The Golden Rules Of Effective Communication

Here are the 12 golden rules of effective communication from Paul Falcone, as highlighted in his book, 2600 Phrases for Setting Effective Performance Goals.

Always remember to:

1. Recognize achievements and accomplishments often.
2. Celebrate success.
3. Deliver bad news quickly, constructively, and in a spirit of professional development.
4. Praise in public, censure in private.
5. Assume responsibility for problems when things go wrong, and provide immediate praise and recognition to others when things go right.
6. Create a work environment based on inclusiveness, welcoming others' suggestions and points of view.
7. Listen actively, making sure that your people feel heard and understood and have a voice in terms of offering positive suggestions in the office or on the shop floor.
8. Share information openly (to the extent possible) so that staff members understand the Why behind your reasoning and can ask appropriate questions as they continue along in their own path of career development and learning.
9. Remember that thankfulness and appreciation are the two most important values you can share with our employees and teach them to live by: make them the core foundation of your culture.
10. Put others' needs ahead of your own and expect them to respond in kind (a.k.a. "selfless leadership," otherwise known as "servant leadership").
11. When dealing with others' shortcomings, always err on the side of compassion.
12. Solicit ongoing feedback and suggestions form your team in terms of how you could do things differently, thereby stimulating creativity and innovation.

Embrace Change To Grow

Change is inevitable. Change is good.  Help your employees and team learn to embrace change.

Here are some solid insights from Dr. Rodger Dean Duncan's (Liberty, Missouri) book, Change-friendly Leadership -- How to Transform Good Intentions into  Great Performance:

• The kind of behavior change that results in lasting (sustainable) change must accommodate people's feelings--feelings that involve trust, confidence, passion, and all those other intangible but very real things that make us human.
• It's often the stress that people resist, not the change itself.
• Continuity gives us roots; change gives us branches, letting us stretch and grow and reach new heights (Pauline R. Kezer).
• A transformational leader focuses primarily on initiating and "managing" change.  He/she influences people to improve, to stretch, and to redefine what's possible.
• It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change (Charles Darwin).
• Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.

Higher Education IT Trends: 2016

Note: this is cross-posted at the Simon Fraser University site.

As part of my duties as President of CUCCIO I am expected to give the President’s report to the Annual General Meeting. At the June meeting my talk included some observations about trends and changes in higher education IT I have seen in the past year. Several folks have asked me to share these ideas so I wrote this blog post as a summary of the speech.

1.      Cloud computing isn’t a big deal

Cloud computing is simply a fact of life and we are dealing with it. Every organization has its own approaches and strategies that suit the uniqueness of their institutions and legislative domains. From Dalhousie University’s fascinating cloud first strategy to SFU’s cloud consumer and provider strategy, every university is dealing with it.

2.      Security is compelling and demanding and ubiquitous

The recent ransomware attack at the UofC has raised the profile of IT security in a jarring and shocking manner. Not only was the university forced to pay an embarrassing ransom, but more importantly, all their IT systems were shut down for 10 full days which has an immeasurable fiscal impact. Universities can no longer hide behind the veil of academic freedom to continue to justify a network security blanket that resembles cheesecloth.

3.      IT isn’t a cost, it’s an investment

Conversations with President’s, Provosts, VPs of Finance, and Research VPs are reflecting a new perspective of IT. In the past the conversation about IT was typically all about the cost. Now the conversation is changing; we are talking about how to extract value from the investment in IT. These are investments helping the university achieve educational, academic, research, and community objectives.

4.      Social media is no longer special, it’s just media

We are now talking about a digital experience, not just a learning experience for our students. We are creating digital strategies that engage our stakeholders and integrate new media changes into everything happening on campus. From a media perspective, traditional IT is like a millstone around the neck of media innovation. “Social” media is no longer unique – it is the media.

5.      Benchmarking is community building

A number of universities across Canada participate in a benchmarking initiative. This sharing of IT data exposes our strengths and weaknesses in a measurable manner. The act of sharing such sensitive data requires an unusual level of community trust. Emerging from this trust is a stronger community of shared interests. If I see a similar school with interesting metrics I can simply pick up the phone and to ask what they are doing and how they are doing it. The ability to compare and contact is priceless, and it builds a stronger and healthier higher education IT community.

6.      IT used to provide technology with a service component; now IT provides service with a technology component.

Our clients don’t want technology; they want the service delivered by the technology. The entire emphasis of our information systems organizations has clearly shifted from technology to services. We are becoming client-centric and the shift to out-sourcing (cloud computing) is accelerating that change. In a more cloud oriented world, we do increasingly less with baseline technology and we become integrators of a basket of services from a wide variety of providers.

7.      There is no such thing as IT strategy

IT departments expend a lot of energy developing technology strategies. Nobody cares. Much to IT’s chagrin, they are discovering that IT staff are the only folks in the institution reading the strategy. Today, real IT strategy is part and parcel of the fabric of the university strategy. The best IT strategies are the ones embedded into the university strategic plan.

As we wrap up the current academic year and entering into the summer months, we have the opportunity to reflect on these trends and think about how we should respond to them effectively. I look forward to a new academic year with more changes and a new series of ever-changing IT trends.

..

Managing The Millennials

The second edition of Managing the Millennials is out now and is an important read. Because, in 2015, Millennials comprised 35 percent of the workforce--nearly 54 million workers. And, by 2020, one in three adults will be a Millennial, and then by 2025, three of four workers will be from the Millennial generation.

Further, according to the book's co-author Chip Espinoza, more than 60 percent of employers say that they are experiencing tension between employees from different generations--more than 70 percent of older employees are dismissive of younger workers' abilities. And, 50 percent of younger employees are dismissive of the abilities of their older coworkers.

In this latest updated edition of the original 2009 book, the authors include new research and new real-world examples to assist you in:

• Making the most informed decisions on getting the most from twenty-something employees.
• Executing solutions to the most common obstacles to younger workers engaging and learning from the people who manage them.
• Enhancing your skills as a job coach with practical tips and hands-on tools for coaching Millennials, 

You'll also learn about the nine points of tension that result from clashing value systems in a cross-generational management context and nine competencies required to mitigate each counterproductive disconnect.

This week, Espionza kindly answered the following questions for me:

Chip Espinoza, PhD

Question: Thinking about the reaction to your first edition six years ago, what reaction from readers pleased you most? And, what reaction/feedback surprised you most?

Espinoza: I was most pleased that people commented that it was a solution-based approach to managing the next generation and not just a conversation about Millennials. They also appreciated the theoretical framework that was laid out for the discussion. Perhaps the greatest compliment is that people said they immediately applied the competencies in their management approach and experienced instant results. I was surprised that parents of Millennials would write me and thank me for helping them better understand their Millennial children.

Question: It seems that a lot has been written about Millennials in the workplace. Is this unusual? Or do you believe, with each generation a lot was written about that generation's fit in the workplace?

Espinoza: You can see the concept of a generation in ancient literature but the study of generations (or age cohorts) is traced to German sociologist Karl Mannheim who put forth generation as a sociological construct in the late 1920's.

The conversation about emerging age cohorts is the result of what Norman Ryder referred to as demographic metabolism, “Society persists despite the mortality of its individual members, through processes of demographic metabolism and particularly the annual infusion of birth cohorts. These may pose a threat to stability but they also provide the opportunity for societal transformation.”

So no, the conversation about successive generations is not unusual. What is unusual is that you have what was the largest generation (Baby Boomers) giving way to the new largest generation ever—the Millennials. Group norm theory suggests the largest group gets to set the agenda, make the rules, and sanction those who do not comply. Baby Boomers have set the workplace agenda for three decades. GenX was not a big enough generation to challenge the Baby Boomers’ ways (perhaps with the exception of casual Friday and telecommuting). The sheer size of the Millennial generation has accentuated tension over workplace values, behaviors, and expectations. In addition, GenX has waited for Baby Boomers to retire and are now witnessing their younger work siblings promoted to equal or greater positions with less experience. As a result, I do believe more has been written (the good, the bad, and the ugly) about the Millennial age cohort.

Question: Generally speaking, do you believe Millennials appreciate all that is being written about their fit in the workplace? 

Espinoza: In fairness to Millennials, it is important to note that it has been argued that a generation does not see its uniqueness until after age thirty. It would be a rarity to see a Builder, Baby Boomer, or GenX’er who resented being labeled as a member of a generation. A cohort’s mature identity is achieved through a newly found freedom of self-definition.

Early on in my research Millennials appeared to be amused with all of the attention. As a result of being the largest age cohort ever and growing up in affirming environments, Millennials are used to attention. Prior to work life, it is mostly positive attention.

Recently, there has been growing Millennial fatigue with all that is being written about them. You can see it in Millennial blogs, article comment sections, and pushing back at work.

I experience Millennials to be quite self-aware. They understand some of the attention (positive and negative) they receive is warranted. Perhaps not due to their own values and behaviors, but those of their peers. Whether Millennials want to be written about or not is irrelevant. They are the biggest generation and they are always going to be written about and marketed to. Much of what is written is hyperbole. My advice to Millennials is to not be reactionary.

Question: Having studied Millennials for so long, what do you believe is the single most understood thing about this generation?

Espinoza: They have high expectations—of the schools they attend, the organizations they work for, the nonprofits they volunteer in, the merchants where they shop, the candidates for whom they vote, and the speed at which their careers move. They believe they can make a difference and I do too!

Espinoza, PhD, is an academic director of Organizational Psychology and Nonprofit Leadership at Concordia University Irvine. Economic Times recently named him a top 15 thought leader on the future of work. Mick Ukleja, PhD is the book's co-author.

Thank you to the book's publisher for sending me an advance copy of the book.

Breaking The Trust Barrier

"Teamwork is literally a matter of live and death for the members of the US Air Force Thunderbirds," explains Colonel JV Venable (USAF, Ret) and former Top Gun (USAF's Fighter Weapons School) instructor for the Thunderbirds.

"Overcoming the barrier of trust to fly less than an arm's length away from another jet moving 500 miles per hours at 400 feet off the ground is no small challenge," he adds. "Creating trust like that on a team requires a predictable, repeatable process that the Thunderbird instructors have been refining for more than half a century."

Venable shares that process in his new book, Breaking the Trust Barrier: How Leaders Close the Gaps for High Performance.

JV Venable

Not only will you read plenty of true, inspirational stories, but also, you'll gain repeatable, step-by-step processes that are measurable and implementable, and that can be adapted to fit virtually any situation or scenario.

• The trust building process begins with an individual's desire for commitment from you and ends with his or her trust in you. 

Building trust also includes risk. "Trust is the willingness to put yourself or your team at risk with the belief that another will follow through with a task, in a role, or with a mission. Expressions of trust that lack an element of risk are merely expressions," explains Venable

In his book, Venable also provides training advice regarding the four important elements in addressing teamwork:

• Gaps
• Commitment
• Engagement
• Trust

He also covers;

• Passion
• Confidence
• Respect
• Integrity
• Empowerment

Thank you to the book publisher for sending me an advance copy of the book.

How To Be A Catalyst Leader

"Catalyst leaders represent the gold standard -- energetic, supportive, forward-thinking mentors who spark action in others," explain Tacy M. Byham and Richard S. Wellins, authors of the new book, Your First Leadership Job -- How Catalyst Leaders Bring Out the Best in Others.

More specifically, the authors share that a catalyst leader:

• Asks and listens
• Fosters innovation
• Provides balanced feedback
• Builds trust
• Focuses on people's potential
• Collaborates and networks
• Empowers others
• Encourages development
• Energizes and mobilizes
• Aligns actions with strategy

In the book, you'll learn how catalyst leaders bring out the best in people. They do that by, among other actions, by:

• Encouraging the person to try new things.
• Giving the person input on things that affect him/her.
• Allowing the person to safely learn through failure, so they can take appropriate risks.
• Taking the time to find out what motivates the person.

The authors also cover the following topics in the book:

• How to build trust and ownership
• How to be authentic
• How to delegate 
• How to nurture business relationships
• How to become an adviser

Your First Leadership Job is certainly a good book for a first-time leader, but it's also equally relevant for any leader who wants to become that gold standard catalyst leader.

Seven Elements That Make For A Good Company Culture

You'll learn a lot about marketing from the book, Does it Work?, by Shane Atchison and Jason Burby. Most important, you'll discover their 10 principles for getting digital marketing right.

What also really caught my attention was the book's discussion about the elements of good culture. Culture created from as high up in the organization as possible. A culture particularly well suited for digital.

Those seven elements are:

1. Stay Flexible -  create a continuous learning environment with flexibility and a certain disdain for roles.
2. Hire Learners - individuals who are curious and willing to learn on their own.
3. Empower People to Share - cultivate an environment where people feel comfortable bringing up bold ideas and are encouraged to speak up.
4. Encourage Thinking Outside Roles - to help you capture every perspective from all your team members.
5. Make Sure Problems Come with Solutions - don't just point out what's wrong. Find solutions.
6. Make it OK to Fail - failure promotes learning, and the faster you can fail, the better. If you don't accept failure you make it difficult to shift gears and come up with new ideas that work.
7. Foster a Culture of Achievement - make it easy for employees to know they've made a difference through proof of measurable results.