Susan Marshall’s Media

“Everyone knows that the old ways don’t work anymore. We want new people and new ideas, but they are so often disruptive because they don’t fit our culture.” I hear this a lot.

How do you preserve existing culture AND introduce meaningful change? You don’t. Pick one and get to work on it. Get a clear picture in your mind of what you want when you’re all done; then get busy.

Recognize that old power bases, traditional structures, and learned behaviors are going to be very difficult to dismantle and reconfigure in new and better ways. How to go about it?

With respect, curiosity, determination, and courage. A sense of humor and perspective will help, too. You can challenge the status quo. And you must if you care about helping your organization adapt to an ever changing environment.

Take a positive approach instead of a fix-it one. Instead of asking “How come?” ask “What if?” Learn about the resources available to you. Understand what you provide to your customers both internal and external. See where you could do something a bit differently to reach better results.

Ask people to tell you what they do. Ask them what they are most proud of. Pay attention to the answers because they provide clues to leverage points—those places where a little bit of adjustment can yield surprising results.

Capture the energy that’s released when people get excited about doing something better and use it to continue improving. That’s momentum and it’s powerful.

The Backbone Institute podcast, October 26, 2009

As we ended our Dirty Tricks series last week, we said we’d like to talk about how to focus on what you want to do and get started with a process that helps you accomplish important work.

This is a very big topic, so today I’d like to start with a simple but close-to-heart wish. What do you wish you could do this week that you’re not sure you can approach?

Ask for a raise?
Land a job?
Quit your job?

Talk to your teenager about drugs? Sex?
Break off a relationship that’s going nowhere?

Let your boss know that his ‘leadership’ is dysfunctional?

There is a lot of emotion in some of our wishes and some incendiary words, too!

Here’s your Backbone Institute vocabulary word of the week: Incendiary. “Willfully stirring up strife, riot, or rebellion.”

This is NOT something we generally want to do! So it’s important to pay attention to words and how you’re thinking about things.

Let’s use “I want a raise” as a good working example.

WHY do you want a raise?
• Need to pay off my bills
• Want to buy a house
• Need a new car
• I’ve been here two years. It’s time.
• Jeff makes more than I do and he’s a jerk.
• The fat cats get huge bonuses – I should get some of that money.

The Backbone Institute asks:

1. HOW DO THESE REASONS MAKE YOU FEEL?
2. WHAT DO YOU SUPPOSE YOU LOOK LIKE WHEN YOU’RE FEELING THIS WAY?
3. WOULD YOU GIVE YOU A RAISE?

One valid reason for getting a raise:
Making a contribution beyond what you were hired to do.

Some people get raises in the middle of a wage freeze. Why? They step up.
If your mission is to get a raise, what will you do differently to demonstrate your value? Does your motivation match your company’s needs?

The Backbone Institute:
CALL UP YOUR CHARACTER SEGMENT

1. Orient yourself to your company. What is your role? What value do you provide? If you were not there, how would your company suffer? Be objective!

2. What things does your boss value most? What pressures does he respond to? Oh, wait. You don’t know? There’s your first assignment. Find out.

3. How can you find out what matters most to your boss? Pay attention to him/her! Listen to what he talks about in relationship to your company. Read his memos and emails. Watch what he reacts to both positively and negatively.

4. Some bosses are keenly focused on numbers; some are more concerned with customer interactions. Some are task-oriented, some are people-oriented. How can you highlight what you do?

5. Don’t expect others to do what you do. Learn the vocabulary of what matters to your boss and learn to engage in conversation.

6. If your boss is task-oriented and you are people-oriented, you can expect some conflict. Plan for it.

7. Think about what you do that is special, that either impacts the organization’s numbers in a positive way or draws customers. Highlight your uniqueness and tie to company objectives.

8. This is pay dirt!

The point of this Backbone Institute podcast: Critical thinking. THINK IT THROUGH.

Next week from The Backbone Institute: All the DECISIONS you need to make to support your request for a raise.

Question from Rick:
Dirty tricks vs. Aggressive marketing
Destruction is the goal of dirty tricks
Doubt is the goal of aggressive marketing

If you can get people to doubt your opponent, you gain advantage
Start from a basis of fact, then spin
When you begin to see how this works, you can protect yourself

Dirty tricks work because they:
• Surprise, embarrass, or cause outrage
• Throw opponent off balance
• Create distraction
• Create advantage (may be short-lived)
• Cause others to view your opponent with fear, disgust, or disdain

Dirty tricks shape a mindset and habits that:
• Look for the weakness in others
• Seek ways to take unfair advantage of others
• Fear little repercussion
• Feel powerful

Aristotle: You are what you repeatedly do.
When you adopt a dirty tricks mindset, you become a dirty player

Benefits of the dirty tricks mindset:
• You go after people!
• You draw energy from the contest – power feels good
• You know how to do whatever it takes to win

Drawbacks of the dirty tricks mindset:
• You develop a shady reputation
• You are not welcome in some (most?) places
• “Live by the sword, die by the sword”

Advice from The Backbone Institute:
Whatever you do, be proud of you.

Anti-Intimidation Tactics
When someone tries to make you look like an idiot in a meeting:
• Look at the person for a long time
• Smile – “I’m on to you.”
• Do not interact with the person or talk to others about the incident
• Do not avoid the person or show fear
• Stay focused on your goals
• Message: “I understand this happens. I will not become your target. I have things to do.”

Follow us on Twitter @ EXECADVISE, LinkedIn, Facebook
Listen to podcast on iTunes and at podbean.

Next week:

How to get focused on something that matters to you.
We’ll discuss a process to:
• Define a risk
• Create support scaffolding
• Go after it

I was driving home from an entrepreneur’s workshop this afternoon (thank you UW-Parkside, BizStarts Milwaukee, Kauffman Foundation, and selfless experts and coaches), thinking about what it takes to start a business or survive today as an early stage company. The economic and political climates are challenging, to say the least.

Breaking into my reverie was yet another news report about the health care debate. According to this news, the health insurance industry put out a report in recent days saying that current proposed legislation, if enacted, would drastically raise health care premiums on people who already have coverage. The President, in his radio address today, countered by calling the report “bogus.” He said the industry is trying to scare Americans with false reports. He went on to say that if we do not get this health care issue solved now, it would be catastrophic for the economy.

Several questions came immediately to mind. First, who is more knowledgeable about the effect of pending legislation on premiums, the industry or the president?

Second, who can be trusted to tell us the truth, the industry or the president?

Third, when the president calls an industry report bogus, on what basis does he make the claim?

Fourth, who is scaring the American people: the industry who says premiums will rise sharply or the president who says if we don’t solve this problem now, economic catastrophe looms?

I suspect one reason why so many people have turned out for protest gatherings, be they tea parties, marches on state and national capitols, or town hall meetings, is that so-called leaders are behaving recklessly. Bent on winning political battles and protecting power bases, they play fast and loose with facts, ignore previously accepted rules of engagement, and spurn the public when it questions the basis or logic of their policies or decisions.

Reckless leadership leads to distrust, disdain, and deepening opposition. Worse, it creates a climate that is unstable and deeply hostile to the formation of new businesses or innovative solutions based on sound theory, rigorous testing, verifiable proof, and committed investment.

The reckless leadership and open rancor in Washington is killing our future. As an entrepreneur and leadership development practitioner, I charge those in power to know what they are talking about, to present us with the facts behind their conclusions, and to elevate their thinking and their vocabulary to a level that convinces us they have a true understanding of both the issues and the implications of their decisions.

Dirty Tricks Week Three: A Conversation

1. Naomi from Minnesota
Good Old Boys Club – band together to create hostile environment.

Expression comes from power networks constructed by wealthy white men – controlled business for generations: Vanderbilts, Carnegies, Fords

Old Boys Networks get created by:
• Common values
• Agreed upon culture
• Support for others who look like them
• Power to control who gets in

Social media is changing old power networks and enabling new ones

The harder you try to get in, the more vulnerable you are to dirty tricks.

Learn the business, listen to what they talk about. Add to the discussion where you can, then go about your business.

2. Melissa from North Carolina
Optimist Hates Dirty Tricks – Make ‘em Stop!

Dirty tricks are a fact of life. If you are deeply offended by dirty tricks and spend a lot of time feeling angry or upset that they occur, you are wasting time. No purveyor of dirty tricks cares that you’re upset. In fact, the more upset you are, the more they will play on that to distract you.

Don’t lose your optimism, but don’t try to reform them.

You don’t have to engage. But you do have to be aware. Squeamishness makes you a target.

Choose your battles!

Stay focused on your goals and be aware that there are some who would like to defeat you.

3. David from Colorado
Would rather take competitor down first.

“Live by the sword, die by the sword.”
Think it through. Know what you’re dealing with.

When you attack first, you invite aggression. When you strike, expect a counter-strike and be ready for it.

Know your competitor’s network. Know who cares more about your competitor’s success than the competitor himself. They may line up against you.

Remember: When you strike first, you lose the chance to change your mind re: strategy.

4. Jamie from Wisconsin
Up for Promotion against someone who may be having an affair.

Are you sure?
Think through your strategy.
Priority Number One for your credibility: Get your facts straight.

If the affair is true, who should expose it? Should it be you?

Be aware of how the story might blow back at you.

Consider your own “skeletons.” Is there any instance in your life that could be exposed to your detriment in this contest?

How aggressively do you want to move on personal information?
Can you win on professional merits – talent, track record, etc?

Please continue to send us your questions!

Follow Susan on Twitter at EXECADVISE.
Connect with Susan on LinkedIn at susan.a.marshall
If you’re listening on iTunes, please leave a comment.

Email Susan at execadvise@mac.com

Next week: Dirty Tricks Summary
What they are, how they take shape, how to respond.

Everyone is familiar with the Comfort Zone, that place of safety and predictability that we like to inhabit, especially during difficult times. The Comfort Zone consists of our daily routines, opinions, assumptions, and accumulated knowledge that guides most of our behavior.

There are two other zones that I would like to introduce to you: the Learning Zone and the Panic Zone.

Imagine three concentric circles, like the rings around Saturn. The inner circle is the Comfort Zone. Moving outward, the next circle is the Learning Zone and the outermost circle is the Panic Zone.

The Learning Zone is exactly what it says: the place where learning occurs. It is often an uncomfortable place because it holds information, ideas and situations that are unfamiliar to us and that sometimes conflict with our Comfort Zone. For this reason, it is not unusual to resist the Learning Zone.

The last circle is the Panic Zone. Here, no learning occurs. Panic shuts down the brain, elevates the heart rate, and creates the famous fight-or-flight response. The Panic Zone is best avoided by all.

The challenge of effective learning, then, is to push yourself (or be pushed) out of the Comfort Zone into the Learning Zone, but not so far that you rocket into the Panic Zone. The speed and trajectory of the launch into learning is a trial-and-error process at the earliest stages of learning—think about walking, for example—but becomes more predictable as we understand our personal capacity for discovering and embracing formerly unknown information or experience.

The more we learn, the greater our Comfort Zone expands and in doing so, pushes the Learning Zone farther out. The effect of this expanded learning and comfort is to reduce the size of the Panic Zone. Theoretically, life-long learners eventually erase the Panic Zone entirely as they gain confidence in their ability to learn and thus effectively deal with any potential threat. This is the goal of education! To expand our Comfort Zone by making us more competent and confident and to eliminate the Panic Zone altogether.

The distressing economic conditions in our country have reversed this process for many. Financial loss, severed work relationships, and any number of other setbacks have shrunk the Comfort Zone and caused many people to fortify it, closing it more tightly to the threats of the Panic Zone. Dire news from around the globe seems to feed the Panic Zone, causing it to expand almost daily.

Meanwhile, the Learning Zone stands as a buffer between the two, offering the eternal promise of increased comfort and diminished panic.

How can you overcome the stress and fear of current difficulties? Learn! Help your children learn. Study the issues of the day. Read more broadly than you normally do. Reach out to people and communities that are unfamiliar to you. Seek better answers. Use your Learning Zone to enrich your Comfort Zone and invite others to share in the process.

Hunkering down in fear will close off your world and ensure greater difficulty. When you learn, you open new doors of opportunity at the same time you discover the amazing potential the resides within you. Learning creates energy and energy creates forward progress. Be bold today: Learn!

Welcome to the weekly podcast from The Backbone Institute where we uncover potential and support impossible dreams. This week: DIRTY TRICKS: Part Two

How dirty tricks work:
The person attacked is surprised. Embarrassed. Outraged at the audacity of the behavior. The person expresses this emotion in an attempt to expose the dirty trick. This reaction often makes the situation worse.

How dirty tricks take shape:
Person using dirty tricks studies the opponent.
Determines areas of weakness, insecurity, vulnerability.
Figures out how to attack these areas in order to throw opponent off-balance.
In the Internet world, little knowledge, but certain conclusions.

Example of exploiting weakness:
• Football teams look for weak spots in offensive or defensive line; uneven match-ups between receivers and defenders.

• Runners at the start of a race. Runner #1 says to Runner #2: “Watch out for the starter. He has a big thing with the way feet are positioned at the line. He likes to call false starts.” Runner #2 is distracted thinking about the positioning of his feet while the starter fires the starting gun. Runner #1 gets a fast, confident start and wins the race. Dirty trick or shrewd competitor?

Cruelty:
Not a dirty trick, just cruelty
Women deal with numerous questions at work - how they look, how they dress, appropriate behavior, etc.
Executive shows disdain for manager’s attire
Manager knows the intended insult, turns it back with humor
Confidence = ability to use kindness, humor in response to cruelty

Example of dirty trick:
Lies about the personal habits of others.
When no obvious areas of weakness or vulnerability exist, fabricate a story based on known facts.

Opponent has:
• Overcome substance abuse –may still be a closet drinker
• Been married multiple times – may have a love child or two
• Had tax returns audited and corrected – may like to cut ethical corners

These types of situations are often exploited to suggest that past mistakes guarantee future untrustworthiness. This is a major platform for dirty tricks.
The more frequently a lie is told, the more it begins to sound like truth.

Social Media Question: How can I retaliate?

Question to answer the Question: Are you sure you want to?

Dirty tricks are designed to evoke an immediate, emotional response by throwing you off balance. The sheer audacity of some of them makes it hard not to react! Dirty trick users want you to rise to the bait—to react to their provocation in order to gain an advantage over you.

When you protest a lie, for example: I am NOT having an affair! I did NOT steal trade secrets. I am NOT trying to take my boss down … you give power to the accusation and look silly trying to refute it.

When emotional, give yourself time to consider a response.

Assignment: Consider the worst dirty trick ever played on you.
Were you surprised by it? If so, why?
What did you do?
Was your response effective?
What would you do differently after having thought about it?

Typical first reaction: “I’ll get you back!”
Wait. Think about how to present yourself with confidence.

Dirty tricks offer a perfect opportunity to sharpen critical thinking and decision making skills. We’ll talk more about this next week.

For now, thanks for listening.

Welcome to the weekly podcast from The Backbone Institute, where we uncover potential and support impossible dreams.

DIRTY TRICKS: Week One

Definition:
Any unethical, slanderous or illegal behavior used to destroy or diminish the effectiveness of opponents.
Lies. Slander. Tampering with equipment or systems. Bait-and-switch practices.

We’ll talk more about all of these tactics in coming weeks, for now let’s look at

Situations in which dirty tricks are often used:
Political races
Divorce proceedings
Popularity contests
Sporting events
Any struggle for control

Characteristics of these situations:
High stakes
Emotional component
Public status or image
Uneven playing field – imbalance of power or information
The more intense the desire for a particular outcome, the greater the likelihood for dirty tricks.

Example: Divorce proceedings
Attorneys dig up “dirt” – private personal information used to embarrass or intimidate the opposing party into accepting settlement terms that are less than optimal.

Past drinking pattern
Excessive shopping
Child neglect
Infidelity
Workaholic tendencies

Example: Office politics
Rumor and innuendo are common tactics. “I saw them out together after work. Do you think they’re having an affair?” Introducing doubt about a person’s character or integrity invites others to question their competence.

Lack of Confidence invites dirty tricks.
Embarrassment of personal past destroys confidence and makes you a target.

Fact: Dirty tricks = reality
They work because victims are:
Surprised
Unaware
Unprepared to deal with them

NOTE:
Exploiting a weakness is not a dirty trick. Football teams do it all the time to compete effectively.
Cruelty is not a dirty trick, it’s just cruelty. “Mean is mean.”
We’ll talk more about this next week.

Social Media Question: How can I protect myself from dirty tricks?

Call Up Your Character Assignment:

1. Pay attention to people who compete with you. Whether it’s for a promotion, a high-visibility assignment at work, or a date with the most eligible hottie in your circle, realize that you have competitors.
2. Watch how your competitor interacts with others. Most people who use dirty tricks have had success with them in the past.
3. Be aware of your vulnerabilities, the things that others could use to throw you off balance. Remember that the purpose of dirty tricks is to distract you. Make peace with your past!
4. Know what you want—where you’re going—and stay focused on this.

In my book (How to Grow a Backbone, ISBN 13: 978-0-8092-2494-4) I wrote a section on Intimidation. People with real power have no need to intimidate (use dirty tricks) and don’t fall prey to them. At The Backbone Institute, we’re here to help you be a person of real power.

Pay attention to competitors at work, but don’t be overly distracted. The more time you spend engineering dirty tricks, the less time you spend moving forward on your goals.

Thanks for listening. See you next week!