What Upsets You Controls You

Leaders are human, and as humans we sometimes lose our cool and get upset. We get upset with our team members, for them not doing something that we asked or expected them to do. We get upset with our suppliers and contractors for not delivering on time and/or to specifications. We even get upset with our customers – why don’t they pay on time? Or pay us more? And of course, we get upset with our bosses – what in the world is wrong with them? Don’t they know how hard we work? And, because we expect so much of ourselves, we get upset with ourselves.

Team members, suppliers, contractors, customers, and bosses – they are all as human as we are. We may believe that by ranting and raving, and giving people a piece of our mind, we are in control. We are not. It is in moments like this that we say or do something that we may later regret, or we make hasty decisions that in hindsight were incorrect or premature.

However, getting upset can serve a purpose. It can indicate to others that something is wrong and it can spur us, and others to action. That’s fine. It’s when we STAY upset that we have a problem. By doing so, we cede control to the person or situation that we believe is the cause of our upset. “This person or situation has upset me”, you may say. Do you see that in this sentence you are the object, the person being acted upon, and the passive voice? You are no longer in control of your thoughts, words and actions. It’s as if you took your mind and voice in your hands and gave them to the other person.

Aspiring leaders learn how to manage their emotions. Daniel Goleman who created the concept of Emotional Intelligence, points out that Self-Awareness and Self-Management are the two first principles of emotional intelligence. Become aware of when you are upset and learn to manage yourself. Failure to do so means that you are out of control. Not a good place from which to lead – why would anyone follow you in this state except out of fear? Do you want fearful followers, or followers who are inspired by you?

THE BALANCED SCORECARD

One thing I have learned about the Balanced Scorecard in nearly 10 years of facilitating it for an array of clients, is that it is simple but not easy.

It is simple:

4 perspectives – Financial, Customer, Internal Process and Learning & Growth
Strategic Objectives that are concise and clear
A Strategy Map that shows the strategy on 1 page
Measures and targets for each Strategic Objective – no more than 2 or 3 per objective
Strategic Initiatives to close the gap between where you are now and where you want to go.

And that’s basically it.

But it’s not easy:

It takes time – to implement change initiatives, report monthly and conduct rigourous strategy review meetings, commit to annual offsites to review and update the strategy
You have to think deeply, test assumptions and dispense with what may have worked in the past and even what is working now.
Numbers are not the answer – they only reflect a state of performance at a particular point in time. What story are the numbers telling? You have to figure that out and it is not always obvious
There is much uncertainty – is this strategy the right one?
It requires behaviourial change – from focusing on activity to focusing on results
It’s scary – because it is such an effective tool for accountability, it shows up non-performance with nary a word being uttered. The silence of a negative variance or a task not completed speaks volumes.

Yes, the Balanced Scorecard is not easy. But you know what is really hard?

Failing to develop and execute the right strategy
Being unclear about your strategy because you have not spent enough time on it
Setting very vague objectives that you don’t know how to measure
Not communicating the strategy to the team, so that they have no idea what they are to execute and what’s expected of them
Not learning from your results so that you make the same mistakes over and over again
Watching your competitors easily take your customers and market share, and being uncertain why that is happening
Failing to meet revenue and profitability targets and not understanding the root causes

The next time you balk at devoting time to developing and executing your Balanced Scorecard, think of the cost.

TAKE ONE ACTION

At the end of each day, spend a few minutes reviewing any situation in which you got upset. What caused it? Are you over it? In the future, what could you do differently to handle such a situation? Take back your power by apologizing to anyone who felt the brunt of your anger.

INTERESTING LINKS

Here’s a link to an interview with Daniel Goleman about Emotional Intelligence – watch on YouTube

Interesting thoughts by Prof. Jim Heskett on “Is There Still a Role for Judgment in Decision-Making?”. Interesting in light of the theme of this issue about our emotions. What do YOU think? – click to view article