Discover the Guiding Principals - part #3

In her delightful book called Dare To Lead: Brave Work, Tough Conversations, Whole Hearts (Random House, 2018), Brene’ Brown asked a marvelous question: “What does “done” look like?” It is my new, most favorite question.

When helping people and organizations plan for the future so they can become more nimble, flexible and agile, I now ask them similar questions. In particular, if they are seeking to unify quality, empowerment and principle-centered leadership, I want them to describe the vision they are seeking. Here are those questions:

When it is done well, what will it look like?

When you fulfill your new strategic plan, what outcomes will be the new normal?

When you and your team execute consistently over time, what will happen inside the organization and to your relationship with your clients or customers?

As we know, some people will set the bench mark by which all others will measure their performance. Others will follow the bench mark. The ones who set the mark always have a clear vision of how good they could be and are consistently working towards this mark. For them, the answers to the above questions are not a wish list but instead a concrete description of how well their company can serve its customers and its staff. 

This week, set down and figure out what done looks like. Then do the exact same exercise with your team.  The process will be empowering for you and an extremely insightful exercise with your team.

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257

How do leaders build successful teams? - part #2

Picking up where I left off last week, leaders often make two other mistakes when building their teams.

First, they forget to focus on the factors that create high-performance behaviors. We already know that effective leaders clarify purpose and direction with the team. To get everyone aligned and moving in the right direction, the team must agree on the answers to the following four questions:

- What are we suppose to accomplish?

- Why should we do it?

- How will we do it?

- Who will do what?

By clarifying these performance expectations, we, as leaders, need to be very thoughtful in our choice of who is on the team. I recognize the importance of performance focus and expectations, but, when most leaders tell me their expectations in reality all they have done is to define specific steps to achieving a goal. The problem is that by defining specific steps we as leaders think we have control of the team. The reality is that we as leaders have less control than the people who report to us. 

Furthermore, the people who create high-performance behaviors know the difference between what are required steps, e.g. ones related to health, safety or accuracy, and the optional steps, i.e. different ways to achieve the desired outcome. The problem is that most leaders think they are the one who is accountable for the team’s performance. They believe that if they retain control and focus people on performance then everyone will behave and get things done. The reality is that people are messy and all of them do not think or behave the same.

Therefore, the best leaders define results and outcomes during the expectations discussion. This means figuring out what is the right result and the right outcome. They do this by discussing the following questions:

- If the SMART goal is achieved, what is the result? The outcome?

- What difference will achieving the goal make?

By clarifying the results and the outcomes, we are letting people take responsibility for the route they take to the outcome. Please note that this requires of us as leaders to trust people.

One interesting I have noted about successful teams during the last 2 years is that they have a very defined schedule for team meetings. They fall into the categories of strategic, operational, and learning. And these subjects are not all covered in the same meeting.

Furthermore, during these different meetings all involved are clear about the decision architecture, i.e. how to make a decision, and the decision rights, i.e. who actually gets to make the decision.  Richard Hackman in his book, Leading Teams: Setting The Stage For Great Performances (Harvard Business School Press, 2002) says that this degree of clarity “prevents the danger of the team overstepping the actual bounds of their authority.”

The second big problem in building teams is that many leaders do not focus on continually creating clarity. Many think of it as a one and done, and that clarity created at the launch meeting is suppose to sustain people through out the entire time of team execution. 

To help avoid this being the problem, I often ask leaders to tell me their on-going message to the team.  In essence, what are they focusing on with their team. Most give me a generic answer, but I have observed that the best are constantly on-message and share it in the written and spoken forms of communication. Plus they are very specific in their role modeling.

This week, do not underestimate the importance of face to face meetings and analog based communication. Focus more on forming and norming stages than on performing and improving stages in your team building. And remember Robyn Benincas’ Four P’s of Commitment from her book, How Winning Works: 8 Essential Leadership Lessons From The Toughest Teams On Earth (Harlequin, 2012): preparation, planning, purpose and perseverance.

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257

Linking Expectations & Outcomes

In successful companies, I have learned that people know what is expected of them. And the employees within these companies meet these expectations on a routine basis.

So, when leaders visit with me about “taking their company to the next level,” they often want to discuss how to set clear expectations. But, when most leaders tell me their expectations in reality all they have done is to define specific steps to achieving a goal. Sometimes, leaders forget that good employees know the difference between what are the required steps, e.g. ones related to health, safety or accuracy, and the optional steps, i.e. different ways to achieve the desired outcome.

What interests me is that the best leaders define outcomes during the expectations discussion. This begins by the leader figuring out what is the right outcome. They do this by thinking through the following two questions:

- If the desired goal is achieved, what is the outcome?

- And what difference will achieving the goal make?

By clarifying the outcomes, we are letting people take responsibility for the route they take to the outcome. Then, expectations are more like guard rails to action, rather than a description of the required steps. 

This week, reflect on the above two questions as you begin to link expectations and outcomes.

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257

Leaders and Decision-Making - part #1

I was meeting with a young mid-level manager when he shared his desire to teach problem solving to his key supervisors. Over time, he had realized many of the phone calls he was getting were from front line supervisors about problems they were having. As he explained, “I realized we were really dealing with issues related to decision-making on a daily basis. While I have helped them to learn the difference between technical and adaptive problems, many of the callers have framed up the problem before them as neither technical nor adaptive. For them, this is a crisis. What do I do?”

One of the first things we need to remember is that people, strategy and crises are the three most important areas that leaders make decisions. And when we as leaders make the right decisions, they will yield good outcomes. However, the big question for many leaders right now is this: What are the good outcomes or results we are seeking?

First, a lack of clarity around the desired outcomes or results is part of the current challenges we are facing. When we expect leaders to be competent in driving results through others, we also expect them to be able to articulate the desired results, and why these are the desired results.

Second, we as leaders at times forget that effective decision-making includes a “redo loop.” This typically happens when we discover that we can not, or did not mobilize and align key stakeholders. If this happens, then we need to go back and reset the context, i.e. the why, for change.

Third, we need to remember that there are four stages to decision-making, namely preparation, the actual decision, execution and evaluation. Leaders who improve their decision-making and the decision-making of others do this by improving the preparation stage. Here, the best leaders help all involved focus on the salient factors. Kevin Cashman in his book, Leadership From The Inside Out: Becoming a Leader for Life, Berrett-Koehler, 2008 calls it the CIA Model of decision-making. He suggests we focus on the following three things:

- What can we control?

- What can we influence?

- What must we accept?

By having a framework to prepare to make a decision, we empower all involved to think through the decision rather than simply react to the situation before them This, in essence, gives them a decision architecture for today and in the future.

This week, review with your direct reports the decision architecture for your office or organization. This will be a powerful first step in helping people improve their decision making.

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257

Unlocking Capacity and Growth

As I noted last week, James  Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner in their book, A Leader’s Legacy. Jossey-Bass, 2006, wrote that “... the single best predictor of [an individual’s] career success is the relationship they had with their very first supervisor.” And as I challenged you last week, now is the moment to spend more time making sure these key relationships work well. Often people start this  process by creating role and responsibility clarity. They also help all involved understand how to use accurate and timely measures of progress so people can feel like they are being successful. These actions help but the focus needs to be on the relationship, which is a more qualitative over quantitative approach.

Marcus Buckingham in his book, The One Thing You Need to Know ... About Great Managing, Great Leading, and Sustained Individual Success, Free Press, 2005, reminds us that great managing begins by selecting people effectively, setting expectations by defining clearly the outcomes you want, and motivating people by focusing on their strengths.

While all of the above are helpful, I sometimes explore this subject by asking the following the question: 

- What kind of relationship do you want to have with the people who report directly to you?? 

The question causes us to remember that people follow people more than positions or job titles.  Therefore, as Kouzes and Posner remind us, “... if people are going to follow you they need to know more about you than the fact that you’re their boss.” 

This week, share more about you and your journey in the land of leadership and organizational change. Then, spend considerable time learning about your people and their personal journeys through the land of organizational change. Sharing our leadership stories is the start of an important journey.

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257

Navigating Through Continued Uncertainty

Over warm cups of coffee, we discussed the many challenges before the nation as the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and other major changes and redesigns were taking place. The three of us agreed that in order to be successful given these changes, organizations would need to be more integrated, accountable and have a higher degree of transparency. Furthermore, there would need to be greater cooperation and coordination among key stakeholders from many different systems.

However, during a pause in the conversation, one of the people stated that “the master is the one who pays the bills.” We all just sat there for a moment and realized that this was true. Whomever controlled the flow of the money, controlled the whole system. 

While this may be a “blinding flash of the obvious,” referencing a Tom Peter’s term from long ago, it was, at the time, a valuable insight. For if the “master” is focused on outcomes and results, then everyone will move in one specific direction. However, if on the other hand, the “master” is focused on compliance, then everyone will move in a different direction.

Our challenge as leaders is to clarify our intent when communicating about organizational change, and to remember that people think their way through the world of change and feel their way through the world of change. If compliance is the major focus and it is based on fear, then creativity will rarely arise. As Margaret Wheatley pointed out in her extremely thought-provoking book,  So Far From Home: lost and found in our brave new world, Berrett-Koehler, 2012, “... compliance-enforcing behaviors only lead in one direction - to demotivated, demoralized, disaffected, and disappearing workers and colleagues.”

With continued uncertainty on the horizon in 2014, now is the time to focus on constant and compassionate communication. We must let people know we are listening to them as they think and feel their way through the world of change. This will require a tremendous effort on our part as leaders and yet it will make a significant difference as we move together through the rest of 2014.

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257

Building a Learning Organization - part #2

David Ulrich and Norm Smallwood in their article called “Building a Leadership Brand”,  in the July-August 2007 issue of the Harvard Business Review, ask a most unusual and thought-provoking question: What do you want to be know for by your customers? They then follow up with another wonderful question: To achieve that brand identity, what leadership and management skills do people need to know?

As we explored earlier this week, more and more organizations need to become learning organizations in order to be more competitive and more flexible in this time of constant uncertainty and volatility in the markets. However, I believe there are five challenges to this process that few executives are recognizing.

First, many people forget that learning is a dangerous activity. It challenges status quo by calling into question many core practices and systems. Furthermore, in-depth learning can cause the organization’s “immune system” to shut down or discount any new ideas because it again calls into question core assumptions or methods of working.

Second, once an organization does commit to learning new ways of doing things, it must realize that there will always be more than one way to achieve a particular outcome. However, right now, I am witnessing more and more senior teams stuck debating whether or not there is only one right technique and only one right way to do something. We as leaders and learners need to understand that there will always be many paths to the same destination. Part of becoming a learning organization is to educate people to make smarter choices and better decisions along those paths.

Third, part of becoming a learning organization is to build learning communities more than hierarchies of control. Collaboration over individualization, i.e. me first and looking out for #1, requires us to have common language and commit to the overall success of the company. The best learning communities that I have seen are mission centric learning communities.

Fourth, we, as leaders and learners must realize that the more important a relationship and the more time spent developing that relationship to a greater degree of understanding and “health”, then the less skill matters. I have witnessed and understand that building these relationships is as vital as the content that is being learned. It takes healthy relationships and healthy learning to become a learning organization.

Fifth, the more experienced and constantly learning a manager or leader is, the more likely they trust their gut or intuition. Never under estimate the value of years of experience and perspective. It molds people and provides for them an internal sense of what to do. These kinds of managers and leaders often look to the people on the ground, not outside experts, for real improvements.

When we commit to becoming a learning organization, we commit to a wonderful process of in-depth reflection and re-evaluation, and new perspectives.  

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257

Key People: Unlocking the Mysteries - part #1

Within every organization, there are important people and key people. Those who are important make many things happen. Yet, it is the key people who are foundational to the overall success of the company. As I have mentioned earlier this month, we need to be retaining and recruiting both groups.

For the coming weeks, let’s focus on the key people. I use the term “key people” and think instantly of the term “keystone.” As the Merriam-Webster Dictionary explains, a keystone is “the wedge-shaped piece at the crown of an arch that locks the other pieces in place.” Over the course of my career, I have met these people and I have worked with these people. Position is not as important to them as much as purpose and passion. They are phenomenal and impressive. They make things happen like many others do within the company but what sets them apart is that they also are a catalyst for strategic action. While some would call them rainmakers, I like to think of them as key players because they help lock strategy and people into place.

First, we need to realize that these people can move to a new organization in a heart beat even in the midst of these wacky economic times. I have seen them do it during the last three years. Second, jobs and opportunities find them more than they go looking for them. Third, when they begin to move, others want to follow them to their new place of employment. The arch does not just collapse; it is collapses and then is quickly rebuilt because this individual is such a keystone.

This makes coaching key people a very delicate and thoughtful process. Here are a couple of tips from years of experience and observation. First, review the core material in the following book: Buckingham, Marcus & Curt Coffman, First, Break All The Rules: What The World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently. (Simon & Schuster, 1999). You will need to understand it because talented people need great management. As Buckingham and Coffman point out, “How long he stays and how productive he is while he is there is determined by his relationship with his immediate supervisor.” Whether they are a man or a woman, the supervisory relationship is mission critical.

Second, focus them on the desired outcomes, not the steps. If they are good enough to be a key person in your eyes, then they can figure out the right steps and/or know when to check in if they are in new or uncharted territory. Over managing key people can cause them to disengage or worse, disembark from the organization.

Third, they need coaching and value it when it is done well. Having visited with these people over the years, I have learned that they do not tolerate fools or stupidity, especially if they report to them. More times than not, talented people disengage or quit a company because of the lack of quality coaching they receive. As one key person told me last summer, “I left because my boss started every statement with ‘I’ rather than ‘we.’ Too much ego and not enough leadership. It didn’t work for me.” I hear this more and more each day from the best and the brightest.

Fourth, along with thoughtful talent management, key people need real challenges and the support to tackle them with quality players. Take an A player and put them on a B team and one does not instantly have an A team. While we, as leader, might like to think this, in reality it does not happen. As Tom Peters many years ago shared, “Two mating dinosaurs do not produce a gazelle.” Key people can make a difference but they can not change poor performers into top talent overnight. As Buckingham and Coffman pointed out in the aforementioned book, “ 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.”

During the first quarter of 2011, we need all the important people and the key people to be firing on all cylinders. We need top performance and sustainable performance. While we often spend hours and hours of our time as leaders on poor performance, do not neglect your key people. They literally can make or break this coming year.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257