Navigating in a Fog

by Don Harkey

I have been working on a project this week where I couldn't see the end or how to get to the end. Has that ever happened to you where you know you need to do something, but you aren't sure how to do it or even what steps to take to find out? It is like walking in a thick fog. You slow down and get that strange, uncomfortable feeling...

As a strategic thinker, I love to know "where I am going". When I don't see a clear path forward, I get that "foggy" feeling. The temptation is to slow down and wait until the fog lifts. However, the right thing to do is probably to keep walking within your limited vision to try to find a clearing.

This week, I managed to force myself to keep walking. I always tell young project managers, if you are going to mess up a project, make sure you go down kicking and screaming, not whimpering on the floor in a fetal position. I took my own advice, despite my discomfort. I worked hard and looked around. When the fog didn't clear, I tried something else. Then I did it again and again and again, until finally, the fog lifted and I could see where I was going.

It is a horrible feeling (especially for a strategist!), but it is worth fighting through. I got some critical help from coworker and in the end, the client acknowledged that they couldn't see a clear path forward either and applauded our initiative in finally seeing the way to the end.

It reminds of me a true story. My family used to go to Minnesota every summer for vacations. My Dad loved to fish. One morning, he went out on the lake to fish, and a thick fog settled down on the lake. He could barely see the end of the boat. Suddenly, he wasn't sure how to get back to the dock.

He drove the boat slowly through the water talking to himself to notify the other fisherman that he was close. It was futile. He couldn't see anything. Finally, he stopped, thought a bit, and stood up in the boat. To his great surprise, the fog was only sitting about 3 feet on the lake. Above the fog, it was as clear as could be. The site was remarkable. The lake was covered by this thick cloud, but he could now see the shore. He could also see the heads of a few other fisherman who also figured out to stand up (or who had bigger boats!). The fishermen began to yell out to everyone in a boat to stand up to see over the fog. Within a few minutes, everyone located each other and the shore, and everyone found their way home safely.

If you find yourself in a fog at work or anytime in your life, it is important not to panic or go into hiding. Think, communicate, and ask for help. Try to do things that might clear up your view a bit. Try standing up!

100th Post!!!

by Don Harkey

Wow!!! This is the 100th post for the Galt Blog!

I just want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for following, commenting, challenging, thinking, and supporting the blog. Most of all, I want to thank all of you out there who see a better way to lead and have a vision for how a great organization can run.

Ultimately, I guess I am a kind of dreamer. When I think of all of the different types of organizations out there, all I see is great potential. Organizations do just about everything from making MP3 players to feeding the hungry. They all have passionate people who have their own strengths and dreams. My goal is to provide some tools to help organizations allow their people to do what they love and love what they do.

As we continue into the next articles, I want to continue to challenge all of you leaders out there to stop accepting conventional wisdom. There is more than a place for passion at work... passion is productive!!!

Thanks for reading!!!

Shallow Management

by Don Harkey

I'm going to start the week of with one of my rants... I feel OK doing this, since many of you have told me that my rants yield some of your favorite articles.

I am not one of those people who believe that "greed" is what got us into the economic situation we are in today, although it has played a role. I do not believe that corporations are evil or good (they just are) nor do I believe that rich people are bad or good (they just have money). I am a big fan of personal responsibility not only because it encourages people to get less dependent on others, but also because it makes people enjoy their lives more.

However, I am sick and tired of what has prevailed as the corporate, MBA (I am NOT knocking MBA's, but I do criticize the things many MBA schools teach) mentality that seems to infest larger corporations. The management style I am referring to is something I have called "shallow-end of the pool" management or SEP Management.

SEP Management is a style where management from executives all the way down to some front-line supervisors refuse to engage in the work being done by their company. They consider themselves above the work going on around them and say that they need to maintain a high level, professional view of the organization in order to function. They are ready to make the "tough" decisions, although amazingly, the tough decisions tend to be tough only for other people.

Ethics are often thrown out of the window with these types of managers, although not in the way that we are taught in Ethics 101 courses. Let me give you an example...

I recently approached a major author within a major company with a majorly good idea. The idea is really good, and I was ready to execute the idea, but I needed the permission of the author and the company to do so. I managed to find an inside contact with the author (a former teacher of his) and get his direct email. I sent a vague description of the idea after an introduction from my connector. His assistant wrote back that I might be able to get 5 minutes of his time in 3-4 months. She went on... perhaps I should send more information on the idea.

Knowing that I couldn't procede without them, I wrote a quick synopsis of the idea along with how I could execute the idea and promote their company and book with just a simple approval. The assistant wrote back within a few minutes of receiving the email saying that this she would "put it in front" of the author "immediately". A few weeks later, I got an email response from the company. They were "already pursuing" the idea and thanked me for my time and wished me and my company luck.

I have no way of knowing whether or not they were pursuing the idea already or not, although I suspect they were not. I also have no way of knowing what happened inside the walls of the company. Having worked in a corporate environment, I have imagined a fictious meeting in my head between the author and some executives...

Author - "I got this idea from this guy in Springfield forwarded by a former teacher of mine. I really think he might be on to something."

Executive #1 - "That is a good idea."

Executive #2 - "Does this guy have any legal right to the idea? We own the book and its material. The application is open source. Does he have any legal grounds? Do we HAVE to use him if we executed this?"

Executive #1 - "No. He has no legal right to this. We can easily pursue it on our own."

Author - "What should I tell him?"

Executive #1 - "Tell him thanks, but don't give him too much info. He may not have a legal basis, but we don't need to upset him either. We probably would have come up with this concept sooner or later anyway..."

(END SCENE)

I don't know if that is what happened or not, but I have heard about too many similar meetings occuring in meeting rooms (and sat in more than a few of them). The technique is one of dismissal and separation. The question is quickly turned from one of ethics to one of legalities. No one even dares to discuss the "right thing to do" because it has "nothing to do" with business.

This is SEP thinking.

There is good news, however. SEP thinking is not only wrong, it is also ineffective. Managers who treat people the right way do better than those who don't. Companies who reward these types of managers and shun SEP managers do better than those who don't. The free market really does work, but credit for good ideas get squashed from time to time!