Why you should enlist others to help you identify opportunities for change

By John Milgram, President, Aexcel Corporation

Even the best leaders develop blind spots—areas in which you do not see yourself or your organization’s situation realistically.

These blind spots, or lack of awareness, could potentially cause great damage to your company and all the people who depend on it.

When things are going well … life is easy.  But when we’re faced with a difficult business environment and there is a real need for change, too often we hang on to old activities.  We hope that what made us previously successful will make us successful again in the future. Yet clinging to old ideas is possibly the last thing we should be doing.

Very often as leaders, we’re completely invested in the things that got us where we are.  We are slow to recognize the need for change. We’re in denial for longer than those who look upon us.

“What can we (or I)  stop doing today to become more productive?” ~ John Milgram, Aexcel Corporation

If your organization could benefit from a change, how are you supposed to recognize it? And if you do recognize a need for change, where are you supposed to go for advice?  

Several years ago, feeling that our company could do better, we came to the realization that the activities of our company were grounded on what had been done in the past, instead of what needed to be done to meet the company’s real business needs.

Operating on the notion that our business strategy was based on what we deliberately chose not to do, as much as what we chose to do, I started asking our people the question: “What should we stop doing?”

Acting upon the input from several key people, we phased out an entire line of business that was very time-consuming and cost-intensive. At the time, this line of business seemed off-limits and the thought of eliminating it caused many sleepless nights.

While the decision to phase out this line of business caused a great deal of anxiety, it eventually led to a dramatic restructuring of the way that we did business—lowering our costs, changing our customer base, expanding our distribution, increasing the volume of sales, and increasing our customer satisfaction.

As a result, our company is in a much better position today than it was 5 years ago, and we’ve been able to weather the downturn without laying off any employees—putting us in a much stronger position as the economy continues to improve, and we inevitably face a new competitive landscape.

Now we try to proactively identify those habits, actions, and assumptions that could potentially damage our business. And I rely on key stakeholders to help uncover blind spots and identify opportunities for change, including  (1) Customers (2) Managers (3) Employees (4) Trusted advisors (including my Board of Directors), and (5) Colleagues.

If you are a leader of a corporation, or the head of a division, or an employee who wants to get ahead, you might want to try this exercise. “What can we (or I)  stop doing today to become more productive?”

Coping with change is difficult. But not as difficult as coping with the kind of change you’ll have to cope with if you wait too long—and lose the opportunity to make the constructive change that will help your business thrive. 

If you take proactive measures to uncover your blind spots, you’ll be on the right path towards understanding the real issues facing your organization, and will be better able to adapt to the changes in your business environment.

John Milgram has been with Aexcel Corporation for twenty-one years, and President for sixteen of those years. Prior to that he earned an MBA from Columbia Business School, and worked in the financial services industry for five years. He obtained his BA from University of Pennsylvania in 1981, and graduated from Cleveland Heights High School in 1977

Ralph A. Dise, Jr. serves on Aexcel Corporation’s Board of Directors.

 What’s the #1 thing holding you back? Could it be your leadership style?

By Mark Gonska

Any time I get the chance to sit down with an executive, I ask: “What’s the biggest obstacle to taking your business to the next level?”

Typically I’ll get a variety of very serious responses: “We’re not in alignment”. “We’re not hiring the right kinds of people.” “Turnover is really high.” 

And invariably, I respond: “Wow…, that sounds like a leadership issue.”  Because if you really take time to think about it, at every level, problems can be traced back to leadership, or rather, the lack of leadership.

In other words, if you’re like 99% of other business owners, vice-presidents, or group heads out there, you’re overworked, stretched too thin, and either unable or unwilling to take your business to the next level. 

And I’m sorry to say it, but most times the biggest obstacle to business growth is leadership itself. 

Here are the three of the most common, and most natural pitfalls of leadership, and what you can do to avoid them: 

Micromanagement— If you’re micromanaging every jot and title of your business, you’re the greatest contributor to your own mediocrity. Micromanagement is antithesis of leadership. Your best people will leave you, and you’ll be stuck with mediocre players, and a mediocre organization. 

The solution: BE A LEADER: Articulate your vision…. “A computer on every desktop”, and align your systems and your resources. Empower others, and celebrate their successes—and your people will help you fulfill your vision.

Poor delegation—you think you’ve delegated a task, but if the job you’ve delegated is not completed correctly, or in a timely fashion, it ends up coming back to you. That’s not delegating. That’s relegating yourself to quality supervisor, and backup quarterback.

The solution: LEARN TO DELEGATE—when you commit or trust a task to a subordinate, be specific about the outcome and the timeline, and let them know they’ll be held accountable. When the task is complete, give them feedback, and let them know if there’s room for improvement.

Shooting down ideas—if you become known as someone who is not open to new ideas, your people will stop offering them. This leads to the “I tried to tell him, but he didn’t listen, so he can go fly a kite” syndrome, where your people emulate your leadership style, and work to actively shoot down good ideas for you. 

The solution: SHOW YOU LISTEN—Learn the value of “appreciative inquiry.” For example, ask your shop foreman: “What was it like here when things were really running like a top?” Listen to the response, and say: “What would we need to do to make that happen again?” Implement a few of the ideas you hear, and it will have a ripple effect throughout your organization.

The average executive has 37 hours of work on his or her desk. So how would it ever be possible to go in on a weekend to “catch up”? “Catching up” is a fallacy. The truth is you need to learn to be choosy. Concentrate on what your job is… on leadership.

Steven Covey said: “Management is doing things right. Leadership is doing the right things.”

Accordingly, you need to learn to recognize the things that are really important, work on your ability to prioritize, and steer your people so you’re moving in the right direction.

Finally, don’t take yourself too seriously. Many of the leaders I’ve met with are the most insecure people in their organization. And they compensate for it by being overly decisive or pushy (benevolent-dictator-style of leadership), or too out-of-touch and anesthetic (shut-door-policy-style of leadership).

Just be yourself, and get out of the way. You won’t be sorry—I promise.

Mark Gonska is Executive Vice President of Career Transition Services for Dise & Company. You can contact Mark directly at the People Page on Diseco.com