Month: February 2011

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Leading the Dynamic between Uncertainty and Understanding

Three business leaders having a meeting

In 1996 I was working in Germany for a large pharmaceutical company. One of my areas of responsibility was the decision analysis process that determined the probability of success for the drugs we were developing. The goal of the exercise was to make a decision based on the certainty of a predicted outcome. Sound familiar? Back then things moved at a somewhat slower pace and we could accomplish our work before VUCA completely changed the conditions we were analyzing. Today, as business becomes less and less predictable, both leaders and employees have to learn how to operate within the dynamic of Uncertainty and Understanding.

Uncertainty ∞ Understanding

Uncertainty makes it hard to see how our actions will impact the challenges we face. A sense of vagueness about what we can and should do heightens any insecurity or fear we feel. Our temptation is to make a quick decision, hope for the best, and prepare for the inquisition that is sure to follow if we fail. Understanding is our chance to deeply explore the situation before taking action, not a reason to avoid taking action.

Uncertainty is an opportunity for inquiry and exploration of that which we are uncertain of. It lets us embrace the unknown in search of innovation and possibility, expanding our options for action. Only when we are Uncertain are we willing to explore our mental models, the ideas of others, and the potential of something truly innovative. Being Uncertain means no one knows for sure, there is no right answer. In other words, my actions and my leadership matter! What I do next is going to shape the future. The dilemma we face is revealed – at the moment we are most afraid to act, acting our way forward is the only answer.

Understanding is acting that does not rashly plunge ahead. Engaging in dialogue allows leaders to positively utilize the dynamic within Uncertainty ∞ Understanding, creating conversations that promote inquiry. Dialogue can address both the Uncertainty in the situation and any Uncertainty that lies unspoken under the surface. Exposing the “elephant in the room” creates broader, even deeper Understanding and organizational resilience. Armed with Understanding, leaders have the opportunity to use Uncertainty to create collaboration, reaching out to those who would otherwise be ignored, and innovation, daring to move beyond the status quo and initiate adaptive change.

Lessons for Leaders

The Uncertainty ∞ Understanding dynamic can generate a deep re-connection to the organization’s values, purpose, culture, and Vision.

  • Understanding begins with listening, to what is said and what remains unsaid. Using dialogue leaders can probe the unspoken issues and challenges that Uncertainty raises.
  • Uncertainty is a state of high emotion and narrative, not analysis, is particularly suited to conditions like this. Leaders who invite others to “tell their story”, sharing their ideas and experiences in a narrative format, are building trust, stabilizing the emotional rollercoaster of Uncertainty, and tapping into the knowledge of the collective. When all is said then analysis can be done!
  • Moving from Uncertainty to Understanding requires compassion, which floods leaders and their colleagues with a sense of security and well-being and moves them into action[i]. Leaders in a compassionate stance are poised to jump into action and do whatever they can, a blend of personal humility and professional will that Jim Collins calls “Level 5 Leadership.”

Inquiry for Leaders

  • How much Uncertainty are you comfortable with? What is your reaction when you are outside your comfort zone? How does this affect your ability to lead when Uncertainty strikes?
  • What patterns can you find in the Uncertainty you face? Have you seen them before? What actions could you take to Understand the situation better and reduce the risk that comes with this Uncertainty? If you took those actions, how would the current situation change?
  • When you face Uncertainty what is your emotional reaction? How does this response impact your perceptions, actions, and ability to Understand? How does it affect others? Are you ready to learn how to respond better?

Next Blog Post

Leading the dynamic between Complexity and Clarity.

[i] Research of Richard Davidson, http://psyphz.psych.wisc.edu/web/personnel/director.html

Dr. Carol Mase

Carol@CairnConsultants.com

Carol challenges leaders and their organizations to think differently about the world and how they can achieve their fullest potential in it. Her unique background unites business and biology, psychology and physics, bringing them into creative tension and generating tools and applications for all levels of the organization – from the C-Suite to the manufacturing floor. Carol has worked as an entrepreneur and an executive in Fortune 500 companies, always introducing fresh ideas that produce innovation and change, locally and organization-wide. She holds a degree in Psychology/Education, a Masters in Human Ecology/Interpersonal Relations, and a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine.

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How not to change a safety culture

Work colleagues fist bumping each other at work

Today’s Wall Street Journal reported the story of the progress BP is making in re-characterizing its culture in the aftermath of the April 2010 Gulf Oil Spill.

According to the Journal, new CEO Bob Dudley has created a new global safety division at BP, a company that also suffered a 15-fatality refinery explosion in Texas five years before the lethal Gulf accident. He has given the division power to intervene in or shut down any operation seen as too hazardous.

The safety issue goes to the heart of BP’s corporate culture, say some critics, who contend that compared with its Big Oil rivals, the company has historically been focused more on deal-making and less on safety and operational excellence. “Other companies were less aggressive on growth and more focused on their safety-management systems,” says John Hofmeister, a former president of Shell Oil Co. “Changing the culture is hard.”

BP is under tremendous pressure to make changes. Reorganization may look good on reports to government regulators, but strategic plans won’t succeed if there aren’t changes in the field. And those changes often involve the way in which individuals are treated, and given incentives.

The Journal reported that Phil Dziubinski became BP’s ethics and compliance leader for Alaska operations in mid-2006, shortly after the company suffered a 4,000-barrel oil spill on the North Slope. That happened a year after the refinery explosion in Texas City, Texas, an accident that led a federal agency called the Chemical Safety Board to suggest BP managers didn’t listen enough to what workers were telling them.

“Reporting bad news was not encouraged,” the report said, “and often Texas City managers did not effectively investigate incidents or take appropriate corrective action.”

Phil earned a reputation as a bulldog, staying after organizational leaders that lagged in implementing safety fixes in Alaska operations.

At a meeting in March 2007, Mr. Dziubinski disagreed with a supervisor’s assessment that the company was on track to fix all safety issues. Mr. Dziubinski said that several problems flagged by workers in the past still hadn’t been addressed, and that BP was taking too long to deal with workers’ current concerns.

“We tend not to listen to the workers,” Mr. Dziubinski said, according to notes of the meeting taken by union leader, Marc Kovac, who was there.

Dziubinski raised tough issues, such as how excessive overtime was linked to safety violations because the sheer exhaustion of employees working repeated 16+ hour shifts. As reported in the Journal, after repeated efforts to raise these issues, Dziubinski’s responsibilities were assigned to others and eventually he was laid off as part of a reorganization in Alaska operations.

Listening is hard. But any serious effort to change the culture of an organization as large as BP’s must start from the ground up. Developing new safety policies is one thing. But real change won’t happen until the organization demands that managers listen to those in field that are living the issues that need to be addressed.

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Training Assessments: Personality Counts

A-male-speaker-with-his-audience-in-a-conference-room

Personality theory and tests are useful also for management, recruitment, selection, training and teaching, on which point see also the learning styles theories on other pages such as Kolb’s learning styles, Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences, and the VAK learning styles model. — Personality Theories, Types and Tests at www.businessballs.com

Believe it or not personality really does count when it comes to training. And, it works both ways. The trainer, as we know is full of personality, passion and knowledge. The trainees or audience, filling their chairs with a multitude of experiences, passions and information they have already gathered on the trainer and training topic.

This article should be a companion piece for Don’t Assume in Training because it can easily come under the heading of “I knew that, but…” and “I can’t do anything about it.” But I think you can.

As most of you know, if you’ve been following this blog, I wasn’t born a trainer. Actually, none of us were, but in my innocence as an actor and speaker first, then writer, and finally trainer, I realized early on there were important critical elements to develop effective training: design, analysis, assessments, evaluation. From this perspective, I think, the recognition of personality is an important factor in analyzing your audience emerges in any speaking situation; and therefore, essential as well in the training environment.

We sometimes train on personality types and personality predictors of behavior. How many of us consider the personality types when we are training? Even a simplified version of Myers-Briggs would help tremendously in how we might present our material. We would know better how most of our audience processed information. But, why is it necessary to focus there. How much you direct information in a certain way would depend on the percentage a particular personality type. Right? Or, do we mix it up to make it easy? Okay, loaded question. How do we train Type A or Type B personalities?

While I would love to give in depth personality tests to truly “know” my audience or classroom of trainees, I don’t think it terribly practical. So, I am totally open to your suggestions here on getting the most analysis in the simplest manner possible. There is Training to Read Minds…well, you know how that goes.

I think it is best to know your audience pretty well, be it through a simple questionnaire provided to the training manager or planner, or a more involved technique. Simple is more likely to be accomplished than the complex unless you have 100 percent cooperation of management. That questionnaire can incorporate questions that operate along the nature of a simple personality profile are of tremendous value to trainers as communicators.

Here is where whatever information we can learn about our audience, either discreetly or asking in public, are invaluable. Experiences, ages, sex, interests, work level, purpose of training, human resources ability to hire–fire and promote, financial stability, economic stability of local community, major issues important to employees, etc., are all incredible indicators of personality.

Here’s your chance to talk back and tell me what you think. Suggest simple tests or what you do as a trainer to assess your audience before you train. How much time do you take? Who is involved in the analysis?

Check out the article: Personality Theories, Types and Tests for more than my cursory look at personality tests and training.

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For more resources about training, see the Training library.

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Is your Light Under a Bushel or Shining Brightly?

wo-workers-busy-with-work-duty
Imbolc candles

This week is the half way point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox (for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere) celebrated as Candlemas in the Catholic tradition, Imboc in the Celtic tradition. It marks a time when the days get noticeably longer and there is preparation for spring. Perhaps you’ve seen more light as you’ve prepared for work.

During this time of winter quiet and darker days, it is a time to make preparations for what you want to bring forth in the coming year. In an earlier blog post, I invited you to accept your mission this year, to discover and be true to who you are. Think through what you need to prepare for yourself so that you can fully step into your mission and purpose.

Letting your Light Shine

You are a bright beautiful being. Feel that, know that. If you have troubles believing this – What blocks you from shining brightly? Is it Fear, ego, peer pressure, insecurity? Prepare to let go of those things that keep you hidden under a bushel. Share the brightness and beauty of Who You Are at your work place, with your customers, clients and co-workers.

When you live true to who you are, at work and elsewhere, you let your Light shine. When you stop short of being your authentic beautiful self, when you bow to pressure from others to be a certain way that’s just not you, you hide your light under a bushel. It helps no one and eventually dims your own life.

Finding Your Purpose

Take some time during these darker, quieter days of winter to get in touch with your purpose, your gifts, your bigger mission here. I have some coaching questions that will help you discover what your purpose is and what energizes you to get up in the morning (go to www.lindajferguson.com – under the Coaching tab scroll down to “Twelve Life Review Questions”).

I remember an attorney in one of my workshops for my book, Path for Greatness. He seemed genuinely concerned about the work he was doing. He knew he had been successful at stopping a lot of bad business decisions, not only bad for the company but bad for society as well. He wondered if his purpose was to stop the bad things some of the leadership wanted to do and if that purpose was enough to sustain him. We worked on helping him discover his passion and purpose so that he could determine his next steps at work. I invite you likewise to take this time to discover your passion and purpose so that you can be a Light for others.

Have you had moments when you felt authentic at work? Have you had days when you got a glimpse at what your purpose is? Leave us a comment and share what helps you be authentic at your work.

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For more resources, see our Library topic Spirituality in the Workplace.

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Linda is an author, speaker, coach, and consultant. Go to her website www.lindajferguson.com to read more about her work, view video clips of her talks, and find out more about her book “Path for Greatness: Spirituality at Work” available on Amazon.

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Power Networking: How Well Do You Do It?

Business-hands-joined-together-teamwork

power networking: the bread of career lifeRelationships are the bread of career life. So make and break bread with others.

In times of change, contacts are the sources of information, opportunity and even power. Don’t let your everyday responsibilities isolate you from others. Move out from behind your desk. Move around in a variety of circles. Move quickly, eat hardy and often. Consider your current assignment as temporary and maintaining your networking as permanent. You never know who will play an important role in your evolving career or life.

Evaluate Your Network

You need to examine three factors: the size, the diversity, and the strength of your contacts. Here’s how:

  • List the key people who are in your career world inside and outside your company.
    How many people do you know? The greater the size or number, the more access you have to information and support.
  • Review that list and write down what they do or who they work for.
    Are most of your contacts in your functional area or profession? Or are there linkages to other parts of your organization and outside to customers, suppliers and others?
  • Assess the quality of those relationships. Are they strong or weak?
    One way to decide strength is: How soon will they return your phone call or email, if at all?) The stronger the ties, the more you can go to the well for water – the more you can ask for their time and contacts.

Career Success Tip:

Power networking is not just the number of contacts you have but the breadth of those contacts. If you have a diverse and strong network, you then can tap into a wide variety of resources and information. How well are you networked? How well do you connect for success?

Readers, let me hear of your success stories. How did networking get you your present job or a great project or opportunity or partners for your business venture?

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?

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Leadership and the Quest for Meaning

A team leader in black blazer

Meaning at Work

Gurnek Bains and his colleagues at YSC Consulting have written a book called Meaning Inc: The Blueprint for Business Success in the Twenty First Century. In it they argue that it is critical for leaders to create organizational cultures that have meaning and are meaningful for team members. The authors state that these cultures are evidenced by key attributes such as an invigorating sense of purpose that goes beyond business success and which makes people feel they are changing society as opposed to just servicing needs.

Role of Leadership and Creation of Meaning

Gurnek et al state that creating meaning is the most important factor in generating high levels of commitment and engagement in contemporary organizations. The authors suggest that there are four primary challenges for leaders that want to develop organizations that create and provide a sense of meaning for employees.

  • The first is something called a Focus on “Why”. This is about mobilizing the efforts of employees by clarifying why their activities are worthwhile and meaningful.
  • The second is the cultivation of a Good Enough Mindset. This is said to be a leadership perspective or mindset characterized by an absolute commitment to serving the capacity for creative growth of one’s colleagues and followers.
  • Third is something called a Meaning Making Spike. A spike is a towering strength possessed by a leader that, when properly developed, enables the person to have a unique and special impact in any situation they engage. The authors believe that spikes tend to happen in one of three primary categories: Creativity, Coherence, Compassion, and Courage.
  • The fourth and final challenge is, and the one that is the foundation for the other three, is Insight. In this case, insight is viewed as an understanding of leadership strengths and areas requiring development, an advanced understanding of organizational culture/context, and an appreciation for the needs of organizational stakeholders.

Importance of Meaning

I personally believe that – barring any profoundly dramatic disruptions to the global business landscape – the importance of creating meaning for organizational members is only going to increase in the years to come. The question is whether leaders are prepared to have such meaningful influence. And, if not, what can be done to make it so.

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Fundraising and The New Executive Director

businessman-meeting-potential-donors

A Note From a Reader:
“I will begin my new position as an ED in a non-profit next month and I would like to meet our sponsors and donors. We do not begin our campaign drive for another few months. What is the best approach to introduce myself to donors?

Would it be appropriate to call on them to give them an update on our programs and then follow up with a request for support down the road? I wouldn’t think it would be wise to visit with them simply to introduce myself, so I want to be sure to use the opportunity. Any advice is much appreciated as I am new to the ED role!”

My Response:
Meeting your leaders/donors/supporters is not just a good idea, it’s an essential.

Your best “reasons” for contacting them and asking to meet with them are to (1) introduce yourself, (2) indicate that (since you are new to the position) you’d like to get their observations/thoughts about the organization and;
(3) to help you understand the importance of the NPO to those individuals and why they support it.

Being new, you are in a perfect position to ask almost any question … about almost anything.

If you want to lay the groundwork for asking for money, remember: “If you want advice, ask for money. If you want money, ask for advice.” And, if you ask for advice, you’d better be prepared to take it !!

(When it comes to leadership and fundraising, some of the early postings in this blog address that issue.)

Also, fundraising/development is an ongoing/year-round process. It is not an activity that takes place in some limited/restricted timeframe. The concept/practice of a “campaign/drive” is counterproductive.

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Have a comment or a question about starting or expanding your fundraising program? Email me at AskHank@Major-Capital-Giving.com. With over 30 years of counseling in major gifts, capital campaigns, bequest programs and the planning studies to precede these three, we’ll likely be able to answer your questions.