Dealing Blackjack... an analogy in team development.

The following is the original and the rewrite can be found by clicking here

I am a director on the board of a fledgling charity for the disabled*, and as with most small organizations, operating funds are always in short supply; having said that, I found myself dealing Blackjack at a games night fundraiser. By the end of the night we had raised some money, had some fun with friends and neighbors, and I saw a wonderful analogy in team development - This still resonates and I wanted to share.

For those of you who are not familiar with Blackjack (or twenty-one), it is a card game that involves getting closest to 21 without going over, where numbered cards are taken at face value, face cards are worth ten and the ace is worth one or eleven. A natural Blackjack is when you get 21 with two cards (an ace and a ten). There are various "house rules" that come with the game but ultimately a person is betting that they will get closer to 21 than the dealer and win their bet. Although all players are playing independently against the dealer, the cards they decide to draw (or do not draw), can impact the other players at the table.

As you can appreciate, most people came to have fun and support the charity, so many of the people who were playing at my table had not played cards before or if they were familiar with Blackjack, they really didn't understand the strategies needed to win. At the best of times the odds are stacked in the house's favor, so they were losing but having fun. And then Mike sat down.

Mike knew all about the game of Blackjack, its strategies, how to play the odds...when to draw a card and when to hold; he was just there to have fun. As he began to play he would openly say what he was doing, why he was doing it and suggested to others how they may want to play - He knew it was it was the dealer against them. As the night progressed, we continued to have great fun and I could see the other players using the techniques Mike was suggesting. Their confidence in how to play the game increased, as well as the number of times they were winning; the energy attracted others to play. In the end, Mike won, but everyone was better for it. 

Although it may be considered a stretch to call the people at the table a team, I think that with a little artistic license, it can be said that they all had a common goal to beat me and in this specific situation, there was a sharing of information, knowledge and influence to deal with that common goal - With this said, my time dealing Blackjack reminded me of this:

• All teams need common goals and clearly articulated expectations; including how success is defined.
• Build your team with individuals who are "superstars"** and "potential superstars" (as they are the future).
• Look to your "superstars" (like Mike) to set an example for the skills needed, the attitude required and how success is defined. This will help develop your "potential superstars". 
• Expect those up and coming superstars to learn, develop, emulate and exercise their abilities. 
• At any given time, some will win more than others, but their success should not be "built on the backs" of those on the team. Appropriate recognition of success is key.
• Celebrate your successes against your common goals.
• Team membership is forever changing (and should be in my opinion). Ensure you have a solid pipeline of potential new members. This will perpetuate long term success.

If truth be told, I also started dealing a little bit better when Mike showed up - A Superstar raises everyone's game.

gpe

* Connect4Life.  www.connect4life.ca 

** Superstar (or Rockstar) is a term often used in a business setting to describe a person who is considered very successful at what they do; they possess qualities people want and should be emulated. Common used among a sales team to describe over plan achievers. 

Working with the whY Generation...

I wrote a blog post called "Creative Problem Solving... a case study" that garnered a surprising amount of commentary, particularly regarding some insights into the Y Generation (Millennials). It was not my intention to talk about one of my most favorite management and leadership topics, but rather use them as a back drop for my "case study" (aka, story) - I was really working the "creative problem solving" angle.  I am sensing they are as energetic as ever, and with 32 million settling into the U.S. workforce alone, I thought I would offer some further thoughts. I have read a white paper or two on the topic, but most of my insight comes from hiring over seventy-five Millennials and managing dozens at any given time - I feel comfortable weighing in. 

If you are wondering where the term came from, it goes something like this... almost twenty five years ago, Douglas Coupland popularized the term Generation X, as well as a generation, in his book by the same name. In great creative fashion, the next generation (those born after 1980-ish), were coined Generation Y... it's still a little fuzzy whether there is an official Generation Z. This is actually a good place to start, as much of the commentary and perspective regarding the Y Generation is coming from the Gen X and the tail end of the Baby Boomers. If you ask the Millennials, they have it all figured out, and the others are the ones with the issues. 

Much of my thinking will come from a Gen X and Baby Boomer leadership perspective, but if you were born after 1980, it may offer you some insights with managing up. Let me paint a picture of the Y Generation, knowing up front, it is with a broad brush.

• They are smart and educated, which can be accompanied with a healthy dose of self worth.
• Very technologically and socially savvy, particularly with anything involving personal devices.
• Yes, they have an air of "entitlement".*
• There is an enhanced sense of work-life balance.  
• Collaboration and a sense of "team" are important.
• If they are not happy, the will move on.
• They require regular validation and re-enforcement
• Have aggressive professional expectations.
• They want mentorship and leadership.

If you are working with Millennials, none of this will be surprising, so lets jump in. 

As leaders, I have seen us fall into this particular trap - Since they are smart, engaging, confident, know technology (we may not), and say the "right" things, we make the mistake of confusing their potential with actual ability (Millennials also make the same mistake, so at least we are all on the same page). I have seen impressed leaders end up with miscast situations, as they have confused potential to do a good job with actual ability. This is a very important point... conversations need to be around "potential" and not perceived "ability". This will help align expectations. Expectations... realistic expectations, are everything.

I remember speaking with a more than a few Millennials six months into their new sales role and they very honestly told me they had mastered their current position and it was time for their promotion; particularly since they had their eye on being a Sales Director in five years. This is where grounded conversations regarding their potential and development of their abilities are needed. I will also tell you up front that when you tell a Millennial it will take five years to develop a set of competencies, they will tell you it will only take them nine months. This is where the label of "entitlement" tends to get bantered about. Development plans, with measurable competencies  are key for constructive conversations, as well as establishing benchmarking for that "superstar" who ultimately does it in nine months.

Millennials are very collaborative, team oriented and socially wired (literally and figuratively). They are prone to speak as, and for the "collective", particularly with issues that may be very personal; they will expect to be heard (and probably agreed with). Transparency in a team setting is everything in my experience - Explain to them who you are, what you expect, the rules, what you like, what you don't like, how best to communicate, when you are wrong, when you are right, when they are right, when they are wrong, ask what they think, translate corporate speak for them, define success and define failure. The Y Generation is thirsty for leaders and mentors who will help them, even when they have it mastered, because deep down know they haven't.

As a leader, the Y Generation will challenge you... they will challenge your ability to develop, retain, motivate and engage - You will become a better leader for it, although it can be quite exhausting.

In the title, I referred to the Y Generation as the whY Generation - Other than being somewhat "witty", I did it because a number of years ago, my HR partner and I presented to commercial leadership, regarding the potential of the Gen Y and the group I led;  "whY" I felt they were important for the future, and why I was having so much fun.

Above pretty much summarizes what I said. The over performance and the pipeline of great talent was just a bonus.

gpe 

* I heard this story of a Millennial who was an entry level sales professional selling cars. At the end of the month, he had missed his quota and did not receive his commission as per his agreement. The next day the parents went to see the General Manager of the car dealership and argued that their son should be paid his commission. The General Manager explained to the parents how the real world works and kicked them out of his office. I don't think the Y Generation were born entitled. 

Some thoughts on inspiration... and I guess leadership.

The following is the original and the rewrite can be found by clicking here

A long time friend* brought the following quote to my attention a couple of days ago, as we were talking about life and its meanderings. It was written by Marianne Williamson and has also found its way into the movie Coach Carter as a tribute to the themes of the story. The quote goes like this -

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. You playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. It’s not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others”. 

It is not my intention to offer an interpretation of this per se, but since we are here, why not? Success does frighten some of us... even to the point that we will very expertly sabotage ourselves to ensure we never quite find it** - Where as with others, they will avoid success as they believe it will come with a feeling that they are somehow fraudulent and at any moment be discovered. Aside from the above comments though, what really struck me about this quote was that it evoked a strong emotional feeling of inspiration, much more than any intellectual interpretation of the words. 

There is a great social complexity with the human condition, our social structures, our interactions, and our desire as individuals to be understood and to understand. The emotion that came with the quote above, at least for me, speaks directly to this desire to be understood and to understand. I will be so bold to suggest that it is not just myself; if you look at the social media streams they are full of inspirational quotes and videos that speak to - 

• Personal growth
• Individuality
• Struggle, success and failure 
• Love and heartbreak
• Understanding

Just to name a few.

So I think it is fair to say, more than ever, that the "collective" inspires and feeds our need to be understood and to understand. It just struck me now that I should offer a definition for the word "Inspire" and it goes something like this, "to fill (someone) with the urge or ability to do or feel something"; inspiration, by extension, is the act to inspire. How neatly my thoughts are coming together don't you think? This aspect of inspiration feeds the feelings and emotions of our desire to be understood and to understand... it helps us find our way. So the collective is feeding this desire to be inspired... but what about when we look to the individual - And this I guess, brings us to leadership.

My intention here is to offer a perspective on leadership as it pertains to what we have been discussing... and yes, I know it's mostly been a monolog so far, but a dialogue is just a comment button away. I have found that leaders, and by extension leadership can be defined in two ways; Selfless Leadership and Selfish Leadership.

Selfless Leaders, tend to see their people as more valuable than themselves, participate with and understand them, and strive to develop an environment of trust; with mutual success. They more often than not, through their words and actions, evoking that emotion which leads to that connection and trust needed to be successful in our social structure.

Selfish Leaders, tend to see people as a resource for their personal needs and agenda, focus only these agendas and display little interest in people or any mutual success, other than any required operational function. I have found selfish leaders tend to offer little in the way of emotion that drives this feeling of being understood and understanding - Never creating a connection or trust.

And why should you care about any of this? Well... if you are involved with a team, couldn't it be said a team is really just a micro reflection of the great social complexity of the human condition, our social structures, our interactions, and our desire as individuals to be understood and to understand? And if so, you know what they say about how Great Teams Doing Great Things.

All of this just because I read a quote by Marianne Williamson and was inspired.

gpe

* The long time friend I refer to is "The Duke", who I mentioned in my blog entitled "Reflections" (Dec 31, 2014). I will be curious to see if he drinks his bourbon straight up the next time we go out (none of this will make sense unless you have read the post, but it sure has made me smile).

** Dr Brene Brown alludes to sabotaging her success by flying just under the radar in one of her TED talks, as well as discusses much, much more (I have attached the talk). If you are not familiar with Brene I encourage you to check out her two TED talks and even her books. She is a qualitative researcher by training and has explored the areas of shame and vulnerability. It is interesting, thought provoking, enlightening and very entertaining.