Drive Your People Wild Without Driving Them Crazy: Leadership Lessons For A Chaotic World (Capstone/Wiley & Sons, 2001)

by Jennifer White

Introduction

I was sitting in my office going through a stack of paper a few months ago when my phone rang. It was one of my clients. And he was frantic.

Sam started our conversation by saying, "Jen, it's awful. You're not going to believe what happened." No hello, no "how are you?" Just frustration and annoyance.

Whenever my clients start a conversation like that, I know I need to sit down, take a deep breath and brace myself for the onslaught. Business has a tendency to push our buttons from time to time, and I knew Sam was having a bad day.

He continued, "They quit. Three of my top salespeople quit!"

Now you don't know Sam, and you don't understand what a disaster this was going to be. Sam is a senior executive with a fast-growing company. They had plans to go public just six months from the time he called me that day, and the entire executive team was extremely focused on producing results. The more results, the higher the price of their stock. Here Sam was with three of his top-producing sales folks leaving when he was at such a critical juncture. His sales reps hit their breaking point, and they walked.

But here's the real kicker: These three sales reps left close to $1 million on the table. When the company went public six months later, they had the potential to each earn $1 million in stock options. Maybe more.

It seems ludricious, doesn't it? We've all heard the stories of people racing to dot-coms to become instant millionaires. Why would these three sales people leave so much on the table? Ah, such a good question. It's the same one Sam kept asking over and over again. Sam was perplexed (and of course, mad). He screamed, "Are they crazy? They left millions of dollars to have a life?"

The reality is these sales reps weren't willing to sacrifice their lives for the money they could earn when the IPO went through. Is having a fulfilling life more important than money? To these three salespeople, it was.

Now I know that you're finding this story hard to believe. As a leader, you're used to facing the tough times. You're conditioned to push past the pain so you can get the result you want. There are probably even a few of you out there who are thinking the same thing Sam was thinking: Are these people crazy?

In today's economy, these types of things happen all the time. For those of you who brush off this story as just an example of how unreliable salespeople can be, pay attention. One of my clients Adam, a CEO for a large Fortune 100 company, called me in a bit of a huff a few months ago. It seems the executive he had designated as his successor had decided enough was enough. He was tired of working long hours. He was tired of not being home to see his kids play soccer, cook dinner with his wife and going on vacation without his laptop. He walked into Adam's office and told him he was taking a job with another company so he could get a life.

Yes, the message was Adam had no idea how to create a high-performing organization and still give his people time to enjoy their family and friends. His driving personality drove his No.1 guy right out the door.

Good thing Adam is smart enough to see a problem when it smacks him on the head. He immediately sped up the process I was coaching him on to harness the power of his people and their performance.

And just the other day I heard a story about a woman who went into her manager's office to ask for flex time. She wanted to put 40 hours into a four-day work week in order to spend more time with her kids. She was tired of having to juggle demands at work and home, and she knew having three full days to focus on her family was the right decision.

Now this employee is what we call a top producer. She's the type of woman we'd like to have working for us. In fact, we want an entire team of this type of performer. But her manager didn't know how to deal with her request. He said, "Look, I know you have three children, but I have kids, too. You don't see me working four days a week."

He turned her down. She left two weeks later to become a free agent. She wanted freedom, and her manger didn't know how to give it to her.

The tables have turned. Employees know they can leave a job one day and have a better position the next. Gone are the days when you could place an ad in the paper and replace your people in a snap.  We all know it's hard as heck to find good people.

Yet here's what I also know: as the leader, you want results. You need results. If you don't make your financial numbers quarter after quarter, your investors or shareholders will come down hard on you. Business is about profit after all, and growth is the ultimate focus for most company leaders. Markets are constantly changing, customers are more demanding, and your business model is failing. You barely have time to read your e-mail let alone put together a long-range strategic plan. You don't even have the luxury you once did to hang out until the bad times go away. Your investors think about this quarter's numbers, and they won't wait for a bad cycle to turn around.

It's no wonder you're pushing your people to the limits with the pressure you're under.

Yet at the same time, your employees want a life. They're tired of working 80-hour work weeks. They have families, outside interests and other things to occupy their time - especially those GenX employees who insist on playing just as hard as they work. It's not unheard that one of your key employees asks for a six-month sabbatical to travel the world. The old belief that you have to struggle and sacrifice to reach the company's goals doesn't have the appeal it once did.

Add in the fact that you would personally like to stop burning the midnight oil and get a life, and you have a real problem on your hands. The world has changed dramatically in the last 10 years, and sometimes it seems as if you're not just caught between a rock and a hard place, but that you live there, too. Can you figure out a way to get it all?

I think you can. At my company, The JWC Group, we've spent the last five years developing an executive coaching program to guide you to the results you want. I've seen massive changes happen when leaders step back with our guidance to take a good hard look at how they're showing up. We make our living coaching leaders like you to drive results, keep your talent inspired and get everyone home in time for dinner. What we know is the old techniques of retaining your people and getting results don't work anymore. You've seen this, I'm sure, in your own organization. How you used to lead gives you a big fat nothing today. Why? Because your employees have changed, and most leaders simply don't know how to lead in the new economy.

The New Employee

Here's the truth: our employees aren't the same people they used to be. In the past, there was a belief if you worked for a company for 30 years, you'd be able to retire and live comfortably the rest of your life. That idea went out more than 10 years ago as corporate downsizing spread like wildfire in the late 1980s. The beliefs that employees relied on - loyalty and security - crashed. At the same time, entrepreneurship exploded. People started their own companies. According to the current research, one in 12 people in the United States has started their own businesses. I believe many of these folks were spurred to start their own companies so they could control their careers and not get caught up in having a big organization take care of them.

And then came the Internet. Our society soon became obsessed with the innovative business mavericks who defied all odds and beat the big boys at their own game. People like Jeff Bezos from Amazon and Steve Case at AOL have become household names. Okay, so some of you would argue that the market has taken care of the get rich quick stories as stock prices at these companies have struggled since the early gold rush days. Never disregard the influence the dot-com stories have had on your people.

In addition to being influenced by the fast-moving Internet companies, your team lives in a world that now operates 24/7. You no longer have to wait for anything, and you're caught up in getting things done faster, sooner and better. Instant gratification has become the norm, and it impacts every aspect of the organization.

The reality is your employees have been changed by these experiences. They are no longer the "suck it up so someday I'll retire" bunch. They see other people getting flexible work schedules, taking a six-month sabbatical, owning a piece of the company, performing at high levels and being handsomely rewarded, and they say to themselves, "If that guy can do it, there's no reason I can't, too." And they're right to believe that.

Your employees want flexibility, freedom and ownership. They're willing to ask for what they want - and walk away if they don't come to some agreement. They no longer have a problem saying, "Screw you. I'll work somewhere else." Can you imagine an employee doing that, say 20 years ago?

A maverick spirit has come alive in their souls, and unless you change how you lead, you'll lose that spirit to another job down the street. Frankly, I'm glad those dead spirits have finally arisen. It's a much more exhilarating workplace when people are alive, feisty and involved.

But that leaves the leaders in quite a quandary. You need results, your income depends on the performance of your people, but you're not sure you want to be at the mercy of your people. It's no fun as a leader to work with a bunch of whiney, spoiled employees. Don't think that I'm going to tell you to love your people, and everything will be fine. It won't. They need you to lead. They need to create a powerful vision, harness their strengths, inspire their spirits and take them into the market with fire and zest.

That's exactly the problem. You're not doing what they need you to do. It's the leaders in our organizations who are screwing things up, and frankly, you're the problem.

You didn't think I'd hit you right between the eyes so early, did you?

The truth is, as a company leader, you're the problem. You're the one who's driving your people crazy and preventing them from achieving wild success. You're the one who tells your staff you want them to have a life, but you schedule weekend conference calls. You're the one who says you want to inspire them to achieve new heights, but you keep them stuck in the same old jobs. On one hand, you tell them you believe in open book management, but you get livid when they talk about salaries on their lunch breaks. And let's not talk about your challenge with micromanaging, microdoing and just plain lack of trust in their abilities.

But don't just take my word on it. Gallup says that 70% of employees quit their manager, not their company. The Hudson Institute says a third of your workers are not planning on staying with you for more than a year. Exit interviews reveal the top two reasons a person quits are: 1) "I wasn't challenged." 2) "My boss was a jerk."

Now I don't want you to put down this book and walk away in a huff thinking that too much rests on your shoulders. I do not believe leaders wake up in the morning with the intention to drive their people crazy. You don't look for ways to slow progress, hinder your people or create long working hours on purpose. Your behavior is unconscious. It's your blind spot. And it's hard as heck to see what you're really doing so you can change how you lead.

I'm a big believer that if there's a problem, there's always a solution. A few years ago, I started promoting my first book, "Work Less, Make More®: Stop Working So Hard and Create The Life You Really Want!" It's a book that helps you have the time and money to make more of your life. At the time I wrote the book, I was personally coaching individuals how to break their obsession with work. I worked in the trenches every day helping my clients create amazing careers while building fulfilling lives. I had hundreds of success stories from my years of coaching, and I decided to write it all down in a book.

Something interesting happened along the way. Every single time I spoke about Work Less, Make More® or coached a manager or leader to achieve this goal, they always said, "Hey, can you teach my employees to do the same thing?" Sometimes they'd say: "What would it take to bring this program into my company?" But that question was soon followed by, "Can we call it something besides Work Less, Make More®? I'm not sure that's the message I want to send to my team."

They had this illusion that I was going to teach their staff how to sit back and eat bon bons all day long.

I did the next best thing. I started experimenting with my clients to figure out a way to bring the Work Less, Make More® philosophy into their organizations. I became obsessed with the answers to these questions: What's the real reason people feel the need to give up their lives for their work? What's the underlying problem every company faces in trying to create results and still make it home in time for dinner? How can we create an organization that gives us everything we want: results, talented people and time for a life?

As my coaching team and I did more and more work with organizations, I discovered the old adage that companies begin to stink at the top is true. Employees have changed, yet most of the leaders we worked with were using leadership techniques developed 50 years ago. I uncovered what stops progress, the stuff we all do that prevents our employees from being amazing. And I started to see all the things I personally do to stifle my own company's success.

Here's a quick assessment you can take to find out if you're driving your people wild or if you're driving them crazy. You just may find a few things you can work on to create a high-performing team without dealing with high turnover and burned out employees.

The Wild or Crazy Quiz

Take a few minutes and take this quiz to assess where you are right now. I'm not foolish enough to think this is the first leadership book you've ever read, and I know some of you have been at this game for a long, long time. This book will work if you're a brand new leader or an old-timer. Just take a few minutes to determine how you're doing right now with the skills you'll need to drive results, keep your people and still have time for everyone to have a life.

As you go through the quiz below, put a checkmark next to each item that applies to you. Check everything that applies. And please, be a hard grader. It won't do you any good if you aren't willing to accurately assess where you are right now.

The numbers at the end of each statement relate to a chapter in this book. If you find yourself checking a lot of statements with the same numbers, you'll want to jump ahead to that chapter and start reading.

Now What?

When you were taking this quiz, I bet some stuff started to pop up for you. That's what we call clarity, and it's a good thing.

We both know there are times when you want to blame your team for their mistakes or for weak performance. You want to believe that if they would just learn better time-management skills, they wouldn't have to work so many hours. You convince yourself that if only you and your team could make that huge performance goal, blow past company expectations, then you could all scale back and get some breathing room. (It never happens, does it?)

You have probably created a whole bunch of reasons why you're not getting the results you want. Or why you're getting the results you want and how it's worth the price you're paying. You've probably even told yourself that when key talent leaves, it's not your fault but a bigger and better opportunity really is out there for them. You even convince yourself they'll be better off in another place.

Give me a break. The world has changed, and every day I see leaders who are trying to lead the same ol' way. It's not working anymore, is it? If you really want to drive results, keep your key talent and give everyone time for a life, you need to take a good hard look in the mirror. Yes, at yourself.

This book - and our executive coaching program - is the answer to the question: "So if I'm the problem, now what do I do?"

Your Quiz Results

Now go back to the RESULTS Leadership Quiz on pages XX and re-read through the questions. Take a close look at the items you identified that stop you from driving the right results in your company while you tackle the responsibility of keeping your talent happy. What are the top three main things that hold you back from being an inspiring leader? Write them down here.

1.

2.

3.

The best way to use this book is to look at the three things that are big thorns in your side and take care of them first. It's often better to go after the behaviors that cause the most problems. You'll feel the biggest relief when you handle these issues first.

You'll notice a number next to each of the statements on this quiz. That refers to a corresponding chapter that will help you overcome your problem areas. If you see a lot of checkmarks with (3) after them, for example, flip to Chapter 3 first.

WHAT'S NEXT

I've outlined our innovative 7-step process to help you not only change how you lead in the new economy, but it will give you the results you want. Yes, I'm going to ask you to change how you operate. You'll need to take a good hard look at how you're managing so you can stop getting in the way of your team's performance. You will have to stop micromanaging, being a control freak and jumping in to save the day. I will ask you to change what you believe about leadership, success and what truly matters.

And you thought this book was going to be all about how to motivate your employees! It's about changing how you lead. It's about helping you identify the mistakes you're making so you can move into a new way of operating. And it's about taking on a new way of operating so you can get the outcomes you want despite the changes you're dealing with on a daily basis.

Please understand I'm not standing here to tell you I have been the ideal leader. There have been times in my business when I'm the world's most atrocious leader. I've made just about every mistake possible - like not training my staff then getting mad that they make a mistake, having way too many priorities that are all perceived as urgent, overreacting to stupid problems, being inaccessible or not paying attention when my staff is talking to me, blowing off their requests, taking forever to make decisions. I've also done some great things as a leader, really inspiring things. Like you, I'm still making mistakes and tweaking how I lead. That's part of growing as a leader: learning how to continually expand and grow.

When I started developing this program, the first place I applied it was my own life. You'll never find me giving advice I haven't tried or used myself. A huge part of leadership is walking the talk, and I hold myself to that same standard.

But sometimes I wish we would wake up one day, and all of a sudden be the perfect leader. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. Being a powerful leader takes work. You'll make gut-wrenching decisions, and you'll have to make the tough calls. And you'll definitely have to admit that you were wrong. A lot.

My point of asking you to take a good hard look in the mirror is not to drag you down. This is not an excuse to beat yourself up more than you do already. What I'm attempting to do is wake you up to identify where you can improve your own skills so you build healthier, saner work environments.

This is not an easy program, but if you're serious about driving results in your company - and retaining your employees - then we both know you'll do what it takes.

Sam took my advice and got amazing results, but you'll learn more about him later. Just know, with the same effort, you too can Drive Your People Wild Without Driving Them Crazy(tm).

ONE FINAL NOTE

Don't be afraid to use this book. Don't be afraid to scribble on the pages. Don't be afraid to cross things out. Change your mind. Explore new areas. Make a mess of these pages. Write ideas all over the place. That's what you're

supposed to do. Redesigning how you lead is a messy and chaotic process. It won't do you any good to read all the pages here if you're not willing to take action. Applying these concepts to your life takes action. Are you willing to do what it takes to get the results you want?

Ah, I thought your answer would be yes.

Put on your seatbelts. We have lots of work to do.