Editor's Notes

As I sit here looking at the rain-washed vineyard, smelling the fresh, earthiness of wet leaves, I am reminded of how much I enjoy the different weather conditions we have here in the wine country of Sonoma. Only a few days before all this rain, a brassy sun had been delivering its goods, sending us scurrying to the shelter of shade.

I like climate diversity and believe it plays a fairly significant role in my daily routine. Do I drive or bike? Do I lunch at my desk or on the front porch? Do I wear those serious boots or those silly sandals? Do I have my fun indoors or outdoors? The answers, all of them, determined by weather or whether or not it does one thing or the other in the Great Outdoors. Having lived in climes of many changes--the Midwest and in climes of few changes--Southern California, and now in a clime of subtle-yet-distinct changes--Northern California, I have to say I love the shifts, love the range of feelings that each newborn season sparks. In this issue of The Leader’s Almanac we look at workplace diversity and how we as leaders can enrich our lives and the people we lead by allowing diversity to play a significant role in our own daily rounds and routines.

In our lead article best-selling author and researcher Lynne Lancaster serves up valuable "snidbits" on how to be an exemplary leader in this diverse, often complex and confusing, multi-generational world of ours. Lynne is crystal clear on how to get started in winning the war for talent and connecting with each generation in the workplace. Don’t miss her practical, straight-forward advice

Drawing lessons from the November Election, Pat Schally points out that it is the diversity of our beliefs about our leaders and wanna-be’s, along with what we want from them, that makes for much spirited dialogue in our politically-charged country. Having this dialogue, she notes, may even move us to a monologue, an internal discussion in which we ask ourselves if we’re actually living up to the same standards that we hold for our leaders. Interesting, intriguing, isn’t it

Also in this issue, Ron Crossland points out that even though a buzzword, diversity, at least from the motivational perspective, can provide us with invaluable insights. It’s time for leaders to realize, he maintains, that their shared vision may not strike universal motivational chords. Vision is also in Beth High’s sights. Beth gives us the pertinent metaphor of photography, challenging leaders to see their world through close-up, as well as wide-angle, lenses. It is our opportunity and our responsibility as leaders, Beth opines, to use these different lenses to make our vision exciting, compelling and unique.

I can’t resist; I have to add my own opine, my own two cents. When I brought up this topic of diversity at a recent training conference I attended, boy did I get an ear-full. Seems I hit the nail on the knowledge head. For the key challenge among learning professionals today seems to lie in adapting training to diverse learning styles. Terry Satterfield from the Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commission (MPCTC) shared with me an effective way to get people to understand their own particular styles and, in turn, enable them to get more out of any learning experience. Applying adult-learning theory, Satterfield has devised a fun approach to making people in her workshops savvy to how it is they actually learn.

Satterfield uses the almost-universal situation of buying a car. Apparently, your approach to buying a car determines the type of learner you are. Are you concerned about safety, about research, for example. Are you jumping at the chance to take a test drive? Or are you a bottomless-pit of questions? As Satterfield suggests, taking the time to give people insights into how they learn can pay off in big dividends and enhance the individual learning experience.

I hope this issue of The Leader’s Almanac provokes in you some new way of thinking about diversity, this batted-around, beleaguered buzzword. Maybe when you hear this D-word in the future, instead of summoning up differences that divide, the word can connote enrichment to you. In other words, it may prompt you to wonder about how can you, as a leader, enrich the lives of the diverse people around you that you have the great fortune to lead.

Enrichment? Enlist me. I’ll go right along with that, just as I go along with this rain. This pouring down stuff that’s sogging up everything, it can only enrich my day, not ruin it, right?

Jeni Nichols
Queen of Connections
Editor, The Leader's Almanac
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Leadership for Every Generation

Leadership Brings Out the Best in Every Generation, by Lynne Lancasterd
Co-Author, When Generations Collide

Years ago my Gen X business partner, David, asked me for a few "snidbits" of information. David is known for his malapropisms, so I understood what he meant. He wanted something between a snippet and a tidbit because he didn’t have a lot of time.

Just recently I got to thinking about how complicated it is to be an exemplary leader in a multigenerational world. What might seem an inspiring mission statement to one group appears bogus to another. A leader who is seen as “hands on” by some is accused of micromanaging by somebody else. While one group wants more face time, another wants to be left alone.

Today, leaders need to be keenly aware of their impact on each of the four generations in the workplace, while still being true to their own beliefs and style. So where do you start? How about with a few snidbits that are critical to winning the war for talent and connecting with each generation.

Be aware of the brain drain. In the U.S., 80 million Baby Boomers are moving inexorably toward retirement. 17,000 of them turn fifty every single day. They are experiencing that first health scare, the death of a parent, a divorce, or an empty nest. They are looking hard at their lives and wondering what’s next. Leaders have it in their power to recapture the best and brightest Boomers by re-engaging them now. We can keep them learning, pay attention to their career paths, and offer opportunities for renewal. Just because Boomers talk about retirement doesn’t mean they’ll actually do it. This is a valuable cadre of workers we can’t afford to lose.

Understand the war for talent. In the early 1960s population growth in the U.S. slowed (as in many industrialized countries). The result is we have a much smaller population of Gen Xers (just 46 million) to fill the pipeline as almost twice as many Boomers retire. Generation Xers have more choices, and they are more willing to walk away if they are unhappy. With the coming talent crunch, we have to think hard about how to engage and inspire these valuable younger leaders. Many have been waiting in the wings for Boomers to unclog the top jobs. They are growing tired of life under the “gray ceiling” and are looking for opportunities to move up, develop their skills, and take on bigger roles.

Keep an eye on the pipeline. Worker shortages exist in many parts of the labor pool right now. In the U.S. we aren’t graduating enough nurses, scientists, engineers, accountants, or IT specialists to fill jobs available now. We already have shortages of linemen, truck drivers, maintenance workers, mechanics, and electricians. These shortfalls are expected to worsen as Boomers retire and the economy expands. Throwing more money at hiring won’t help if the workers don’t exist. What does your pipeline look like? Are you able to find the people you need in your geographic locations? If your best Boomers leave, where will their replacements come from? (Hint: they won’t always be younger.) Smart leaders are looking at the horizon and getting creative now about sourcing for the future.

Rethink succession. For too many years now, succession planning has referred to filling in boxes on an org chart. This view is far too limited. Succession really means asking deep questions such as, what will our jobs look like in the future? How deep is our bench strength? And, how good are we at developing the skills sets we need? Generation gaps continually get in the way. Baby Boomers who are intimidated by the young hot shots they see trying to get their jobs are none too eager to pass along valuable knowledge. And younger workers on the fast track aren’t always willing to listen to experienced workers long enough to learn from them. We must create cultures where information can be passed along efficiently, or organizations are doomed to suffer from staggering knowledge loss as jobs change hands.

Consider generational personalities when you lead. Those who have taken to heart the Five Practices® of Exemplary Leadership now need to go a step further. Think about how these Practices play out when connecting with members of the different generations. For example, the Practice of Encouraging the Heart might mean offering praise to a Millennial new hire raised during the self-esteem movement and looking for confirmation that she is doing things right. But for a particular Gen Xer, Encouraging the Heart might mean letting him take a pet project and run with it—far from the micromanaging eyes of his Boomer bosses. Encouraging the Heart could mean a public commendation for a competitive Baby Boomer or a quiet pat on the back to a loyal Traditionalist. These road maps have yet to be written, but wise leaders will add a generational perspective when they consider how their styles work to motivate diverse cohorts.

Whether you’re managing a workforce that wears neck ties or tie dyes, looking to the future through a generational lens will make you a better, more compassionate, and ultimately, more effective leader.

Lynne Lancaster is a noted researcher, writer, keynote speaker, and media resource who co-authored the best-seller When Generations Collide: Who They Are. Why They Clash. How to Solve the Generational Puzzle at Work (HarperBusiness 2003). Back to Top

At the Water Cooler, In the Voting Booth

At the Water Cooler, In the Voting Booth, by Pat Schally
Certified Business and Leadership Coach

You don’t have to look far for a good example of diversity in our country. The recent political campaign affords plenty to go on. Who did not observe, discuss, blog, e-mail or maybe even campaign for their presidential candidate-of-choice? It was unprecedented, the degree of personal involvement and media frenzy that surrounded our heated national election. It was riveting theater at its most dramatic and colorful. The spicy scripts were sprinkled with name-calling, along with race, gender, generational and societal issues that jumped right off the screen and the printed page.

Admittedly, some of the mainstream publicity about the candidates’ so-called conflicting lifestyles was rather silly; a case of a glass of chardonnay vs. a can of beer, an eye-blink vs. a stare-down, a bridge-to-nowhere vs. a stairway to heaven. Yet now, with the dismal economic news, we are confronted with far more sobering realities. In trying to make sense of the Wall Street bailouts and why the regulatory watchdogs fell asleep, many of us have been left feeling rather helpless. As we stand on the sidelines watching the market’s wild swings, we ponder, not to say, fret, over our financial futures.

But through all of this, are we actually making the connection between our own distractions and concerns over unexpected crises and our leadership responsibilities that are applicable—not just in corporations, but also in our communities and in our very own families? Are we being pulled away from purpose? And, significantly, as we take stock of our leadership practices, how do those practices align with our criteria for a Commander-in-Chief who must steer us through this major financial crises? I’ve heard some people admit that they avoided listening to or reading about either topic--the election or the economy. “Too depressing,” they said or “I’m tired of the rhetoric.” Those were easy, albeit understandable, cop-outs.

Instead, why not view the current events as an opportunity to help us focus more deeply on real issues, look inward and articulate a viable leadership philosophy. Why do this? Because the way we respond as a boss around the water cooler and the way we respond as a citizen in the voting booth represents a veritable microcosm of our basic beliefs about what kind of leader we are and desire to be. And that response, I might add, are highly personal, reflecting beliefs that are as varied as the ones that are now being expressed politically throughout our country.

Before you know it, you may even surprise yourself. By really zeroing in on leadership requirements, you might find that you’re asking yourself if you, yes, you, are living up to those same standards. If there’s a gap, let it serve as a wake-up to action; there’s some personal leadership work to be done here. As the comic strip character Pogo put it, “We have met the enemy and he is us.”

Outside the political arena, diversity shows up in many areas of our lives. In some cases, the socially mandated need to be more politically correct (PC) has fostered an overall atmosphere that welcomes diversity in all forms. Businesses have stepped up to the plate, incorporating into their mission statements the fostering of culture of diversity. Workers and leaders alike have benefited from, and are strengthened by, sharing power and information between cubicles, across the diversity divides. We’ve all come a long way and many of us now realize that there is a priceless opportunity here to learn from the different perspectives and positions of others, opportunities that are made possible if we are willing to listen with open minds and open hearts.

Yet, there’s another side. According to a recent report from the Human Resource Management Guide, while organizations believe diversity is important, managing it continues to be tricky. Only 30 percent of the organizations surveyed agreed on the definition. And that’s because diversity “is not well…understood; focuses too much on compliance; and places too much emphasis on ethnicity and/or gender.” Clearly, there is work to be done in this area. Still, it is vital work, work that calls for inspired leadership to boldly step forward.

What if leadership does not take that step, does not believe in or support diversity? Some divergent, deeply-held beliefs can and often do surface as the seeds of diversity are planted and cultivated. Divergences of opinion can occur, as they have today around our Presidential race, as we are faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges. What becomes of a country, a company, an organization, or a family that suppresses diversity?

In my view, when we all think and act alike the results are the all-too predictable stagnation, sameness, loss of innovation and competitive edge. Yes, mistrust and arrogance obliterate ideas, yielding few, if any, true light-bulb moments. Countries and companies have gone down for less.

If we look at families today, there are positive signs of diversity. I’ve observed enlightened parents who are proudly passing on to their children cultural openness and curiosity. Parents are our first and best teachers. A recent cartoon in The Wall Street Journal made light of parents’ attempt to expose their children to diversity. In the cartoon an earnest mother, speaking to her child’s teacher, declares, “We’d like to get him in a school with more diversity and start being exposed to children who watch different shows.” Shallow, maybe, but it’s a start.

Whether you hang your hat on the promise of a new President, the promise of better financial times, or the philosophy of Pogo, the fact remains that promoting diversity brings out the potential leadership greatness in each of us. Embracing diversity, compelling as it is, for its own sake, enhances the ability of people to work and live together for the greater good of all. Now that’s a campaign promise that most of us can get behind 100 percent. Back to Top

Toward a New Motivational Model

Toward a New Motivational Model, by Ron Crossland
Factoid Junkie and Poet

In the Battle of the Buzzword, diversity may now have surpassed empowerment. For a phrase to attain the buzzword label, it has to transit through two powerful, previous stages: the significance stage and the ubiquitous stage. Buzzwords usually are BIG ideas or complex ones that have universal impact, which is rather obvious because if there is no widespread hubbub, there wouldn’t be much buzz to them, right?

The buzzword stage of a concept is difficult. While the concept may be significant and universal enough to matter, its associated buzzword can, ironically, be its downfall. That’s because the buzzword short circuits complete understanding: everyone feels they’ve already heard so much about it that they don’t need to consider it any longer. Diversity as a buzzword has reached this point--we have talked about ethnic, cultural, and intellectual diversity for so long, that revisiting the whole thing seems rather unnecessary. But it is my belief that all good buzzwords deserve a second chance, and can still provide insight. That is why taking a motivational slant helps us gain a fresh look at the diversity issue.

For a long time in leadership circles practitioners and pundits alike have stressed the value of a common vision as necessary to lift people’s gaze from the day-to-day to the more noble aspects of work. While I share this notion, the reality is that the commercial workplace’s noblest intentions may not strike universal and strong motivational chords among some individuals. This discrepancy in work motivation is a generally less discussed form of diversity, although it should be a crucial consideration in the minds of leaders.

For a long time in leadership circles practitioners and pundits alike have stressed the value of a common vision as necessary to lift people’s gaze from the day-to-day to the more noble aspects of work. While I share this notion, the reality is that the commercial workplace’s noblest intentions may not strike universal and strong motivational chords among some individuals. This discrepancy in work motivation is a generally less discussed form of diversity, although it should be a crucial consideration in the minds of leaders.

Erickson, Dychtwald, and Morison all refer to six different sources of workforce motivation in their March, 2007 Harvard Business Review article. These motivations are:

• Legacy – creating something of lasting value
• Security – finding a predictable source of income
• Team Success – being a contributor to a valuable team effort
• Risk and Reward – opportunities for change and excitement
• Flexibility – a non-priority source of livelihood
• Low Obligation – a source of immediate economic gain

I would add to these motivations the following:

• Ego/Status – a demonstration of personal esteem or prowess
• Dedication – the consecration of a life to a valued system of beliefs
• Acceptance – finding a niche that supports who the individual is

There are likely other classifications, but the number or nature of work motivations is not the essential thing. There are in fact many different motivators. While they affect all social cultures, they don’t all necessarily align with noble commercial interests. Some folks, for example, may work at Google, GE, Tata, or the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China because of the benefits provided, not because they endorse any ambitious commercial vision espoused by the company. Location--proximity to home residence--combined with benefits can also be persuasive motivators that tend to weaken, if not nullify, the shared-vision angle.

Nearly all workers find motivators have varying impacts over the course of their work lives. A classic example of this is the security vs. risk and the reward motivators. Consider a person who starts out considering security as the strongest motivator. Now imagine that over time this person, whose security needs are fairly well satisfied, decides to step up risk and reward. You know people like that. I know one, a friend who is dying to start his own business. He knows that if he sticks it out where he is currently working for three more years his health benefits will be paid for the rest of his life. Nevertheless, over time he has learned to loath the place, due to some stringent command and control practices. My friend is genuinely struggling with the decision of staying or leaving prematurely. You gotta believe all of this is affecting his overall engagement level. The personal tension he feels between these two motivations far outweighs the inspirational qualities of the organization that, ironically, does offer a beneficial and wonderful service to the community at large.

I know others who work to provide an income that supports an endeavor that has absolutely no economic reward. They often say, “I work so I can support my hobbies.” And they are serious. They work hard for their employer, but when they leave work, their greater abilities come online in pursuit of their hobbies. Sometimes these hobbies are commercial sidelines that they hope will blossom into full-time endeavors. Motivational diversity is a real, powerful manifestation of work life and, like all other types of diversity, understanding it can allow leaders to bridle its power.

For example, if the organization my struggling friend works for had the type of motivational diversity thinking that could encompass and embrace his desires to launch his own business, my friend could likely be energized to work his remaining three years with renewed vigor. Likewise, my hobbyist friends, who plan to work for a long period of time, could have their commercial interests spurred if there was an honored place for their true motivations.

Unfortunately, there is a general commercial belief that works against motivational diversity. It’s the idea that you reward top performers, coaching only those who have the potential to gain the performance peaks. The others, the slower-pokes, the underachievers, are predictably ushered out of the organization.

While a sound commercial strategy in some regard, this philosophy does not fully take advantage of the variety of motivational drives that exist out there in the work world. In fact, it may well squash down many productive workers to a lower level of engagement, the same way that overlooking other aspects of diversity does. Or worse, it might cause valuable talent to walk. Just because a person doesn’t deeply buy into an organization’s high-level commercial mission, does not mean that that person will not be a productive worker. If their motivational interests can be met, they may actually turn out to be some of your best talent. Back to Top

A Wide Angle Lens

A Wide Angle Lens by Beth High
Leadership Challenge Master Facilitator

I'm currently involved in a project to capture a dance sequence on film. The whole project has reconnected me with photography and connected me with, naturally, a photographer who could help me realize my vision. We started by discussing the merits of different lenses: wide-angle, telephoto, macro. What should we use to capture the essence of the subject, the movement?

A telephoto lens focuses in on the subject, blurring out the surroundings. It lets you look closely at your subject--in this case a dancer--without the distraction of the background. A macro lens zooms in close, providing detailed images of the dancer’s costume, muscles, even her skin. Both lens help capture elements of the performance, but what about the big picture? For that, you use a wide-angle lens that holds everything in focus, while showing the subject, the dancer, in her surroundings. All the detail is still there but it is woven into the whole image we see.

The photography lens is a clear metaphor for leadership and diversity. Leaders need different lenses. They need to be able to focus in on detail, to zero in on an issue so they can understand how it contributes to or impacts the greater whole, the vision of how things can be. They also need to understand and believe that the more variety and richness there is in those details, the more unique and persuasive the larger vision.

I had an opportunity to experience this first hand in a workshop offered by Chevron to leaders in non-profits. The group was as varied as possible: international, multi-generational and mixed gender. We had time to zoom in on each participant and see the individual things they each provided. Their perspectives were just so rich and so mixed, based on their cultures, their challenges, their communities.

The profound part of this for me came near the end of the workshop, when this diversity, this combination of different perspectives and passions, began to come together, when we all started to view things through a wide-angle lens. The diversity in the room, revealed by close-up examination, came to constitute a much bigger picture that was truly unique and deeply relevant for each participant.

As leaders we have the opportunity and responsibility to look through different lenses. We need to be able to move in close and focus in on our constituents and their issues. We need to see the details and understand them completely. Yet, just as importantly, we need to be able to incorporate diversity to make the vision, the big picture, exciting, compelling and unique. And for that, leaders must have that wide-angle lens. Back to Top