Category: Leadership Skills

In today’s business world, it is imperative to be able to disagree with tact and professionalism. My coaching clients find themselves in situations where they disagree with others, yet need to rely on these same people to get work done. The way you tell someone that you disagree really matters. Agreeably Disagree is a helpful technique that lets you disagree with someone without damaging the relationship.

Here are 4 Steps to Agreeably Disagree:

1. Listen – avoid cutting people off. Never tell them they are wrong – hear them out.

2. Acknowledge the other person’s idea/opinion/point of view by saying something like:

“I hear what you are saying”

“You have some points that make sense”

“I have not thought about it that way”

“That is an interesting perspective”

“I can see why you see it that way”

“I understand why you say that”

“I hear where you are coming from”

Be aware of your body language. Your words need to be congruent with your actions. If you roll your eyes while acknowledging, they will not believe that you are earnest.

3. Pause briefly. Use silence effectively. Do not start out with “but, however, nevertheless”. These negative filler words will negate the fact that you are trying to hear them out. They often put people on the defensive and break down the communication.

4. State your idea/opinion/point of view by starting out with something like:

“In my experience, I…”

“My understanding is different. I …”

“Have you considered…”

“What about…”

“The literature/evidence says…”

“Because of …, I think…”

“The data I collected shows…”

Be sure to include evidence, facts, examples, personal experience, or data to substantiate your viewpoint.

By using the Agreeably Disagree technique, you preserve and strengthen the relationship by showing the other person that you heard them and respect them – even when you disagree.

For more resources, see the Library topic Personal and Professional Coaching.

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Pam Solberg-Tapper MHSA, PCC – I spark entrepreneurial business leaders to set strategy, take action, and get results. How can I help you? Contact me at CoachPam@cpinternet.com ~ Linkedin ~ 218-340-3330

Darcy,[i] a VP in a large pharmaceutical company, began using VUCA and VUCA Prime when she faced an unexpected regulatory issue. Now she uses it daily to make sense of her constantly shifting world. Our conversations are peppered with: “Let’s VUCA this.”, “He is reacting personally, but it is just VUCA.”, and “I need to get to VUCA Prime fast on this one.” Darcy views her knowledge and comfort with VUCA ∞ VUCA Prime as a leadership strength that helps her navigate a company that is constantly in motion, reorganization and downsizing, and an industry that is consolidating rapidly. In the Volatile world of global connectivity, where interdependencies lurk in the shadows, Vision is much more than a rallying cry.

When Volatility hits, leaders steeped in tradition head for the weeds and try to problem-solve their way out. But in today’s world, it’s easy to get lost there. The last five to six business books I have picked up all start with comments on the death of Scientific Management and the “brave new world” of 21^st century leadership. We long for the days when strategy lasted for years and budgets were stable from one cycle to the next. While we can’t throw out prediction, there is less and less that is truly predictable.

Vision in response to Volatility is more than an exercise. It is how you get out of the weeds, come up for air, and steer toward the horizon. Incorporating constant exploration and imagination, Vision becomes a counterbalance to Volatility. On the other hand, Vision that is vague or without just enough structure is Volatility in dangerous disguise.

The group Darcy leads is globally dispersed and multifunctional. She is accountable for integrating R&D, clinical development, and regional marketing. Volatility in her world is often generated by the system itself. Consider the following:

• The results of multiple interdependent global clinical trials create multifaceted dilemmas (a both/and/and/and… situation)
• In-market drugs have regional differences with respect to indication, marketing, regulatory requirements, and opinion leader input – what is tactically appropriate in one region may be counterproductive in another
• Team members are functionally co-located and constantly struggle to overcome the Volatility of an internal Us/Them mindset relative to their distant colleagues

When Volatility hits, Darcy’s first action is to step back and explore how this event, or set of events, directionally impacts the course she has set. Vision for her is more like sailing toward a point on the horizon that forever recedes, pulling her forward. When Vision is understood by the whole, then interdependent movement of the parts can be coordinated. Darcy finds that Vision provides “just enough” structure and process for her organization to balance prediction and exploration. Using Vision as a rudder, she constantly navigates between rigidity-prediction (too much stability) and turbulence-exploration (too much Volatility). Recently she faced a situation in which she introduced Volatility to break up a rigid mindset that was holding a team back. As the team explored options and opportunities, she learned her way forward, using Volatility and Vision alternately to maintain creative tension and lead the team toward a self-generated, productive outcome.

Inquiry for Leaders

• How much Volatility are you comfortable with? What is your reaction when you are outside your comfort zone? How does this affect your ability to lead when Volatility strikes?
• How much structure and process does your current Vision provide? Too much? Too little? How easy is it for you to revise your Vision, to adapt it to Volatility when it arises without creating a moving target?
• Where in your organization do you need more Volatility? Vision? How can you introduce and manage these? Where is Volatility happening naturally? Have you harnessed that energy to drive your Vision forward?

Next Blog Post

Leading the dynamic between Uncertainty and Understanding.

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[i] For confidentiality purposes all examples have been modified.

Cairn Consultants integrates business and biology to offer clients novel tools and methods for adaptive change, leadership, and organizational effectiveness. Carol is also a founding member of Knowesys, an international leadership and change consultancy.

Dr. Carol Mase

President | Cairn Consultants
Carol@CairnLLC.com | 215.262.6666

www.CairnConsultants.com | www.Knowesys.com

Skype: carol.mase

In today’s workplace, “Managing Up” is essential if you want to avoid cutbacks or be considered for advancement. The term “Managing Up” refers to the process of intentionally working with your manager to obtain the best possible results for you, your manager and your organization. As I work with my coaching clients we strategize ways that they can “Manage Up” so their value is recognized within their organization.

Here are 5 musts that will help you “Manage Up”:

1. Design a working relationship with your manager. What is your communication strategy? Will it be face to face, email, phone? How often? What will the agenda be and who sets it? What happens if a meeting gets cancelled?

2. Understand your manager’s management style. Is your manager “big picture” or do they want the details? How does your manager manage under pressure? Know your manager’s strengths and weaknesses – how can you compliment and support them?

3. Know exactly what is expected of you and your performance. What will be measured and how it will be measured? Then focus your efforts to exceed expectations.

4. No surprises. Be sure your manager is informed. Let them hear bad news or good news from you first. Give a “heads up” if there is a potential problem – even if it does not materialize.

5. Ask for feedback. Know if you are on track. Proactively ask for feedback if you do not get it. A simple tool is to ask – “what should I do more of, less of and continue to do?”

What other ways can you “Manage Up”?

For more resources, see the Library topic Personal and Professional Coaching.

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Pam Solberg-Tapper MHSA, PCC – I spark entrepreneurial business leaders to set strategy, take action, and get results. How can I help you? Contact me at CoachPam@cpinternet.com ~ Linkedin ~ 218-340-3330

Recap from VUCA – A Leader’s Dilemma

A multinational organization faces a major structural reorganization that contains significant functional changes and leadership challenges. Facing the Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity (VUCA) are four leaders responsible for implementing a significant part of the organizational change without losing strategic momentum.

Finding VUCA Prime

Like most organizations, the act of bringing in a high profile external consulting firm eight months ago signaled to every executive in the business unit that significant change was possible. Without question, they each had their own story of what that would or should entail. Seated around the table were four corporate leaders who knew the nature and extent of the impending reorganization before it was announced. Their task was to make it happen without losing focus, momentum, and direction – to change horses at a full gallop over rough terrain without falling off.

The conversation was at first intense, but not adversarial. Dave, my client, led his colleagues in a lively dialogue that confirmed the key volatilities, uncertainties, complexities, and ambiguities – VUCA – that we had previously discussed. Increasing destabilization in any one of the four VUCA elements could have a negative snowball effect, yet stability was neither possible nor helpful.

In VUCA situations, the destabilizing events impact different parts of the system differently. Actions that amplify (increase) the positive and dampen (decrease) the negative help leaders harness the instability and act their way forward, learning as they go. Identifying and applying these two types of interventions is a major challenge and opportunity for leaders in a VUCA world. Enter VUCA Prime – Vision, Understanding, Clarity, and Agility. VUCA Prime is the contribution of Bob Johansen,[i] emerging from his work with corporate, military, non-profit, and government leaders as they navigated their VUCA challenges. They suggest where and what to amplify and dampen within a VUCA situation.

The forces of VUCA and VUCA Prime exist in dynamic equilibrium, and leaders can balance the energy of either side with its complement. The dynamic interplay of VUCA and VUCA Prime generates the energy that can drive organizations to adapt, change, and evolve with the conditions of their environment (the sum of the political, economic, social, technological, and government/regulatory background). As the five of us pondered what to do next from a leadership development perspective, we began to see places within the current and new organization that needed less Volatility and others that needed more Volatility. In both cases Vision was a complementing force that we could work with. With the group’s input, Dave and I designed a leadership development plan for the executive team as part of the restructuring kick-off and the 2011 goal-setting and planning process. The exercises we used set the conditions for the executive team to think and act in new ways.

Lessons for Leaders

Useful methods for weaving together the dynamic forces of VUCA and VUCA Prime (the weaving is represented by the infinity symbol) include:

Volatility ∞ Vision: Future Back

• An exercise that views today from the perspective of the desired future and creates milestones for getting there

Uncertainty ∞ Understanding: Adaptive Change Model[ii]

• This model of change weaves together the transactional/doing aspects of change and the transformational/relational aspects of change

Complexity ∞ Clarity: Sense making

• A method of tuning in to weak signals in the environment, searching for what might be possible in order to act with informed sensibility

Ambiguity ∞ Agility: Safe Fail and Ritual Dissent

• An exercise that combines rapid prototyping of ideas and action with the practice of listening to the creative criticism it generates

Next Blog Post

Leading the dynamic between Volatility and Vision.

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[i] Bob Johansen, Getting There Early, 2007, Berrett-Koehler, San Francisco.

[ii] http://noetic.org/library/publication-articles/adaptive-organization/

Dr. Carol Mase integrates business and biology to offer clients novel tools and methods for adaptive change, leadership, and organizational effectiveness.

President | Cairn Consultants
Carol@CairnLLC.com | 215.262.6666

www.CairnConsultants.com | www.Knowesys.com

Skype: carol.mase

Last spring I walked into a client’s office to deliver a leadership development program design and was greeted with, “We just got the McKinsey/BCG/Bain (take your pick) consulting report and we are completely reorganizing the business unit.”[i] Sound familiar? Look anywhere – business, the marketplace, organizations, or personal lives – the amount of turbulence today is stunning. The destabilizing events that my clients, and my business, experience daily create an environment that is hard to navigate with any predictability. Yet predictability is a condition that most of us crave.

Although unforeseen, Dave (my client) and I were able to navigate the turbulence created by this turn of events, including our visceral reactions to it, and reach a place of opportunity for both our businesses. We achieved this using a framework and practices that helped us recognize and navigate the turbulence that the US Army War College calls VUCA – Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous.[ii] Over the next few weeks, I will develop this example and others to explore how to lead in a world that increasingly exists in the VUCA state.

The VUCA framework was developed at the US Army War College in response to changes in the security environment over the last twenty years. The purpose of the Army post-graduate institution is the education of its best and brightest, focusing on leadership and strategy, and teaching the skills required to act effectively in a Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous world. Its usefulness led to a new nickname for the College, VUCA-U.

A key leadership insight for working in VUCA situations is recognizing the dilemmas embedded within them. Unlike problems to be solved, dilemmas are those unsolvable, unanticipated, messy – yet potentially positive – issues and challenges that every leader faces. Dilemmas must be continuously managed, and they show up whenever VUCA does. Managing dilemmas requires leaders to think and act in new ways in order to make sense of the both/and nature inherent in any dilemma. In today’s VUCA world, recognizing dilemmas can save leaders from the “analysis paralysis” of problem solving, provided they have the capacity to stand in the adaptive tension dilemmas create.

Back in the conference room, Dave and I spent the first two hours of our meeting riding the rapids of VUCA and the dilemmas of disruptive change. As we talked, I took mental notes on the VUCA elements of our situation.

• Volatility – the new structure was a stark contrast to the current one and required different accountability, work groups, reporting structures, and networks of relationships – it begged the question: How can this be implemented without creating even more VUCA throughout the organization?
• Uncertainty – who might leave and who would stay, what roles and titles would be created and who would fill them, what additional change would this create and who would design and lead that effort?
• Complexity – the company was just concluding an acquisition, the markets were expecting solid growth performance over the next five years, people were anticipating some change but not this change, and key strategic initiatives just being kicked-off were themselves complex and interdependent
• Ambiguous – it wasn’t clear whether this new structure would be permanent or if the company would need to return to the current structure within the next 3-5 years

By the time we were joined by our three corporate sponsors, I was thinking about how we could shift out of VUCA and into VUCA Prime – Vision, Understanding, Clarity, and Agility – a compass that helps leaders navigate the turbulence. That’s what we’ll look at next week.

Lessons for Leaders

• Successful tactical leaders can easily get trapped by their predictive mindset when they encounter a VUCA situation
• Many leadership issues are not problems to be solved but rather dilemmas that must be continuously managed
• VUCA is a neutral force in the world, it is the leader’s challenge to transform it and find the opportunity within

Next Blog Post

The antidote to VUCA – Vision, Understanding, Clarity, and Agility – VUCA Prime.

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[i] For confidentiality purposes this and all examples have been modified.

[ii] http://future.iftf.org/2007/08/get-there-ear-1.html

Dr. Carol Mase integrates business and biology to offer clients novel tools and methods for adaptive change, leadership, and organizational effectiveness.

President | Cairn Consultants
Carol@CairnLLC.com | 215.262.6666

www.CairnConsultants.com | www.Knowesys.com

Skype: carol.mase

Adaptability and Resiliency as Overlooked Leadership Qualities

In my mind the unsung hero of effective leadership are two related and overlapping qualities: adaptability and resiliency. The ability and, probably more importantly, the willingness of a leader to adapt his or her thinking, behavior, or strategy based on changing circumstances, miscalculations, or other factors, is a historically underrated quality that is starting to get its due in this rapidly changing world. And maybe even more so than adaptability, resiliency — discussed here as the capacity to bounce back from perceived and actual mishaps, set-backs, and adversity — has been overlooked as a leadership competency.

Research on Resiliency

I recently read that Ceridian Corporation conducted a study and published an executive briefing on organizational resilience. They arrived at the conclusion that resilient organizations are those that are able to respond to two seemingly paradoxical imperatives: 1) managing for performance (enhanced by consistency, efficiency, and immediate results) and 2) managing for adaptation (enhanced by innovation, improvisation, anticipation, and commitment to long-term benefits).

In my mind what is reflected here is a mindset that embraces disruption to organizational plans, strategy, and operating procedures, as normal and inevitable. The leader that maintains this mindset does not react with shock, dismay, or confusion to disruption of the best laid plans. Instead, he or she is eager to analyze the circumstances, ascertain the meaning behind the unexpected, and determine whether there are appropriate adjustments to be made. In addition, leaders demonstrating this type of leadership are able to build more resilient direct reports, teams, and ultimately organizations.

Origins of Resiliency

It is the viewpoint of many psychologists and sociology experts that resiliency is a quality that is partly inbred and partly developed through childhood experiences and modeling. The problem with this viewpoint is that it presumes that a person’s level of resiliency is pretty much set by the time they are in early to middle adulthood. It is my opinion that a certain amount of resiliency – definitely enough to make a difference as an organizational leader – can be developed in adults simply by embracing a worldview that change, disruption, and mishaps are as normal and predictable in organizations as salaries and vacation days. Or perhaps it is more analogous with the sentiments I heard expressed by a veteran of the Iraq conflict: “It is a given, no plan ever survives first contact”.

In the following weeks I will be exploring the role of resiliency and adaptability in leadership. It would be great to hear from others if they have any thoughts, questions, or references on these competencies.

Listening is the primary tool in the coach’s toolbox. It is the foundation for developing rapport and producing an effective coaching session that yields results.

Here are 5 tips that will ramp-up your listening skills and enhance your communication:

1. Focus like a cat – notice how a cat has laser focus on their interests. They are keenly aware of what they hear and what they see. They are fully concentrating on their target.

2. Listen for key words – pay attention to the significant/important words you are hearing from the speaker – these are the doorways for understanding what is being said.

3. Repeat what you hear in your mind – when listening silently repeat each word that is said in order to stay connected to the message. When you notice your mind wonder, do it again.

4. Beware of assumptions – ask for clarification when you do not understand what is being said. Making an assumption can lead to misunderstandings.

5. Be authentic – others can tell if you are genuinely interested in what they have to say. They are able to tell if you are “really listening” or “faking listening”. When you “fake it” trust erodes and rapport diminishes.

What listening tips work well for you?

For more resources, see the Library topic Personal and Professional Coaching.

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Pam Solberg-Tapper MHSA, PCC – I spark entrepreneurial business leaders to set strategy, take action, and get results. How can I help you? Contact me at CoachPam@cpinternet.com ~ Linkedin ~ 218-340-3330

Three Sub-Systems

This post is the third in a series on Leading in Complex Human Systems. In my last two posts, we began our review of The Butterfly Model of Human Systems. The Model suggests that larger human systems are composed of three major subsystems:

1. The Face to Face System–what happens “in the room,” in our face-to-face interactions
2. The External System–our larger world
3. The Internal System—our thoughts, assumptions feelings, and deeper stories

To view the butterfly model, click here.

In Human Systems 1=3

At any given time we may focus our efforts primarily on one of the three subsystems, e.g. on how a team works together (face to face system), but all three subsystems are always interacting and influencing the team’s effectiveness. For example, how team members interact (face to face system) certainly influences their productivity. The organizational context of the team (the external system) and thoughts and feelings of team members (internal system) also exert significant influence.

Visible, Less Visible, Least Visible

We experience the forces at play from these three sub systems as visible, less visible, and least visible. For many people:

• The face-to-face forces are most visible in that we can see a behavior, hear what is said, and observe interactions.
• The external forces are less visible. For example, you can talk about the economy and see its impact, e.g. people lose their jobs, but you can’t actually see the economy.
• The internal forces are the least visible, in that you can’t literally see a thought or a feeling.

We first thought the above would be true for everyone, but what we have found in working with people over time is that which forces are most, less, and least visible can vary for different people. How we experience a system tends to be a reflection of where we sit in the system and of what we pay most attention to. For example, I once worked with a market analyst who said, “What do you mean the external forces are less visible? To me, they are the most visible.”

Seeing Systems More Fully

Whatever our primary focus, we sometimes feel pushed and pulled by forces we can’t see and don’t understand. We feel tugs, but we don’t know what’s tugging us; we have a headache, but we don’t know what is causing it; we find ourselves responding in less than optimal ways, but we aren’t sure why.

So the questions for you as a leader are:

• What forces are most and least visible to you?
• What are the forces you pay the most attention to? The least attention?
• How can you broaden and deepen your view of a system so that you are able to see and understand the range of forces at play, and increase your impact?

My work as a human systems coach and consultant is about helping leaders clarify the visible and make the less visible and least visible more visible by, in each case, creating pictures, a language, and tools that help leaders see, understand, and behave in clearer, more intentional ways in complex systems. By so doing, leaders can help a system morph itself from a caterpillar (what it is) into a butterfly (what it wants to be).

Where Do We Go From Here?

In future posts, we will continue our “dance with the butterfly”—our journey through human systems–by looking further at how we experience systems; by exploring in more depth the face to face world, the external world, the internal world, and how the three worlds interact to produce results; and by identifying how we can increase our ability to help systems create desired outcomes.

If you want to explore leading and working in humans systems further, feel free to contact me.

Meanwhile, good journey…

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Steven P. Ober EdD
President: Chrysalis Executive Coaching & Consulting
Partner: Systems Perspectives, LLC
Office: PO Box 278, Oakham, MA 01068
Home: 278 Crocker Nye Rd., Oakham, MA 01068
O: 508.882.1025 M: 978.590.4219
Email: www.ChrysalisCoaching.org

Steve is a senior executive coach and consultant. He has developed and successfully uses a powerful approach to leadership coaching, Creating your Leadership Story, which enables leaders to make deep, lasting improvements in their leadership effectiveness in short periods of time. He and a group of partners have created a breakthrough educational program, Coaching from a Systems Perspective, in which you can significantly enhance your abilities as a systemic leadership coach. See http://SystemsPerspectivesLLC.com

An effective way to start out the 2011 New Year is to Reflect on 2010 and set Intentions for 2011. I created this easy, simple worksheet for my coaching clients to capture their “Reflections” and “Intentions” as they embrace the New Year ahead. Try it and let me know what you think.

Reflections of 2010

• What are my wins and successes? What did I learn from these?
• What are my disappointments? What did I learn from these?
• Who do I wish to thank?

Intentions for 2011

• What do I intend to accomplish? What are my 3 most important priorities?
• What will I start doing?
• What will I stop doing?
• What will I continue to do?
• Who will be on my team?

I suggest reviewing your Intentions at least weekly so that you stay on track with what is important to you. Recognize that what you think about expands – so set strategy, and keep focused to get the results that you intend.

All my best to you and your loved ones for a happy, healthy and successful year ahead!

For more resources, see the Library topic Personal and Professional Coaching.

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Pam Solberg-Tapper MHSA, PCC – I spark entrepreneurial business leaders to set strategy, take action, and get results. How can I help you? Contact me at CoachPam@cpinternet.com ~ Linkedin ~ 218-340-3330

A guest blog from Carter McNamara.

What Is Empathy? Why Is It So Important?

Empathy is the ability to accurately put yourself “in someone else’s shoes” – to understand their situation, perceptions and feelings from their point of view – and to be able to communicate that understanding back to the other person. Empathy is a critical skill for you to have as a coach, trainer or consultant. It contributes toward accurate understanding of your clients, their perceptions and concerns. It also enhances your communication skills because you can sense what your client wants to know and if they are getting it from you or not. Ideally, your client can learn skills in empathy from you, thereby helping them to become more effective leaders, managers and supervisors.

Note that empathy is sometimes confused with sympathy. Sympathy involves actually being affected by the other person’s perceptions, opinions and feelings. For example, if the client is frustrated and sad, the sympathetic consultant would experience the same emotions, resulting in the consultant many times struggling with the same issues as the client. Thus, sympathy can actually get in the way of effective consulting.

Guidelines to Develop Empathy

1. Experience the major differences among people.

One of the best examples of strong skills in empathy is people who have traveled or worked in multicultural environments. They have learned that the way they see and experience things is often different from others. People with little or no skills in empathy might have an intellectual awareness of these differences. However, until they actually experience these differences, their skills in empathy will probably remain quite limited.

2. Learn to identify your own feelings – develop some emotional intelligence.

Many of us are so “processed” and “sophisticated” about feelings that we cannot readily identify them in ourselves, much less in others. For example, we might perceive thoughts to be the same as feelings. So when someone asks you how you feel about a project, you might respond, “I think we have a lot to do.” Or, we might not distinguish between seemingly related emotions, for example, between frustration and irritability or between happiness and excitement.

See the Free Management Library for resources about Emotional Intelligence.

3. Regularly ask clients for their perspectives and/or feelings regarding a situation.

Silently compare their responses to what you might have thought they would be. This approach not only helps you to sharpen your own empathic skills, but also helps you to learn more about your client.

For more resources, see the Library topic Personal and Professional Coaching.

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Carter McNamara, MBA, PhD – Authenticity Consulting, LLC – 763-971-8890
Read my weekly blogs: Boards, Consulting and OD, Nonprofits and Strategic Planning.