Keep them on your Side: Leading and Managing for Momentum

From the President of the United States to a president of a small company to the president of the local garden club, this book is not only a ‘must read,’ it is a ‘must use.’

Ruben Jose King-Shaw, Jr.

Chairman & CEO of Mansa Equity Partners,

Former COO and Deputy Administrator of the

Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services,

and Advisor to President George W. Bush

and Florida Governor Jeb Bush

"In Get Them on Your Side, Sam Bacharach told us how to get people to rally around an idea. In Keep Them on Your Side, he’s telling us how to manage for momentum, that is, how to make things happen. These two books have a wealth of knowledge, based on the experience of a first-rate academic mind. Bacharach has an unusual talent for translating ideas into the world of practitioners and for bringing the experiences of practitioners into the world of ideas."

Edward J. Lawler

Martin P. Catherwood Professor

ILR Department of Organizational Behavior

Cornell University

"Bacharach’s two books, Get Them on Your Side and now Keep Them on Your Side, are together the best works I have read on leadership. If you want to know how to put your ideas in place and manage for success, these are the books you need."

Tony Panos

President

Performance Training Inc.

"Organizations are littered with great ideas that never see the light of day because their sponsors were unable to navigate the realities associated with managing change. Keep Them on Your Side offers a pragmatic how-to for achieving success as skillful leaders move from concept to action."

Dave Pace

Executive Vice President, Partner Resources

Starbucks Coffee Company

"Sam Bacharach is a master of the ins and outs of organizational leadership. His books, Get Them on Your Side and now Keep Them on Your Side, provide a roadmap for those who wish to get ahead in any organizational setting."

Steve Cassidy

President, Uniformed Firefighters Association of New York

LEADING AND

MANAGING FOR MOMENTUM

KEEP

THEM

ON YOUR

SIDE

SAMUEL B . BACHARACH

Director of Cornell University’s Institute for Workplace Studies

and author of Get Them on Your Side

Copyright ©2006, Samuel B. Bacharach.

All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any

form without permission from the publisher; exceptions are made for brief

excerpts used in published reviews.

Published by

Platinum Press™, an imprint of Adams Media,

an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

57 Littlefield Street, Avon, MA 02322. U.S.A.

www.adamsmedia.com

Platinum Press™ is a trademark of F+W Publications, Inc.

ISBN 10: 1-59337-729-0

ISBN 13: 978-1-59337-729-8

eISBN: 978-1-44051-750-1

Printed in the United States of America.

J I H G F E D C B A

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Bacharach, Samuel B.

Keep them on your side / By Samuel B. Bacharach.

p. cm.

ISBN-13: 978-1-59337-729-8

ISBN-10: 1-59337-729-0

1. Organizational behavior. 2. Employee motivation. 3. Leadership.

4. Management. I. Title.

HD58.7.B3417 2005

658.4'092—dc22

2006019984

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information with regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional advice. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.

—From a Declaration of Principles jointly adopted by a Committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations

The characters and examples are used to illustrate the theoretical framework presented in this volume. With the exception of the occasional reference to public figures, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events or locales, is entirely coincidental. Most illustrations, although distilled from experience, are fictional.

This book is available at quantity discounts for bulk purchases.

For information, please call 1-800-872-5627.

DEDICATION

For Ben and Yael . . . *

You are my momentum

* Names appear in alphabetical order.

Both made equal contributions to my happiness.

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1 | You’ve Got Them on Your Side—

But Will They Go the Distance?

Political Competence: Get Them on Your Side

Managerial Competence: Keep Them on Your Side

You’ve Got to Have Both

Chapter 2 | Demystifying

Momentum

Beyond the Big Mo

Structural Momentum: Maintain Resources and Capacity

Performance Momentum: Monitor and Make Adjustments

Cultural Momentum: Motivate to Sustain Focus

Political Momentum: Mobilize Support and Anticipate Opposition

Chapter 3 | Balancing Leadership

for Momentum

Directive vs. Facilitative Leadership

Balanced Leadership

Structural Momentum

Performance Momentum

Cultural Momentum

Political Momentum

Chapter 4 | Structural Momentum:

Maintain Resources and Capacity

Create Hierarchies but Don’t Forget Teams

Provide Resources but Don’t Be a Welfare Agency

Give Autonomy but Define Parameters

Chapter 5 | Performance Momentum:

Monitor and Make Adjustments

Be Clear about the Subjective Bottom Line

Make Adjustments but Don’t Overreact

Chapter 6 | Cultural Momentum:

Motivate to Sustain Focus

Motivating Through Culture

Create a Problem-Solving Culture but Don’t Process Things to Death

Pump Up the Collective but Don’t Forget the Individual

Celebrate but Don’t Worship Idols

Chapter 7 | Political Momentum:

Mobilize Support and Anticipate Opposition

Don’t Let the Coalition Mindset Slip Away

Don’t Feed the Trojan Horse

Beware of Countercoalitions

Chapter 8 | The Proactive Leader:

Get Them and Keep Them on Your Side

Relevant Reading

Endnotes

Acknowledgments

The subject of this book is sustaining momentum and keeping people on your side. You have an idea. You want to fulfill it. To do so, you gather people around you and hope that they’ll help you finish what you started. Because they’re friends, they agree to come along for the ride and help. They form the type of supportive coalition that goes the distance. But, several months into the writing, when things aren’t quite going well, when you don’t know what to write, when the weather is lousy, you become bored, exhausted, and figure it’s not worth the effort. Acquaintances and colleagues are sympathetic and tell you to put the project away and pick it up next semester or next year. Your friends are less sympathetic and tell you, Get your act together and get this show on the road. That’s the difference between friends and colleagues. Friends tell you the truth and go the distance with you, even when the project seems impossible. I have been blessed in this project by a wonderful group of talented, smart, and decent friends.

First, I would be remiss if I did not thank my undergraduate students at Cornell. Throughout the years they have taught me much. ILR (Cornell’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations) undergraduates generally represent the best: smart, capable, and willing to be challenged. I’m especially grateful to all the students in my New York City internship program. Discussions with this small group of wonderful people have greatly enhanced this project. For the last eight years I’ve also been influenced by a great group of adult students at Ben Gurion University, where once or twice a year I retreat for a week or two to discuss my ideas with young practitioners. If they think they learned from me, great, but I have learned from them.

Ed Knappman and Jill Alexander believed in this project from the start. Ed has been wonderfully supportive of my writing in the last two years. Jill stuck her neck out, knowing that the rhythms and idiosyncrasies may make chaotic schedules and delayed deadlines. During the last phase of this project Kelly Lee Patterson, who just as I tired of getting examples, reminded me of some basics, like Mary Kay. My colleagues at the ILR School at Cornell University have always treated me with kindness and support. For over thirty years they’ve provided me with a home. In my effort to cross over from the world of elegant theory to the world of practical talk, Gary Fields, Harry Katz, David Lipsky, and Robert Smith were especially supportive. Stuart Basefsky, the genius of information gathering and an intellectual detective with an electronic magnifying glass, has been of help in immeasurable ways. Tony Panos and Tom Willett always made me think I had something to say to practitioners and acted as a sounding board for ideas. Gal Oron, Ilan Shapira, Joe Miccio, and Steve Cassidy—men who stand on the frontline—taught me more about workplace culture than any textbook. Stacia Murphy, a friend and a role model for twenty years, helped keep much of this in perspective. Stacia has always been there when I needed honest dialogue. Sara Edwards, who kept the graduate program in New York moving, showed the type of success and entrepreneurial effort that made the institutes I run look good, giving me time to play around with ideas. Sara brings to everything we do the shadow of perfection, intellectual ideals, and quality. Her voice has helped me stay on track. Adele Smithers-Fornaci and Christopher Smithers were, as always, in my corner. The Smithers family relationship with the Bacharach family means a lot to me.

Val McKinney proved to be a precise and thoughtful editor throughout this process. Scott Birch has been very helpful in bringing his graphic touch to my material. Michal Baron and Dana Vashdi both were extremely helpful at key points in the project and generous with ideas and time. Richard Singer, a consummate street-smart union politician and a fellow George Mossey fan, met me at the Cafeteria on 17th Street for breakfast and let me just groan. Amos Drory has been a good friend, providing me the opportunity to teach in the desert that I love with adult students and close to my family. He’s also been more than a kind supporter.

Peter Bamberger, for many years now, has been my research partner. He is truly one of the best academics I’ve ever known. Without him, many of the projects of the last two decades would not have been possible. Most importantly, he has been a true friend.

My colleague for over thirty-five years, Ed Lawler, took time out from Pilates and art classes to have dinner at our favorite fish restaurant to work out ideas in a way that only he can. Ed, past dean of the ILR School, and one of the leading social psychologists in the world, is the type of scholar who brings rigor and insight into everything he does. A few hours with him beats all the academic brown-bag lunches in the world. Bill Sonnenstuhl got me into this mess in the first place by suggesting that I write two books and pointing me in a direction I never intended to go. But Bill didn’t just drop it with the idea; he, being the friend and academic he is, stayed with me all the way. Bill is one of the best critics I’ve every met. He is insightful and to the point. I admire his intellect, and most importantly, I appreciate his empathetic understanding and his friendship. Hilary Zelko came through as she always does, able to pinpoint the exact idea or particular concept that I missed. Hilary gave me some of the best advice I’ve ever gotten—write the way you speak. David Yantorno read the manuscript over and over and helped me visualize where it was going. The graphic work he did on this volume and the previous volume, as well as all his visual support, has made me a clearer thinker. David has impacted me in how I think. His graphic work, his sense of space, color, and form, has become part of my expressive vocabulary. David has given me the capacity to be an old guy who is comfortable with technology.

Four people have taught me special lessons about momentum. Stephanie Sutow is the type of person who stays in there even when in each corner there is a wall. By her sheer projection of decency, she will always have me on her side. This year Nick Salvatore taught me what it means to keep people on your side and to never give up. Derek Walcszek, who built a house for my family in the country, has shown the tenacity and creativity that changes dreams into reality, and vision into substance. Derek has shown me that you can go a long distance, even with disagreements, and still come out as friends. David Yantorno has taught me to keep it all in context and when necessary, to get up and keep on walking.

Yaacov Hefetz—what can I say? His artwork has helped me find a new expression. I would visualize what I wanted to say in pictorial form, and he would create it. He is a superb artist whose major work is found in numerous collections. We seem to work together as one mind. But why not? Our mothers were the best of friends beginning in 1925. So it’s to be expected. His art has brought me joy for years.

Jim Biolos has worked with me for many years on a variety of projects and I cannot thank him enough. He gives, and gives generously. I come up with an idea, and Jim improves it immensely. I come up with a case, and Jim tells me what’s wrong with it. I come up with a two-by-two, and he comes up with a three-by-three. His is truly a creative mind, able to work within and outside of the box. Many of the cases, illustrations, and ideas have been improved by his input. Indeed, some are his creation. Who else but Jim would come up with Martinez and micro-finance in Chapter 7? Or push me to think about the welfare state in the organization? Jim has taught this academic to lighten up. He helped me find my confidence. I’ve learned so much from Jim. I can only hope that he’s gained as much from his relationship with me as I have from my relationship with him. And then there is history—Larry, Martin, and the Valley Stream Synagogue.

Katie Briggs. Katie Briggs!!! I began to work with Katie several years ago when she took a position at the institute I head. Her original position was administrative assistant. She is now budget director, seminar director, chief editor, research coordinator, project manager, tactical political adviser, and most importantly, the final authority on what is or is not garbage. Not one word is written here without her approval. She is truly a master of not simply the structure and grammar of the English language, but the tones and nuances of the English language. While I may be the king of clichés and jargon, she is the master of staying on theme. The hours upon hours that she has given to this project have been the most wonderful gift I’ve received throughout my years in academia. Without her support, without her good eye, without her stern hand, without her empathy, this project would not have been done. If I have good intentions, she is the momentum behind the good intentions. I owe her and her husband Matt much more than dinner at a Portuguese restaurant on Perry Street. Katie’s support of this effort is testimony to the fact that late in life you can make a good friend even in the workplace.

And then, Ben and Yael. This book is important, but going to Brooklyn to watch my ten-year-old appear in an avant-garde theater, or seeing him play ball at Pier 40 or J. J. Walker, or going to the MoMA with him is wondrous. Yael, my wife, does more for me than I’m entitled. Before her, I was moving forward. Since being with her, I have momentum.

Because of all these friends, the wind is at my back and it’s a beautiful morning. I think I’m going to get a cup of coffee on Bleecker Street and go with Ben to the Houston Street playground.

Introduction

Did you ever wonder why some projects never get off the ground? Why do some ideas never see the light of day? How come some visions just fizzle away?

It was a brilliant idea. It was what you needed to do, and poof! Before you knew what was going on, it just faded away. In the real world, things don’t disappear because of magic. They disappear because no one took charge, no one took the lead, and no one displayed the managerial competence necessary to get results. The reality is that all too often visions and promises result in nothing. Success is about coming up with a viable agenda, getting people behind your initiative, and sustaining momentum so people will stay on your side and your ideas will be implemented.

Leadership books generally focus on this vision thing but they neglect the pragmatics of getting things done. They fail to let you know what steps you need to follow in order to be proactive and show results.

True leaders are proactive. They’re able to get a critical mass of people and/or groups on their side and they are able to sustain momentum by keeping people on their side. They have both political and managerial competence. My last book, Get Them on Your Side (Platinum Press, 2005), shows how you can achieve political competence. Specifically, I show you how to identify allies and resistors, get people on your side, mobilize coalitions, and begin to roll out your agenda. This volume is a guide for keeping people on your side and sustaining momentum for your agenda. Specifically, I will address the managerial competencies that you need for putting your agenda in place and making things happen. I’ve found in my research that political and managerial competences are learned (and learnable)