How To Keep Your Plates Spinning in 2010

I’m old enough to remember the guys who used to come on The Ed Sullivan Show to spin plates. It was an amazing act. The fast music would start and the guy would get about five bowls spinning on top of sticks and have another eight plates spinning between the sticks. He would be running back and forth spinning one plate while looking out the corner of his eye for the next plate that needed a spin. Just about the time one was ready to crash, he’d give it a spin. That was some great TV.  As Ed used to say, “A really big show.”  (For a really fun three minute example of what I’m talking about, click on this authorized You Tube link of plate spinner Erich Brenn on the Sullivan show in 1969.)

Plate spinning came to mind earlier this week when I had lunch with a friend and former client who recently took a senior technology executive role with a well known global company. I asked him how it was going and he said, “Remember when I used to talk about my job being like plate spinning?  Well, in this job there are enough plates to keep me spinning for years so I’ve decided I’m only going to be spinning about three plates at a time.”

Because his company recently moved their headquarters, my friend and his senior colleagues are building teams of people to take over roles in which the predecessors didn’t make the move. So, it’s almost like a start-up situation and there’s just way more to do than can possibly be done in a given time frame. His situation is not much different than a lot of leaders these days. Most everyone is leading in a do more with less environment. That’s certainly how things were in 2009 and 2010 likely won’t be much different.

So, how do you, as a leader, keep your plates spinning this year?  Here are some tips from my expert plate spinning friend:

Count your plates:  Before you start spinning, step back to assess all of the plates that could be in your act.  You can’t spin ‘em  if you don’t know you have ‘em.

Stack your plates:  What we mean here is stack your plates in some sort of priority sequence.  Within in a given time frame, what plates have to be spun before you even start worrying about spinning other plates?

Spin a demo plate:  Especially if you’re new to the role, like my friend is in his, pick a plate to spin that will be seen as a demonstration of the kind of value that you and your team can add.  A month after arriving on the job, my friend was able to meet the expectations of his board and executive vice president by working with a vendor to install a succession planning software system.  By focusing his attention on this plate, he was able to deliver something important for the company and build some credibility and momentum for himself and his team.

Spin a couple of more plates:  In addition to your demo plate, pick another couple of plates to spin that are clearly important to the organization.

Salad plates are OK too:  Some of the things you’re responsible for are going to be dinner plates that are just too big to keep spinning.  When faced with that situation, look for the salad plate that will help you make progress on spinning the bigger plate.  In other words, break big projects down into their component parts.

Share some plates:  Maybe you’re not the best person to be spinning a particular plate.  There might be someone else who has an act that’s a better fit or there may be aspiring plate spinners who could use a developmental challenge.

Leave some plates out of the act:  There may be some plates that, in the greater scheme of things, just are worth spinning.  Give yourself some time to regularly assess what needs to be in the act and what can be cut.

Take your bows:   Every good performer knows how to take a bow.  In the context of organizational leadership, it’s important to let the audience know when you’ve successfully completed the act.  I’m not talking about braggadocio here.  What I’m talking about is sharing how the good work of your team has positioned the organization to move forward.  Your team and your boss will appreciate it.

So, I’m sure some of you are pretty expert plate spinners yourself. What works for you? What would you add to the list of tips?

Comments

[Linda Hardenstein]

Great article! I'd add if your plates start wobbling or you're running from plate to plate that's when you know you've got too many spinning. It's your clue to review your commitment to "keep only three" and to decide which ones to share.

[Camille Macchio]

Revisit the plates and communicate status of the plates to the team to determine if it's still the priority it was orginally designated.

[Janice Shack-Marquez]

Thanks for bringing plate-spinning back -- I always looked forward to this act on the Ed Sullivan show. One thing that made his act work is that he systematically checked in with each of his plates and bowls. Failing to check in -- even with plates you've delegated to others -- is the first step toward failure.

[Scott Eblin]

Some terrific ideas here folks on how to keep yourself and others on track. Thanks for the input and keep it coming! Cheers - Scott

[Katy]

If you're a rookie plate spinner, don't start out by trying to spin 10 plates at once. Build your skills and confidence a few plates at a time and practice on the bargain plates, not the heirloom china.

[Scott Eblin]

Great point about bargain bin vs the good stuff Katy. I'll be shopping at Linens and Things from now on!

[Doug K.]

Scott - Thanks for a great post and starting the year off with a bang! Scott. Sometimes one of the plates falls and shatters (they don't always stay up). Note the great plate spinners make sure it is one of the plates on the periphery, not one of the plates central to the core - that could cause other plates to fall and shatter as well. The key here - once started, not all the plates will be successful all of the time - make sure that you focus on those key plates to be successful!