Critical Challenges & Critical Choices

There was a moment during our recent phone conversation when he said, “It’s just crazy out there. Uncertainty, risk, doubt. Everything is totally unpredictable. Core systems and structures are in question. Every problem is an adaptive problem. There is no normal. Crazy and chaotic is the new normal. It’s a sideways cyclone in the midst of a Grand Canyon of chaos. And you know what? I haven’t a clue about how to lead my people though this.”

Then, there was a long pause. I just waited. After a bit, he continued, “What am I supposed to do? How am I suppose to plan for the future when I am not sure how, on one level, we are supposed to get through the coming month?”

As he continued to share his frustrations, I was reminded of something Jim Collins and Morten Hansen wrote in their book, Great By Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck - Why Some Thrive Despite Them All (HarperCollins, 2011). As they explained, “We cannot predict the future. But we can create it.” It is an important point. We can create the future or we can react to the future. All the research within this book is based on a single question: “Why do some companies thrive in uncertainty, even chaos, and others do not?” Their answer is a powerful one: “they create.... they prevail.... they thrive.”

First, now is the time for leaders to pull this book off the shelf and begin to reread it. They need to study and think about the implications of this research. At the same time, they need to get copies for their entire leadership team. Then, the group as a whole needs to discuss the content and insights within the book.

Second, within this book, we need to focus on how companies approach and manage risk. In particular, we need to understand the three categories of risk, namely Death Line Risk, which can kill or severely damage the enterprise, Asymmetric Risk, in which the downside dwarfs the upside, and finally Uncontrollable Risk, which cannot be controlled or managed. Common language around risk is going to be very important as we make critical choices moving forward. 

During our phone call that morning, I reminded him of a line in the book where the authors wrote, “Rapid change does not call for abandoning disciplined thought and disciplined action. Rather it calls for upping the intensity to zoom out for fast yet rigorous decision making and zoom in for fast yet superb execution.” I believe that disciplined thought and disciplined action in the face of uncertainty and risk are mission critical to short and long term success. 

After that phone call, I continued to reflect on all that was shared. In particular, I was reminded of something that Kevin Cashman explained in his book, The Pause Principle: Step Back to Lead Forward (Berrett-Koehler, 2012). As he wrote, “All too often, we allow ourselves to be carried away by our busy-ness. We are too hyperactive, too reactive to even notice the hidden value-creating dynamics waiting just under the surface within us and around us. Tethered to our smartphones, we are too caught up and distracted to take the time necessary to sort through complexity or to locate submerged purpose. In our urgent rush to get ‘there,’ we are going everywhere but being nowhere. Far too busy managing with transitive speed, we rarely step back to lead with transformative significance.”

The choice to pause and step back is a powerful choice. It is just as important as creating a plan and executing a plan. Cashman notes that “Managers assert drive and control to get things done; leaders pause to discover new ways of being and achieving.” The act of pausing is a disciplined choice to discover new insights and new perspective. And when things are chaotic and crazy, this is a very important choice. 

Now for some, the best way to describe this current environment is to use the term VUCA which stand for a a time period where events and things are volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous. VUCA was introduced by the Army War College and by Bob Johansen in his book, Get There Early (Berrett-Koehler, 2007). Johansen contends that we have “to flip the VUCA forces to terms that create possibilities and refine VUCA as: Vision; Understanding; Clarity; Agility.” I like this perspective and think it is a powerful choice in the midst of current events. 

One element of this flipping process, according to Cashman in the aforementioned book, is to routinely pause. As he writes, “The Pause Principle is the conscious, intentional process of stepping back, within ourselves and outside ourselves, to lead forward with greater authenticity, purpose, and contribution.”

Cashman notes that there are three kinds of pauses. They are as follows:

- The Backwards Pause: Stepping back when things are not working in order to analyze how to take a new path. 

- The Mission Pause: Stepping back when we have lost our way and need to restore a sense of purpose. 

- The Forward Pause: Stepping back to envision aspirational dreams for imagining a big or new possibility. 

Each of these moments of pause help a leader gain new insights and new perspectives. But what most leader miss is one element within the definition of The Pause Principle, namely “the conscious, intentional process of stepping back, within ourselves.” We often frame up the definition of a pause as a focus on “what is outside ourselves,” but not on what is within us. This is a normal response when life is busy, complex, and complicated. But it is not a productive path if we seek to gain new insights about how to move forward based on clarity and commitment. 

Furthermore, each of the three, aforementioned pauses can be an opportunity to do our own internal work before proceeding to lead others through the external work. It is the combination of the two, the internal and the external, that will generate the right decisions in the midst of critical challenges. 

Currently, we are experiencing a loss of faith in the future, a loss of meaning in our daily work, and the feeling of a loss of control over our choices and options. Thus, planning for the future is hard, and leading people through the current reality is challenging. Still, with adequate support from allies and confidants, plus the willingness to do our own inner work, we can make the critical choices in the midst of these difficulties. Paraphrasing Collins and Hansen, we can create; we can prevail; we can thrive. The first step is to pause and regain inner clarity and inner alignment before stepping forward to generate outer clarity and outer alignment. My challenge to you this week and this fall is a simple one: start with yourself and do the work. Then, over time, the rest will start to fall into place. 

Geery Howe, M.A. Executive Coach in Leadership, Strategic Planning, and Organizational Change

The Practice of Leadership - Part #2

Leadership & Performance Improvement

Within the practice of leadership, helping others to improve their performance is a complex piece of work. Most leaders avoid the subject and to a degree, they avoid their problem people until there are so many issues and levels of toxicity that they just want to get rid of the person. However, most HR professionals will not let someone be fired on the spot unless they have broken the law, done some thing that is totally unethical, and only when there is an adequate paper trail in place, documenting problems over time in order to protect the company from legal action post the dismissal. Thus, the typical HR response to situations of this nature is to put someone on a performance improvement Plan or PIP in order to coach them up or to coach them out. 

In the effective practice of leadership, when we approach people who are struggling at work and we want to put them on a PIP, we often start with the perspective and the question, “What’s wrong with you?” or “Why are you behaving this way?” I have witnessed this line of thought and action many times, and I have rarely, if ever, seen someone improve their performance as a result of these two questions. Most people, who are struggling, just get defensive and are not willing to change. 

I have also witnessed leaders who start in a different place and with two different questions, namely “What happened to you?” and “What happened to us?” For what we need to understand is that the difficulties we are seeing at work are often the result of a larger life story or life journey. And in this larger life story, the current problems we are seeing at work reflect their whole life, not just their work life. In simple terms, their personal story and the company’s  story are overlapping. 

And in the work of performance improvement, we have arrived at a critical moment in time. Our choice to respond with kindness and grace sits with us, not with them. We can choose compassion or judgement, kindness or criticism. But what ever we do, we should not damage them or wound them in the process of helping them improve their performance at work. The best leaders understand this and practice it each and every day. They get that this choice is mission critical to themselves and others, no matter the situation or setting. 

Leadership & Progress

Over many decades, I have facilitated and participated in numerous discussions about the subject of strategic planning and progress. Upon reflection, I am reminded of the words of economist Herbert Stein, who wrote: “If something cannot go on forever, it will stop.” From this perspective, often called Stein’s Law, the steady march of progress seems vital to the success of all strategic planning sessions, and all strategic plans 

At the same time, others involved in these discussions on planning and progress have reminded me of Packard’s Law that Jim Collins wrote about in his book, How The Mighty Fall and Why Some Companies Never Give In (HarperCollins, 2009). As Collins noted, “no company can consistently grow revenues faster than its ability to get enough of the right people to implement that growth with excellence.” Whether we define progress as a steady march forward, or consistent growth based on having the right people pursuing excellence, we have to acknowledge that progress and the practice of leadership are interconnected. 

Nevertheless, I believe we are missing something in the discussion of progress. First, continual progress is a myth. It is based on the idea that all the stars will be constantly aligned in the right direction and that all plans and systems will work perfectly. Furthermore, progress is based on the belief that every one who is creating it will work as one team and stay focused on doing the right things for the right reason. Any experienced leader will know that this is rarely the case. Nine times out of ten, each day is a mix of chaos, craziness, clarity, and commitment. And some days it is happening at once. 

Second, the myth of progress is focused on getting “there,” namely some better or more perfect place than where we are right now. The result of this choice is that we miss being “here” in the present moment. In simple terms, we miss the daily moment of truth where the mission statement becomes real for the employee and the customer. In particular, we miss the opportunity to make a difference for those we serve, to experience connections with the people we work with, and to be transformed, and to be transformative when both these things happen. 

Third, the moment we focus on getting “there,” i.e. getting to some point in the near or distant future, we frame up that point as being better, more complete, more perfect than “now.” Then, the moment of “now” is seen as not very good, mediocre, or in complete. This all translates into “there” as being good and “here” as being bad. And this is not helpful to leaders at all levels of the organization who are struggling with the normal and difficult challenges that happen each and every day. 

Fourth, instead of defaulting to this false choice and the mythology of progress, we need to embrace a definition of living and leading that values the miracle of “now” and celebrates the possibilities of “there.” Yet, in this new definition, there must be an understanding that we never really ever get “there,” because every time we get close to “there,” it becomes “now.” And today, this “now” is all we have. This moment in time that is happening today is the place where we can make critical choices and critical decisions that have the opportunity to transform this moment of “now” into a wide diversity of possibilities, all of which can make life richer and more meaningful. Thus, the practice of leadership must grasp this perspective and recognizes it’s importance in leading people through the normal highs and lows of daily operations. 

Leadership & Convergence

The practice of leadership is a daily act, repeated over and over again. We are not supposed to do it right the first time, and then to be done with it. Instead, we are supposed to do it better each and every day. The mastery of leadership comes in the repetition and the sheer ordinariness of practicing it again and again in so many different situations and moments. 

And yet, there is one more element that the best leaders understand. They comprehend leadership from a holistic perspective, and recognize that we must do more than just understand leadership from a cognitive perspective. Instead, these individuals choose to live leadership as the convergence of personal purpose, passion, and the principles that guide their life. The best leaders create space for, and build bridges to an inner life, from which they can see who they were in the past, who they are in the present, and who they are becoming in the near and distant future. For these individuals, leadership means making a difference each and every day in the lives of others, and realizing that others will inherit that the results of our fundamental choices and decisions. As James Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner wrote in their book, A Leader’s Legacy (Jossey-Bass, 2006.): leadership “ is a humbling experience…. When we choose to lead every day, we choose to serve. Leading is not about what we gain from others but what others gain from us.” And this is the perspective and the foundation upon which great leaders practice their leadership on a daily basis. 

© Geery Howe 2024

Geery Howe, M.A. Executive Coach in Leadership, Strategic Planning, and Organizational Change

The Practice Of Leadership - Part #1

Introduction

So many people define the practice of leadership as a one and done activity. They do their leadership thing, be that clarifying a strategic direction, coaching an individual, collaborating with others, or delegating a series of goals and priorities, and then they think they are done. But in reality, leadership is meant to be repeated over and over again, all day and every day. Furthermore, many believe we are supposed to do it right the first time. In reality, we supposed to do it better each day, each month, and each year. The mastery of leadership comes in the repetition and the sheer ordinariness of practicing it again and again in so many different situations and moments. 

At the same time, for some people, the practice of leadership is the application of an idea, belief, or method. For others, it is the act of doing something regularly or repeatedly in order to improve how one does it. In reality, the practice of leadership is both. Still, the best leaders grasp one fundamental truth, namely that the practice of leadership is cognitive, emotional, and behavioral. It involves critical choices, continual improvement, and the creation of inner alignment. In short, it is that simple and that complex, all at the same time. 

Leadership & Feelings

When I share with young and old leaders, who are challenged by their current circumstances, that leadership is cognitive, they all nod and agree with me that the best leaders know how to think strategically and operationally. The best leaders also ask great questions. And I agree with them.

But when I tell young and old leaders, who are challenged by their current circumstances, that leadership is emotional, most look at me perplexed. Many have told me that feelings do not have a place in the world of leadership. For these people, logic reigns supreme, and feelings are best left at home. 

I respond by pointing out that the best leaders, who supervised them and coached them in the past, sought to understand their feelings, not just their thinking, and that they were capable of this because they knew their own feelings and thoughts. Emotional intelligence is just as important as cognitive intelligence in the world of leadership. Read all the research by Daniel Goleman and one will discover a whole new perspective. 

As we lead, we need to recognize that feelings and emotions come in clusters. The common question “How are you?” is a loaded question. For example, I can reply “good” and at the exact same time feel overwhelmed, frustrated, and stressed. I am still good on one level, but at a deeper level I may be struggling. Same goes for “sad.” I am capable of feeling sad, angry, and grieving, all at the same time. Therefore, leaders need to recognize this, and remember that life is way more complex and complicated for a single word answer from such a loaded question. 

So, beginning today, I believe we need to ask a more specific questions such as “How are you doing at work today?” Or ask an individual “How are you doing as a team leader this morning?” The more specific the question, the better the answer we will receive. And the better we will understand the emotions that may be impacting the challenging circumstances before us as a leader and before our team. 

Leadership & Choices

Recently, I was reading the work of the late cultural anthropologist, Angeles Arrien, Ph.D. when I came across the following passage: “… the Western mind often believes that the word “yes” means “I like you and agree with you,” and the word “no” means “I’m rejecting you or disagreeing with you.” Many people in the non-Western world, however, don’t overlay these words with emotional intent. They recognize that “yes” acknowledges a viewpoint or perspective and does not necessarily mean agreement; and that “no” simply honors a limit and a boundary and indicates the ability to respect what one is willing to do or not do at this point in time.” 

The minute I read this paragraph I realized that the aforementioned Western perspective of “yes” and “no” is happening right now at all levels within multiple organizations. Furthermore, in our current, highly polarized and balkanized society, more and more people only want to hear “yes,” all day and every day. They also consider a “no” to be more than a rejection of self. They consider a “no” to be a rejection of what they believe in, and with whom and where they choose to live. For these individuals, the word “no” unites them to fight against everything and anything.  

Still, leaders at all levels do need to make choices and decisions that include the words “yes” and “no”. Given current events, I am advising more and more leaders to share this paragraph and perspective with their teams, and to unpack Arrien’s insight so that we can lower the default response to the words “yes” or “no.” I also want us to lower the emotional intensity that is surfacing around these words and current choices leaders need to make. 

To be continued on Tuesday. 

Geery Howe, M.A. Executive Coach in Leadership, Strategic Planning, and Organizational Change

Finding Sanctuary

Routinely now, I meet with people who are worn to the core by uncertainty and feel anxious about what to do next. They are also worried about the future, and feel very vulnerable about what may happen during the coming 12 - 18 months. As a result, they want answers, but just keep coming up with more questions. 

When I listen to these good people struggle, I am reminded of something that Ron Heifetz and Marty Linsky shared in their book, Leadership On The Line: Staying Alive through the Dangers of Leading (Harvard Business School Press, 2002).  As they point out, “to lead is to live dangerously because when leadership counts, when you lead people through difficult change, you challenge what they hold dear…”. They also note that “people do not resist change, per se. People resist loss.” And for many leaders and followers, it is the losses that they are worried about and that they are experiencing. Dealing with grief and grieving all seem to be a part of the work of leadership at this time period. 

In response to these challenge, Heifetz and Linsky recommend that they we anchor ourselves in the midst of these difficulties by following three practices. First, we need to “distinguish role from self,” and remember that only “you have control over your self-worth.” As part of that work, we also need to “remember, when you lead, people don't love you or hate you. Mostly they don't even know you. They love or hate the position you represent.” This is an important point that we often forget.

Second, they recommend we “keep confidants, and don't confuse them with allies.” Each play an important part in the work of leadership. Each requires us to build a relationship, and to then maintain those relationships. As a wise elder said to me many years, “make friends before you need them.” Same goes with confidants and allies. 

Third, they recommend we “seek sanctuary…. a place of reflection and renewal where you can listen to yourself away from the dance floor and the blare of the music.” For me, this is one of the most powerful choices a leader can make and the one that most people do not make time for in the course of their busy lives. 

In its original definition, sanctuary was a sacred space where people went for refuge, protection, and safety. At it’s core, the idea of sanctuary was a place set apart from the day to day, ordinary world. Sometimes these were natural locations where the divine or sacred was believed to be present. Other times, it was a physical location where hospitality was offered and all were welcome. In essence, it was a place of sacred renewal and a time or place where we discovered or rediscovered “the hidden wholeness” of life, referencing the work of the late Trappist monk and author, Thomas Merton. 

When I reflect on this idea of finding sanctuary, I am reminded of the writings of Wayne Muller in his book, Sabbath: Restoring the Sacred Rhythm of Rest (Bantam Books, 1999). As he points out, “Sabbath time can become our refuge. During the Sabbath, we set aside a sanctuary in time, disconnect from the frenzy of consumption and accomplishment, and consecrate our day as an offering for healing all beings.” He expands on this perspective and writes, “Sabbath is more than the absence of work; it is not just a day off, when we catch up on television or errands. It is the presence of something that arises when we consecrate a period of time to listen to what is most deeply beautiful, nourishing, or true. It is time consecrated with our attention, our mindfulness, honoring those quiet forces of grace or spirit that sustain and heal us.” 

I believe that the convergence of the idea of finding sanctuary and setting aside time for the Sabbath is critical to coping with the current prolonged uncertainty and turbulence that leaders are experiencing at this time period. We need refuge, and we need renewal in order to maintain perspective and to create the capacity for the “quiet forces” of grace and spirit to sustain us and heal us in the midst of these adaptive challenges. 

Furthermore, I am reminded of something the poet Mark Nepo wrote: “If not now, when?” I believe this is the fundamental question that many leaders are not willing to address. Their “now” is filled up with too many meetings, deadlines, e-mail, and project management situations, all of which result in the feeling of being overwhelmed and running on empty. In essence, their “now” is consumed by the expectations of others and the unrealistic performance expectations they place on themselves. 

And the idea of “when” is so far in the future that we never really get to it, or make the time and space for it. We are living the Red Queen Principle all day and every day, i.e. we run faster and faster just to stay in the same place. With the increased pressure to adapt faster and faster in order to survive the day, the idea of finding sanctuary or making time for the Sabbath can seem wildly absurd, or just plain crazy. Most leaders can not connect these two choices with the overwhelming pressure to continually do more work and get more done. 

However, this is the fundamental leadership choice of this time period. Continual evolution and adaptation is the pathway to avoiding extinction, but as with any adaptive challenge, we must recognize that adaptation and evolution begins by calling into question fundamental assumptions and beliefs. Furthermore, it can only be addressed through changes in one’s priorities, beliefs, and habits. To keep pushing harder and faster in order to get more things done does not work when the goal is adaptation and further evolution. This way of working is the clear definition of insanity, namely doing the same thing over and over, and expecting a different outcome or result. 

Yet, if we choose to find sanctuary on a regular basis, and give ourselves permission to make time for the Sabbath, then we have the potential to reflect on our current fundamental assumptions about work and leadership. We have the time, the space, and the energy to rethink our priorities, beliefs and habits. In essence, we create the potential to engage in new perspectives and new ways of thinking. 

When we choose “now” over “when,” we create something that is powerful and meaningful on so many levels. As Wayne Muller reminds us, “So let us remember the Sabbath. Let us breathe deeply in the rhythms of life, of the earth, of action and rest. Traditionally, Sabbath is honored by lighting candles, gathering in worship and prayer, blessing children, singing songs, keeping silence, walking, reading scripture, sharing a meal. Just as we must wait until darkness falls before we can see the stars, so does Sabbath quietly wait for us. As darkness falls, as the light of the world fades and disappears, we light the inner lights, the lights of home and refuge. Our steps take us home, and the light draws us in.”

Given the challenges of this time, we as leaders need to go home to the place of refuge where the sacred light can draw us in and rekindle in us healing, hope and clarity. We need time and space for reflection and renewal. We need to see the stars again and not have our lives be solely defined by the falling darkness. So, answer the question: if not now, when? And then light the candles, gather  with others, bless the children, sing the songs, share a meal, and remember the quiet forces of grace and spirit that sustain and heal us all.

© Geery Howe 2024

Geery Howe, M.A. Executive Coach in Leadership, Strategic Planning, and Organizational Change

Uncertainty In The Face Of Drama - Part #2

Talented Employees Need Great Managers

However, we need to go back to the third choice and re-examine the phrase, “If you can’t change your team, change your team.” Understanding that the default choice is to fire and hire, i.e. the later half of the phrase, this happens because most managers and front line supervisors do not have the mindset or the skill set to actually do the first half of the phrase in a successful manner, namely “change the team.” When I have talked with managers and front line supervisors about how they are attempting to change their team or a member of their team, the typical response is “I told them to do it and they haven’t done it right yet,” or “I have to tell them everything and I just don’t have enough time in my schedule to track their job and my job.” So, in this situation, firing and hiring seems like a logical choice. 

For me, I have to take a deep breath when encountering this kind of mindset, because it reflects something that most senior leaders do not want to discuss. As Rodd Wagner and James K. Harter wrote in their book, 12: The Elements of Great Managing which is the sequel to the book, First, Break All The Rules, “Before a person can deliver what he should as a manager, he must first receive what he needs as an employee.” What most senior managers don’t understand is that talented employees need great managers. And if I encounter a manager or front line supervisor, who instantly wants to fire and hire a new person when a problem occurs, I am certain that this individual is not getting the management and coaching that they need in order to be a successful manager or front line supervisor. As Wagner and Harter explain, “The managers who are best at getting the most from people are those who give the most to them.” And I believe many managers and front line supervisors are not getting what they need from those who supervise them. 

Three Critical Actions

Now, if a manager or front line supervisor is receiving adequate and helpful supervision and coaching, they must understand the difference between these three actions, namely supervision, coaching, and a check-in. Supervision is classically defined in the following manner: to observe, direct or oversee in the execution of a task, project or activity Coaching, on the other hand, is a structured dialogue and development process to improve the professional competence to execute. Finally, Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall in their book, Nine Lies About Work: A Freethinking Leader’s Guide to the Real World, (Harvard Business Review Press, 2019), define a check-in as “a frequent, one to one conversation about near-term future work between a team leader and a team member.” This check-in is based on “two simple questions: What are your priorities this week? How can I help?.” 

Nine times out of ten, when I have been called in to work with a situation where a manager or front line supervisor wants to fire and hire, I discover that this individual does not actually do adequate supervision, coaching, or check-ins. They often do “seagull management,” a term coined many years ago by Ken Blanchard, namely an individual flys in when a situation is nearly out of control, offers thoughtless solutions and ample dumping on people in the form of shame or blame, and then flys off, leaving all involved confused, stressed out, and perplexed about how to clean up the entire mess. 

Furthermore, if they are doing some form of supervision, more often than not they are not doing any form of coaching. They just stop what they are doing and tell their direct report how to solve their current problems, assuming that all of this communication is understandable and applicable. And yet, most of the time, these direct reports do not have the skill set, positional power, or the mindset to execute the solutions that the supervisor offers. So, the result is failure in management and supervision, and failure in execution by the direct report. Then, when this happens, the manager’s default choice is to fire and hire someone new. 

When we step back from this default choice in order to step forward from clarity, we need to understand that changing out an individual or a team should be the last choice, not the first choice in the face of uncertainty and drama. Instead, we need to engage in some vital and important work at the manager and direct report level. This begins by doing three things. 

Understand The Daily Struggle

First, managers need to understand that most employees struggle at work on a daily basis. Patrick Lencioni in his book,. The Truth About Employee Engagement: A Fable About Addressing the Three Root Causes of Job Misery, formerly called The Three Signs of a Miserable Job: A Fable for Managers (and their employees) (Jossey-Bass 2007), writes that “People cannot be fulfilled in their work if they are not known; Everyone needs to know that their job matters, to someone; Employees need to be able to gauge their progress and level of contribution for themselves.” When I find a struggling manager or front line supervisor, I often find someone who does not really know their direct reports, someone who can not articulate how their direct reports’ work impacts others and why their work is important, and someone who has not helped their direct reports assess their own progress or success. In short, as Lencioni notes, “people want to be managed as people, not as mere workers.” And the first step is that managers and front line supervisors need to become better managers and front line supervisors before their direct reports can execute better. 

Second, managers and front line supervisors need to understand that most of their direct reports do not know what is expected of them when it comes to work. Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman in their seminal book, First, Break All The Rules: What The World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently (Simon & Schuster, 1999), write that a manager’s role is to be a “catalyst,” i.e. to “speed up the reaction between the employee’s talents and the company’s goals, and between the employee’s talents and the customer’s needs.” This starts by understanding that “each individual is true to his or her own unique nature. Therefore, a “great managers capitalize on this and try to help each person become more and more of who they already are.” They understand that “people don’t change that much. Don’t waste time trying to put in what was left out. Try to draw out what was left in. That is hard enough.” As part of building on their unique talents and strengths, managers need to clarify performance expectations and to define the right outcomes, not the right steps. 

Furthermore, they need to remember these three numbers: 40%, 22%, and 1%. Tom Rath in his book, StrengthsFinder 2.0 (Gallup Press, February 2007), shares the following: “If your manager primarily ignores you, your chances of being actively disengaged are 40%. If your manager primarily focuses on your weaknesses,  your chances of being actively disengaged are 22%. If your manager primarily focuses on your strengths, your chances of being actively disengaged are 1%.” The problem, from my perspective, is that many managers and front line supervisors, who default to the fire and hire option, do not realize that their primary form of supervision is to ignore people, or to tell them what they are doing wrong. And the inevitable outcome of this is active disengagement, i.e. poor execution, drama, and people not meeting expectations or delivering on outcomes. 

Third, managers and front line supervisors need to engage in proactive and regular supervision, coaching, and check-ins. This should happen daily and weekly. In particular, during the regular weekly check- in, the manager should ask the aforementioned two questions, i.e. “What are your priorities this week? How can I help?” are . Furthermore, the manager needs to help people understand the difference between a priority and a goal. Both are important and people will be held accountable for accomplishing them. 

Clarify Priorities And Goals

From my experience of being called in to figure out why a person or team is not doing well, I routinely found that all involved could not state what was a priority, what were their goals, and what were the basic operational expectations, e.g. work as one team, or communicate with positive intent. Instead, I discovered confusion and/or complete misalignment between what the supervisor thought was most important and the direct report thought was most important. Through thoughtful dialogue and clarification, often these problems could be solved and people began moving in a positive direction based on clarity and trust. 

Nevertheless, if in the end of doing the above three things, people are still not achieving the desired outcomes, I believe that changing out the team or an individual is a reasonable choice. As executive coach Kevin Cashman pointed out many years ago, “Leaders get what they role model and what they tolerate.” If, over time, a manager or front line supervisor tolerates drama in the midst of uncertainty, this is going generate three problems, namely the growth of this behavior by others, paralysis in action, or ultimately the failure at a team, division or company level. None of these are the desired outcomes that all involved want to take place. Still, they are possibilities if we can not figure out how to change an individual or team over the long haul. 

Stay With A Problem Longer

As we deal with the current VUCA environment and the rise of uncertainty in the face drama, I am reminded of something Einstein shared: “It’s not that I am so smart. It’s that I stay with a problem longer.” I think this is the true challenge for leaders at all levels of an organization. They just want all the problems to go away. Therefore, they choose quick fire options rather than sustainable solutions. In short, they choose comfort over courage, and as a result, the problems and challenges persist. 

Nevertheless, we can create long term workable solutions if we “stay with a problem longer.” First, we need to focus on keeping calm on the inside in the face of these challenges, to set boundaries, and get support in order to maintain perspective.  Second, we need to generate Kotter’s planned short term wins that “energize the change helpers, enlighten the pessimists, defuse the cynics, and build momentum for the effort.” Third, before defaulting to fire and hire, we need to apply Collin’s “First Who, then what” mindset as a rigorous discipline, consistently applied. Fourth, we need to remember Wagner and Harter’s perspective that “before a person can deliver what he should as a manager, he must first receive what he needs as an employee.” All managers and front line supervisors need to have great managers in order to be great managers. Finally, we need to engage in proactive and regular supervision, coaching, and check-ins, plus clarifying priorities and goals. 

The convergence of the above elements will make a huge difference, and is the foundation to flipping the current VUCA environment into a time of vision, understanding, clarity, and agility. Yet, the poet Mark Nepo reminds us of one last important point: “To be broken is no reason to see all things broken.” We are all challenged by current events and we all feel overwhelmed by the difficulties before us. Nevertheless, we need to recognize that not everything is broken around us and within us. We do have choices, and we can make choices when dealing with uncertainty in the face of drama. And the first step is to heal ourselves and to regain our center in the midst of it all. Then, we will see that not all things are broken, and we can build a new way of working together. This is the path way to sustainable and engaged change. 

© Geery Howe 2024

Geery Howe, M.A. Executive Coach in Leadership, Strategic Planning, and Organizational Change