, yes or no.  I can’t do things with half the approach.  That’s me.

So it’s back to work - and it’s okay, because in Australia many business people are still on holidays.  So while I’m at 110% that gets applied against the 40% of the workforce now in the office.

Happy new year!

We set an attainable goal - provide each employee an end of year performance review that captures the highs and lows of 2006.  Of course feedback needs to be 24-7 and if a mistake is made the feedback needs to be instantaneous.  (Can you recall your biggest mistake of three months back, let alone February this year?)  And likewise we need to hear about how well we’re doing when we’re doing it well.  Got it?

But here we go.  Each member of the leadership team is hosting formal discussions with their direct reports.  I’ve suggested they approach the meetings with the intent of having a solid, open discussion.  There needs to be a cycle of focusing on strengths, reviewing areas for improvement, then ending on strengths.  Reviews are not a time to drill down into poor performance only - there should be a discussion of what works, what needs to be refined and what’s holding the person back.

Ever have a sweaty palm heading into a review?  Look at it from the employer’s perspective - they want to get the best possible work out of you.  This should be a win-win for all involved.  And if it’s not - and many times employees and employers fail to redress the really critical issues - then head back into the review room and re-start the conversation.