Jeff Grimshaw - Leadership Without Excuses

LEADERSHIP WITHOUT EXCUSES

HOW TO CREATE ACCOUNTABILITY AND HIGH PERFORMANCE
(INSTEAD OF JUST TALKING ABOUT IT)

JEFF GRIMSHAW
GREGG BARON

Copyright 2010 by Jeff Grimshaw and Gregg Baron. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

ISBN: 978-0-07-160005-7

MHID: 0-07-160005-1

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To my parents, Richard and Charlotte, for their example. To
Tanya, who holds me accountable for practicing what I preach.

JG

To my wife, Nancy, for being an incredible partner;
the team at Success Sciences for their dedication and talent;
and to all of the clients we have been privileged to serve.

GB

PART 1
PROVEN STRATEGIES FOR COMMUNICATING CLEAR AND CREDIBLE EXPECTATIONS

CHAPTER 1
EQUIP YOUR PEOPLE FOR MOMENTS OF TRUTH AND TRADEOFF

CHAPTER 2
INVEST EXCRUCIATING MINUTES TO ENSURE ROLE CLARITY

CHAPTER 3
USE COMMANDERS INTENT TO PROMOTE OWNERSHIP, STRETCH YOUR PEOPLE, AND ALIGN THEM WITH YOUR BUSINESS STRATEGY

CHAPTER 4
COMPETE FOR ATTENTION

CHAPTER 5
BOOST THE CREDIBILITY OF YOUR HIGH EXPECTATIONS

PART 2
PROVEN STRATEGIES FOR CREATING COMPELLING CONSEQUENCES

CHAPTER 6
REWARD WHAT YOU WANT TO SEE MORE OF... AND STOP TOLERATING WHAT YOU DONT

CHAPTER 7
USE THE OTHER F-WORD TO TAP HIDDEN SOURCES OF MOTIVATION

CHAPTER 8
WIELD YOUR BIGGEST STICK: THE POWER TO TAKE THINGS AWAY

CHAPTER 9
WHEN YOU HAVE NO AUTHORITY, USE INCREASED CONFIDENCE AND REDUCED ANXIETY AS YOUR CONSEQUENCE CURRENCY

PART 3
PROVEN STRATEGIES FOR LEADING CONVERSATIONS GROUNDED IN EMPIRICAL REALITY

CHAPTER 10
WHET THE APPETITE FOR TRUTH

CHAPTER 11
PREVENT EXCUSES BEFORE THEY HAPPEN

CHAPTER 12
BANISH THE FANTASIES AND FETISHES THAT LEAD TO FINGERPOINTING

CHAPTER 13
TREAT MISTAKES AS INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL AND GIVE NEGATIVE FEEDBACK THAT DOESNT FREAK PEOPLE OUT

Publishing conventions precluded us from putting a dozen or so names on the cover. Thats unfortunate, as each member of our core team earned authorship credit for contributing original insights and content. That team of coauthors and contributors includes Lynne Viscio, Jan Lee, Barry Mike, Neill Edwards, Lilly Linton, and Alex Gwozda. Most of all, Tanya Mann and Ross Wilken deserve acknowledgment and our gratitude for their investment of blood, sweat, time, and brain power. More than half the chapters in the book directly reflect their insights.

Chris Thorsen, Kellie Hamrick, Amy Amundson, Josh Peskin, and Rebecca Cichetti also made essential contributions.

If we managed to express any original ideas in these pages, Emil Bohn is most likely their intellectual godfather.

We also owe a debt of gratitude to Laurie Spoon, Carolynne Bernard, Michelle McDermott, Jonathan Miller, Ariel Ptak, Kristen Senior, Jennifer Landis, Jean Cuce, John Cook, Suzanne Peterson, Alan Nelson, Joe Folger, Megan Scala, Lani Van Dusen, Sandy Nelson, Will Sparks, Beverly Evans, Beverly Teague, Anne Murray-Randolph, Cindy Adams, Ronnie Chriss, Enitan Adesanya, Rick Ginley, Deborah Breines, Nicole Boscia, John McDermott, Michael A. Tysarczyk, Don P. Foster, Yvonne Cook, Roberta Bert Snow, Linda Heigh, Beverly Evans, Faith Drennan, Bethmarie Fahey, Ted and Mary Anne Regan, Barbara Greene, Emilie Hafner-Burton, David Viktor, Keith Coe, Greg Grimshaw, Jeremy Grimshaw, Anna M. Grimshaw, lots of other Grimshaws, Ted Edwards, Hillary Buckholtz, Catherine Hernandez, Karen Yolton, Mark Newman, Bob Kantor, Mike Grottola, Tobias Mayer, Susan Hazlett, John Brownfield, Hank Guenther, Denny Moutray, Duane Farrington, Rebecca Cohen, Andrea Coville, Walt Lockwood, Barbara Bauer, Harold Nelson, John Brodeur, and Dave Conti. Thanks also to Mal OConnor and our friends at the Center for Applied Research (CFAR).

We cant forget the team at McGraw-Hill. Our first editor, Herb Schaffner, championed our cause, while Knox Huston, our second editor, ably guided us across the finish line. Both believed in us and helped bring out our best. Thanks also to Rik Kranenburg, Tom Stanton, Mary Skafides, Daina Penikas, and Ed Chupak.