By-Passing the Jury Through Mediation or Arbitration - Venable LLP

8
>> OWN UP TO MISTAKES
We’re all human beings and we all
make mistakes, even CEOs and executives.
So, be honest with yourself and
others and admit when you’ve made a
mistake. Perhaps, you may think, as
many others do, that great leaders are
not supposed to make mistakes. They
think that if they do, this will lower the
respect that they will receive from their
employees. This is not true! What is
reality, however, is that mistakes rarely
go unnoticed. In other words, it’s difficult
to sweep your mistakes under the
carpet, especially if you are the CEO or
another high-level executive. The
proper course of action, as we see it is:
• Admit that you have made a mistake.
• Explain to others what you intend to
do to correct it.
• Discuss the lesson learned and how
important it is not to make the same
mistake again.
9
>> DISAGREE WITHOUT
APPEARING DISAGREEABLE
As you know all too well, the position
of CEO or other high-level executive
inevitably brings with it the need
to present alternative opinions and to
disagree with others. It’s part of your
job. Surely, you can use your power to
bulldoze your position through but, in
the long run, this doesn’t get genuine
support from your employees. In fact,
you could easily find yourself winning
battles but losing “the war.” Your longterm
effectiveness depends significantly
on your skill in handling disagreements
without being disagreeable. Here are
four important pointers to remember:
1. Focus the disagreement on the key
issue, not on the person with whom
you are disagreeing. You might even say,
“Terry, you know I respect your work in
this area, but I disagree with your proposal
to…let me tell you why…”
2. When trying to resolve a disagreement
with another person, find out
the needs, concerns, and fears behind
their stated position. One way to do
this is to simply ask them – “Terry,
what’s your reason in wanting…at
this time?” When doing this, make it
clear that you do not just want a basic
restatement of Terry’s position, but
that you are truly interested in Terry’s
goals and feelings.
3. Actively listen by giving the other
person your full attention without
thinking about how you are going to
respond and avoid the temptation to
interrupt.
4. You will be a far more successful
CEO or high-level executive if you
can avoid making enemies. Having to
deal with enemies will sap the time
and energy that can be better spent on
more important matters.
10 >> FIND BETTER WAYS
Are you a CEO or executive
who has done a great job of growing
your organization over the past several
years, but now find that its growth has
leveled off. If so, you need to find
better ways of managing your organization.
You need to view management as
a profession, not merely a reward for
your outstanding past performance or
as an inheritance. Developing superior
managerial skills is a lifelong endeavor.
It must never end with an MBA from a
prestigious program, or participation in
an executive seminar series conducted
in-house or at a university. It’s important
that you never stop learning and
that you keep up with modern management
practices. Consider the following
suggestions:
• Read at least two management books a
month. You can begin with Steven
Covey’s The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective
People and Michael Gerber’s E Myth
Mastery: The Seven Essential Disciplines
For Building A World Class Company.
• Attend, on a yearly basis, a series of
executive seminars and/or workshops
at one of the universities in the Baltimore/Washington
area.
• Consider hiring your own professional
Executive Coach. Your coach will
first assess your executive strengths
and developmental opportunities;
then, he or she will meet with you
periodically to help you to become a
superior manager.
• Use an approach known as “360º
Feedback” to periodically obtain
candid information from others (e.g.,
your peers, subordinates and/or customers)
about the things you do well
and you need to do better.
Are you using these 10 valuable
tips? If you believe you have room for
improvement, we hope this month’s
column will guide you in making
needed changes. Please e-mail us and
let us know how our “10 valuable tips”
are working for you.
Kenneth N. Wexley has his Ph.D. in Industrial &
Organizational Psychology and is currently President
and CEO of Wexley Consulting - HRD, a nationallyknown
management consulting firm. Douglas A.
Strouse is the president of the CEO Club of Baltimore
and has his Ph.D. with emphasis in Organizational
Management. (ken@wexleyconsulting.com).
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www.smartceo.com August 2005 Baltimore SmartCEO 17