Live Long and Prosper: CEP Leadership Skills Learned from Nerd Fiction

Live Long and
Prosper: CEP
Leadership Skills
Learned from Nerd
Fiction
Joe Purdy, CEP, Product & Services Consultant - Solium
John Hammond, CEP, Founder - bendystraw LLC
Ben Needham, CEP, Sr. Equity Administrator - MindBody
The 8th Annual New England NASPP Regional Conference
co-hosted by the Boston and Connecticut NASPP Chapters
July 13th, 2016

CPE Credits…
Live Long and Prosper: CEP Leadership Skills Learned from Nerd Fiction
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 Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Credits are Available!
 You will receive one (1) CPE credit after attending this session
 You must attend the entire session to be eligible
 In order to earn the available credit(s) for this session, you must see
the room monitor at the end of the session to receive your stamp to
be officially signed out.
 Electronic certificates will be emailed to you a few weeks after the
conference with the cumulative number of credits earned.
The National Association of Stock Plan Professionals (NASPP) is registered with
the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor
of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors.
Web site: www.nasba.org

Agenda
 Setting the stage
 A review of leadership skills and the “people” who
taught us best
 Game time: “What would an effective leader do?”
 From theory to practice
 Q&A

Disclaimer
 Names and images from various television shows and
motion pictures are used throughout this presentation.
 We are using them under the fair use provision of
copyright law.
 All rights are retained by initial owners.
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Setting the Stage
 Fiction has always been a way for authors to explore
familiar concepts in unfamiliar ways.
 This genre, in its many forms, has always featured lots of
different characters with different perspectives and
experiences, and can give viewers a new way of looking
at a common experience.
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Setting the Stage
 Whether or not you've ever watched any of these shows
doesn't matter: the following leadership concepts are still
relevant to you as an equity professional in 2016. And
that's the beauty of the genre.

Before We Make the Jump To
Hyperspace
 Think about some of the situations in the workplace that
have been causing you stress.
 Keep those in your mind as we go through these
examples, and think about how you can demonstrate
some of these characteristics.
 Questions are always welcome!
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Skill #1: Inspires and motivates
others

 Maybe the tactics aren’t HR friendly…but analogies are
very effective and they’re not human
 Not just senior level people can motivate – junior level
can motivate and inspire
 Think Luke
 Enthusiasm is very contagious
 Whether you are on the team or lead the team – how
you approach work and projects is critical
 Next level up – motivating people who are not a match
 Skillset, personality
 Side note from clip – office politics and family conflicts
Skill #1: Inspires and motivates
others

Skill #2: Displays high integrity and
honesty

 Honesty may be seen as transparency and openness-
your willingness to communicate what you’re thinking or
feeling, even when it is uncomfortable or unpopular.
Honesty may also be seen as keeping your word,
following through on promises, and delivering on time.
 Integrity is often equated with courage- courage to speak
up when your point of view is at odds with a manager’s.
Integrity may also be interpreted as work ethic- in early,
staying late to get the right things done for the company.
 Honesty and Integrity helps to build trust. Trust may be
gained as you’re seen to act in the best interest of the
team or organization rather than promoting self.
Skill #2: Displays high integrity and
honesty

Skill #3: Solves problems and
analyzes issues

 HR frowns on the Jedi mind trick
 One of the top reasons to get the CEP – being able to
analyze and navigate issues outside your wheelhouse
 One of top benefits to having a CEP (or 2 or 10) in your
company is to effectively analyze multi-disciplinary
issues
 Other is communication – speaking finance to the
finance guy, etc.
 You lead by tackling these problems, not hiding from
them
 And since you made it past honesty and integrity,
ignoring isn’t an option
Skill #3: Solves problems and
analyzes issues

Skill #4: Drives for results

 Short fight scenes…
 Use simplicity in communication to bring action
 Different ‘cultures’ – different requirements
 Activity can be misleading – results are all that matters
 Another tip – forget the past
Skill #4: Drives for results

Skill #5: Communicates powerfully
and prolifically

 Ultimate ‘drives for results’ quote
 Do we think too much about effort – what we tried –
versus what we did?
 It was so powerful, I really just want to talk about the
quote
 Communication is critical for leading – it isn’t long or
short, simple or complex – it is ‘whatever is necessary’
 Written, spoken
 Body language, attire, hygiene, how you eat, how you drink
 Knowledge leads to confidence in communication
 Women vs. men
Skill #5: Communicates powerfully
and prolifically

Skill #6: Builds relationships

 There are several characteristics that make up good,
healthy working relationships:
 Trust - When you trust your team, you form a powerful bond that
helps you to be more effective
 Mutual Respect - When you respect the people you work with,
you value their input and they value yours
 Mindfulness - Take responsibility for your words and actions
 Welcoming Diversity - Consider opinions and approaches that
differ from yours
 Open Communication - The better and more effectively you
communicate, the richer your relationships will be!
 Make friends with Payroll, IT, Legal, Finance and your vendor… it
will pay dividends in the long run!
Skill #6: Builds relationships

Skill #7: Displays technical or
professional expertise

 Don’t keep your knowledge locked away
 Question your superiors and staff – do it effectively
and you will impress them
 Most people wield knowledge ineffectively
 Also - don’t fear being wrong
 Being wrong in the ‘asking/learning’ phase is what it’s
all about
 Being wrong in the ‘we did that without thinking’ phase is bad
 You have to know a lot to know what you don’t know
 The more you know – the easier it is to synthesize
new information
Skill #7: Displays technical or
professional expertise

Skill #8: Displays a strategic
perspective

Skill #8: Displays a strategic
perspective
 Critical in plan administration -
 ‘Risk thresholds’ are very real.
 Vendor selections aren’t always ‘let’s let the
administrator pick her favorite.’
 Plan designs aren’t ‘what is easiest to administrator.’
 Headcount and resources aren’t ‘whatever you need
so you can truly enjoy your time off.’
 Living with what you get isn’t enough – excelling at it first
is needed to become a change agent

Skill #9: Develops others

 Leadership is about developing others!
 Giving someone a fish and you feed them for a day; teaching
someone to fish and you feed them for a lifetime! The more
SME’s you have around you, the less you’ll struggle in the long
term.
 Spending time and dollars on education pays dividends
 Attend NASPP/GEO/CEPi Events
 Earn your CEP Designation and Become a CEPi Volunteer
 Read important publications (e.g., CEPi GPS Guides)
 Create a culture of development:
 Act as a role model
 Reinforce the value of learning
 Build sustainable processes to support development
 Reinforce shared values
Skill #9: Develops others

Skill #10: Innovates

 Administrators must innovate
 “My company won’t ever…”
 “My finance group won’t ever…”
 If companies are slow in moving forward, be the solution
not the enabler
 If you have done 1-9 well, 10 is easy
 Embrace technology, embrace education, embrace
communication
Skill #10: Innovates

Game Time
 Nothing that would shatter a Class M planet, right?
Let's see if you've got it with a little game of….

Game Time: Question #1
 Your starship is under attack by a Ferengi vessel. Do
you...
a.) Instruct your tactical officer to activate your
cloaking device and hide from the Ferengi's
sensors.
b.) Send a subspace message to Star Fleet
Command to send help.
c.) After briefly consulting with your crew,
accelerate into high warp speed and appear to be
in two places at once to the Ferengi vessel, causing
them to fire in error only to be fired on when your
ship drops out of warp.

 If you answered (c)...

 You receive orders that one of your executive officers,
an android, must be sent to Starfleet to be
disassembled and studied. Do you...
a.) Refuse the direct order and defend his rights as
a sentient being to a Starfleet judge.
b.) Help him pack his bags.
c.) Order him to obey the directive.

 If you answered (b) or (c)...

Game Time: Final Question
 You’re a manager on the Death Star and you’ve asked
your direct report to pull a specific report by the end of
the day: s/he doesn’t deliver it, and is gone by the time
you stop by their desk to ask about it. Do you…
 a.) Fire them and launch them into space in an
escape pod
 b.) Pull the report yourself and never mention it
again
 c.) Send a reminder email to be waiting for them
first thing
 d.) None of the above

Game Time: Final Question
 This one is tougher…there’s potentially some more
context to consider.
 Depending on your own style, and the pattern of
behavior previously demonstrated by the employee, the
most effective tactic will differ.

What We’ve Covered
 1 – Fiction provides us some aspirational examples of
leadership, as well as some examples of what not to
do.
 2 – Identify a few effective leadership traits to start
practicing each day.
 3 – Flexibility of perspective always helps: remember
and embrace differences.

Bonus Tip

Questions?

Contact Us
 Joseph Purdy, CEP
Product & Services Consultant
Solium
Phone: 203.447.5843
joe.purdy@solium.com
 Ben Needham, CEP
Senior Equity Administrator
Mind Body
Phone: 805.465.7971
ben.needham@mindbodyonline.com
 John Hammond, CEP
Founder
bendystraw, LLC
Phone: 856.267.0870
jhammond@bendystrawllc.com
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