Recently, after I gave a speech at a conference on – what else – change, I had a great chat with a member of the audience. He told me how he works with teams and organizations to get the best changes implemented. He began by saying we have to separate the dreamers, schemers, and reamers!

Firstly, let me define the three:
Dreamers are the people that come up with great sky blue ideas
Schemers are people that can figure out how to implement the dreamers’ dreams, and
Reamers are the folks that will tell you why none of the dreams will work.

Again, I emphasize, we need all three!

My new friend then told me that he gets his audience to identify themselves or others by category and, once done, tells the schemers and reamers to take a hike, go get coffee, and just disappear until called.

Then he works with the dreamers to come up with all their ‘off the wall’ ideas. When they have exhausted themselves, he invites the schemers back into the room to figure how these ideas can come to life. Finally, he brings back the reamers to try and pull apart all the work that has been done. After that, according to my friend, you are left with what is probably doable.

As simplistic as it may seem, there is a lot of merit in the approach. As negative as reamers may sound, they are a vital part of the process – the due diligence piece if you like. But they can sabotage what you are trying to achieve if they are allowed to get involved too soon. And, as meaningful as schemers are, getting into detail while the dreamers are coming up with ideas will frustrate the dreamers no end.

So let me ask you, When it comes to ‘change’ in your company, are you a dreamer, schemer, or a reamer? ‘Well it depends’ you are probably saying, and you’d be right. I suppose it all hinges upon who comes up with the idea.

Would this approach work inside your company with your teams?
‘Absolutely’, say you dreamers.
‘If it is planned right’, I can hear you schemers telling me.
And you reamers, what do you have to say?
‘Not a chance’.
I thought so.

Jazz musician Ornette Coleman has probably never heard of Gordon Flett. I hadn’t heard of him either until recently when a rash of articles began appearing in newspapers all over the world.

Professor Flett of Toronto’s York University claims perfectionists are people who not only hold unrealistically high standards but also judge themselves or others as always falling short. “Perfectionism is the need to be – or to appear – perfect,” says Flett.
Does this sound like some of those bosses we’ve worked for? Even more to the point, does any of this sound like you?

If it does, you should also know that, according to Flett, perfectionists are prone to health problems because they are under constant stress.

And some of these unhealthy traits can be found in children. Back in 1994, 30 preschoolers took part in an experiment at a computer camp in Toronto. The kids were asked five questions to determine perfectionism levels. They then gave the kids a computer task that was rigged to fail. The ’most perfect’ children showed the greater signs of distress, such as extreme anger and anxiety.

Simply put, there are three types of perfectionist:

• Self-oriented – those who expect perfection of themselves
• Other oriented – those who demand perfection from others
• Socially prescribed – those who think others expect perfection of them

Gordon Flett says, “Perfectionists are persistent, detailed and organized high achievers”. And therein lies the rub. That can be hard to give up because the rewards for high achievers can be so intoxicating.

For those who want to abandon perfectionism, Flett suggests honestly assessing your behaviour and asking yourself: “Is this working for me?”

“Everybody acknowledges that nobody’s perfect, but still people are trying to be that one person.”

Which brings me back to jazz musician Ornette Coleman. He summed it all up in a sentence.

“ When I realized it was alright to make mistakes, I knew I was on to something”.

Thanks Ornette.

No, I haven’t received a complaint from an upset employee of a client of mine. Nor have I been accused of insulting or angering a co-worker for some kind of slur or off colour joke. So what exactly has prompted this unsolicited confession from me?

Over the past years, I, and my partners at TriOpus Group, have had the interesting pleasure of facilitating Harassment Awareness sessions to literally hundred of employees of a major international corporation. It was these experiences that helped me come to the realization that I may have been guilty of harassing in the past.

The sessions I facilitated were made up of two major sections. The first focused on the corporate policy of the client and the legal responsibilities of the client and each of its employees.

The second and far more interesting section looked at trying to define what does and does not constitute harassment. What was frustrating to the employees was that they were looking for a quick and easy definition of harassment. They soon realized that it was not that simple. Often the groups concluded that although they couldn’t adequately define it, they would at least know it when they saw it.

But the big learning for all of us in these sessions was the realization that what we thought was or wasn’t harassment really doesn’t matter one bit. The only thing that matters is whether or not the so-called ‘victim’ thinks he or she has been harassed. And therein lies the challenge for all of us.

Harassment can and does manifest itself in many ways from indelicate jokes and sexist remarks to both violence and sexual assault in the workplace. In all of us accepting that harassment is defined by the reaction of ‘the victim’ is the first step in eliminating the problem.

I hear people say, ‘C’mon, lighten up. It’s only a joke.’ And it may well be. But if that joke offends a co-worker or, worse still, offends someone who overhears the joke, should you really be telling it in the first place? Probably not.

Here’s my advice. If you are in the slightest doubt as to how something you say or do may be interpreted by people that you work with, then don’t do it or say it. It’s as simple as that. Put that speed bump in front of you and you are on your way to doing your part to eliminate harassment where you work. Remember this. Your intentions have little to do with it. ‘I never meant to offend anyone’ is something that I hear a lot. But it makes no difference. If they are offended, it doesn’t matter what you meant.

Which brings us back to me and my confession. As I look back over my career, I am certain that I have said and done things without first thinking of the impact my actions may have on other workers. And that is why I may well have been guilty of harassment.

With all the other challenges we face in the workplace, whether we are the leaders or the lead, there is no place for harassment at work.

Let’s all do our bit.

The woman I was speaking with was equally gracious in saying that the coaching I was providing was indeed very helpful. It was great because, she said, ‘You make us do it’.

When the session ended and I hung up the phone, I couldn’t get that sentence out of my mind. ‘ You make us do it’. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that that is the essence of really effective coaching. But what is ‘it’? ‘It’ or ‘they’ are the skills and techniques that will make a difference to your clients, customers, co-workers, your sales and your bottom line if practiced systemically and effectively.

Just think for a moment about all the training sessions and seminars that you have been to over the years. You had a great time, met some valuable contacts, and learned some techniques and skills. Wonderful. ‘Money well spent’ you might say. But hang on a minute

What happened once you returned to your workplace? Your co-workers were on a totally different wavelength than you. They may have even had to do your work while you were away. They were not particularly interested in what you had learned. You were alone in your thoughts and pretty soon, you reverted to the old ways of doing things. End result: nothing much had changed.

When you go to a training session and then return to your workplace, who is making you do it? Who is making sure that what you have learned is put into practice right away? All too often the answer is ‘nobody’. In reality, the responsibility for making things happen is a partnership between the leader and the employee.

If you are an employee sent to learn some new skills, ask how they will be used at work and ask who will be your support back in the workplace.

If you are a leader and coach, here are a couple of pointers to help you:

Next time, before you send an employee off to learn some new skills, explain how these skills will make a difference on the job.
When they return from the training, work with them to establish a plan to ensure that the skills are used on a regular basis.
Also, watch the employee in action and provide meaningful feedback
And, lastly, let the employee know the impact of the use of the skills to the organization.
After all, it’s your job to make them do it.

One of the things that the question immediately forces us to do is analyze whether or not we are meeting and exceeding the needs of our customers, whether or not we continue to be viable, and lastly, are we enjoying ourselves.

I suppose one of the last things that I expected over the years was that the answer to the question would change so much. But it has.

In our genesis, we began as a corporate training delivery organization. That has evolved into not only a company offering all forms of training needs, but also consulting, coaching, speaking engagements and even freelance broadcasting.

But why did it change and evolve? Some may say that we wanted it to, which is partly true, but I would say that our customers asked us to change, or in some cases, forced us to.

I think the golf club near my home has gone through the same thing we have. From being just a golf course, it is now a restaurant, cooking club, jazz lounge, and sports bar among other things.

So what business is your company or organization in? As a leader, how often are you addressing this question? You could be looking at the question from a very high level perspective or from the viewpoint of your department within a company. Either way, the exercise is more than valid. Here are a few tips:

When you review this, don’t do it in isolation. Involve others in your company.

Try and answer the question through the eyes of the customer - both internal and external.

Ask your customers what they expect of you.

Anything that you conclude with the answer ‘I don’t know’ is a red flag and needs addressing.

Gaze into your crystal ball by looking ahead two, five, and 10 years. Educated guesses are valuable.

Record and document your conclusions.

Re-evaluate your work every six months.

And, don’t be afraid to change the direction of your department or company on the basis of what you learn. After all, it’s nobody’s business but yours.

Kahlil Gibran had some advice for these folk in his masterpiece, “The Prophet”. He suggested that if people don’t love their work but only have distaste for it, they should take alms from those who work with joy and love. Hm. Maybe.

But isn’t it wonderful when we run into people that love their work? I met such a person recently.

I was working in Castlegar, British Columbia. Castlegar is in the Kooteney Mountains and sits on the shore of the mighty Columbia River. My work was done, I had time to kill, and I was badly in need of a haircut. I was told there was a Barber’s Shop around the corner. “She opens at nine” I was told. That’s when I met Noella Gibb.

The Barber Shop was like no other I’d ever seen. It was like I was going into Noella’s den at home. Artifacts from around the world were everywhere: screens from India; carvings and masks from Africa; paintings from Venice. Noella Gibb greeted me with a warm smile and I sat in the chair.

When I get my hair cut in my hometown, it takes seven minutes tops. This can be accounted for by the efficiency of my hairdresser and the dearth of hair on my head. Well, my haircut in Castlegar took forty minutes. Noella Gibb is someone who loves what she does.

She talked about her philosophy about work. She told me that you can live anywhere and if you work hard you can be happy and successful. OK, not exactly Kahlil Gibran but not bad.

I knew she loved her work by the way she looked. She was colorfully and smartly dressed. She talked of her passion for her work, for the arts, and for her love of travel. She told me that a few months ago, she decided to reluctantly give up her business in order to follow her love of travel, opera, theatre, and so on. When the people of Castlegar found out, they begged her to stay. She did.

Noella had a big stack of CDs in her Barber Shop and she played Bach and Mozart for both of us as she clipped away. But all too soon my time was up and I had to get to the airport. I left feeling really happy for meeting someone who so much loved what she was doing everyday.

When I landed back in Calgary, I bought a cup of tea from a bored, uninterested, young lady. Normal service had been resumed.

It’s true, isn’t it, that there really is a noticeable difference between people that love their work and those that don’t. It’s worth remembering that the next time you don’t want to get up and go to work.

And if you find yourself in Castlegar with time on your hands and in need of a haircut, you’ll be out of luck. Noella finally did give up her business. She was starting to get a little tired.

After all, Noella Gibb is eighty-nine years old.

I find it interesting that so often in sports, managers and coaches can influence the outcome of a game by making excuses for their players. I came across such an incident recently. In the second tier of English soccer, a game between the top team in that league at the time, Stoke City, had a home game against Blackpool, a much lower team in the standings. Anyone who cared about the game fully expected Stoke City to win. As luck would have it, a major traffic accident caused the Blackpool team and the referee to arrive very close to the start of the game. As a result, the game was delayed for thirty minutes.

The Stoke City manager ranted before and after the game that it wasn’t fair for his team to have to warm up twice. By saying this, he was giving his players an excuse to fail. The Blackpool manager Simon Grayson, on the other hand, told his players that arriving late and not having as much time to prepare was no excuse.

It would be easy for us as leaders to make excuses for our employees, wouldn’t it? We can’t succeed because we have a small budget, we don’t have all the right equipment, or the premises are not state of the art. As valid as these concerns may be, and even though they should be addressed from a proactive perspective, they are what they are and cannot be used as reasons for not achieving individual and organizational goals. We all face competition in our work lives from other teams at work or, more importantly, from the company down the street or the one across the world. But we have to do as well as them or better. It may not be fair but that’s too bad.

On paper, Stoke City had the better players, a huge home crowd to support them, but a manager who gave the team an excuse to fail. They didn’t lose as it turned out. But they didn’t win either. Simon Grayson and his underdog Blackpool team earned a tie against superior opposition.

And that’s what you and I have to do everyday, without excuses.

Let me begin by making an unsubstantiated assumption that, for all their efforts, these clients’ corporate goals are being achieved and exceeded and that their customers’ expectations are being more than met. I must emphasize that I have no idea whether or not this is the case. But I say this to keep a level head to what I see happening too often in today’s business.

Firstly, each employee has all the latest technological toys: a Blackberry; a cell phone; a wireless laptop. This, in and of itself, is not a bad thing. After all, these tools are but the conduits of modern day business and most of us would be challenged without them. My concern is in how these tools are used or, dare I say, abused. But more of this later.

My bigger concern, of which the technology is just a contributor, is the misuse of time and the total disrespect shown to fellow employees and their time. How does this manifest itself? You may well ask. Brutal as it may seem, many employees spend too much of their work day in meetings. People are often expected at meetings that follow immediately after a previous meeting even though the second meeting may be a ten-minute walk away.

I will not dwell upon the impact of the quality of meetings because of the sheer number (unprepared, rushed, poor results, late for next meetings, little or no follow-up) but would ask you to focus upon the impact on the balance and quality of life for these employees. The obvious fallout is that, because most of the day is spent in meetings, the ‘real work’ has to be done at other times namely by: staying late; taking work home; or coming in on weekends. This, of course, takes a big toll on the personal lives of the employees involved. The imbalance is obvious.

This all brings me back to the technological toys we talked of earlier – the tethers that keep employees ‘plugged in’ at all times. They exacerbate the problem, don’t they? Not only do meetings eat up so much time, not only do employees have to work evenings and weekends, now employees can be interrupted at any time, be it weekends or vacation breaks.

Some people, people crazy like me, have suggested that this should stop or change drastically.

As leaders, all of us should want the best for and from our employees. That goes without saying. I suppose we have two extreme choices. We can lead as I’ve described already: too many meetings; no respect for employees’ time, and push them to work evenings and weekends.

Or, as an alternative, we can lead by creating a culture of balance. We can encourage that, for the most part, our employees leave their work at the office, that they turn their electronica off at reasonable times including weekends, and that they don’t take work with them on vacations.

Some people, people crazy like me, believe that our employees will contribute more to everyone’s success if they have the right balance in their lives.

Crazy uh?

We in the training world spend our time building and delivering training to others and to do that requires us to really understand clients objectives both short and long term, obstacles, values, and any other information important to the success of the project. Questions, properly used, are the tools to determine that. They are also the tools by which everyone is able to understand new information, clarify existing information and uncover the right information. Ms. Leeds does a wonderful job of demonstrating the value of good questioning in all that we do in our personal and professional lives. Questions are the most powerful tool discovered right after the written language.

In the world of training we ask lots of questions because that is what we are trained to do.  How often do we miss out on things because we either did not ask enough questions, the right questions or no questions at all?  Just as important is how often does the student miss out on information because they do not ask a question at all.

What do you get by asking questions? You get information and information is what is most valuable.  Training Departments are the first and last line of blame for inefficient employee performance however; how much of that could be attributed to the fact that the employee did not ask questions during the training session to either clarify a point or get additional information thus walking away with ineffective training?  I don’t know the stats but I do know that we have developed a product in order to help companies ask better questions in order to get the right information.  I doubt this would be necessary if both instructors and students were asking questions.  The question is the keystone.

So my question to you is: How are you going to improve your questioning ability?

After some navel gazing, I decided that if I want to be better at what I do, I better start practicing what I preach! One way that we, at TriOpus Group, help our clients get better at what they do is to help them solicit feedback and turn that feedback into change…change that matters!

A couple of days ago, I refreshed myself on a few things that we coach our clients on…hoping to get myself geared up for the New Year. Here’s what I decided to focus my attention on to help me make some impactful changes this year.

1. Take a hard honest look at what I want to change. This isn’t always so easy! It’s like taking some truth serum and putting a mirror in front of my face. Yikes! I may see more than just a couple grey hairs (ok – truth be told…I’d see quite a few grey ones!). The truth may hurt some times, but I know it is invaluable.

2. Ask others for their opinion and input – get some objective feedback. Now, having said that, I admit (it’s that darn truth serum!) I have been guilty in the past of defending my position and/or rationalizing why I do things a certain way. I must refrain from doing that. I need to listen to what is being said and give thanks for the feedback I get. After all, they are making an effort to help me. Feedback is a gift.

3. Accept that changing behaviour means that I need to be open to change…and it may mean changing core beliefs I have. I know that change can be uncomfortable. They say it takes 21 days of doing things differently to make change stick. I think before that comes into play though, I must feel that I need to change and be 100% committed to it. Sounds simple…right?

4. Prioritize what I want to change. I know that for the best results I need to make good decisions on what changes will give the results I want. There are effective grids and other decision making processes that I could use. This year, to help me prioritize, I decided I’m going to ask myself this one question – ‘If I only did one or two things differently and really well, which ones would make the biggest difference to me and those around me?’.

5. Take action – one step at a time. I will be making a plan of action that will give me some quick wins up front (after all, we all like that sense of accomplishment!) and mix in a couple things that will take a longer duration to master.

I’m really excited about 2008. I can feel it in my bones that it is going to be a fantastic year! I know that if I want change in my life I need the necessary desire, strength and motivation (check, check, check..yup, it’s all there). I also know that by practicing what I preach I am more likely to have the gains that I want. So if you too want to make some positive changes in your life this year, these are a few things to be mindful of. Now…excuse me while I go take a hard honest look in the mirror (yikes…where is my hair colour??)!