CATEGORY:Performance and Trust

The Final Question

“So what do you think, Karla?” I asked. “About toxic teams, and what you can do about them?”

I am sure you remember Karla. She is the young lady who was having a difficult time in a toxic work environment, and two articles ago, had asked me three questions :

• One, why are some teams so toxic?
• Two, how can toxicity be removed from teams?
• Three, what should Karla do in this situation?

My friend Faizal had answered the first one in “Why Are Some Teams Toxic?”; and a world-famous executive coach, Barbara, had addressed the second question in “How Do We Prevent Toxic Teams?”. I had shared both these detailed responses with Karla.

Now it was time to answer the final question.

Karla seemed both thoughtful and downcast. She took her time answering.

“It seems, uncle, that based on what Faizal and Barbara said, that there is very little I can do to solve the problem,” she said, haltingly.

I had reached a similar conclusion, but still asked,

“What makes you say this, Karla?”

“Well, it seems evident from both narratives that toxicity can only be removed or cured by changing the leadership and/or the culture. I am too junior and too new in this company to be able to influence either.”

I told you she was smart.

“Much as I hate agreeing with any statement that does not lead to a solution,” I said, “I have to agree. Some workplace issues cannot be resolved by junior team members, and toxicity seems to be one such.”

What Can You Do When You Are In A Toxic Team?

“Having said that,” I continued, “this does not mean that you cannot survive in a toxic team or use your time in such a team to your advantage. There are some very important learnings that you can take away from a toxic team.”

“Like what, uncle?” asked Karla skeptically.

“As you grow and move to being a manager, and then a leader; as you move positions and roles and companies, you are going to come across such situations,” I said, “isn’t it worth learning the nuts and bolts of such teams, so that you can recognise and develop strategies that you can use in the future?”

Karla brightened visibly. “That sounds like a good idea,” she said, “how do I go about it?”

“Let’s start with identifying the different kinds of players in a toxic team,” I said, “by doing this, we can make sure that you will be able to recognise what and who you are dealing with.”

The Five Enemies Of Teamwork

“A few weeks ago, I came across this write-up in a website called www.weekdone.com,” I said, “It described the five enemies of teamwork.”

The False Prophet

These employees tend to promise more (much more) than they deliver. They may not even do it intentionally, but they do it regularly. Often, these big promises are made in public (in team meetings, for example), and then forgotten in private.

The Sleeping Partner

These employees believe that shared responsibility means “everybody else shares the responsibility”! They are very good at passing bucks, transferring monkeys from their shoulders to others’ and finding reasons why not.

The Headline Hero

Some employees will, when something is done, find a way to take the credit. They are also excellent in transferring the blame if something goes wrong. Such employees are quite willing to sacrifice their colleagues and their teams on any altar that is convenient.

The Weeping Willow

Then, there are the employees who are experts in finding fault in every little thing. These people spend most of their time on criticizing instead of actually working and doing something useful.

The Lone Ranger

And finally, there are employees who have no idea of the meaning of the world “team.” They are so completely self involved that they believe in the dictum, “my way or the highway”. They don’t like to listen to others’ ideas or recommendations, and even actively tear them down.

“And, each of these categories of employees can be handled or managed,” I concluded, looking at Karla for her reaction.

Tactics To Tame Toxic Teams

Karla sat forward excitedly.

“Wow, uncle, I can relate to each of these types of employees!” she exclaimed.

“You remember that I spoke to you about Rakesh? Well, he is the perfect Headline Hero! And then there is Soon Kim, my boss – he’s a real Lone Ranger! Also, there is a lady called Phyllis in one of our teams who complains all the time about everything!”

I laughed. “Been there, seen that,” I said. “That is the beauty of such smart categorization – they come easily to life!”

“But how do I deal with these different types of colleagues?” asked Karla.

“Well, there is no one way, but there are some overarching principles.”

“With the False Prophet, you need to add a buffer of time and effort to everything they tell you; this will keep you safe from disappointment.”

“With the Sleeping Partner, what I have found is to get them to lead projects – they will find the easiest and fastest way to complete them, so that they can go back to bed!”

“In case of the Headline Hero, document every interaction and ensure that others are copied. These employees will quickly realize that they cannot piggyback on your ideas, as everyone knows that these are yours.”

“If you persuade Weeping Willows to take on loads of routine tasks, they will not be happy, but will not have the time to criticize and complain!”

“And finally, with the Lone Ranger, just best to leave them alone. If they need you, they will approach you.”

The Final Answer

“So, Karla, while not everyone can fix toxic teams, we can find ways to survive and even manage the situation to our advantage.” I said.

“As you well know, not all of us have the luxury of being able to leave our current jobs and seek another one,” I continued, “we have to make the best of the cards that we are dealt.”

“That is very true,” Karla said, with a faraway look in her eyes. “I am slowly realising that if I use the right tactics with each of my team members, I can influence the team to at least some extent…”

“Absolutely,” I said, “that is the right approach. Every colleague has a specific set of stimuli that they will respond to; it is upto you to discover the right buttons to push and when, and you will see some amazing and surprising outcomes!”

“Thank you so much, uncle,” said Karla, as she rose to leave, “I am going to give it my best shot. Thank you for listening to my problems and for helping me find answers.”

“I live to serve,” I quipped. “All the best, Karla!”

****

Have you encountered the Five Enemies of Teamwork?How did you deal with them? Are there more such Enemies? Do share your views and experiences…

Please send them to me, either as a comment or as a PM. Let us cure the persistent disease of toxicity in teams…

Cheers | Shesh | Singapore | 30 June 2020.

Post Script :

1. For other interesting CEO Chronicles click here.
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Consulting A Specialist

I raised my hand (digitally, by hitting the little hand symbol).

“Yes, Shesh, please go ahead.” Barbara had just completed a closed-door webinar on Human Capital in a VUCA World. She was a legend among mentors and coaches and had helped many CEOs find themselves and turn their companies around.

I unmuted myself. “Thank you, Barbara, for the great talk. I have recently been asked a question by a young lady for which I am hoping to find an answer – How can we prevent toxic teams and how can we remove toxicity from teams?”

Barbara smiled. “She sounds like a smart young lady. That is a very apt question, indeed, especially in today’s world. Do all of you have time for a story?”

The 15 CXOs participating in the webinar chorused their yeses.

“Great,” Barbara continued, “I don’t need to say this, but all of us have encountered toxicity. Many of us have accepted it, even turned a blind eye. Some of us have tried to fix it, sometimes succeeding, often failing. I would not be surprised if, at some point during our careers, some of us have even contributed to a toxic culture.”

Watching my fellow participants on the screen, I could see their visible discomfort. Eyes that were previously fixed to their screens moved sideways and upwards. Buttocks shifted on ergonomic chairs.

“I know,” Barbara smiled, “These are uncomfortable words. But, hear it from me – toxic teams DO NOT happen without the leader’s consent or acceptance.” She looked at her screen, somewhere in New York City, her eyes probing ours. All of us studiously avoided her eyes.

Barbara sat back. “The year was 2012…” she started.

Testing For Toxins

I was asked to be the Executive Coach to the new CEO of The Fortune Group. I was a little concerned. Normally, a CXO is offered coaching only after he or she has been in the role for a while. This was the first time I have been asked to coach a brand new CEO.

I had a meeting with the Chairman of the Group and he helped clear this concern.

“Well, Barbara,” he said, “you know that The Fortune Group has been facing some serious issues. One of the main contributors is the former CEO, and that is why we had to let him go. He has caused a lot of disruptions internally. The organization’s culture is toxic. Senior managers are constantly sniping at each other. There seems to be little or no accountability. Financial commitments are rarely kept. We get inventive excuses and explanations, rather than results!”

“I feel guilty to an extent that we are handing over a damaged company to Jacintha. I am worried that we are setting her up for failure. It is to ensure that she has the resources she needs, the support she needs, that I thought of you.”

I was surprised. This was both honest and thoughtful. Rare qualities in boardrooms, I assure you.

“Thank you, John, for sharing this,” I responded, “as I said, it would be my pleasure, and yes, I will meet Jacintha tomorrow.”

Diagnosing The Cause

Jacintha Lee, soft spoken, kindly and charming, started her job the following week. She was a whirlwind. In the first 3 weeks, she had individual meetings with every senior manager; she visited Fortune’s 22 offices and plants; she had townhalls with various groups of employees. I noticed that she did not meet customers, nor the banks, nor did she speak to the press who were clamoring for interviews. In one of our calls, I brought this up.

“Well, Barbara, all my research indicates that our problems are internal, not external. I am going to understand these and fix them first, before I tackle anything else,” said Jacintha.

Fair enough, I thought.

On the first day of her second month in Fortune, Jacintha acted.

She called a meeting of the senior management team. (I was present as an observer). She spoke to 46 managers.

“In the last 30 days, I have spent time with all of you, and thank you for your honest inputs to everything I asked. I am grateful for your acceptance and support,” she started.

“This is hard for me to say,” Jacintha continued, “but we are in a mess. Our numbers are far beow where we can and should be, our customer satisfaction levels are way below expectations, our employees are unhappy and our quality standards are suspect.”

“I believe I know why, and I believe I know how we can correct this.”

“The WHY has four parts :

One, we, the management team, are not aligned on who we are and what we want. We have no cohesion, and sadly, there seems to be a serious lack of trust between us.

Two, the organization lacks clarity. We don’t have a clear understanding of the fundamentals, we do not have a common vocabulary. Our values are not clear, our vision is opaque, we question ourselves at all levels.

Three, our Group’s communication and coordination is quite abysmal. Our subordinates, our vendors, our customers have no idea what we stand for, mainly because they see us, the management team, as inconsistent and undecided and often, at odds with one another.

And finally, four, our Human Capital systems are bereft of caring or consideration. I have seen government systems which are less bureaucratic, and more compassionate.”

Starting a Cultured Diet

“I am sure,” Jacintha continued, “that some of you may disagree with some of what I have said. Under normal circumstances, I would be happy to consult and discuss this with each of you. But not now.”

“Any organization is as strong as it’s culture,” she said. “Our culture is so dysfunctional that it is non-existent. We are going to fix this first.”

“As of today, I am rolling out a set of basic values that we will all adhere to from this moment in time. Together, we, as the senior management, will align and cohere. We will spend the next month imbibing and assimilating these values. If any of us needs help, please speak to Barbara (as she gestured to me), and she will be happy to listen, to guide and coach.”

Jacintha stepped forward, her face becoming even more serious. “Adherence to these values is not a choice. It is an obligation. Any of you who don’t or can’t live these values are free to find futures elsewhere.

While I had some inkling as to what was coming, I was left agape. The person who stood there in front of 46 senior veterans of the corporate world was not the nice, gentle, friendly woman I had got to know. This was an indomitable force, clad in designer clothes.

I looked around the room. It looked like everyone felt like I did. Wide eyes and partially open mouths abounded.

Jacintha took the meeting to its conclusion, after presenting the new ‘core values’ and explaining them in simple and clear terms. She asked if there were any questions, answered the few simple requests for clarifications and adjourned the meeting.

Cleansing The System

The next month was quite hectic, both for Jacintha and me. Together and separately, we met with almost all the senior managers. All through the discussions and explanations and even arguments, the message was clear – align or depart.

In the meantime, Jacintha had also hired two capable young people for her communications team. She spent a substantial amount of time preparing for the next stage – establishing organizational clarity across the Group.

On the last day of August, just before Labor Day, Jacintha launched her communication blitz. The communications team organized a group-wide townhall, across 12 countries and 22 offices.

Jacintha spoke about the ‘new’ culture and laid out The Fortune Group’s purpose, vision, values and strategy. She spoke about what Fortune stood for, its long term and medium term goals, its strengths and weaknesses, its competence and its competition.

When she finished, after a prolonged silence, I witnessed something I had only seen in political rallies before. The entire organization erupted in a standing ovation! It seemed that Jacintha had given the thousands of employees what they were hoping for – a clear vision, a focused approach, and a set of measurable goals to achieve.

Exercising – Walking The Talk

I know you have other meetings and commitments, and I am not going to bore you with a blow-by-blow commentary. A few milestones –

In the next 3 months, Jacintha replaced 6 members of her senior management team – those who could not or did not conform to the new culture. Concomitantly, quite a few other managers who had gotten used to or taken advantage of the previous regime were encouraged to find other avenues. She and other senior managers spent a substantial time on the road, spreading and reinforcing the word.

In the second month, the organization woke up one Monday to the shocking news that Jacintha has suspended two of her senior most lieutenants for ‘non-compliance’ with the new culture. Both the gentlemen spent a week at home (and some time with me), and resumed their duties,smarter and wiser.

Jacintha spent a lot of time with the Human Capital team.

She reorganized the team, tore up all the redundant chapters of the policy manuals, and created a truly employee-centric, transparent, caring system. In November, The Fortune Group launched the new system in another group-wide townhall. I witnessed my second corporate standing ovation.

In November, five months after we began, I attended my second Management Review meeting. The difference was startling! The senior managers were engaged, aligned and clearly working together. The quality of information being presented was top notch. And most importantly, ALL the trends were pointing steadfastly in the right direction.

In December, at Jacintha’s request, I chose 30 employees at random, and had one-to-one meetings with them, to understand whether Jacintha’s initiatives had spread across the organization and taken root. As I compiled my report, I felt amazed and uplifted that so much could have changed in so little time…

Hale & Healthy Again!

So, Shesh, to answer your question, “How can we prevent toxic teams and how can we remove toxicity from teams?”

We need –

1. A trustworthy, competent leader
2. A strong culture
3. A cohesive, aligned management team
4. Consistent communication
5. Systems that are built to care, not to be complied with

Of these, the first two are the most critical. Leadership and Culture are interdependent and feed off one another. The lack of one leads to the failure of the other.

Everything else follows, though not by default, but by design.

Thank you, everyone, for your attention, and for a wonderful session! Have a great week ahead!

****

What do you think of Barbara’s narrative? Do you agree with her solution? Do share your views and experiences…

Please send them to me, either as a comment or as a PM. Let us cure this persistent disease…

Cheers | Shesh | Singapore | 16 June 2020.

Post Script :

1. For other interesting CEO Chronicles click here.
2. Follow me so that you don’t miss the next issue of CEO Chronicles.

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Return Of The Gang Of Four

“In response to the question on why some teams are so toxic, may I tell you a story?” asked Faizal, as he settled back into the sofa with a dew-dotted glass in his hand.

Faizal’s words were in response to my describing my meeting with Karla and her descriptions of the toxic behaviours of her team. I had just posed the three questions Karla had asked me at the end of our meeting :

• One, why are some teams so toxic?
• Two, how can toxicity be removed from such teams?
• Three, what should Karla do in this situation?

“Of course, Faizal!” said Chow Yen, “I am a sucker for stories! Go for it!” He, too, held a glass with golden yellow liquid that sparkled in the mood lighting in the lounge.

“Me too!” said Anders, “I have often given this question thought, and would really like to hear your reasons for a team becoming or being toxic.” Anders held a plate of tuna sandwiches that he was demolishing rapidly.

(If you are new to the CEO Chronciles, a quick catch up : The Gang Of Four was the informal group of four friends – Anders, Chow Yen, Faizal and I – which met once every 5-6 weeks to catch up, and more importantly, to discuss issues and problems each of us was facing and to find approaches and solutions together. Today, we were in the bar lounge in St. Regis).

“Great,”said Faizal. “It was 2008 and I had just taken over as CEO of ABC Limited…”

A Team In Torment

ABC Limited was an established privately held Group headquartered in Singapore. It was established in 1985, and had steadily grown into a transnational company.

ABC Singapore, in addition to the corporate office, had two business units (BUs), one focusing on engineering products and the other delivering diverse maintenance and repair services.

After I settled down, (said Faizal) I noticed that the two teams were very different. They were each on a separate floor, below the corporate office. The product BU floor had a subdued air to it. The services BU, on the other hand, seemed full of laughter and light.

Financially, both BUs were performing similarly, with similar toplines and acceptable margins. However, on closer analysis, the product BU numbers seemed to have a gradual downward trend, and the services BU was clearly moving upwards.

Operationally, I noticed that the product BU had a high attrition rate. The BU had separated from 18 people in the last year, out of a total of 42.

My antennae tingled and I decided to learn more. I started with talking to my Group CFO, Sheetal.

The discussion was not comfortable. Sheetal hemmed and hawed and spoke in generic phrases, which was very unlike her normally frank approach.

I then spoke to our Group COO, Geoff. He, too, seemed to dance around the questions I asked, not committing to anything.

Harmony Before Honesty

I had had enough. I invited Sheetal and Geoff out for a drink that evening, and once we were settled, I looked at them seriously.

“Guys,” I said, “quit fooling around. I want you to tell me what is going on with the product BU. No hedging and feinting, please!”

Sheetal and Geoff looked at each other. They had been working together for the past 4 years, and knew each other well. Some kind of signal passed between the two, and Geoff leaned forward.

“Well, Faizal,” he started, “Morton was hired by your predecessor about two and a half years ago. I believe that both of them, ahh, hmm, share a nationality? And have been friends for some time. Do you get me?”

“Am beginning to,” I said, the light slowly dawning, “please go on.”

“Um, well,” Geoff was clearly uncomfortable, “so Morton was brought in as the General Manager of the product BU without much involvement by any of us. He was like, what you say, a special case?”

“Okay,” I said, “I get where you are going. And then?”

Sheetal took over. “Morton is, uh, different,” she said, “he comes from a different industry, and thinks and behaves differently…”

I sat up as straight as I could in the soft lounge settee.

“Sheetal, Geoff, much as I respect your reticence and sensitivity,” I said, firmly, “if we have a problem with one of our teams, I need to know it, and the sooner the better. If you keep throwing euphemisms at me, how am I expected to analyse the issues involved?

Finally, the floodgates opened. I listened and listened and took notes.

And I understood the problem.

Career Before Character

The next morning, I called the Chief HR Officer to my room.

“Anna,” I asked, “May I see the exit interviews for these ex-employees?” I gave her the list of the 18 people who had left Geoff’s team in the previous 12 months.

Anna glanced at the list. “Why do you need…?” she began, and then she recognised the names. “Oh…” She looked at me for a few moments, poised to say something. Then she rose to leave. “You will have it in an hour, Faizal,” she said.

I spent the afternoon reading 18 documents that confirmed the understanding that had dawned on me the previous evening.

The words, “self-involved”, ‘apathetic”, “selfish”, “untrustworthy”, “incapable” and “incompetent” were repeated too many times to have been missed.

My opinion of my predecessor dropped more than a bit.

The exit interview minutes described a leader who had no right to that title; a boss in name only, with little interest in anything other than self-interest; a manager who abdicated his duties; a teammate who had long forsaken his team; a professional who blamed his incompetence on his subordinates.

At about 5:00 PM, I asked Anna to see me again. She did, but her feet dragged as she walked into my room.

Cronyism Before Competence

“You know about this,” I said. It was not a question, really.

“Yes,” Anna answered. She couldn’t meet my eyes.

“You are the head of HR,” I said, trying to maintain a neutral tone. “It is your responsibility to…”

I stopped. Anna was working hard to control herself.

“I tried!” she said. “Every time, I shared the feedback with the CEO. Each time, I recommended that we needed to act on this! But…” she realised that she was raising her voice, and paused.

When Anna had recovered a little, she continued. “Every time, Faizal, every time I was told that the matter has been ‘noted’ and that appropriate counselling will be given. That I don’t need to worry. That I should leave it with the CEO.”

“And?” I asked gently.

“And nothing,” Anna said, frustrated. “Good people kept leaving, and we took no action. Other teams complained, and we took no action. It was almost as if Morton was being protected…”

“It’s not your fault, Anna,” I said, as comfortingly as I could. “You did your best.”

Anna looked at me, her expression a mix of sadness and disappointment.

“No, I did not do my best,” she said, “That is why I am feeling so terrible.”

Silos Before Synergy

Before I left that day, I called Sarang, the General Manager of the Services BU, and asked him to drop in for a chat.

I sped through the pleasantries.

“Sarang,” I said, “let me get to the point of this meeting. You have been in this company for more than 7 years. You are a smart, capable manager and leader. There is no question but that you know about the problems in the Product BU?”

“Yes, Faizal,” Sarang answered, without hesitation, “I know.”

“What did you do about it, if anything?”

“Me? Nothing,” said Sarang. “I don’t have anything to do with that BU.”

“I hear you, Sarang,” I said, “the question is why. You are part of this company’s senior management. If you have been seeing a dysfunctional team for nearly 4 years, you should have intervened.”

“Honestly, Faizal,” said Sarang, “I am focused on my BU. That is what I am paid for. My team is doing well, and I have achieved all my targets. I don’t see why I should interfere or intervene in another BU’s issues.”

“Oh,” I said, “fair enough. Have you heard of a poet named John Donne?”

Sarang’s brow creased. “No, sorry, never hear of him.”

“Thanks, Sarang,” I said, “Just check John Donne out on the internet, will you? He has written a wonderful poem on islands and continents…”

Causes & Symptoms of Toxic Teams :

Faizal leaned back, and took a deep gulp of his drink, and sat back, smiling at us.

Chow Yen sat forward. “Okay, Faizal, great story, but don’t keep us in suspense any longer! So, what are the main causes for some teams to be so toxic?”

Faizal grinned. “Oh, I thought you would have got that from the article’s sub-titles,” he remarked. “Let me sum it up for you. Teams are or become toxic if,

1. One, an organization prefers to hide rather than confront. That is, instead of putting honesty before harmony, which is always the difficult path, they choose the other way around.
2. Two, a leader prioritizes his career, rather than his character. Rather than do what is right, he does what is expedient, and in the process damages his team and the company as a whole.
3. Three, decisions are taken based on personal likes and quid pro quos, rather than what is best for the organization. Too often, we see cronyism trump competence, only to see the team or company suffer thereafter.
4. And four, silos form within the company, because of a lack of cohesion, losing all claim to synergy. This allows different cultures to flourish in different parts of the organization, which others ignore or are indifferent to, leading to a gradual fracturing of the entity.

“I am not saying these are the only causes or symptoms. But these are the big ones, I believe.”

*****

Anders lifted his glass. “Excellent Faizal, a well woven story! Thank you!

I raised my glass, too. “Great narrative, Faizal, you had us on the edges of our seats. One question before we disperse – what did you do next?”

Faizal cocked his eyebrow. “Isn’t that Karla’s next question, Shesh – ‘How can toxicity be removed from a team’? Shouldn’t that be addressed in the next article?

****

Faizal has shared four causes of toxic teams. There are many more causes – can you share any that you have come across? Either in your own company or a situation that you have encountered?

Please send them to me, either as a comment or as a PM. Let us work to find a solution to this unfortunately common problem.

Cheers | Shesh | Singapore | 02 June 2020.

Post Script :

1. For other interesting CEO Chronicles click here.
2. Follow me so that you don’t miss the next issue of CEO Chronicles.

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A Tale Of Toxicities

“I want to quit! I can’t take this toxic crap any more!” said Karla, her face writ with frustration and anger.

I leaned forward. It was very unlike Karla to lose her cool like this.

“These are strong words,” I said. “You have been in this company for less than a year, haven’t you?”

“Yes, about 8 months,” she said, her brow knitted into a frown. “And it has been a horrible 8 months! I wish I had never joined this company!”

That caused me to pause. Karla was employed in a reputed Fortune 500 MNC. If I was not wrong, I had recently read about how they had scored very well in employee ratings.

“Would you like to discuss this?” I asked gently, “Or are the wounds too fresh?”

“Well, uncle, that is why I am here,” said Karla, “I was speaking to Dad, and he asked me to consult you. Though I don’t know how this will help. I just want to walk away from this mess!”

No, Karla is not my niece; she is the daughter of one of my close friends, and calls me uncle. And she is normally not as emotional as the above dialogue sounds. Something is really bothering her.

“So what happened?” I asked.

“My team is truly toxic, that’s what!” she burst out. “And I don’t even feel like going to office anymore.”

“What do you mean by ‘toxic’”? I asked, even though I knew well what she meant, having experienced my share of toxicity through my career. “Would you be able to share any specific issues or examples?”

“Of course I can,” said Karla, “let me share recent three instances with you…”

Toxic Trope # 1 : Backs are for stabbing

“About three months ago,” Karla started, “I was supposed to complete a ‘preferred client analysis’ – analysing a list of our most important regional customers, developing patterns of their purchases, establishing trends, and evaluating the relationship strengths.”

“Okay,” I nodded.

“I had just joined the company a few months before. I did not know all the customers well. Yes, I did get a lot of the quantitative information from our database, but as you know uncle, quantitative data only shows part of the picture. I needed to understand them qualitatively, too.”

“Absolutely. No question.” I agreed.

“So, I approached one of my senior team members, Rakesh,” she continued, “and asked him whether he could help me with a more nuanced understanding of a few of the customers on the list. Rakesh seemed a nice guy, and I thought he is the best person to go to, as he had been with the team for more than 4 years.”

“Rakesh asked me to send him an e-mail and said he would surely help,” Karla said, “and I did. With some follow up, he responded and gave me some insights. He did this all on e-mail even though we could have done this in an hour’s meeting. Even though I wondered why, I did not give it much thought – I was just glad that I was getting the information I needed.”

“I assume there is a twist in the tale coming up?” I queried gently.

“Oh yes!” Karla laughed, more cynically than a 28 year old should ever laugh. “I submitted the completed project to our boss, Soon Kim, and hoped that I had lived up to expectations. Two days later, we had a team meeting. One of the items on the agenda was to discuss the client analysis. When the time came, instead of turning to me, he asked Rakesh to give everyone an overview of the analysis.”

I knew where this was going, so I kept silent and nodded.

It hurts like hell…

“I was taken aback,” Karla said, her eyes looking into the past, “and Rakesh presented the project as if he had done the whole thing himself. At the end of it, Soon Kim thanked and congratulated him, and the meeting continued.”

“That afternoon, I went to Soon Kim’s cabin, and asked him why Rakesh presented the analysis, when it was my project. He seemed puzzled. But, he said, Rakesh told me that you had approached him and asked him to lead the project. He also showed me some e-mails between you two.”

“I did not know whether to cry or scream,” said Karla, gritting her teeth at the memory. “I explained the situation to Soon Kim, about the need for a few insights, which added up to less than 20% of the project. He seemed to listen, but I don’t believe his heart was in it. He seemed very eager to get on with some other work. I left his cabin completely demoralised.”

“What did you do next?” I asked.

“Well, that evening, I hitched a ride with Sonja,” she said, “and I told her what happened. Sonja was not surprised at all. This happens all the time in our team, she said. Most of the team members are out to prove themselves and grab credit. Rakesh is known for hijacking projects and achievements, and has done this to many other team members. Next time, Sonja said, be careful, we are part of a very toxic team. She seemed very accepting of the whole situation, whereas for me, it was a complete shock.”

“You must have felt betrayed and let down,” I said, sympathetically.

“Oh, uncle, you have no idea!” Karla said feelingly, “I felt worse than Julius Caesar after Brutus stabbed him!”

“Yes, I understand, Karla,” I said. I, too, had felt the pain of a knife in my back a few times.

Toxic Trope # 2 : Fingers are for pointing

“The second instance happened about 6 weeks ago,” said Karla, “and thank God, it did not happen to me!”

“One of our team mates, Norman, is new to this business. He has about 12 years work experience, but in other fields. So he finds some of the stuff we are doing a little new and strange.”

“Yes,” I said, “Been there, done that.”

“He’s been with us for a little longer than I have,” she said, “maybe about a year?”

“So, one Monday morning, Norman is trying to export a client address list into a new data base that we are collating. This was actually Wilma’s project, and Norman was helping her. So far, I understand that he was doing a good job, though I was not directly involved.”

“That afternoon,” she continued, “there was a big hullabaloo! Lots of running and shouting and huddles! I was stuck in a dealer event so did not witness this, but was getting minute-by-minute update messages from Sonja and Janak!

“What happened?” I asked, my curiosity aroused.

It scars for life…

“It seems that Norman had, by mistake, shared the client data with a wider group,” said Karla, smiling, but with a tinge of sadness. “He realised it as soon as he did it, and immediately notified Wilma and Soon Kim. According to Sonja, both of them hit the roof, and there was a huge fuss, which steadily escalated till it reached the VP.”

“Wow,” I said, unsurprised, “the VP?”

“Yes, it seems that Wilma publicly blamed Norman, who, poor guy, could nothing but accept it; then Soon Kim dressed him down in front of everyone. After that, someone brought in the VP, and it seems he had his share to say to Norman, while Wilma and Soon Kim stood watching.”

“Poor Norman,” I said.

“Absolutely. He is a nice guy, works hard, doesn’t normally screw up,” said Karla, “but the way these guys went at him, it sounded like he has given away all our company secrets to the KGB and the CIA. Even till today, some of our team members refer to Norman’s mistake as “Wikileaks”, and just two days ago, Soon Kim referred to the incident and not in a very nice way.”

“It seems like your team prefers to fix the blame, rather than the problem.” I observed, recognising another mark of a truly toxic team.

“You’re spot on, uncle,” said Karla. “Not one of the team stood by Norman or supported him. He went though a terrible time, with everyone sniggering and pointing fingers…”

Toxic Trope # 3 : Hearts are for breaking

“But yesterday was the last straw,” said Karla, sitting straight, the memory of the incident still raw in her throat, “and I cannot take this anymore.”

“What happened, my dear?” I asked, gently.

“We had a Teams online meeting yesterday morning,” she said, holding back the moisture in her eyes from trickling, “all 14 members of our team were on it. Some of us were in the office, and others were working remotely. The meeting went on for almost two hours and some parts of it were quite boring and repetitive.”

“Yes, I have attended such meetings,” I remarked, dryly.

“After the meeting, I started putting together the minutes and the action plan. And, while doing so, I went into the Chats section, to see if there were any points there that I needed to take note of…” Karla stumbled.

I waited for a few moments, for her to recover herself.

It decimates all trust…

Karla cleared her throat. “I am sorry, uncle,” she said, glancing at me.

“It’s okay. Do you need a glass of water? Your throat must be parched,” I said.

“No, no, it’s okay. So, in the Chats section, I saw a conversation between three of my team members. I think they were writing to one another believing it to be a private Chat, but for some reason, they were using the meeting Chat.”

“They had said such horrible, toxic things about me,” her voice broke, ever so slightly. “About how I dress, and how I am the boss’ favourite because I am pretty, and how I did not deserve the role I was in and had got it only because of some ‘connections’. About how I was always asking questions and was always delaying projects…”

Her eyes spilled over. She turned away, scrabbling for a tissue in her purse.

I got up and went to the sideboard, where I poured a glass of water for her and one for myself.

After about 3 minutes, I came back and offered the water to Karla. She took it and smiled her thanks. Both of us sipped on our water, and let the moment pass.

Teaming with questions

“Thank you for sharing this with me,” I said, “It is not easy, reliving such moments. It is really sad when one encounters a dysfunctional, toxic team.”

“I don’t know whom to talk to, uncle,” said Karla, “I can’t trust anyone in my team or in the office. I spoke to Dad, but he’s a GP and has always run his own private practice, so does not know how to advise me…”

“And he’s a sweetheart who wouldn’t recognise toxic stuff if it punched him in the face,” I said, smiling.

“That’s true,” Karla giggled, “He’s a big teddy bear!”

“So, uncle, I have a question,” asked Karla, serious once again,”Why are some teams so toxic? How can toxicity be removed from a team? And, what should I do in this situation?

“Well,” I said, “these are three questions. Which have very different answers. And, it is rather late now. May I respond to these in the next article?”

****

Like Karla, many of you may have similar and more questions, particular to your situation.

Please send them to me, either as a comment or as a PM. Let us, together, work to find solutions to this unfortunately widespread problem.

Cheers | Shesh | Singapore | 19 May 2020.

Post Script :

1. For other interesting CEO Chronicles click here.
2. Follow me so that you don’t miss the next issue of CEO Chronicles.

#ceochronicles #careeradvice #careers #bestadvice #hiringandpromotion #personaldevelopment #success #leadership

The Perfect Employee : Reliability

In #ceochronicles article # 20, we asked, ‘What qualities make up a perfect employee?’ 

We agreed that the four main qualities of a PERRfect employee are –

• Proactivity
• Emotional Intelligence
• RELIABILITY, and
• Resilience

Now that we have identified these qualities, you asked me –

• What are the components of Reliability?
• How can I be (and be seen as) a Reliable Employee?”

As always, great questions. Let me share…

A Reliable Story

It was 2007. One of my friends, Rajesh, the CEO of a electronics products company in Singapore was in the final stages of an acquisition of a small competitor.

All of a sudden, one Sunday morning, he received a call from Delhi informing him that his father had had a heart attack and was in the hospital. His mother needed him there immediately.

He and his wife, Shobha, booked their tickets and starting packing to leave.

Rajesh was in a quandary. There was no question that he was needed by his father’s side. But, he was also needed in Singapore to close out the acquisition. He could not do this remotely. He needed to identify someone completely reliable. As he was preparing to leave, he scanned his organisation in his mind. Ten minutes later, while waiting for the taxi, he called his COO.

“Good morning, Serena,’ he said, “sorry to disturb you so early. My Dad’s in hospital and I have to leave for Delhi now.”

“Hi, Rajesh,” said Serena, “I am so sorry to hear this. What happened?”

Rajesh explained the situation to Serena. Then, he came to the reason for his call.

“Serena, I want to make Anwar the point man for the purchase. He will substitute for me. Can you please inform him, and ask him to call me? I will be getting into a taxi shortly.”

“Anwar?” asked Serena. “Don’t you want me to handle this?” She seemed a little taken aback.

“Serena, you have enough and more on your plate,” said Rajesh, “Also, Anwar has been part of the transaction from day one. Just ask him to call me.”

Fast forward to nine days later.

Rajesh walked into the office. His father had recovered and was back home, in good health. There was a loud cheer and applause as he entered.

“Thank you, guys!” he said, “great work, everyone! Well done!”

After shaking many hands and receiving a bunch of high fives, he reached his cabin. As he settled in his chair, he looked back at the previous week. I owe Anwar a huge debt, he thought. Without him, this deal would have collapsed. Anwar is such a reliable person. He is worthy of a much bigger role…

He swiveled his chair and looked out of the window, as his mind went back…

Understand expectations

When Anwar called, Rajesh and Shobha were in the taxi on the way to the airport.

“Good morning, boss,” said Anwar, “Serena told me about your father. So sorry, and all the best. What would you like me to do?”

“Thanks, Anwar,” said Rajesh, “I need  you to take charge of the merger. Can you do this?”

There was a pause. “If you can guide me from Delhi, without impacting your time with your father, I think I can,” said Anwar, “but I need to understand specifically what are the issues I need to focus on, and what are the specific outcomes we want.”

The conversation continued till Rajesh reached the airport, and then both signed off.

Six hours later, Rajesh and Shobha landed in Delhi. Once in the Uber, Rajesh opened his email. There was one from Anwar with the subject line, “List of expectations”. Rajesh opened the e-mail and read it carefully. Over the next 30 minutes, he entered his comments and sent them to Anwar.

By the next morning, Anwar and Rajesh had agreed on the specific expectations of Anwar to complete the transaction.

STEP 1 : Always set sharp, clear and specific expectations. Leave no question marks. Set your target so precisely that your arrow will strike it exactly. The more precise the expectation, the more reliable the outcome.

Plan & Prioritize

By Monday morning, Anwar had a list of 30 items that he was expected to oversee and complete.

He spent the first half of the day at the whiteboard. He wrote out all the items and arranged them in order of what needed to be completed first, what items followed which, the estimated amount of time each item needed and the resources required for each.

Then, he then went to speak to Serena.

“Serena, I need your help,” he said, “could you give your advice?”

“Of course, Anwar,” said Serena. For the next 2 hours, they spent time discussing the plan on the whiteboard. Serena made suggestions and changes, and by 3:00 PM, both had agreed on the plan and the priorities.

Serena then called for a meeting and invited 4 colleagues. Over the course of another 2 hours, the ‘task force’ went through the plan, the actions and who would do what, by when.

At the end of the meeting, Serena asked each member of the team whether they had any concerns or issues, and resolved the few that came up.

The task force was ready. They agreed that they would meet every morning at 8:30 AM to carry out a review and plan the activities for the day.

STEP 2 : Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance. As Abraham Lincoln said, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” The better the preparation, the more reliable the result.

Communicate. Then, Communicate Again.

Before leaving for the day, Anwar sent the detailed plan to Rajesh. He then asked for a call.

Anwar then called the lawyers and bankers involved in the deal and informed them of the situation. They agreed that they would meet the next day at 10:00 AM at Anwar’s office and discuss the plan.

Rajesh called Anwar after dinner. Anwar took Rajesh through the plan, the people in the task force, the timelines and the areas of concern.

Rajesh asked a few questions, but could not find anything amiss. Anwar and Rajesh agreed to have two catch-up calls every day, one at lunch time and one just after dinner.

Rajesh informed Anwar that he had already spoken to the CEO of the target company and informed him of his unavailability, and of Anwar’s nomination as lead.

The next morning, Anwar and the task force met at 8:30 AM. They agreed on the specific tasks to be completed that day. They agreed to catch up just before lunch for a quick review and once at 6:00 PM, before the close of the day.

Then, Anwar and Serena met with the the lawyers and the bankers and took them through the plan. Anwar asked them to allocate their team members for each of the items that needed their inputs, which they did. They agreed that they would have a catch-up call every afternoon at 5:00 PM.

Anwar requisitioned one of the meeting rooms for the next week, and put up the plan and timelines on the whiteboard, so that it was accessible and visible to everyone involved.

STEP 3 : Proactively communicate. Avoid surprises. Remember Bill Gates’ words, “Like a human being, a company has to have a robust internal communication mechanism, a ‘nervous system’ to coordinate its actions.” The more transparent the communication, the more reliable the teamwork.

Initiate & Close

Anwar uploaded the plan and timelines onto his mobile phone, as a task list. Every 2 hours or so, he would check this, and evaluate progress.

Each time an item was reported as completed, Anwar sent a message to the task force, and asked for acceptance from everyone that the item was closed. This served both as confirmation as well as information to the team to move to the next step.

On Thursday, the team were to receive a notarised document from the target company. They did not. Anwar did not waste time calling or following up. He informed Serena and drove to the company’s office. There, he asked to see the CEO and CFO, and explained the issue and the importance. The CFO and he drafted and finalized the document and together, went to a nearby notary and notarized the document. Anwar thanked the CFO and returned to his office with the required document.

By Friday, 26 of the 30 items were completed. Anwar filed documented evidence of each closure in a folder in his desk drawer. The morning meeting was full of anticipation – the finish line was near!

By late Friday evening, all the items were closed. All that remained was the formal signing. Anwar reported to Serena and together, they called Rajesh and updated him of progress.

Rajesh, in his turn, gave them an update of his situation. His father was better, but he needed to stay in Delhi till Monday evening. They agreed that Serena would be the authorized signatory for the signing. After the call, Rajesh and Serena got onto a call with the CEO of the target company and informed him that Serena would preside over the signing ceremony.

On Monday, Serena signed the deal. Anwar stood behind her, a sense of relief and achievement writ large on his face.

STEP 4 : Initiative and closure are the bookends of reliability and success. The best way to finish strong is to start strong. The more the initiative, the more reliable the closure.

How To Be Reliable

Being reliable is not rocket science. Let’s recap. It is about 4 STEPS –

1. Understanding expectations
2. Planning and prioritizing
3. Communicating, and finally,
4. Taking initiative and closing what we start

Reliability is an amazing quality. Reliable people get and keep friends more easily, forge deeper relationships, receive the best opportunities, are granted more autonomy at work, have more self-confidence and live with integrity.

I hope you will be able to use the 4 STEPS to make yourself indispensable to the people around you – to be the ‘go to’ person, the person others value, respect and promote.

(BTW, today, Anwar is the CEO of a maritime services group in Singapore.)

****

Lets start now!!  Score yourself from 1-10 for each of the 4 STEPS.  Every step that gets a perfect 10, celebrate it in your comments, so that others are encouraged to move towards a perfect score. No perfect score? Write to me and schedule a free 30 min reliability check!

Cheers | Shesh | Singapore | 17 March 2020.

Post Script :

1. For other interesting CEO Chronicles click here.
2. Follow me so that you don’t miss the next issue of CEO Chronicles.

#ceochronicles #careeradvice #careers #bestadvice #hiringandpromotion #personaldevelopment #success #leadership

The Perfect Employee and Emotional Intelligence

In #ceochronicles article 22, we asked, ‘What qualities make up a perfect employee?’

We listed out the four main qualities of a PERRfect employee are –

• Proactivity
• Emotional Intelligence
• Reliability, and
• Resilience

Once we identified these qualities, you asked, sometimes nicely and sometimes impatiently,

• What the heck is Emotional Intelligence?
• How does it help?
• How do I get it?

Many years ago, I asked these very same questions! The answers changed my life in more ways than I ever imagined…

To answer first the question,

What is Emotional Intelligence?

We don’t need to look too far away or too far back.

“Singapore Government raises DORSCON Level to Orange!” said the headline.

Peter panicked.

“This is terrible!” he screamed at his wife. “We will run out of food and essentials! There is no place to run! We need to barricade ourselves! We need to protect ourselves! How can God do this to us? It must be all those nasty immigrants!”

By the end of the day, Peter and his wife,

Purchased as many noodles packets (200) and as much rice (50 kgs) as they could and stocked up on 40 cartons of bottled water.

Bought as many toilet paper rolls as possible.

Obtained (from a grey market source) 2,000 face masks.

Obtained (from the same grey market source) 60 bottles of hand sanitiser.

Had fights with all the shops and markets they went to, when they were told that there is a limit on the number of items they could purchase.

Carried all their purchases from the car to their apartment in suitcases so that no one would know what or how much they had.

In the coming days, Peter spent his time avidly following social media stories and news and becoming more worried and scared. He also forwarded and shared many scary stories and anecdotes with everyone he knew.

Two days later, he heard that one of the apartments in his condo had a suspected case. He told his wife, and they agreed that they would not go anywhere near that apartment (or that block!).

When one of his neighbours mentioned on WhatsApp that he had run out of masks, Peter sent out a message saying that he, too, had run out of masks and sanitiser.

When his neighbours put together a watch group to sanitise the elevators and common areas, Peter smiled grimly and waited for them to fall sick.

“Singapore Government raises DORSCON Level to Orange!” said the headline.

Paul pondered.

“This is terrible!” he said to his wife. “This is going to affect all of us individually and as a country. I hope we will be able to work together to deal with this problem calmly.”

“What should we do,” his wife asked. “Do we need to hurry and buy masks and food?”

“Let’s first understand the situation properly,” said Paul.

Over the next few days, Paul and his wife,

Spoke to all their relatives and friends, and assured them that all would be fine.

Read as much as they could about the Corona Virus and its spread and impacts.

Shared relevant information with their networks to calm some of their friends down.

Evaluated what they had at home and calculated that they had enough for a week, or even two weeks if they were economical.

Visited the family of a suspected case in their condo, and offered their help.

Helped put together a watch group to disinfect the elevators and common areas.

Shared their extra stock of masks and hand sanistiser with a neighbour who had run out.

Continued to stay in touch with their friends and relatives, asking if anyone needed help.

Did you spot the differences?

Paul, even though in the exact same situation as Peter, acted differently.

He was self-aware. He did not panic or give in to fear.

Paul controlled his emotions. He did not react without thought.

Paul knew what he wanted and why. He planned the way forward.

He cared. And looked beyond himself.

He recognized others’ needs and helped. He stepped up and added value.

This is the essence of Emotional Intelligence. Our ability to know ourselves, control ourselves, understand our and others’ motivations, empathise and care.

Who would you prefer as a neighbour or a colleague or as a boss?

I know that I would much rather have Paul, any day, any where, any time.

How does Emotional Intelligence help?

As we saw, in the stark difference between Peter and Paul, Emotional Intelligence helps you be calm, serene and thoughtful, even in the most dire of situations.

Emotionally intelligent employees are dependable and reliable.

They look at the whole picture and act with thought and planning.

Such employees understand not just their own needs, but the needs and requirements of others around them.

They recognize that ‘no man is an island’ and put their team or community ahead of themselves.

By doing all this, they build an amazing reputation. Their colleagues respect them. Their peers recognize them as leaders. The entire team (or organization) looks to them in times of crisis.

Being Emotionally Intelligent sets you apart and puts you ahead.

How do I become Emotionally Intelligent?

There are 8 steps to becoming Emotionally Intelligent.

These include –

1. Understanding your emotions and tapping into them
2. Seeing the links between your emotions and your behaviour
3. Accepting yourself
4. Planning your behaviour
5. Knowing what you want and why you want it
6. Learning to open your mind
7. Understanding others and recognizing how they feel
8. Measuring the impact of your behaviour on others

Since this article is already quite long, may we dig deeper into these 8 steps in the next article?

In the meantime, if you are eager to know more, do check this link out – a 2 minute video and a superb summary of the 5 components of Emotional Intelligence.

The Eight-Step Path To Inner Peace…

Being Emotionally Intelligent is more than about doing well in your career.

It makes you calmer, helps you de-stress, and leads to a deep feeling of happiness, with yourself and with others.

Being Emotionally Intelligent makes you more positive, more accessible, more likable and more reliable – all of which lead to your fulfilling your belonging and esteem needs, thus leading to a life full of contentment and satisfaction and inner peace.

****

If you believe you are Emotionally Intelligent, pat yourself on the back, click like and comment, “YES!”.  If you do not believe so, let’s start our journey together today.

Cheers | Shesh | Singapore | 18 February 2020.

Post Script :

1. For other interesting CEO Chronicles click here.
2. Follow me so that you don’t miss the next issue of CEO Chronicles.

#ceochronicles #careeradvice #careers #bestadvice #hiringandpromotion #personaldevelopment #success #leadership