Agents2Change - Smart Business Thinking

Can Mindfulness make you a better leader?

One of the things that is very clear as we see the increase in technology and social media is that rather than making our life easier and saving us time, we seem to be on a treadmill that is going faster and faster. 

Modern life is a long line of constant distractions in the form of emails, phone calls and general internet chatter.  Yet there is a paradox at play here.  The more we allow ourselves to be distracted by the constant noise of these distractions the less we are able to discern the key areas that really require our attention.

This paradox plays out particularly acutely in the leadership space, where the ability to be clear in thought and action is severely hampered by the constant demands of the modern organization.  The ability to silence the inner and outer chatter to pinpoint the real noise that requires attention is not an easy skill to develop and does in fact seem to be on the decline.

The practice of mindfulness can be one way of reclaiming the landscape of thought and decisions to bring about clarity in one’s role and contribution. In mindfulness practice we are slowing down our cognitive process (the taming of the monkey brain is often how it is described) so that we can recognize our thoughts and perhaps more importantly, question their validity. 

Much research has been undertaken on mindfulness and the many benefits include:

• Stress reduction – the ability to respond in a more calm way to intensive or demanding work environments
• Emotional management – the ability to view stimulus objectively and to choose one’s emotional response to it.
• Agile thinking - the ability to recognize one’s thought pattern and to change and adapt it to best respond to the situation.
• Self-awareness - considering how one’s own actions might be contributing to the situation and how to make a choose the best response to make a positive impact for self and others.
• Problem solving – building an implicit and intuitive ability to understand issues and possible consequences to situations.   
• Decisiveness - being able to see the various implications and weigh up choices, arriving at clearly thought out decisions.

One of the reasons cited for not practicing mindfulness on a regular basis is time, but this of course is about the choices we make.  We all have the same 24 hours in a day to spend our time and expend our energy and it is about the priorities we set for ourselves.  With all of the above benefits waiting to be discovered, perhaps it is time for you to start choosing mindfulness over reactiveness.

One simple step you could take is to set aside 10 minutes every morning to just site quiet, breath and let your mind gently settle.  Use a timer and allow yourself the freedom of knowing that for 10 blissful minutes all you need to do is breath, relax and let yourself  open up to a sense of space and possibility.  Do this for a week and then make a note in a journal of any changes you have noticed in your work.   I guarantee you will be amazed at the differences you will see, even with such a minimal amount of effort.

 Interested in increasing your Mindfulness?  Find out about our exclusive one week event designed to do that, Download Mindful Leader - Flyer v1-0, March 2015.

Agents2Change specialises in developing engaging and empowering workplaces.  Find our more at:  www.agents2change.com.

 

All Change is personal - so put the personality back into change management

Anyone in business or part of a large organisation will not have escaped the rise and rise  of change management programs, they are everywhere.  Executives fret over doing it ‘right’ and employees fret over having it ‘done’ to them.  But ask anyone to describe what it is and we often find that there is little consensus of opinion.

It was Heraclitus that said ‘Change is the only Constant’ as we see in the ever changing seasons in nature.  And yet it is the very act of change that seems to be so difficult for organisations, and the larger the organisation, the more difficult that change appears to be.  Yet the view of the ‘status quo’ is only an illusion that we cling to.  For the organisation that you step into today is not the same as the one that you worked at yesterday, even if on the surface everything appears as it was; indefinable changes in people, processes, customers or products have occurred in the intervening hours between one dawn and the next.

We do of course have to use the logical tools of change management (roadmaps, project plans, gap analysis etc.)  to make things happen when we want to effect a change in direction or performance, but only in as much as it is the navigation tools that help us along our journey.  The real change has to happen in the hearts and minds of the individual, there has to be an intention to change for it to be successful.

 

The important dialogue that needs to occur is around some fundamental questions such as:

• What is getting in the way of us making these changes? 
• What are we holding onto in terms of core beliefs, attitudes or ritualised behaviours that gets in the way of making these changes?
• Why do our people not feel empowered to make the required changes?

 

In organisations big and small it can often come down to issues such as:

 

1. A parent to child relationship between the employer and the employee –  a ‘we tell you do’ attitude that is pervasive though every level of management
2. Blame is the default reaction to problems – there is little or no tolerance to good old fashioned human error.  In fact it is preferred that mistakes are glossed over rather than unearthed and learnings taken from them.  It is more important in this type of culture for managers and leaders to ‘save face’ rather than hold open a discussion on potential shortcomings.
3. A belief that nothing can ever go wrong – this is particularly strong in growing organisations or those that have not yet plateaued.  A feeling of invincibility pervades the culture often resulting in early warning signs being filtered out until the issues start to seriously harm internal performance or customer loyalty.

But if we view change management as an organic process, we can see a more holistic and encompassing approach to managing change; one that is based on clear simple changes at the individual level of leaders, managers and operators.  By focusing on tangible steps, new patterns of working and allowing time for reflection and tolerance for mistakes, it is possible to create the momentum for change and give people the confidence to take the risks, make the decisions and try out new and unchartered paths.  This can be done by:

• stating the reasons for change, what the journey will look like and why the destination is better than the current position and sharing this honestly with all employees in simple and engaging terms,
• giving employees every opportunity to get involved and make things happen (and that also means not overcrowding the space with external experts – speaking as one) and taking some chances on the untested talent that comes forward,
• regularly informing employees of how progress is made, sharing the good, the bad and if necessary the ugly stories, so that they understand and can continue to feel engaged in the process.

What do you think?  Have you examples of change management from your organisations or projects that you would like to share here?

Agents2Change specialises in Change Management, Implementation and Performance Management.  For more information visit us at www.agents2change.com

Is your Performance Management System up to the job?

 

Many global organisations have a very robust and well thought out performance management system.  Typically it will include technical competencies, behavioural competencies, have a rating scale and be linked to an end-year calibration process.  And yet many of these same organisations find that the results seem to add up to less than the sum of the parts. 

But surely I hear you ask, if they follow the process and set the goals, the results will follow?  But somehow the goals get watered down or become detached from the strategic intent as they trickle down through the layers of management from the CEO to the grassroots worker.   The overarching strategic goals are somehow lost in the cascade process and the year-end results fail to hit their target. 

For performance management to underpin and achieve strategic goals a more holistic approach needs to be taken, one that rewards the greater efforts of the whole and not just the a few outstanding individuals.  For example:

• To rate or not to rate – that is the (frequently asked) question.  The answer depends on your organisation and culture.  Ratings are good and do give an easy way to compare across teams and occupational groups.  But other levers could be equally useful, such as performance of profit centres, talent management processes and 360 degree appraisals. Rather than get bogged-down in the debate about whether they are needed or not, think about what data will help you to make effective decisions and reward high performers.
• Data-driven decisions – Executives cannot hope to make informed decisions about performance, reward and succession unless they have good data to support them.  Investing in a good performance management system – some of which are quite affordable with the new SaaS (Software as a Service) model, can ensure that performance is taken in the round, against variables across the organisation and linked to overall achievement of strategic goals.
• Transparency motivates performance – Some of the reasons that performance management systems fail comes down to a lack of consistent reinforcers.  If employees cannot see a clear link between performance and success and its converse – poor performance and failure, then they are less likely to go the extra mile to achieve something extraordinary.  Why should they if no one notices?  So ask yourself if the relationship between effort and reward is clear in your organisation.  If you find yourself scratching your head for the answer then it’s time to rethink your succession and promotion processes.

Performance management at its best is hard-wired into the way things are done within an organisation.  Feedback about performance is not left until the review meeting but becomes part of the natural ebb and flow of conversations.  Goals are not poorly thought out tasks to get the dreaded yearly goal setting form out of the way, but are clearly linked to what the organisation has set out to achieve.  The best performance management systems give employees a sense of purpose and room to grow and develop in their current role, whilst having their sights firmly set on their next role.  If you can say that these qualities are evident in your organisation, then it sounds like you have a performance management system that lives and breathes the values of your organisation, rather than something that is done to you. 

Agents2Change is a specialist implementation consultancy that has been improving the performance of global organisations since 2006.  For more information visit www.agents2change.com.

When Implementation gets tough – three strategies that might help Leaders succeed

Today’s global companies are driven by projects.  Projects to implement new processes; projects to implement new systems; projects to outsource; projects to insource, you name it and they will be doing it.  The challenge that they often face is how to access the implementation skills to ensure that the project is delivered on-time and in a relatively pain-free way.

If Leaders are asked to take on this role as part of their day job it can be very challenging for three  reasons:

• The pace and needs of an implementation project is very different from that of business as usual leadership.  Getting the style, approach and finding the energy to do this alongside running the day job can be very demanding and it is frequently under estimated.
• Implementation by its very nature often means stepping on someone’s toes.  If Leaders are uncomfortable causing ripples they can shy away from having difficult (and usually long overdue) conversations with other parts of the organisation to address areas of blockage.
• Implementation requires a fair degree of honesty to address inefficiencies that you the Leader may have turned a blind eye to for a long time.  This may involve upsetting trusted and favoured employees as their roles and responsibilities are tested or changed by the implementation project. 

 

So how can Leaders continue to stay focused and have the energy to continue to lead implementation when the going is getting tough?  Some things that will help include:

 

1. Self awareness is key: Be aware of how change affects you and others and how to support people through it.    There are many models that can help with this such as The Change Curve (below) which explains simply all of the different phases that we go through as we undergo change.  Nobody is immune from it, but self-awareness and acknowledgement goes a long way to mitigating the issues.  Understanding where you are in the process can help you to recognise the signs and the stages that your team are at and know how to respond to them.
   
   
   
2. Belief is essential:  We have all heard the phrase ‘Failure is not an Option’ but that could be turned into a far more motivating phrase such as ‘Success is our only option’.  Even if there are private moments when the leader has a loss of faith in the implementation program, publicly they should always be encouraging, motivating and upbeat with their team. 
3. Responsive trumps planning: The plan is only the best guess at the time of what is required to implement successfully, but the key to success is in how to respond to the roadblocks along the way.  Modern mythology tells us that the US Moon Mission in the 1960's was off-plan 90% of the time  What the team became very good at was ‘on-the-job’ problem solving.  So whilst we are not saying that you don't need a plan (Fail to plan, plan to fail - right?) as a leader, you need to rely on more than the plan.  And the more is the role you can play to create the kind of collaborative team environment where problems can be raised, discussed and solutions created by your team.  This is both skill building and deeply motivating for your people whilst in the midst of heavy-duty Implementation.

Have you some implementation experiences that you would like to share?  Do you have other tips of what makes implementation a success?  Please do share them here.  Or if you would like to hear more about our experience of implementation – contact us on [email protected]

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Is Smart better than Wise?

Today’s companies – especially global players, tend to be run by people with MBAs and other lofty qualifications, many of top of the range educational institutions. But does all this education bring wiser decisions and better leadership of companies? If we look at the rise and fall of many major players over the last decade it would suggest that more than education is needed to make a success out of business.

Smart is about the command of Rational Intelligence; the ability to view a wide range of information, pick the most relevant for the situation and arrive at conclusions.

But what about being wise - a term that is not commonly used in the Corporate world, what does that entail? The subtleties of the difference are in how a wise person is ready to respond and not just interpret. Wise people have a sense of criticality, which means they will often ignore events that others seem intent on playing out, whilst addressing areas that are left ignored and unnoticed by others. This sense of criticality comes down to a more holistic thinking pattern; in being able to think through the implications, and the consequences (intended and unintended) before taking a course of action.

Modern leadership development however seems to rely almost entirely on the formal education process as THE way to develop Leaders. But more and more criticism at this Silo approach to Leadership which only focuses on the ‘Smart’ aspects of development is being raised. 

But can we have one without the other? We can have Smart without wise as is seen in many corporations that meet their downfall, due to the maverick (aka Smart) leaders at their Helm. Think Lehman Brothers, RBS (UK).

But can you have Wise without Smart? This is much harder to achieve. Certainly all of us will have met very wise people who have not gone through a formal education process and yet excel in their field. But I have never met a wise person who is not naturally curious. Wise people expend considerable effort in educating themselves in their chosen field. Think – Richard Branson, who without formal education has built one of the biggest brands in the world.

Some of the best ways to separate the wise from the smart is observing them in situations. How do they react to sudden changes of plan, such as an important meeting that has been cancelled at the last minute? Or how do they deliver difficult news to their team? When the pressure is on, where do they spend their time? Is it on their computer firing off emails, or is it with their team looking at options to relieve the pressure?

Of course some of this suggests that Smart people are always self-serving and Wise people are in service of the overall goal. Whilst life is never as simple and clear cut as this, there is something to be learned from observing your behaviour and those around you and asking – who am I really serving here and is this the right place to be investing my energy? This reflection alone will get you one step closer to wise.

Do you have observations and comments on the differences in Wise or Smart people. We would love to hear your comments here. Or contact us at: [email protected]

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The Lost art of Influencing

Have you every wondered why some people seem to be able to overcome any barriers and get their ideas accepted.  What is the magic ingredient that they have and can you develop it for yourself?

In the modern organisation there is an increasing dependence on technology such as emails,  over face-to-face communication.  The impact of this is that it  has eroded some very important skills sets such as influencing and persuasion.

If we think on this a moment, we can see how this will start to erode all manner of subtle influences that will have important impacts on how we make business choices.  Decisions are rarely a binary relationship between proposal and decision, especially when we are talking about things that matter such as strategy, investment decisions or new ways of working.

For people in the know, such as those individuals that have always been good at climbing the corporate ladder they have an intuitive understanding of what influencing means and how to go about doing it.  These individuals are often able to promote their agenda and push through thorny decisions with difficult stakeholders without ever appearing pushy.  So how do they do it and can you learn from them?

Here are  three of their golden rules:    

Only use email as a fall-back position.  Of course you need to use email and it is an essential way of getting information out to people, but key influencers know that if something is really important, they will always speak to the key decision makers and get their thinking before the send button is pressed. 

Think about it for just a moment.  What is your chance of success if you are sending a proposal or decision cold to a key influencer without giving him or her any warning that you require their support.  However by contacting them first you have already take the first and most important step in engagement, by getting their buy in early, which leads to the next rule.

Never look for a solution to your own idea.  Influencers are very good at realizing that they must solve the problems of the organisation or more precisely the problems that they key decision makers are concerned with.  Too many young gifted managers become the judge jury and executioner of their own ideas only to have them rejected by the board at the last hurdle.  Not necessarily because their solutions were bad, but because nobody but that individual was involved in deciding if it was a worthwhile cause or not.  So before solving an idea without a clear problem, talk to the senior stakeholders.  Share your ideas by all means, but then listen to theirs and see if you can see an opportunity that already has senior stakeholder buy-in.  If they came up with the idea, why wouldn’t they support it?  But they cannot be a lone voice in pushing an idea through which leads to the third rule:

Think Federally.  Decisions these days are rarely taken by one individual, but rather a group of individuals, so even if you have the most powerful and most influential stakeholder on board, you would always need to share the idea and seek support from other key decision makers ahead of any key decision meeting.  Providing a short pitch, asking of their opinions and clarifying what you need from them  (usually their support) will all help to avoid an idea being sabotaged at the last hurdle.

So if you have some influencing rules that you would like to share please do comment here.

For more information about how agents2change can help you with your influencing skills, please  contact us on [email protected].

 

 

There are no shortcuts to good management, Silicon Valley

One of the rising trends with the silicon valley based industries has been to create a fun ‘anything-goes’ type workplace to encourage its (usually) young teams to feel relaxed, see work as fun and generally hang out with the guys in a cool, happening place.

That’s great, and I’m all for making workplaces fun and enjoyable places to be, except when this is done as a shortcut to managing people well and giving them the skills and setting them up to succeed.

But the iPhone generation is getting wise to the all bells and no whistles approach to employment and starting to realize that work stops being fun and cool when you are just not getting the nuts and bolts support to do your job.

Google, despite its reputation for being an employer of choice has an average tenure of 1.1years  according to a survey last year by Payscale.  Others are not far behind, with many of the high-tech companies failing to get an average tenure above 2 years.  This compares to an all-sectory average of at least 4 years.  Even factoring age into the equation,  (under 25’s being the most mobile workforce), we still see that something is turning more people off than on in these high-octane environments, so what is it?

The fact remains that there is no shortcut to good employment practices.  Yes of course offering employees a free iPad and an unlimited supply of Mars Bars sounds amazing.  But if that goes with unlimited work hours, unmanageable workloads and poor or just plain absent managers, then reaching for another candy bar rarely fills the gaping hole that is left.

In an era where everything needs to be cut down to 144 characters or less, management has become a cliché.  But like all industries that are on the rise in their trajectory, the plateau and the inevitable decline will come at somepoint.  And when organisations don’t have a bottom-less pit of resources, the lack of stability will hurt and cost more than can be sustained.

So as high octane as the party might feel, far better to wean off the party poppers now and start to build more sustainable, grounded organisations, that can still be agile, creative and be motivating for everyone involved.

What do you think?  Share your thoughts or comments here.

 

A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still - or the art of persuasion.

Benjamin Franklin offered this nuggest of advice on persuasion.  But can we really change someone else's mind?  

Before we even contemplate the question, we need to consider is it even valid in the first place?  

Just because someone holds a different opinion or set of beliefs to ourselves, does that really matter? Quite often we spend enormous amounts of time and energy trying to get people to come to our own way of thinking, just so we have the satisfaction of feeling right.

If after considering the question, we come to the view that, yes it does matter and we need to have a point of agreement, then we need to consider how to do this, without undermining the person concerned, or losing ourself in the activity of arguing a case.

Deepak Chopra in a recent article offers some wise advice that includes:

 

Let’s consider each of the five points a bit further.

1. Be sincere and truthful. Don't be manipulative.

You can't sell other people on something you don't actually believe in.The upshot is that you shouldn't try to be a master manipulator. It only works on weak-willed people, and in the end they are fickle allies. Rely on your listener's natural ability to detect sincerity.

 

2. Appeal to what someone else already believes. Don't impose your own belief system.

People identify with their beliefs. With that knowledge at hand, you can align yourself with their beliefs. Without that knowledge, you are throwing darts at a brick wall. If you try instead to impose your own beliefs, the other person will feel that you are making him wrong, and immediate shutdown follows.

 

3. Be aware of the other person's blind spots. Don't assume they are open-minded.

A blind spot is a fixed opinion that is so strong, the person shuts out any input to the contrary. It's the supreme example of rigid thinking. If you are self-aware, you know that you have your own blind spots - there are certain things you simply can't stand or that bring out your most stubborn reactions. Almost no one has an open mind, yes, even you; but it's a fact of practical psychology that must be considered. Your task is to avoid sensitive topics and to appeal to the part of your listener that wants to agree with you.

 

4. In general, persuade through reason, not emotion. Don't assume that emotions aren't in play, however.

One of the most confusing aspects of persuasion has to do with being reasonable. Everyone thinks they are, and decision-making is supposed to be rational. Yet psychological research has shown time and again that emotions cannot be separated from the choices we make. To be persuasive, you must argue rationally while always monitoring the emotional atmosphere. (It's worth noting too that competitive personalities regard a show of emotion as a sign of weakness - with them, you must muster all the rational reasons you can.) 

 

5. Make the other person feel right. Don't make them feel wrong.

We all feel wrong when we are judged against. We feel right when we are accepted, understood, appreciated, and approved of. If you make someone else feel accepted, you have established a genuine bond, at which point they will lower their defenses.

So if you have an important area that you need to get to a big 'yes' from a person with an opposing view, think about how you would use these skills to positions yourself better for the conversation.  Remember to put your own ego aside, become the passive listener and see how easy it can be to turn around the most staunch of opponents, always remembering to do it with a smile.

Please do share your experiences here.. or if you would like some further information on how we can support you in becoming more persuasive contact us on:  [email protected]

 

 

Look beyond the skills, see the soul

Deepak Chopra is a hugely influential figure in the fields of Leaderships, self awareness and well being.  In this article he challenges the way that we find new talent for our organisations. 

Chopra reminds us that recruitment is not just a match of skills to role, but a connection of a people to an organisation, its culture and its values.  Here he gives us some great questions to consider when next recruiting. 

 

Since my life's work has always focused on self-awareness and well being, I have made those two attributes the criterion for people I want to work with. In my course, The Soul of Leadership, I advise employers not only to get references and bios from prospective employees, but also to engage with them before hiring in creating a "Soul Profile". Here are the questions that we ask when we create a soul profile:

via www.linkedin.com  

Take a look at the full article here.  Does this resonate with you?  Are these the type of questions that you can imagine asking of your candidates.  Type a comment here.  Or if you want to know more about how we can help you to get a soul based approach to recruitment, management and leadership, contact us at [email protected]. 

Conscious Leadershp - some wise words from Deepak Chopra

We spend a lot of time here discussing the behaviours of leaders and looking to how they can engage better with their poeple and be more effective as decision makers.

Much of the challenge for modern executives is the lack of any time to reflect; to think; and to weigh up options  before acting.   What are really essential attributes to be able to function well are viewed by many as luxuries that they can't afford.  The difficulty with this mindset is the negative impact it has on the person and on their organisation's performance.  Something we are all too readily reminded of by the global crisis caused by the unthinking actions of key executives across the banking and financial community. 

In his article, Deepak reminds us that if you examine the rise of a typical leader, the ability to look and listen decreases as power increases. That's a trend you need to be aware of. At the outset, a future leader often rises out of a group to present a grievance or to offer a new idea or way of doing things. Hands-on experience motivates him (or her), and the group supports his efforts because they recognize a need to be fulfilled.

 

But leaders at the top are often enmeshed in corporate politics and insulated by immediate aides. The notorious White House bubble that isolates presidents also encloses any leader who lives inside a small circle. Here are some pointers about looking and listening all the way up the ladder.

Read more ..

 

About us:

Agents2Change specialises in organisational change and implementation and supporting leaders to do this in an engaging and energetic way.  We would love to hear your feedback on tihs or any other issues and we can be reached on : [email protected]