Mike Ferguson's Business Blog Archive

Mike Ferguson, Fresh Ground Consulting

Our tag-line at Fresh Ground Consulting, “What Happens Next,” is an attempt to capture the seemingly diverse nature of the services we provide. At the same time, everything we do revolves around a fundamental function that is as critical to the life of a business as breathing is to the life of an individual: creativity.

I find that strategic planning requires just as much creativity as developing content for a website or providing communications consulting or assisting a company founder define his changing role in a growing company. The question, “What happens next?” is an unending, if unspoken, question that helps fuel the creative process. The difference in my mind among the various types of assistance we offer at FGC is only in how the paint is applied to the canvas. It’s all painting to me.

If you are a leader at any level, you’re an artist whether you admit it or not. Your ability to imagine is as critical to your operational success as is your ability to execute. You may think of what you do as problem solving, but it is no less creative than the act of design or the process of writing. Here are just two of my ideas on keeping your creativity active.

NEVER STOP LEARNING. You don’t need to develop a variety of passions, but you should develop a variety of interests. Maintaining even a mild interest in a variety of subjects will keep your creativity ready and accessible.

The industry I am most familiar with is coffee. As an industry and as a product, coffee is endlessly fascinating, and it is difficult to learn everything there is to know in a lifetime. For this reason, some coffee professionals develop a near singular focus in their learning on coffee and subjects close to coffee. I think this is a mistake. You should always be learning about something new, and the further it is “off the beaten path” of your primary areas of concern, the better.

I once read a book on tying knots, though I had very few practical applications for what I learned. And yet, I believe that reading that book improved my problem solving skills.

DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT. I believe that creativity emerges from switching gears and changing one’s focus as much as it does from relentless pursuit. I believe there is no shorter path to burn-out, career burn-out or project burn- out, than feeling like your imagination is not needed or not available to you. Do something different. It can be as simple as taking a walk. One of my favorite ways to switch gears and take a break while still feeling productive is to organize, purge a drawer of files, clean out my desk.

I have used this approach with an entire project team. When it became clear that we were hitting a wall in terms of problem solving on a project, I scheduled a day of organizing the storage room. Yeah, there was some whining about it, but by the end of the day, we all felt good about accomplishing something, and the next day we solved several nagging issues on our larger project in quick order (admittedly, this could have been out of fear of being assigned “clean-up duty” again, but it resulted in the desired outcome in any case). Note, I banned all discussion of the stalled project while we worked on the storage room.

On a more immediate level, during a very openly creative process, it can be helpful to not only do something different, but also a little off-the-wall. In brainstorming meetings, I have had everyone switch seats, I have had everyone stand up, and I have had everyone remain silent for two minutes. Sometimes, when I am writing and I feel blocked, I might look at a magazine upside down and backwards. The important thing to remember is to only do these things when you sense the creativity or energy dropping. If you attempt one of these tactics while the energy is flowing well, you’ll stall it.

As important as creativity is, it will forever be only part of the story. And creativity in and of itself should never be mistaken for innovation. Management theorist and “creativity skeptic”, Theodore Levitt, wrote that “Creativity is thinking new things. Innovations is doing new things.”

www.freshgroundconsulting.com

Posted by Fresh Ground at 02:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mike Ferguson, Fresh Ground Consulting

My favorite explanation of the introvert versus extrovert is that an introvert, after spending time in a room full of people, will feel tired. An extrovert will feel energized. Conversely, introverts tend to be more energized when working alone, while extroverts experience a decrease in energy.

Like all theories that divide us into two groups, it is best not to be dogmatic or generalize too much. Introverts can certainly exhibit extroverted behavior, and extroverts can work at solitary jobs. Personality tests, such as the well known Myers-Briggs, usually score introversion and extroversion on a sliding scale, meaning you could be a very introverted extrovert, or a extroverted introvert.

In fact, that is what I am, a extroverted introvert. While I do feel more energized while working alone, like I am as I write this, I have always held professional positions that required me to spend a lot of time in rooms full of people. Two things that I am very passionate about, writing and leadership/management, also reveal that I am a “borderline extrovert.”

Researchers tell us that the majority of people, perhaps 70%, are extroverts, and it is likely that the percentage is even higher among those in leadership and management positions. As someone who has been one of the 3 out of 10 introverted leaders out there, I have a few ideas on how to be effective as a leader if you are an introvert. For everyone else, I have some thoughts on how to work with an introvert.

Over the years I have been drawn toward coaching and mentoring relationships with introverted managers, because I believe they have a great deal to offer, but are too often overlooked. The following is one of the key recommendations I make for introverted managers.

FACILITATE RATHER THAN GENERATE – Some activities, like brainstorming sessions, require high energy. An extroverted manager might assume the role of cheerleader and participate enthusiastically in an energetic and vocal exchange. The introverted manager can ensure that the energy is captured and focused by tracking ideas on a white board. He remains in a leadership role by owning the larger outcomes and taking responsibility for keeping the activity on task and moving forward.

In the same way that sitting back and letting his team run with the ball may be a challenge for the extrovert, the introvert, even as facilitator, still needs to get the ball rolling in the first place.

If you supervise an introvert, invite them to lead by facilitating. Extroverts can be great at getting everyone excited but they sometimes forget to map the path forward. They get everyone running, but in several directions. While extroverts can be good at motivating groups as they feed off the energy of an “audience,” introverts are often more adept at motivating people one-on-one, a necessity on small teams, where each individual owns a critical elements of a project.

The people you supervise can be motivated in several different ways. The enthusiastic, visionary pep talk is certainly one of them. But people are also motivated by knowing there is a plan, a direction, a goal. Introverts are very often good planners. They are generally good listeners and can quickly read where someone is in terms of their understanding and commitment.

Although most managers are extroverts, I believe that introverts bring an important balance to any leadership team. But they need, “permission” to assume leadership roles, and those who supervise them need to take the time to understand their work styles. Their unique value is well worth the effort.

www.freshgroundconsulting.com

Posted by Fresh Ground at 11:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mike Ferguson, Fresh Ground Consulting

In 2004, inspired (yet again) by the work of David Allen, I created a list of operating principles, touchstones for how I would work. It’s not a simple list. It is quite a challenging set of ideals and I revisit them often, not only as a tool for navigating my business, but as coaching cues for clients.

One of these principles came to mind recently while I was meeting with a potential client. As is often the case, especially as a consulting relationship is just beginning, both the relationship and the work that needed to be done remained somewhat undefined.

When you hire a consultant it should be because you have a real need. Sometimes the need is very clearly felt but not very clearly seen. This can be a delicate moment, when the independent needs of the client and the independent needs of the consultant must fuse into the much sought after “mutually beneficial relationship.”

As I listened to my potential client outline the work ahead, I began to discern some significant gaps in his approach, gaps that would work against the success of his project. This was not a matter of style, it was a matter of substance. I needed to help him reframe the project, to change his focus.

One of our principles at Fresh Ground Consulting is to “Initiate change with grace, and accept change gracefully.” This is the most recent addition to the list. The idea behind it was suggested to me by a barista at a coffee company who was tired of being the last person to find out about significant changes that affected how he did his job. It was worse than that. He often found out about the changes via their implementation, meaning there was no communication before the changes simply happened right in front of him. He said this made him feel like a piece of furniture.

Although arbitrary and abrupt changes inside a company inspired the principle, I often keep it in mind when I am attempting to change someone’s mind, or when they are trying to change mine.

As his potential consultant, I felt my client’s success was dependent on a change of mind and so I had a responsibility to change his mind. I had do so gracefully.

The dictionary definition of “grace” speaks of seemingly effortless beauty, a sense that things are pleasing and proper in proportion, form, and movement. I find this definition helpful and I believe that even in times of crisis, when change is racing against the clock, it can be done with great grace, as speed and grace are not exclusive of one another.

Every leader and manager has to initiate difficult and unpopular change from time to time, and there are times when the responsibility must rest on her shoulders alone, and implementation is not negotiable. I believe that acting gracefully is always an option. Grace does not mean a lack of fervor or urgency. It means the fervor and urgency are in proper proportion to the circumstances. From this perspective, even the sergeant initiating a change of plan and barking out orders on the battlefield can do so gracefully.

I believe that my ability to suggest a re-framing of the project and suggest some changes with grace is what turned my potential client into a new client. I gathered all of the scattered elements of the work he had outlined, reflecting back what I understood them to be so he would know I had listened and to ensure I knew his intention. Then I put all the pieces together so he could see what was missing. But before we talked about what was missing, we talked about the strength of what wasn’t missing. Finally, I backed the project up to a starting place he had not considered, moved it back in time so we could gather the missing pieces.

Change is never ending, from changing our mind to changes in our corporate culture, and much of it is inevitable. Indira Gandhi, in recognizing the inevitability of change, added that “it is up to us to control its content and direction.” Form and movement? Sounds like the definition of grace to me.

www.freshgroundconsulting.com

Posted by Fresh Ground at 10:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mike Ferguson, Fresh Ground Consulting

Nearly 17 years ago I was unexpectedly promoted into my first real management position. Up to that point, I had managed programs and a significant corp. of volunteers, but other than a shared administrative assistant, I had never really managed people who were on payroll, at least not on a professional level. I was excited, but a little nervous about managing a staff of professional service providers.

When I assumed my new position I found a staff consumed with drama. Personality conflicts had been allowed to fester.

As a leader, I am always inclined toward making the covert overt and I rarely accept anyone’s version of events without question. My new staff figured out quickly that the new boss wasn’t the same as the old boss and that I would not be playing them off each other, keeping them off balance in order to feel in control myself. If you wanted to talk to me about another employee, and there were no legal issues involved, I wanted that other employee in the room.

Eventually, after the crisis had passed, I softened this stance. If someone just needed to get something off their chest, I was happy to listen as long as they didn’t mind when I helped them see how they had contributed to the situation. But if someone expected me to do something about it, both employees had to be in the room.

These changes worked out, but I didn’t do as well when it came to receiving feedback from my staff. They were all mental health professionals, albeit, young in their careers. So they had some experience in framing their feedback in an appropriate and nonthreatening manner. Still, I found myself responding defensively more often than not. The defensive boss is not an uncommon character, so I’m sure you can imagine these scenes.

I sought the advice of a mentor who was familiar with my staff. He said that he noticed how I was not drawn into the personality conflicts among the staff, and he said that as a result, the problems were beginning to fade and they were working as a team. He asked me how I managed to do that, so I explained my approach.

He said this was a good way of handling things. Then he surprised me. He asked me why I did not handle the situation the same way when the person they were complaining about was me.

I needed someone outside of the workplace that I could talk to and gain perspective about the feedback I received from my staff. I found someone, and from that point forward my defensiveness in the face of criticism decreased significantly. This was due in part to increasing maturity, as a person and as a manager. But I also found it much easier to remain present and listen and learn from my staff when I knew I would be able to check in with someone else about what I was hearing.

This is a topic that I will revisit in future blogs because there is a lot more to say.

We should not tolerate personal attacks, diatribes, or attempts at manipulation. But as leaders we must be listeners, even when it means listening to uncomfortable criticism. In my experience, our ability to do this depends less on intestinal fortitude than it does on an ability to step back from the encounter and review the content objectively. This is best accomplished with a trusted friend or mentor who is not directly affected by your performance in the workplace.

www.freshgroundconsulting.com

Posted by Fresh Ground at 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mike Ferguson, Fresh Ground Consulting

Leaders are listeners and as listeners we must remember that the presenting problem is rarely the primary problem. While therapists learn this early in their training, the rest of us generally learn from experience.

The following is not an uncommon scenario. I meet with a leader/client who wants help with strategic planning. As we talk, he seems very interested in how his staff would participate in the planning session. I am pleased with this because some managers resist the level of involvement from staff that I encourage.

But as we talk, it becomes clear to me that there is something lurking under the surface. I ask him how he feels about the planning process I proposed. He says it looks great, but I can see he is distracted. Then I do something that I think is a important skill for leaders who believe that listening is critical to their success. I ask the second question.

“If you had one concern about the planning session, what would it be?”

This question forces him to focus and sort through his undefined concerns. After further discussion, and gently not allowing the subject to be dropped, though the client tries, I discover that he is worried that a particular employee is going to sabotage the planning process. The client goes to great pains to tell me what a good and loyal employee this person is, but the more open ended questions I ask, the clearer it becomes that this employee has actually become a problem. I learn that by scheduling the planning sessions, the manager is actually attempting to address his real first-order problem, his feeling that he no longer has control of his team.

The planning sessions get put on the back burner while we address the more immediate issues.

Most people, especially those who have experienced some success as entrepreneurs and business leaders, are good enough at reading people to sense when there is unease or a question lingering in the air. When we ask, “Is there something wrong?” it’s because we have picked up on an inflection, or expression, or body language that tells us that a loop remains open.

Some people think that their responsibility ends there, that if the employee (or client) has an unspoken question or concern, they need to speak it. How often have you heard a manager say, “I’m not a mind reader?”

It is true that repeated inquiry, searching doggedly for the unspoken concern, can signal insecurity and a kind of co-dependent behavior. And some people, when behaving in a passive aggressive or manipulative manner, may seek to have thoughts “dragged out of them.” When patterns emerge over time, from either side of the conversation, there is a problem that goes deeper than the topic at hand (see tomorrow’s blog).

I’m not talking about patterns of behavior. But in your professional encounters and relationships, remember that the presenting problem is rarely the problem, and ask the second question. Whenever possible, try to ask open-ended questions rather than yes or no questions, which is one of the keys to active listening. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you’re a good listener just because you know how to keep your mouth closed.

www.freshgroundconsulting.com

Posted by Fresh Ground at 07:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mike Ferguson, Fresh Ground Consulting

We decided last week here at FGC that to get a blog up and running we really needed to blog daily. And so each day I wrote a blog, posting the next morning…until yesterday.

Yesterday I hit a little wall and I realized that I will need to learn to balance my writing energy. I’ve been moping about it for about 24 hours. So I did what I often do when I’m stuck or in a funk. I treated myself like a client.

I asked myself what I would do for me if I were my consulting client. After untwisting my tongue, this is what I came up with:

First is what I’m doing right now, being honest. For blogging to work for me I have to write about things that mean something to me and I absolutely cannot try and fake anything. That would be a disaster. But the only management or leadership topic that has been on my mind the last 24 hours is feeling like I could not write and my inability to manage my own feelings about writing another blog. So, when you name the bogyman, define the problem, rather than allowing ambiguous worry to fester, the problem begins to shrink to its proper, manageable, proportion.

Second, I realized one of the reasons I was moping was because I had made a commitment to blog daily, and I was on my way to breaking that commitment. I learned from David Allen that I have three choices when it comes to commitments: 1) never make the commitment to begin with, 2) break the commitment, or 3) renegotiate the commitment. The one thing I cannot do is pretend like the commitment was never made. Since this commitment was largely one made to myself, I renegotiated.

“Look, Mike, I know I committed to a daily blog, and I still believe that is the right strategy. As the process becomes routine and I get my ‘calluses,’ I really don’t think it will be a problem. At the same time, I think I need a little flexibility at the beginning, maybe to occasionally send out a blog later in the day, or even skip a day if I need to focus on other priorities.”

“Mike, that’s not a problem at all. I’m glad you felt like you could come to me and talk about it. I agree, a daily blog is the right strategy, but that doesn’t mean you have to write 500 or 1000 words every time. Not only do you need to mix up the word count, but also the type of topics you choose. Don’t forget, we agreed that some days you would simply talk about a current project. As usual, you’re putting all kinds of unnecessary pressure on yourself.”

“I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.”
-Mark Twain

www.freshgroundconsulting.com

Posted by Fresh Ground at 04:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Mike Ferguson, Fresh Ground Consulting

The career of George Armstrong Custer is book-ended by two rivers, The Chickahominy and The Little Bighorn, and by two attitudes, audacity and arrogance.

On the Fresh Ground Consulting website, we tell a short version of a story about Union commander, George McClellan, and the Chickahominy river. President Lincoln had trouble getting General McClellan to take action, to move the Union Army forward, or even chase the enemy. He said McClellan had a case of the “slows,” and observed that, “He is an admirable engineer, but he seems to have a special talent for a stationary engine.”

One version of the Chickahominy river story goes that McClellan and his staff were sitting on horseback at the edge of the river, wondering among themselves how deep it was. They had been discussing the possible depth of the river for some time when, suddenly, a young captain named Custer rode his horse out to the middle of the river, turned and shouted, "That's how deep it is, General!"

I love this story. I especially like it when set in contrast to the following observation: History does not record whether or not, fourteen years later, near the Little Bighorn river, someone on Custer's staff asked, "How many Indians do you think are over that ridge?"

Two of our principles at FGC are to demonstrate audacity without arrogance, and action with accountability. Custer certainly demonstrated audacity, no doubt peppered with impatience, in front of McClellan at the Chickahominy River, under circumstances that cried out for action. By the time he reached The Little Bighorn, he was ruled by arrogance under circumstances that demanded the very highest level of accountability.

In my experience, the line between audacity and arrogance is not always brightly painted. Audacity, fearless daring or heedlessness of restraint, requires some self-assurance, to be sure. Arrogance is marked by overbearing self-importance and an assumption of superiority that can lead someone to take seemingly audacious risks.

The fundamental difference in my mind, especially when it comes to leadership, is an ability and willingness to receive input and listen to others. Truly audacious moves are usually possible because they are supported by informed preparation, planning, experience.

Custer’s dash into the Chickahominy River may seem impetuous on its face, but he had spent the war to that point carrying messages from Army Headquarters to generals in the field, and exploring the countryside as a topographical engineer, creating maps. He was said to have an uncanny knack for locating practical routes. If Custer had not already been across the Chickahominy, he certainly had developed an eye for water that could be easily crossed.

On June 22, 1876, Custer led a divided force of 655 men against an Indian encampment of undetermined size without conducting proper reconnaissance. As it turns out, he was outnumbered ten to one against what may have been the largest group of Indian warriors ever gathered on the North American continent.

I have met leaders and managers who are known for succeeding by “going with their gut,” only to discover that they are actually keen observers and active listeners who are intensely curious. Maybe you have noticed that successful business people who have a reputation as being risk takers and innovators are often surrounded by a very talented team.

Whenever I meet a leader who equates “impulsive” with “inspired,” rarely asks more than one question, and tells people he hasn’t listened to that they should trust his instincts, I feel compelled to duck and cover.

www.freshgroundconsulting.com

Posted by Fresh Ground at 09:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mike Ferguson, Fresh Ground Consulting

I’m working on a new short story, my first new story in many years, and I have run into my old nemesis as a fiction writer: narrative pull.

Narrative pull is the thing that causes the reader to keep reading. It’s the desire to know what happens next. Novels and stories that have a strong narrative pull are called “page turners.” In my writing, I am generally good at creating characters, setting, and dialog. But I often have trouble finding the narrative thread that moves the story forward, the actual story itself. The task of keeping the readers engaged then falls to the characters, and even the most complex and well-written character can only bear that burden for so long.

The very talented writer, Ethan Canin, was my first formal writing teacher. He quickly diagnoses my inability and/or unwillingness to develop the story itself, or as he put it, the “clothesline” on which all the other elements of the story hang, elements he said I was talented at creating. As an antidote, he suggested, insisted actually, that I write something that takes place over a span of years (up to that point, all of my stories took place over hours) and, “make something happen.”

So it’s a little ironic that one of things I have helped organizations do over the years is understand and frame their story and ask, What happens next? Sometimes we are working out the story of the organization and how it is being articulated through everything from planning to branding and content; and sometimes we are working out the story of an executive’s changing role within a growing organization. Usually, we are working on both.

The keys to narrative pull in your organization are the same as in writing. If you find yourself saying, “same stuff different day,” then the plot is dragging. Make something happen. Raymond Chandler famously said that when he was writing and the plot started to drag, he had someone walk into the room with a gun. Many times, when speaking to someone who is stuck, either in running their company at a leadership level, or overseeing a project at a manager level, I get them up and out of their chair and walking around.

That is how I became unstuck in creating a plot for the short story I’m working on now. I stopped writing dialog and made something happen.

Another key is getting out of the weeds. Step back from the endless but necessary detail of the day-to-day and revisit the big picture. Your story and the story of your company are epics, not short character studies. Whatever it is you are working on today, the page will turn.

www.freshgroundconsulting.com

Posted by Fresh Ground at 03:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mike Ferguson, Fresh Ground Consulting

One of the most difficult responsibilities of a leader at any level is managing expectations, sometimes our own more than others. While expectations of success are good and necessary for maintaining forward momentum, false and/or unrealistic expectations can misdirect resources and prolong feelings of defeat and disappointment when they are not met. If this false hope occurs repeatedly in an organization, goals and planning among the leadership will be put in a “boy who cried wolf” box by those most responsible for execution.

Maybe you’ve met a company founder who has great ideas about what her company should be and is capable of generating great enthusiasm for these ideas, but her vision is not connected to any realistic analysis or planning and her staff becomes burnt out from chasing windmills.

Though she schedules strategic planning sessions, it is clear to everyone (including her consultant) that she is not prepared to truly incorporate the views of her staff, the true experts when it comes to the realities of operational detail and the company’s marketplace. She feels strongly that the company should be guided by her expectations.

The fundamental problem? She expects zebras.

When you hear hoof beats in the distance and you’re in the middle of Wyoming, what do you expect to see? Horses. But all of us can develop expectations that are not really aligned with our circumstances, expect zebras instead of horses. When horses appear, we’re disappointed, even angry, that they are not zebras.

When we begin dismissing the most likely outcome of a situation or initiative in favor of what we wish for as an outcome, we are attempting to move the company forward by sheer force of will. It might have worked when the company was just you and your laptop on the coffee table in your living room, but unless you want to remain in start-up mode indefinitely (and some founders do), you need to ensure someone is effectively bridging the gap between aspiration and execution, someone with “permission to speak freely,” whether they come from inside the organization or outside.

"A vision without a task is but a dream, a task without a vision is drudgery, a vision and a task is the hope of the world." ---From a church in Sussex, England, ca. 1730

www.freshgroundconsulting.com

Posted by Fresh Ground at 09:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mike Ferguson, Fresh Ground Consulting

The other day my daughters were playing with a basketball. My seven year old daughter was trying to teach her five year old sister how to catch the ball. After explaining several times how to reach out and wait for the ball and then capture it between her hands, she finally delivered the following instructions: “Act like you’re petting a cow.”

It’s was a funny, seemingly off-the-wall comment. Perhaps because she is my daughter, I understood immediately what she meant. When I pet our dog, I almost always reach out with two hands to pet and scratch the area stretching from behind her jaw to up behind her ears. Consequently, both of my daughters also pet the dog this way.

If we were to pet a cow in this manner, our arms would have to be further apart, about as wide as a basketball, as we reached out with hands open wide.

Good leaders are good communicators and the best communicators learn to stay on message while sometimes changing their words. A stump speech repeated verbatim from town to town might be fine for a political candidate, but it won’t work inside your company. Your team will stop listening, or worse, resent you for thinking they were not listening the first five times you said it. At the same time, it’s your job to keep everyone focused, on task, and moving forward.

It is your job to remind your team who you are as a company and how you work. I think it is also your job to think of new ways to say it. At FGC, we help clients reframe their messaging and their story all the time. It is just as important to reframe the internal, even casual, messages and training. The most effective reframe in a company can come from a new turn of phrase from a manger who is trying to get a point across for the umpteenth time. And suddenly, his team can hear him again.

You know, now that I think about it, it’s a little like petting a cow…

www.freshgroundconsulting.com

Posted by Fresh Ground at 03:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)