dispatches from the new world of work

100 Ways to Succeed #72:

Beware the Sound of Laughter!

In his autobiography, General Norman Schwarzkopf takes us through his career. At one point he explains that he simply cannot tell a joke effectively. Forgets stuff. Timing off. Screws up the punchline. Etc. But then a funny thing happens. He becomes a general. And the minute he pins a star on his collar he apparently becomes hilarious—associates start laughing uproariously at his jokes.

The message is obvious, and has to do with all who manage, not just General Officers. And that message: Beware underlings who laugh at your jokes. Writ large, as is my habit: Once you become a boss you'll never hear the unadulterated truth again. And that's almost as true for a 20-year-old shift boss in a Dunkin' Donuts outlet as for a senior middle manager or business owner.

You are a power figure. Moreover, others' success at work is tied to your whims and fancies—as well as straightforward proof of performance.

The "remedy" is clear, too. For example, MBWA (Managing By Wandering Around) allows you to get far more direct "on the ground" information—Starbucks founder Howard Schultz is surrounded by very smart assistants and executives, yet he religiously visits at least 25 stores a week. A second strategy is making end runs around your own hierarchy. As President of PepsiCo, Andy Pearson would visit an operation such as Frito-Lay, and after an obligatory nod to the CEO, he would head directly to the bullpen where the junior sub-brand managers lived. He'd pick one at random, sit down with her for an hour and discuss what was going on in her neck of the woods. Not only would he be judging Frito's bench strength, but also zeroing in on un-masticated data. A third strategy, if you're well up the hierarchy, is to have a trusted "good cop" nearby. Call this spying if you must, but the idea is someone at hand who is friendly whom you ask to sniff around and give you some direct feedback on how things smell where the rubber meets the road.

So I remind all bosses, courtesy General Norm: Beware the sound of laughter!

(As always in the real world, there are a host of caveats. To cite one example, when "MBWA" becomes a State Visit, not only will nothing be gained, but quite a bit may be lost. Etc. Etc.)

Tom Peters posted this on 07/25/06.

Comments

AND PROMOTE LAUGHTER in le place de la CAREER - fun/stress relief too - still on Tour de France high.

Posted by sean at July 25, 2006 8:39 AM

What a great topic

There must have been a sign somewhere in most offices I've ever worked in that said .. 'You are not allowed to have fun in this place and smiling is definitely a sackable offence'

I once remember getting a rollicking because the noise of laughter was upsetting the folks in the next door office and the public might see laughter as a lack of professionalism. I could understand that view if it were an undertakerâ€™s chapel of rest but for God sake not in an admin office surely?

â€˜State visitsâ€™ are wonderful arenâ€™t they? Thereâ€™s an old joke over here that the Queen thinks the smell in the atmosphere for all of us is of wet paint because wherever she goes the painters and decorators are just one hour ahead of her.

There, I suggest, lies the truth about many Chief Executives on thier 'state visits' - they really have to go to the front line to find out the truth direct from their front line staff and their customers ... simple as that.

The question has to be â€¦. If we all 'get this' why don't they?

Denial rules maybe?

The weather is still wonderful in England - sun sun and more sun ... we are just not used to this ...

Posted by Trevor Gay at July 25, 2006 9:09 AM

Kissing the ring is just plane dumb. The CEO can see right through it and it robs your credibility. I've taken to treating our CEO like an equal (of course I'm a few steps below...on paper anyways- in my own mind I'm right up there with him). Funny thing started to happen. After meetings/presentations/hallway chats he started to ask my opinions...wanted to know "what's really going on."
Hmmm...MBWA is maybe seeking out those that don't bow to the King but rather stand up like the Knight you are (or think you are).
The Brand called You is always on...what's the brand stand for? I'l take credibility and self-worh over ring-kissing at laughing at dumb jokes.

Posted by Swifty at July 25, 2006 9:37 AM

Tom, you've hit on a serious corporate communication problem: the rampant fear of telling superiors bad news. Twenty years ago, I was a project manager overseeing a small group of computer programmers. Every month, the information technology department's leadership team met with two high-ranking company executives to provide an update on all ongoing projects. For us project managers, the meetings were coveted opportunities to interact with a couple of honchos. But from the department head's perspective, the meetings held career-threatening potential: if one of us frontline supervisors let slip that a project was even slightly behind schedule, the senior managers might think he had lost control. Since the meetings were unavoidable, his only option was to tell us what to say.

Each month, just days before our appointment with the top brass, he held a dress rehearsal. The project managers recited the information we planned to report, and then the boss coached us with what to add or embellish, and what to delete or downplay. He showed us how to blame our holdups on other departments, software vendors, or the weather. We learned what we could safely say without damaging his career and, as a result, our own.

When leaders avoid bad news, or shoot those brave messengers who bring it to them, they encourage employees to remain silent. WorldCom board members who investigated the company's financial scandal found that employees who knew about wrongdoing were afraid to speak openly, because they feared losing their jobs or facing senior management's ridicule. Leaders like Andy Pearson create an environment that promotes risk taking and encourages straight talk.

Posted by George Brymer at July 25, 2006 10:08 AM

Great post Tom! I once drew an organizational chart of a company I worked for that went from executive management at the top to the complacent minion at the bottom. In between were the "low-level flunkies" (the functional professionals) who reported up to, but never through, the "impermiable layer". Virtually every colleague I showed this to agreed that it was absolutely accurate.

Unfortunately, the impermiable layer was full of senior managers who seemed psychologically unable to either say no to a superior, or even hint that a project might have any problems. Last I checked, this organization was still suffering from the same problems and they were beginning to manifest themselves as a sort of worker malaise at the lower levels. It's been kind of like watching a train wreck in slow motion. The sad thing is that the company has huge potential, if only their leadership would actually lead.

I also don't think this company is alone in suffering from this syndrome. Again, great post.

Posted by Andrew Hayden at July 25, 2006 12:15 PM

Nixon told a similar story. He said when golfing as President, no matter how far the ball was from the hole, if it was on the green, those playing with him would insist he pick it up rather than his having to putt. When he was no longer President, no matter how close the ball was, he would be told to putt it out . . . We all know the rest of the story about power corrupting, absolute power . . .

Suffering from Tour de France withdrawl pangs . .

Posted by S. Anthony Iannarino at July 25, 2006 12:23 PM

I don't for 2 seconds doubt that fear of telling the boss bad news is a problem or that some bosses "insulate" themselves from the truth. More fool the remote bosses, but more fool those who don't tell the bad news too.

I rather suspect that my boss's boss knows full well there's some politicking behind a lot of what he gets told. I don't actually believe that he (and many of his ilk) really thinks that my current project is exactly, to-the-minute-and-to-the penny on plan. I'm pretty certain that he doesn't want a 6-month delay, Â£100k surprise to hit him with no warning if I bluff him, nor to hear 6 months after the project is delivered that it went over-budget and hasn't achieved what was expected. So I level with everyone. They get the good news and if there's bad news, they get that along with an explanation and a recovery plan if possible.

If they're not happy with that - indeed, if you're not happy doing something like that - shouldn't you just pack it in and go work somewhere that deals in reality? I think that a lot of companies where people say they're afraid to tell their bosses bad news have bosses who complain that no-one ever levels with them...

Posted by MarkJF at July 25, 2006 2:51 PM

You are right Mark but your scenarios assume BOTH parties act like sensible adults with transparency from both sides. Sadly in my experience that is not always the case. Leaders have a greater responsibility for that openness than their staff. I like your statement â€¦. 'If they're not happy with that - indeed, if you're not happy doing something like that - shouldn't you just pack it in and go work somewhere that deals in reality?' That precisely is one of the reasons I got tired, worn down and exhausted in the NHS and why I left to get into the real world. It feels good now because I am responsible to the guy in the mirror and there is no more crap like that.

Posted by Trevor Gay at July 25, 2006 3:17 PM

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Humour is often a very good way of getting a difficult point across

I always felt the medeival court jestor was one of the most underated jobs - he could say stuff with humour that got to the heart of the issue and that no-one else was prepared to say to the king - I admit I don't have stats on the life expectancy of court jesters to hand........

One of my fav lines from one of my team was "Paul I think you're having a bit of a David Brent moment" - Said with great humour but it got the point across!

Posted by PaulH at July 26, 2006 5:52 AM

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It's better to heed a wise man's rebuke than to listen to the songs of fools.

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To what songs are you an audience?

Posted by DUST!N at July 26, 2006 11:54 AM

Did Stormin' Norman mention the Mr. Hyde side of his leadership personality in his autobiography? Seems many subordinates were afraid of having any visible sign of emotion or personality in his presence out of fear of his legendary temper. Read General Franks' account of Gulf War I (co-authored by Tom Clancy) for the other side of General Jekyl.

Posted by Mike at July 27, 2006 2:04 PM

When human beings are in the presence of those who have power over them, they tend to trim, shade, and adjust what they say to come off in the best possible light. All human beings seem to do this. Some, the career-centric-ass-kissers make it a life's work.

This has two implications. First, if you're the boss, you had better find way to get a clear picture of reality. MBWA helps. Wandering around many levels down from your Ivory Tower seems to work best. It also helps to have sources of information that originate outside your organization and come to you unfiltered.

Implication number two is that it is a very arduous and calendar-consuming process to create a culture of candor in your organization. It's a battle you have to win again and again because without candor, many of those formal truth-finding tools, like 360 degree appraisal or town meetings, will work.

Posted by Wally Bock at July 27, 2006 3:47 PM