A little Gen Y history…[/youtube]

Fascinating things happen when you step away from the business.  I was recently forced to step away from The Table this week to care for an ill parent, and in doing so, I learned three important lessons as a leader:

1. The company functions quite well without me. Nice job team!

2. Removing me from the picture gave some division directors freedom to step up in greater ways, and also forced clients to get their answers from other team members, which strengthens their relationships with those team members.

3. Being away helped the business to highlight aspects that were not functioning smoothly and needed attention.

Number 3 is what I am going to discuss here. As the leader, one thing I often do is work magic to cover up a mess.  Meaning that I step in and solve immediate problems, as opposed to the system creating new solutions that will work with or without me in the picture.  This week the issue has been our online store.  We are new in the shopping cart arena.   Our clients spend a good amount of money with us and at the end of the day, we need to be able to sell their books.  Our online store has a 95% positive user experience rating.  But 5% of the time, people are having problems processing their orders, either due to a compatibility issue with our cart, or them entering incorrect information.  Either way, we need to address errors on our part and also help to educate our book buyers on how to best input their information to arrive at the desired outcome.

You would think this would be a rather easy solution, but carts can be incredibly complex in how they interact with customers. Seeing this issue come to a head while I was gone is forcing us to make some decisions. What we are going to be doing is hiring a consultant (if anyone knows a good shopping cart consultant, please have them contact me asap at corey@writersoftheroundtable.com), and we will also be cross testing the applications on multiple browsers and versions whenever we make changes.  Is this costly?  Absolutely.  We’ll probably invest a small fortune.  Will it be worth it?  Absolutely.  As we add titles to our list, that 5%, over time, will be incredibly valuable revenue.

More importantly, our clients will see from our actions that we respect that they are working hard for every sale opportunity.  There is nothing like busting your butt to make the sale only to find that the system cannot process it.  We often only have one chance to make the sale. Some might say that 95% is good enough.  I say, anything less than 98% is unacceptable.

There will always be issues that make a system imperfect, but it is that attention to detail that makes all the difference.  Sometimes, only in stepping away can you come back to a clearer picture.

With leadership comes great responsibility:  The responsibility for revenues, the responsibility for people, the responsibility for public image, and the list goes on and on.  And, it is not uncommon for many leaders to over-manage in an effort to get things done.

If you are someone who has a challenge with over-control, the first question is to look closely at why this is happening.  Take this quick quiz, and answer “yes” or “no.”

1) I over-manage, because I am way too busy to communicate with my team.

2) I over-manage, because I am the only one who can get things done the right way.

3) I over-manage, because I am impatient.

4) I over-manage, because I don’t trust other people.

5) I over-manage, because I am a control freak.

6) I over-manage, because I feel guilty about giving people too much work.

7) I over-manage, because my board is breathing down my neck.

8) I over-manage, because I am impatient…I want the job done NOW!

9) I over-manage, because I don’t have the money to pay for great talent.

10) I over- manage, because I am afraid to make a mistake.

It is not uncommon for a meddling leader to have not jut one but several of these challenges.  Once you decide which of the above are your big challenges, there are opportunities for coaching on each and every one, and they begin with your own behavior.  If any of these challenges resonate with the pains you are feeling as a leader, shoot me an e-mail to bea@fivestarleader.com.  I am happy to meet with you for 15 minutes to talk through your challenges to see what types of solutions may be available.

With leadership comes great responsibility: The responsibility for revenues, the responsibility for people, the responsibility for public image, and the list goes on and on. And, it is not uncommon for many leaders to over-manage in an effort to get things done.

If you are someone who has a challenge with over-control, the first question is to look closely at why this is happening. Take this quick quiz, and answer “yes” or “no.”

1) I over-manage, because I am way too busy to communicate with my team.

2) I over-manage, because I am the only one who can get things done the right way.

3) I over-manage, because I am impatient.

4) I over-manage, because I don’t trust other people.

5) I over-manage, because I am a control freak.

6) I over-manage, because I feel guilty about giving people too much work.

7) I over-manage, because my board is breathing down my neck.

8)I over-manage, because I am impatient…I want the job done NOW!

9) I over-manage, because I don’t have the money to pay for great talent.

10) I over- manage, because I am afraid to make a mistake.

It is not uncommon for a meddling leader to have not jut one but several of these challenges. Once you decide which of the above are your big challenges, there are opportunities for coaching on each and every one, and they begin with your own behavior. If any of these challenges resonate with the pains you are feeling as a leader, shoot me an e-mail to bea@edge-book.com. I am happy to meet with you for 15 minutes to talk through your challenges to see what types of solutions may be available.

It’s that time of year. College seniors from around the world are graduating, and they are hitting the career world looking for a job. And the interesting thing is that most are not doing it alone. Many parents are by their Gen Y’s side and not just for support and to be a sounding board. If you are a helicopter parent who is hovering over your adult child’s job hunt and interview process, you may be hurting your child’s professional development and their chances to land the job.

Helicopter parents have not only been bombarding college campuses, they are now flying way too close to the workplace. Parents are now involved in the hiring and interview process and calling HR departments to negotiate terms for their children or to berate them for not giving their sons or daughters an offer. Parents believe they are doing their child a favor, but this behavior can actually stunt a child’s adult development and hamper their ability to think and survive on their own. The hovering is also hurting the young adult’s chances to land the job, as employers roll their eyes and pull their hair out over the barage of phone calls from parents making demands, negotiating salaries and grilling them about benefits.

Don’t get me wrong…I do believe that parents have their place in the interview process, but this hovering and coddling has to stop, and most Gen Y’s are begging for their independence.

If you are a parent, here are a few ways you can help:

1) Become an outside advisor to your child to help him or her understand the total compensation package.  Talk needs, values and future goals and discuss the package in relationship to those desires.

2) Practice interviews with your child. Allow your adult child to role play both the interview candidate and the interviewer. Ask tough questions and give feedback to help strengthen your child’s interview skills.

3) Resist the urge to contact your child’s potential employer (this can actually hurt his or her chances of landing the job.) Let your adult child be the one to follow up with the recruiter and the hiring leader. This will help him or her develop the independence and confidence needed to navigate the business world.

4) Serve as a sounding board only during the interview process. Allow your child to talk, ask questions and “vent” if needed.

5) Take your young adult on a shopping day to advise on an interview wardrobe. Your adult child will have questions about what to wear for the interview (I am going through this right now with my 20-year old twins.)

If you are an employer who is being challenged by helicopter parents:

1) The helicopter parent is here. If you try to fight it, you may encounter more difficulties along the way.

2) As an employer, you will need to decide if you are going to allow helicopter parents in the door.   If you decide that you do not want to engage with the helicopter parent, you will need to enforce privacy policies from the top to the bottom of the organization.

3) Develop a packet which includes company information and a letter which details out your interview process.   During the interview, ask the young adult if they want company information sent to anyone. 

4) Host a conference call during the hiring process with the parents (if wanted only). Make this known upfront (that this is the one time that parents are allowed into the hiring process and discourage other contact in a professional way such as saying “We offer a conference call for parents before the second interview. Due to the large volume of interviews, we would like to request that you use this time to ask all questions regarding your child’s future employment.”)

5) Create a specific website just for parents which includes company information, information about interviews, dress code and a list of FAQs.  Outline in detail the hiring, review and firing process for parents. Be specific. This will prevent misunderstandings later.