Fast Forward Government
December 8 - 10, 2004
Loews
Coronado Bay Resort
www.excelgovwest.com
Register
Now!
THINK FASTER. WORK SMARTER with Featured
Breakout Session Speaker Steve Katz
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Steven Katz knows about lions
. . . the two-legged kind. He has worked for more than
twenty years as a right-hand executive and senior advisor
to leaders in business, politics, government and the non-profit
worlds. And during that time, he has become an expert
"lion tamer."
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According to Katz, "lions" are people in all
organizations who wield power and influence. Often, they can
be unruly beasts, growling when things don't go their way
and roaring to make sure everyone knows who's boss. But you
don't have to be afraid of them. And there are simple things
that you can do to work successfully with your own lions to
achieve results.
Katz shares these secrets in his book: "Lion
Taming: Working Successfully with Leaders, Bosses and Other
Tough Customers," which is based on the techniques
of real lion tamers, as well as the experiences of countless
employers and employees.
We are delighted that Steven Katz will be one of the featured
breakout session presenters this year at the Excellence in
Government/West conference on December 8-10 at Loews Coronado
Bay Resort in San Diego. In this provocative interview, he
gives us an exclusive "sneak peek" at the topics
he'll address during his session.
Q. How did you get the idea to do a business book based
on the principles of lion taming?
A. The idea actually came to me back in 1997--during a discussion
I was having with a friend on the subway in Washington. We
were talking about a former boss of mine who had become chief
of staff to someone very powerful, and I was asked, �do
you think she can handle it?� I replied, �Are you
kidding? She�s a lion tamer!�
Four years later, I decided that �lion taming�
skills accounted for how I worked successfully with a variety
of leaders and executives in the public and private sector,
and yet it was never a part of any job description �
nor did these skills appear on my resume. To determine whether
the metaphor was accurate, I called the Circus World Museum
in Baraboo, Wisconsin, and spoke to the research director
at the he Robert Parkinson Library, and he provided me with
the names of several real lion tamers.
When I interviewed them by phone I was told that �lions
are never tame, you need strategies to deal with that,�
and �lions always have your full attention, but it�s
hard to hold their attention.� I knew I had a book!
Q. The two most visible "tools" of lion tamers
are a whip and a chair. What's the equivalent for lion tamers
in the business world?
A. It may surprise people to learn that the principle purposes
of the whip and the chair are to manage space and communications
between the lion tamer and the lion.
Both are extensions of the lion tamer�s arm to create
a bigger presence in the ring, and to create and preserve
the right space or distance between the lion tamer and the
lion. You need that space to establish rapport and trust so
that the act is more than a standoff. The whip cracks and
sends a signal like a walkie talkie and the chair perhaps
has more in common with the matador�s cape in guiding
and directing the animal�s movements � including
directly at the lion tamer!
In the office � you have to be just as aware of managing
space and communication, and the equivalent of the whip and
the chair must include:
- Your understanding of the parameters of space that your
boss is comfortable working in � here�s a hint,
fifty percent of the CEOs and other executives that I interviewed
do not like to be approached at their desk, it�s their
domain.
- Your awareness and use of nonverbal language and behavior
to read behavior, to guide them.
- The ability to stand your ground and gain their respect.
The simplest advice I can give people is when you do it,
�mean it.� Be authentic, and when you say no,
be prepared to provide a solution or different direction
to the problem you have identified, not just a reason why
something won�t work.
Q. What about the non-visible tools . . . the mental strategy?
What do lion tamers do--that we don't see--that government
managers can learn from?
A. Lion taming has an �inner game� just like tennis
or baseball. Since lion tamers can�t afford to take a
clipboard into the ring with them, the plan has to be in their
head . . . so does the ability to think on their feet.
The three most important pieces of knowledge that lion tamers
carry into the ring with them that apply in the office are:
- Lions are a different species, hardwired as hierarchy
and pride animals, and highly instinctive in nature. Understand
their psychology related to these innate forces in their
minds and you will approach them differently.
- With lions it is always personal.
- You must establish rapport, trust, respect and confidence
with the lions, and doing so requires development and management
of the relationship with the lions in small doses �
and it must be done before you begin displaying what you
believe are the strengths of your own personality, role
in the organization, or your position.
The bottom line is that there must be engagement between
the lion tamer and the lion. People in the office who �rush
into the cage� to show that they �know their stuff�
or worse �show they�re tough or smart� are
headed for disaster.
Q. You talk about separating the "good" lions
from the "bad" ones. What are the characteristics
of both--in the animal kingdom and in the business jungle?
A. You should look for the good lions to work for because
so much more can be accomplished than with the bad lions.
A good lion:
- Has the ability to learn something new, internalize it,
and adapt.
- Is accountable to someone besides themselves, including
the organization and the people in it.
- Admits mistakes, does so in time to correct them, and
is capable of self-correcting.
- Is aware of what they know and do not know.
- Is conscious of what they are learning, though not necessarily
how.
- Creates a climate of doing things.
- Delegates authority and responsibility.
- Demonstrates commitment through active involvement
A bad lion is:
- Autocratic and bullying.
- Demanding to a degree that interferes with other people's
work and lives.
- Discriminatory and harassing.
- High maintenance yet ineffective and unproductive.
- Manipulative, mean and demeaning to others.
- Needlessly aggressive and obstructionist.
- The only ego in the room.
- Paranoid.
- Take all the energy and drive out of the room.
- Treats anyone who is not perfect as defective.
Q. What's your best advice for turning a lion into a pussycat?
A. Lion taming is really "lion teaming." Lions
need to know that you know that they are the lion, and that
you are working with them to be successful in new ways that
will make them a bigger, stronger, or more effective.
In the book, I discuss "The Lion�s Four Senses"--
Dominance, Territory, Social Standing, Survival. Lions always
have a mental compass that signals the relative strength or
weakness of these four terms. You need to use this same compass
to decode what your lions are thinking, but also guide them
to be focused on the right things.
Improve Your Skills and Learn "What's
Next"in Sixteen Cutting-Edge Breakout Sessions Organized
into Four
Tracks:
- Leadership Begins With You
- Fast Forward Essentials
- It's All About Performance And Results
- Big Ticket Change
Get a "Hands On" Look at
Management with Field
Studies to:
- Tour the San Ysidro Border facility
- Go Inside the Navy SEALs Training Center*
- See innovation first-hand at San Diego Homeless Court
program
- Get on board a working U.S. Navy ship*
- Discover the wonders of the U.S. Navy Marine Mammal program*
- Get a behind the scenes look at the San Diego Zoo
- Get "professionally fit" at Leadership Boot
Camp (held at Loews Coronado Bay Resort)
*Please Note: The Navy events are subject to change or cancellation.
Enhance Your Networking with Learning
Groups. New This Year!
Go deep into the creative and informative lessons with Excellence
in Government West by joining a special learning group. These
intimate, structured discussions will be lead by trained facilitators
to make the conference an even more active and engaging experience.
Groups meet once a day during the 3-day conference to discuss
and distill keynote presentations and work on challenges facing
federal managers to develop strategies for turning theory
and lessons into "real world" applications back
at their agencies. When you register for the conference, please
sign up for a learning group of interest.
Recharge Your Batteries at One of
San Diego's Premier Resorts
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Conference Hotel: Loews
Coronado Bay Resort
A block of reserved rooms is offered at the government per
diem rate until Monday, November 8, 2004. For
reservations, call Toll-free: 1-800-815-6397.
Hotel Registration Hours are:
Monday through Friday 6:30am through 7:00pm (PST)
Saturday and Sunday 8:00am through 4:30pm (PST)
Register
today!
Excellence in Government West is produced by Government
Executive magazine in cooperation with The
Council for Excellence in Government. Don't miss Excellence
in Government 2005 (July 25 - 27, 2005) at the Washington
Hilton in Washington
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