One of my
favorite books on leadership is The
Leadership Engine
by Noel Tichy. Noel Tichy is a professor at the University of Michigan Business
School and worked closely with Jack Welch for years. In the book Tichy talks
about leaders having Edge, which he defines as the "unflinching readiness to
face reality and the courage to act."
Facing
reality in business is not always easy. Leading organizations is fun when things
are going well but all businesses are cyclical and there will always come a time
when a leader must face hard realities. Those realities might concern product,
property, time, money, resources or, toughest of all, people. Successful leaders
have the ability to separate themselves from their emotions and see situations
for what they are, not what they want them to be.
I have found
that decisions about people are by far the most difficult. Behind every
downsizing, every role change or termination is a person and a family. And
that's why Edge is most important when it comes to giving people feedback. The
worst thing we as leaders and managers can do is not give people honest and
straightforward feedback. How will people ever improve if we don't tell them
where they're excelling and what they need to work on? Edge is about confronting
employees who fail to do what is expected of them, even when we like them. Edge
is about doing what's right for the company and the team, regardless of our own
personal feelings.
When I was
about twenty years old I was going to school full time as well as working full
time at a stereo store as an assistant manager. I thought I was doing a pretty
good job in spite of my extremely full schedule. One day I was called into the
office by the store manager. I was sure I was going to be given a raise. Instead
I was fired. The manager said he had been trying to coach me for months but I
had failed to improve. My job was in jeopardy and I didn't even know it. I
failed in my job but my manager failed in his. He didn't have the Edge necessary
to tell me directly what I was doing wrong.
From that
day on I promised myself that if I ever had to fire someone, it would never be a
surprise. I told myself that I would give people the feedback they deserved. I
haven't always been successful but I try. What I have realized over the years is
that if I have faith in a person's ability I can give them any kind of feedback.
It's when I see people failing in a job they shouldn't have that I struggle to
give feedback. In the end, though, I can do it because of my own experience. My
ultimate aim here is to be able to look at a person I've had to terminate and
know that I've given that person every possible chance. They might have failed
in the job but I did not fail them.
So let me
ask, do you have Edge? Do you see things as they are or as you want them to be?
Are you addressing the things in your organization that you deep down know you
need to address? Are you giving people who work for you the feedback they need
to hear? Are you doing what you know you need to do?
Tichy ends
his chapter on Edge with this: "The final test of edge is whether the leader can
in total honesty say, "I acted when I should have. I've had the courage of my
convictions." I hope you follow yours.
- Doug
About the author:
Doug Fleener is founder of the Dynamic Experiences Group. He is a veteran
retailer with more than 25 years of hands-on retail experience with world-class
retailers including Bose Corporation and The Sharper Image. He has also owned
and operated his own specialty stores. His new book, The Profitable Retailer:
56 surprisingly simple and effective lessons to boost your sales and profits
published by Acanthus Publishing.
Doug is now president and
managing partner of Dynamic Experiences Group LLC, a Lexington based retail
consulting firm dedicated to helping retailers create unique customer
experiences that results in higher sales and profits. Learn more at
www.dynamicexperiencesgroup.com or call Doug at 866-535-6331.
Fleener also shares his
knowledge of experience based retailing in a series of custom key notes and
workshops designed for stores, businesses, corporations, non-profits, and trade
associations of all sizes. His casual style and quick wit make him not just a
crowd pleaser but also an incredible motivator, encouraging people to take
action and deliver extraordinary experiences to customers and employees alike.
Learn more at
www.dougfleener.com.
