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Three more takeaways from my episode on the Kind Leadership podcast

Last month, I was invited to participate in a podcast recording with one of my good colleagues, Gino DeGregori. Gino is the host of the Kind Leadership Podcast. He is on a quest to redefine leadership through the lens of empathy, compassion, and integrity. I enjoyed the conversation immensely and wholeheartedly agree with Gino that we need more kind leaders worldwide. In my last blog, I shared a link to the podcast for anyone who wants to hear it and three key takeaways from our discussion. This time, I am highlighting three more takeaways from the podcast. I hope you enjoy this special edition of All The Leadership!

Takeaway #1 – kind leaders know how to handle crucial conversations

As a leader, you will face difficult times and even crises. How you act during these tough times matters a lot. People will remember what you were like when the pressure was on. Here are three strategies for how to handle these situations.

Always treat all people with dignity and respect, especially during a difficult time. It is never okay to demean a fellow human being in the workplace. Please don’t do it!!
Keep your cool. There is no need to yell or let loose on someone. No one likes jerks.
Learn how to handle crucial conversations – take a class, read a book, and prepare beforehand.

The more senior you are, the more important this skill becomes. You want to be at your best when it matters the most. I am amazed at how many seasoned leaders I have worked with who did not properly prepare for crucial conversations. They tried to wing it, but it rarely turned out well. Kind leaders handle difficult times and crises well. Mean leaders don’t. The opposite happens – they get meaner, which makes everyone miserable. Don’t be a mean leader. It does not work.

Read this book if you don’t know how to handle a crucial conversation.

Takeaway #2 – kind leaders bring positive energy

Kind leadership has a direct positive impact on both culture and employee engagement. The best-performing organization I have worked in had kind leaders who created positive company cultures. Kind leaders bring positive energy—you can feel it. Consider what it is like when any leader enters the room or joins a call. Does the energy go up? If so, it is likely a kind leader. It is not the same with mean leaders. They bring negative energy, and people don’t want to spend time in their presence.

People do not enjoy being in meetings with mean leaders.

Kind and nice leaders are not the same thing

During the podcast, I mentioned that I appreciate that Gino named his show The Kind Leader, not the nice leader. I believe there are many misconceptions about kind leadership. Some people think that to be a kind leader, you must be nice to everyone, highly emotive, soft, and squishy. Yikes. That sounds horrible to me, and it is not what kind leadership is about.

Some leaders are known to be both kind and tough.

Kind leaders can be tough

I served with many tough leaders in the Army, such as paratroopers, rangers, and special forces soldiers. These leaders were badasses. Some mistakingly believe these leaders are constantly yelling and screaming at their followers because of the intense requirements of these units. The opposite is true. The toughest leaders I knew were also the kindest leaders. Was there yelling and screaming? Yes – on a rare occasion. Usually, that method was used only in certain training scenarios or for safety reasons. The norm was kind leadership.

This style of leadership is not the norm in the military.

Takeaway #3 – Three tips for aspiring leaders

I supported the excellent Booz Allen Intern program for years. Every summer, I spent time with aspiring college students, which was a real reminder that younger generations don’t think like me. Many times, they would ask about becoming a leader. I will offer the same advice I gave them regarding aspiring leaders.

Master your craft – If you want to become a great leader, start learning about it now. Don’t wait until you are put into a leadership role. There are a ton of resources available these days. Take advantage of them. It will set you apart from the rest of the crowd.
Become the best version of yourself—invest some time figuring yourself out. Things like—what is your personality, what are your strengths, what are your weaknesses. I believe that the most challenging person to lead is yourself. Why should anyone follow you if you cannot lead yourself?
Get real experience – the thing you lack the most as a new leader is leadership experience. Go out of your way to get a broad set of experiences and find a good mentor to help show you the right way.

Some days the hardest person to lead is the one in the mirror.

Why I started All The Way Leadership!

It is not often that I get asked why I created All The Way Leadership! I launched the company and this blog five years ago for three reasons.

I believe we are in the middle of a global leadership crisis. We lack the leaders to deal with many of the world’s major challenges today. That needs to change.
Many companies and organizations lack the time and resources to invest in leadership training. This challenge is particularly vexing for small companies.
I noticed that several of my peers lacked a fundamental understanding of leadership and regularly made basic mistakes. No one ever explained the basic principles of leadership that I learned in the military early in my career.

I was privileged to start my career serving my country as a US Army Officer in the 82nd Airborne Division. While there, I learned a lot from world-class leaders. I create a lot of the content for All The Way Leadership! that comes from my military experience.

ATW! will make you a better leader

I hope you join me on this journey to raise the next generation of leaders. The world is in desperate need of more great leaders. Women and men who lead with confidence, clarity, and creativity. It’s time to become the leader that your world needs. Let’s go All The Way!

All The Way Leadership!

The most important lesson this veteran learned serving with Army Paratroopers

A few years ago I was asked at work to share my perspective as an Army veteran. The presentation I gave described the most important lesson I learned serving with paratroopers. It received a lot of positive feedback. Therefore, I thought it would be useful to share the content here.

This video includes the presentation I gave at work.

My family is full of paratroopers

I spent over a decade serving as an Officer in the US Army. I learned a lot in the Army, especially during my first tour with the 82nd Airborne Division. The division was created in World War I. It is a famous unit with a storied history. It also has a special place in my family’s heritage. My father served in the 82nd Airborne after graduating from West Point. It was his first duty assignment as an Infantry Officer. He reported to Fort Bragg in 1956.

My father served multiple tours at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

I followed in my father’s footsteps

Many years later I followed in my father’s footsteps. I joined the 82nd in 1991 as an Infantry Officer. My first assignment was as a rifle platoon leader in Bravo Company, 1/325 Airborne Infantry Regiment. After that role, I transferred to the Signal Corps and joined the 82nd Signal Battalion. I served as a Signal Node Platoon Leader and Division Assault Command Post Platoon Leader. Yes – I was a platoon leader three different times. I finished my time at Bragg as a Company Executive Officer.

Photo from my promotion ceremony circa 1994.

Leaders jump first then other paratroopers follow

Lesson one – leaders go out the door first. The 82nd has a unique culture, full of traditions that have been created over the years. One tradition regarding their leaders is that they jump first during airborne operations. This tradition started back in WWII. What does that mean – leaders jump first. The most senior leader of any airborne operation will go out the door first, before anyone else. For example, if the Commander of the 82d (a two-star general) is part of a jump, he will jump first followed by the rest of the paratroopers.

Leaders jump first to show their commitment to the mission.

This tradition dates back to World War II

During WWII legendary commanders like Matthew Ridgway and James Gavin jumped and fought alongside their paratroopers. No cushy office for them. This act is not one of privilege, but rather of leadership in action. This tradition visibly shows all the paratroopers in the plane that you are willing to lead them by going first. The 82nd expects danger when they jump into combat. Its leaders are expected to face this danger first. This tradition demonstrates that the leaders are willing to do what they are asking their followers to do. It is a powerful way to show others that I am with you and fully committed, just like you.

General James Gavin getting ready to jump before Normandy.

A personal example of this lesson from my time with paratroopers

I learned this lesson firsthand while serving as the Division Assault CP Platoon Leader. My platoon’s mission was to support the Division Command Group with communications capabilities. We jumped in the radio equipment that the Division Commander and other senior leaders used on the drop zone during airborne operations. Many times we jumped from the same plane as the Commander. He would go out the door first, followed by his Aide, and then members of my platoon. For larger airborne operations that involved many planes, my platoon would be split into small groups and jump from several different aircraft. We would be one of the first to leave the plane so that we could land near the command group members.

Mike Steele - 82nd Airborne Division Commander. He served with my father in Vietnam. — Mike Steele – 82nd Airborne Division Commander that I supported. Great man. He served with my father in Vietnam.

Jumping into Puerto Rico was an adventure

I remember one mission where jumping first was somewhat troubling to me. For this operation, we were jumping into Puerto Rico. The drop zone was not big so we jumped from C-130s. The Division Commander was on the first airplane. I was on the second plane and would be the first jumper from that aircraft. Everything en route went fine. As we approached Puerto Rico, the Jumpmaster gave me the command to “stand in the door”. That means I am positioned in the door, waiting for the jump light to turn green. When it does, you jump.

A paratrooper jumping out of a perfectly good airplane.

Waiting can feel like an eternity

Usually, you stand in the door for less than 30 seconds. As you stand in the door of a C-130 you can see out of the aircraft. When I looked out I noticed a potential problem – all water, no land. I am a good swimmer, but I certainly did not want to experience a water landing. I peered at the jump light – it was still red. Thank God. I watched and waited, hoping that the light would not turn green until we were over land. I kept waiting for what seemed like an eternity.

Jumping at night can be particularly frightening.

Paratroopers jump when the light finally turns green

Eventually, I saw the land, then the drop zone. Next came the green light, and I jumped, followed by my fellow paratroopers. What I learned later was that the jumpmasters decided to put the first jumpers in the door earlier than normal because there was real concern that all the jumpers would not be able to exit the aircraft in time because the drop zone was so small. They did not want any paratrooper to miss the drop zone and have to ride all the way back to Fort Bragg.

Paratroopers with the 82nd Airborne jump from C-130 Hercules aircraft during a mass-tactical airborne training exercise which included over a thousand paratroopers. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Michael J. MacLeod) — 82nd paratroopers jump from C-130 Hercules aircraft during a mass-tactical airborne training exercise which included over a thousand paratroopers. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Michael J. MacLeod)

Reflecting on the lesson I learned during this operation

After the operation was complete I thought to myself what would have happened if the light had turned green while we were still over water. I knew the answer – I would have jumped. I would have done what paratroopers have been trained to do for decades. The light turns green, and then you jump. I could not turn to the paratrooper behind me and say why don’t you go first, it looks kind of dangerous with all that water.

Jumping into an airfield can also be dangerous – lots of pavement.

Leading from the rear is not an option

No – I had been trained as a leader in the 82d that you jump first, and deal with whatever happens next. You lead from the front, not from the rear. That lesson has served me well in many other situations. Sometimes when I find myself in a somewhat scary situation I think of my days in the 82nd, and what it taught me as a leader. You go out the door first.

The reality is that the only way change comes is when you lead by example.
Anne Wojcicki

Are you ready to go out the door first?

What about you? Are you ready to go out the door first? Are you fully committed to the mission of the team you lead? I hope so. If you are committed and competent others will follow you. If for no other reason than to see what happens. Not that kind of leader? Don’t be surprised if your team members are reluctant to follow you. None of us like working for someone who does not lead by example. Don’t be that guy. Instead, be the kind of leader who goes out the door first.

The place for a general in battle is where he can see the battle and get the odor of it in his nostrils. There is no substitute for the general being seen.
General James Gavin, 82nd Airborne Division Commander during WWII

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Are you ready to be a strong leader in the post-pandemic world?

Being a leader is difficult. It was particularly challenging during the recent global pandemic. All leaders struggled to identify the best path forward as the world dealt with the COVID-19 virus. No one anticipated or expected the crisis. Even worse, leaders did not have an actual historical precedent, or proven playbook for how to respond to the pandemic. We muddled our way through it together. I believe many leaders learned from that experience and now they have to figure out how to become strong leaders in the post-pandemic world.

No one knew how long the pandemic would last.

Are you ready?

Probably not a fair question to ask. My answer is that I certainly hope that I am. Otherwise, the next few years will be rough for me as a leader. After all, we are already living in the post-pandemic world. The main point I am trying to drive home with this question is have you thought about any adjustments you need to make to be a strong leader in the post-pandemic world? I will focus on that topic during this new series of blog posts. In it, I will share a few observations about work-related changes in the post-pandemic world, the impacts they are making, and some solutions leaders can leverage to address them.

The pandemic is officially over!!!

Let’s start with the good news – the pandemic is over. On May 11th of this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced the end of the Federal COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE). Whew – we are finally done dealing with this global crisis. Has everything returned to normal for everyone across the globe? No – many countries and citizens are still sorting through the aftermath. However, it is back to business as usual for many people…or is it?

The CDC declared the pandemic over earlier this year.

The COVID-19 pandemic affected everyone

Do you recall what a strange world we lived in just a few years ago? It seemed like everything came to a screeching halt as we were forced to deal with a deadly virus that could spread like wildfire. Most national leaders sent their citizens home as a precautionary measure to prevent widespread outbreaks and avoid overwhelming healthcare systems. In the beginning, I was naive enough to think the pandemic would last only a few weeks, or months at worst. Little did I know that it would keep going for several years.

Many businesses were closed much longer than predicted.

It was a scary time to be alive

The safety and well-being of the general public became the top priority around the world. The virus spread, many hospitals were overwhelmed with patients, and ventilators became scarce. Worst of all, the death toll climbed higher and higher, especially among the most vulnerable segments of our population, as the pandemic kept going with no end in sight, In response, most of us stood in long lines to get vaccinated, wore a mask out in public, and made the necessary adjustments to safeguard ourselves and our loved ones from the virus. All of us put our vacation plans on hold as the world stood still and sorted out the testing protocols and travel policies. Indeed – it was a scary time to be alive.

Wearing a mask became the abnormal norm.

Don’t forget about the pandemic

Why am I reminding myself and you about what life was like during the pandemic? I think it is vitally important to recall those days and never forget what they were like for all of us. The pandemic was unlike anything I have ever witnessed or experienced in my lifetime. The same is probably true for you as well. It impacted everyone around the globe which is perhaps unprecedented. That means we now live in a vastly different world. Therefore, I recommend all leaders consider making adjustments to be successful in the post-pandemic world.

Strong leaders learn from the past and look forward to the future

Strong leaders don’t ignore the past, they learn from it. Also, effective leaders look forward to the future. They do not remain stuck in the past or try to recreate it. In my experience, going backward is not an effective approach. This is especially true when it comes to the pandemic. I have already heard several well-intentioned leaders say they want things to go back to normal…the way they were before COVID-19 arrived. I am not sure what that means, and am completely convinced that is a bad idea. Rather, I believe we should identify what changes occurred in the workplace during the pandemic, analyze their impacts, and address the challenges they bring with practical solutions. Many things changed during the pandemic, but not everything did. Tune in next month to read my thoughts about that topic.

It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.
Charles Darwin

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What is the worst mistake you can make when crafting your strategy?

Our Battalion Commander pointed at the map and explained his strategy. Everything was dependent on the element of surprise. We must attack before being detected. Otherwise, the battle would be lost. Guess what happened when we executed the strategy. The enemy detected our battalion before anyone was in position. Chaos ensued and we were wiped out. Luckily for us – it was a training exercise, not a real-world operation. Nonetheless, our commander was embarrassed and chastised by his senior leaders for creating a bad strategy. Our commander made a classic leadership mistake. He discounted the risk and assumed that everything would go according to plan. It didn’t and we failed.

An Army leader briefing his team members.

The biggest mistake you can make is ignoring the risks

Every strategy you create as a leader will come with risks. I am amazed at how many leaders choose to dismiss, ignore, or discount the risks rather than deal with them. There simply is no such thing as a risk-free strategy. The best approach that a leader can take when crafting a strategy is to identify the risks and determine ways to manage or mitigate them. The biggest mistake you can make is ignoring the risks and hoping for the best. The best scenario case rarely happens, and certainly does not happen over and over again. Prepare for the worst-case scenario so that your strategy does not fall apart because your team does not know what to do.

There are many versions of Murphy’s law – this is the easiest to remember.

Making bold moves creates the biggest impacts

As a leader, you drive results. In many cases that means your strategy will need to include bold moves. Never forget that risks and rewards correlate. If you want a large reward as the outcome of your strategy, you will likely need to include some bold means which will come with risks. Bold strategy = higher risk. Recognize this truth and factor it into your plans. If you are expecting huge results from your strategy and do not contemplate the associated risks, then you are setting up your team for struggles. Don’t be that kind of leader. Plan for the risks and deal with them when they arise.

The D-Day invasion was a high-risk strategy that paid off.

Another mistake – don’t be afraid to take risks

It is important to also point out that you need to take risks as a leader to get great results. If you refuse to ever take big risks, don’t be surprised if your team gets stuck in neutral. Now, I am not saying take big risks all the time, or stupid risks. Rather I am suggesting that smart, calculated risks are the way to go. I like the way Mark Zuckerberg says it below. You will likely fail if you avoid all risks. Be brave.

The biggest risk is not taking any risk… In a world that changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks.
Mark Zuckerberg

One caveat – not all strategies require boldness

Not all situations require a bold strategy. If the team you are leading is performing well and delivering high-impact results don’t feel the need to put a bold strategy in place. In this case, craft a strategy that keeps your team moving forward. Manage the risks as needed and monitor the situation in case changes are needed down the road. You will exhaust your team if every day is high-risk execution.

Performance correlates to leadership ability — Excellent performance means your strategy is working.

ATW! will make you a better leader

I hope you join me on this journey to raise up the next generation of leaders. The world is in desperate need of more great leaders. Women and men who lead with confidence, clarity, and creativity. It’s time to become the leader that your world needs. Let’s go All The Way!

All The Way Leadership!

Strong leaders actually know how to craft a strategy

Last month I wrote about the fact that crafting a winning strategy is what strong leaders do. The next series of blogs will describe in more detail how to formulate your team’s strategy as a leader. This month we will begin with the basic concept.

A plan of action designed to achieve a major or overall aim.
Basic definition of strategy

Some leaders are clueless

Have you ever worked for a leader who does not know what a strategy is…really? No one trained him, and it showed. For example, I worked for one leader who had no clue. He knew it, I knew it, everyone knew it. The organization put this leader in charge of crafting the strategy we would use moving forward. He floundered, and we all watched while this leader struggled. He did not know what he was doing and never delivered. All his stakeholders were left in the dark wondering what was happening. Where were we going? As you might imagine – it was a painful experience for all of us and did not end well for this leader.

It is no fun working for a clueless leader.

The leader who replaced him was much better

Eventually, a new leader was put in place. This leader went to work right away crafting a strategy for the organization. She gathered a team to help define the strategy. She socialized it with her leadership team, received feedback, and made adjustments. A final product was delivered that was well-received by practically everyone. Trust was restored, a clear path forward was identified and performance improved rapidly as we began executing the new strategy. I watched in wonder as she turned around a bad situation in about 90 days. It was a pleasure working for a leader who knew what she was doing and inspired her followers.

In reality, strategy is actually very straightforward. You pick a general direction and implement it like hell.
Jack Welsh

A tool to help craft your strategy

As a leader, it is important that you understand what a strategy actually is. Some leaders struggle with thinking strategically because they do not really know what it means. You probably hear the word strategy a lot. I would offer that what many people are talking about when they say the word strategy is actually tactics, process, and procedures. This diagram found below is the best way I know to think about what a strategy is. It is simple to understand.

Use this simple diagram to formulate your strategy

When in doubt draw it out using this simple diagram. Starting on the left – we, that is you and your team, are here. It is important to define the current state – the blue circle with the red star. Describe what is going well with your team and what needs to change. On the right is the future state. You want to be there – the green circle. The strategy articulates how you are going to go from here to there – the arrow. Any strategy that does not include a how is not an actual strategy. I am going to say that again because I cannot count how many strategic briefings that were all fluff and no substance. In other words, there was no way to actually implement the strategy. Any strategy that does not include the how is not an actual strategy.

Simon Simek reminds us about the importance of the how.

An example of a strategy with no how in it

Years ago I worked for an organization that did not understand this topic. The business unit I worked in did not know how to articulate real strategic thinking. One year all we received from senior leadership was “grow the business”. The current state part of the business was only the revenue number we generated the last year, $100 million. The future state was another number – our target for the next year, $120 million. The strategy was we need to grow by $20 million, or 20%. No mention of how we would reach that number. Go and grow. Wow – talk about a strategy with no how in it. What happened next was predictable.

High growth strategies are not easy to implement.

The leadership team struggled to get everyone motivated

The go and grow strategy was not well received by the leadership team. Market conditions were changing – the next year would be much harder than the last year. The growth target was much larger than the previous one – twice as large. Leaders in the business unit wondered how in the world are we going to grow twice as fast in a tough market. No clear answers were provided by the senior leaders. The reality is that they did not know how we would do it. They were hoping for the best. The leadership team struggled to get everyone bought into the strategy and motivated to make it happen. As a result, we did not have a good year, we missed the target, and new leaders were brought in to fix the problem.

Getting buy-in from the team is critical for strategy success.

What about you?

Do you know how to craft a winning strategy? Have you taken the time to formulate, codify and communicate it to your stakeholders? If not, make the investment now. If so, you will enjoy the next few blogs. We are going to explore this topic in detail to include points to ponder, practical tactical tips, and lessons learned based on decades of experience.

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All The Way Leadership!

Crafting a winning strategy is what strong leaders do

Take a moment right now and think about a strong leader you know. Someone you truly enjoyed working for. Ask yourself a basic question about this leader. Does she know how to craft a winning strategy? I bet the answer is yes. Strong leaders win. Now think about a weak leader you know well. Someone you did not enjoy following. Ask yourself the same question. Did he select a winning strategy? Your answer probably changed to no. It is difficult to follow someone who does not know how to win. Losing sucks. It always has and always will.

Winning is a great feeling that your team wants to experience.

Strategy is a constant leadership challenge

Strong leaders think strategically on a regular basis. How will my team win today, tomorrow, and the next days after that? Having a winning strategy is a constant challenge that every leader faces. Trust me – your competition is thinking about ways to beat you and your team. You better do the same thing. It is easy to rest on your laurels and fall into the trap of focusing your time and energy as a leader on tactical execution. I call it the “keeping the trains running” mentality. Weak leaders keep their heads down, failing to look at the big picture and over the horizon. Don’t be that kind of leader. Being a strong leader is more important than ever these days.

Complex challenges require leaders with comprehensive solutions to solve them. — Sometimes a leader needs to step back and look at the big picture.

It is a highly competitive marketplace, so strategy is important for success

The business world is a competitive place. I cannot think of many industries that are not highly competitive. If you want to win you better have a good strategy before your competition eats your lunch. I have written before about what happens when a leader does not have a good strategy. If some days it feels like you are in a brawl at work – it probably is because you are. Let’s face it – the COVID crisis made it even more important than ever to have a good strategy to not only win but simply survive in some industries. The whole world changed last year. Strong leaders recognized the need for new strategies to be successful in the post-pandemic world and are adjusting accordingly. While others are hoping that things will return to normal (whatever that means), and may not make it much longer.

Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.
Mike Tyson

Leaders are expected to provide the winning strategy for the team

Let’s pose a simple question – who is responsible for the strategy? Answer – the leader. Sure you are going to get help from others when crafting the strategy. But, if you are the leader, you need to own the strategy for your team. They will expect it, and you need to deliver. Think about it. Who will the team turn to when execution gets tough? The leader – of course. That is why you are there. Strong leaders understand that they are expected to provide the winning strategy for their team. Weak leaders delegate it to others, or simply hope for the best. And we all know by now that hope is not an effective strategy, especially in a competitive market.

You are the quarterback – call the play!

Picking a winning strategy may be challenging if you have many possible paths in front of you

My last point is somewhat counter-intuitive. I believe picking the best strategy is most difficult when you have many possible options. It is usually pretty easy to pick between two or three options. More than that then you should spend some time analyzing each option before selecting, but don’t take too long. The reason I mention this topic is that I have worked for leaders who were bad at strategy simply because they wasted precious time trying to pick the best path forward. We would spend days, weeks, and months thinking through the options and never commit fully to one. Meanwhile, our competitors selected their strategy and were busy executing it.

Solving problems is a leaders job. — Don’t spend too much time selecting the strategy.

What about you? Do you have a winning strategy?

Are you crafting a winning strategy for your team? Do you spend time thinking strategically with your team on a regular basis? If not, then you have work to do. Don’t worry – All The Way Leadership! is here. The next series of blog posts will focus on strategy formulation.

ATW! is designed to make you a better leader

All The Way Leadership!

The most important lesson I learned with the US Army Paratroopers

Recently I was asked at work to share my perspective as a veteran. The presentation I gave described the most important lesson I learned serving with paratroopers. It received a fair amount of positive feedback. Therefore, I thought it would be useful to share the content here.

This video includes the presentation I gave at work.

My family is full of paratroopers

I followed in my father’s footsteps

Leaders jump first, then other paratroopers follow

This tradition dates back to World War II

A personal example of this lesson from my time with paratroopers

Jumping into Puerto Rico was an adventure

Waiting can feel like an eternity

Paratroopers jump when the light finally turns green

Eventually, I saw the land, then the drop zone, and finally the green light. I jumped, followed by my fellow paratroopers. What I learned later was that the jumpmasters decided to put the first jumpers in the door earlier than normal because there was real concern that all the jumpers would not be able to exit the aircraft in time. After all, the drop zone was so small. They did not want any paratrooper to miss the drop zone and have to ride back to Fort Bragg.

Reflecting on the lesson I learned during this operation

Leading from the rear is not an option

The reality is that the only way change comes is when you lead by example.
Anne Wojcicki

Are you ready to go out the door first?

The place for a general in battle is where he can see the battle and get the odor of it in his nostrils. There is no substitute for the general being seen.
General James Gavin, 82nd Airborne Division Commander during WWII

ATW! is designed to make you a better leader

All The Way Leadership!

How to avoid confusion during your next video call

This month I will share another tactical tip to avoid utter confusion during your next video call – facilitation. If it is your meeting – actively facilitate the call. Don’t expect the participants to know what to do during your calls.

Many are working from home due to COVID-19.

Communicating effectively on-camera is challenging for groups

In case you did not read the last two blogs or watch the videos let’s start with the hard truth first – it is challenging to communicate effectively on-camera, especially in group settings. Three common scenarios happen during many video meetings that can create communication challenges.

Awkward: someone said something completely inappropriate (e.g., yelled at their kids) that everyone heard. What do you do next?
Boredom: no one is talking because they are distracted and not paying attention. Hard to get stuff done if everyone is zoned out.
Confusion: multiple people talking at the same time. Hard to hear much less understand what is being said when this happens.

Many participants can lead to confusion during a video call.

What can you do to improve your performance during video conference calls?

I already shared the most practical tip I can give you to be better on-camera is to turn on your camera as much as possible. I did my best to convince you that the mute button is your friend, and will help you avoid awkward gaffes. Last month I shared the third tip – have a purpose and agenda for your call. This month I will discuss the importance of facilitating your calls so that they do not devolve into confusion. Facilitation is a common technique to maximize participation for in-person meetings. Use it on your video calls for the same reason.

You will not see meetings like this in the near future.

Video calls are harder to start than standard conference calls

I believe it is more difficult to start a video call than a standard teleconference call. For a voice-only conference call, you can normally bring everyone onto the line at the same time. Most platforms will usually give an audio indicator (e.g., beeps) when a participant joins. It is easy to kick-off by simply announcing your name and beginning the meeting. The first few minutes of a video call can be confusing. Participants usually join at different times. Some of them will use their cameras, others won’t. Some may announce their presence or say hello when they join. Others will say nothing at all. It is rare that everyone is ready to go right away. If it is your meeting – start facilitating when you join. Let everyone know when you will start the conversation and then announce that it is time to begin. Given the current COVID crisis I think it is okay to let participants banter a bit before you begin. Some of them will be happy to see others on the video.

You will need to wait for others if you are first to join the call.

Start your video call on a strong note to avoid confusion

Kick-off your call by explaining the purpose to everyone. As I wrote about last month never host a meeting that has no purpose. Be a strong leader who begins the call by explaining the purpose clearly and succinctly. Everyone on the call will appreciate giving them a clue about what will happen during the meeting. This tactic is particularly appropriate for one-off video discussions. If the participants do not meet on a regular basis, it is your job as the leader to explain why the meeting was scheduled and what you hope to achieve during the call. No need to spend ten minutes explaining the purpose – a simple explanation will do.

Start your session by stating the purpose.

Facilitate the call so that others can follow along

If it is your meeting, facilitate the video call so that others can follow along. At a minimum let everyone know the agenda, and general flow that you expect during the call. Guide the discussion to ensure that all the topics on the agenda are covered and you get the right amount of input from the participants. Don’t expect others to know the right time to chime in. If you are using slides for the discussion pause at the appropriate time to let others make comments, ask questions, and provide their feedback. Your calls will get boring real quick if one presenter drones on and one while others struggle to pay attention. Monitor your audience to recognize when they want to contribute to the meeting. Participants may not feel comfortable talking so you may need to ask them for their input. This challenge is particularly true for video calls with many participants.

Video calls with a lot of participants are challenging to facilitate.

Consider the number of call participants when facilitating

Bottom line – the larger the number of participants on your call the more challenging it is to facilitate. Plan accordingly. Anytime you have more than ten people on a call it may be difficult to guide a meaningful discussion. Three tactics to help with larger meetings. First, use verbal cues to let participants know when you want to hear from them. If you pause for input leave plenty of time for people to come off mute and talk. Sure the seconds of silence may seem awkward. But it is better to provide a pregnant pause than rush to the next topic. Second, avoid trying to pack too many agenda items into one meeting. It is really difficult to fly through a long agenda with a large group. Consider breaking the agenda into multiple meetings, or reduce the size of the audience if you want their participation. Third, leave a dedicated portion of the meeting for inputs from the audience. I have sat through many video calls that are scheduled for an hour and save practically no time for Q&A. For example, don’t let presenters talk for 55 minutes straight and then try to power through five minutes of questions. Instead, stop the presentation at 45 minutes and leave 15 minutes for interactive dialog. Trust me – your participants will appreciate it.

The chat function can help avoid confusion during discussion

Another technique to help facilitate video calls is to use the chat function that many modern collaboration tools provide. At first, I was skeptical of using live chat during a video call. Now I am a big fan. It is an effective way to add another communication channel without disturbing the meeting flow. Simply let everyone on the call know that you will be using the chat function during the session. Chat allows participants to chime in without interrupting a presenter or talking at the same time as others. They simply type their input for others to see. The chat function is also a clever way to facilitate Q&A during a presentation. Participants can type in their questions during the session. Others can sometimes answer the question without taking air time during the call. They simply respond to the chat.

You can share comments and links in the chat window.

Finish on time to prevent confusion at the end of the call

If your call goes longer than planned confusion may happen at the end. Most participants will not hang around if the meeting goes past its scheduled finish time. No – they will drop from the call and move onto their next activity. If several participants leave at the same time chaos may follow as you try to figure out who is still on the call. I don’t even consider it rude if someone drops from a call because it goes long. Avoid this scenario by being a better leader. End your call on time, or even early if you are done with the agenda. I cannot recall any time in my career when someone complained because a meeting was shorter than scheduled.

Participants will leave if your calls go long.

Last word of warning

Like many leaders, I have participated in hundreds of video calls during the last six months of the COVID crisis. Some of them were really productive, while others were a complete waste of time. The ones I enjoy the most start on time, have a clear purpose and agenda and are actively facilitated. The result is a meaningful dialog with the participants. Be the type of leader who hosts those kinds of video calls. Not the ones that are awful where everyone watches the clock hoping that the call will end soon. If your video conference calls are torture, participants will vote with their feet and stop showing up to your meetings. They have better things to do than watch you flounder on camera.

Peter Drucker was not a fan of meetings.

ATW! is designed to make you a better leader

All The Way Leadership!

A third practical tip for a successful video call – purpose and agenda

Millions of employees continue working from home, participating in a lot of video teleconference calls. To help you, I am going to share a third practical tip for a successful video call – have a clear purpose and agenda.

Many offices remain closed due to Coronavirus

Communicating effectively on-camera is challenging for groups

Awkward: someone said something completely inappropriate (e.g., yelled at their kids) that everyone heard. What do you do next?
Boredom: no one is talking because they are distracted and not paying attention. Hard to get stuff done if everyone is zoned out.
Confusion: multiple people talking at the same time. Hard to hear much less understand what is being said when this happens.

It is easy to get bored if the meeting has a lot of participants.

What can you do to improve your performance during video conference calls?

Many leaders, including myself, wonder how do I get better at video conference calls? The last thing that any of us want to do is look stupid in front of others. We can ill afford a meeting full of awkward moments. I already shared the most practical tip I can give you to be better on-camera is to turn on your camera as much as possible. Last month I did my best to convince you that the mute button is your friend. Now I will share a third practical tip – have a purpose and agenda for your call. It will help others stay engaged and avoid being easily distracted. Participants will notice the fact you thought about the purpose and flow of the call beforehand.

It is tough to sit through a meeting with no purpose.

Kick-off your call by explaining the purpose to everyone

Never host a meeting that has no purpose. Be a strong leader who begins the call by explaining the purpose clearly and succinctly. Everyone on the call will appreciate giving them a clue about what will happen during the meeting. This tactic is particularly appropriate for one-off video discussions. If the participants do not meet on a regular basis, it is your job as the leader to explain why the meeting was scheduled and what you hope to achieve during the call. No need to spend ten minutes explaining the purpose – a simple explanation will do.

Participants will drift if there is no clear purpose and agenda

Think about the last time you participated in a video call that did not have a clear purpose and agenda. At best, you probably spent the first part of the call trying to figure out what it was about. You were asking yourself a series of questions like – do I need to pay attention during this call, or can I multi-task? Will I need to talk at all during the call? When will it be over? What time is it? If these questions are entering your mind, you can bet that others are thinking about similar questions. Worst case – participants will get bored. Next thing you know – everyone is zoned out and nothing gets accomplished during the call. A complete waste of time.

Avoid boring participants during your meetings.

Send out the purpose and agenda beforehand if you can

Let’s get truly tactical. I recommend you send out the purpose and agenda before the video call if you can. It does not have to be complicated. Providing this information in advance helps participants decide if they should attend. Many people are super busy these days, juggling multiple calendars invites on a regular basis. They may need to skip your meeting if something higher priority conflicts with it. Give them enough preview material to make an informed decision. A best practice is to include the agenda in the calendar invite. Another technique is to attach a word document or PowerPoint slides to the invite. Yes – you read that right. Send out the slides before the meeting. Some of you are shaking your head right now, so let’s talk about using slides for meetings.

Include an agenda in your meeting invites – not like this one.

Guiding the agenda with slides may be appropriate

Many people hate PowerPoint. It is the bane of their existence. I understand their disdain for slides. With over thirty years of experience, I have created thousands of slides and seen probably a million or more. Some companies and organizations won’t even allow their employees to use slides. Not me – I am a fan. PowerPoint is a useful tool for meetings. I am not saying that because I work for Microsoft. Rather I truly believe it. Slides can help make many meetings more productive. If you put in the proper effort when pulling together slides for a meeting, then the group will benefit. If you throw something together willy nilly then all will suffer the dreaded disease known as death by PowerPoint. Avoid that trap.

A few cautions about using slides

Perhaps I opened up a can of worms by mentioning slides. My main recommendation when it comes to slides is to spend the appropriate amount of time to create compelling content. This post is not all about slides so I will stop there with best practices. Instead let me provide a few cautions when it comes to using slides for a meeting. Avoid these three major mistakes.

Too many slides – no one wants to sit through thirty slides for a thirty-minute meeting. Basic math – take the total number of minutes available and divide by three or two to calculate the number of slides to include.
Too many words – everyone can read faster than you can talk. Don’t include too many words on your slides. No one wants to read a book. Never ever read the slides to others. It is not kindergarten.
Worthless slides – if you are in doubt whether or not to include a slide, then get rid of it. Slides that do not communicate the point are worthless. Participants will not complain if you go light on the number of slides.

Your audience will spend too much time trying to read this paragraph instead of listening.

Be timely and follow the agenda when leading your video calls

Another tactic to consider is keeping track of the time as the call progresses. I highly recommend you do your best to start and finish your video calls on time. All the participants will appreciate it. Granted, company culture may dictate if you actually start meetings on time. Some organizations, like the military, are strict about being on time. While others are more casual. Adjust accordingly. Sometimes you may need to wait for important participants to join a call. This situation is not hard to manage – simply let everyone know you will start in a few minutes after others arrive.

Always be on time. It is a simple demonstration of discipline, good work habits, and most importantly respect for other people.
Anthony Bourdain

End on time, or early if you can

Having said that I have yet to encounter a professional organization that believes meetings should run long. In fact, the opposite is true. Most participants will not hang around if the meeting goes past its scheduled finish time. No – they will drop from the call and move onto their next activity. I don’t even consider it rude if someone drops from a call because it goes long. Avoid this scenario by being a better leader. End your call on time, or even early if you are done with the agenda. I cannot recall any time in my career when someone complained because a meeting was shorter than scheduled, or canceled because it was not needed.

Last words of warning

I want to share last one bit of advice. Invest some time and energy up front in your video calls to get the results you are seeking. Simply put – the better you are at leading video calls the better participation you will see. If there is no clear purpose, or agenda, participants will skip the session because they cannot tell if it is worth their time. Do your best to follow the agenda and stay on time. Otherwise, don’t be surprised if people avoid your video calls because they are chaos. This fact is especially true for long meetings. Don’t worry the more you practice the better you will get. Trust me.

A friendly reminder – people will avoid useless meetings.

ATW! is designed to make you a better leader

All The Way Leadership!

More lessons learned for how to communicate clearly

I was running behind schedule. I hate being late, especially to my own meetings. A business lunch with a colleague took longer than expected. A horrible reason for being tardy. I ran to my car and dialed into the meeting. My entire team was on the line waiting for me to join. I apologized profusely for not showing up on time. I expect members of my leadership team to be punctual, and hold me to the same standard. My military experience factors into my leadership expectations. If you are not ten minutes early, then you are late is one of the many lessons learned from my military days.

Give the people you work with or deal with or have relationships with the respect to show up at the time you said you were going to. And by that I mean, every day, always and forever. Always be on time. It is a simple demonstration of discipline, good work habits, and most importantly respect for other people.
Anthony Bourdain

Things went from bad to worse

I gave my opening remarks to kick off the meeting. It took me longer than usual. My nerves were getting the best of me. “Let’s start” I finally said. Then I heard silence. No one spoke at all. I looked down at my phone and noticed that I was no longer connected. I was talking to no one. Damn – not my day. I dialed back into the meeting. By now we were running ten minutes behind schedule which is inexcusable. Once again, I apologized to my team. They could tell by the tension in my voice that I was frustrated.

Make sure your team can hear you on conference calls.

Learn from your mistakes to avoid repeating them

The first presenter jumped in right away to start the meeting. He did an excellent great job getting us back on track. The rest of the meeting went fine. Most of my team members forgot about my performance. I did not. I needed to learn from my stupid mistakes that day. With that thought in mind, I want to share more lessons learned for how to communicate more clearly. In case you missed it – the first lesson is simple. Show up on time. Don’t leave your team waiting impatiently for your arrival.

Lessons Learned #2 – Provide insights to your team about your communication style

As a leader, you have a certain communication style. All leaders do. I recommend that you provide insights to your team about your communication style. How do you prefer to interact with them? Let them know so that they are prepared. For example, I used to host a weekly leadership call every Friday morning. It was a virtual meeting. I would send out a slide packet beforehand. I used the slides to guide our discussion. It also provided information to anyone who could not make the meeting. They would send me an email letting me know they could not attend and review the charts on their own. The system seemed to work well for everyone.

Other leaders have their own communication style

My weekly meeting was short – only 30 minutes. Typically, I would talk for the first half, answer questions, and then we would go “around the horn” so that every team member was able to contribute to the conversation. My team knew the deal, and it worked well. Other leaders I know would never use slides for a team meeting. They hate slides. They prefer an open-ended conversation – which is fine. There is no right answer – you need to figure out what works best for you. Then, communicate it to your team.

Some leaders prefer no slides at meetings – just conversation.

Lessons Learned #3- Know your boss’ communication style

Your boss possesses a communication style. It is important that you know it. I worked for many leaders over the years, and they all had their own communication styles. It was particularly true when it came to receiving status updates. I worked for several who were fine with “drive-by” interactions. The ones where you simply show up and give a quick update without coordinating a meeting time in advance. Others closely followed their calendars. They only met and communicated at pre-arranged times. Once I gave a drive-by update to a boss who only met with others who were on her calendar. That was a mistake. One of the shortest, and worst meetings of my life. She kept looking at me like there was something wrong with me. There was. I didn’t understand her communication style. Stupid mistake on my part. I never did another drive-by with her.

A hallway conversation is sometimes the best way to catch up.

Lessons Learned #4 – Ask for feedback, especially on conference calls when you cannot see anyone

Conference calls are challenging, especially with large groups. If you are leading one make sure you ask for feedback from participants at appropriate times. The reason to ask for participants to chime in is a practical matter. You want to answer three basic questions.

Can they hear you? Perhaps you are on mute, have a bad connection, or dropped from the call. Easy to do, especially in your car.
Are they paying attention? It is easy to get distracted, or multi-task. The longer the meeting, the more important it is to ask for feedback.
Do they understand what you are saying? See if they have any questions or feedback to offer. Silence is not concurrence. It may be a sign your audience does not understand you.

Video conferencing is becoming the new normal.

Video teleconference calls (VTCs) are not much different than conference calls although there are a few more things to consider. I plan on discussing best practices and lessons learned for video teleconferencing in upcoming blogs. It is a timely topic given the current health crisis with many of us working from home these days.

Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something.
Plato

Bottom line – think before you open your mouth to speak

I love the quote from Plato. It is a great reminder that what you say as a leader is important. Your team and stakeholders are listening. Don’t disappoint them by saying something stupid. Don’t be a foolish leader. Instead, take the time to think about what you are going to say beforehand. Not after. When in doubt. Don’t say anything. It is usually better to hold your tongue than to insert your foot into your mouth. Trust me. I know from personal experience that your words can get you into trouble. Look around and you will see way too many leaders violating this principle.

He should have thought before speaking to the crew. It cost him dearly.

ATW! is designed to make you a better leader

All The Way Leadership!