A Clear-Eyed Look

During a conversation Cindy and I had with Carly Fiorina several years ago, she emphasized the importance of taking a “clear-eyed look at our existing state” if we wanted to have any hope of achieving our desired future state - personally, professionally, and with the entire team we’re leading. The engineering manager I mentioned before seemed to believe he hung the moon, as did several of his peers who were even newer to that management team than he was. That kind of arrogance didn’t really set well with anyone he dealt with, especially the ones who reported to him. The engineering, maintenance, and tool & die shop had fewer employees than any of the production areas but the service those folks provided was absolutely imperative to maintaining workflow throughout the facility. While they didn’t align with the core values that served as a foundation for the reputation the company had built locally over the decades leading up to that point, his behavior (and the behavior of several others serving on the management team with him) made it very obvious to everyone around exactly what he did value: himself. The longer that went on, and the more people who were impacted by the behaviors of the managers like this, the more it spilled over into the results we were able to achieve, the quality of candidates we could attract, and what the company was now known for in the area; the cycle was definitely perpetuating!

If we really want our core values to serve as a solid foundation for what our team is built on, our clients and community rally around, and the reputation we’re known for far and wide, the clear-eyed look at our current state that Carly emphasized is something we need to do consistently. Regardless of how much any of us strive to model the values we hold up for everyone to see, there will inevitably be times when we miss the mark. The engineering manager I’ve referenced here certainly wasn’t the first person to join the local management team from outside the area. In fact, Terry Ward (who taught me the importance of choosing the harder right over the easier wrong) was in a very similar situation fifteen years prior. He rubbed some folks wrong at times too, but he was very intentional to do all he possibly could to build relationships, earn respect and buy-in, and he routinely sought input from folks with more or different experience. Terry worked to be very aware of how he exemplified the values of the organization he was a part of, and he was willing to take responsibility if he dropped the ball in some way.

Terry didn’t earn respect overnight and the fellow who filled the engineering manager role more than a decade later didn’t alienate everyone overnight. In each case, the relationships they had with their immediate teams as well as others they interacted with throughout that facility were cultivated over time - for good or for bad - and were a direct reflection of the values they each modeled. The reputation our entire organizations are known for grow stronger or crumble the same way. When, not if, we give someone even the perception of not being aligned with our values, it’s critical that we own it and do all we can to make it right. If one of our team members isn’t living up to our core values, we need to address this as well - with them and with anyone who may have been impacted. A few years ago, Mark Cole told me that he “trusts someone who makes mistakes but not someone who makes excuses.” We also need to be just as intentional about acknowledging when our team members go above and beyond to model our values; that’s what helps solidify a good reputation and recognized behavior gets repeated.

As we do all this, we’ll also need to be very clear in explaining exactly why; for our team members, our clients and local community, and for everyone our reputation reaches. We can’t count on anyone else to tell our story, or explain why our values are so important to us, the way we want it told so that’s what we’ll begin working through soon.