Right Attitudes

Ideas for Impact

Leading Teams

‘Use it or Lose it’ Budget Syndrome

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The Problem with 'Use it or Lose it' Budgeting As the fiscal year draws to a close, the annual spectacle of “use it or lose it” budget mayhem unfolds.

Caught in this whirlwind, departmental managers rush to burn through their budgets to avoid potential cuts in the upcoming year. This frenzy results in impulsive purchases, rushed projects, excess inventory, temporary hires, lavish team-building events, and premature contract renewals—all while the essential task of creating value for the company gets sidelined.

This rush-job approach stems from an outdated planning system that values appearances over genuine fiscal responsibility.

Idea for Impact: Consider a move towards more flexible, performance-based budgeting approaches by loosening rigid budget structures.

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How to … Declutter Your Organizational Ship

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Ditch Tradition: Decluttering for a Brighter Future One phrase I’ve grown to detest in my professional life is, “We do it this way because we’ve always done it this way.” Some things just don’t make sense anymore. Many organizations find themselves burdened with outdated rules, processes, and traditions that are no longer relevant. It’s high time to shed these relics of the past and embrace a more agile and responsive approach.

  • Gain a Fresh Perspective. Sometimes, we’re too close to the forest to see the trees, and the truth remains hidden. To break free from the status quo, imagine yourself as an outsider and challenge the “we’ve always done it this way” mindset.
  • Involve Everyone. Liberating your organization from wasteful bureaucracy is a group effort. Each of us must simplify, cut through complexity, and shed unnecessary formalities. It’s how you sculpt a responsive and agile organization, one step at a time.
  • Ditch the Unnecessary. Examine your procedures, customs, and requirements. Are you holding on to outdated practices simply because they’ve always been there? It’s time to unravel these mysteries of tradition and revamp or remove habits that no longer serve us.
  • Supercharge Decision-Making. When decisions take forever or procedures become too convoluted to comprehend, it’s a sign of trouble. It’s time to band together, reinvigorate your approach, and simplify for a brighter future.

Idea for Impact: Shed Your Old Skin and Adapt

Don’t let tradition and outdated regulations hold back your future success. Break free from the chains of bureaucracy and embrace agility and flexibility.

A culture that discourages change stifles innovation and opportunity. To cultivate a culture that welcomes and supports change, lead by example and eliminate negative attitudes. It’s time to set sail towards a more adaptable and prosperous future.

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What Knowledge Workers Want Most: Management-by-Exception

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What Knowledge Workers Want Most: Management-by-Exception Peter Drucker called them ‘knowledge workers.’ These professionals possess specialized skills, are inherently driven, thrive on challenges, and require a high degree of independence to convert raw data and ideas into valuable knowledge.

What distinguishes knowledge workers is their strong desire for autonomy and the freedom to confront complex problems head-on. Their brilliance truly shines when they maintain control over their work processes and decision-making.

Micromanagement? That’s a non-starter for knowledge workers. Their productivity soars when they’re entrusted with the essential tools, authority, and the room they need to carry out their tasks.

Above all, what truly fuels the passion of knowledge workers is a compelling vision of the future that drives them to be active contributors. By nurturing intrapreneurship and providing opportunities to experiment with innovative ideas and calculated risks, managers can unlock their full potential.

Through the management-by-exception approach, managers only need to step in when they notice a significant misalignment with organizational priorities or when results start to falter, striking the perfect balance between guidance and autonomy.

Idea for Impact: Don’t apply traditional management methods to knowledge workers.

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The Double-Edged Sword of a Strong Organizational Culture

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The Double-Edged Sword of a Strong Organizational Culture Peter Drucker’s famous phrase, “culture eats strategy for breakfast,” underscores the vital importance of nurturing internal cultures within organizations. A robust organizational culture possesses a powerful influence, shaping the work environment, molding employees’ mindsets, and ultimately determining the organization’s overall success. The pursuit of cultivating workplace cultures has led to a plethora of models and methodologies, propagated by business schools and leadership consultants.

However, the enthusiasm for strong cultures as a cure-all for leadership challenges should be balanced with an understanding of the complexities they introduce.

While strong cultures offer undeniable advantages, they can unintentionally encourage groupthink, stifling diversity of thought and hindering adaptability to changing circumstances. Dissenting voices and alternative values may be marginalized or even excluded, all in the name of maintaining cultural consistency and safeguarding cultural alignment. This can create substantial pressure for individuals to conform.

Idea for Impact: Well-established cultures often resist change and deviations from established norms, sometimes regarding non-conformists as threats to the existing order. Strike a delicate balance between cultural cohesion and a deliberate focus on diversity and inclusion.

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Do We Have Too Many Middle Managers?

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Do We Have Too Many Middle Managers?

In Power to the Middle: Why Managers Hold the Keys to the Future of Work, HR Consultant Bill Schaninger, et al. argue that middle managers are essential to the evolving world of work.

What middle managers do is actually much more complex than what either executives or frontline workers do: They manage both up and down, and serve as translators in both directions. What kind of qualities and skills does the job require? Emotional intelligence, resilience, adaptability, technical skills, critical thinking, communication skills, being open to change, seeing the big picture, and managing both full-time and contract/gig workers. Everything they do deeply affects the work, the workforce, and the workplace.

True.

But many organizations are weighed down by too many middle managers. These layers of bureaucracy slow decisions and stifle innovation.

Why not cut the clutter? In today’s flat organizational structures, where employees are empowered to make decisions and manage projects independently, the need for numerous middle managers diminishes. Trim the fat.

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Let Others Shine

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Let Others Shine Got a brilliant idea? Share it freely and let others get in on the action.

Let them win. Let them look good.

Let them steal the spotlight and snag some of the credit.

Let everyone get a piece of the glory and bask in the collective success.

You’ll be amazed at how quickly things get done.

You’ll create a culture of collaboration that drives even greater achievements.

Idea for Impact: Help others win—when they shine, your own star rises faster.

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The World’s Shortest Course in … Delegating

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The World's Shortest Course in Delegating Delegation is crucial but tough for new managers. Here’s how to nail it:

  • Pass off tasks that aren’t your core job. Focus on what matters most. Delegating stuff you enjoy is the real challenge.
  • Trust your team. Let them handle tasks without micromanaging. Set clear goals and back off.
  • Match tasks with the right people. Hire experts, but also give team members chances to learn new skills. Build a strong team.

Always stay accountable for the final result, even if someone else does the work.

In short: Pick the right person. Define the task. Set clear standards. Stay responsible. Be patient and learn from mistakes. That’s how you delegate like a pro.

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Why We’re So Bad At Defining Problems

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Why We're So Bad At Defining Problems You can’t solve a problem unless you fully understand it. The quality of your solution is usually tied to how well you define the problem, as the often-misattributed quote goes, “If I had an hour to solve a problem, I’d spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and five minutes thinking about solutions.

Unfortunately, many organizations still haven’t embraced this crucial lesson. Problem definition is challenging because many organizations focus on quick fixes rather than thoroughly understanding the issues at hand.

A solution-focused culture obscures true problem identification.

In such a culture, managers feel pressured to find immediate fixes and achieve short-term goals. They also tend to fall in love with solutions too quickly, even if these solutions don’t address the real issues. Deep, evidence-based inquiry into dormant problems and potential points of failure that may have long-term impacts are often neglected. Discussing problems, especially when the organization itself might be part of the problem, is seen as taboo or a sign of weakness.

Idea for Impact: Resist Solutionist Behaviors

Develop a greater appreciation for identifying problems.

Problem identification should be an ongoing activity, helping your boss, team, and customers identify and solve the right problems while resisting inherent solutionist behaviors.

By encouraging a culture that truly falls in love with problems, not just solutions, you not only improve your chances of solving them but also pave the way for a better, less complicated organization.

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The Pros and Cons of Leading by Consensus: Compromise and Accountability

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Leading by Consensus: Compromise and Accountability Some HR folks encourage a consensual leadership style, where decisions are made through shared information and collaboration. This approach makes employees feel valued, fostering a harmonious and productive team. Plus, diverse viewpoints lead to well-rounded decisions (as with the Japanese Ringi-Seido decision-making process) that gain widespread support.

However, finding consensus requires extensive discussion, negotiation, and agreement, which can be time-consuming and slow decisions, especially when quick action is needed. Overemphasis on consensus can also stifle genuine opinions, creating a ‘herd mentality’ and making it hard for unique perspectives to be heard. Consensus often leads to compromises, resulting in middle-ground decisions rather than the best solutions. Additionally, shared responsibility can obscure accountability if things go wrong, even if the focus is on problem-solving rather than blame.

Idea for Impact: Consensus is not the goal; making the right call is. A manager’s job is to ensure all perspectives are heard and considered, and if necessary, to break ties and make the final decision.

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Why Group Brainstorming Falls Short on Creativity and How to Improve It

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Why Group Brainstorming Falls Short on Creativity and How to Improve It Seventy years ago, American advertising executive Alex Osborn impacted the field of management with his book Applied Imagination (1953.) This groundbreaking work introduced the concept of brainstorming, marking the beginning of a more collaborative and inclusive approach to leadership. At that time, the prevailing style of leadership was characterized by command-and-control, emphasizing silos and solitary decision-making. Executives relied on traditional chalkboard to-do lists to guide their actions.

Psychologists investigating the “illusion of group productivity” quickly discovered a significant flaw in brainstorming. Despite its intention to boost creativity and generate numerous ideas through collaboration, group brainstorming proved less effective than individual brainstorming, followed by the pooling of ideas.

Here’s an enhanced version of the group brainstorming practice that can foster better and more daring ideas. Begin by providing individuals or pairs with personal space for separate contemplation, allowing their thoughts to wander freely. Then, encourage them to share their ideas, including the unconventional and impractical ones, to ignite the group brainstorming session. This approach eliminates the awkwardness of everyone staring at each other in silence. Instead, it creates an environment conducive to fruitful discussions. It prevents anyone from monopolizing the conversation, attempting to prove others wrong, impressing superiors, or simply rambling for personal amusement. Furthermore, this approach effectively guards against premature judgment, which stifles creativity.

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