Ten a Day - Day 3 Why You Need a Personal Mission Statement

Let me know if this has happened to you.  You woke up one morning, started your morning routine and in the middle of your shower you thought to yourself, “I really need to make up my personal mission statement today!”  No?  Why not?  Think about it, when you get out of the shower, what are you getting dressed for?  Where are you going?  What is your purpose in life?

Put it in to perspective

There’s a really cool scene in Alice in Wonderland where Alice meets the Cheshire Cat:

Alice - “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?"

"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat.

"I don’t much care where--" said Alice.

"Then it doesn’t matter which way you go," said the Cat.

"--so long as I get SOMEWHERE," Alice added as an explanation.

"Oh, you’re sure to do that," said the Cat, "if you only walk long enough."

(Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Chapter 6)

 

How this pertains to you

You can go through life letting life direct your path (compulsion) or you can forge your own path through life with you as the director (free will).  If you pick the latter, then you need to know what direction you want to go.  How do you do that?  With your mission statement of course!

What exactly is a mission statement?

A mission statement is the purpose of YOU.  YOUR mission statement should guide all of your actions, spell out your overall goals, provide your life path, and guide your daily decision-making. It provides "the framework or context within which YOUR strategy is formulated."

I’ve heard of mission, vision, values and strategy statements; what is the difference of each statement?

·        Mission: Defines the fundamental purpose of YOU.  A good example, "My life mission is to provide jobs for the homeless and unemployed."

·        Vision: Outlines what YOU want to be, or how you want the world to see YOU (an "idealized" view of how the world sees you). It is a long-term view and concentrates on the future. It can be emotive and is a source of inspiration. A great example, "MY life vision is to help end world poverty."

·        Values: Beliefs that are a part of YOUR mission and vision. Values drive YOUR actions and set YOUR priorities; they provide a framework in which YOUR decisions are made. For example, "If I give a man bread I feed him for a day, but if I teach him to farm I can feed him for life.”

·        Strategy: Strategy, narrowly defined, means "the art of the general." A combination of the ends (goals) for which YOU are striving for and the means (policies) by which YOU are seeking to get there. A strategy is sometimes called a roadmap which YOUR path is chosen to plow towards the end vision. The most important part of implementing YOUR strategy is ensuring YOUR going in the right direction which is towards YOUR end vision.

Now that you have all your terms down and know what you need to do, NOW is the time to do it.  Oh, by the way, you may want to get dressed first…

 

My Weekend Book Review - One Minute Manager by Kenneth Blanchard

Why you should care about this book:  Although you won’t learn every management secret known to mankind in this book, Kenneth Blanchard does a great job of telling a story and keeping you interested in his three principles of one minute management.  Although this book was published in the 80’s with an 80’s mindset; we can still use the principles today.  Technology may have advanced in the last 30 years, but basic human behavior hasn’t.  There are some other insights along the way to learning his secrets, but the three principles and some catchy sayings are what take up most of the 39 pages of this book.

My recommendation:  I highly recommend this for managers but also parents can learn a lot from this book as well.  It is well worth the 2 hours to read it.

Brief overview of contents:  The 3 principles consist of – one minute goal setting, one minute praises and one minute reprimands.  

The one minute goal setting:

The One Minute Manager (OMM) tells the subordinate what needs to be done and they both agree on the task.  The goal is recorded on a single page in 250 words or less with one copy to the subordinate and one to the OMM.  Performance is based on agreed responsibilities.  The OMM shows subordinates what good behavior looks like by example or by others actions.  In most organizations, the boss and subordinate have 2 different ideas of the subordinates responsibilities are.  Goals should only be set for key areas of responsibilities; from 3-6 goals.  The first goal is always to have subordinates identify and solve their own problems.  The OMM spends most of their time with subordinates at the beginning of a new task, not at the end.  Subordinates must review their goals periodically and review their own performance; see if their behavior matches their goals.

The one minute praising:

When first starting a task, the OMM is never far away and keeps detailed records of the subordinate’s progress.  The OMM always tries to catch subordinates doing something RIGHT, and gives praise immediately after catching them.  How it works; the OMM makes contact with the person, looks them in the eye and tells them what they did right, and then the OMM tells them how it made the OMM feel along with the good for the company when they did it right.

One minute reprimand:

How it works; OMM makes contact with the person, looks them in the eye and tells them what they did wrong, and then the OMM tells them how it made the OMM feel about what they did wrong, and lastly the OMM tells the subordinate that they still believe they are competent at their job.  Reprimands are about behavior not the person; this prevents defensiveness or rationalizing an excuse.

Other ideas or discussions:

The One Minute Manager gets good results without taking much time.  The OMM doesn’t make decisions for others; they make others make decisions for themselves.  The OMM at meetings listens while their people review and analyze what they accomplished, the problems they had, and what still needs to be accomplished WITHOUT HELPING THEM SOVLE THEIR OWN PROBLEMS.  The decisions made at the meeting are binding to both parties.  The OMM doesn’t have to repeat themselves; their people listen to them because they don’t waste time.

The idea of win-win, win-lose and lose-win when it comes to management style, subordinates and the company; Autocratic style management (bottom line manager) is where the company wins and subordinates lose.  Democratic style management (nice manager) is where the company loses and subordinates win.  The one minute manager (effective manager) is a win-win management style by managing themselves and the people they work with so that both the company and the people profit from the manager’s presence.

Productivity is about quantity and quality, you can’t sacrifice either.  Quality is simply giving people the product or service they really want and need.

Problems are expressed in behavioral terms, not attitudes or feelings, they must be observable and measurable.  A problem only exists if there is a difference between what is actually happening and what you desire to happen.  If a subordinate comes to you with a problem; they better have an answer that they already worked out all of the scenarios prior to telling the OMM.

The OMM gives crystal clear feedback on what the subordinate is doing well and doing poorly whether it is uncomfortable or not.  The OMM will praise someone even if things aren’t going well for the manager or the company.  The OMM will praise more during the beginning of the tasks and eventually the subordinate will start praising themselves.  The one minute praise works on Pavlov’s theory of classical conditioning, where two stimuli are presented and the organism starts to relate one to the other, even when both are not present.

Catchy sayings:

People who feel good about themselves produce good results.

Subordinate, “I have a problem.”  Manager, “good that is what I hired you to solve.”

Help people reach their full potential; catch them doing something right.

The best minute I spend is the one I invest in people.

 

Now that I have given you a taste of the book, you can get it for FREE off Barnes and Noble under the Nook section.  How cool is that?  Have a great week and thank you for reading.

Ten a Day - Day 2 How to be a PMP

Hey you, yes you, do you want to be a PMP?  “A what?” you say.  Get your mind out of the gutter.  Not a PIMP, but a PMP – Project Management Professional: a certification offered from the Project Management Institute (pmi.org). PMI is a world recognized non-profit certification agency for project management professionals, with more than 600,000 members.  Are there other project manager certifications?  Absolutely, certification agencies include the American Academy of Project Management, Project Management Leadership Group, International Project Management Association, Federal Acquisition Institute and of course hundreds of colleges that offer certificate or degrees.

Here are the PMP Requirements from the pmi.org website:

To apply for the PMP, you need to have either -

A four-year degree (bachelor’s or the global equivalent) and at least three years of project management experience, with 4,500 hours leading and directing projects and 35 hours of project management education.

OR

A secondary diploma (high school or the global equivalent) with at least five years of project management experience, with 7,500 hours leading and directing projects and 35 hours of project management education.

If you do not meet the PMP eligibility requirements, you may want to look at the Certified Associate in Project Management CAPM certification which has fewer experience and education requirements.

               That’s all great, but what do I really have to do to get a PMP certification?  It’s actually pretty easy; you go to the website and fill out the application.  Part of the application is filling out the Experience Verification Form (looks like a log book) for the hours you have in project management.  To cover the education requirement; there are hundreds of vendors listed on the pmi.org website.  I found a PMP Fundaments course online that covers the 35 hour education requirements for $150 from pmsimplify.com - DO NOT PAY $1000 for any PMP fundamentals or PMP exam prep course.  I will let you know how this one turns out when I start it next week.

Now you may ask yourself why I would want to become a PMP when I am pursuing my Ph.D. in Organization Development and ultimately want to become a professor.  Because I want to expand my knowledge base and also part of professorship is research; what better way to conduct research than by consulting?  This will help me accomplish both, plus I already have the experience, so why not?

Okay, 10 minutes are up.  I hope you enjoyed this segment and wish you luck on your journey of becoming a PIMP, err PMP.  Stupid spell check.

Ten a Day - Day 1

Okay, ten what a day?  Ten pushups a day – to easy.  Ten glasses of water a day – only if you want to pee all day.  Ten Hail Marys a day – nope, not even close.

Ten minutes a day of writing!  That is my new standard that I set for myself.  Today I was accepted into the Benedictine University’s Organization Development Ph.D. program and although I am excited, I am also apprehensive in my ability to write academic papers.  My background as a Nuke and a Navy Chief allow me to write great evaluations, but scholastic works are another animal.  A professor told me not too long ago, “In order to become a great professor, you must write often and write well.”  I need help in both areas; just ask my wife Gretchen.  

               Ten minutes sounds like very little time to give up a day, but there are many factors involved in writing a blog.  Actually writing the blog entry will only take about ten minutes, it’s all the preparation that takes more time.  It takes time to select an interesting topic, research the topic, review other blogs on the topic for duplication and then publish the blog.  I want the final product to look professional and each area requires precious time.

               Don’t get me wrong, I want to do this for you as much as for myself.  In the pursuit of educating myself I want to educate the world (or at least whoever is interested) as well.  In my mind, the world of knowledge hording is on the decline and self-empowerment is on the rise.  Will you join me?

               Now that my ten minutes are up for today, please feel free to leave feedback, recommended reading or any of your thoughts on writing.  I look forward to talking to you again tomorrow, even if it is only for Ten Minutes!

Why You Should Hire Military Leadership

               This essay was originally a part of my Ph.D. Admission Statement, but I decided to blog it because I felt it was important to reveal one of America’s hidden leadership gems to the business world.  I use myself as only one example of the 1.5 million of my Brothers and Sisters serving today and 12 million veterans who have served with honor and distinction in the past.

               Now admittedly as a child growing up in a working class home I didn’t have posters of Donald Trump or Lee Iacocca haphazardly slapped up on my wall and I couldn’t tell you what businesses did besides sell stuff.  Where I grew up we didn’t talk about CEOs, board meetings or corporate mergers; we were working folk with working dreams and there was little talk about business.  And like all kids, I was more interested in flying jets or creating the next great video game rather than preparing myself for the world of business.  At age 17 when high school was done and there was no money for college I did the next best thing to better myself; I joined the United States Navy.

I have grown immensely as a leader from my 22 years of naval service.  I have learned leadership from world class leaders in ways a book could never convey; by application.  From day one in the military we are expected to lead and that is exactly what I learned to do.  Like all novices learning a new skill, I didn’t start out my career by leading hundreds of Sailors; I started by leading a working party of five or six here and there until my skills were honed to the next level.  Many times in my career I have been accountable for over 100 people, even up to 350, which is equivalent to a medium-sized company.  I didn’t have a glorified titled such as General Manager or Director; instead I wear my titles as rank and insignia. The military makes this distinction because it’s easier to visually identify our level of leadership and management competency than take precious time submitting resumes or letters of references.  I wear the rank of Chief Petty Officer with pride because it represents that I am a technical expert and a superb manager of people and programs.

Although most of us in the military don’t have Project Management certifications or degrees we still develop programs and policies for the military.  We implement policies on the national, regional and local levels; based on public law, operational needs and rich traditions.  We develop projects on the local level to deal with unique situations.  We even have the Diversity Managed Equal Opportunity Institute, a world leader in the development of programs, policies and training for all things diversity.  Not many companies can claim such honors.

The military has also adopted many business practices from the corporate world.  As the US military budgets shrink from the overinflated Cold War and Desert Storm levels; we have become more efficient in the art of war.  The Navy has adopted business practices from the civilian sector; Lean Six Sigma and Total Quality Management by Dr. Deming are most predominant practices, but we use many others as well.  Although our organization is not for profit, we still have budgets and are accountable to our shareholders to utilize our resources with maximum efficiency. 

               Since earning my MBA I have come across a huge road block in my pursuit of professorship; I have no commonly excepted practical business experience.  I understand academia’s hesitation to hire a military member to teach business, it seems counterintuitive.  But realistically our military is one of the world’s best sources for business leadership and management.  The military actively promotes leadership, integrity, teamwork, loyalty, diversity and mission accomplishment. We do not have the choice to quit or fail.  What better corporate ethos could there be?  The military even takes it one step further by testing each of its service members in real-life stress filled environments for significant periods of time.  A normal corporate program manager may work late hours and have to sacrifice weekends to accomplish a goal, but we go on deployments for eight to eighteen months accomplishing missions that affect the world.  An executive has the option to terminate their contract when the corporation is failing; whereas a Commanding Officer of a ship facing imminent danger doesn’t have that luxury, it is fight or perish.

               We also know how to run a business, contrary to popular belief.  Approximately 3.6 million veterans own their own business out of the 12 million veterans in today’s workforce.   If we don’t have any practical business experience, how are we so successful?  The answer is that we prepare.  We take business classes, talk to other business owners, utilize the Small Business Administration resources and do whatever else is needed to succeed.

               We are taught to follow orders without delay and only ask questions for clarification or further guidance.  This does not mean that we follow all orders blindly and without question, but rather that we need less supervision because we are highly functioning employees who use creativity and determination to accomplish our tasks.  Organizational Development and Leadership come easy to practicing military leaders because we have hands on experience in the field of behavior management.  A large amount of service members are also certified Training Specialists; our qualifications are built on the foundation of behavior management, specifically the internal and external motivators for learning.  We also offer companies a different point of view than a corporate perspective.

In conclusion, discounting a military leader because they have not worked in the corporate culture is a misguided decision that and will end up hurting the company more than the veteran.  The skills and experience gained from a military career are easily translated into corporate experience, if only viewed in the correct context.  The military doesn’t provide the certifications and job titles of the business community, but that doesn’t mean that the service member is any less competent to lead and manage.  We are trained for success and will bring that same drive, determination and leadership to any new career we choose.  The question is: are you going to choose us?

Hello World!

Hello all, I am so excited about posting my first blog.  This is something that I have wanted to do for a long time, but never managed to have the time to do it.  As I start my Ph.D. in Organization Development I wanted to use this blog to share some ideas with the world and get valuable feedback from the public.  Please feel free to voice your opinion, just not spam.  Have a great weekend and I will post my first discussion soon.