Are You Playing it Too Safe?

By Richard Bolles

Our Safekeeping Self is the part of us which likes to maintain our status quo, guarantee us freedom from fear, and give us a feeling of safety because the circumstances are known and familiar—even if they are grim, as in a bad marriage. (read more...)

Taking Initiative at Work: Deciding What's Important

By Bob Nelson

Whenever you decide to take initiative at work, it’s important to first weigh the impact of doing so against all the other alternatives available to you. While some initiatives can have tremendous impact on the organization’s bottom line, others may have little or no impact on the company or your co-workers. (read more...)

All of Us Are Stuck on Suck-Ups
We all claim to hate suck-ups. So why do we surrond ourselves with them?

By Marshall Goldsmith

I have reviewed more than 100 custom-designed leadership profiles for major corporations – and have helped write over 50. These documents typically feature motivational language that describes the leadership practices companies desire - such as "communicates a clear vision," "helps people develop to their maximum potential," "strives to see the value of differing opinions," and "avoids playing favorites."(read more...)

Are You Playing it Too Safe? (^ top)

By Richard Bolles

Our Safekeeping Self is the part of us which likes to maintain our status quo, guarantee us freedom from fear, and give us a feeling of safety because the circumstances are known and familiar—even if they are grim, as in a bad marriage. On the other hand, the Experimental Self is the part of us which likes to strike out in new directions, and try new things; it is the part of us which craves adventure, and a better life.

In normal circumstances, the Safekeeping Self and the Experimental Self operate within each of us as a dynamic duo, maintaining balance and equilibrium with each other. Thus, in a typical situation, the Experimental Self contributes an openness to new things and ideas, curiosity, and imagination; while the Safekeeping Self contributes reassurance, support, analysis, and guidance.

So much for theory. In actual fact, this dynamic balance can get badly out of whack. And at such times, the Safekeeping Self often seems to rule our lives, and thwart adventure at the start. The question is: what are those times?

First, a little bit of background. By and large, throughout our lives, we find ourselves living in one of four lands:

Land #1: By accident or choice, we are thrust into a new and unfamiliar situation: perhaps by the death of a loved one, a divorce, a termination when we least expect it, a move to a different part of the country, an entering into marriage, the children leaving home, a falling into straitened financial circumstances, retirement, or a career-change. Because of this new situation, this "New World" if you like, is so unfamiliar to us, we spend all our energy just trying to find out what this New World is like. Our major fixation: What's Happening?

Land #2: We are in the new situation, the New World, and we have gotten a handle—however temporarily—on what's happening, and now we have moved on in our thinking. We are focused now on how it is we "make it" in this new world: emotionally, financially, socially, and mentally, even at a minimal level. Our major fixation: Can I Survive?

Land #3: We have not only gotten a handle on what's happening, but we have figured out that we can indeed survive in this new situation, this New World, and now we have moved on again in our thinking to the question of what we want to accomplish or achieve for our lives, our work, our social relationships, our faith. Our major fixation: What Am I Trying To Accomplish?

Land #4: We have a handle (however tenuously) on what's happening, and how to survive, and what we want to accomplish. Now we move on in our thinking—as time passes—to the question of whether or not we are accomplishing, with our lives, what we set out to do. Our major fixation: How Am I Doing?

We may, then, describe these four lands as:

1. The Land Of Information Gathering

2. The Land Of Action

3. The Land Of Goal Setting

4. The Land Of Evaluation

Normally, when our Safekeeping Self and our Experimental Self are operating in equilibrium and balance, it is because we are in either Land #3, or Land #4.

Normally.

When, however, we are moving (or contemplating moving) into a new situation—such as a career-change, or looking for a job at a new place—we drop back to Land #1, and often find that our Safekeeping Self suddenly comes to full alert, hits the panic button, and starts careening off walls.

The person whose Safekeeping Self is thus panicking has, of course, no idea why he or she is unable to take the next step in their hoped-for a new adventure. It is, as I said earlier, like a computer 'hanging'. If you have such a computer, could you possibly explain why it hung the last three times that it did? Not likely! No more does a person know why they hang. They just do.

Taking Initiative at Work: Deciding What's Important (^ top)

By Bob Nelson

Whenever you decide to take initiative at work, it’s important to first weigh the impact of doing so against all the other alternatives available to you. While some initiatives can have tremendous impact on the organization’s bottom line, others may have little or no impact on the company or your co-workers. Use the following guidelines as you decide where to concentrate your own efforts:

What impact does your initiative have on the organization’s bottom line, mission, or strategic objectives? Rank your initiatives based on how strongly they contribute to increasing your organization’s revenues and profit. If you work for a nonprofit organization, consider which initiatives will help you most directly achieve your organization’s mission in the most timely and cost-effective way. Initiatives that approve working conditions and employee morale are also important because they lead to improved financial performance.

Urgency does not necessarily equal importance . Assess urgent tasks first to determine their relative importance and to see where they fit in the overall scheme of your responsibilities. Only then should you react.

Is your initiative someone else’s responsibility? Although you may be tempted to take initiative throughout your organization, in some cases it is best to defer your efforts to the person who is responsible for the particular product, service or process that you wish to address. If this is the case, bring up your ideas or concerns with that person, and then let him or her take the ball and run with it.

All of Us Are Stuck on Suck-Ups (^ top)
We all claim to hate suck-ups. So why do we surrond orselves with them?

By: Marshall Goldsmith

From:FastCompany Issue 77, Page 117

I have reviewed more than 100 custom-designed leadership profiles for major corporations – and have helped write over 50. These documents typically feature motivational language that describes the leadership practices companies desire - such as "communicates a clear vision," "helps people develop to their maximum potential," "strives to see the value of differing opinions," and "avoids playing favorites."

One item I have never read is "effectively fawns over executive management." While almost every company says it wants people to "challenge the system," "be empowered to express your opinion," and "say what you really think," there sure are a lot of people who are stuck on sucking up!

Not only do companies say they abhor such comically servile behavior but so do individual leaders. Almost all of the leaders I have met say that they would never encourage such a thing in their organizations. I have no doubt that they are sincere. Most of us are easily irritated--if not disgusted--by derriere kissers. Which raises a question: If leaders say they discourage sucking up, why does it happen so often? Here's a straightforward answer: Without meaning to, we all tend to create an environment where people learn to reward others with accolades that aren't really warranted. We can see this very clearly in other people. We just can't see it in ourselves.

So now you may be thinking, "This guy Goldsmith is right. It's amazing how leaders send out subtle signals that encourage subordinates to mute their criticisms and exaggerate their praise of the powers that be. And it's surprising how they can't see themselves doing it. Of course, Goldsmith isn't talking about me. I don't do this in my company." And maybe you're right. But how can you be so sure that you're not in denial?

I use an irrefutable test with my clients to show how we unknowingly encourage sucking up. I ask a group of leaders the following question: "How many of you own a dog that you love?" Big smiles cross these executives' faces as they wave their hands in the air. They beam as they tell me the names of their always-faithful mutts. Then we have a contest. I ask them, "At home, who gets most of your unabashed affection?" The multiple choices: one, your husband, wife, or partner; two, your kids; or three, your dog. More than 80% of the time, the clear winner is --- the dog!

I then ask them if they love their dogs more than the members of their families. The answer is always a resounding no. My follow-up: "So why does the dog get most of your unqualified positive recognition?" They reply with answers that all sound about the same. "The dog is always happy to see me." "The dog never talks back." "The dog gives me unconditional love, no matter what I do." In other words, the dog is a suck-up.

I can't say that I am any better. I have two dogs at home. I travel all the time, and the dogs go absolutely nuts when I return from a trip. I pull into the driveway, and my first inclination is to open the front door, go straight to the dogs, and exclaim, "Daddy's home!" Invariably, the dogs jump up and down and wag their little tails. I give them a big hug. One day, my daughter, Kelly, was home from college. She watched my typical love fest with the dogs. She then looked at me disgustedly, held her hands in the air like little paws, and barked, "Woof woof."

Point taken.

If we aren't careful, we can treat people at work like dogs: by rewarding those who heap unthinking, unconditional admiration upon us. What behavior do we get in return? A virulent case of the suck-ups.

Here's how leaders can stop encouraging this behavior. Begin by admitting that we all have a tendency to favor those who favor us, even if we don't mean to. We should then rank our direct reports in three areas. First, how much do they like me? (I know you aren't sure. What matters is how much you think they like you.) Second, what is their contribution to our company and our customers? Third, how much positive, personal recognition do I give them? In many cases, if we are honest with ourselves, how much recognition we give someone is more often highly correlated with how much they seem to like us than it is with how well they perform. If that is the case, we may be encouraging the kind of behavior that we despise in others. Without meaning to, we are basking in hollow praise, which makes us hollow leaders.

Marshall Goldsmith (Marshall@MarshallGoldsmith.com ) is corporate America's preeminent executive coach and a founder of Marshall Goldsmith Partners.

Copyright © 2004 Gruner + Jahr USA Publishing. All rights reserved.
Fast Company, 375 Lexington Avenue., New York , NY 10017

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