Improving Sales Outcomes (Lazier)

 In our most recent discussion, we spoke at length about how Bob should address Scott Hawthorne's lagging sales numbers with Anthony Wilson, SVP of Sales. Quickly, we focused on how to make Anthony more accountable for Scott's performance, ultimately landing on tying Anthony's bonus to his team's performance to incentivize Anthony to take a more hands-on approach to managing Scott. Another strategy that could work in tandem with this bonus incentive is to provide more explicit management training to both Scott and Anthony.

I was surprised we didn't spend more time exploring how the shake-up in the sales team leadership could have affected the team's performance in the first few quarters with Scott on the job. For one, while Scott has a proven track record in the industry and valuable contacts with customers, by transitioning to Lazier he was tasked suddenly with managing a team over twice as big as his 12-person group at his old company. Scott is coming to Lazier after being a regional sales manager for a large competitor. In addition to the doubling of his direct reports in his new role, Lazier's smaller size -- and Scott's relatively large jump up the ladder -- necessitates some learning curve for Scott to become successful in his job. While I understand Bob's frustration at the unrealized sales targets, I also understand why Scott may have been so focused on creating trust and productive relationships with his new employees. As Anthony has been such a hands-off manager, Scott likely used the same strategies that brought him success in his previous position, when managing relationships with his team would have taken less than half of the time it takes at Lazier. 

Since sales numbers show clear upward trajectory, it appears that Scott's strategy has some merit. Its success could have been expedited --and Lazier could have started to hit sales targets sooner -- had Anthony been a more active mentor to Scott during the onboarding process. Anthony is ultimately responsible for Lazier's sales performance; he too has a vested interest in the performance of his team. However, that Anthony was a rockstar salesman in his own right does not mean he is naturally a rockstar executive-level manager of a sales team. Like Scott, Anthony is also in a new role. It does not appear that Bob has provided Anthony with focused mentorship or executive coaching. With a stronger sense of and ownership over his responsibility to mentor his new hires, Anthony would become a stronger leader and Scott would likely adjust more quickly to his new role at Lazier, resulting in a quicker turnaround of the sales team's performance.

Next steps after chatting with Harris (Lazier)

If I were Bob and had heard Harris’s feedback on Stone, I would investigate the issue further before drawing any conclusions about Harris or Stone. Since this is the first time Bob is hearing about the issue, he doesn’t have much data on Stone’s perspective or the perspective of others in the department. When I read the case and saw that previously Harris and Stone had been positioned as peers, I immediately suspected that Harris might be jealous of Stone’s promotion to a higher position. However, given my lack of information, I would not want to unfairly deal with either Harris or Stone—it’s entirely possible that Stone really has been too hands-off recently, or that Harris needs to adjust to the fact that Stone’s new role entails new responsibilities and she cannot spend as much time with her team as she did previously. 

In order to investigate this issue, I would set up an informal check-in with Stone and ask her how her transition to her SVP role is going. I’d also talk to Fred Beasley and Erin Crossland, who are also Stone’s direct reports, to understand whether Harris’s feelings are shared across the team. As much as possible, I’d avoid making it explicit that I was investigating the issue. Then, based on the information gathered, I’d decide whether to leave things as is, provide feedback to Paula, or provide feedback to Harris. Regardless of who I eventually decide is wrong, I’d probably ask Harris if she’s mentioned any of her concerns directly to Stone and give her feedback that she should try to work these concerns out directly with Stone if possible.  

Experience (posting on Marcia's Behalf)

 Apologies for the delay in catching this but Marcia left a very insightful comment to the very first welcome post on the blog that I'm reposting here, hoping it generates further discussion/reflection both on the blog and in class!

~~Irina 

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by Marcia Austin

Experience. This is always something that comes up when hiring. Do they have it? Nope? BYE. I understand in most situations, this makes total sense. However, consider the situation that you are trying to make a pivot. You do not have the exact experience listed for the role, but you know that you have the skills and aptitude to walk in and do the job exceptionally well. However most of the time, the role goes to someone with previous experience at XXX instead of you. How does one "get the experience" to get those roles when it sometimes feels impossible to actually a chance to get the experience? Thoughts?

Viewing the Case's Decisions in Tandem; Biases in Termination & The Issue of Conformity

+Viewing the Case’s Three Personnel Decisions in Tandem: One thing I’d note that didn’t come up in class is the combined effect that multiple of these major personnel shakeups could have on Lazier Industries and on Bob. With this string of decisions, especially if two or more are executed at around the same time, there is probably a major risk to company culture and Bob’s reputation as a leader. If the terminated employees rightfully feel blindsided because there weren’t clear prior signals about their terminations being legitimate possibilities, that will probably cause a lot of mistrust among others (e.g., people feeling like they have no idea where they stand at the company, people losing faith in the review process). This could quickly escalate to an organization-wide culture issue. This is why I personally would err toward giving Scott, who is the only leader among the three employees being evaluated that inspires consistent followership, more time – albeit with much more serious “watch” protocols that very heavily involve Anthony.

 

+Biases in Termination & The Issue of Conformity: Separately, I like the concept of a Termination Expert as someone who can check the decision-maker with an independent assessment of whether a termination seems warranted. In practice, I would love to always have trusted colleagues, including the TE, who will be able to push back on any potential biases or misunderstandings that may have led to an unfair characterization of the employee in question. Especially where reasons for termination or low performance evaluations have to do with “qualitative” judgment calls – e.g., collaboration skills, coachability, management ability, attitude – it’s paramount that we make sure we are appropriately considering the employee’s background, style, and other personal factors. And it’s critical that we carefully scrutinize ambiguous concepts like “not a good fit” to understand whether we are incorporating biases in a way that is not only unfair to the employee but counterproductive to creating a company with diverse ideas and a sense of inclusion. In the extreme alternative, all our performance reviews and terminations will accomplish is creating a culture of uniformity, where everyone knows exactly how to get ahead and tailors their personality to that archetype!

Leadership goals

  "What leadership and/or communication skills do you look forward to learning in this class - or at the GSB in general - and why?"

    I am really interested in learning how to improve how to express an idea in a strong and straightforward way. Having worked in Private Equity and Hedge Fund previously, I have developed strong analytical skills but have never managed an employee (except a summer intern). So managerial skills are new to me and I need to be able to convert my written notes into a speech in the most efficient way.

    For example, during the Lazier case, while I previously put together all the different topics I wanted to discuss with Jeremy Smith, he left the room abruptly during the mock termination interview. While I intended to go through my pre defined plan((i) explain reasons why I wanted to terminate him, (ii) offer termination package and lay out transition period, (iii) negotiate the latter), he (played by professor Rapp) caught me off guard and focussed on how non legitimate I was to decide to fire him. I decided to play tough and go forward but it seemed that I forgot to include some humane arguments into my narrative (e.g. recognize how helpful he had been to the company and telling the termination package would reflect his strong commitment since he joined the firm)

    I am really interested in the Managerial Course to introduce me to difficult situations a manager may face. It really highlights all the skills I may need to learn over the 2 years of MBA. Separately, I have started learning how to express myself better with a GSB communication coach. I need to behave way better in situations when the reality does not go the way I assumed in my preparation. 

Leadership/Communication Goals + Thoughts on Lazier Industries Case

 "What leadership and/or communication skills do you look forward to learning in this class - or at the GSB in general - and why?"

I love finding examples of leaders who lead with humility and transparency: I think Brian Chesky (Airbnb) and Sal Khan (Khan Academy) are great examples of this. Core to being a transparent leader is being able to communicate your ideas in a clear, articulate way, and during my time at the GSB, I hope to improve my communication skills so I can achieve my goals of being a transparent leader who people can trust. I have worked in organizations where the company culture has soured because the leaders do not share the reasoning behind decisions, and the employees become wary and distrustful. These environments have always led to high turnover, lower productivity, and less engagement. I aspire to build companies that feel like a family: even as it scales. And as anyone in a family (or relationship!) knows, communication is key to the strength of that bond.

This strong focus on building a trusting company culture relates to my thoughts on the final discussion for the Lazier case about Paula and Diane. After reading about Diane's concerns about Paula's condescending attitude towards her and the team after her promotion, I was all-in for ensuring that Paula did not exhibit that behavior again and having her speak to HR and potentially get coaching. I was surprised to hear others advocating and defending Paula's behavior. Obviously these cases are built to have multiple approaches, but during the time of reading, I hadn't even considered that Paula wasn't the one in the wrong. Perhaps this is my bias in what I prioritize as a leader (building a community of respect and harmony). I'm glad this class is expanding my view on different approaches to problems as I consider what sort of actions are most resonant for me as a leader.

GSB Leadership & Communication Goals | Picking My Spots

"What leadership and/or communication skills do you look forward to learning in this class - or at the GSB in general - and why?"

When thinking about leadership and communication skills I’d like to improve on at the GSB, a couple of areas come to mind: First, I’d like to better learn to “pick my spots” in my communication as a leader. My instinct is to be very hands-on in communication: for example, to set the tone immediately with a lot of energy and an emphasis on trying to ensure everyone feels included, to fill in pauses with ideas or questions or jokes, and generally to be quick to voice a different opinion. All of these, especially the first element re: setting a tone of inclusion, are instincts that I want to maintain. However, I think by taking a bit less active of a role and more readily watching things unfold before jumping in, I will be able to be more thoughtful about infusing my energy when it is most needed, more observant about team dynamics, and more internally calm as a leader. I’d like to practice this while at the GSB – both through classes and outside initiatives.

Second, and similarly, I’d like to better learn to “pick my spots” in operational leadership as well. My instinct is to drive toward perfection on most projects and initiatives, especially when I am personally excited about them; if I see something to improve, I feel we should go ahead and improve it. While I’ve gotten better over time about being “80/20” in my own work by selecting the right things to focus on and knowing when to push to the “100,” I am still looking for the right balance in leading teammates. I would like to be more “big-picture” in thinking about when to spur members of my team to go the distance on a given project versus encourage them to use their time, for example, on exploring new, high-potential ideas that could be game-changers for the broader goal at hand. Relatedly, I’d also like to be more proactive about factoring in work-life balance for my team members – being explicit that, even when I think we should push further, I do not mean to imply pushing past important work-life boundaries folks have set for themselves. Again, I hope to practice this in GSB classes and especially in outside projects!

My communication / leadership development goals

I have three main goals related to developing my communication and leadership skills during my time at the GSB. 

1. I want to provide more context when communicating, especially when communicating in ad hoc situations that are typical in the workplace. I have a difficult time taking a step back from my work to think about the background information that others have, and often dive straight into the meat of my point or question. I would also like to speak with more structure and clarity when communicating, though I think those are inter-related with providing context. 

2. I would like to improve my ability to make people feel understood and heard when working together in a team, even if I disagree with them. If I end up making a decision that contradicts their opinions, I’d like to be able to better communicate my rationale for making that decision. This skill is especially relevant when working in cross-functional groups where the team I’m working with has very different priorities and perspectives. In my role as a product manager prior to business school, I sometimes found myself frustrated in situations where I wasn’t able to address a lower priority user need due to resource constraints and found it difficult to get buy-in from the users for this internal tool on these decisions.  

3. By the end of my GSB experience, I’d like to develop a better sense of my leadership style and what works for me. I’m excited to hear feedback from my peers and spend time reflecting on the type of leader I’d like to be. 

My development areas

One of my main goals for my time at the GSB is to become a more effective leader and stronger communicator. Specifically, I hope to take advantage of opportunities over the next two years to:

1) Figure out what I want to do with my life and career, and channel my energy in that direction. Most of the leaders I admire are experts in specific areas, leading organizations in their fields. When I look at my own career, I've worked in different functions and industries but don't have differentiated expertise or experience, which I hope to build in the coming years.

2) Stretch myself in new ways. Most of my life has been in relatively sheltered environments, and I'm looking forward to stretching myself, leaving my comfort zone, trying new things, and failing, in all sorts of ways, from the classroom to new athletic pursuits to potentially starting or joining a startup. 

3) Practice public speaking! I get nervous in front of large groups, and I want to change that! 

Leadership and communication goals for the GSB and beyond

There are two vectors of leadership skills I look forward to learning in this class and at the GSB in general. The first that comes to mind is personal connection. One of my strengths throughout my career has been my innate ability to focus, think analytically, and lead by example rather than lead by connection. Showing vulnerability is not something that comes easy to me, but I understand it’s importance to build trust with others and promote psychological safety within groups. 

The other area of leadership that I’m excited to learn about is how to blend both logical and “gut feeling” reactions into decisions that lead to the best possible outcomes. We discussed this during our case last week with making the quick decision to hire someone, but this idea can be applicable to many more areas besides just personnel decisions. It’d be great to learn if there are certain environments or decision areas that make more sense to weigh the logical approach more heavily than the gut feeling approach.

As for my communication goals, learning to be more concise and confident in my delivery are things I actively want to work on, particularly if it’s an area where I’m not an expert. How things are said can have almost as much as an impact as what is actually said, so mastering my delivery is a focus area for myself in all types of verbal communication.

Growing My Communication Skills

Here are two communication skills I am excited to grow in this class and throughout my time at the GSB:

Managing stage fright when engaging with these cases in the cold-call environment, and growing to actively seek out (and find joy in!) these growth opportunities. I found our first class to be really invigorating - but also intimidating - because of the pace of the discussion and the diverse perspectives shared by my classmates. I'm on the younger side and coming from a nontraditional business background, so I didn't think I had much experience related to the case and many of the points made in the discussion were completely new ideas for me. This class is a wonderful opportunity for me to stretch out of my comfort zone and become more comfortable with being "wrong" in public - or, more accurately, being willing to share my ideas and the reasoning behind them with this group, and learning from my peers how their backgrounds and experiences may lead them to a different conclusion. I'm working with Hilary, our section's communication coach, to adopt strategies for feeling more comfortable and coherent when contributing to class discussions. 

Becoming more concise when speaking off the cuff. When put on the spot, I tend to jump into speaking right away without taking a moment to organize my thoughts. As a result, I am prone to rambling and using way too many filler words. I even find myself filling silence with disclaimers saying things like "well, I'm no expert…" and "… but then again, it could go the other way, too", which takes away any value I was adding with my actual thought! Going forward in this class, I'm committed to taking a breath before speaking and using that moment to organize my thoughts. Also, I'm trying to speak more slowly, which should help me keep my thoughts more organized as I translate them into speech.

Leadership and communication skills I want to develop

 These are the skills I'm looking forward to working on during my time at the GSB:

Leadership skills:

(1) I want to become more comfortable with feeling uncomfortable as a leader. It's easy to lean into the type of work I've done before and to "hide" in that comfort zone. But if I want to be successful as a leader, I can't hide within the small world of what I've done before. I love the advice from our first session: be compassionate with ourselves and our classmates, and fumble here so that we don't in the real world. I want to push myself in that way during this class. Tactically, that means being game for trying out the role plays, throwing myself at the content, and not clinging to previous professional experiences to "justify" my air time in the conversation.

(2) I need to become a more decisive leader. I probably waste ~50% of my energy each day trying to decide on things rather than accomplishing anything. Analyzing decisions can be productive; agonizing over them is usually not. I wish I were able to make decisions at ~3x speed, and I'll need to be able to if I ever want to succeed as a leader. Part of this is probably a muscle I can work on (i.e., practice some decision-making skills) but the rest of it is definitely self confidence (i.e., find some inner steadfastness to stop second-guessing everything).

Communication skills:

(3) I want to push myself to become a punchier and more compelling writer. I think it's becoming more necessary to share ideas in widely-readable and tightly packaged pieces, and I want to develop the ability to write pieces like this. I frequently get fired up about ideas, but those threads remain fragmented conversations - amongst friends, over a drink, or in a journal. The next step is taking that excitement and putting it on the page (e.g., in an email, blog, medium piece, etc.) to push the idea further. It's easy to sound articulate in a 5 minute conversation; it's a lot harder to put something together that'll stand the test of wide readership.

I'm looking forward to the remaining sessions of this class - thanks!

Welcome to Prof. Rapp's Managerial Skills Class - Section 4A

 Welcome to the class blog for Prof. Rapp's Managerial Skills class - Section 4A!

~Irina & Ben / TA Team