The Influence of Natural Behaviour

The age-old argument about whether leaders are born or made will probably continue forever. Whatever the answer is, it is easy to see how the debate originated.

Leaders whose natural behaviour patterns are predisposed towards great leadership were no doubt born with those tendencies - and even though they will have developed skills along the way, it is their natural abilities that people will be drawn to. It stands to reason then that anyone who embarks upon a leadership role who lacks such innate qualities will have to work harder to develop the right leadership behaviours.

With that in mind (and steering well away from the born versus made discussion), it makes sense for those in leadership positions to regularly check their own natural behavioural responses, understand what these say about their own leadership style, and then reflect seriously on the development needed to ensure their behaviour is always aligned towards getting the best results from the people they lead.

I watched with interest earlier today when I observed a management team putting their natural behaviour patterns to the test. There were some interesting and valuable lessons learned.

In the exercise that had been prepared for them, the group were invited into a room where all the chairs had been stacked up behind yellow and black tape which carried the message "caution - do not cross". The team were invited to "Take a seat". Following a few confused glances, the instruction was repeated - although this time the invitation was to "Grab a chair". The responses were revealing - intuitively everyone knew that this was some sort of test. But the test was not so much about getting to the right answer as it was to assess the natural behaviour patterns that emerged in this staged setting.

Broadly speaking there were three categories of response.

Group A were happy to break the rules, or make up their own rules to achieve the result in as short a time as possible, or with the least amount of effort possible. They took chairs from behind the tape, sat on the floor, or refused to sit claiming that standing up was a much better option.
Group B explored other options to achieve the right result without breaking the rules. They went to find a chair from a different part of the office, brought it back into the room and sat on it.
Group C watched the other two groups, and tried to work out which camp they wanted to be with, then went with the majority.

The whole exercise was over in just a few minutes - but the leadership lessons learned had a profound impact. It was put to the group that their natural behavioural response to such a simple scenario is probably their natural response to any task, challenge, issue, or problem they face in their day-to-day role. So the questions they must ask themselves are -

• Do I willingly or inadvertently "break the rules" to get results?
• Do I make my own rules up, or 'move the goalposts' to suit myself?
• Do I often look for the easy option?
• Do I consistently challenge myself to get the right result in the right way without cutting corners or compromising the overall outcome for the team?
• Do I just follow others, or follow the path of least resistance?

Once all these questions have been answered, the most important question remains -

• What impact do my behavioural choices have on the performance of others?

The fact is that, whether born or made, leaders will only ever get the results they deserve based on the influence exerted from their own behaviour.

Reach for the Cello

During their current school year my eldest daughter's class has been given the opportunity to learn a stringed instrument. At the beginning of term she came home with a viola, and started practising the notes, scales and pieces of music she was being taught at school. Her initial enthusiasm quickly subsided though, and the viola spent more and more time in its case.

When asked why she wasn't as interested in her instrument now as she had been at first, she pointed out that she actually had her eye on the cello but was been beaten to it by a fellow student. She had tried to embrace the viola - but unfortunately she couldn't get quite as excited about it as she could the cello. She was quick to add though that the pupil who had selected the cello was no longer taking the music class, and as a result the cello remained in the cupboard un-used during the lessons.

This was an opportunity that was too good to miss. So with a little encouragement to boost her confidence, off she went to school the next day to "reach for the cello"! She asked her music teacher if she could switch instruments, and in so doing not only did she get to play the instrument she had wanted to play all along, but she also learned a valuable lesson about looking for and taking advantage of opportunities that present themselves - sometimes unexpectedly.

It is a lesson that we can all learn from. How often are we too wrapped up in day to day routine to even notice opportunities? How often do we spot them but fail to take decisive action, and the opportunity disappears? Or have we begun to accept things the way they are, and leave the opportunities for others instead?

There are opportunities all around us every day. Opportunities to learn and develop, opportunities to try something new, or travel somewhere we haven't been before. Business opportunities, job opportunities, the chance to help others, or volunteer to support a worthy cause, or simple social opportunities to enjoy time with others and enrich our life.

The question is - next time one of these opportunities makes itself available, will you "reach for the cello"?

High Performing Teams in Action

Once we begin to analyse it, we realise that there are many more interactions in every day business that involve teamwork than we may at first think.

It is easy to restrict our thinking to the traditional aspects of team performance, and only apply sound principles of team work in these formal settings. For example meetings, conferences, away days, and so on. But every time we want to drive a result that requires the contribution of a group of people it is imperative that we behave as a high performing team.

So what are the guiding principles that a high performing team would utilise on a day-to-day basis - even for completing mundane tasks?

Here are a few to consider,

Set a clear goal - an agreed definition of success at the outset. This will ensure that everyone is "on the same page", working towards the same result, and channeling all of their energy towards the agreed goal.
Securing collective "buy-in" and getting the best possible input from everyone. We will only ever see people's best work if they are totally committed to the job in hand. Once we have everyone's commitment we can divide up tasks based on strengths and abilities. Therefore the collective input will be efficient, and the engagement of the team will be stronger.
Work out a process for making decisions and controlling the tasks. Before jumping straight into the planning stage, a little time spent working out how decisions will be made and how progress will be monitored is a worthwhile investment. This will strengthen the "buy-in", and ultimately contribute to a stronger plan.
Dealing with conflict. We cannot kid ourselves that high performing teams have eliminated conflict and that is why they are effective. If anything, conflict is more likely to occur in high performing teams because of the level they are trying to achieve. If we want to reach similar heights we must embrace conflict, but at the same time work out how we will deal with it. Healthy conflict is a catalyst for better quality outputs - but where conflict is not handled appropriately it can be divisive and destructive.
Dealing with feelings. Whilst we always tap into peoples thoughts and ideas on how we should complete tasks, we should also consider how people are feeling. We should never move on until we understand the feelings in the group as emotion has a significant influence on the success of any task. Also, we should devise a process for "checking-in" to people's feelings throughout the task. If we don't, there is a risk that the hard earned commitment and "buy-in" secured earlier on may evaporate, leaving the task and the team in a vulnerable position.
Reviewing the outcomes and sharing honest feedback. The review stage of any plan is crucial to making ongoing business improvements - but when coupled with honest feedback on the contribution of the individuals involved, it can also support improvements in other aspects of the teams performance. Lessons learned on one task can be applied to future tasks, and transferable skills can be developed. Team bonds are strengthened, as is the understanding of how best to deploy the skills and abilities available. Ascertaining everyones views on the success of the task is crucial too. Celebrating successes - or celebrating the learnings from any mistakes that may have been made - are true hallmarks of any high performing team.

Three Pillars of High Performance

Our Environment

The environment we create for people is crucial to achieving success. Both the physical environment, and the way our business environment supports high performance, require constant attention.

The physical environment can be easily overlooked – but broken equipment, tired or out of date wall displays and scruffy furniture or decor, should receive prompt attention. It is unrealistic to expect people to perform at the pace and level we require if their place of work is not up to standard.

The business environment we create is equally as important. Is there sufficient encouragement for people to stretch themselves? Are people encouraged to voice their concerns and offer suggestions that will contribute to business growth?

Engagement, development and continuous improvement are the hallmarks of a professional business environment and are a firm foundation for high performance.

Our Professional Standards

We must clearly establish the standards of behaviour we expect. This starts with a basic work ethic. A good way to achieve this is to set an outstanding example of hard work and high performance ourselves. We should always model the behaviours we expect from others through our own attitude. If we are outwardly confident and optimistic that as a team we are on track to reach our destination everyone in the team is more likely to share our belief. If we avoid wasting time looking for excuses or blame, the people around us are more likely to focus on what can be done to move performance forward. They will feel more empowered to deliver the vital actions, remaining engaged in our business goals and stimulated by the difference they are making personally to the team performance.

Our Communication

The way we communicate will help us to bring our leadership brand to life, and make us accessible to the whole team.

We may face challenges involving our people, our customers, industry regulators, or the economy – to name a few. Will we be able to cope?  How can we instil confidence that our business model is equipped to respond to such challenges? Communicating regularly through a variety of media helps us to navigate the changes required along the journey. However, we should always deliver the most important, or difficult, messages personally – and ideally face to face – to answer questions, ease concerns, and reinforce our plan.

Our communication style is crucial to maintaining the focus and direction of our team so that everyone continues to drive collectively in the right direction.

But Why..?

This post has been contributed by Mark Stretton. Thanks very much Mark.

Anyone who is a parent, or who regularly spends time with children, or who is young enough to remember their own childhood will recognise the phrase "but why..?"

Why is the sky blue? Why is the grass green? Why does it get dark at night? And then, however comprehensive the answer that follows may be, it is punctuated by the incredibly challenging "but why?" question!

The answers are rather more complex than the innocence of the question. However the reason for the question remains the same and continues to be relevant at any stage in life. To seek an understanding, reason or purpose helps us to learn and develop, and fuel a desire to ask further unanswered questions which stimulates personal growth as we make our way through life.

However, as adults we can easily fall into the trap of not asking the question “why” as often as we should. Instead we may begin to accept people’s actions, orders and opinions, becoming conditioned by the status quo. This is dangerous for those in a position of leadership as they could become guilty of hindering the learning and development of the people in the team around them.

A colleague once said to me “My team have not performed for the last 2 months. I told them my plan and what they needed to do but they just don’t seem to be following what I said, I can't understand it.”

Their statement raises some interesting questions -

• Has that manager fallen into the trap of telling his team what they need to do without providing a compelling reason why?
• Did that manager seek out the reasons why his team would feel the plan was important to them?
• Could that manager have involved his team in constructing the plan to create the reason why for themselves?

Even the greatest leaders don't expect people to follow their direction based on blind credulity - the reason "why" is always of paramount importance and must always be communicated clearly, or arrived at as a team, before moving forward. By providing people with the opportunity to understand "why" early enough in any action, process or goal, we build confidence and belief that they are contributing to something worthwhile and making a difference, and therefore they are more likely to own it and deliver it successfully.

Is Your Perspective Fresh Enough?

We all have different points of view. That's what makes life interesting, teams dynamic, and solutions creative.

Recognising that diversity is an essential ingredient of success, we often look outside of our immediate group to get a "fresh perspective" when we feel we need some inspiration, reassurance, or simply an alternate view. How often though, do we check our own perspective? Indeed, is it possible to check and, if necessary, freshen up our own perspective from time to time? Who would we go to for a perspective "health check"?

These questions came to mind when I overheard two managers discussing a meeting they had both been invited to. One of them as asking the other why he hadn't attended the meeting, the response to which was "why should I attend a meeting that doesn't add value?" They both had an interesting perspective, and obviously they both felt that theirs was correct, which meant that they didn't necessarily agree with each other.

Interestingly, it could be argued that both were right - but to secure the best outcome, an alignment of perspective was needed. Everyone involved in the meeting should have attended it with the aim of adding value, and if they had achieved that goal then the conversation I overheard would never have happened. In reality though one thought he was right for attending as requested despite the fact that the meeting may have been low on value, and the other thought he was right to stay away because of the lack of value. Nothing had been resolved - but dangerously two opposing mindsets had been forged that will influence their perspectives in future, and hinder productivity.

How can a fresh perspective be achieved in such situations?

Firstly, whenever something feels like it hasn't gone as well as it might have done, we need to reflect on how a better outcome might have been achieved. We should challenge ourselves by assessing our own perspective to see if it needs freshening up. If necessary we can ask others to help by providing feedback, or discussing the situation to identify ways we could handle it differently by gauging their perspective.

It is easy to walk away in the belief that we are right, and justify our actions accordingly. But if we truly want to achieve high performance we will pause and ask ourselves whether our own perspective is fresh enough to make a difference, or create an impact that adds real value.

Twenty-three Minute "Hours"

According to Parkinson's Law, "work expands to fill the time available for its completion". If we are honest we all know this to be true. Whether it's because we don't set a deadline, or we don't put ourselves under enough pressure to meet a stretching deadline, we tend to be less efficient the longer we think we have available to us to complete a task.

Good managers know this to be true too - and that's why they set timescales and deadlines for key actions and projects to ensure that they are delivered efficiently. But maybe good managers could take a step towards becoming great leaders if they went a stage further, and helped those in their team challenge the way they structure their time in everyday activities - not just in meeting key deadlines.

The principle behind Parkinson's Law has also been defined as, "the amount of time in which one has to perform a task is the amount of time it will take to complete said task". I thought about this as I observed managers conducting team meetings, and one to ones. Every session seemed to be booked for an hour - and as a general rule each session took an hour, regardless of the size of the agenda, the type of meeting, the nature of the one to one, or indeed, the individual concerned. So by allowing an arbitrary hour for every session, it appeared that an hour was used. Expanding this method of diary planning to every task in a managers diary would mean that, on average, only 7 or 8 tasks per day can be completed. That may be enough to 'get the job done', but is it enough to achieve truly high performance?

I asked the group of managers how they would plan their diaries if each hour was made up of, not sixty minutes, but twenty-three? And how many tasks per day they would be able to complete if that were the case?  (Don't ask why I chose twenty-three - it just seemed a random enough number to get my point across!) Initially they thought it somewhat bizarre that I had dared to challenge the way we measure time - after all we have been doing it that way for such a long time - but they quickly understood that the efficiency with which we complete tasks is entirely up to us and the way we plan, schedule and discipline our use of that most precious of commodities.

So if it feels like high performance is something that can only be achieved if we have the time - just think about how much quicker our performance goals could be achieved if we invested in high quality impact twenty-three minute "hours". Then all we need to do is work out how we will spend the other thirty-seven minutes!