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Dear Corporate Governess
In my job with consulting firms, I regularly meet with a high-powered CEO. The thing is, he's often up to an hour late, whether for me alone or group meetings. Any ideas on dealing with this?
—Seb M., Toronto
Dear Seb
Skip the lecture or toe-tapping—today's over-extended execs could use a little empathy, what with being on constant call in today's 24/7 business environment. Showing up late may also be acceptable, or even endemic, within his own company, where he's the grand poobah. While that doesn't excuse his rudeness—or give you back the hour you could have spent on Facebook—it may help you understand him a bit more.
Nicholas Bayley, global lead for IT transfor-mation with the management consultancy Accenture in Toronto, just expects that some people may be tardy, and plans for it. "My frame of mind is always relaxed," says Bayley, who likes to visualize a positive outcome before meetings. "There's no point in trying to teach someone behaviour. I think people appreciate if you try to accommodate them. If you have a consistent way of working, they're going to learn from demonstrated behaviour."
That means starting your meeting on time. Checking in with attendees an hour before the meeting begins will also help. When Mr. VIP finally strolls in, Bayley suggests acknowledging him and then doing a brief update so that you get right back into the conversation. Say something like: 'Hi, Bob, thanks for joining us. I appreciate that you have a busy schedule, so here's where we are. Glad you're here. Love to have your input."
"One meeting is only a point in time," says Bayley. "It's really about the long-term relationship. We're not hired to teach anyone a lesson. We're hired to achieve a business outcome."
Dear Corporate Governess
I'm unhappy with the "bossless" hierarchy of horizontal management in my workplace. It's all very utopian in its collaborative approach, but things get screwed up when no one is in charge. What's the best way to critique and keep my job?
—Henri B., Vancouver
Dear Henri
From the sound of things, you have to lose that judgmental tone, along with your Father Knows Best approach, if you want the team to listen. Your success depends as much on how the team perceives you as on what you say. You need to come across as one of the group, not an outsider. I suggest adopting a "suspension of disbelief" approach, which is film-speak for putting aside your critical faculties to believe the unbelievable. That's where you buy into the fiction that Superman can fly so you can enjoy the movie. Don't be that guy who shouts out that he can see the wires.
Keep your critique to the team short and sweet, targeting specific problems without laying blame. Don't provide all the solutions (even if you think you have them) before inviting collaborative problem-solving. Then, listen. You may learn something new.
Not everyone is comfortable working in a bossless environment. If you really can't embrace this culture, you may be better off finding a different corporate ladder to climb.