Patti Cotton

Executive Coach & Career Strategist

Patti Cotton

Is Your New Executive a Poor Cultural Fit – or Simply Situationally Unaware?

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Is Your New Executive a Poor Cultural Fit – or Simply Situationally Unaware?
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Most often, great new talent will fail, not because they are incompetent, but because they are what we call a “poor cultural fit.”

Such “poor fits” usually don’t last more than 12-18 months. It’s a big loss for the organization and the executive, both in morale and in the investment of money and time.

But more often than not, what is labeled as “poor cultural fit” is really a lack of situational awareness.

Is your new executive a poor fit? Or simply situationally unaware?

When Chris called me, she was completely demoralized.

“Patti, I have an excellent team. We’ve been through crisis and change and are even stronger than before. But I’m incredibly disappointed about my newest hire, Stan. He was the most promising talent when we onboarded him. And what a track record! But he’s not connecting the dots here at the company. He keeps missing the mark. He’s just an incredibly poor fit with our culture!”

“Chris, what are you seeing that tells you he’s a poor fit?”

“Well, he doesn’t seem to grasp the organizational structure when he makes decisions. The other day, he rode right over my top project manager to fast-track one of his initiatives. And even though we approach decision-making in a democratic fashion, he continues to call the shots on things in which he should include others. I guess I’ve hired a racehorse that doesn’t belong here.”

“Chris, is he willful or stubborn? In other words, is he trying to show off?”

“No, Patti – he truly just seems to operate differently, the way I described. Is there anything I can do?”

“I actually think there is, Chris. If my hunch is correct, Stan lacks situational awareness.”

“Explain, please,” answered Chris.

“Stan may simply need to develop a better lens in reading the social and political currents of the organization. Right now, it sounds as though he doesn’t have a good read on your organizational norms – the way you do things there. And he may also not understand the power relationships and how they work at the company.”

“Whatever it is, please help,” said Chris. “The other team members are distrustful of Stan, and his seasoned reports are shutting down.”

Chris arranged for me to meet Stan the next week. I felt sorry for him. He realized he was making mistakes and had become frustrated.

“I’m finding it very difficult to get things done here, Patti,” he said. “I’ve been handed some aggressive goals. and I see what’s possible. But I seem to keep treading on people’s toes, and there are obviously some unspoken rules around here. I’m lost.”

Stan and I talked a bit about his onboarding process.

“Truthfully, I was welcomed at a strategic planning retreat and met all my colleagues. I have meant to get around to meeting each one, learning more about what they do, how things work. But we have some time-sensitive goals, and they are pretty challenging. So, I’ve gotten to know them only through our interactions in team meetings. And, of course, I have a copy of the strategic plan with responsibilities assigned.”

“Who is mentoring you in this first phase of your employment?” I asked.

“Mentoring? No one. Chris says she’s available for any questions. But she’s pretty busy. I’m just pushing through this as best I can. But I’m really not making friends.”

I sat with Chris later and shared my thoughts.

“You have a bright executive. And he’s willing. He knows he’s in trouble. The challenge here is that he doesn’t have someone to walk him through the political and social networks he needs to know in order to get things done.”

“I’ve been pretty busy,” Chris admitted. “He does come in and ask questions from time to time. We talked through his responsibilities with the strategic plan. What else can I do?”

“Have you identified key stakeholders for each of his initiatives and introduced him to them?”

“No,” Chris answered slowly.

“Have you walked through your decision-making process here at the company?” I asked.

“No,” she said. Her shoulders drooped. “Wow. I’ve really messed up this onboarding, haven’t I? I’ve actually set him up for failure.”

“It’s not too late,” I countered. “Let’s sit with him and get a plan together. I don’t think you need to bear the full responsibility of this – but it needs to be orchestrated. I have some ideas.”

A few weeks later, Stan called me to thank me.

“What a difference,” he said. Taking the time to talk through how things work around here, how people get things done – invaluable. Having a couple of colleague mentors to help bounce things off of before I press a button – what a change. I just wanted to thank you.”

“Stan, I’m glad it’s working out,” I said. “You have a lot of contribute.”

“You know, Patti, I guess I should have asked Chris to help me come up with such a strategy. It never occurred to me since I had never encountered such a problem elsewhere. But – lesson learned.”

Lesson learned is exactly what Chris said later, as well.

“We all have our growing edges, Chris,” I said. “You have pushed through another one. You are on your way.”

What about you? Do you have an executive who finds it hard to get the work done?

Do they tread on others’ toes? Are they having trouble connecting the dots? It will be well worth your time to sit with your team member to explore where the gaps are. And be prepared because you may discover that one of the gaps is you.

In addition to resolving the issue, it could be a great opportunity for leadership growth at many levels, including your own.

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© Patti Cotton and patticotton.com. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express written permission from the author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that attribution is made to Patti Cotton and patticotton.com, with links thereto.

Do Your Stakeholders Get in Your Way?

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Do Your Stakeholders Get in Your Way?
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It’s challenging to get things done, especially with the changes you need to make.

Removing obstacles isn’t easy. But when roadblocks turn out to be the people who actually need to help you move forward, this can defeat even the best of initiatives.

Are your stakeholders aligned? Or are they just getting in your way?

“I’m ready to fire two of my key people,” said Jan. “They are the main holdup with the changes we need to make. If we don’t move on these, we will lose out on opportunity – and on the credibility we need with our board.”

“How are they showing resistance?” I asked.

“They began by talking to other team members on the side and pointing out what they saw as shortcomings in the plan. I’ve addressed this with them, but they still show reluctance to climb on board. I need their energy and I need their commitment.”

“What are you doing to bring them along in the process?” I asked.

“Bring them along? They were part of the visioning process. What else do I need to do?”

“If you are meeting with resistance, Jan, I’m curious about your process. As you worked together, did you allow for working through objections and considering various perspectives?”

“Patti, we don’t have time for that. I’ve got to push these initiatives through quickly. Otherwise, we will seriously jeopardize our financial health.”

“Well, if these two executives hold keys to moving forward, then you can’t do this without their support, Jan,” I responded. “Let’s take a look at how you can ignite them to action instead of dragging them behind you. If you don’t take the time to do that now, it sounds as if you won’t have a company to worry about.”

Jan shared that the company had lost significant market share during the first six months of the year due to the crisis. In order to remain financially healthy, Jan and the team had come up with a two-phase plan that would cut costs and generate greater revenue.

“When we discovered we could not recuperate quickly without making some big changes, we had to act quickly. We went offsite for a day, came up with a plan, and here we are,” said Jan. “These two executives are not alone in having to make changes.”

“Jan, may I share some perspective, here?” I asked.

“Anything – if it will move us along,” she said.

“Jan, these two executives are key to your success, right? That’s what you shared with me.”

“Yes,” Jan responded. “Without them, we can’t make some of the key pivots we need to make to recapture revenue.”

“Well, as we talk about the situation, I can hear your need to move quickly and your frustration. I can also hear that the support of your executives is paramount to succeeding.”

“Yes,” said Jan. “You are right. But where are you going with this?”

“Jan, your executive team members are key stakeholders. If you want to succeed well, we need to see how we can invite them to partner with you. Stakeholder alignment is key.”

“What would that mean?” asked Jan. “They realize that we need to take measures and act quickly. What do we do that we haven’t done?”

“In bringing stakeholders along, you must first see where they are with your ideas and what their concerns are,” I answered. “In this way, you would clarify what the gaps are and how to address them. But in your case, it sounds like you already know what the concerns are – at least, you are telling me that they are objecting and not aligning with your plan. Am I right?”

“Yes, I’m well aware of their concerns,” Jan said. “And I thought we addressed these in the meeting. It’s apparent to me now that we did not dig deep enough to surface more.”

“Jan, bringing stakeholders along is a process, not an item on a checklist,” I said. “You are right – a strategy meeting is just the beginning. Since you are aware of their objections, you can invite them to resolve these and align with you in one of two ways – your preference.

“You see, in order to bring people along, you actually have to be open to having your own mind changed – not just changing theirs. It’s not a matter of simply telling them what the plan is. It means being open to examining other perspectives and input. It means realizing that their thinking might make your thinking even better.”

Jan paused and sat back in her chair. “I’m listening.”

“You have a short timeline, Jan. It sounds like you need to get back in the room with everyone as a follow-up. Invite further involvement – ask for objectives and perspectives, giving them the end goal or transformation in mind. And let them work through it with you. Be sure you cover three things: (1) fears and concerns; (2) what’s in it for them; and (3) how the changes will make the company’s life better.

“You’ll find, Jan, that if you spend more time on this, you will recuperate time on the back end. Your stakeholders will have bought into the plan and will commit to it full force.”

I followed up with Jan six weeks later. She was pleased to report that the follow-up discussions had been powerful. She admitted changing her own mind on one of the ways to recapture revenue, and to seeing the value of pooling minds to come up with best solutions.

Do you recognize the importance of your stakeholders? Can you share the vision in a way that invites feedback and discussion? If you will devote the time to create such partnership, considering all perspectives and pooling best ideas, the results will be a win-win for the team and the entire organization.

© Patti Cotton and patticotton.com. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express written permission from the author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that attribution is made to Patti Cotton and patticotton.com, with links thereto.

Is the Way You Show Up Under Pressure Hurting Your Leadership?

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Is the Way You Show Up Under Pressure Hurting Your Leadership?
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How well do you manage yourself under pressure and stress? You may feel you are doing a good job at remaining calm and focused. Or you may feel it doesn’t matter whether you keep your cool or not. After all, everyone is human and entitled to their emotions.

But the way you manage yourself when the going gets tough can compromise others’ trust in you. It has a direct impact on how others assess your ability to lead.

Eric, CEO of a food distribution company, had lost credibility. When he called, he noted that members of his executive team seemed to be making decisions without him.  They were now siloed as they worked in their own areas of responsibility.

“Just like that,” Eric said. “COVID hit, we scrambled to put things in place, keep the company running, and here we are – fragmented, scrapping, and losing clients. I know we hit an international crisis, but I can’t seem to bring the group back together.”

Eric allowed me to visit with the team members individually to explore moving forward together with a more aligned approach.

“Eric lost his edge in May,” said one. “He stopped making the hard decisions and would use phrases like, ‘let’s just wait and see’ when it came to things we couldn’t wait on.”

“Eric holed up in his office when COVID hit,” said another. “He seemed distant and aloof. He would lead discussions around tactics to survive, but he couldn’t seem to move beyond the immediate. After a while, we just left him alone and moved forward.”

I sat with six executives, and the messages were all similar.

“Eric, we have some trust-rebuilding to do with your team,” I said. “They have lost confidence in your ability to lead under pressure.”

“What? I don’t understand!”

“Here is a short list: unresponsive, preoccupied, slow to make crucial decisions…”

Eric slowly sat back in his chair. After a quiet moment, he said, “I didn’t realize it showed that much.”

He shared the pressure that COVID had generated for them.

“I lost a lot of sleep,” he said. “There were so many new things we had to deal with as far as employees working from home, shipping things out. And so many other things.” He seemed lost in thought. “I have to say the stress really got to me. I guess I didn’t handle things that well.”

“We can rebuild,” I said. “But you are also going to have to learn to manage the way you show up under pressure.”

Over the next few months, we did some important team building using a short-term strategic action plan to recover client loyalty and revenue. At the same time, Eric and I worked on techniques to sharpen his awareness around his emotions and how this affected his decision-making and ability to relate to others.

They continued to improve in their trust of Eric and the team’s ability to work together under stressful conditions. Today, Eric’s team is one of the most agile I know, starting with Eric and his ability to lead, and the team in how they work together.

How do others perceive your ability to manage yourself as leader when the going gets tough? If you aren’t sure, it’s time to ask them.

© Patti Cotton and patticotton.com. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express written permission from the author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that attribution is made to Patti Cotton and patticotton.com, with links thereto.

Do You Have a Social Loafer on Your Team?

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Do You Have a Social Loafer on Your Team?
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You’ve hired some great talent. Most of them are meeting the challenge of this year’s disruptions.

They pushed past the overwhelm and pulled together to move forward.

But their performance still isn’t what you know it could be.

You also have one team member who seems to have slowed down. He isn’t putting in as much effort as he did in times past.

Do you have a social loafer on your team? If so, this may be the very reason your team isn’t performing to capacity.

Social loafing is a phenomenon that occurs in groups asked to pool their efforts to meet a common goal. Interestingly, individuals within the group tend to put forth less effort when this happens.

Researching why this happens first began with Max Ringelmann, a French agricultural engineer.

Ringelmann observed that, although groups collectively outperformed individuals, these groups did not do as well as they could, had the individuals all performed to their individual capacity. In other words, individuals measured at one level of performance when working by themselves would reduce their productivity when they were placed in a group. For more on this, see Ringelmann’s Rope-Pulling Experiment.

How might this play out on your team? And what can you do about it?

Here are a few examples of social loafing I have encountered as I work with teams to elevate their performance.

1. Low expectations of team performance.

Susan had been a high performer and eager to make a difference. But I was called in to support her because, over time, her leader had noticed she was showing signs of disengagement.

“I meet deadlines, so what’s the problem?” asked Susan. “In past positions, I always got things done faster and could produce at a higher rate than my fellow team members. Why should I do this, now? And by the way, we are making goal, so I don’t see the problem.”

Susan’s assessment of her team members was faulty. After a deep-dive inquiry, I found that the entire group was made up of high achievers. Moreover, the team’s collective productivity had decreased because of Susan’s decision to slow down. In fact, it actually impacted their ability to meet the stretch goal of launching an additional new product. And at an organizational level, this product would have captured much more market share.

If you are a leader who sees a team member disengaging, act quickly to give them the support and accountability they need in order to thrive. This situation can otherwise greatly impact your organizational health and your ability to outperform your competitors.

2. Evaluation potential.

Mark secretly knew he had overrated his experience in order to get the job. He also knew instinctively that he could meet the requirements if given a chance. But Mark unwittingly overrated his abilities. When I met with Mark’s leader, she was confused.

“The team isn’t working to capacity,” Sharon shared. “I know COVID has thrown a wrench into the works, but we are well beyond the initial crisis state. I’m also noticing something disturbing. The team members work together more than usual on certain projects, which would normally be taken care of by individuals. What’s going on?”

What was happening? Mark was “hiding in the crowd,” and it had impacted the team’s performance. The crisis COVID had created allowed him to huddle with others more frequently and disguise his inability to perform. Whenever his area was tasked with an initiative and something felt out of his element or beyond his grasp, he would partner with one or two others to ask for their ideas. In the beginning, they appreciated the collegiality. But as time progressed, this dynamic prompted them to feel ownership in his area, and they would speak on his behalf or do part of Mark’s work. This dis-empowered Mark in the eyes of others. At the same time, it also affected the performance of those who shouldered with Mark when they should be focusing on their own areas. Were things getting done? Yes. Were the results as they could be? No. Social loafing induced a chronic mediocrity to which people became accustomed, labeling this stress from COVID conditions.

If you are a leader who sees too much teamwork (yes, this is possible!), it’s time to sit together and reassess how things are getting done. And if you have someone who is hiding in the crowd, this will quickly come to light.

3. Low value placed on the goal.

The goal may be attainable, but if your executive doesn’t see it as meaningful or relevant, they will not place their full energy into helping to achieve it.

James had been on the team for a couple of years when his leader, Bob, noticed James seemed disengaged. Further, he waited until the other executives weighed in on a particular decision, and then agreed with the majority, rather than to provide his own perspective. When I urged Bob to sit with James, this was an eye-opener.

“Patti, James wasn’t clear on how the goal related to the larger vision,” Bob shared. “It was as if he lost interest in helping to meet the goal because he couldn’t see the relevance.”

“Bob, you figured it out,” I responded. “James has been a social loafer. And you have pinpointed the problem. But you have a larger challenge, now. At his level, I’d expect James to speak up if he isn’t clear or is feeling disengaged. And he hasn’t done that. He has been coasting along, and you have lost a lot of valuable productivity from him. It will now be important for you to hold James accountable for speaking up when he isn’t clear on directives or a particular goal.”

These are just a handful of reasons that social loafing can occur on a team.

How do you begin to eliminate this so that your team can perform at optimal levels?

    • Be sure that, when collective goals are identified, responsibilities for each individual team member’s role in this are distinctive, clearly defined, and well-articulated. Let the team members know they will each be evaluated, not only on the collective outcome, but also for their individual part in it.
    • Establish how you will hold your team members accountable and set these expectations with them so you can catch any diminishing performance quickly and course-correct it. And ask yourself what information you need to receive on a regular basis in order to monitor and facilitate progress.
    • Identify and quickly intervene when you suspect someone is “hiding in the crowd” or “coasting” for any other reason. Recognize that one person’s compromised performance affects the entire team, whether this is readily visible in the early stages or not.

If your team isn’t working to capacity, it’s your responsibility as leader to make the necessary shifts to rectify this. The difference between good performance and high performance may define your company’s future and its impact.

© Patti Cotton and patticotton.com. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express written permission from the author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that attribution is made to Patti Cotton and patticotton.com, with links thereto.