I was asked today to contribute to the Washington Post “On Leadership” column. My remarks were about how new beginnings start with the death of the old ways – and what this means for leaders of organizational change. Here is what I wrote:

“The beginning of anything new always signals the death of the old. Changing the way work gets done means employees having to give up the competence and confidence they gained under the old system. Employees under new leadership must relinquish the relationships they created with their previous boss. A work force relocating to new facilities has to move from the existing building. And with every “death” comes a period of mourning where people grieve for what they are being asked to leave behind. This is why you can expect that employees in the midst of a cultural transformation are almost certain to take a nostalgic look back at 'the good old days' and to mourn the passing of that familiar culture.

Effective leaders of change focus on the future without describing the past as wrong. It is almost always unproductive to tell people that they must change to 'correct' past performance. (It is also unrealistic to speak of “correcting” in cases where the past has been highly successful, but still needs to change.) In any case, it is wise to assume that workers have done their best. Telling them it was not good enough -- that, in effect, they were not good enough -- is demoralizing, de-motivating, and guaranteed to build resentment.

Instead of blaming the old ways, leaders can help employees detach from the past by allowing them to mourn it. To facilitate people through the mourning period, I've seen the past honored in a variety of rituals. From pictorial displays on company walls to parties celebrating the history of the organization, rituals help people say good-bye and move on to embrace the future.”

Not a bad way to think about the new year. If you take time to honor (and perhaps mourn) whatever beliefs, behaviors and attitudes you want to leave behind, it will be much easier to release them in order to move on.

Happy 2011 - I hope it's a good one for you!

GHOST STORY

I believe in ghosts.

Not only do I believe in ghosts, I’ve seen how they haunt individuals, teams, departments, and entire organizations around the world. And nowhere are these workplace ghosts more insidious than in the area of collaboration.

What I’m calling “ghosts” are those out-dated attitudes and behaviors about collaborative knowledge-sharing that still haunt corporate halls and factory floors. It’s an expensive haunting that causes wasted talent and underused brainpower and results in billions of dollars in lost ideas, in not sharing best practices and lessons learned, in a lack of innovation, and in employees’ not having the information needed to do their jobs.

Now that’s scary!

To explain what I’d been seeing in organizations, I wrote a book called “Ghost Story.” And I wrote it as a business fable -- just for fun.

And fun I had creating some pretty weird characters: A magpie who hoards information, a three-legged Martian who is the ultimate outsider, a 400-pound pig in an admiral's uniform who treats staff as if they were children, and the two-year-old head of IT who speaks "dribble" – to name only a few.

Actually, it wasn’t that hard for me to create these characters. Truth is, I’ve met all of them. Of course I’m speaking figuratively. The pig, for example, is the prototypical "command and control" manager who distributes information on a “need-to-know” basis. His role, he believes, is to protect people who are unable to absorb what's really going on within the organization. Let them know what's actually happening, he insists, and they would panic, freak out, and defect like rats. So, naturally, the pig is hesitant to share.

Everyone in the story, in fact, has a valid reason for not sharing information. The Martian tried to give his opinion when he first joined the organization, only to be told: “That's not the way we do things around here. It may have worked on Mars, but not here.” So, over time, he stopped contributing.

And we’ve all met the “techie” (and other experts like him) who thinks he’s informing us, but really just confuses the issue because he can’t translate what he knows into words we can understand.

Then there is Dot, the heroine of the story. After surveying 200 mid-level managers regarding the state of knowledge-sharing in their teams and departments, I found women to be at a distinct disadvantage: They are less likely to speak up in meetings, less likely to believe that their contributions are valuable, and more likely to personalize failure while externalizing success. Dot symbolizes those of us who don’t share information because we are unconsciously competent. We simply “don’t know what we know.”

One of my favorite characters in the book is a talking bonsai tree. I needed a living thing that Dot could use as a mentor, something you might find in a corporate meeting room. I also wanted her mentor to have obvious flaws. The bonsai offers a lot of good advice, but doesn't have Dot’s courage and inner strength. It’s a way of making the point that mentors, while incredibly valuable for a time, are always imperfect people . . . or plants. In the end, Dot grows in her ability to value her own insights and to rely on herself.

I was once asked if any of these characters were autobiographical. I initially denied that any of them resembled me in the least, although one, “Mr. Right” -- who has already found the right answer and so refuses to look at alternatives -- was very much like my husband. But after thinking it over, I had to admit that I’ve been just as haunted as all my characters. Under some circumstances, I’ve let ghosts lead me into any number of outdated behaviors. The trick, I’m learning, is to examine those behaviors in light of new realities.

For instance, like my character “The Miser” (a knowledge-hoarding Magpie), I’ve been haunted by the belief that “knowledge is power.” Which may have been true in an earlier, more stable time, when knowledge obsolescence took years and when hoarders created leverage and power bases by hanging onto what they knew. But today, when the shelf life of knowledge is much shorter, the new reality is that knowledge is no longer a commodity like gold, which holds (or increases) its worth over time. It’s more like milk – fluid, evolving, and stamped with an expiration date. And by the way, I’ve learned there is nothing less powerful than hanging on to knowledge whose time has expired.

How about you? Seen any ghosts lately?

Carol Kinsey Goman, Ph.D. is an international speaker, consultant, leadership coach, and the author of ten books, including “Ghost Story: A Modern Business Fable.” Her latest book is “The Nonverbal Advantage: Secrets and Science of Body Language at Work.” To book Carol to speak at your corporate or association event, email: cgoman@ckg.com, phone: 510-526-1727, visit her web site: www.CKG.com.

I'm collecting "Tips from the Trenches" - a report on what people are doing (not what they're advising others to do, or what they know they should do, but actually doing) to thrive and survive in these turbulent economic times. If you'd like to participate, please email me at CGoman@CKG.com.

Below is a response I received from a woman named Cyndy Kaufman. I thought her story so valuable I wanted to share it right away.

"My position was eliminated last July. My company was going through several reorganizations and layoffs. Although I was safe from the first two rounds...you never know. My position was just not needed in the current scheme of things. So my next steps? We work at our jobs 8-10 hours. And that is how much time I devoted to job researching, searching, applying and networking. While I kept an open mind about the type of work, I was also realistic about my skills and what I wanted to or didn't want to include in a position. These efforts paid off. I had about a dozen phone interviews and almost the same in-person interviews.

I help others in their efforts to look for work. That means that two or more of us are looking and making contacts. Boomerang theory really works here! I had held a networking group for the first few months. We would meet for coffee or at the noon hour once every two weeks. We shared tips, resume writing feedback and our frustrations. Everyone has a job today...well, okay, that would be almost for me...keep reading...

From previous job searches, never bring up salary unless they do. Often if they think you are wonderful and the right person, the salary can magically appear. And don't settle for less than your current base salary (the days of bonuses and incentives are fading away). That will only make you bitter and resentful in your new wonderful position. I learned that after my first layoff, years ago. Having been a career counselor and having many jobs myself, if you keep confident (not overconfident) about your job/self worth, you will not fail to bring in the appropriate compensation for your life's work.

I also believe you should have 9-12 months salary in the bank all of the time...regardless of your current status. If I hadn't I would not be in good shape today...eight months later. Having this cushion allowed me to turn down a job I knew would not be in my best interest. Instead, I waited and took a job for the future...with the Federal Government. However, my security clearance will take 8 months or so. Again, I had the savings to endure the months of non-income and make the best decision.

That said, I am looking for freelance, part-time and hourly work to help me until my first paycheck. Although everyone else is doing the same. I carefully pick small networking events that can provide me with contacts or skill building for the future. I have volunteered for professional associations so that my name is out there and I get more contacts. This also allows me to keep current in the industry.

I've cut back on my gym membership. However, exercise is especially important if you are not working or worried about the times. I walk outside and do abs on my bedroom floor to stay in shape. I looked for a sale for hand weights as well. I pay a small fee not to lose my initiation fee and can be in this non-active status for 6 months. I do not go out for dinner or lunch except for a rare networking dinner or lunch. I make my own cookies/muffins. I buy a whole chicken and make several days of it. I make pizza from the dough you can buy in a Trader Joe's. Chili, lasagne, are other possibilities. Meals from scratch are much cheaper than ready-made. So hone up on your cooking skills. This really saves the pennies. I clip coupons and shop the sales. I bunch my errands so I don't have to go out (and use gas...) everyday. I had to cut back on cable TV services and I don't go out to the movies. I will rent the DVD or purchase online when I have the cash flow. I use the local library! for magazines, checking out books, and DVDs. I'm not afraid to say no to my family or friends or tell them I honestly would prefer not to spend the money right now.

Most of all, surround yourself with positive people and keep positive inner thoughts if you are faced with a job layoff. Often this can lead to something greater/better/different.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask. I hope I can help you make a difference in someone else's life."

Best Regards, Cyndy

But is it fair?

A team of Princeton researchers hooked up players to functional MRI machines and had them play the "ultimatum game" in which two people are asked to split a sum of money. The rules: One player gets to make the split, and the second player gets to accept or reject the split. If the second player rejects the split, neither player gets any money.

Rationally, the first player should realize her advantage and offer a lopsided split in her favor. The second player should then accept the uneven split, because any amount of money is better than nothing.

But this rarely ever happens.

While the fairness of the split shouldn’t logically affect the second player’s decision, it nearly always does. If offered a lopsided split, the second player rejects the deal, and both players walk away empty-handed. That is why most people end up offering a fifty-fifty split to the second player.

The functional MRI machine showed why people react in this way. When players are offered an unfair split, a primal part of their brains known as the anterior insula sends out a signal of disgust and anger. It doesn’t matter one little bit that rejecting the split—regardless of how unfair—is an irrational financial decision. It feels right.

This is only one example of where emotion trumps logic. And hard-wired human reactions don’t disengage just because people enter a workplace. Keep this in mind the next time you try communicate a "we've-got-to-do-more-with-less" message when the folks at the top are still perceived to get all the perks.

Carol Kinsey Goman, Ph.D., is an executive coach, author, consultant and keynote speaker who addresses association, government, and business audiences around the world. For more information, contact Carol by phone: 510-526-1727, email: CGoman@CKG.com, or through her website: http://www.CKG.com.

DO YOU CARE?
Carol Kinsey Goman, Ph.D.

At a claim office of about 125 employees, the head of Human Resources spent the day observing the claim manager. This particular manager had received fantastic feedback on her company’s Quality Leadership Measurement System (QLMS) survey, so the HR executive was curious to watch her with her people to figure out what generated this great feedback. And as they walked through the office, conversing about the normal work conditions, the manager would often stop and refer to specific individuals: "Steve over there has been in our area for 15 years. Steve also coaches Little League. They won their game last Thursday.”

They’d move on to someone else, and as they left that person's area, quietly the claim manager would say, "Sally had some problems with her daughter this year. You know how difficult teenagers can be. We've had many sessions behind closed doors where Sally’s trying to sort through these problems."

Months later, when I interviewed the HR executive, that day at the claim office was still etched in her mind: “It became apparent to me that this manager knew all of her people. And I don't mean just knew their jobs. She knew each individual – their backgrounds and hobbies, what their concerns were, what got them excited. She knew when they were upbeat because things were going well, and she knew when they were struggling and needed her time and attention. When I asked, ‘How on earth can you do this for 125 people?’ she replied, ‘That's my job.’"

Great leaders understand that you can’t pay people to excel. You can only pay them to show up. But once you’ve got them there, the leader’s job is to encourage people to excel by create an atmosphere of caring, trust and inclusion. Sun Tzu, author of the Chinese classic, “The Art of War,” “Regard your soldiers as your own children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys. Treat them as your own beloved sons, and they will be with you even unto death.”