It is one thing to think strategically, that is, look at the world and your company as your CEO might do so. The ability, as I explained in a previous post, to think strategically is a positive trait for middle managers to possess.

But if you want have real impact, you need to act on your ideas. Your idea, which you will translate into an initiative or a project, must contain three elements before you proceed.

One, your idea must complement the strategic direction of your company. If you are an engineering firm, your initiative should complement the engineering services your firm provides. That is, do not propose buying a restaurant or opening a spa. Those might be fun to do, but they do not complement engineering.

Two, your idea must have a strong business case. What you want to do must add value to the company, that is, it must do one or more of the following: increase revenue, reduce costs, improve quality, or improve customer satisfaction. Business case rules!

Three, your idea must be blessed by your boss, or at least by someone higher up. Many bosses will welcome your initiative as long as you involve them in the process, and of course share credit with them. Also, once your boss is on board, you can advocate the support of more senior people. That is, do not go around your boss; go with your boss. [Note: if your boss is a bully, do not to do anything without permission. Doing so could jeopardize your career.]

If you do proceed, follow your project through till the end. Make certain you are shepherding it through to conclusion. However, if you are asked to hand over to a peer or colleague, make it known that you are available to help manage, if the need arises.

Acting strategically will position you as a person of influence as well as one of action.

Posted FastCompany.com 12.08.09

I have the privilege of coaching a lot of talented men and women who are on their way to securing senior leadership positions. They have been identified as up and comers and so their company provides them with coaching to help them learn to become more effective leaders.

These are smart and talented people, and work diligently in their careers. One thing, however, throws them: the challenge to think strategically. Often this challenge comes from their boss in the form of a performance review, but all too often the boss is unclear what he or she expects by “thinking strategically.”

So let me offer some insight into how to think strategically. Put simply it means adopting the perspective of the CEO. Imagine how the top person in your organization views the world and your company’s role in it. What is he or she thinking about? Customers? Shareholders? Competitors? Likely these and a whole lot more. We call this “big picture thinking.”

The advantage is that you step away from your role as a middle manager and adopt lens of a more senior leader. That’s step one.

What you do next defines your abilities to think strategically as it relates to your job. That is, if you work in marketing, what marketing initiatives should you be promoting that will position not only your product line, but the entire company, in more positive light? Or if you work in purchasing, how might you develop ways to reduce commodity costs without sacrificing quality? In short, you are thinking about your job and function, but how your job and function complement the whole company.

Learning to think strategically is a good way to become noticed, as well as to demonstrate that you have what it takes to lead at a more senior level.

Posted FastCompany.com 12.01.09

Here’s a story I like to tell audiences about keeping your composure. Imagine a five-alarm fire, a really big one that involves an entire city block.

If you happen to arrive at one, you will see people scurrying about. Civilians will be fleeing the scene or standing back watching. It’s also very hot, really hot when an entire building is ablaze. Sirens are ringing and there is a lot of noise – shouting, machines churning, and fire hoses spraying. Firemen will be running toward the fire, and to a layman the scene may seem chaotic but trust me, skilled first responders know their jobs. If you are lucky, you might come across the fire battalion chief.

Talk about calm. You could stroll up to him or her, and ask about the weather. Yet their eyes are always in motion, scanning this way and that, watching for signs of trouble. But their voice is calm, perhaps even low and very calming. Whatever they might be feeling inside does not show outside.

Why?

Because their responsibility is to direct the response, and by remaining cool and collected they are able to keep everyone else at ease. This is vital to a crisis. If the leader comes unglued, then people become frightened.

So what does that means for us in management? Keep it together. If you are tense and upset, keep it to yourself. Never show fear. Your people need someone who is in control, or at least seems that way.

Of course leaders become afraid. “We are taught to understand, correctly, that courage is not the absence of fear,” writes Senator John McCain, “but the capacity for action despite our fears” Fear therefore requires the management of it through courage. An outward manifestation of courage is composure. So when you are responsible for the fates and careers of others, you need to control your fear so that you can maintain control of the situation. Just as a fire battalion chief does.

Posted FastCompany.com 11.16.09

Great recessions can provide great opportunities especially for those who want to jump start their careers. Many might think this is heresy; after all in tough times, isn’t it better to keep my head down and wait for good times again? This may work for some folks but for those savvy managers seeking to effective positive change, and make good things happen, now is an opportune time to assert leadership.

The real strength and resilience, not to mention creativity and energy, of an organization lies with the people who make things work. These are often managers in the middle. So now is a time for those in middle management to consider ways to help their organizations succeed in these troubled times. We call this “leading up.”

Leading up and from the middle requires two things: influence and action. Influence is necessary to open doors so you can be heard. Action is necessary to implement your plan. “Leading up,” a term I borrowed from Wharton professor and author Michael Useem who pioneered the concept, is the process of leading your organization from the middle. That means you lead the organization from the perspective of a CEO but with the authority of a less senior leader. And it’s the topic of my book, Lead Your Boss, The Subtle Art of Managing Up .

Leading from the middle requires a good balance of two distinct disciplines management and leadership. Managers provide administration and direction. Managing up is the process of handling things for your boss, that is, when he gets too busy. Leaders provide guidance and inspiration. Therefore, leading up is a proactive process, seeing the big picture and seeking to do something that benefits the entire organization.

Those who succeed at leading from the middle are artful and adept managers. They utilize their management skills to establish goals, plan projects, organize people, and execute projects on time and on budget.

Three things essential to leading up are:

One, make certain what you want to do complements the mission and strategies of your company;

Two, leverage your credibility as one who can get things done.; and

Three, act for the benefit of the company – not simply yourself.

The business case for leading from the middle is significant. A survey conducted in January 2007 (well before the recent recession) from the consulting firm, Watson Wyatt, revealed that only 49% of employees have “trust and confidence” in their senior managers, and just 53% believed that senior management made “the right changes to stay competitive.” Worse, senior executives surveyed by Booz & Co. in December 2008 revealed that 46% doubted the ability of their CEOs’ to execute a recovery plan.

To succeed, organizations will need to leverage the talents and abilities of their middle managers. Those who lead from the middle are problem solvers. They see things and they want to fix them. They seek to make positive change. And while they are not in charge of everything, the way a CEO is, they are in charge of some things. That is, they manage their teams and their resources.

For example, if you are in middle management and you believe that your company should introduce a new product, you find ways of making your case for it. You position yourself as speaking on behalf of customers and employees, rather than simply yourself.

Understand this: leading up is not mandatory. Not every boss can be lead or managed, especially ones who like to bully others. What’s more, if you feel it safer to lie low, do so. Now may not be the right time for you to lead from the middle.

At the same time, understand there can be big rewards for those who lead up. By leading up you demonstrate initiative. You show that you have what it takes to get things done. And as a result you position yourself to assume greater levels of authority and responsibility. What you do as a leader in the middle positions you to one day become a leader at the very top.

[Source: Watson Wyatt cited in Management-Issues.com 1.05.07; Booz & Company “Recession Response: Why Companies Are Making the Wrong Moves” 12/2008]

Posted FastCompany.com 11.09.09

Discover ways you can lead your organization from the middle. You will learn to lead your organization from the perspective of a CEO but with the authority of a middle manager. Leading up and from the middle requires two things: influence and action. Influence is necessary to open doors so you can be heard. Action is necessary to implement your plan. John Baldoni's new book, Lead Your Boss, The Subtle Art of Managing Up, shows you how