The Vargas Group

“Try not to become a success, but rather try to become a man of value.” Albert Einstein

In my management development program, “The New Management Reality,” I lead participants through a simple exercise. I ask them to name:

• The highest paid CEO’s of the past 3 years
• The winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Literature over the past 3 years
• The last 3 winners of the The Academy Award for Best Actor 

No one has ever gotten them all right. In fact, they can seldom name even one in each category and, if they do, they get the year wrong! Few of us can remember yesterday’s famous (or infamous!) people past their 15 minutes of fame. What was reported on all the news channels and featured in full-color entertainment magazines quickly becomes yesterday’s news.

The second part of the exercise is to create a different list altogether. I ask them to name:

• 3 teachers who had a positive impact during your school years
• 3 people who have been there for you during difficult times
• 3 people who make you feel valued, loved and appreciated

Ah, this is a much easier task; one we all have a wealth of experience and knowledge to draw from. The reason is very simple: the people who have the most profound and lasting impact in our lives are rarely the ones with the most money, the biggest names or the largest entourage. Instead they are those who saw something of value in us and made it their responsibility to bring it to fruition.

Great leaders have the ability to bring out the best in the people around them. They know that no one succeeds alone, that the journey, task or project is greatly enhanced with collaboration and mutual benefit. Rather than settling for infamy, they count the cost of the quick win or a sullied reputation and consider that cost too high. The greatest leaders are those who both provide value to and derive value from those they serve.

Sometimes you do what’s right and things just don’t work out. Or maybe it’s just that they don’t work out like we think they will.

For any professional who tries to conduct themselves in an ethical manner, seeking to provide the appropriate solution for their clients, this can be a challenge. Often the client will be pressing for a quick solution when the problem has been in the making for many years. Or your solutions partner will be urging you to sell a higher priced system than what your client truly needs. Other times it’s simply a difference of opinion on what the root cause issue is and this one can be the most difficult. To keep the engagement going it can be very tempting to agree with the client and spend valuable time and resources on a secondary issue or a symptom of the root cause, knowing this is not the most effective course of action. It’s far more difficult to adhere to that role of trusted advisor and point your client to the areas of their business that need the most attention, especially when they don’t want to hear it.

There is a Biblical principal that says we don’t always see the completion of an effort, rather we may be the one that begins the effort while another comes along and completes it. I use this principal to encourage myself when I don’t, as a consultant, always see the fruits of my labors. When I begin an engagement, sometimes there are partially completed artifacts from previous work efforts that I am able to build upon. I find this both exciting and discouraging – exciting when it indicates there is still interest in an improvement process, and discouraging when it seems you may be just “the flavor of the month.”

Mark Sanborn said, “Integrity is what you do when no one’s looking. It’s also what you do when someone’s pushing.” As a service provider, this quote has always had great relevance for me. It isn’t that my assessment and suggested approach is the only solution – I try to remain open to alternate opinions and maintain an attitude of continuous exploration and learning. Rather, it’s the challenge to remain true to what I know to be right and not change direction simply to keep the contract and appease the ego of the client. The challenge is to lead, rather than simply play the game. Their business is important. It should be important enough to me as a collaborative partner to give them good advice.

The other day I decided to take a 24 hour sabbatical from the news: I had reached my tolerance limit for irresponsibility. Bad news doesn’t bother me – sad news doesn’t even bother me – but a constant barrage of bad business decisions, followed by even worse “solutions” left me feeling powerless and in need of a mental health day! Fortunately I was able to attend a couple of chat sessions later that day with like-minded business professionals who value innovation and forward movement – and helped restore my faith in the future.

But I began to wonder, what are others feeling? Like I said, I have a pretty high threshold for pain but I also have a strong support system around me. Considering the economic climate and the workforce uncertainty around us, leaders should be asking themselves how their employees are doing. Tough times can lead to errant behavior – even the best worker can fold under the strain of challenges both at home and at work. Take a look around: are you seeing an increase in absenteeism? Are you having to mediate more interpersonal disagreements than usual? Has productivity slipped? How many of your employees have spouses who are unemployed?

In light of the 24/7 information overload we all live in, it’s easy to feel a loss of control – decisions are being made all around us that we have little or no say in. Pay attention to the impact this may be having – no, probably IS having, on your workforce and be sure step up your communication. Be as open and honest as possible about the current financial state of your company. Ensure everyone is aware of your Employee Assistance Programs or other benefits available to them such as Health Fairs or Fitness Center memberships. Take note of your employees who are maxing out their vacation time due to decreased staff and encourage them to take a day off – they likely need it and you can’t afford to burn them out.

Empathetic, intuitive leadership will make a significant difference in the way we progress through the coming months. How are you doing – and even more – how are those around you doing?

I recently wrote a blog for BizSanDiego (my favorite local mag, by the way) where I proposed that downsizing could be the BIGGEST mistake  a company could make. How so? If there isn’t some careful planning and forethought given to it.

Every time the economy goes into an adjustment period, individuals and organizations have to adjust, too. We all have to tighten our belts, cut costs and rethink the way we do things. Too often in companies, though, in trying to reach a desirable bottom line number, we cut costs in the wrong areas and end up crippling the business. Here’s a true story:

A local company made sweeping personnel cuts across the organization. They treated the furloughed employees with dignity and care and the exit was as graceful as possible, however they made one significant error. They had not fully reviewed the assigned tasks of these employees to ensure there was backup support once they were gone.  About 60 days later, it came to light that critical quarterly sales reports were not being generated and the remote salesforce was without meaningful, relevant data. You guessed it – the database engineer in charge of that data process had been let go along with the sales assistant that compiled and produced the reports. Two seemingly unrelated individuals whose absence sent the company into a mad scramble to figure out how to fill the gap. They ended up offering both former employees a contract to come back and train others on how to do their job – and only one of them was willing to do so.

I recommend a process called OPSthat utilizes Optimization, Performance and Strategy to help organizations achieve their desired result -  to streamline costs without impeding business continuity. In these difficult times, considering the big picture will be your best bet.