September 2007
The developmental digest for emerging leader/managers devoted to growth and excellence
CONTENTS:	Section 1 - Topical Topics   - Leadership Opportunities . . .   - Timely Insights Section 2 - Talk Back   - Dear Coach   - Commentary   - A Point of View Section 3 - On the Horizon   - Opportunities and Challenges   - Reach Out Section 4 - Secure Site
Section 1	- Topical Topics
	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 possess that could make profound differences in the lives of those they lead. This means we're comparing and contrasting how a leadership perspective can add unique and substantial value to some ordinary and familiar undertakings. This month our focus is on the elusive topic of retention – holding on to the talent you have especially when the ‘going gets tough' . . . I'm just not happy . . . I remember the event as if it were yesterday. Chris came into my office, quietly closed the door and sat down heavily in the visitor's chair. “David, we need to talk” he said without greeting. My antenna went up – this was a rehearsed speech! Up to this point he'd always addressed me as ‘Chief', a small quirk that had meaning only for the two of us. This was no time for pleasantries nor for familiarity; the issue was hot! I dreaded the worst and listened with a sinking feeling in my stomach as it unfolded before me. “What's on your mind, Chris?” I asked, not really wanting him to tell me. “I've been thinking, I guess for quite a while now and I think the bottom line is that I'm just not happy. I think it's time for me to move on.” This couldn't have happened at a more difficult time. Chris was my best sales person and had been performing above and beyond expectations for more than two years now. We'd enjoyed great success and relationships with our clients had never been better. This was also the month before we were going to introduce a major new service offering - major in terms of investment, risk and public profile. No, this was definitely not the time to take on a significant change in our infrastructure. “What do you mean, you're not happy?” I asked. Immediately I knew this was absolutely the wrong response; I could have kicked myself! Chris was a self-starter. If he knew what he meant by the statement he wouldn't be sitting in front of me right now; he'd be out there taking action, making it happen. That was his nature, the characteristic that made him my top sales person. Before he could respond I doubled back. Yes, he wanted to be heard, but perhaps even more, he needed to clarify his thinking, to be able to express his confusions and frustrations and to be able to trace a course of action that would relieve the discomfort that had become his daily experience. Why hadn't I tapped into this before today? Was it now too late? What is happiness . . . It was time for me to learn. I was one of his mentors but I had to face the fact that I didn't know what was best for him. Likely he didn't either. What we needed were a few well considered questions that could tease the important issues to the surface where we might deal with them – learning questions. “How have you recognized this lack of happiness?” I asked. “What comes to mind when you're conscious of it?” “I'm tired!” he said, “I have to drag myself out of bed in the morning and I'm not excited about coming to work any more. Everyday it's the same old ‘same old' and I'm getting stale. I'm not going anywhere. There's got to be more to life than this” I immediately recalled the counsel one of my mentors had shared with me many years previously. Happiness is the direct result of balancing purpose or meaning with pleasure, passion or enjoyment. He'd used two lines that crossed at right angles. On the horizontal line he'd marked “Purpose” with a minus sign on the left and a plus sign on the right. The vertical line was labeled “Pleasure' with the minus sign at the bottom and the plus sign at the top. He'd asked me to think about the four quadrants. Where Purpose was high but Pleasure was low (lower right) I had been able to describe the ‘rat-race' experiences I was complaining about. We'd looked at the complement, where Pleasure was high but Purpose was low (upper left) – the hedonistic quadrant. I lusted after that at the time but I knew it would be short-lived. Scarier though was the lower left quadrant where both Purpose and Pleasure were low. This was a living death and there was no way I wanted any part of that. Then we'd focused on the upper right where both Purpose and Pleasure were high – the ideal condition. He asked me to identify my current position and I'd waffled. He'd pointed to the intersection point and said that this is ‘now' and that I'd always be right there. Life is about striving not arriving. The issue I had to resolve was in which direction was I focused? On this day Chris needed a new direction, a renewal of his Purpose and Pleasure so that he could find new balance and fresh impetus. This was something that he had to do for himself. My job was to help him find the essential commodities and harness them, but not to do it for him. Where to look . . . Chris was still young, only a few years into his career, not yet ready to settle down and focus on security and comfort. That would surely come in time, but right now he had to stretch himself, to make his mark in life and to discover his place in the world. Already though, he'd worked hard to discover his advantages, that combination of cognitive competencies (knowledge, skills and experience) and his personal strengths (perceptions, beliefs and perspectives) that were the basis of his unique contributions. He was proud of his knowledge, skill and experience but at the same time conscious that he didn't yet have enough and probably never would. After graduation he'd decided to take a break from formal studies though and had lapsed into the pattern of ‘pragmatic learning' – what he actually needed, and only when he needed it. The outcome was that he wasn't really learning other than from direct experience and that was becoming routine. There were no challenges here! One day he might return to the ‘hallowed halls' and do an MBA but this wasn't the time. Yet, right now he needed the mental stimulation of new ideas, challenging debate, curiosity and exciting discoveries. This wasn't happening. His daily routine was becoming just that – a routine. He had learned how to deal with the vast majority of opportunities and challenges in the market place; very little surprised him any more and he could accomplish most of what was needed without raising a real sweat. More important than learning about new things on the outside, he was not even learning about himself. His awareness of his innate strengths was moribund / stalemated. What could draw it out? What would stimulate him to dig into these internal and external resources, to find fresh inspiration, renewed passion and focus? There was only one thing – a personal vision quite unlike anything he was currently used to. My challenge could be to help him find that – for himself! The leader's opportunity . . . It would be all too easy simply to offer him more of what I knew he was already good at doing – it wouldn't help for long, if at all. I could also give him a fresh role to play in the organization, different objectives, goals and standards, for certainly these were emerging with the new service offering we had in mind. This would probably fail too. Yes, it was vitally important to the Company and although it would be a real stretch, it wouldn't be his! He'd stay and devote himself as he usually did, and maybe things would improve for him for a while but that too would be transitory. As my sainted Scottish aunt used to say, ” Ye can feed a man a fish and stave off hunger for a day, or ye can teach him how to fish and he's set for a lifetime” Chris needed a fishing lesson, and I needed to coach him to be his own person. No quick and easy answers from me were likely to save the day. We began right then and there. I caught him by surprise. “I'd really like to help you Chris,” I said, “but I've got a more pressing problem right now. This new service offering is going to be a real winner in the market, surpassing anything the clients can access right now, saving considerable time and money, and giving us a commanding lead over the competition, but we simply don't have the resources – people and money – to get it to market effectively. If we should fail to bring it off after launching it, our reputation would be shot!” I looked at him, my face expressionless; he returned my gaze, bewildered. This was not the reaction he'd anticipated. I could see his mind racing, going over the possibilities and wrestling with the inconsistencies . “What are you going to do?' he asked me. “I simply don't know!” I replied, although that was not entirely true. I'd suddenly realized that he'd caused me to take a much more strategic view of the whole situation, one that would benefit us all. “Let me think about this;” he asked. “Can I get back to you later today?” “Sure!” I said with an inward sigh of relief, “I'll be here.” I was there – when he returned with fire in his eyes, later in his belly, when he had caught the glimmer of a personal vision for the new service offering and the crucial contributions he could make, when he challenged my perspectives, reevaluated our resources especially the tacit knowledge, skill sets and experience that we needed to draw through. He was also there for me. The bottom line . . . The essential role of the leader is not to create visions for others but rather to entice them to create visions for themselves. Particularly when under pressure, it's all too easy to provide quick solutions and to donate ready answers to what is bothering people. But others do not want to hear that their issues are facile, that their needs are anticipated and already provided for. Those who supply such answers are neither appreciated nor valued. What kept Chris focused and developing, valued and contributing for several more years to come, was not the illumination I could provide but that which he ignited within himself once I'd cleared a pathway to the opportunities. He needed to strive, to grow both within himself and among his colleagues. All I had to do was to tow him to a challenging ‘release' altitude; he needed to fly solo. This is your flight plan. 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.
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	Timely Insights . . . •  Knowledge Metaphors can Mislead Us . . . At the 8th European Conference on Knowledge Management in Barcelona, Spain on 6-7 September 2007, Daan Andriessen gave a keynote talk entitled Knowledge As Love; How Metaphors Direct Our Efforts to Manage Knowledge in organizations. In this talk, he made the point that we use metaphors to make sense of the world and the terms "knowledge management" and "intellectual capital" were such metaphors. When we speak of "knowledge management" we use a "resource" metaphor to help describe knowledge and when we use the term "intellectual "capital" we use a "capital" metaphor. Daan explained that metaphors are indispensable for conceptualization and understanding. However, we need to be aware that metaphors highlight certain things and conceal others. For example, the "knowledge as a resource" metaphor ignores the fact that knowledge is subjective and difficult to elicit. Dan Gurteen found this concept fascinating and decided to conduct a few of his video mini-interviews with some of the conference participants including Daan and asked them "What is your favourite knowledge metaphor"? He also ran a Knowledge Cafe on the theme. He thinks you might enjoy the material including photos and videos that you will find on his website. http://www.gurteen.com/gurteen/gurteen.nsf/id/L003325/   •  Leadership in the Balance - Are Balanced Leaders Better Performers? Don't sacrifice balance for career success - it might backfire, suggests CCL's Joan Gurvis. Research from CCL shows that work-life balance improves a leader's effectiveness. "The typical assumption in U.S. culture is that a leader's effectiveness is correlated to the amount of time and energy spent on the job. If that were the case, leaders who are rated with a high balance between work and personal life would receive low marks on performance," says Gurvis. "In fact, the opposite is true." Leaders who are rated by coworkers as having more balance between work and personal life are seen as significantly more effective by their bosses. The "more effective" leaders have balance scores that are 16 percent higher than less effective leaders. The findings are drawn from CCL's database of 360-degree leadership assessments completed by participants in its leadership development programs. These assessments provide leaders with feedback from their boss or superior, peers and direct reports on a wide range of behaviors and skills. Many of the assessments have items that correlate to balance, such as: •  Strikes a reasonable balance between work and private life. •  Acts as if there is more to life than just having a career. •  Has activities and interests outside of career. •  Does not take career so seriously that his/her personal life suffers. •  Does not let job demands cause family problems. "When we looked closely at the data, we learned that executives and managers that received high scores on the balance questions had high scores on leadership effectiveness. Now we know that the link exists between balance and better performance," says Gurvis. "We can lead balanced lives and be more productive and effective in our work. The question is what will organizations and leaders do to support a more balanced approach to work and life?" http://www.ccl.org/leadership/enewsletter/2007/SEPbalanced.aspx
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Section 2	- Talk Back
	Coach's Corner . . . A selection of frequently-asked questions. Dear Coach, You've mentioned several times that we should use the standard of ‘any reasonable, rational and decent person' when deciding whether to accept someone's action or response in a conflict situation. Where I work, and in other areas of my life, most people are anything but reasonable, rational and decent especially when there's a confrontation. What if there's no one who meets that test?   Response: You raise several interesting points in your question. Let's try to deal with them one at a time and then look at general expectations. The standard you refer to is the one to apply when you are planning how to deal with a situation, not when you're actually in process. This planning stage is a vital prerequisite to effective action; i.e., before you respond to any situation or make a judgment about someone or something. Your first responsibility is to place both feet firmly on the ground and to get your bearings. As a leader you'll need to focus the desire for change resident in others – their passions; and as a manager you‘ll be looking to get results through others by creating successes for them. So, the initial task is to know where you're starting from. There's a strong temptation to focus on others rather than upon ourselves even at this stage. All events are neutral, however, and come to us devoid of judgment. The likely first thing we do with the experience is to apply a judgment – something we've been doing spontaneously and automatically since we formed our independent polarities by five or six years of age. We decide whether it's good or bad, acceptable or unacceptable, reasonable or unreasonable. This provokes an associated emotional response in us which is now totally integrated with the experience and our reactions thereto. In effect, we tell ourselves a story, which may or may not be true. Most often our problems will arise from this emotional add-on rather than from the incident itself. So, our first responsibility is to identify and master our own stories about the situation. The test here is whether or not my story is reasonable and defensible. I need to do this before I link the emotion directly to the incident and place the blame at the feet of whoever initiated the incident. Am I attributing the right story appropriately, in context and without undue embellishment or distortion? Next, we should consider whether the story is applicable to the incident as experienced. If the incident is a one-time occurrence, a unique event, we might have to guard against the tendency to generalize it in order to justify it – “ you always . . ., you never . . ., every time . . .”. Yet another version of this generalization is to extend the impact over a wider range than circumstances would warrant, “Everybody . . ., No one . . ., The whole world . . .!' Is it a single incident, a pattern or something buried deeply in a relationship? Each has to be treated in its own reality. Clearly, we need to be reasonable and rational in our own thoughts. The challenge is that others will do exactly as we would do, often setting off a chain reaction which escalates itself out of control and very rapidly. At some point therefore, we have to master not only our own emotional response but also contribute to the management of the responses of others. This is not easy, but it is possible – think of it as being ‘level-headed'. Three points: there's a need to plan before we respond; we have to master our own stories; and we often have to assist others to do the same. Bringing it all together, we have a basic obligation to stay grounded, especially when situations are heated or sensitive. We need extra time, personal insight and insight into other's behaviors (since we can't see their intentions). If we do not separate the stories from the incidents, identify what we are contributing ourselves and/or give others room to manoeuvre, we are inviting misunderstanding. When we attribute intentions and motives to others without testing the intentions involved we are possibly guilty of fundamental attribution error – a dangerous practice. This is precisely where the standard question, “Would a reasonable, rational and decent person act this way?” is a sound way to assess our own actions. It tests our own interpretation of the situation and checks the story we're telling ourselves against an objective template. This can help us to get the best out of the situation and may even contribute to the quality of the relationships that we want to survive beyond the incident in question. I hope this helps.
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	Commentary . . . Focusing Critical Hiring Decisions . . . Have you ever made a less than optimal hiring decision? Perhaps it's because this is a task that many managers and leaders do not undertake with great regularity, but my experience is that the majority are not able to perform anywhere close to their inherent potential. Some otherwise brilliant managers have been known to run from this task in fear and trembling! Frankly, I've lost count of otherwise responsible and competent managers who have requested me to help them make a key decision yet have no specific idea as to what it is they really need. Sometimes it's even expressed in negative terms – “I sure don't want someone like the last one!” or “I need someone who won't sit around waiting for business to come to them!” Clearly, this is not a sound base for such important decisions. Our challenge is to improve hiring decisions with the limited knowledge and time that's available? Like many other critical functions this challenge of selecting and acquiring the right person for the right job at the right time is best met with thorough preparation. Begin with a very clear image of the outcome – what will the business look like when the right person is “on-board” and “up-to-speed”? This image, which can be built through consensual discussion among those who are upstream, lateral and downstream of the position in question, can be best expressed in ‘contributions' . These are outcomes (objectives, goals and standards) of the individual's work efforts and relationships. They normally contain hard deliverables as well as precise standards of performance (quality; quantity; timing and cost issues). Here's an example of what a statement of contributions could look like. Again in my experience, there are around six to ten contributions which are critically important for any role to be effective. The acid test is that should there be a shortfall in any one of them, then the quality of value-added work diminishes drastically for everyone in direct contact with the position. There might be a few (two–to-five) auxiliary contributions that are nice-to-have or can possibly be engaged infrequently that could be appended to the list. There's an old saying, “ If you hire for head, you'll fire for heart!” In other words, if your sole concern in making a hiring decision is what the candidate knows, possesses as skills and has experienced but, at the same time, you neglect to give equal weight to the motivations, dreams, desires and belief- structures of the individual, you'll regret it very shortly – usually within six months. There are two essential lists of support criteria to identify once the contributions have been defined – the cognitive competencies demanded (the knowledge, skills and experiences - the ‘head' stuff) and the personal strengths required (the values-in action, perspectives and beliefs – the ‘heart' stuff)? These criteria will support success in attaining the specified contributions. Play with a full deck and you won't be trumped. At this point we have a consensual list of contributions supported by six-to-eight cognitive competencies and the same number of personal strengths. This is a template for all involved in the decision-making process to use for navigation. The next challenge is to discover the relevant and reliable information that would lead to an effective decision. We all know full well that if you ask someone to state his/her self-assessment on any important attribute you will be told exactly what you expect to hear. How would anyone be able to resist such opportunity or temptation? So instead, ask the candidate to recount specific incidents or experiences similar to those you anticipate in the projected role, and to explain how each was actually resolved. It's true! We all assess ourselves by our intentions whereas we assess others by their actions. Behavioural Interviewing is based on the premise that the future is likely an extension of the past modified by values-level learning experiences. The way it works is simple – here's a topic, now tell me a related story and then explain how that situation has affected you. Here's a typical set of questions. To avoid the temptations and sincere lies, focus on the actions – historical and simulated – that will reveal the candidate's actual versus intended behaviors. Just think now about the power of combining a well-constructed template with the naked objectivity of behavioural interviewing. All we have to do is to construct some precise questions that will reveal real-life incidents in the candidate's history to demonstrate how he or she really responded to the types of challenge likely to be encountered in the role we have in mind. I inferred that it wasn't ‘rocket science' just careful preparation. Anyone can do it and if a few hours of preparatory work will help you to avoid less-than-optimal hiring decisions in the future, why not invest? Can you, or dare you calculate what the last ‘wrong' decision cost you? Think about it! If you would like a free synopsis of my book on Behavioural Interviewing “Selecting the Best” please contact me. I'd also be pleased to discuss specific assistance in specification development, tuition or coaching to assist you make the right decisions. - David » Click to download the VP Sales Specification (SAMPLE)
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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. Seasons . . . Summer is drawing to a close and all the beauty of Fall is unfolding before our eyes. Take a moment to reflect on the blessings you've experienced these past few months; the extended daytime, increased activities, the more frequent exposures to friends, the opportunities to visit new places and to do unusual things. The wonderful thing is that this happens every year. In fact it happens four times a year, year after year. We enjoy constant renewal, always moving onwards and upwards, irreversible gifts of blessings that do not have to be returned. All this has made you change. You are now more than you were before – a more fulfilled version of your former self, and you'll never need to relinquish this new-found growth. It's yours forever and you can reinvest it as you choose. So you have a return on your invested effort that has generated a yield. How will you reinvest it? Keep some good portion for yourself and give a little away perhaps? This reinvestment could – likely will – return a yield of its own at some point in the future. You may not know when, but it will happen. A changing leaf, small and insignificant in itself, caused me to suddenly become immensely richer. I think there are enough changing leaves around to create some wealth for you too. Please go ahead. Well, that's how I see it anyway! David.
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Section 3	- On the Horizon
	CREATING COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE . . . The Positive Workplace With most of us spending more than a third of our lifetime in the workplace, one would imagine that by now someone, somewhere would have devised ‘the ideal‘ workplace..  Architects, office furniture manufacturers and interior landscapers would have you believe they already have.  But if that is indeed the case, how is it - why is it - that so often when I enter a workplace I find a chilly undercurrent gripping at my gut, or feel the bridled belt of suppressed energy coiling its way around my neck? OK; so I have a vivid imagination.  But I feel sure you know just what I mean.  When we think of workplaces we tend to think of the ‘hard' side.  We think of buildings, offices, desks, computers, equipment, and machinery – the expensive bits.  We may, on occasion, discuss systems and processes, and even speak of “the way we do things around here”. Yet, I would put it to you that “the way things happen around here” has little or nothing to do with systems and processes – and has everything to do with the people and their interactions.  If we think about a time in our lives when our workplace was as close to ideal as it might get, we'd likely talk about the opportunities we had; the fun we had; the difference we got to make; the relationships we enjoyed – and likely still do, all those years later.  A positive experience !   One might even call it a Positive Workplace. Getting results – making a positive difference – is what work is all about, isn't it? And getting those results seems to me to have more to do with who we are (our personal ‘value add'), and how we treat one another in the process, than with what we actually do.  It's what happens at those desks, on those machines, between those people, that makes all the difference to whether we go home at the end of the day feeling good about ourselves, about our organization and about the results which follow. People who feel good about themselves produce good results. Similarly, people who produce good results feel good about themselves. And I happen to believe that people who feel good about themselves, as well as about others, do even better.   How about you? Over the next few months we'll explore the contributions of the new science of positive psychology to help create and sustain the Positive Workplace - the environment in which you and others can flourish – and the organization thrives.   Till then, Be well ; Be strong ; Do good. Amanda Levy http://www.positiveworkplace.com
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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/welcome.asp?trailer=y 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! •  I'm offering complementary copies (autographed) of my recent book “Way to Coach” to the first six applicants. Call or e-mail right now! Ask us too about 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
	Polaris Program opportunity There are currently a few openings in the 2008 program of this leading-edge personal development program which is winning plaudits across the board. Please call us for details of qualifications required and registration processes. Review Sessions . . . 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 Work Out 11 Implementation – Reinforcement & Learning I Building Relationships – Trust & Confidence Building Relationships – Consensus and Synergies   Preparatory assignments . . . Preparatory materials are on the web site and have been sent by e-mail.   Work Out 12 – at the Miller's House, Aberfoyle on Thursday, October 11th Implementation – Reinforcement & Learning II Building relationships – Mentoring & Coaching Beyond Self – Positive Organizational Culture 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!
	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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