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| CONTENTS: |
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| Section 1 |
- Topical Topics |
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Leadership Opportunities . . .
Over past issues we’ve critically examined the roles, the credentials and the strategies that are peculiar to the leadership role. Now it’s time to explore some of the opportunities that people in leadership roles have to make profound differences in the lives of those they might lead. In the next issues of Polaris Digest we’ll compare and contrast how a leadership perspective can add unique and substantial value to some ordinary and familiar undertakings.
Our challenge this month is time management and priority setting.
The Ubiquitous Challenge . . .
There’s nothing more frustrating for the aspiring leader / manager than to recognize that there are simply insufficient days and hours to achieve all that’s clearly needed – unless, of course, it’s the deflating realization that significant valued time and effort has been invested with no tangible results.
Also, the soft guilt that most of us carry around with us - knowledge of things not yet done, commitments unfulfilled, promises for action and reform still awaiting attention, neglected relationships, and the like – becomes “intolerably bearable”. We can’t shake it loose but then it’s so familiar that we’d feel naked without it - just like a deep-seated personal bad habit.
Mastering the use of time, our own as well as that of others, is a “holy grail” quest. Many continue to struggle, trying out one system after another but without sustainable success. Those who do appear to succeed are often considered to be specially gifted, talented or even just plain lucky. The majority of us remain less than satisfied with our efforts but not sufficiently focused to strive for the break-through experience we’ve been led to expect. The solution remains elusive because we’re seeking it in all the wrong places.
Time management is not a strategy, it’s never going to be achieved through compiling techniques and it’s certainly not packaged in a system or program somewhere.
It is, in effect, within our “perspectives”, closely tied to our deeply entrenched personal values – the essence of who we are as a unique individual. The way we look at things, frame them, construe them in terms of our accepted view of reality, has a profound impact on the values we place on the use of time. These intensely personal perspectives or perceptions directly guide the multitude of small, pervasive decisions we make that determine precisely how we use our available time.
In other words, the secrets of successful time management and effective priority setting do not lie “out there” to be acquired through knowledge, skill and experiences, but rather “within us” readily available through emerging self awareness and personal mastery. As leaders / managers we may need to re-engineer ourselves.
If we’re not getting any of the outcomes we need then a radical change in perspectives is likely needed; if we are partly successful, achieving in some areas but not in others, we may still need to re-engineer our perspectives. To do this we will need to revisit those things in our lives which are central to who we are.
Three Essential Approaches . . .
There are three distinct approaches that will assist us – how we plan, how we schedule and how we assess priorities. Let’s have a brief discussion on each of these in overview before investing substantial time and effort in making adjustments.
1. Planning
It’s a well-established fact that most people do not set aside time to plan what they want out of life. Personal planning time is not hard to arrange (it’s very flexible and forgiving in its demands); it’s not demanding (a little time intelligently used will provide a very high return on investment) and it’s unusually rewarding (it focuses on those things that you really value). Why is it then that we tend to bypass our opportunities to plan for ourselves?
The short answer, which is also the profound answer, is that we’re “externally driven” instead of being “inwardly directed”. Perhaps too, we’re “inwardly focused” instead of being “externally aware”!
What we perceive others and situations are demanding of us is too powerful to ignore. These external cues determine our responses to the point that we’ll sacrifice what we know to be important and meaningful to ourselves and assert the needs of others in place. We would need to engage in some effective personal planning in order to establish what it is that we demand of and for our selves and we don’t have the time to do this. Maybe too, we’ve abdicated responsibility for governing our life.
We’re all aware that there’s an inbuilt imbalance between causes and results, inputs and outputs, and efforts and rewards. A good benchmark for this imbalance is provided by the 80/20 relationship (Pareto’s Principle) wherein eighty percent of output results from twenty percent of input, eighty percent of consequences flow from twenty percent of causes and eighty percent of valued results come from just twenty percent of our invested efforts.
There’s yet another barrier to challenge us. Perhaps due to the hectic pace at which change occurs in our lives, we can adopt very short time horizons. There are just too many external variables with which to contend, too many uncertainties, too many complexities to factor in, so we’re forced to deal “in the moment”. The reality is that the shorter our time horizon the greater is the risk that things will spin out of control. Compare this with driving your car at speed but looking at the road only twenty feet ahead. This is highly dangerous – we need a longer-term future focus.
Creating a picture of the solution – the way we wish the world to be in six, twelve, or even twenty-four months time – requires patient thought and disciplined consideration. Outcomes are never assured and this is often the argument for avoiding the exercise in the first place. Yet, if we have no clear idea of what the outcome looks like, how would we recognize it if and/or when we actually attain it?
Here’s an insight that could work for you if you’ll allow it to do so – take the 80/20 concept and matrix it with the future focus idea. On one axis list the twenty percent of areas and roles, work and personal, that provide you with eighty percent of your personal satisfaction and accomplishment. On the other axis put time horizons – a separate column for each of three, six, nine, twelve, eighteen and twenty-four months. Now fill in key words that demonstrate the desired condition/status for each key area and/or role. What is the pattern that emerges?
Well done! You’ve now created the foundation for a life plan, as well as a basis for all time and other resource-related decision making. Now take just thirty minutes each and every week for quiet introspection centered on this list. Take action on those particular issues that become “timely”. From this gentle routine will emerge detailed and flexible response strategies to improve both your life and also your time management.
2. Scheduling:
The greatest time stealer known to man is habit. As we mature, we find habits increasingly attractive because they add comfort to our existence. Habits are frequently subliminal processes which are entrenched but which may not be directly tied to success as we currently define it. These habits may need to be exercised and exorcised.
If “Planning” is deciding what we do, “Scheduling” is deciding when we do it. Now, change is inevitably fast and furious, not to mention complex. It makes sense to replace those of our habits which result in out-dated or limited benefits with new ones that will generate higher levels of satisfaction and impact. To do this we’ll need to understand our established habits as well as we can.
Straightforward “self-report” profiles will help here and more complex “360” profiles will help even more. We need overview versus specific insights because behaviours are complex and we often cloak some habits with others. An objective, profile-based assessment is a necessary step if we are to see the big picture and make adjustments that are comprehensive, effective and efficient.
Each of us has an amazing propensity to accommodate the pressures of the moment. We are continuously making small accommodations to offset the ravages that change demands place on us – just like the shock absorbers of your car can smooth out direct contact/impact with an uneven road. These adjustments may become habits with time and repetition, and they’ll accumulate.
Since habits are subliminal we aren’t always aware of their impact. Given this, we will find many clues within the imbalances that are depicted in an “Emotional Intelligence” profile. Alternatively, we can find clues to our good habits in any competent “Strengths” profile. Forums, frank feedback, open exchanges and directed questions to our intimate colleagues will fill in most of the remaining blanks.
All we need, once we’ve tamed the habits, is a routine that allows us optimal choices for defining our agenda. What works for many is to set aside a brief period for scheduling the next day at the end of the day before; next week at the end of the week preceding; next month at the end of the previous month; and so on. The argument is that you’re close enough to know where reality is, you’re likely aware of the many distractions that will attempt to throw you curves, and your planned agenda takes an immediate weight off your mind allowing time-out to relax and enjoy a change of pace.
There are a number of effective techniques that can be applied to scheduling but all rely on there being a sound agenda in the first place; such techniques will not work well in a vacuum. A sound agenda or schedule has to be closely related to a stable and committed plan. If not, we achieve great efficiencies but make little or none of the desired progress towards real success.
3. Priority Setting
This is where our personal desires and those of others will meet. We are all individuals, wanting different things in variable ways and in personally defined time frames. This is as it should be, for if we were all to want the same things in the same way and at the same time, most of us would not survive for very long.
One critically important way to view a priority is as a commitment. This ties any related decisions to our personal values – “who” we are in essence. We cannot compromise ourselves for we’re all we’ve got! Those who play fast and loose with commitments are not to be trusted. Priorities to which we commit are vital to our ongoing credibility and relationships – they are not to be taken lightly.
The bottom line here is to manage our committed priorities, not just accept them; not to commit to any priority unless we’re prepared to underwrite it with our reputation; and to seek such undertakings from others only on the same terms. Poor experiences - broken priorities / commitments – can mean deteriorating relations and eroded trust. This leads to failures in collaboration and diminished results.
It’s clear how one’s attitude towards commitments and priorities ties closely to one’s expressed values. Yet so many people choose to rely on their usual practices and habits, appearing unaware of the damage they might generate in treating commitments/priorities as casual agreements. This is a luxury that few of us can afford.
Let’s be very clear. Our name is clearly attached to any undertaking, every piece of work and every opinion we express – are you comfortable with “seeing” your signature on the bottom of each piece of work you do? The priorities / commitments that you offer should be treated as valuable, binding and irrevocable. Make them deliberately, at the latest possible time (thus with the fullest awareness of the realities) and with your signature clearly visible. These then become priorities that will mean something to all concerned and thereby safeguard your integrity.
The Leader’s Opportunity . . .
The leader is one who focuses the desire for change resident in others and who facilitates the creation of a sustainable new reality. Time is the element in which all change occurs and so it’s a vital resource and commodity to every leader. The unique opportunity open to a leader is the leverage that desired change provides for all those involved. The leader is actually working for the group and yet can direct each member’s time and other resources to the outcome required.
A manager is one who gets results through other people by making them successful. For the manager then, especially those who choose to act as developers of others, as coaches and mentors, and as facilitators for results, the element of time also possesses an investment component. This investment can be applied in very individualistic ways, and this is in addition to working on mutually beneficial outcomes in the immediate present.
So for both leader and manager, time becomes a currency with recognizable and applicable value. The leader can appropriate the time resources of followers and put them to work in mutually beneficial ways. As long as the outcomes are clear and universally acceptable there’s no manipulation or coercion involved. The manager is able to engage the time of others both in the pursuit of current objectives and then make repayment in the form of investments for future benefits or legacies.
The act of leveraging through others, employed in both cases, also indicates that time can be magnified and multiplied by common consent. This, in effect, creates additional available time. Where individual differences are recognized, appreciated and employed, there’s a potential for synergy - the enrichment of time. In this way, time invested yields a much higher return than simple combinations and accruals could ever generate.
The possibilities are endless – almost timeless!
A summary list of time strategies and techniques that reflect the concepts described above is available on request.
I’d welcome your questions, comments and suggestions. We can all learn through dialogue and your experiences will undoubtedly gain more value when shared. Please contact me at david@andros.org.
A Note to our Readers . . .
Previous series of articles on the topics of
- Tomorrow’s Leaders – a model for SME organizations
- The Leadership Crucible – the ‘making’ of leaders
- Leadership Characteristics – a comprehensive catalogue of leader qualities
- Succession Planning – the strategic argument, principles and strategies, and
- Managing Change – every person’s guide to painless processes
have been summarized as discussion guides for those who lead and manage through mentoring and coaching. If you would like to secure a copy for your own use, please contact us.
It is a pleasure to share ideas with you and we’d welcome your questions, suggestions and comments. They’ll assist us to refine and expand the essential value of these initiatives.
Thanks in anticipation for your participation.
Please contact me at david@andros.org.
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Timely Insights . . .
Connect with people who aren’t like you . . .
Today’s business world is increasingly a patchwork quilt of different cultures, races, religions and perspectives. So how can you make a connection and do business with those with whom you seem to have little in common?
In “The Art of Connecting”, Claire Raines and Lara Ewing write that the first thing you need to realize is that you share much more with a diverse array of people than you might think. They present five core principles to help you identify that common ground:
1. There’s always a bridge: Those who are adept at forging connections believe that they can find things in common with all people, no matter how different they are. This belief is crucial to help you when you’re tired or frustrated and struggling to make a connection.
2. Use your curiosity as a tool: You’re far more likely to make a connection if you’re genuinely interested in people from different backgrounds. Rather than approaching those who aren’t like you with a judgmental and self-righteous attitude, constantly ask yourself, “Where is the common ground?” and “How can I use this information to my advantage?”
3. Expect the best from every contact: Masters of the art of connection approach every interaction with anticipation and eagerness, saying to themselves, “I wonder what I can learn from this person.” They assume that every new contact has valuable contributions to make and important things to say. And they don’t see connecting with people who are different from them as a necessary evil; on the contrary, they actively seek them out, reasoning that they can learn something from them.
4. Treat each person as a culture of one: guard against the tendency to stereotype people. Certainly, gender, faith and country of origin are important pieces of who a person is, but you should also pursue clues about family, education, personal milestones, style and artistic tastes and so on.
5. Don’t expect reciprocity: Just because you’re a great listener doesn’t mean all your new contacts will be. And even if you’re open and friendly to everyone you meet, some won’t return the favour. Don’t take it personally. Most of the time, successful connectors are rewarded for their efforts and good intentions, and when they’re not, they do their best to figure out what caused the reaction so they can be more successful in the future.
Individual and Team Performance . . .
An interesting and practical study examined the relative contributions of Emotional Competence (EQ), as measured by the ECI, and cognitive ability (CA), as measured by total SAT score, on individual and team performance, team-member attitudes, and leadership emergence.
Individual performance was measured by final course grades and individual blizzard survival exercise scores; whereas team performance was measured by team project grades and group blizzard scores, where team members rank-ordered 15 items according to their importance for survival. Participants were 425 undergraduate business students randomly assigned to 89 project teams.
Results revealed that CA was more related to individual performance, while EQ was more related to team performance. This finding suggests that EQ has significant positive effects on group performance. Furthermore, individuals who scored higher on the ECI were more likely to emerge as team leaders.
For more details see Offermann, L. R., Bailey, J. R., Vasilopoulos, N. L., Seal, C., & Sass, M. (2004). The relative contribution of emotional competence and cognitive ability to Individual and Team performance Human Performance, 17(2), 219-243.
Newsletters of Note . . .
A few newsletters that crossed my desk in the past 3-4 weeks may deserve your attention. Try the following linkages for a quick preview and subscribe if you detect value for the time invested:
o Leading News
o Profit Xtra
o MindTools
Good reading!
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| Section 2 |
- Talk Back |
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Coach's Corner . . .
A selection of frequently-asked questions.
Dear Coach:
I’ve been in my new role for just over a year now. I head up a fair-sized team of fifteen people spread all over the world, mostly here in North America but three in Europe and two in Asia.
We service a world-wide distribution network of Agents who can be very difficult and always demanding. While most of my people pull their weight and do an extremely good job under trying circumstances, about five of them just do the minimum amount to get by. This is very obvious to everybody especially when we have our weekly teleconferences and quarterly get-togethers.
Am I going to have to fire these “dead weights”?
Response:
You’ve hit the “daily double”. This is the challenge that many managers face, few resolve successfully, yet it’s at the very heart of the effective management process.
Let’s start with the definition of what a manager is (notice, I didn’t say “does”). A manager is one who gets results through other people – so far this is the standard Harvard textbook definition – by making them successful. I’ve added the last clause because I’m convinced that there are “good managers” and “bad managers”, both of whom get results. Only a minority of managers make other people successful though, and these are the ones that most people would want to work with. Our first point of focus is this pivotal desire to coach and develop others.
Now, what managers do is engage people to work within systems that generate needed results. The question often is upon which aspect of this is the emphasis placed? It could be on engaging people, the systems, or on the needed results. If it’s the former – people – then it’s a soft situation where many are content but problems abound and when results don’t follow, the arrangement is usually short-lived.
If the emphasis is on systems, the climate becomes bureaucratic, impersonal and insensitive and while results may follow they’re rarely spectacular and few people enjoy the process, so there’s employee turn-over. If the emphasis is mainly on results, people tend to be seen as expendable, systems are rigidly focused on “what works” and the manager has the reputation of a “driver”.
Clearly, the secret is to manage all three elements in dynamic balance, meaning that the emphasis can move easily and readily between the three aspects depending on prevailing circumstances. In general, it’s fairly and evenly distributed between all three aspects.
How can this be done? Well, there are three considerations necessary to make it work, namely:
- You have to have the right people, who want to work with one another and who are able to identify functional success with personal success.
- The manager has to manage the interfaces between both people and systems, not the people or the systems themselves (these need to be self-managing).
- The working environment has to promote and sustain “engagement”, where the primary task of the manager is to run interference on any issues that could get in the way.
The Gallup Organization has demonstrated conclusively that social bonding is a vital component for personal performance. Having a best friend at work is tremendously important for personal security and productivity; people will betray the organization if they have little or no support for personal growth; and the main reason why people quit their functions is a poor relationship with their supervisor.
On top of this, individuals want to be fully involved, but most are using a mere fraction of their personal strengths and passions to create their contributions. Further, neither they nor the supervisor are aware of the full potentials they do possess. As a result, work is simply not meaningful or fulfilling so individuals are not committed to it.
My sainted Scottish aunt used to say, “Dinna buy a watchdog, an’ then do yer ane barking!” If you place a person in a function, it has to be with the expectation that the person will perform that function fully and responsibly. So what does the manager do? The essential task is to supervise the process, not the people, intervening only when there’s a problem at an interface.
So what happens if there’re less than smooth and optimised transitions between functions? Less value is added through the process and eventually end-customers receive less than expected. We all suffer! It’s critically important for managers to safeguard and enhance the value-added process for this translates into quality, cost effectiveness and satisfaction for all involved.
The last point addresses the issues of accountability, seamless flow and anticipation. The manager has a real job to do which is normally a few weeks/months ahead of when work is actually completed. If this isn’t done, and done well, there’ll be routine crises, blame generation and frequent interference – all likely to turn off honest effort, initiative and real contribution.
Agreed, the manager needs to be there for people to access when required – a valued resource in time of need, but not so close that smothering occurs. However, the singular managerial function, i.e. heading off potential crises, must get the time and attention it warrants.
Managers can, and often do, get “under the feet” of their people in their enthusiasm for effective/efficient systems and on-target results. When this occurs, many people simply give up trying to contribute to their fullest, unique potentials - doing just what is required to get by.
The most successful managers I’ve met are largely invisible to their people much of the time, yet totally appreciated for all the problems they’re able to anticipate and deflect. This allows people to make their fullest contributions through their designated functions while enjoying the collaboration and support of colleagues they both like and respect.
How would you do should this template be applied?
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Commentary . . .
Communities of Practice . . .
Have you ever noticed that if you ask business executives about strategies that they’ll talk about structures, logistics and performance, but if you enquire about their most pressing issues the focus quickly changes to people - recruitment, development, retention, collaboration and the challenges of harnessing people to distant goals?
For strategy issues executives have a wide range of precise and proven techniques for assessing appropriate options and remedies. For those issues that involve people, they appear to rely on more visceral techniques – personal judgment and habitual leadership/management styles.
We’ll all agree that hard numbers don’t necessarily make decision processes easier or more effective. People, too, are indeed more complex than production layouts, JIT systems and process efficiencies will ever be, but there’s still room for more rigorous methodologies in managing human behaviour. I have a strong suspicion that we avoid this needed discipline for the “soft side” mainly because we equate management with control, and people are exceptionally difficult to control.
Switch the emphasis in management practices from “control” to “development” and a number of highly effective approaches become evident. As one startlingly obvious example, consider the variety of informal “communities of practice” now to be found in a growing number of companies around the world. These communities are formed by people collaborating spontaneously to share best practices around a common function, vocation or passion, often across corporate and national boundaries.
These communities are rarely acknowledged or recognized for the contributions they make – until recently, that is. Recently, it’s become very noticeable that such groups can wield substantial power and influence – knowledge is power; shared knowledge is considerably more influential. Yet, very few leader / managers actively invest in the initiation and cultivation of communities of practice, perhaps because they fear their impact on the need for control!
Communities of practice are, by their very nature, self governing, drawing their energy from common interests and enthusiasms and from a shared sense of purpose. They cannot be managed by traditional (read control-centered) methods. There’s even a school of thought that asserts that communities cannot even develop in a directed context.
Some active management of communities of practice is necessary, though not by traditional means which would perhaps cause their disintegration. Individually-focused performance metrics clearly do not apply but organizational objectives and priorities are requisites. The visceral techniques normally reserved for people management have to have some discipline and structure in this application.
Fifty years ago, I studied Jacob Moreno’s sociograms as a fundamental understanding of group processes. Little has been done since to expand and develop this field of study, and yet this is exactly what’s needed. A sociogram is a network analysis tool that maps the interactions between individuals and describes in crystal-clear terms what is happening, what could happen and how the dynamics within the group will flow. This is vital knowledge but little known among practicing managers. Why?
A typical map or sociogram will reveal network density (the actual number and location of working connections), with individual centrality (the precise roles and relationships being exercised by each member), and community cohesion (the quality of the connections between pairs of contacts). A broad appreciation of these factors will assist the manager to identify the critical players in the community who are the primary influencers of the group.
Placing the right people in the right roles and supporting their efforts in the initiation / development of the community of practice is now possible. Sow the seeds, nurture the growth and reap the harvest. The community will indeed manage itself, just as individuals will manage themselves if handled correctly. The manager will need to maintain a little distance as well as some measure of future focus in order to remain objective. Here again, the pivotal role for the manager is to “run interference” for the group so that it can develop and contribute as it should, and to its optimal level of potential.
Any system or network of this type functions on intrinsic satisfaction – the power of self-induced motivation. It does not need extrinsic incentives – the motivation is already present in abundance for the dynamic is a natural one. People will participate and contribute because they see spontaneous value generated, recognition from their peer group (very, very powerful!), and mutual respect and bonding growing with every contact. The investment costs are negligible.
Gradually there’re higher trust levels and the focus shifts from “getting the right information to the right person at the right time” to building upon each others ideas to find needed solutions - in other words the true creation of knowledge. We must tap the fuller potentials of our people if we are to survive ands succeed in an intensifying global market.
Network analysis is a certain way to do this; a simple idea whose time has surely arrived.
Think about it!
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A Point of View . . .
This section is a Guest Column.
Those with different and interesting viewpoints are invited to state a case on a related topic. Articles are most welcome.
Christmas is Over . . .
Does Christmas seem like it happened long ago? Probably seems that way. It does for some people I’ve talked to. Remember that first moment when the “Christmas Spirit” hit you. You felt really good, walking through the mall, buying that special something, (for that person you may have been quiet to lately) because of deadlines and really big issues that have been on your mind for months. And let’s face it; they’re not that big an issue six months from now in most cases.
And then it happened. That first conflict to shake all your happiness. You may have been witnessing the silly argument over that prime piece of real estate known as a parking spot. I saw it myself and couldn’t believe it. Someone was so incensed they parked in behind 2 cars in the lane and got out and walked. Got out and shouted some crude remarks, and walked in like, with head tilted, “I showed you”. I guess their purpose that night was crucial. I thought of emergency services trying to get around the seemingly broken down car. I had to break out in laughter. What a sight. I thought this person had just lost it over something that, by maybe showing some “Christmas Spirit” to a “normal” person, who would have thought, that if you need it that bad, then take it. And then it hit me. Everyone’s still on a mission to fulfill their needs. They don’t even enjoy the reasons they are out there in the first place. They think they are the most important concern, and we should all be aware of that.
Then I noticed it everywhere. In grocery lines, or waiting in line for a return at “Wally World”. Society is most impatient and not considerate of anyone. It doesn’t matter where you are, you see it everywhere. Lets not even go to the “Bar” scene where there are hundreds of people competing for a cocktail. I’m thinking of something simple like trying to buy the newspaper and having to wait for 3 people. People are looking at their watches or on their cell phone like everyone’s late to be somewhere. Some teenagers are behind you on the street, and you shift your position to be able to analyze the situation (the language can be gross even to me). You might see a 14 year old girl spit on the sidewalk beside you. Remember when only the guys who were on the wild side of town did that? It’s the older folks too. The ones who went through the depression and wars, and demand they are owed respect and have no patience for the younger ones.
They may have a point... but! It’s almost everyone it seems - like in the Poltergeist movie - ”Whaaat’s happening”? Yikes, it’s scary out there.
Do you want to hear your 19 year old daughter say that she’s going to a club or bar that night? Her style of conservative puts me on the worry mode although she is trustworthy and responsible.
How do we show trust, concern, encouragement, but shudder at what they may encounter that night?
Let us start with ourselves. How can we all start to make this world a little bit better?
Maybe say “Thanks” once in a while. Maybe give that veteran a little smile when he or she is in uniform going to a function to remember the ones who did lose their lives in battle, so that we can go to a movie, or our children can play some sports. Or maybe tip your hat to that teen who is shoveling that elderly lady’s sidewalk for her. Is it that difficult, or do we need Katrina to remind us of our vulnerabilities? It’s so easy and simple.
Show respect to everyone, as everyone is dealing with real life issues too. Some respect, some manners, some benefit of the doubt. We will all be better off in the long run for the generations that are to follow. It’s that easy folks. All we have to consider is what we have accomplished, and where we can go from here. We have put humans on the moon. We send things out into the universe and take photos of planets and objects, and bring back images of places that are hard to comprehend. We are capable of unbelievable things. What’s a simple way to practice respect and compassion? Take ten slow breaths (be thankful for being able to do that), go to that happy place for a split second, and respond with a cool, calm response that shows you are a normal, rational person with some “Christmas Spirit” that may be just out of season.
We are individuals who as a race have the opportunity to accomplish things never before seen on this planet. I just hope we don’t throw it all away… all for nothing. Well, that’s my opinion, anyway.
Danny
– HPA
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| Section 3 |
- On the Horizon |
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The Top Leader’s Role in Transformation . . .
Business leaders are beginning to wake up and smell the coffee. In today’s business environment, organizations cannot settle for incremental or transactional change. Periodically, and with increasing frequency it seems, they must undergo transformative or break-through change if they are to stay with the pack – and definitely if they intend to be “on top”.
Executive teams are encouraged to engage in strategic planning, “intra-preneurism” is recognized and individual initiatives that result in seismic shifts are applauded. Accepting all this, the question arises, “Is there a particular and specific role for the Chief Executive Officer or equivalent in all this?”
MacKinsey’s Carolyn B. Aiken and Scott P. Keller recently published their conclusions following extensive interviews with top leaders around the world. There’s no single model to apply, they observe, but there are four key functions that collectively define a successful intervention for the CEO:
- Making the transformation meaningful – harnessing belief, stirring emotional response, creating and reinforcing commitment;
- Role modeling desired mindsets and behaviors – literally walking the talk by paralleling organizational change with personal change;
- Building a strong and committed top team - who are role models, who get to stay on the bus and make the journey as a trusted fellow passenger
- Relentlessly pursuing impact – rolling up shirt-sleeves and becoming personally involved in every sense of the word.
In the first, and arguably most difficult of these four practices – Making the Change Meaningful - , the unique position of the CEO is pivotal. He/she stands at the pinnacle of the organizational pyramid and from whom all others take their cues. Those CEOs who pay lip service should expect their direct reports to do likewise. If the top person has no focus, why would it be anticipated at any other level?
Transformational change demands extraordinary energy. Energy is derived from emotions; passion is focused energy. Intellectual approaches are not enough – this is playing with half a deck; emotional buy-in is essential. Stories, particularly the personal ones, are very powerful in this respect, that’s why they entertain us.
Having caught the imagination and feelings of others, it’s necessary to attach them firmly to the transformational objectives – this is engagement! To get people to embrace the needed changes, there has to be a high level of personal identification with the outcomes. If the future is not going to affect me directly, why would I want to invest in building it?
Putting the spotlight on successes as you proceed is highly reinforcing. This is more than just highlighting the star performers as role models, it truly means accentuating the positive. A University of Wisconsin study (1982) demonstrated clearly that people are spurred on far more by visualizing success than when confronted with their failures – this is surely a “no-brainer”.
On the second point, Effectiveness in Role Modeling, CEOs need to realize that they are always in the spotlight even when they’re not around. What they choose, or choose not, to do has a profound impact on everyone within their locus of control. They are the TRM – the Top Role Model.
Gandhi is well known for his admonishment, “Be the change you want to see in the world!” I have yet to see organizational change work without significant associated changes occurring in the leadership team. Concurrent personal change is an essential component, and this requires deep personal awareness, focused intentions and dedicated effort through coaching interventions over time.
This, in turn, demands a certain amount of personal sacrifice, the investment of substantial personal time and energy and a whole lot of risk. If the CEO is not prepared to underwrite such change at the personal level, by what authority can he or she demand it of others? How can he/she claim the title?
Building a strong, committed team – the third point – is more important that having requisite knowledge, skills and experience. The will to achieve the designated change must also be owned by every individual and by the group collectively – all for one and one for all! Unless each member of the top team is prepared to carry the responsibility for the changes single-handedly, he or she has no right to be on the team.
Thorough inventorying of resources, deliberate and committed sharing of those resources and ongoing, penetrating audits of practice are needed to ensure the desired outcomes. Hard decisions may well be required, for past performance and demonstrated loyalties in the past are no certain indicators that individuals will measure up. Select the right people and then encourage them to meet and act as one using a common charter and applying dialogue as the pre-eminent tool for creation.
The final point is the relentless pursuit of impact. It has always been easier to copy the actions of others than to wrestle with abstract concepts – “Write your reports the way Joe writes his” versus “You need more structure and precision in your narrative reports”. The CEOs direct involvement and participation does more than provide a visible demonstration of what’s needed, it markedly increases accessibility, dialogue, reinforcement, consultation and standards setting – not to mention credibility!
Many organizational review or progress meetings are exercises in snow creation – we need them on the slopes more than in the boardroom. How can any subordinate leader be held accountable if the so-called facts are flurries of white stuff? The CEO has to be grounded in the facts in a way that can only occur through firsthand exposure. Issues of “importance” and “urgency” can be identified far more accurately, short versus longer term considerations more sensitively assessed and objective-subjective balances more readily maintained when the CEO has direct experience to hand.
In summary, for CEOs leading a transformation, no single model guarantees success, but the odds can be improved by targeting these four leadership functions. Acting together they can generate the energies needed to capture the passions, secure commitment, build a strong, focused team and keep everyone on track through the process of achieving a successful transition.
It’s well-worth a try, isn’t it?
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Opportunities & Challenges . . .
20 Leadership Lessons . . .
By sharing important business lessons on film, executives communicate in the most compelling method of all, one-to-one storytelling. Contributions are edited into short, powerful, highly engaging lessons that can be applied to decision-making across the entire range of business challenges.
Try it – you’ll like it!
http://www.50lessons.com/
Remember to review the lesson Summary, Ideas for Action and Questions to Ask. It will take you just a few moments to gain a fresh perspective – well worth the investment!
Ask us too, for a summary extract of Robert R Quinn’s book “Deep Change”. It’s yours for the asking.
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Your Development
How well are you doing with your personal development? Will you be ready for the opportunities and challenges that tomorrow will undoubtedly bring?
Would you like some help with
- professional / objective assessment?
- ongoing self development?
- personal, one-on-one coaching
We have a talent for bringing out the very best in people. We help them to focus, to build self and general confidence based on committed results and we contribute to competence and resiliency.
We are Polaris – the finest self-navigation program for emerging leaders / managers. You can reach us at info@polarisprogram.com or by calling (519) 766-1178 anytime.
Perhaps Polaris would be the right program for you? We’d welcome the opportunity to demonstrate this powerful program and to contribute to the strengthening of your profile and/or management team.
Please contact us for details.
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Reach Out!
Harness the power of a sparkling new thought every week. By subscribing to our "Reach Out" service you'll receive a short, high impact, motivating and often provocative quotation every Tuesday morning. It will lend focus to your week, stimulation for your thinking, insights into your whole life and perhaps even solace for your soul.
Best of all, it's free! Take a moment for yourself and make room for a little refreshment.
http://www.reachoutdirectory.com
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| Section 4 |
- Secure Site |
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A New Polaris Program . . .
will begin in the Spring 2007
There are currently openings for this leading-edge personal development program which is winning plaudits across the board. Please call us for details of qualifications required and registration processes.
Polaris participants are invited to use their assigned usernames and passwords to access the extended curriculum and knowledge base at http://www.polarisprogram.com/members.php
Review Sessions . . .
Polaris program participants are invited to review the modules for
Work Out 4
- Personal Organization – Vision, Mission & Values
- Influencing Others – Group Dynamics
- Focusing Principles – Management Beliefs & Strategies
Work Out 10
- Implementation – Decisions and Monitoring
- Building Relationships – Networks & Alliances
- Beyond Self – High potential Characteristics
Preparatory assignments . . .
Preparatory materials are on the web site and will also be sent by e-mail.
Work Out 5 (March 6th)
The agenda for this session will comprise:
- Personal Organization – Focusing Resources
- Influencing Others – Communicating with Intent
- Focusing Principles – Consistency & Commitment
Work Out 11 (Date to be arranged)
The agenda for this session will be:
- Implementation – Reinforcement & Learning I
- Building Relationships – Trust and Confidence
- Building Relationships – Consensus and Synergies
Any person who has participated in the Polaris Program at any time is invited and encouraged to attend any Work Out at any time and without fee. Please contact Sheila to advise her of your intention to attend.
Please set time aside for your preparatory work, and call your coach with any questions and comments.
Use your RED time well!
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Be kind to yourself - and to someone else! |
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Stay well, live long and prosper.
David Huggins and Amanda Levy
Andros Consultants Limited
http://www.andros.org
Helping individuals and organizations be their best
http://www.ebooks4business.ca
Distinctive business books for the discerning mind
http://www.polarisprogram.com
Realizing tomorrow's potential - today!
Shameless Marketing Tip:
With close to thirty years of experience in identifying and resolving
professional and business issues, we've developed a wealth
of expertise that could benefit you. An exploratory consultation
carries no obligation. Let's talk! Contact us at info@andros.org
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Contact us to learn more.
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