Management Lessons: That's What She Said

Faux Pas Friday: All Politics Is Personal

Sue Sylvester: You may be two of the stupidest teens I've ever encountered - and that's saying something. I once taught a cheerleading seminar to Sarah Palin.

During the last election, I worked in a capacity that required me to read the correspondence between our company's CEO and an operating committee member.  I opened an email one day to read the CEO saying that he would be voting for Candidate A, and that anyone who voted for Candidate B was a moron and shouldn't be working for our company.  Guess which candidate had my vote?  Guess which CEO lost some of my respect?

Political affiliations, like religious ones, are very personal and it is hard to separate political opinion from ego.  This is why you have to tread very carefully when it comes to talking politics in the office--you might end up calling one of your best employees a moron.  And that moron might write a blog entry about you later.  If she's the grudge holding type.

When I was getting ready to write this entry, I asked my husband if he could think of any television shows where characters had talked about politics inappropriately.  He said, "The View.  They are too stupid to be allowed to talk about politics."  I'm not sure that those ladies count, but his comment does convey a clear sense of one problem with talking politics:  If you aren't well informed or well spoken, you can sound like a complete tool. Current talking head, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, is a perfect example.  She has strong, (hopefully) well thought out opinions, but lacks the wherewithal to share her thoughts with any sort of respectability.  Erstwhile host, Rosie O'Donnell, has strong, (hopefully) well thought out opinions, but comes across as such a jerk you don't even want to listen to her.  Granted, even if you are thoughtful and erudite, to a staunch political opponent, you will sound like a braying ass or someone to be pitied.

Be careful of assumptions.  Again, during the last election, a very Republican coworker of mine complained that people kept assuming she would be voting for a particular candidate based on her race.  Another executive was finding it hard to bite her tongue that people assumed she would be traveling to an Inaugural Ball because she and our President Elect shared a check box on the ethnicity questionnaire. Just because someone is old and white, doesn't mean they are voting old and white.  Assuming they are can be extremely insulting.

Here's the thing:  In the office, you don't want to alienate anyone.  That Democrat/Republican/Libertarian/Anarchist down the hall might be just the guy to save your bacon the next time you need help.  You don't want to offend him with your outspoken views on Healthcare Reform.  That woman who is forced to read your emails might be the person who has to be sure you are picked up at the airport on time.  You don't want to offend her by inadvertently calling her a moron.

In the office, your group is a team.  National politics don't matter, and they shouldn't.  There are plenty of office politics to go around as it is.

Lane Buckman has been in love with fashion since she realized that her first Easter dress came with matching gloves, shoes, and purse. Growing up in the entertainment industry this former beauty queen, model and actress turned corporate career woman understands that dressing for success is just another form of costuming. And, since she has run the size gamut from 2 to 18, Lane understands dressing a variety of shapes. She has written dress codes and conducted Business Style and How to Dress seminars for Fortune 500 and finance companies, boutique agencies, and an international non-profit organization. She gives her stylish Southern mother credit for teaching her everything she knows.

Theatrical Thursday: Campaign Managers

There are lots of Washington movies out there, and there are even more great historical biopics based on real-life Executive Branch events.

I'm not keen on using movies based on real events for management lessons. Odds are the actual situations were handled somewhat differently, and that's what history books are for.  Here, then, are five quick lessons from five classic fictional politics flicks. 

1: Don't pick fights in public. 

We've gone over this before, but this scene from the Kevin Kline vehicle Dave offers an effective strategy to shut down a fight before it begins in a crowd: Ask a question that even  the most ignorant employee realizes must be answered a certain way.

This scene is also a good example of managing up. You'll notice that the Commerce Secretary just lets it go, rather than bother trying to argue his case and waste everyone's time. What this clip (and the movie) leaves out, of course, is the real-world scene that would absolutely follow, in which the Commerce Secretary goes to the Oval Office for a private meeting and very patiently explains that cutting a $47 million dollar program is impossible because Congress has already appropriated that money to his department, that at least some of it is probably already spent, and that killing the program will probably put a bunch of people into that homeless shelter Dave is so hot to preserve.

2: When you are seeking advice or information, make sure that you understand what the person is actually saying.

Being There is a one-note movie, in many respects. Chauncey Gardener is a simpleton, with "rice pudding between his ears" as another character colorfully explains. He's really just talking about plants in this scene; it's not an allegory. And yet, only one person in the whole movie ever figures this out. This is an especially important lesson to keep in mind if you are an executive talking to people who work more than one level down from you. Employees are hesitant to complain to the big boss, lest they be labeled troublemakers.  If you're the CEO and you ask the guy in the mailroom how things are going and he says "fine" listen to how he says the word. Does he sigh? Does he smile a little too broadly? Is his jaw clenched? Don't just hear the word "fine" and assume that's the whole story. Follow up with some open-ended questions to get him talking. (Note to you mailroom guys: If you've got five minutes with a honcho, don't waste them with pointless lies! Make your case and be a hero to your colleagues in the trenches!)

3: Know the fundamentals of your fricking job before you show up.

Mr. Smith apparently went to Washington by way of the lobotomy lab.

Now, yes, I realize that this whole scene is a device to help the audience understand what Fresh-Faced Jeff is up against, but ... seriously? I know Mr. Smith predated Schoolhouse Rock (and the statehood of Alaska and Hawaii, for a charmingly dated reference to 96 men) and all, but I'm betting high school civics classes covered the basics even way back in the era of black and white. If this guy really knows this little about how government operates, he shouldn't be offering a bill at all; he should shut his trap and get an education before he starts messing around with the process. On the other hand, Smith does get points for enthusiasm. And for eating at his desk.

4: Don't lose sight of your overall mission in pursuit of short-term goals.

Where Being There punches its one thought repeatedly, The Candidate slowly builds to this one line at the end that sums up the whole issue. You go to all this trouble, you struggle to get through each day, each pay period, each quarter .... and find yourself staring down the barrel of the next short-term goal. Bill McKay willingly abandons his hard-left platform and values in pursuit of a seat in the Senate, and then has no idea what he's supposed to do with it, given all the false promises and loss of self.  It reminds me of a quote from Heathers (another favorite movie of mine): "Now that you're dead, what are you gonna do with your life?"

5: Think very carefully before you agree to join your family's business.

Working for Mom poses a seriously dangerous risk. (If The Manchurian Candidate doesn't convince you, I present Exhibit B: Norman Bates.)  On the positive side, brainwashing sleeper agents is a highly effective method of getting things done the way you want. But I cannot really recommend it in good conscience, even as a last resort.

Winging It

It doesn't get much more political than The West Wing, does it? Set during the fictional Democratic administration of Josiah Bartlet, it focuses on the somewhat nerdy yet personable Prez Bartlet and on his whipsmart staff who roam the administrative offices working spin cycles, damage control and getting in front of the breaking political issues.

(And here's a quick Six Degrees of Separation for you: Michael J. Fox as deputy mayor flips to Fox as press secretary to Martin Sheen's chief of staff in the American president -- also an Aaron Sorkin special -- which flips to Sheen as president. For added confusion, consider that Sheen's son Charlie -- now with more jail time! -- replaced Fox on Spin City.)

In many ways, Bartlet is an "ideal" president. Good-looking, moral, senses of humor and integrity, intellectual and tough yet compassionate. check, check, check.

He's also a Democrat, and of course being a show about the presidency and politics means huge chunks of airtime focused more on ideology than policy; more on the personal than the persona. But if you can cut through all that, examples of remarkably healthy working relationships are there for the studying.

The most interesting, based on an extremely informal poll I took, seemed to be the relations between Bartlet, his chief of staff, Leo McGarry, and press secretary-turned-chief of staff C.J. Cregg.

Bartlet and McGarry both embody the Benevolent Boss -- one of my favorite TV Tropes, I must admit. Of course, it is easier to be a benevolent boss if your employees are greater risks for burnout than they are for burning down the building. Having a team like that makes it easier to be confrontational -- and confronted -- with less risk of embarrassment on either side. 

A group has to be highly functional and closely knit for this sort of conversation to happen in front of a crowd: An operation running one whit less smoothly would require such a discussion to be held privately -- and probably with more tact and less banter. But if you've got a group of people who can work together 24-7 for weeks and months on end and they can all still stand to be in the same room without vitriol, you've got a safe environment where practically anything can be accomplished. Thus, the relationship between Bartlet and Cregg appears to be everything such a relationship should be. They can tell each other the truth, they know when to bite, when to bark and when to roll over.

He knows when he's wrong, and backs down accordingly.

And she knows when she's wrong, and backs down accordingly.

Likewise, McGarry and Cregg have a good working relationship. He trusts her instincts, precisely because she knows how and when to take a risk.

And when he steps down and recommends her to take his place, McGarry is the epitome of mentor and emeritus. He doesn't begrudge her anything; there is no resentment. He helps; he coaches.

Ultimately, if you've got good people working for you, the management part is easy because they manage themselves. The leadership part is easy because they know where you're going and have already packed and are on their way there. The hardest part in these situations is to manage yourself and living up to the expectations of -- and examples set -- by those who work for you.

Management Spin

Editor's Note: A new month, a new format. I'm incorporating some changes: clips instead of quotes where possible (though you'll have to scroll ahead to the time indicated above the clip -- and I'm not sure how well I'll do on clips, since I don't have a video editor and I'll be relying on outside sources), plus a new e-mail address and a new Twitter feed.  I also have a new Facebook Page where I'll post discussion topics and assorted other stuff. Drop me a line, let me know what you think!

Spin City focused on the office of New York City Mayor Randall Winston, as run by Deputy Mayor Mike Flaherty and as populated by assorted government underlings. Each staffer has to help run City Hall, improving the mayor's image and covering for his frequent gaffes. It is a tougher job than one might think: Winston is more accident-prone than most politicians, and relies on his deputy to save him -- who in turn relies on the staff to help. Therein lies the other part of the problem. Fiercely loyal to Mike and the administration, they are nonetheless a group of employees who range from hypercompetent to hyperneurotic.

Deputy Mayor Mike is the main focus of the show, and he did a lot of managing throughout the series. He's high-energy, competent, rational, all the things a good manager should be. Early in the show's run, he contends with the assistant deputy mayor, Stuart Bondek. Stuart is an underling who not only covets Mike's job, he is essentially less than motivated to do his own. But when Mike gives him a chance to shine, Stuart doesn't simply do the job as it needs doing, he tries to overstep. This works about as well as one might expect. The show does a charming job of pulling Mike in to demonstrate leadership in the same scene.

(Start viewing at 7:42.)

The inevitable sitcom screwup comes only minutes later in TV time.

(Watch from 1:23-2:20)

Mike rubs it in further with even more public humiliation when the gaffe can't be fixed and disaster ensues. You'll notice, however, that Mike also realizes when he screws up. And watch Stuart's reaction. This is exactly the way to react when your boss has lost it and done the wrong thing to you in front of a crowd. Do not engage, do not make excuses, just make the acknowledgment and remove yourself as quickly as possible.

(Watch 5:50-7:22)

And, given a chance, Mike ultimately makes it up to him.

(Watch 9:05-end)

Mike demonstrates plenty of good management strategies over the course of the series. Morning staff meetings are daily, but short and useful. He delegates, but he doesn't hover. He expects excellence from pretty much everyone except his boss, and they all deliver. And, perhaps most important, he is as good a deputy as he is an administrator, serving as a friend to his boss in a time of need.

(Watch 00:32-2:10)