Three Tools For Leading Change

This post has been contributed by Martin O'Neill. Thanks very much Martin.

A useful way to think of strategies for effective organizational change is to imagine three rocks held together by a rubber band. The rocks represent the mind, body and soul of an organization. All three must move forward at the same time or the rubber band will snap back, stymieing progress and leaving you, at best, in the same position as when you started the change initiative.

The “mind” of an organization is its leadership—those making decisions at all levels of an organization. Leaders are the ones who are setting strategy and articulating a vision and direction.

The “body” of an organization consists of the processes, the structure and even the finances of the organization. The body represents the moving parts of an organization.

The “soul” of an organization, informing both the mind and the body, is the corporate culture—what is accepted in an organization, a kind of code of ethics.

Any change strategy has to move all three of these elements in unison (or close to it) if it is to be successful in the long run. The metaphor of the rocks held together by a rubber band is a reminder of the challenges of leading a successful change effort. Every transformational initiative represents change, and since change is the only constant in business, learning to effectively lead the change initiative is the only way to ensure survival.

Martin O'Neill is a speaker and the author of The Power of an Internal Franchise. Visit www.corsum.com

When Performance Slips

There are some key differences between managing good performance up to reach high performance, and managing poor performance back up to good performance. There is lots of advice available on how to build great performance, and how to stretch, improve, grow and excel. However there will be times when we feel we have done all of those things, created an environment or a legacy that is sure to succeed, and yet performance levels slip and remedial action becomes necessary.

A common mistake under such circumstances is to resort to a "command and control" style of leadership in an effort to get things back on track. I say mistake, because whilst that approach may be appropriate in the short term, it can become the "new normal" and if that happens it will ultimately restrict the ability of the team to return to high performing ways.

How can this risk be avoided?

Well it is always important to remain true to the core leadership principles, or ideals, that we believe in. If culture, environment and people engagement are the cornerstones of our high performance success then we must stick to these even in challenging times. Getting back in control of a teams activities by stating a few home truths is fine - but rather than stifling future creativity for fear of letting performance slip again, we should approach this with the goal of strengthening the team culture. By helping people to learn from their mistakes they will grow into a stronger unit that is more committed to high performance than ever before.

There are five areas to consider that may prove useful when faced with such circumstances.

Root Cause - Can we identify the specific reason why the performance has slipped backwards? We may have to ask some smart questions, or be prepared to "dig deep" - but getting to the real facts is the only way to successfully plan the recovery.

Mindset - Was mindset a contributory factor to the performance challenge? Do the team have the right mindset to tackle the performance issue and get back on track towards high performance?

Standards - Are the underlying standards in the team high enough to underpin high performance, and secure enough to stand up to pressure? We have to consider the possibility that slipping standards could be the catalyst for poor performance - and that addressing the cultural standards of the team will still be the most effective way to drive the transactional results of the group.

Communication - When the pressure is on, communication can become fragmented. Urgency takes over, and clarity can be lost. This is where the leader may have to take a temporary "command and control" approach to ensure that the deliberate, planned communication is clear and focused for all. However maybe the biggest risk, and often overlooked aspect, is the "inadvertent communication" that can be so damaging to a team performance without people even realising it. Team members can fail to stay "on message", taking their own approach to avoid being held responsible personally, and a blame culture could develop.

Consequences - Both the consequences for getting into the current position, and the consequences of not getting out of it must be made clear. If these are penal, then the whole team must face up to that fact. However there are a broad range of possibilities, and the leader must be able to articulate the specific consequences at any given point in order to get the focus of the team back onto achieving high performance standards.

Don't Ignore the Water

This post has been contributed by Paul Woodford. Thanks very much Paul.

As I was thumbing through a golfing magazine, I noticed a feature that caught my eye. It was of interest, not just because it covered ways to improve my 'short game', but because of the application I was able to make to my own personal leadership role.

 

The article discussed playing onto a green which has water surrounding it. Many golfers will tell you to ignore the water and try to block it out - reasoning that if you ignore the hazard then you are less likely to allow it to affect your shot, and the obvious risk of striking the ball into the water. However, the writer of the feature held a different view. He argued that this approach should be avoided, stating that a golfer should acknowledge the hazard and then carefully plan the shot, taking into account the facts and the risks. The likelihood of success is much greater when the player can visualise the flight of the ball, and the precise point where they will land the shot safely on the green. There is no point in trying to ignore the water - it is there and our brain knows it, however hard we may try to tell it otherwise!

 

So why did this lead me to reflect upon leadership. Well how often do managers make the mistake of trying to 'ignore the water'? Maybe there is an issue within a team that gets ignored or blocked out? Sometimes challenges are left to fester until they snowball into bigger, and more difficult problems.

 

If we take the advice on offer in the golfing magazine we can see the sense in recognising business hazards, risks and issues for what they are, and then planning for them accordingly. Dealing with the issues and problems that are in front of us in a positive, determined manner will ensure we are successful in achieving our performance goals. If we chose to ignore the hazards, we may get lucky once or twice and avoid the 'water', but inevitable at some point we will end up seeing the 'ball' splashing into the middle of a 'lake'.

 

So next time an issue arises in your business, take time to think about the best approach to take, and remember the advice to golfers - "don't ignore the water".

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.