======================================================================== THE ADVICE LINE: BOB LEWIS http://www.infoworld.com ======================================================================== Wednesday, August 25, 2004
LATEST WEBLOG ENTRIES ======================================================================== * Dressing down * A good way to start ADVERTISEMENT -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- FREE DOWNLOAD: EVALUATING ANTI-SPAM SOLUTIONS InfoWorld's Special Report includes three articles helpful to senior decisionmakers involved in evaluating and selecting ant-spam solutions for their organizations. Articles include "Canning Spam", "Strong Spam Combatants" and "Email is Broken". Sponsored by Proofpoint. DOWNLOAD NOW http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?ctl=84D89C:2B910B2 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- DRESSING DOWN ======================================================================== Posted August 24, 6:56 AM Pacific Time Dear Bob ... I'm writing to comment on the three columns you wrote recently about dress codes in Keep the Joint Running. [Note from Bob: The three were: http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?ctl=84D897:2B910B2 http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?ctl=84D898:2B910B2 and http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?ctl=84D895:2B910B2 ] The fact that you've spent three columns on this unimportant issue (your words) shows how thorny it actually is. Whoever said "dress for the day" and is happy with the results either has the greatest hiring and HR strategies or is an oblivious moron. Fact is, it's hard to feel proud or your organization, when you walk guests past people who are dressed for the beach or working in the yard. Business formal may not be the way to go, but we all know what it looks like. Business casual is open to individual interpretation without a five page policy. There is nothing business about jeans, sneakers, muscle shirts, flannel shirts, etc. - Dressed for success Dear Dressed ... The advantage of "dress for the day" is that it creates an expectation among employees that judgment, rather than adherance to rules, is what's really important. Among the many benefits is that it avoids creating a "jailhouse lawyer" culture, where employees expend time and energy figuring out the loopholes to the rules. Without a doubt, this kind of approach only works when a company also places a premium on leadership, and in particular on leaders with enough courage to acknowledge subjectivity. Which is to say, a concommitant of a culture of good judgment is having leaders willing to say, "We're dealing with aesthetics, for which there are no objective standards. That means everyone has to have enough sense to understand what does and doesn't make sense in the workplace without my having to spell out exact rules. If I have to be more specific than 'dress for the day' it means I have to say, "dress neatly, in clothes that aren't excessively revealing and show good taste, and by the way I want you to practice good personal hygiene as well.' And if I have to say that, and have constant discussions with you because you're constantly trying to stay as close to the line as possible, it's clear you aren't a good fit for this culture." I absolutely agree that once you try to codify proper dress in a policy, it gets pretty thorny. And by the way, Target's business formal dress code runs more than 20 pages. If Business Formal were easier to define than Business Casual this would not be the case. Both are open to interpretation. In my admittedly not very humble opinion, the best way to avoid the thorns is to avoid establishing a policy in the first place. - ... For the full story: http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?ctl=84D893:2B910B2 A GOOD WAY TO START ======================================================================== Posted August 20, 1:41 PM Pacific Time Dear Bob... I was just blessed with a new job offer. It puts me back on my career track where I was three years ago before the great layoffs (train wreck?) began. I am interested in your advice on inheriting a new team of employees. I'm the new "boss" and I wish to make sure I gain their respect and trust, making the team excited and vibrant. Fortunately, I interviewed with the senior consultant on the team and he seemed to like my style and approach. So that's a good thing. In the past, I grew my own team after being with the company for a while and know how to manage technical people (by assuming we are all un-manageable and require vision and leadership, not micro managing). I tend to have a results-oriented style and like to let people get there by their own means. I'd like your thoughts on how I can enter this new role and have a road map for success in place before I start. - Wanting to start out on the right foot Dear Wanting ... For the long version I'm going to refer you to two articles I wrote on this subject awhile back: http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?ctl=84D896:2B910B2 and http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?ctl=84D8A3:2B910B2 Here's the short version: Listen. I suppose I should offer some advice that's halfway between the short and long versions, too. Here it is: Spend your first months finding out what's going on. Meet with your staff frequently, both as a team and one-on-one. Define the meetings as formal briefings to help you understand what you're getting yourself into. Have lunch with your peers - you need to build a lot of rapport with them; you also need to figure out who you can trust and who you can't. Your staff can help you understand the politics, too, but be careful - if you involve them too much or are too overt in asking for this kind of information you'll be telling your staff that you're a political manipulator. Find out if anyone on the current team wanted your job. If so, meet one-on-one and have a direct, but respectful conversation that acknowledges the potential awkwardness of the situation, establishes that this individual will have to be your most vocal supporter in public, offers your support for his or her career goals, and makes it clear that if he or she can't work for you as your most vocal supporter you'll provide as much help as you can finding them a different opportunity, but that the relationship can't work under any other circumstance. Meet with key end-users who make use of whatever it is your group does. Find out what they think of it. Likewise the business managers. If one doesn't already exist, you might consider leveraging your initial meetings to create ... For the full story: http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?ctl=84D892:2B910B2 Bob Lewis is president of IT Catalysts, Inc., http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?ctl=84D89D:2B910B2 , an independent consultancy specializing in IT effectiveness and strategic alignment. Contact him at [EMAIL PROTECTED] . - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Advertisement - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Need more help than you can get from Advice Line? Upgrade to IT Catalysts' new Advisory Service ( http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?ctl=84D899:2B910B2 ). It's an economical alternative for IT leaders who need objective, outside advice and ideas without the huge fees charged by the large IT punditocracies. Or, if you prefer, contact me directly at [EMAIL PROTECTED] ======================================================================== Says Who? 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