Fire the Micromanager

This person will bring your company down faster than any other person you could hire. The micromanager will do everything in his power to cover his tracks, because he’ll want to appear to be the best manager in the company. You may have to do some serious digging to figure this out. Where he’ll slip up, however, is with his people skills.

In my experience, micromanagers are usually introverts managing extroverts. Recent research in two studies shows that they don’t generally rate extroverts well in work performance, especially if they hold a managerial position over said extroverts.

If you’re hearing reports that this person is a micromanager, watch them closely without saying anything. Look to see if reports are going out on time, if people enjoy working under them, and how involved in the work of their subordinates they are.

The next step is to ask the subordinates how they feel about coming to work every day. If you’ve built a good relationship with them and they trust you, it won’t be difficult to solicit and honest response from them. Ask also about how they think the other team members are being treated (this is where you can leverage the power of the extroverts and emotionally intelligent members of the team).

Specifically, ask them how they feel about working under this particular person, what he asks them to do, and if they feel like they can live up to his expectations. Don’t be afraid to dig in deeply on this one. The more open-ended questions you ask, the farther down into the problem you’ll be able to dig. Ask about the results of their work, if they’re happy with those results, and how they feel their manager helps or hinders them.

Then close it off with this question: “Do you feel (person) is a micromanager?” This may take them off guard, but be sure you ask them why or why not so you can use this to your advantage.

Once you have enough data, confront the micromanager and ask him about why things aren't running well in his department. If he’s smart, he may attempt to again cover his tracks. If he does this, press him for details. (As one of close mentors and college professors taught me, micromanagement leads to micro-results. Present these micro-results and see how he defends them.)

This is where it will get interesting. If he is able to give you those details, he may or may not be a micromanager. If the blame for poor results, however, is presented as being his subordinates fault, he is most likely a micromanager. Tell him he is a micromanager, and you may see anger, frustration, and yelling, but you will know that you have made a correct decision.

Again: micromanagement leads to micro-results. The very best thing you can do for you, the health of your business, and the sanity of your team is to fire this person.

In a way to use their own strategy against them, let them know why you’re letting them go in a very detailed report, including the lack of results the team’s interpersonal frustrations with the micromanager. If you do this, you are creating a paper trail and a strong case for the termination of their employment that you can use to justify your decision in any verbal or legal battle that may ensue.

Finally, be smart about it. Many micromanagers are methodical, and may find a way to seek revenge on you and your company. Be ready for any potential PR issues that may arise from this and have your lawyer on speed dial in case a lawsuit is brought against you, your team or your company as whole.

Fire the micromanager. Your employees will be relieved, you will see better results, and your company, as a whole, will likely increase it’s bottom line. Even your customers/clients will begin to notice a difference in the service they receive.

Fire the micromanager. It’s a decision you won’t regret.  

Why You Should Have Millennials on Your Executive Team

The market is rapidly changing. From my own personal conversations in my work as a business strategy consultant, I've found that many C-level executives are struggling to grasp what it takes to reach out and keep millennials as paying customers/clients, and more particularly as employees.

Having worked for several companies before breaking off to form my current company, I've seen workplaces that completely embrace the millennial mindset, and others who dismiss it as useless. If the market continues it current trends, however, those who don't see the value in changing their business practices and models to accommodate millennials will soon begin losing market share and find themselves out of business.

Those companies who have younger c-level executives and even mid-level managers understand that in the new way of doing things, skills are just as valuable as degrees (if not more so). Actively seeking those from the Gen-Y selection of candidates will ensure that those skills and modern understanding meet in one place.

1. Millennials understand social media and other modern advertising mediums.

While the general principles of marketing have not changed, the mediums certainly have, and staying up to date and embracing these newer ways of building brand awareness and driving revenue into your company are a must.

Since much of marketing is basic psychology, if no one in your company understands how your new target market's way of thinking, then you will basically just be shooting in the dark. You might get lucky every now and then, but you'll end up spending a lot more money than if you have a millennial who can quickly look at a proposal and know it's out of touch.

For instance, one of the biggest mistakes we see in our consulting efforts is a "shotgun" approach to Facebook and other social advertising. Companies can deplete their Facebook ad allotment or even their entire marketing budget on just a few poorly-tailored and ill-targeted ads, losing hundred, even several thousand dollars in just a single poorly-run campaign.

A millennial with the right training and experience will be able to look at the ad set and let you know it's not going to work. A solid millennial executive will be able to look at the person running the campaigns and realize they may not be the right person for the job. Content is king, and those to whom that content is targeted are the perfect decision-makers to keep your company up with current market trends.

The Harvard Business Review is smartly predicting that technology, with digital channels as touch points, will remain the dominant medium for marketing, because millennials have grown up in the digital age and look for ease of interaction, in addition to our preferences for getting what we want quickly. Fax machines and direct mail certainly do not fall into that category.

2. Millennials depart from corporate norms and think independently.

I can't tell you how many executives and mid-level managers I've talked to who are frustrated with how my generation burns through jobs and positions, always restless and/or seemingly lazy.

In reality, we understand the disruption that happened to the job market in 2008 at the market crash. We know that if we stay with one company, come in, keep our head down for 20 years, get good at our job that probably doesn't require a college degree receive great performance reviews and receive a little bigger paycheck, earn PTO and build a solid 401(k), we might be lucky to retire when we're 80 and be able to work a side job greeting people at the local department store.

Educated millennials view this as an unacceptable way to live. Those who live like this limit their own potential. Because wages have stagnated or declined all across the job sector, sharp millennials know that if we want to further our skill sets and increase our paychecks, we’ll be required to change jobs at a rate that was formerly considered "job-hopping." (See what the Washington Post has to say on this subject.) I’ve held more jobs in my 20’s than my dad has held in his entire career, and that’s okay, because of the experience and skills I've gained in the process.

If you don't have a millennial-minded hiring managers and HR leaders, this could be a nightmare that you are struggling to wake up from, especially if you don't understand millennials yourself. Involving the up-and-coming business leaders to give you stronger direction and tactics will help you correctly target and hire great candidates who will give their best during their time with your company. Forbes gives some great suggestions on what this process ought to be, including allowing work from home and stronger communication of values.

Business New Daily suggests this is more of a matter of job exploration, in the millennial mind, rather than job hopping.

While millennials are with your company, have their direct managers sit down and set goals with them (I recommend doing this for all your employees, millennial or otherwise). Aggressively help them to reach these goals, through coaching, encouragement, and regular training, both in one-on-one and group settings. If your managers aren't willing to do this, worried that their job, clout and position could be threatened by this, find someone to replace them, because they will cost you more in the long run than not doing this, not only in money, but in reputation as an employer that doesn't care about the needs of their people.

Also, consider streamlining both your hiring and training processes, if at all possible. This will not only reduce costs, but will bring down your frustration when that perfect millennial decides to move on after a year or less. If they do leave you sooner than you would have preferred, don't take it personally. Do you best to maintain a strong relationship, and tap their network of friends and professional peers to find your next candidate.

3. Millennial have entrepreneurial vision and the skills to back it up. Clayton Christensen teaches in his book The Innovator's Dilemma that if a company doesn't create a separate department to deal with a shift in the market, that company will go under, often rather quickly. A prime example of this is MCI/WorldComm, a formerly well-known long distance communications company. MCI/WorldComm failed to create a mobile department, and eventually went bankrupt, ultimately to have all their assets bought by Verizon, the well-known mobile giant.

When you see a disruption coming, the best thing you can do is put a millennial at the head of the development of the new department, preferably one who has worked for a company that has gone under. They will push back, ask why, stay current on business news and market trends, and do it with the mindset of expansion to their own generation. This is exactly what you want in the creation and expansion, and maintenance of your company because it will ensure that when changes in the market are coming, your team will be aware and ready to compensate.

I've started my company using Facebook and iPads. Everyone who we initially approached as we were starting up said, "Hey, that's pretty cool." Millennials are the quickest group to snatch up the latest technology and trends. Even more importantly, the generation behind them, known as "Tweeners" or GenZ, knows nothing but technology, and will expect businesses selling them to understand this.

For me personally, I've seen job security not in corporate America, but in running my own show. Yes, I've tried and failed at a number of ventures, and I still worry from day to day if this current company will stay successful, but I know I can always find a new client. Finding and keeping a corporate job, however, is finicky, at best, these days, so having my own business makes sense to creating stability and finding true fulfillment in my own work. I'm passionate about what I do, because I created it.

Give millennials on your team the opportunity to create, lead, fail, grow, and learn by doing. You'll be astounded at what we can accomplish in a short period of time, and by the solid, measurable results that you'll see us produce.

3 Steps to Networking

I was recently told by an associate of mine that he doesn't attend parties of any kind for any reason. My first reaction was "You lead a sad, sorry life."  (Yeah, I actually said that to him.) This person wants to be a lawyer, but is wont to interact with anyone who has ideas different to his own, much less be seen socializing in a room full of people.

My feelings about networking can be defined in one sentence: to be successful in business, you have to network. 

On the opposite end of the spectrum, I attended a networking even in Minneapolis over the summer. The person with whom I attended worked the room, giving everybody a hug and had several drinks... you can imagine how awkward I was feeling by the end of it. By the time we left, everyone there knew who she was, mostly because she had forced her her drunk hug on them, and most did not have a favorable impression of her.

These two polar examples are only the beginning of my list of ways not to think about networking, and I could probably write a book on how not to network.

Networking can't be haphazard, grabbing every business card and clinking every glass, if you want to be successful. There are simple things that should be done no matter, like shaking hands, smiling, asking for a card, etc, so in an effort to keep things positive, I'll share  three actions you can take at any networking even that will help you meet the right people. Whether you're at a booth or working the room, follow these three steps, and you'll walk away with the best contacts possible.

The two chickens in the above comic show just what most people seem to struggle with in their networking: building trust. One is too eager to take advantage of the other, while the second is probably just there for the drink and food. As you take the following steps into account, remember that the entire purpose of networking events is to find people with whom you can build trust, adding a layer of strength to your network that has no substitute. 

1.  Locate "key players."


When you first walk in, grab a plate of food, a soda, etc, and then spend a few minutes soaking in the atmosphere. As you do, you'll notice these key players are actually pretty easy to spot. They usually have a few people around them, smile, and usually aren't pushy. They are confident. They frequently stay in one place.



Key Players may or may not be executives. Don't think for a second someone not having a C-level title makes them a waste of your time. Quite the contrary, key players come from all kinds of positions, corporate or otherwise. That recent college grad in the corner talking about social media marketing may become one of your greatest open doors to networking with his higher-ups, former professors and even his friends.

The idea is to talk to these people to and listen in on their conversations to figure out who's got a solid corporate position, who owns their own business, and who will simply be a valuable asset in your network.


2. Set up 3 lunch appointments with these key players.

I once worked in a financial advising office where the CEO of the group told us that he had spent $3500 the previous year on meals. I'm 100% sure that he didn't close or even talk business with every one of these people. If it was important for him, a multi-millionaire, to continue to build relationships day in and day out, then those of us who aren't quite there yet should learn from that and follow such an example.

Every time I'm invited to lunch, I go. I know I might get pitched on a product or service. That's okay. I want these people in my network, because they aren't afraid to sell what they believe in.

Lunch is a very quick way to get to trust someone and get a stronger idea of what their skills and experience are. Invite these people out, schedule it at a place near their office, and follow up with them the day before to make sure it's still going to work. As you make these invitations, do so carefully.

Be careful to not make more than three of these, though, because if you invite everyone out, people will catch on to that and think you're up to something.


3. Don't drink alcohol.

Before you say, "Oh, come on, Dennis. One drink won't hurt," or "I need alcohol at social event to be able to put myself out there," I want to warn you: the moment that alcohol hits your bloodstream and goes to your brain, your judgement begins to be impaired. What may seem like a "great conversation" while you're under the influence could very well be a huge waste of your time.

If you want to be impressive, stay away from the drinks and even take it easy on the finger food. (If a full-blown meal is being served, however, by all means, eat up.) Instead, get out of your comfort zone, start to make small talk with someone, and then move it in the direction of what their business does or even the person's personal life.

If you're struggling thinking of an ice breaker, here's a few tips on getting a conversation going at networking events.

Particularly if you're young, a sober mind is going to be essential for you making a good impression on others. It will keep your speech clear. It will help you see who's got legit products/goods/services, and who the charlatans and gibberish-talking fools are.


And while we're on that subject...


Bonus: Stay away from the Multi-level Market guys. 

Everyone knows who these guys are and why they're at the event: to get people to buy into their pyramid scheme and "build their business" so they can become the Senior-Most-Executive-Top-of-the-Food-Chain-Who-Doesn't-Have-to-Work-Anymore guy, and promises that so can you.

Being seen with these people can instantly hurt your credibility at any event, and I'm not kidding when I say that. Most strong business executives stay away from these companies for a reason. Many such companies have been given cease and desist orders, and almost all require a buy-in fee.

Any time the person won't directly answer you about what exactly their company does, what its name is, or if you hear something to the tune of, "Just pay $399 right now and the opportunity to be an independent business owner is yours," quickly close down the conversation and high-tail it out of there. It may seem rude, but it's to your (and the other person's) benefit.



....Still don't know what to do to get a good networking conversation going? Go with a friend.



I once sat on a Southwest flight between two guys from the same company, from Tampa, FL to Las Vegas. One asked, "So Dennis, what do you do?" After my elevator speech,  the other one piped in and started asking me questions about me, what I do, my family, etc. Now, granted, we were together for five hours, and we were able to build trust over that time period.

One guy was a little awkward, but was clearly interested in getting to know me, so the other guy helped him out. They made a great team, as they played off each other's skills and questions. Find your most extroverted friend and invite them to attend with you; it'll pay off, and will keep you from just holing up in a corner by yourself.

From the School of Hard Knocks: What I Learned

Dear Readers,

I know it's been a while; almost four months, actually. Since I know I have decent reach with this blog, I'm going to be careful about how I word things, but I'm also going to be clear about the things I've learned.

1. I learned that 1099 contract work is a good way to find out, first hand, about the internal operations of a company. It allows you get inside, be trusted, and learn how the company runs.

2. I learned just because someone sounds like they know what they're talking about, doesn't mean they really do.

3. I learned that people may actually know what they're talking about, but still can be terrible leaders.

4. ...and that even though they might know cool tricks in the industry....

.....they can still be a charlatan.

5. I learned that products and services may even be legitimate, but if methodized by a bad leader, companies can/will still go under, even if they have the best of intentions.

6. I observed it's not the easiest thing in the world to watch people who you know are smart be persuaded to think that they're on the right track, when the train is really headed down a dangerous path.

 In July, I made the decision to jump ship.

I'm glad I did.

Here's some good things that have come from my time over the summer. 

1. I learned social media. 

2. I broke into the marketing world.

3. I learned I can find success in the moment, no matter where I am or what others say. 

4. I learned that I can brand myself, Dennis J Walker, into what I want to be: an educated, religious family man who works in marketing and puts the gospel of Jesus Christ first in my life, no matter the pressure from others, including my employer. 

5. My new contract job? It's at Deseret Digital Media. I can't think of a finer brand.

...or of finer executives who run the place.

(Clark Gable, center, and Chris Lee right, the CEO and President, respectively)

And my boss? He's pretty cool, too. 

...not to mention the rest of the team. 

So I'm back. More blog posts to come.

Thanks, readers. See you soon. :)

DW

Social Media Corner- Brazil 2014 World Cup

The World Cup is now in full swing.




For those of us who love soccer...




(go team USA and team Brasil!)








...we're going crazy with our social media sharing...





and meeting people from all over the globe, as a result.




....truth be told, I'm really enjoying it.




...finding all kinds of ways to talk about it and mix it with my other passions.




(it's the Death Star on a soccer ball, if you aren't a Star Wars fan)







(yeah, I'm a history nerd, and I love ancient Egypt)





(I had to make the Shakira reference...such a gorgeous woman.)




...and I love the official song, by these two.





Yeah, I'm pretty excited for the world cup.





....I've gotten a ton of these, from my Brazilian friends who are there.




It makes me wish I was there.






...but for now, I'll just have to settle with feeling like this guy.