Working to Be a Leader

I know who caused the global financial crisis.  I met him in 1994 at the very private Wall Street investment bank where we both worked.  He was young then, fresh out of business school with an M.B.A. in finance no doubt.  I have no doubt because he shuffled through the corridors with his head bowed looking intently at his pocket calculator, like a rabbi studying the Talmud (if I saw the M.B.A. today, I’d describe him as a passenger in a crowded, stalled subway train intent on finding a tune on his iPod).

Since my desk was outside that of a partner, I could hear the M.B.A. describe this new product that promised to bring in high returns.  The product that this associate “derived” was a derivative.

The fragile state of our global economy is due in part to complicated financial products such as derivatives, products developed through mathematical models with little awareness of their long-term impact on markets or individuals.

“Derivatives are dangerous,” Warren Buffet, Chairman, CEO, and Head of Investing of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., wrote in his company’s 2008 report.  ”They have dramatically increased the leverage and risks in our financial system.  They have made it almost impossible for investors to understand and analyze our largest commercial banks and investment banks.”

I’m not an economist and won’t go further because, well, I’m not an economist.  I’m a management consultant and leadership coach.   And I’ve earned a reputation for being very effective in part because of my expertise, education, and experiences.  (The other parts are a fierce sense of humor, innovative solutions, and practical perspective.)

The primary contributor—and enhancer—to my now current professional status was the time I spent as a temporary secretary at the investment bank Lazard Freres & Co. and observed people like the above-mentioned M.B.A., partners, secretaries, etc.

The reason I temped at Lazard was because I needed a job.  What started as a two-week assignment on August 21, 1989, somehow evolved into over five years working with top bankers on Wall Street.   Well, I know exactly why my time there extended over months, then quarters, then years.

There was a recession in the early 1990’s and temping with tycoons was a way to get a regular paycheck, explore opportunities and face challenges to reinvent myself, and learn about leadership and business.

How I got my education in the workplace was being aware of what was going on around me, making notes like a student in graduate school.  To read more about my journey at Lazard, download the PDF of LTR’s level playing field special report “Temping with Tycoons:  Reinvention Lessons for the Laid Off Leader.”

temping-with-tycoons-by-leigh-henderson.pdf

This professional “time out” to temp greatly increased my awareness about organizational behavior and employee needs.  It also prepared me for the work I do today helping leaders level their playing fields of obstacles blocking optimum performance and career advancment.

My success coaching leaders and educating students who are leaders-to-be at the Zicklin School of Business is best summed up in one core message.  I suggest to individuals to pick their heads, remove their hands from their keyboards and their ears from their cell phones in order to become aware of their environment and the people who occupy that space.  Then I invite them to think about how their decisions will impact not just their performances and satisfy their needs but how their actions will radiate out to the employees at their workplace and in the world beyond their corporate walls.

That’s good advice for anyone.

…20…30…40…50…60…70…80…

Where are you on this continuum?  How do you view those of different ages in the workplace?

“How ALL AGES can get along in the Multigenerational Workplace” was the topic of a panel presentation I moderated at the March meeting of the New York City Chapter of the Employee Assistance Professionals Association (EAPA).  As they do each year, EAPA-NYC invites the EAPA-Women’s Issues Committee to present a program during Women’s History Month.

As Co-Chair of EAPA-Women, I worked with my Co-Chair Lynda Johnson to invite panelists who would share their professional perspectives and personal experiences with the audience.  In addition to Lynda, EAPA Coordinator, NYC Region, Hudson and Westchester, NY State Department of Motor Vehicles, other panelists were Margaret H. Reiff, MSW, LCSW, Executive Director/CEO, Jarvie Commonweal Service, a social service agency helping older people live, not merely exist; and Kalpana Parekh, LCSW, EAP Clinician, Trainer & Executive Coach, Corporate Counseling Associates (left to right in the photo below).

EAPA is an professional group made up of individuals and organizations dedicated to maximizing workplace effectiveness through prevention, identification, and resolution of productivity issues.

The questions I asked the panelists—and the audience—during our presentation focused on four areas:

1)  Communicating, not categorizing.  The workplace can include workers who range in age from their teens to over 80-years-old.  Older employees are staying in their jobs longer for economic and personal reasons.  There is growing tension between the younger worker and the older worker as they compete for scarce jobs during this recession.   Employers need to focus less on age and more on the talent each individual brings to the workplace and how the company can best utilize these skills.  Communications among the generations should focus on what one brings to the workplace more than assuming how an individual will perform because of their age.

2)  Respecting “We’re not your mother!”  In some workplaces, women are expected to perform certain roles in the office beyond what they have been hired to do.  Many older women have voiced concern that they are set up to play the “mother” in the office and, for instance, clean up after younger workers who won’t clean up after themselves in the office kitchen.  Panelists suggested clear company guidelines and accountability to resolve issues in this area.

3) Transforming from threat to collaborator.  Lynne Lancaster and David Stillman wrote in their book, When Generations Collide:  Who they are.  Why they clash.  How to solve the generational puzzle at work, that there are flashpoints among the generations on career goals.  That is, Traditionalists (born before 1943) want to “Build a Legacy.” Boomers (born 1943-1960) want to “Build a Stellar Career.” Gen Xers (born 1961-1980) want to “Build a Portable Career.”   And Millennials or Gen Yers (born between 1980 and 2002) want to “Build a Parallel Career.”  Employers might look upon younger employees as not making enough of a commitment; yet their skills to use certain online technologies and make quick adjustments to new processes make them valuable assets to their company.  Older employees bring experience and wisdom gained within the workplace; transferring that knowledge to younger workers is needed.

4) Managing sexual attractions across generations.  Romance between employees is not new.  Panelists agreed that company guidelines can assist employees understand the expectations and implications for these situations.  One important guideline suggested was workplace-appropriate attire at all times.  Workplace-appropriate attire would not include women wearing spaghetti strap or low cut tops, men wearing tank tops, etc.

Claire Raines in her book, Connecting Generations:  The sourcebook for a new workplace, suggests that employers and employees need to shift our perspective from the Golden Rule of “Do unto others as you would have them doing unto you,” to the Titanium Rule, “Do unto others, keeping their preferences in mind.”

The panelists agreed that it is important the recognize the unique traits that an individual brings to the workplace and as well as the common reasons that they are working within an age diverse workplace.