| -By Development Network- Conventional wisdom portrays leadership as something found mostly at the top. Myth and legend treat it as if it were the private reserve of a few charismatic men and women. Nothing is further from the truth. Leadership is not a birthright. That's the inescapable conclusion from case studies of thousands of personal best leadership experiences and several million surveys. Leadership is not about who someone is or where he or she comes from. It's about what a person does. A leader's behavior explains why people feel engaged and positive about their workplaces. Empirically, how constituents view their leaders' behaviors explains more than 100 times the amount of variance accounted for by any particular individual or organizational characteristic. Leadership is not the exclusive blessing of a few select individuals, nor is it about position, title, power, authority, celebrity or wealth. It's not about being a CEO, president, general, prime minister or superstar. And it's most assuredly not about some charismatic gift. Ordinary people who lead others along pioneering journeys follow similar paths. Though each experience is unique in its particulars, cases often follow comparable patterns. Getting extraordinary things done means engaging in the following five leadership practices: 1. Model the way. 2. Inspire a shared vision. 3. Challenge the process. 4. Enable others to act. 5. Encourage the heart. Leadership is an identifiable set of skills and abilities available to anyone. It can be learned, and the best leaders are the best learners. Model the Way Olivia Lai, senior marketing associate at Moody's Analytics in Hong Kong, said when reflecting on her personal best leadership experience she realized "that leadership is everywhere, it takes place every day, and leadership can come from anyone. It doesn't matter that you don't have the title of manager, director or CEO to go with it. It's how you behave that makes a difference." Exemplary leaders know if they want to gain commitment and achieve the highest standards, they must model the behavior they expect from others. To effectively model behavior, that individual must be clear about his or her own guiding principles. "In order for me to become a leader, it's important that I first define my values and principles. If I don't know what my own values are and determine expectations for myself, how can I set expectations for others?" Lai said. Leaders have to find their own voice, and give voice to their values. They are expected to stand up for their beliefs, so they'd better have some beliefs to stand up for. However, eloquent speeches about common values aren't sufficient. Actions are far more important than words when constituents want to determine how serious leaders really are about what they say. Exemplary leaders set the example through their daily actions, demonstrating deep commitment to their beliefs, and ideally this should be done every day in plain view of those expected to follow the values. Inspire a Shared Vision People often describe their personal best leadership experiences as times when they imagined an exciting, highly attractive future for their organization. They had visions and dreams of what could be, and this became a magnetic pull to the future. Focusing on the future sets leaders apart from those who mainly focus on the present. "Vision trumps everything," said Nancy Zimpher, chancellor of the State University of New York. "Organizations are most effective when a well-articulated and ambitious vision of the future exists." But exemplary leaders know they can't command commitment; they have to inspire it by enlisting others in a common vision. Buddy Blanton, a programs manager in strategy and development at Northrop Grumman Corp., said when he wanted to learn how he could be more effective at creating a shared vision he asked his team for feedback. What they told him helped him understand that it's the process, not just the vision, that's critical to get all people on the same page. They said: "You would benefit by helping us, as a team, to understand how you got to your vision. We want to walk with you while you create the goals and vision so we all get to the end vision together," he said. Further, he said this experience helped him to realize that unity of purpose is forged by showing constituents how the dream leads to the common good. Challenge the Process Challenge is a crucible for greatness. At least, that's what Katherine Winkel, marketing communications coordinator at Monsanto, said she observed when discussing her peers' personal best leadership experiences. "The similarity that most stuck out in my mind was that in each story the person described having to overcome uncertainty and fear in order to achieve their best." Most personal best leadership cases senior-level talent leaders are likely to run across involve a change from the status quo. It's highly unlikely that someone sat idly waiting for fate to smile upon them. Leaders search for opportunities to innovate, grow and improve. Innovation comes more from listening than from telling, so leaders should constantly look outside of themselves and their organizations for clues about what's new or different, and what possibilities others are not seeing. As CEO of Bay Area Credit Services, Michael Priest said he learned firsthand that leaders must look outward for fresh ideas. "Sometimes you just can't predict where the change will come from," he said, "but you have to have your eyes wide open if you have any hope of even catching a glimpse of it." Exemplary leaders also experiment and take risks. They aren't content with the status quo. But sometimes people are reluctant to take big risks, so one way leaders deal with the potential failures of experimentation is to approach change through incremental steps, small wins and continuous learning. When Venkat Dokiparthi was asked to lead a technical development team in India, he said he realized that "I needed to break down the task and make it simple for them to feel successful." The process of small wins can catapult leaders and their teams forward, and motivate their continued forward momentum even when times get tough. Leaders need to show others they can make something happen, and doing so often provides a great boost in their confidence. Enable Others to Act No leader ever got anything extraordinary done by working alone. Grand dreams don't become significant realities through a single person's actions. "No matter how capable a leader is, he or she alone won't be able to deliver a large project or program without the joint efforts and synergies that come from the team," said Eric Pan, regional head of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants in South China. Leaders foster collaboration and build trust by engaging all those who must make a project work, and in some way, all who must live with the results. That was the first order of business for Jill Cleveland when she became finance manager at Apple Inc. "I had to learn how to trust my employees," she said. "I understood that in order for my employees, and thus myself, to be successful I needed to learn to develop a cohesive and collaborative team, beginning with trust as the framework." Cleveland said she realized when people are trusted and have more discretion, more authority and more information, they're much more likely to use their energies to produce extraordinary results. Encourage the Heart In climbing to the top people can become exhausted, frustrated and disenchanted, and are often tempted to give up. Genuine acts of caring uplift the spirits to carry on and draw people forward. Hilary Hall, pricing and sales finance manager at Bloomberg, said a "great leader has to work to maintain a high-performing environment and celebrate employees' contributions and achievements." Further, she said an essential component of building such an environment "is developing a robust rewards and recognition program that motivates employees and - most importantly - builds a community of trust that will be the foundation for future organizational successes." Recognizing contributions can be done one-to-one or with many people. It can come from dramatic gestures or simple actions. Jason Cha, from Tyco Electronics, said "Recognizing and rewarding individual contributions was one of the most effective ways to keep people focused and to foster innovation. Team members feel appreciated, and being recognized raises [an] individual's commitment to excellence because his or her name is associated with a given project. It also creates a sense of community in that people feel they are part of a winning team." Leaders show appreciation for people's contributions and create a culture that celebrates both values and victories. Celebrations and rituals, when done with authenticity and from the heart, can build a strong sense of collective identity and community spirit that can carry a group through tough times. When everyday leaders are doing their best they model the way, inspire a shared vision, challenge the process, enable others to act and encourage the heart. Further, the more they engage in these practices the more likely it is that they will get extraordinary things done on a regular basis. [About the Authors: James M. Kouzes is the Dean's Executive Fellow of Leadership, and Barry Z.Posner is the Accolti Professor of Leadership in the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University. They are co-authors of The Leadership Challenge.] -For more articles and information: http://www.developmentnetwork.co.nr/ |
Development Network - Articles and Information (http://www.developmentnetwork.co.nr/)
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Ordinary People, Extraordinary Results(by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner | Talent Management)
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Building Stronger Teams by Facing Your Differences
| -By Development Network- Conflict can be pretty much inevitable when you work with others. People have different viewpoints and under the right set of circumstances, those differences escalate to conflict. How you handle that conflict determines whether it works to the team's advantage or contributes to its demise. You can choose to ignore it, complain about it, blame someone for it, or try to deal with it through hints and suggestions; or you can be direct, clarify what is going on, and attempt to reach a resolution through common techniques like negotiation or compromise. It's clear that conflict has to be dealt with, but the question is how: It has to be dealt with constructively and with a plan, otherwise it's too easy to get pulled into the argument and create an even larger mess. Conflict isn't necessarily a bad thing, though. Healthy and constructive conflict is a component of high functioning teams. Conflict arises from differences between people; the same differences that often make diverse teams more effective than those made up of people with similar experience. When people with varying viewpoints, experiences, skills, and opinions are tasked with a project or challenge, the combined effort can far surpass what any group of similar individual could achieve. Team members must be open to these differences and not let them rise into full-blown disputes. Understanding and appreciating the various viewpoints involved in conflict are key factors in its resolution. These are key skills for all team members to develop. The important thing is to maintain a healthy balance of constructive difference of opinion, and avoid negative conflict that's destructive and disruptive. Getting to, and maintaining, that balance requires well-developed team skills, particularly the ability to resolve conflict when it does happens, and the ability to keep it healthy and avoid conflict in the day-to-day course of team working. Let's look at conflict resolution first, then at preventing it. Resolving Conflict When a team oversteps the mark of healthy difference of opinion, resolving conflict requires respect and patience. The human experience of conflict involves our emotions, perceptions, and actions; we experience it on all three levels, and we need to address all three levels to resolve it. We must replace the negative experiences with positive ones. The three-stage process below is a form of mediation process, which helps team members to do this: Step 1: Prepare for resolution
Step 2: Understand the Situation Once the team is ready to resolve the conflict, the next stage is to understand the situation, and each team member's point of view. Take time to make sure that each person's position is heard and understood. Remember that strong emotions are at work here so you have to get through the emotion and reveal the true nature of the conflict.
Sally and Tom believe the best way to market the new product is through a TV campaign. Mary and Beth are adamant that internet advertising is the way to go; whilst Josh supports a store-lead campaign.
Sally and Tom believe that TV advertising is best because it has worked very well in the past. They are motivated by the saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Mary and Beth are very tuned-in to the latest in technology and believe that to stay ahead in the market, the company has to continue to try new things. They seek challenges and find change exhilarating and motivating. Josh believes a store-lead campaign is the most cost-effective. He's cautious, and feels this is the best way to test the market at launch, before committing the marketing spend.
Consider using formal evaluation and decision-making processes where appropriate. Techniques such as PMI, Forcefield Analysis, Paired Comparison Analysis and Cost/Benefit Analysis are among those that could help. If such techniques have not been used already, they may help make a much more objective decision or evaluation. Gain agreement within the team about which techniques to use, and how to go about the further analysis and evaluation.
Step 3: Reach agreement Now that all parties understand the others' positions, the team must decide what decision or course of action to take. With the facts and assumptions considered, it's easier to see the best of action and reach agreement. In our example, the team agrees that TV advertising is the best approach. It has had undeniably great results in the past and there is no data to show that will change. The message of the advertising will promote the website and direct consumers there. This meets Mary and Beth's concern about using the website for promotions: they assumed that TV advertising would disregard it. If further analysis and evaluation is required, agree what needs to be done, by when and by whom, and so plan to reach agreement within a particular timescale. If appropriate, define which decision making and evaluation tools are to be employed. If such additional work is required, the agreement at this stage is to the approach itself: Make sure the team is committed to work with the outcome of the proposed analysis and evaluation. If the team is still not able to reach agreement, you may need to use a techniques like Win-Win Negotiation, Nominal Group Technique or Multi-Voting to find a solution that everyone is happy to move the team ahead. When conflict is resolved take time to celebrate and acknowledge the contributions everyone made toward reaching a solution. This can build team cohesion and confidence in their problem solving skills, and can help avert further conflict. This three-step process can help solve team conflict efficiently and effectively. The basis of the approach is gaining understanding of the different perspectives and using that understanding to expand your own thoughts and beliefs about the issue. Preventing Conflict As well as being able to handle conflict when it arises, teams need to develop ways of preventing conflict from becoming damaging. Team members can learn skills and behavior to help this. Here are some of the key ones to work on:
To explore the process of conflict resolution in more depth, take our Bite-Sized Training session on Dealing with Conflict. Key Points Conflict can be constructive as long as it is managed and dealt with directly and quickly. By respecting differences between people, being able to resolve conflict when it does happen, and also working to prevent it, you will be able to maintain a healthy and creative team atmosphere. The key is to remain open to other people's ideas, beliefs, and assumptions. When team members learn to see issues from the other side, it opens up new ways of thinking, which can lead to new and innovative solutions, and healthy team performance. Thanks to MindTools / Mind Tools Ltd-For more articles and information: http://www.developmentnetwork.co.nr/ |
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