I See What You Mean

Mastering Transitions. A Life Skill For The Times.

Lou Kerestesy — Wed, 24 Aug 2022 17:01:00 +0000

I met Justin Jacobs on LinkedIn. We were in an exchange which became testy for some, but not for us. We stayed respectful as we engaged in a sincere exchange about an issue, probing for truth as Justin put it. We followed up by phone and subsequently decided to record an episode. And I've glad we did.

Listening to the audio file very closely as I do to edit, I was reminded how blessed I am to have spoken with Justin and so many guests like him. He tells it like he sees it, and by that I don’t mean "others" or "situations." I mean Justin. He's candid about himself and his experiences, including a recent and significant transition from 22 years in the Coast Guard. As he launches a new coaching practice focusing on leadership and people in transition, he's doing what he tells clients to do: Continue discovering, learning and growing to show up as your best self in what you do.

I know you'll have some ahh-ha! moments in this episode. Here are a few of mine:

1:28 - I was out of my depth and posing as a leader in my first formal leadership position. The Coast Guard offered officer leadership training and it as the first time in my life I did any real introspection about who I was.

3:58 - The relationship between getting on the same page with oneself and with others, especially when in a leadership role.

8:00 - Why understanding the 'why' of a plan or a direction matters.

16:22 - Why it's important to know what you're wired for - and not.

24:02 - A definition of being on the same page.

34:48 - The benefit to being on the same page with your team and the different mental models team members have about any situation.

42:09 - Does getting on the same page assume good intent? And what do we do if that's missing?

53:57 - What to do if you can't get on the same page with someone.

Getting On Some Uncommon Same Pages: Mentoring and Mergers

Lou Kerestesy — Tue, 09 Aug 2022 17:25:00 +0000

When Cal Shintani and I discussed recording a podcast episode, it was clear to me we'd talk about mentoring. Cal has a long mentoring background and described some ideas about the same page mentors and proteges get on that I wanted to record. Cool.

Then he mentioned his merger and acquisition experience. M&A's are common in the Federal contracting community. What's not common is for a consultant to be involved in several. And what's even less common is for a consultant to connect mergers with mentoring. But Cal had. He'd added mentoring to mergers and learned some valuable lessons about getting two organizational cultures on the same page while connecting individuals to the newly emerging culture. To the merged culture. Very cool!

In this episode, Cal discusses his experience getting people on the same mentoring and merger pages, and what he did when people couldn't get there. Here are a few of my favorite ahh-ha! moments:

3:57 - Building trust and relationships through the mentoring program of a government-industry IT professional association - ACT-IAC

6:58 - A mind-bending exercise - you be me and I'll be you

8:40 - The same page mentors and proteges should get on

11:50 - Resisting the temptation to advise as a mentor, and how it can change the conversation

16:32 - How a same page emerges from a trusted relationship

25:44 - What you see, what you make of what you see, what you would do, to what end

29:44 - What if you can't get on the same page?

37:00 - Mergers and cultural fit. We both say we're entrepreneurial, but are we saying the same thing?

46:11 - Mentoring and mergers

Gentelligence And Generations In The Workplace: Part 2 Of My Conversation With Dr. Megan Gerhardt

Lou Kerestesy — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 12:07:00 +0000

In Part 2 of our conversation, Dr. Gerhardt and I dig deeper into what it means to be on the same page across generations in the workplace. Her Gentelligence mantra that we each have something to contribute and something to learn was an ahh-ha! moment for me, enough to make me re-think what I think it means to be on the same page! We look closely at generations and organizational culture, ageism, how questions have the power to create Gentelligence, and what it was like writing Gentelligence: The Revolutionary Approach to Leading an Intergenerational Workforce. Here are a few of my favorite ahh-ha! moments:

0:07 - If getting on the same page is about alignment, believing each of us has something to contribute and learn can create alignment across generations

2:07 - Tension in the workplace between digital natives and digital immigrants - or how young Millennials and Gen Z have certain expertise early in their careers

6:02 - Psychological safety in organizational culture, and what different generations really want from culture

14:40 - Age, generations and people strategies at work

19:15 - Megan calls me out for age bias I didn't even see!

27:45 - The next book project about integrating age into organization's DEI strategies

Generations In The Workplace Can Be A Source Of Conflict Or Collaboration. And You Get To Decide.

Lou Kerestesy — Wed, 27 Jul 2022 05:16:00 +0000

Gentelligence - Intelligence produced by inter-generational learning and collaboration.

This week's guest and co-authors have added this meaningful word to our vocabulary - also the title of their book - and it's one I predict will be added to dictionaries. The concept's value isn't limited to the workplace, but with five generations of Americans in the workforce, the concept's time has come.

Dr. Megan Gerhardt, Professor of Leadership at Miami University's Farmer School of Business, joins me for this episode to discuss ways generations conflict or collaborate at work, and how a few simple conversation techniques can transform suspicion and tension into trusting relationships. Relationships rich with creativity and innovation - and respect - which come from generational differences.

Megan and I had a lot to talk about so I split the conversation into two episodes. Here are a few of my favorite ahh-ha! moments from Part 1:

1:41 - How some foundational ideas which would become Gentelligence came from being a 26-year old university instructor closer in age to her students than to many of her colleagues - and appreciating the diversity of ideas she saw

3:17 - "Please help us figure out what to do with these millennials!"

8:08 - Generational diversity can produce collaboration, learning and intelligence - except left to our own devices that doesn't usually happen. Like any diversity, generational diversity must be managed to be useful.

11:09 - What is a generation, and why do they matter?

18:48 - "Oh! You're taking notes on your phone while I'm talking? That's not what I thought you were doing…."

21:13 - Four practices for creating Gentelligence. The first one is conduct an assumption audit and I LOVE that phrase! Then adjust the lens, build trust and expand the pie - and each comes with simple conversation practices to use.

Changing Conversations To Change Behavior - Finding Ways To Connect, Part 2

Lou Kerestesy — Tue, 05 Jul 2022 07:14:00 +0000

In Part 1 of our conversation, Terry Leberfinger and I talked about health and safety issues on the minds of employees, as the pandemic winds down, in a successful battery recycling operation where Terry's Executive Vice President for Human Resources. In this episode we discuss the business case for change as markets and environment, health and safety (EHS) regulations changed over 40 years. We dig into the psychology of change in the workplace, looking closely at how leadership works with employees - who've been on the job for decades - to not only solve problems but to unthink old ways of doing things and turn challenges into opportunities.

I always enjoy talking to Terry, and here are a few of my favorite ahh-ha! moments:

0:22 - Being on the same as a clear destination

2:00 - How an ambitious goal motivated uncommon innovation and performance

4:36 - Turning a compliance cost into a revenue stream

7:32 - Organizational change, Kubler-Ross, and the stages of grief

12:37 - Putting old know-how to use in new jobs and processes

16:00 - Showing up Sundays to walk the floor and talk

21:06 - Managerial courage leading change

Changing Conversations To Change Behavior - Finding Ways To Connect

Lou Kerestesy — Wed, 22 Jun 2022 14:22:00 +0000

I've known this week's guest for 25 years. Terry Leberfinger has been a client, a fellow New Orleans Jazz Fest krewe member, a friend and now a podcast guest with uncommon insight into organizational change. Terry's an executive with a long background in transformational change. He's held positions in human resources, environment, health and safety, in settings ranging from offices to global manufacturing operations. He's equally comfortable on shop floors and in executive board rooms - both places where he has a knack for changing conversations which change organizations. We cover a lot of ground in two episodes, and here are some of my favorite ahh-ha! moments from Part 1:

1:46 - What are people on the same page about as the pandemic winds down

5:57 - A different safety mindset following the pandemic

9:22 - Employees are taking ownership of their own well-being

20:20 - As executives our job is basically to remove variances

22:01 - A great perspective shift: Some small number of injuries seems acceptable until you ask leadership to name the people to be injured

23:23 - Some costs of injury are easy to add up. But one man documented costs we don't usually hear about - to his mental health, marriage and family.

Can Better Governance Deliver Better Government? And Early In A Career, Can You Contribute?

Lou Kerestesy — Mon, 06 Jun 2022 08:11:00 +0000

In Part 2 of our discussion, Richard Spires talks about the subject of his upcoming book - running government programs effectively and efficiently. We discuss the importance of governance not only for delivering program results, but also for building relationships and problem solving capability, generally. Richard also explains how cultivating mentor relationships and expertise - two of the 12 traits he wrote about in his first book - can help young professionals make valuable contributions to how programs are run.

Visit Richard-Spires.com to check out his first book, "Success in the Technology Field - A Guide For Advancing Your Career," and watch for his second later this year. Here are a few of my favorite ahh-ha! moments for Part 2 of our conversation. And please forgive the occasional audio "scratches" I couldn't edit out.

1:58 - Open and honest governance conversations lead to a better informed team with more options to solve problems

5:42 - How a senior governance team prepared the Internal Revenue Service to take electronic returns in a much shorter time than anyone thought possible.

9:35 - The trusted environment - even people who want to be open and honest will become guarded if they're not sure then can trust others in the room.

12:31 - The value of mentorship for young professionals learning project and program management ropes.

14:27 - The value of cultivating expertise that you're known for, especially early in your career.

20:54 - Can running programs effectively and efficiently restore trust in government?

Organizations Might Benefit By Zero Trust For IT Security, But They Need A Trusted Environment For IT Projects. Part 1 Of My Conversation With Richard Spires.

Lou Kerestesy — Wed, 01 Jun 2022 07:07:00 +0000

If you're not a technologist (I'm not), you might think success in a technology field hinges on technical knowledge. Technologists know exactly which technical knowledge and skill is required for success, and they know there's more.

Working with people? Check. Understanding business needs? Check. Listening, negotiating, problem solving? Checks all around. And my guest this week will tell you that's not all.

Richard Spires is an accomplished technologist who will tell you that in every leadership position he's held, getting people on the same page was key to success. It wasn't the only key. But team and stakeholder misalignment will sink a small technology project or a major modernization, just the same.

As happens in great conversations, Richard and I lost track of time and ran long, so I'm publishing it as two episodes. Part 1 examines the people skills organizations need in their technologists. Part 2 will focus on what it takes for government to operate effectively and efficiently. Please forgive the occasional audio "scratch" I couldn't edit out.

Listen in and be sure to visit Richard-Spires.com to check out his first book, "Success in the Technology Field - A Guide For Advancing Your Career." Here are a few of my favorite ahh-ah! moments from Part 1:

2:45 and on - Technology is delivered through projects, and one's ability to manage projects effectively is critical to technology's success. And that requires the leadership of people.

5:55 - A definition of "technologist" that might surprise you - but makes perfect sense.

10:03 - When very senior people see very large technology projects… very differently.

12:15 - Constant communication is critical in part because project plans change the moment a project is kicked-off

19:34 - Why creating a trusted environment - not just trust - is critical to project success.

28:20 - Important advice for young leaders - learn the leadership style that fits you. And find a mentor.

Can A "Same Page" Emerge If We Manifest It With Others? Susan Parente Says, "Yes."

Lou Kerestesy — Wed, 25 May 2022 12:02:00 +0000

When I teased Susan Parente about the eight designations behind her name - eight! - her response said a lot about her. She laughed and said she not only loves learning, but she teaches subjects which lead to certifications. So all the letters are a selling point for students who would think it fun to take a class from someone who loves certifications.

And that about sums it up. Astute. Insightful. Self-aware. Passionate. Susan's sees black and white with an engineer's mind, while helping students find their way through their own gray areas, with a lot of heart. She creates an environment for students to discover things about themselves, while teaching them the rights and wrongs of project management and cybersecurity to pass certification exams. She loves working independently to produce a deliverable, and loves extra time with students who seek her assistance.

I had a lot of fun talking to Susan, and I learned a lot. Here are some of my favorite ahh-ha! moments:

1:00 - 4:00 - How I switched from "I don't want to be a teacher," to "teaching is my passion."

5:28 - When I started my business but before I made any money, I did pro bono work to literally speak my future into being.

9:53 - "Students say, "What I'd really like to do is…..but…." And it's the "but" that stops them.

17:05 - To teach is to create a safe space for learning not just a topic, but to learn about oneself.

19:54 - Maintaining a beginner's mind to facilitate learning

24:13 - We can't learn if we're afraid of failing

36:14 - I grade for class participation but never grade someone down for saying something wrong. Discussion is when we're supposed to figure things out.

40:14 - Project success means team success, and team success is a human endeavor, not a project management practice

Another Admirable Bundle of Contradictions - Part 2

Lou Kerestesy — Thu, 05 May 2022 13:40:00 +0000

This episode begins with Lola Stith and I recounting a time when, as a company exec, I turned down an offer of help from her in a way that made her wonder if being a woman of color was one of the reasons. We talk about how she sorted that out for herself at the time, and what we learned discussing it years later. We discuss key attributes of misunderstandings between people, and how those attributes take on different nuances in different situations. We discuss respect for oneself and others, and how getting on the same page in situations can strengthen trust in relationships. Here are some of my favorite ahh-ha! moments from Part 2:

1:29 - "You didn't do anything that made me think gender bias....but....there was one time...."

6:11 - How getting on the same page builds trust and strengthens relationships

12:25 - "How did you maintain composure when you felt attacked, and keep asking for more information?"

16:56 - Your feelings in a situation are also legit, so what's a good way to work them into the conversation?

23:10 - Showing children respect so they respect themselves

26:21 - Disrespectful behavior toward others begins when you stop respecting yourself

Another Admirable Bundle Of Contradictions - Part 1

Lou Kerestesy — Wed, 27 Apr 2022 05:33:00 +0000

Meet Lola Stith and she's quiet, unassuming, cooperative, hard to read. Know Lola and she's focused, determined, uncannily perceptive, catch-you-off guard funny, and perceptive. Said that twice, didn't I. Because she is, twice.

I had the privilege of working with Lola 10 years ago. We caught up recently when I called to ask if I ever exhibited gender bias toward her. That question came up in preparation for an episode with Karen Newnam, and I reached out to ask women who'd worked for me. Lola's answer surprised me and we had a great conversation about it (we get into this in Part 2). We also discussed gender in the workplace, implicit bias, difficult conversations and a few more getting on the same page challenges - and decided to keep the conversation going and record it. So here are a few of my favorite ahh-ha! moments from Part 1:

5:41 - Letting my team know I hear them is the most foundational thing I can communicate. Getting on the same page as alignment.

7:46 - Managing reactions to change ranging from personal to business issues.

10:05 - Leading change and listening to my team - because I don't know everything!

14:33 - Opening the door to getting on the same page. Opening the door to see what's there.

20:40 - Differences are opportunities - if you know how to discuss them.

I Might Have A Master's Degree In Conflict Resolution, But This Guy's A Master At Resolving Conflicts!

Lou Kerestesy — Wed, 20 Apr 2022 05:40:00 +0000

I love knowing people who don't fit typecasts. Analytic types good with emotion. Tough leaders who care for their people. I love working with them when I can, and interviewing them for podcast episodes! Enter Rami Hago.

I had the pleasure of working with Rami a few years ago, and here's my version of his short bio: Laughs easy. Penetrating thinker. People person. Laser-focused. Easy to work with. Won't settle for less than individual and team best. I could go on but you get the idea. He's living proof that being a bundle of contradictions can make you solid, not a mess. (Although I did edit out a short exchange hinting at what his wife would say if I interviewed them together!)

Rami's getting-on-the-same-page lessons from military and Veteran's health IT are timeless and apply to work of any type, anywhere. Listen in for a few laughs and tips. Here are a few of my favorite ahh-ha! moments:

3:39 - What are some of the most interesting challenges you've faced getting people on the same page?

6:59 - Compliments will get you somewhere….getting good requirements from a difficult system owner - to replace her system.

15:03 - Finding what to not change in a change effort.

20:00 - Sandboxes aren't just for developers. Let the customer play, too.

26:46 - If communication is an art, who are the artists? Meaning and intent in software development.

37:00 - A lesson in conflict resolution - changing the context for decision making.

43:20 - A picture really is worth 1000 words, and some laughs.

45:18 - There is no one person who knows everything about how a plane flies.

We've Talked Politics, Religion, Work and Relationships. With Rum. And Lived To Tell About It - Part 2

Lou Kerestesy — Wed, 13 Apr 2022 05:49:00 +0000

In Part 2, Dan Morford and I pick up our discussion of power, control and the nature of honest, open dialogue. We talk about how bad our country's divisiveness might get, and what it will take to climb out the hole we've dug for ourselves - for our kids. Quick fixes won't do. "Sides" can advocate all they want, but real solutions will take time, compromise, and some amount of inconvenience, pain and sacrifice. But what are our options? More divisive rhetoric? The solutions we need - solutions that work for our democracy and country - will come from our differences if we figure out how to dialogue about them.

Part 2 opens with Dan answering a question I asked at the close of Part 1: When you ask questions to learn, rather than fire your views at someone, have you seen conversations develop differently and go in a better direction. Here are a few of my favorite ahh-ha! moments:

00:06 and on - Honest, open, reasonable dialogue can't occur until we put aside control

4:29 and on - Real solutions take almost as much time as the real problems they fix

7:40 - We have a very short-term, fickle mentality here

11:27 - Extreme voices get covered. Centrist voices not so much. So what do we do?

16:32 - Politicizing everything is easy. But taking "I" out of rhetoric and putting trust back in.....that's hard

21:06 - Agree to disagree? Agree to how we'll disagree? Or disagree today but continue the dialogue tomorrow.

We've Talked Politics, Religion, Work and Relationships. With Rum. And Lived To Tell About It.

Lou Kerestesy — Wed, 06 Apr 2022 05:08:00 +0000

Political discussions can be unenlightening and uninspiring. Two or more yammer on sounding vaguely like Charlie Brown's teacher.... loving the sound of their our own voices and ideas.... and not learning because no one is listening. But not discussions with this week's guest.

Dan Morford and I have been friends for 22 years. We've worked together, volunteered in our community, raised families, cooked a lot of food, listened to a lot of blues, and have occasionally fallen into a barrel of rum. Over the years we've spent many hours talking about politics, as we do in this episode.

Dan is smart, thoughtful - and principled. That's one of the things I love most about him. He knows when there's something at stake greater than his individual interests. He knows how to have a respectful and effective dialogue. We're not on the same page about everything, but we listen to see if we might learn and we're respectful when we see things differently. And the older we get the more we're on the same page worrying about the future of our country - for our kids.

We talked for an hour so I split the recording into two episodes. If you notice Dan sounding more focused, he is! He had me thinking and I got tangled in my own thoughts. Words were hard but the ideas were as good as ever. With a few expletives thrown in for emphasis (!), here are some of my favorite ahh-ha! moments in Part 1 of 2:

2:10 - Hurling insults at each other isn't just unhelpful, it's hypocritical.

11:20 - There's not a crisis covered by the press and media that can't be monetized.

13:08 - Can we pick a fight amongst ourselves about any issue in the news? Yes! And lose our humanity along the way.

21:41 - We form opinions, focal points, emotional perspectives about many things - but from what? A rich dialogue exploring perspectives?

26:46 - To stop learning or not stop learning, that is the question. What I know about this subject is a small fraction of what I want to know about this subject. And what I want to know is an even smaller fraction of what there is to know.

Leading Others To A Same Page From Her Own, And Theirs. What One Woman Learned.

Lou Kerestesy — Wed, 30 Mar 2022 05:41:00 +0000

Karen Levy Newnam is a smart, funny, deep-thinking, artist-turned-business woman, self-described goofball. If you think that covers it, it doesn't. At all.

Woven through experience as a writer, actor, producer, college instructor, retail manager and marketing manager are threads of self-discovery, self-awareness and self-improvement. A conviction that bringing one's best self to others is the starting place for getting on the same page. That becoming one's best self is work. Our life's work. And at work we cross paths with others on their journeys.

This episode gets personal with Karen's characteristic honesty about what it means to be a woman in the workplace. A woman senior director in the workplace. A work-in-progress, woman senior director in the workplace. But with class and humor and authenticity that makes you want to work for Karen. Or with her. Or just talk with her, like I got to do. Here are some of my favorite ahh-ha! moments:

5:50 and on - Karen's plan for getting on the same page with herself - by the decade

10:47 and on - Therapy, habits and who am I personally? Professionally?

17:19 - Mentors who cared enough to tell me I was holding myself back

23:12 and on - Expressing emotions at work and a Viktor Frankl quote about creating space between stimulus and response

30:18 - Is "You need to stop" wrong to say when a subordinate is insubordinate on a conference call?

35:32 - If you aren't introspective at work you aren't going to be on the same page with others

40:07 - The ABCs of describing rather than evaluating behavior - especially someone else's

43:15 - Male and female supervisors can be direct, but the fallout is different

51:48 - What's in your span of control - and not - about how you're viewed

1:03:58 - How my mentee made me a better person, and staying relevant at work

Designing A Better Workplace Roots Out Bias. And It's There For You To Find, If You Look.

Lou Kerestesy — Wed, 23 Mar 2022 05:14:00 +0000

Mika Cross is passionate about people and missions. Especially about figuring out the best way for people to deliver a mission. From her military and civilian service to her consulting today, Mika's mission is to help organizational leaders get that right. And this year's International Women's Day theme - #BreakTheBias - is the perfect backdrop for our discussion about how to position people to contribute their best work - or not.

Bias is in the news a lot, today, with coverage of it in law enforcement, education, hiring and compensation, hostile workplaces, emotional intelligence, and unconscious bias and training, generally. Much coverage shows a bias about bias (sorry) conflating it with prejudice, moralizing about it, or scorning the moralizing. While that might or might not be deserved, it skews a basic point (again, sorry!): Experience wires our brains in ways which ready us to act in ways which can be biased. Apart from intentional bias, whether or not we're unintentionally biased depends mostly on how aware we are of what we're doing, and why.

Awareness is key and Mika describes a solid way to become aware of bias in the workplace - data. She shows how knowing your data will reveal patterns in hiring, firing, promoting, pay, telecommuting and more, which might be the result of bias. You'll only know if you look! Mika also brainstorms ways to change the conversation with data to learn what will give employees the best way to give you their best work. Here are some of my favorite ahh-ha! moments:

4:32 - The pandemic highlighted equity issues organizations can address now, as they plan post-pandemic "back to office" strategies

9:26 - No matter what percent of your workforce telecommuted during the pandemic, you might find distribution across jobs was unequal for reasons of bias, not strategy

12:17 and on - Hybrid work strategy by design, using mission requirements to determine work arrangements, and accountability

19:22 and on - Leaders can chose "one size fits all" work arrangements but they'll rob some employees - and their organizations - of productivity. Is the trade-off worth it?

25:12 and on - Flexible work arrangements require trust and accountability

31:56 - How knowing their data saved The State of Kansas money, and saved its employees time

36:25 - What if people can't get on the same page? What then?

BTW, check out https://www.etymonline.com/word/bias for a fun, quick history on the origin of the word "bias," dating back to the game of bowls with balls shaped to curve when rolled.

Why Is It So Hard For Government Programs To Deliver Results?

Lou Kerestesy — Wed, 16 Mar 2022 07:13:00 +0000

The US Federal government runs more than 3500 programs, each designed to deliver a benefit to citizens or other customers in the US and around the world. Each is a collaborative effort with state and local governments, NGOs and sometimes other counties. And each relies on actors at the end of many delivery chains, far from where programs are planned and managed. Teachers. Inspectors. Law enforcement. War fighers. Diplomats. VA doctors and nurses. And many more.

So how can the Federal government ensure its programs deliver the right benefit to the right beneficiary, in the right way - plus continuously innovate to stay relevant to citizens and partners?

I know of no one better able to navigate a challenge of this magnitude than Mark Forman. With 30 years' experience inside government and out, in the US and around the world, Mark can conceive of solutions to big problems and see how they work where people implement them where the rubber meets the road. In this episode we discuss objectives and key results - OKRs - as a framework for getting people on the same page to deliver results and continuously improve return on program investments. Here are a few of my ahh-ha! moments:

2:06 - The OKR model as a framework for return on investment, especially of investments in transformations

3:11 - OKRs shift the focus from paying for activities to buying outcomes

4:19 - The relationship between ORRs and KPIs

5:38 and on - OKR use in the Federal government with 3500 programs

11:21 - The crux of modernizing many of the Federal government's systems is the difference between the user experience and the user interface

19:04 - The failures in applying agile development globally - which was supposed to be a breakthrough for modernization - stem from using technology to simplify legacy approaches to work, rather than using technology to rethink work

26:35 - OKR conversations in 3500 programs is a daunting endeavor. How could it be done on that scale?

31:05 - Using Federal Enterprise Architecture reference models to frame OKR conversations within and across programs

41:05 - Meeting the toughest innovation challenge - transforming programs as they conduct business as usual, which they must

43:05 - We can't boil the ocean so where do we start?

Is A Statement Of Work The "Same Page" Government Officials and Contractors Need To Get On?

Lou Kerestesy — Wed, 09 Mar 2022 07:09:00 +0000

The government's solicitation is its best attempt to define a problem. A contractor's proposal is its best attempt to define a solution. When faithfully executed, both should combine to meet a mission requirement. But can they? Contracts of even moderate complexity can obligate contractors to meet scores of requirements performed in dozens of activities over a 1 to 5 year period. Issues, priorities, budgets, personnel and conditions will change. So how can executing a statement of work written 12-18 months before work even began, meet a mission requirement?

Greg Giddens says the answer is performance management. Not in the HR sense but as a broad framework for conversation about how contract acquisition, program management and change management work together - or don't - to meet the intent of a statement of work. To meet the business objective or, in government terms, the mission requirement of the contract.

Greg and his business partner at Potomac Ridge Consulting, Dave Grant, should know. After careers in project and program management, change management and procurement in multiple Federal government cabinet departments, they know what works and what doesn't to get government and contracting officials on the same page. Greg joins me for this episode, and here are some of my favorite aah-ha! moments:

7:36 - Federal contracting is conceived as a partnership with the private sector

10:50 - Federal contracts, marriage contracts, and the meaning of relationship

11:45 - Using performance management from Step One - the contract kickoff

21:29 - When buying a microwave isn't what you think, or how changing the conversation changed a contracting officer's understanding of the problem

29:17 - Performance management creates transparency

40:05 - Performance management lines up means and ends to the desired outcome

47:43 - How changing the conversation creates a same page from multiple "own pages"

54:00 - But what if it doesn't work? What do we do if we can't get on the same page?

Communicating Across Generations - Or What A Boardgame Might Teach The Boardroom

Lou Kerestesy — Wed, 02 Mar 2022 07:23:00 +0000

My friend and colleague, Brenda Blackman, opens this episode with a funny story about how the communication of clues in a card and boardgame was challenged by differences in the players' ages. It's a telling story, too, because with five generations in the workforce, how much work communication is affected by age? In what ways? Is getting on the same page affected? Brenda and I discuss these questions and what she does about them.

With 28 years in the Air Force and another 10 consulting, not only is leadership important to Brenda but so is mentoring. Mentoring is near and dear to her heart, in fact, and in this episode we discuss challenges organizations face preparing young professionals for top leadership positions. Here are a few of my ahh-ha! moments:

1:48 - Clues, games and the ahh-ha! moment.

3:57 - Taking the extra step to make sure people on your team are as vested in the outcomes as you are.

7:42 - The difference between following orders when you understand - and don't understand - a leader's objective or endgame.

12:21 - How understanding a leader's objective or endgame enables better performance - and why good leaders never ask teams to bring them a rock.

20:00 - When a team is very close, can they really "read each other's minds?" And what probabilities and prediction have to do with it.

24:10, 27:27 - The importance of conducting an environmental scan.

31:15 - Why a leader must "pull the thread" to get everyone on the same page.

Retrospective: Looking Back At Episodes 1 - 20

Lou Kerestesy — Wed, 23 Feb 2022 12:50:00 +0000

In this week's episode of I See What You Mean, I highlight ideas and insights from the first 20 episodes.

Several guests discussed what they think it means to get or be on the same page. Each guest discussed ways they get people there in the work they do. Below are time-stamps and guest names so you can jump to their summaries or search for their full episodes.

I want to thank each guest for taking time to record an episode with me, for freely sharing their knowledge and experience in the hope that a listener will grab something and run with it.

1:41 - Definitions of getting and being on the same page.

3:13 - Evan Scott uses several techniques to ensure a strong fit between companies, positions and candidates.

4:00 - Tom Oates gets his team on the same page by transferring power to them.

4:50 - Esther Dyer uses information to get people on the same page, especially during change.

5:30 - Erik Jens gets teams on the same page, especially during times of change, using supraordinate goals coupled with a unique way to determine what gives team members energy, and what drains them of it. When he knows individual and team motivations he can distribute tasks accordingly, with each person playing to their strengths.

6:17 Don Weber uses goals, measures and milestones to get people on the same page. But he'll also retire organizational debt to improve work conditions, and add a nay-sayer to a project team to get the benefit of their knowledge.

7:00 Douglas Cameron uses financial data analytics to get buyers and suppliers on the same page about risk and risk mitigation.

7:54 Bob Nunnally checks his own communication when he's not on the same page with his team. He describes several specific communication techniques including asking, "What do you think we should do?"

8:57 Danelle Barrett got people on the same cybersecurity page by talking to people about how it mattered in their job, especially to achieve their "no-fail" mission.

10:22 Bill Stanton gets customers from the boardroom to the maintenance crew on the same page by knowing their numbers, including different returns on investment for different parties.

11:26 Tim Cooke gets Federal government contracting officials on the same page by busting myths about acquisition innovation, using contracting officials as the messengers to contracting officials.

12:48 Rick Dudek gets business people on the same information security page by moving infosec conversations all the way upstream to when lines of business are contemplating doing something different. Wait until the end and Rick's infosec shop becomes the Department of No.

13:25 As an elected official, Susan Valdes gets people on the same page by listening to learn, especially when someone disagrees with her. She shares her views beginning with her values, and before speaking asks, "May I be candid?"

15:06 Alex Porfirenko gets people on the same page by understanding the rationales of sales teams, technical teams and the customer. By understanding why each thinks what they think so he can see the "art of the possible" in their overlaps and intersections.

16:14 Joe Launi will tell you everything that goes well in project management involves good communication, and everything that goes badly involves poor communication. Joe teaches project managers a servant-leader approach to projects, including living Stephen Covey's dictum, "Seek first to understand, then to be understood."

17:19 William Randolph shares some thoughtful ideas for getting government and industry on the same acquisition page through, of all things, better marketing! Not "look at how great we are" marketing, but by adding real value. And not just when working an opportunity, but every day.

Can Better Marketing Create Better Value In Federal Contracting? This Former Contracting Official Says "Yes!"

Lou Kerestesy — Wed, 16 Feb 2022 06:24:00 +0000

For a retired Fed-turned-contractor who claims to not have a sales bone in his body (I'm not sold!), William Randolph knows how to market. After 25 years in government contracting, he not only knows what the government is looking for - he knows where they're looking for it. And it's not just in proposals.

In this episode, William and I discuss how government contractors - especially small businesses - can use social media to distinguish themselves from their competition and build a brand that's not only seen by contracting officials but is looked to as worth meeting, before a solicitation drops. Will explains how improving presolicitation conversations not only increases wins but produces superior value and meets the mission, while reducing risk. Here are some of my favorite ahh!-ha moments:

6:35 - Becoming "top of mind" for potential customers

11:30 - Federal contracting as the ultimate meritocracy, and how marketing right makes you more meritorious

14:12 and - How better marketing helps the government "better ask" for what it buys - with a fun example of buying apples for a pie

25:42 - Marketing-as-edutainment, edutainment-as-adding value, and why small businesses can't afford not to try

29:16 and on - Three things to be on the same page about in Federal government contracting - value, mission and risk

41:06 - Branding as a virtual avatar of your business and what it stands for

Communication And The Art Of Project Management. Or Is It The Other Way Around?

Lou Kerestesy — Thu, 10 Feb 2022 23:30:00 +0000

My friend Joe Launi has been in the project management business for 35 years. He's been a team member, project manager, and trainer. And if you ask him the secret to project management success he'll tell you it revolves around communication. He'll tell you there's more to it than that. But he'll also tell you every project challenge can be worsened by poor communication or managed by good communication.

In this episode, Joe talks about getting on the same project page from the trenches, not the textbooks. Yes PMs need to know how to build a work breakdown structure and a dependency laden schedule. But there will be no getting on any project management same page without skills such as listening, asking good questions, being humble, and growing your team. Skills not unique to project management. Here are a few of my favorite ahh-ha! moments:

3:11 - Did you make the bed? Getting on the same page as a communication challenge.

8:20 - I'm not vaccinated: COVID, subcontractors and seeking to understand, then to be understood.

20:48 - Team rules rule... if the team writes them.

30:09 - The Project Management Body of Knowledge v7: Is your PM a servant-leader?

41:06 - Leaders are responsible for results, not for knowing everything. As a leader, can you get out of your own way to let people work?

49:31 - The story of the client who loved that his software ran faster without having to ask - but did have to ask why the other $10M of software he bought didn't run faster, too.

Getting On The Same Page With Yourself First... And Others, After

Lou Kerestesy — Wed, 02 Feb 2022 14:40:00 +0000

When Andy Robinson said he wanted to discuss being true to oneself as a prerequisite to getting on the same page with others, I knew we'd have a great conversation. And we did. We start by discussing what it means to be true to oneself, and how one does that with and through work. We discuss what it means to lead at work being true to oneself, to lead others to a similar experience through inspired individual and team performance. We conclude by discussing how major career change calls us to settle accounts as citizens of the universe, or children of God, or however one experiences their belief system. And along the way, Andy impressively connects the nuts and bolts of work roles and responsibilities to our aspirations for authenticity and fulfillment. Here are a few of my favorite moments...

3:34 - Who's expectations for your career? Others, or your own?

5:37 - Tuning in to oneself as an internal guidance mechanism

7:48 and on - Trust and fit with your place of employment

14:41 - Your career might call for you to reinvent yourself, and that's an opportunity

21:16 - Andy's own Cincinnati Bengals story - leading an improbable turnaround at work

32:31 - How being at peace with yourself helps others understand and communicate with you

41:21 - When performing like a machine feels like being a team - or is it the other way around?

52:46 - Three things Andy focuses on when change is the most stressful and disruptive

Creating The Art Of The Possible, In The Simplest Way Possible

Lou Kerestesy — Wed, 26 Jan 2022 06:56:00 +0000

In any situation each of us sees certain things (and not others), sizes up what we see in certain ways (and not others), and decides what to do (and not something else) as a means to some end (and not some other). Being clear on these things yields our rationale - the answer to the question of why we do what we do in some situation. The same explains others' rationales, which is where things get interesting.

My friend and colleague Alex Porfirenko knows this. He figured it out by experience, by trial and error, by study. He learned the questions to ask to understand another's rationale. He learned that asking those questions of a team produced shared knowledge and shared intent which got people on the same page. Even when rationales differed - or because they differed. It sounds like magic but isn't. It's creating the art of the possible, in the simplest way possible.

Here are some of my favorite moments:

3:20 - Three levels of getting on the same page with customers.

7:21 - Data intelligence isn't just about your data. There are other very important things to get on the same page about.

15:36 - Nothing can replace conversation for getting to know problem-solution fit. The only question is whether you'll have the conversation sooner, or later.

26:13 - Alex challenges and broadens my definition of getting on the same page.

35:39 - Opening up the art of the possible.

36:50 - An escalation procedure for understanding and resolution, not blame.

43:22 - The basics are basic, but mastering them takes practice.

School Boards And Legislatures: One Public Servant's Lessons In Leadership And Listening

Lou Kerestesy — Wed, 19 Jan 2022 06:08:00 +0000

Florida State Rep. Susan Valdes knows a few things about getting people on the same page. She's served the greater Tampa area in elected positions for almost 20 years. First as a school board member for the country's 8th largest school district, and today as a Democrat in a substantially Republican House of Representatives.

And yet after so many years on the front lines of politics, public policy, budgets and strong public opinion, Rep. Valdes looks to me like the calm eye of a storm. She's warm and welcoming. She focuses on the person to whom she's speaking, even in a room full of people there to speak to her. She never forgets she's in office to serve because she asked to be there to serve. And she knows how to listen - especially to people who disagree with her. Here are a few of my favorite moments:

5:03 - Sometimes listening says more.

15:53 - Listening and learning go together, especially with legislation because bills come from experience. No one is an expert on every piece of legislation so we learn from each other's experience.

33:00 - Government exists to help us govern ourselves - with all our differences. So it takes a level of humility to do that fairly for all.

38:58 - Leading from the middle - but not the political center.

45:08 - How courageous conversations are needed to avoid the unintended consequences of legislation.

53:54 - How to balance the representation of well-organized and well-funded interests, with those less organized and funded.