Leader to Leader (LTL), Volume 70, Fall 2013 [1 ed.] 9781118841396, 9781118737828

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2 0 1 3 f a l l 7 0 n u m b e r

Leader to

Leader

Dave Ulrich & Norm Smallwood

LeadershiP Sustainability: What’s Next for Leadership Improvement Efforts Turning aspirations into actions

Howell J. Malham Jr. DREAM ON: The Art of Strategic Imagination It begins by asking for the impossible

Don Maruska & Jay Perry Talent Development for the Twenty-First Century: Boosting Engagement, Innovation, and Returns Practical and powerful ways to tap into passion, energy, and creativity

Judith H. Katz & Frederick A. Miller Judging Others Has Not Worked . . . . . . So Let’s Join Them Viewing people as worthy partners who can add value

Robert H. Schaffer To De-Humdrumify Work Make the Job a Game! Short-term gains as building blocks for long-term strategy

A P u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e f r a n c e s h e s s e l b e i n L e a d e r s h i p I n s t i t u t e a n d J o s s e y - Ba s s

Leader to leader number

70

fall

2013

HESSELBEIN & COMPANY Frances Hesselbein

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Stephanie L. Foster

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Confidence in Leadership Contributions to change lives My Leadership Lesson Recently Relearned: Positivity as an Intentional Leader Bias Unity that stirs the heart and empowers Captain C. P. Krishnan Nair

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Rick Bommelje

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Mike Sheehan

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Leadership Communication to Beat the Odds Success has its own secret codes LISTENING PAYS!: Achieve Significance Through the Power of Listening A powerful framework of six specific strategies Corporate Citizenship: Good for Business; Good for Employees Every business has a chance to give back

EXECUTIVE FORUM Dave Ulrich & Norm Smallwood

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Howell J. Malham Jr.

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Don Maruska & Jay Perry

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Judith H. Katz & Frederick A. Miller

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Robert H. Schaffer

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Leadership Sustainability: What’s Next for Leadership Improvement Efforts Seven disciples that turn hope into reality DREAM ON: The Art of Strategic Imagination The combination of creative minds, expertise, and sheer will Talent Development for the Twenty-First Century: Boosting Engagement, Innovation, and Returns Small beginnings make a huge difference Judging Others Has Not Worked . . . So Let’s Join Them The flow of knowledge, innovation, and energy required for success To De-Humdrumify Work Make the Job a Game! Designing work for enthusiasm and rapid results

FROM THE FRONT LINES Creative Problem Solving and Knowledge Sharing in Organizations Shape a context for creativity

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Product Design and Design Management Activities, choices, and results behind competitive advantage

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FROM THE EDITORS Most leaders sincerely want to improve their performance and to have a continued, positive impact on their organizations and to all their stakeholders. Yet in today’s fast-moving world, we often find it difficult to sustain and implement the personal changes required for true, ongoing excellence in leadership. Dave Ulrich and Norm Smallwood explore leadership sustainability, the ability of leaders to make their personal improvements stick over the long term. They note that leaders often enthusiastically embrace coaching, learning, and other performance improvement efforts, yet they fail at the implementation stage. The concept is described in stark, basic terms: “Leadership sustainability is about caring for the organization’s resources by getting things done.” They explore why leadership matters, what makes an effective leader, and how leaders sustain the improvements they want to make. Their research uncovered seven principles driving sustainability: simplicity, time, accountability, resources, tracking, melioration (“a new term for a whole complex of actions and attitudes designed to make things better”), and emotion. Concepts such as vision, imagination, and innovation are misunderstood, contends Howell J. Malham Jr. “If a vision is a vision about something that’s possible, given the existing technology and know-how, then it’s not really a vision at all. It’s just another option, and not a very imaginative one.” What is required for true breakthroughs, moving into areas that do not currently exist, is the use of strategic imagination. This includes five rules: (1) Stop with the data (2) Game out failure (3) Dream your narrative (4) Don’t just think the unthinkable, speak it and (5) Muster true belief. “Great leaders,” he writes, “like great inventors, are motivated by dint of the shocking, glaring difference between what is and what can be.” Talent development, according to Don Maruska and Jay Perry, “remains mired in nineteenth-century top-

down thinking.” Leaders can gain greater acceleration by letting people take charge of their own development. This is something leaders should welcome, and not fear. What is required is a generative approach, bolstered by a seven-point manifesto, involving such areas as untapped talents and opportunities, accessing hopes to drive better results, becoming talent catalysts for one another, tapping into abundant resources, creative and productive time use, a self-organizing culture leading to fulfillment, and use of the “See one, do one, teach one” approach. “Taking charge of your talent isn’t going it alone,” they write, “but it is each employee taking responsibility and acting.” There is a difference for organizational performance between judging others and joining them, in the view of Judith H. Katz and Frederick A. Miller. We tend to be instinctively wary of others, which “slows us down in a world that demands speed.” A joining mode results in more and faster collaboration, better acceptance of others, the exploration of ideas and the cultivation of curiosity. Leaders can make joining decisions. They can listen as allies with others, pay attention to their perspectives, and be self-aware of the times when they are in judging mode. “Once leaders decide to join,” Katz and Miller write, “opportunities for practicing a joining mode seem to emerge everywhere—as do the results.” Leaders have a responsibility to cultivate lively, gamelike, action-oriented workplaces that encourage rapid and significant results, explains Robert H. Schaffer. Employees find fulfillment in many of their leisure and volunteering activities but often find their workplaces dull and stifling. These workplaces suffer from sameness, lack of celebrations, long time spans (as opposed to the games, texting, and related modern areas of life), and little sense of personal achievement. He suggests carving short-term goals out of longer ones, goals that can be reached rapidly and successfully. Gamelike strategies can also be built into dread-producing areas like performance

reviews and monthly sales meetings. Leaders should think of these actions not merely as short-term gains, but as “building blocks for their long- term strategy.” Elsewhere in this issue, Stephanie L. Foster contends that leaders should have a bias toward positivity, expressed in such areas as appreciation, zest, affirmations, and inspiration. Captain C. P. Krishnan Nair relates the power of leadership communication, “expressed in terms of direction, dignity, and defining moments.” Rick Bommelje outlines a practical framework to maximize listening effectiveness. Mike Sheehan explains why corporate citizenship is good for your business, your employees, and your community. We hope these articles and other features in this issue provide you with valuable tools and inspiration for your ongoing leadership effectiveness. Please share your thoughts with us by e-mail at editor@ leadertoleader.org or write to us at

Leader to leader Frances Hesselbein Editor-in-Chief

Bruce Rosenstein Managing Editor

Peter Economy Associate Editor

David Famiano Editorial Director

Ross Horowitz Composition / Production Editor

Elizabeth Phillips Editorial Assistant

Yvo Riezebos Creative Director

Tandem Creative, Inc. Design

Managing Editor Leader to Leader 320 Park Avenue, Third Floor New York, NY 10022 About the Cover Image The artwork depicted on the cover of this issue features ‘Deadline,’ a 1995 painting by the British artist P J Crook (born 1945). In this imaginary newspaper office, the environment is teeming with activity as workers collaborate on their common goal—publishing the news of the day. This collaboration implies the application of leadership, action and purpose to a common goal, expressed in articles in this issue by Dave Ulrich & Norm Smallwood, Don Maruska & Jay Perry, Judith H. Katz & Frederick A. Miller and others. Everyone is aware of each other’s tasks—listening intently, participating as a single entity. In this way, Crook’s image fits perfectly with articles by Robert H. Schaffer, Rick Bommelje and others. We hope that as you read the articles, you will recall ‘Deadline,’ and its representation that leadership is often expressed through the efforts of many people performing an intricate dance of work.

Getty Images Cover image

The Frances Hesselbein Leadership Institute

“To serve is to live.”

Leader to Leader (print ISSN 1087-8149, on-line ISSN 1531-5355) is published quarterly by The Frances Hesselbein Leadership Institute and Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company, at Jossey-Bass, One Montgomery Street, Suite 1200, San Francisco, CA 94104-4594. Copyright © 2013 by The Frances Hesselbein Leadership Institute. All rights reserved. Debra Hunter, President, Jossey-Bass; Susan Lewis, Vice President and Publisher; Peter Sanderson, Director of Marketing; Julianne Ososke, Senior Manufacturing Supervisor; Joe Schuman, Subscriptions Manager; Roger Hunt, Renewals Manager. Permission to copy: No part of this issue may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from The Frances Hesselbein Leadership Institute and Jossey-Bass.  For inquiries, write Permis­sions Dept., c/o John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Postmaster: Send address changes to Leader to Leader, Jossey-Bass, One Montgomery Street, Suite 1200, San Francisco, CA 94104-4594. Manufactured in the United States of America on acid-free recycled paper containing at least 20 percent post­consumer waste. Indexed by ABI/Inform Database (ProQuest) and Current Abstracts (EBSCO). Subscriptions: $1,461 institutions. $199 ­­­individuals. $99 U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. To order: call toll-free (888) 378-2537, fax toll-free (888) 481-2665, write JosseyBass, One Montgomery Street, San Francisco, CA 94104-4594, or e-mail [email protected]. Outside the United States, call (415) 433-1767 or fax (415) 433-7405. For article reprints of 100 copies or more, please call Craig Woods at (201) 748-8771 or e-mail [email protected].

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CONFIDENCE IN LEADERSHIP b y F r a n c e s H e s s e l b ein

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resource I have long found valuable is “A National Study of Confidence in Leadership,” from the Center for Public Leadership, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. On page 4 is the National Leadership Index 2012, which poses the question, “How much confidence do you have in the leadership of the following sectors?” For the second consecutive year, only two sectors measured in this year’s report—military and medical leadership—received above-average confidence scores. These are the five sectors with the highest level of confidence: 1. Military 2. Medical 3. Nonprofit and charitable 4. Local government 5. Religious For the eighth year in a row, military leadership inspired the most confidence out of thirteen sectors. In 2007, nonprofit and charitable ranked fifth. Today, the sector ranks

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third. It was Peter Drucker who stated, “It is not business, it is not government, it is the social sector that may yet save the society.” We can all serve the common good in our ways, by making our own contributions to a new, vibrant, and caring society that only we as citizens can restore. It will take all of us to build healthy communities. It was a disappointing moment to learn that educational leadership, so important to the country’s future competitive strength, continues to languish in fifth place from the bottom, among the sectors for whom Americans have “not much” confidence. Will we heed the call to help make America’s leadership more effective?

“Comfortable Indifference” Is Not for Us The same national study cites that 88 percent of those surveyed feel a personal responsibility to help make America’s leadership more effective, and 61 percent feel they have a great deal or a moderate amount of power to do so. When I look out the window I see a bright future. The nation’s high school graduation rate is the highest since 1976. In New York City, where our offices are located, the graduation rate has risen by 40.9 percent since 2005, and the dropout rate has fallen nearly 10 points, from 22 percent to 12.1 percent. At the same time critical skills needs in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) are escalating, and we are challenged to contribute and collaborate in our own communities. As an illustration, a survey by the Lemelson-MIT Program found that a majority of teenagers don’t know anyone working in STEM fields. They also do not understand the work involved in those fields. In response to the heightened need for STEM skills and the lack of awareness of STEM as a career option for our next generation of leaders, the administration of President Barack Obama, corporations, and social sector organizations have created a new consortium,

When I look out the window, I see a bright future. US2020, which aims to attract one million volunteers to mentor students in STEM disciplines. Eric Schwarz, Citizen Schools’ Co-Founder and CEO and executive chairman of US2020, is leading this effort. We first highlighted the innovative work of Citizen Schools in our institute’s Profile in Innovation e-newsletter in 2009. Schwarz and his co-founder, Ned Rimer, learned that afterschool programs for the students they served were a resource equivalent to the extracurricular clubs or tutoring sessions their peers in middle- and upper-class families were privileged to have in their lives. Citizen Schools now operates in middle schools in eight states, serving approximately 5,200 students and engaging 4,000 volunteers—an inspiring example for US2020, which hopes to convince companies to allow 20 percent or more of their employees to spend at least twenty hours a year as STEM mentors. Such initiatives demonstrate that many of us know how to lead, to mobilize, to contribute our own unique share to changing lives. All of us can say, “These are our children.” It comes down to our responsibility for leadership, and knowing that “to serve is to live.” When I look out the window, I see a bright future.

Leaders of the Future On Monday, October 21, 2013, the institute will present our annual Leader of the Future Award to Beth Comstock, senior vice president and chief marketing officer of GE.

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The Leader of the Future Award annually honors extraordinary leaders from the public, private, and/ or social sectors who have distinguished themselves as ethical leaders of integrity and character while serving the common good. We are enthusiastic and privileged to have the opportunity to honor Beth, an effective leader who leads from the heart, has a clear mission and vision for the future, and has a deep respect for all people. Beth leads GE’s growth and market innovation initiatives, including three companywide platforms: GE Ventures, which partners startups with GE capabilities, and ecomagination and healthymagination, which harness innovation for better environmental and health outcomes. Beth’s accomplishments in personal development, leadership, driving innovation at scale, and mentoring others are just a few of the reasons she exemplifies a Leader of the Future. This annual fundraiser—a public celebration of values-based leaders—is one of the most prestigious and broadly attended events in the cross-sector

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community. The Institute will also honor five NEXT Leaders of the Future—leaders ages thirty and under—who will be invited to New York City to attend the award dinner and will be recognized for their community contributions. This special recognition was made possible by the generosity of Ginger and William C. Conway. We are grateful for the privilege to gather on the thirty-fifth floor of the Mutual of America Life Insurance building and tell the story of exemplary Leaders of the Future, to share their commitment to an ethos of core values, and to this year, honor Beth Comstock. We hope you will join us.

Frances Hesselbein is editor-in-chief of Leader to Leader, founding president of the Drucker Foundation, president and CEO of The Frances Hesselbein Leadership Institute, and former chief executive officer of the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A.

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MY LEADERSHIP LESSON RECENTLY RELEARNED

POSITIVITY AS AN

INTENTIONAL LEADER BIAS b y S te ph a n ie L . F o s t e r

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t is a privilege to join Leader to Leader readers in the study and sharing of lessons learned and advancements in leadership development. I am a recently retired colonel from the U.S. Army with more than twenty-five years of military service. As a graduate of the United States Military Academy, the principles of leadership espoused and practiced in the military have significantly shaped my professional life. Over the course of my military career, I have had the distinct privilege of working with diverse populations of professionals, including fellow Army, Air Force, Marine, and Navy military members, Department of Defense civilians, and hosts of nonmilitary professionals, such as contractors, scientists, engineers, researchers, corporate leaders, and academics. To be expected, the heterogeneity of my teammates grew as my rank and responsibilities increased. When I began my career as a second lieutenant, I was responsible for a small group of truck drivers—all military and of lesser rank and longer military experience than me. Twenty-two years later, my command responsibilities as a colonel included leadership of a matrix organization of military, Department of Defense civilian, and contractor personnel entrusted with the provision of advanced target acquisition and laser equipment for military members. Once again, my workforce possessed greater experience than me in the technical development of the command’s commodities. At first glance, one might question the wisdom of this leader development model. Why not just have the in-house subject matter experts lead the organizations? After all, wouldn’t they best know how to manage product development? Notice that I’ve used the terms of “lead” and “manage” as if they are interchangeable. From my understanding of the

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No leader, follower, teammate, or partner is perfect. study and practice of influencing the actions of others, leading and managing are different yet complementary disciplines. I align leadership with the character of an organization—its climate, demonstrated goals and values, treatment of its people, and dedication to its mission. Similarly, I correlate management with the competence of an organization—its structure, governing processes, efficiency and effectiveness, stewardship of resources, and accountability to its stakeholders. Optimal organizational effectiveness results from the marriage of wise leadership and management. The skill sets supportive of both disciplines are forged in the laboratories of professional development and training, mentorship, experience, lessons learned via trials and triumphs, and time. Cognizant of the time constraints associated with the timeline of a twenty-year career, the Army typically grows its officers through progressions of careerbroadening assignments anchored in expansion of leadership responsibilities, opportunities, and prowess. As a generalization, I would say that Army officers specialize in leadership. Much is learned and refined in a military career’s duration of leadership experience, yet I don’t think that one ever gets to the place of perfected leadership practice. Though the rhetoric of leadership principles is often common sense (Treat others the way you want to be treated, lead by example, be professional at all times, to thine own self be true, and so on), the reality of the practice of leadership is quite different. No leader, follower, teammate, or partner is perfect. Our engagements with each other chronicle the need for continued vigilance in

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the exercise of interpersonal relationships, which undergird leadership actions. During my final days of active duty as a colonel, I unexpectedly relearned the importance of positivity as an intentional leader bias. The catalyst for my relearning was a simple decision. I had successfully completed my time in command, and the change-of-command ceremony would mark the leadership transition. I was proud of my unit and wanted to show the unit’s impacts and accomplishments with a movie clip that would include the voices of soldiers supported and videos of the target acquisition and laser equipment in action. I wanted to immerse the audience of senior leaders, peers, team members, industry partners, soldiers, and family members in my unit’s work and thought a movie clip would best support this aim. To me, it was inconsequential that I made the decision of movie clip inclusion the day before the ceremony. Yet as I will describe in detail later in the article, this decision had profound impacts.

Related Leadership Rhetoric As a leader, problem solving and decision making are constants. You are expected to solve problems of all sizes without the benefit of complete knowledge of all the factors influencing the various circumstances. Sometimes you can proactively predict problems to overcome, and sometimes you are just blindsided. Sometimes you have extended amounts of time to formulate your decisions, and at other times the duration is substantially shorter——days, hours, or mere minutes. A common denominator in problem solving and decision making is the leader. His or her mind-set is tremendous. How does the leader assess his or her abilities and those of the team? I have experienced and witnessed leaders’ positive assessments that foreshadow resolute, responsible, and inclusive strategies worthy of emulation. Conversely, leaders deeming individual and team abilities to be deficient are particularly vulnerable to adoption of strategies of questionable credibility. Please know that I am framing my broad comparison upon a difference in leader perception and not on significant variances in leader and team abilities.

Perception is important. I’ve teamed with leaders who inspired my greatest loyalty, and I have survived those who seemed blind to or intimidated by their team members’ abilities. Both types of leaders had similar intellectual capacities yet drastically different interpersonal sensitivities, guiding them toward inclusive, positive relationship building or moraledraining marginalization of team members. I choose to be a leader who brings out the best from my team members. I choose to recognize my team members’ abilities and build high-performing teams composed of team members with complementary abilities. Accordingly, I choose positivity in my thoughts and actions toward myself and team members. In other words, I embrace positivity as an intentional leader bias. I have found that starting my day with a few positive actions powerfully prepares me for the rest of the day. The acronym of SEIZE forms the framework of my morning routine.

S (see myself through eyes of appreciation): I look in my bathroom mirror at myself in a nonjudgmental way. I focus upon what is right with me. Eyes that see, ears that hear, a smile that dazzles. My body has supported me through so much and is deserving of my gratitude. Most important, I am alive for a brand new day!

E (express affirmations of my person through a voice forged in kindness and acceptance): I look beyond my physical features and think about my inner self. What do I like about myself? Let me recount my attributes. Similar to the scene in the film, The Help,

Problem-solving and decision-making are constants.

I call out the good in me—“I am smart,”—“I am responsible,”—“I am tenacious”—you get the idea. Sure, there are areas I need to improve, and I am by no means perfect. However, I am striving to do the best with what I have and who I am. I approve of, like, affirm, and love myself.

I (inspire myself by reflecting on my goals): What are my near-term goals? I close my eyes and visualize what my goals look and feel like. I open my eyes and touch articles representative of my goals (like tassels for a graduation cap). I then challenge myself by asking, “What will I do today to take me one step closer to my goals?”

Z (zeal—do something that I enjoy): What is something I can do right now that puts a smile on my face and/or makes me feel happy, loved, protected, alive? I take time to pray, exercise, and move to inspirational music. No matter what the day brings, I will have already experienced things that make me feel good.

E (embrace loved ones and expect the best of team members): Before I leave my home, I make time to embrace my husband and tell him something uplifting (love you, proud of you, you’re awesome). It feels good to put a smile on his face, especially knowing that he will likewise confront challenging circumstances during his day. As I travel to my office, I think about my team members and affirmations representative of their strengths. What are their strengths and what are some of their most recent successes? As John Maxwell asserts, I need to see each one with a “10” on her or his forehead. I smile to myself as I reflect upon my unique team of 10s.

Reality of Leadership Dynamics I arrived at the ceremony location about thirty minutes prior to the ceremony’s beginning and learned that my graphic artist, Terry (not his real name), had returned to the office location looking for an alternative version of the movie clip we had planned to show that didn’t require Internet access. It seemed there were compatibility issues between the original movie clip

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and the conference room’s capabilities. I told myself to be calm and began to think about how to engage the audience in the absence of the movie clip. I knew my leadership team would be present and the individual leaders could speak to different aspects of our unit’s mission and accomplishments. Their participation would also give them more active roles in the ceremony and the opportunity to speak for themselves and be heard in an unfiltered manner. I knew this approach would work well (days earlier, I had forewarned my leaders that they might be called upon to address their areas of expertise), yet I still held out hope that we could get the movie clip to work. Minutes before the ceremony’s start, Terry was feverishly working in a corner to get the movie clip to work. I knew he felt badly, and the din of the standingroom-only audience seemed to increase his anxiety and that of my operations team. I was disappointed and wondered if I should take the situation to an extreme—go through my presentation as originally planned, give the verbal cue for the movie clip, and see what happened. Would that be the desired example of expressing trust in my team members, or would it be a passive-aggressive way of putting my team on notice? Did I really want to risk embarrassing my team and self that way and on this special day? Numerous team members, including the incoming commander, knew of Terry’s struggles with the movie clip. I felt the intensity and weight of their thoughts as they waited for me to address the audience and explain the presence of the huge projector screen that now stood blankly by my side. Though unsaid, I could sense the question in the air—How is she going to respond? I also sensed the incoming commander’s interest as he intently watched from his position.

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My Reconciliation of Leadership Rhetoric and Reality I faced the audience and focused upon the right front row in which my husband, parents, sister, and cousins sat. Their faces shone with pride. My leadership team and team members sat in the next few rows. I felt their support as I scanned their faces. I chose not to look at Terry to see if there was a last-second breakthrough. What now? I knew that the audience members whom I cared about were for me and wanted the best for my unit. With that thought and in that moment, I chose to confront the situation with humor and practicality. I welcomed all to the ceremony, walked into the audience, pointed to the empty projection screen, and shared how I wanted to shock and awe the audience with a fast-paced, creative movie clip of our high-technology equipment and high-performing team. Audience members nodded their heads in understanding and then roared with laughter when I invoked the reality that “life happens.” In stressing the importance of having plans B, C, and so on through the alphabet, I then called upon team members to tell our story and had a great time playing up and building upon their comments and engaging the audience. I was proud of my team and wanted everyone to know it. Although it hadn’t seemed so at the beginning, the movie clip problem presented me a gift. This gift took the form of a mirror into my leader’s heart. How would I respond and treat my team members when things didn’t work as planned in front of a large, influential group? Would I use my position as a platform to demean or uplift my team members? Concurrently, what could I have done differently to mitigate the problem? Was it fair to make such an important change so close to the ceremony? Upon reflection, I realize that I didn’t ask whether inclusion of the movie clip would be problematic, especially considering the laundry list of other actions the operations team and Terry had to complete—I just directed it to be done. It’s amazing how we are apt to judge ourselves leniently while judging others harshly. In facing myself, I had to

The exercise of leadership is a work in progress. recognize my contributions to the problem and derive an appropriate solution consistent with my beliefs. I believe the trajectory of decision making flows from one’s beliefs, values, and behaviors. In this situation, I’m thankful for that morning’s routine of invoking intentional positivity—returning to the acronym of SEIZE, my thoughts included:

Because I chose to see myself, team members, and problems constructively through a heart of gratitude (which has an important place in leadership), my team and I experienced and demonstrated unity. Such unity stirred my heart, empowered my team members, and culminated the unit’s leadership transition. This experience also reaffirmed my conviction that leaders’ exercise of discipline to lead beyond their own interests will have profound personal and organizational impacts. The exercise of leadership is a work in progress. My recommitment to positivity as an intentional leader bias is just such a reminder to me.

S (see myself through eyes of appreciation): I focus upon what is right with me. I have completed my command with excellence, and I have the opportunity to present my outstanding unit to the incoming commander with the utmost professionalism.

E (express affirmations of my person through a voice forged in kindness and acceptance): I accept myself and my performance—I have nothing to prove to anyone else. I am resourceful. I will do the best with what I have and who I am. I aim to do no harm to my team.

I (inspire myself by reflecting on my goals): My faithful stewardship of my command will prepare me for increased levels of responsibility and influence.

Z (zeal——do something that I enjoy): I pray. E (embrace loved ones and expect best of team members): I feel my family’s love and pride as we drive to the ceremony location. I know that the ceremony will be professionally executed because my team takes pride in all that it does. It has been an honor to serve with my team members. Confident in the abilities and intentions of myself and team, I was predisposed to positively deal with the movie clip problem. Such an intentional leader bias of positivity served me well that day.

Dr. Stephanie L. Foster is a retired colonel from the U.S. Army with more than twenty-five years of service and leadership. An educator, motivational speaker, and philanthropist, she recently became a John Maxwell Certified coach, teacher, and speaker. Fulfilling her life philosophy to “Do something about it!” she looks forward to continued empowerment of others in their development as leaders of purpose and intentionality. A graduate of the United States Military Academy, she has earned a master’s in procurement and acquisitions management from Webster University and a master’s in biochemistry and a doctorate in science education from North Carolina State University.

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LEADERSHIP

COMMUNICATION

TO BEAT THE ODDS

b y C apta in C . P . K r is h n an Na ir

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hen I turned ninety years old last year, a leading national daily in India asked me a simple question: What is the secret of your leadership success?

Success, in my opinion, always has its own secret codes. Innovation, ambition, hard work, audacity, determination, stellar skills, destiny—the list is endless. A lifelong inspiration for me has been the rallying call that Pandit Jawarharlal Nehru, India’s first prime minister, made to the nation as a freedom fighter: Success comes to those who dare and act. When I look back on my own journey, which began in 1922, in a poor family in Kannur, Kerala, I consider myself blessed. I have visited nearly every country in the world, seen people with diverse traditions, customs, and practices. I have experienced the culinary preferences of different cultures. Over the course of my career, I have had the privilege to meet with leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, trailblazers from around the world—presidents and prime ministers—as well as nearly every Indian business and political leader since India gained independence. What I have learned through my own experiences as a textile innovator, a hotelier, an environmentalist, and the chief gardener of The Leela Group is that a successful leader dares to dream, endures setbacks while executing his or her dream, and, most important of all, shares the story of his or her strategy again and again in every encounter. Too many strategies never get executed because they remain closely guarded secrets of the leadership team. The leader’s communication is what inspires a company and its culture to stand out and above from the rest.

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Undoubtedly, powerful communication is the key to the leadership success of the Leela, which today is one of the fastest-growing and distinctly Indian hospitality groups. I have found that there are broadly three types of communication that inspire an organization. I share stories and perspectives on each of these.

Success comes to those who dare and act.

Power of Communication Even before I founded The Leela Group of luxury hospitality, I was fortunate to gain early insights into the power of communication. In the early 1950s, I had resigned from the Indian Army to join my wife’s textile business. The state of the handloom industry at the time was terrible; the workers were very poor and the whole industry was disorganized. I wanted the handloom industry to prosper and add to the growth of the country’s economy. I succeeded in persuading Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to support our efforts to modernize handlooms by converting pit looms to frame looms and setting up dye houses for the industry. This brought about a major revolution in just three years, and the government appointed me the director of the All-India Handloom Board. Then an incident happened that changed my life. In 1958, a leading American textile importer, William Jacobson, while in Bombay, called the textile commissioner and asked where he could find exotic fabric from India. The textile commissioner sent him to me. I showed him many samples, all of which he rejected except one that he really liked. Jacobson asked what was unique about this fabric. I explained it was Madras Plaid (checked pattern), subtly fragrant, hand-woven cotton with vegetable dyes including indigo blue, turmeric, and gingelly oil. Primarily exported to West Africa, the Gold Coast, and Ghana, the fabric had captivated young African brides who were buying it for their wedding gowns. The one thing I explained to him about the fabric was that it had to be washed separately and carefully in cold water only, because vegetable dyes “bleed” and a new colored design would emerge after every wash. This seemed to excite Jacobson, who immediately placed an order for 5,000 yards.

The fabric was converted into sports jackets and trousers, displayed in Brooks Brothers, and quickly moved off the shelves. But a couple of weeks later, customers put it in their washing machines and the color ran completely. Irate customers flocked to Brooks Brothers demanding their money back from the store, which meant that Jacobson had to repay Brooks Brothers and was absolutely furious. I remember asking myself, “Could lack of communication have caused this situation?” I flew to the United States, where I vividly narrated my side of the story of this unique fabric—how it was hand-woven on looms with vegetable dyes, tied and hand-washed along the banks of the river, and finally taken back to an idyllic Madras village for folding. The fabric, I said, was “guaranteed to bleed” from the very start, and this is why it was called the “Miracle HandWoven Fabric from India.” The focus swiftly shifted from me to Jacobson, who was asked to explain why he had sold garments without special washing instructions. I was urged to communicate my story to an editor at Seventeen magazine. The editor ran a seven-page spread with beautiful pictures of the fabric under the sobriquet “Bleeding Madras.” It was a huge hit. Within weeks, Brooks Brothers had received thousands of inquiries for the item. The “Bleeding Madras” fabric became the rage, and a new fashion concept swept America. From then on there was no looking back. We began receiving orders from across America for Bleeding Madras, and soon our clientele ranged from Hollywood stars to leading fashion designers. Because we were market leaders, new doors began to open and I decided to move forward through them.

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Entering the luxury hospitality business in India was not easy. The established leaders of luxury hospitality, namely the Taj and Oberoi, have zealously guarded their turf. So how would a newcomer like the Leela enter the club, become a full member, and then go on to a leadership position? And all this, within a decade! The answer, to a significant extent, lies in a deep understanding of the three principles of leadership communication: direction, dignity, and defining moments.

Direction: Carve the Path Toward a Larger Purpose As a leader I believe that there is a larger purpose in the excellence with which every activity is carried out. For me that larger purpose is nation building. By that I mean benchmarking with the highest international standards with a view to show that India can do just as well if not better than the rest of the world in luxury hospitality. This is born out of a desire to showcase the ability of India. There are multiple examples of ways in which the Leela exemplifies the warmth and grace unique to Indian hospitality. After all, a great nation is judged by many things, including the hospitality it extends to the world. But this purpose extends beyond our own brand to the hospitality industry itself. Our model of leadership includes never losing sight of the larger organizational purpose. Because India is playing a new role on the global stage, so are we. This is why we are on the forefront of a wide array of initiatives that will help double the international arrivals to the country in the next five years. From advocating for relaxing the norms on multiple entry for foreign tourists, to

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extending visa-on-arrival facilities to more countries, to seeking reforms of our coastal regulations that will allow beach resorts to be set up for the first time, to promoting the reclassification of the industry from real estate to infrastructure to spur investment, we have been spearheading a persistent, purposeful communication at the highest levels. These efforts already have and will continue to result in positive policy moves. Our larger goal has been to build a hospitality industry of a quality and scale this country deserves. This is what the Leela truly stands for. This is what makes our employees proud.

Dignity: Promote Relationships over Transactions Leaders forge an organization’s personality, craft its identity, and infuse it with a unique culture. And they use communication to make these intangibles tangible in ways that all can relate to. For example, at the Leela our employee service manual is called “The Dharma . . . a guiding light.” Dharma means “duty,” and it is a concept based on the Vedas, our scriptures that date back to the fourth century bc. I first discovered the principles of duty when I read the Jnana Vasishtam, an elaborate classic of great importance but perhaps not as widely known as, for instance, the Bhagavad Gita. The Jnana Vasishtam captures the teachings of the wise old sage Vasishta to Rama, the hero of the Indian epic Ramayana. Through beautiful and interesting stories, this spiritual treatise illustrates the principles of self-realization and self-knowledge that form the basis of positive Dharma. Across the Leela properties in India, we practice the “Leela Dharma,” which is a doctrine of duties and simple virtues to be followed by each employee. These Dharmas stand for the principles that orient our employees and form the foundations of our code of conduct—within the organization, toward each other, and with our most cherished heritage, our guests. These Dharmas resonate with each individual who

Moments of truth are landmarks in leadership communication. joins the Leela family and help them identify with the company ethos. Our company’s ethos is to be an Indian company with Indian values and global standards of service. We offer world-class quality, but we are clear about being Indian at heart. Communication like the Dharmas reinforce this stand effectively. My vision of Indian hospitality is inspired by my mother, who had a well in the house, and passing gurus stopped by for a drink. She always offered them a full meal too. My mother truly believed the scriptures that said God can visit us in any form. So treat every guest like God: “Atithi Devo Bhava.” This inspired my family and me deeply. It became the ethos of The Leela Group. And it will continue to inspire us to provide the highest level of personalized service at the Leela. It is not just what our brand stands for; it evokes the 5,000-year tradition of our culture. This idea of Indian hospitality also inspired another aspect of the Leela—greenery and luxuriant planting. When we opened the Leela Mumbai, the building itself had been designed by internationally known architects and stylists, but the surrounding land—all 100 acres of it—was barren. We—my wife Leela and I—hand-picked plants and saplings of trees and flowers, from plumeria and Banyan trees to dainty lilies and orchids to King and Queen palms, and then decided where to plant each one of them systematically—one sapling at a time. As the saying goes, the hands that help are holier than the lips that pray. Our daily gardening slowly turned the whole deserted area into a green oasis that soon began spreading into the adjoining neighborhoods.

Over the years, Leela and I personally supervised the greening of each hotel. Our dream was to create havens in the heart of the urban cities as well as in our resorts. Ultimately, it inspired our sons—Vivek and Dinesh—to incorporate green building leadership and practices that contribute every day toward environmental protection and offer a healthier and safer environment for our guests and employees. In fact, the Leela Palace New Delhi is the first new hotel in India’s capital to receive the highest level of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, the Platinum LEED certification, for its world-class sustainable design. We undertook this journey by building a simple allegiance that has resonated with the entire Leela team. Today, each member shares our enduring commitment toward protecting our environment.

Defining Moments: Celebrate the Moments of Truth Across the Organization Moments of truth are landmarks in leadership communication. In our case, these are literally landmarks—our properties. Other luxury chains buy old palaces. The Leela builds new ones. Some people say the Leela is over-the-top luxury. I say it is a deliberate communication strategy. It is high decibel because we are telling our story in a way that has never been told before. It is the story of the new India—unapologetic, optimistic, opulent. So everything is bigger, louder, brighter than the others, as befits a new palace ready to host a new generation of business leaders, renowned artists, and heads of state, from here and abroad. Indeed, the iconic properties of the Leela are moments of truth communication carved in stone. Each Leela has been an architectural marvel built against nearly insurmountable odds, and contrary to the conventional wisdom of the time. For instance, in Bombay, where we first started in 1985, we were not anywhere near South Mumbai, which is the commercial pulse of the city. Nevertheless, we decided to build the city’s first luxury hotel

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near the airport in North Mumbai. We bet that North Mumbai would become more relevant over time. It has. Today, the area around the Leela has several luxury hotels following our leading example. In a similar vein, the Leela Palace Bangalore was the largest and the first ultra-luxury property built at a time when market pundits doubted whether the demand would exist. Once again, our self-belief in pushing the boundaries of luxury was rewarded. We opened the hotel at price point of $500 a night at a time when no other hospitality player dared to demand such a rate. Since launch, the Leela Palace Bangalore has enjoyed the highest occupancy and highest average room rate in the country. When we first bought the land on the banks of Lake Pichola in Rajasthan, many well-wishers warned us about the lack of a road route to our construction site. But we were unfazed. It took us thirteen years and herds of horses and donkeys carrying the construction materials to the site, transforming it brick by brick into what is now rated one of the world’s best hotels by Condé Nast Traveler USA. Similarly, the Leela Goa, spread over seventy-five acres, was built despite the absence of a road route; we used only river travel to complete the construction. And, most recently, the Leela Palace New Delhi is the only hotel in twenty years to be built in the heart of the diplomatic enclave. Bringing many offerings for the first time ever for discerning clientele posed its own challenges—the first Lutyens-inspired luxury palace, the first Asian outposts of legendary restaurants Le Cirque and MEGU, the first world-class ESPA spa in New Delhi. But, in less than a year, the Leela Palace New Delhi was ranked among the “Best of the Best” in the world by Robb Report USA, along with the Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong; Corinthia Hotel, London; and Mandarin Oriental, Paris. The stories of the challenges we faced in building our properties are legendary among the Leela employees and reinforce the determination of the organization to redefine luxury in India. I always tell my team that tough times pass, and our hotels are testimony to our vision upheld despite formidable odds.

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The leader’s communication always upholds dignity. As each property is successfully completed, the team confidence in facing down challenges has only grown. Each time I pat them on the back, I give them a card to carry every day in their pockets. It’s a simple listing of the awards and accolades the Leela has received, but it’s a continual reminder of individual contribution and collective success.

Managers, Guards, and Gardeners The channels of a chief communicator are always open. Even a walk in the garden, or a chat with an employee, from the juniormost to the seniormost, gives me an insight into what is going on and what needs to be addressed. I have individual relationships not just with my managers but also with my gardeners and guards across our properties. How I communicate as a leader sets the tone of the organization culture. And I hope these lessons shared give you an insight into the role of a CEO as chief communication officer. Elevate business over “busyness.” First, the leader articulates the direction of the organization and gives to its employees their corporate identity. For employees caught in day-to-day operations, the leader’s communication aligns them with the higher purpose of the business. Emphasize relationships over transactions. Second, the leader’s communication always upholds dignity

and key values and cultural aspects of the organization that the leader embodies and emphasizes to the team. This is done through organized ways, like special occasions, and also via everyday gestures that touch people. Enable moments of truth over truisms. Last but not least, the leader enables, and continuously celebrates defining moments of truth. These are effective, the stuff of legend. They affirm the vision of the leader and are an inspiration to the team.

The Secret of a Leader’s Success If in ten years I am again asked what is the secret of my leadership success, I am confident I will have the same answer as I did when I was asked that identical question last year. The secret of any leader’s success is powerful communication, expressed in terms of direction, dignity, and defining moments. I hope you will give these approaches a try in your own organizations. I am certain the impact will be both immediate and significant, and that your customers, your employees, your shareholders, your communities—and you—will see and feel the difference.

Padmabhushan Captain C. P. Krishnan Nair is chairman of The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts, one of the finest hotel groups in India. Today, The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts has eight luxury properties in New Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai, Gurgaon-Delhi N.C.R., Udaipur, Goa, and Kovalam; with more hotels opening in Jaipur, Agra, and Lake Ashtamudi in Kerala. His mission is to delight and exceed his guests’ expectations through gracious Indian hospitality as laid down in the ancient Indian scriptures as Atithi Devo Bhava or “‘Guest is god.”‘ Captain Nair is currently writing his autobiography, to be published in 2013.

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LISTENING PAYS!

Achieve Significance

Through the Power of Listening b y R ic k B o m m e lje

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ne of the questions on a 360-degree Listening Behavior Assessment for leaders asks observers, “What suggestions do you have for her/him to improve their listening behavior?” Following is a sampling of responses:

•• Interrupting is one of his worst behaviors, so he should listen fully before giving his input. •• She can be very black and white in how she looks at things and it can sometimes come across very strongly in her reactions when it might not be necessary. •• He should show patience with those who do not express themselves in the way he would want. Also, sometimes he doesn’t respond with the familiar “social niceties” that a speaker expects, i.e., nodding and making eye contact. •• He never follows up ensuring that he has completed the task or assignment given. If you want to know the details (i.e., who, what, when, where, & why), you have to go back to him in order to find out what happened. This kills his creditability. •• Sometimes she may have to leave her agenda at the door and gauge where the other person is coming from at the time. She may shut down if she has an emotional reaction to something she’s heard. Consider the negative impact that these nonlistening behaviors might have on the leaders’ immediate employees, teams, and organizations. Imagine the costs—loss of morale, productivity, trust, respect, credibility, and performance, just to name a few. The bigger question is, “What would others say about your listening behavior?”

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I have spent the past twenty-five years practicing, teaching, and researching in the listening field. Many leadership and business books indicate that listening is a vital skill. Yet, most people give it little priority. The phrase “active listening” has been overused and usually refers to behaviors such as giving eye contact, nodding, and paying polite attention. The reality is that listening is so much more. The purpose of this article is to describe a practical framework that can maximize your listening effectiveness.

The LISTENING PAYS Framework The LISTENING PAYS framework (see Figure 1) consists of the six specific strategies that occur in listening behavior. It is called LISTENING PAYS because it can yield tremendous value and it applies to every aspect of life and all career fields. Framed in the

What would others say about your listening behavior? shape of a hexagon, Build a Solid Foundation is the base strategy. This strategy is given full attention after summarizing each of the other five strategies. The second strategy is Develop Healthy Habits, which includes the five top listening habits. Habits are behaviors that are created through continual rep-

Fig u r e 1 . L I S TE N I N G P AY S ! F r a m ewo r k

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etition. There are five healthy habits that great listeners consistently practice: 1. Find something of interest in the message. 2. Concentrate on content of the message first, and the delivery of it second. 3. Focus on the main point of the message versus just the facts. 4. Take notes, written or mental. 5. Pay genuine attention. Take 100 Percent Responsibility is the third strategy, which shows the level of commitment that it takes to listen effectively, including being fully aware of the five purposes of communication: social, informative, emotional, persuasive, and entertaining. Peak performing listeners take 100 percent responsibility to recognize which purpose another person is displaying and respond accordingly. We live in a distraction-filled world, and strategy 4, Ditch the Distractions, reveals what can be done to remove both internal and external distractions. The main point is to tolerate no distractions that you can control. The way to do this is to focus on one thing at a time—and to know what matters most. This idea is simple to understand, yet it’s difficult to implement, especially in a world that prides itself on multitasking. Ironically, extensive research studies have refuted the concept of multitasking. The remedy is to ‘focus,’ which serves as an acronym: “Follow One Course Until Successful.” Strategy 5 is Lead Your Emotions, which offers specific steps to combat emotional triggers and hot buttons. The key is to respond and not react to situations. In addition to identifying your emotional triggers, it is important to anticipate triggers in your interactions. Practice gaining self-control through disciplined thought by reminding yourself that you decide your response. For many people, leading their emotions is not easy; however, it makes a huge difference in relationships. The sixth strategy is Take Meaningful Action, prompting you to intentionally respond to create

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value. In order to accomplish this, the level of listening mastery must be elevated. This involves five important stages that occur in a sequence of increasing mastery. First, you commit or decide to change. Second, you know it—open your mind to learn what to do. Third, after you know it, you do it—act on what you know. Fourth, when you’ve acted on what you know consistently over time, you can be it—you’ve made the practice of listening a part of your nature. The fifth and final stage is to teach it—you take what you’ve learned and pass the knowledge on to others. The strategies are connected together, and the atom in the middle of Figure 1 represents energy—your energy—flowing continuously through them. The strategies are continually in motion. There is a tremendous payoff to the power of listening. When combined together, these six strategies can help you achieve significance. The meaning of ‘significance’ will be different for each person. For example, it might mean reaching a special goal, accomplishing your fullest potential, finding meaning and joy, living in alignment with your purpose, or repairing a broken relationship. Whatever significance you are seeking, listening can help you attain it. Essentially, the quality of your listening is equal to the quality of your life.

Build a Solid Foundation Using SIER* The base strategy of the LISTENING PAYS framework is Build a Solid Foundation. As the central part of the foundation, one of the most successful approaches to great listening is the SIER* Listening Formula. Listening is a complex process that can be simplified and mastered by understanding and applying five stages that make up the process. SIER* is an acronym that stands for Sense, Interpret, Evaluate, and Respond. The asterisk designates the memory fac-

tor of listening. Each stage is essential, and, to get the greatest value, you have to do them in order. The first stage of the listening process is to sense. Effective listeners focus first on fully taking in a sender’s messages using all of their senses: sound, sight, smell, taste, and touch. After you have sensed the message, you have earned the right to proceed to the second step, interpret. This is understanding the speaker’s message correctly so that your understanding matches the speaker’s intent. You can ask yourself the basic questions: “Do the words mean the same to both of us? Are we talking about the same thing?” When interpreting the message, it’s important to withhold your judgment until

The key is to respond and not react to situations. you fully understand what the speaker is trying to say. This can be very challenging. The fact is that most people have made a judgment about what someone is saying, or even about the speaker himself, before that person is through talking. In the fast-paced world we

Fig u re 2 . B u il d a S oli d F o u n d ation

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live in, many people are unaware of how much they want to talk more and listen less.

whether they be positive or negative and letting them lead you.

Only after you have completed the first two stages can you properly move on to the third stage, evaluate the message. You can then decide whether you like or dislike, agree or disagree with, accept or reject the speaker’s message. This is where you make judgments about what you are interpreting.

All of these four stages are connected together by ‘memory,’ or remembering. This is the asterisk. By consciously moving through each stage in the process, you deposit what you want to into your longterm memory bank so that you can retrieve it at a future time.

The fourth stage is respond. This stage is often overlooked in the listening process. This means taking action. It is what you say or what you show nonverbally. There is a big difference between responding and reacting. Responding is leading your emotions, while reacting is being swept up with your emotions

Listening leaders profit from following the five stages of SIER*. As you apply the SIER* model, it is critically important to remember that •• Each stage must be completed in sequential order. •• Each stage involves different skills.

Source: Adapted from Listening Leaders by Dr. Lyman K. Steil and Dr. Richard K. Bommelje. Fig u r e 3 . Oppo r t u nities to Apply S I E R *

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•• Am I controlling my personal prejudices and emotions?

The quality of your listening is equal to the quality of your life.

•• Am I evaluating in a complete and thorough fashion? •• Am I responding in a timely, clear, and relevant manner? The present-tense ongoing application of SIER* can be a very valuable tool in any leader’s quest for assuring and enhancing dynamic communication.

Future: Use SIER* as a Planning Tool •• Each stage can be mastered with conscious practice. •• The success of each stage can be observed and measured.

Three Ways to Profit by Applying SIER* There are three ways that leaders can use SIER* and create abundant value. The hourglass in Figure 3 illustrates this. The sand in the top is your future; the sand in the bottom is your past. The grains of sand flowing through the tube represent the present moment, otherwise known as the “now.” SIER*ing occurs in the moment. The challenge is for you to continually keep your consciousness in the present—to be here now. However, the awareness that comes from SIER*ing can also help you examine your listening effectiveness in the past and prepare for interactions in the future.

Present: Use SIER* as an Application Tool Effective listening leaders consciously apply every stage of the SIER* model while they are engaged in every communication. During the present-tense process of listening, it is important to intentionally and sequentially focus on each of the SIER* stages by asking yourself the following questions: •• Am I fully and completely sensing the speaker? •• Does my meaning match the speaker’s meaning?

Like great orchestra leaders, winning coaches, military geniuses, and outstanding business strategists who establish detailed plans for action, effective listening leaders create strategic listening game plans to ensure greater success in their future communications. As Napoleon observed, “For everything you must have a plan.” The SIER* model has value as a planning tool for both senders and receivers. Productive senders will plan to send a message that heightens the listener’s success at sensing, interpreting, evaluating, and responding. Equally important, productive listeners will plan and position themselves to succeed at each SIER* stage as required. For example, effective listening increases when listeners position themselves to sense completely, interpret with matched understanding, evaluate with skill as required, and respond appropriately. Planning will be strengthened when you: •• Identify and deal with potential listening distractions. •• Control your environment to ensure complete sensing. •• Study the subject and match the speaker’s language and intended meaning. •• Request repetition when you do not hear or remember the speaker’s message. •• Seek clarification when you are unsure of the meaning of any message.

•• Am I asking questions to clarify?

•• Withhold judgment until your comprehension is complete.

•• Am I withholding evaluation until warranted?

•• Lead your emotions.

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•• Evaluate a speaker’s message content, support, and reasoning. •• Respond and provide helpful and relevant feedback.

There is a big difference

Planning and applying the plan, to listen more effectively at every stage of SIER*, is guaranteed to enhance the end result.

between responding and

Past: Use SIER* as a Diagnostic Tool SIER* can also be applied in the past tense and serve as a diagnostic tool. A careful diagnostic review of the fulfillment of each stage of SIER* will help listening leaders assess what worked and what did not work. In the case of a communication breakdown, the use of SIER* as a diagnostic tool will help identify the stage at which the breakdown began. Communication breaks down because of specific faulty listening habits and behaviors, and listening leaders will profit by identifying the “starting point” of the breakdown. If the failure begins at the sensing stage, the negative impact will always be noted at the I, E, and R stages. In turn, if the failure begins at the interpretation stage, the negative impact will show up at the E and R stages. When the failure begins at the evaluation stage, the negative impact will be seen at the R stage. Of course, the failure can begin at the responding stage, in which case the negative impact will be measured at the R stage. Not remembering critical information (for example, people’s names) points to a memory failure. In short, any past-tense diagnostic utilization of SIER* should begin at the first stage to discover where the failure originated. Sequential diagnosis of the stages will aid your orderly consideration of the following: •• Did you fully and correctly sense the speaker’s message? •• Can you remember and repeat the essence of the message to the speaker’s satisfaction? •• Did your interpretation match the speaker’s? Did the meanings coincide? •• What was the extent of your and the speaker’s agreement or disagreement?

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reacting. •• Was there evidence of logical evaluation? •• Did you respond in an appropriate, timely, clear, and measurable way? Two major benefits result from using SIER* as a pasttense diagnostic tool. The first benefit is the opportunity to correct the problem at the micro level, since that is where the breakdown originated. The second benefit is the opportunity to learn how to avoid the problem in future-tense planning and present-tense application activities. Viewed in a three-dimensional time frame, you will find profit in applying the practical 3D formula (Present-Future-Past).

Small Actions Add Up Several years ago, I had the privilege of interviewing Bob Darbelnet, president and chief executive officer of the American Automobile Association (AAA). As the leader of AAA, Bob practices what he calls four small listening strategies that have effectively served his organization: 1. Practicing an authentic, open door policy. In fact, there are no doors on any of the executive leadership team member’s offices at AAA. 2. Holding regular listening meetings in which all associates are encouraged to participate. This includes the opportunity for questions to be asked during the meeting or submitted anonymously before the meeting.

3. Honoring all questions, even those that deal with highly strategic issues. 4. Striving to create an atmosphere of informality by inviting all associates to call him ‘Bob’. He concluded the interview by emphasizing, “We take listening very seriously at AAA.”

likelihood of achieving positive results. SIER* can also stand for Success In Each Relationship. As all thoughtful and highly effective leaders know, it is the many small steps that make the long journey productive. The main point is . . . Listening Pays!

Responsibility Row While returning home from a speaking engagement, I happened to be sitting in the exit row of the airliner. Prior to takeoff, the flight attendant gave specific instructions to those of us who were in the two exit rows. After completing her presentation, she asked a simple question: “Do you agree to perform these duties if we are placed in an emergency situation? I need a verbal yes or no, right now.” Every passenger clearly stated, “Yes” as she made eye contact with each one of us. Prior to walking toward the front of the plane, she turned back to the exit row passengers and said, “I thank you, the airline thanks you, and the FAA thanks you. This is not first class. You are sitting in the responsibility row!”

Conclusion The reality is that each of us is sitting in the responsibility row in every communication exchange, especially as listeners. Listening is at the heart of every success that you, your team, and your organization will accomplish. Practicing the solid foundation of SIER* in each exchange will dramatically increase the

Rick Bommelje is a professor in the communication department at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. He teaches courses on listening and leadership and was selected as one of the top 300 college professors in the nation by the Princeton Review. A past president of the International Listening Association, he was inducted into the Listening Hall of Fame in 2011. Rick is coauthor of the pioneering book on listening leadership, Listening Leaders, and his latest book is the business fable LISTENING PAYS.

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CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP

GOOD FOR BUSINESS; GOOD FOR EMPLOYEES b y Mike S h e e ha n

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here’s the oft-cited aphorism that companies can—and should—“do well by doing good.” Last year I was on a panel at Boston University for incoming MBA students. They were asked, “How many of you think a company has an obligation to give back to the community?” I was pleasantly surprised to see that they all raised their hands. I then had the unpleasant task of telling these civic-minded young people that I believe they are wrong. A company doesn’t have an obligation to give back to the community. A company’s obligation is to shareholders. That said, any business that doesn’t give back, one way or another, is crazy. You can call giving back what you want: corporate social responsibility (CSR), corporate citizenship,  being a part of the community. And there are many ways to do good. Writing checks, doing pro bono work, matching employee donations, giving workers paid time off to do volunteer work. But the bottom line is the same: Giving back, however you choose to do it, is the right thing—for you and your employees.

Roots in the Community First off, it is good business, and what’s good for the business is good for employees. Look at a company like Timberland, which has wrapped CSR around its brand, making the brand stronger. The brands I hold in the highest esteem are the ones that have a defined commitment to corporate social responsibility. Giving back to the community was one of the ways in which Hill Holliday’s founder, Jack Connors, initially built the business. He couldn’t get in to see the CEOs from 9 to 5, but he could spend time with

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them after hours by serving on boards of the causes they cared about. Being a good corporate citizen has given us roots in the community. It has also become part of our culture. Hill Holliday isn’t just known as a company that gives back—we’re known as an employer that gives back. That’s a big distinction, because that’s about getting the employees involved. Of all the things we do to be a good corporate citizen—and there are many—I am perhaps most proud of our commitment to pro bono work, doing thousands of hours of work for free. Having worked in advertising my entire career, I know that we are unique in our level of commitment, the firmness of that commitment, and the longevity of it. It was part of the legacy I inherited from our founder, it is part of the legacy I am leaving behind, and I know it will be continued. What do I mean by a genuine commitment to pro bono work? It means doing your best work, even though you will never bill for those hours or get paid for what you do or create. It means not cutting back when business or billings take a hit. It means you don’t say no when you’ve had to downsize—or when you’re firing on all cylinders with new business. Doing pro bono work isn’t a way to keep people busy who don’t have enough to do or whose talents aren’t being adequately utilized. A deep, genuine commitment to pro bono work tells your employees what kind of company you are and what your company’s relationship is to your community.

Professional and Personal Development Just to be clear, pro bono work is not something people do instead of billable account projects, but work they do in addition. They do it happily, enthusiastically, and with the same professionalism they apply to paid work. They see it as a chance for professional development, and it becomes a source of personal satisfaction and pride. But why it’s good for employees

Be consistent; don’t be here one year but not the next. goes beyond building and strengthening the business and allowing them to hone their skills. It’s more holistic, more basic. In our business—advertising—we have to relate to different demographics, understand what makes all kinds of people tick. Not just the people we all interact with every day as part of our personal and professional lives. Advertising isn’t unique in this regard. Nor is it unique in the fact that ambitious, clientoriented people can lose their peripheral vision. It’s easy to look straight ahead or upward; much harder to look to the side and below. When you are working on behalf of people who are facing challenges every day, you can’t help but look around and see things you didn’t before. And you can’t help but be affected by it, professionally or personally. There’s a good chance our employees aren’t likely to know the people Project Red and Oxfam are helping, but their work on behalf of these organizations, writing ad copy, filming commercials and public service announcements (PSAs), has made them better communicators, better advertising people. More important, this work has made them better people. I’m proud of the quality of the work we do, the depth of the commitment we demonstrate, and the fact that our pro bono work is neither a disruption nor a distraction for our employees, but rather a source of pride and opportunity on every level. This hasn’t happened by accident. We’ve learned how to make good decisions and have developed best practices. Granted, the kind of business we do lends itself to doing pro bono work. But helping out isn’t limited to companies that do creative work or perform services. Pro bono is short for pro bono publico—“for the good

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of the people.” Pharmaceutical companies that donate medications for people who can’t pay for them are doing pro bono work. Companies that donate whatever goods they make, give their employees time off for doing volunteer work, or make cash donations are all acting for the good of the people. Any company can. Here is some advice, based on the many years of experience we’ve had.

Find what fits, what you’re truly passionate about.

Have a Formal Program For everyone’s sake—your company’s, the groups that you help, your employees’—have an organized program that is well thought out and executed. A formal program sends a message to your employees that you take this work seriously—and so should they. Also, with a formal program in place, your employees understand what the rules are. For example, we have a policy of not matching employee gifts to organizations, but we give people paid time off to volunteer. If they want to help a cause they about, they know how to ask for it, and what we will—and won’t—do.

Choose Causes That Resonate

Be consistent. Don’t be here one year but not the next. We had a challenging year a while back when we lost a major client, but we never cut back on our pro bono commitments. Corporate citizenship is in our budget; but just as important, it’s in our DNA.

We sometimes choose programs that are suggested to us by our clients. That’s good business and being a good partner. But the programs still have to fit with what we care about. One of my favorite events every year is given by a client-supported program: the South End Community Health Center. I love this organization and their “gala” because it’s really an anti-gala. It’s held on site at the health center in the early evening when they’re still seeing patients. Every nickel that has been given to the cause goes to helping patients.

Align Your Projects with Your Company’s Strengths We use the skills and knowledge that are specific to our work as an advertising agency to help our partners, whether it’s designing brochures, producing videos, or writing copy. This allows us to give them our best work and also allows employees to sharpen their skills and show off their best work. You don’t have to be a service provider or create goods to have something to offer. Is there anything wrong with a financial services company donating large sums of money to important causes, or matching employee gifts, or giving workers time off to do volunteer work? Of course not. Figure out what your company can do best, and commit to it.

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At Hill Holliday, we have a soft spot for organizations that help those who can’t help themselves. For example, Catholic Charities in Boston meets the basic needs of people—providing services for refugees, running a food bank, feeding people who need to be fed today. It represents the finest mesh in the social safety net, catching those people who have fallen through coarser mesh. That’s who we are. Your company might be committed to supporting the arts or working with the homeless. Find what fits, what you’re truly passionate about.

Give Employees a Voice Just as we sometimes support programs because clients ask us, we support programs because an employee has a particular affinity for an organization or a cause. Then you have the one-two punch of people not only being passionate about the work they do but whom it’s for. Examples of employee-driven projects include a selfdefense program for young girls, for which we did everything from host events at the agency to collateral

work, and the Vest-a-Dog program, which solicits donations to provide protective wear for police dogs. One of our employees who is a dog lover brought it to our attention, and we created some terrific ads around it. It’s important to show employees we care about what they care about.

Be Fair to Employees Employees not only need the freedom to do great work, they also need to be able to say no. It rarely happens, because most people who join Hill Holliday understand that we are active in the community and do this type of work. We also try to match people up by skills, interest, and availability. If managers know their employees and what is going on with them, they have a sense of who is off limits at any given time. I have found that people are genuinely honored to be asked, but I also recognize that it’s extra work that is coming out of their hide. So, when someone says no, I respect that. I seldom hear people say no, but it’s important for them to know they can.

Whomever You’re Working for Is Still a Client Whomever you are working for or with is a client, regardless of whether you are getting paid. They deserve professionalism, quality of work, and commitment. You need to collaborate with them. They need your expertise, but they have expertise and knowledge that you don’t, and you need them to share with you so you can do your work well. You need to manage this relationship, just like you would any client relationship.

Be Clear About What You Can Do Be upfront about what you will and won’t take care of, how much time and staff you can devote, whether you will be able to commit to the project again. We have a rule that all third-party costs have to be absorbed by either the organization being helped or another party. So, if we are designing a brochure for an organization, we won’t pick up the costs for paper or printing, nor will we arrange for those to be donated.

I seldom hear people say no, but it’s important for them to know they can. Otherwise, it’s a distraction for us, taking time away from what we do best. Bear in mind that once you do something, it is very hard to not do it. That’s why at least 65 to 75 percent of our cash donations go to the same places every year. Organizations depend on that money. They build programs around it. So sometimes we have to say, “This will be the last year.”

Don’t Be Afraid to Say No You can’t do everything for everyone. We say no more than we say yes, because we want to do the stuff we do well. We don’t want to overwhelm our employees. That’s why it’s important to pick the causes you want to be associated with. We can’t even accommodate all of those, let alone others. For example, we tend not to do work for museums. That isn’t to say they aren’t worthy—they just don’t interest us as much. Eventually, you’ll get fewer requests from organizations that don’t fit your profile.

Speak Up Part of what you can offer in these situations is strategic advice, and it’s not just your right but your obligation to do so. I look very closely at the administrative costs of any organization that wants our help. There have been a few times where I’ve raised a red flag about administrative costs or the cost of a gala. I want to make sure our time and effort are well invested. I’m also not afraid to tell charities when they should consolidate. In many businesses over the past few years, consolidation has been a key to survival. The nonprof-

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its haven’t done that. And they are going to have to make very tough decisions. Help them do that.

Quantify Our pro bono work is as much a part of our plan and budget as anything else we do. We give every piece of pro bono work a job number, just as we would work for a paying client. We need to know what our employees are doing. I don’t care if someone is spending 30 percent of their time on pro bono work if that’s what we asked him to do. We are a very nimble organization, and we can stretch if need be, so not everything has to be 100 percent planned. But that’s why it’s critical to have to have clear optics.

Getting by Giving According to a recent article in the Harvard Business Review (HBR), people who “give” their time away

Bear in mind that once you do something, it is very hard to not do it. by doing something for others feel as if they have more time, not less. Professor Cassie Mogilner of the Wharton School told HBR, “. . .The explanation that emerged in our results is that people who give time feel more capable, confident, and useful. They feel they’ve accomplished something and, therefore, that they can accomplish more in the future.”

Fighting Crime—One App at a Time All of our best practices for pro bono work came together in a program we worked on at the request of the mayor of Boston, Thomas Menino, and the Boston Police Commissioner, Ed Davis. It was a genuine partnership between us and them; it gave our employees a chance to stretch and do something very creative while making a real difference in the community. Like any city, Boston has its share of crimes that go unsolved because people don’t want to come forward with information. We were asked for some ideas about tackling that. We live in an age of instant, nonstop communication at our fingertips, yet people are reluctant to communicate certain types of information. We created the country’s first anonymous-text tip line. Remember the “Drop a dime” programs? Well, that worked when there were pay phones on every corner instead of where they are now—in museums. Everyone has a cell phone, but those calls are traceable, and people don’t want anyone to know that they “snitched.” We realized that we had to make texts untraceable. People can text quietly and unobtrusively. Then the challenge was, How do you make texts untraceable? We worked with a third-party company that scrubs the traceable data before the text is sent to the police. As soon as the message is sent, the source is scrubbed, so all the police get is the text. It’s not a question of whether privacy could be breached or whether data could be subpoenaed. There is nothing to subpoena. It is absolutely foolproof. In addition to creating the tech solution, we did all the communications around the program. It has been in effect for more than three years; some eighty serious crimes have been solved in Boston alone, and the program is in use in a number of cities around the country.

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This doesn’t surprise me. Doing good makes people feel good in a variety of ways. When you connect the chance to do good for people’s communities, the causes they care about, and the work they do every day, it’s a chance for them to do more, give back, and hone their skills. Every business has a chance to give back, whether it’s writing checks, encouraging employees to volunteer their time, or donating the kinds of products the company is known for. Those of us in service businesses have a unique opportunity to give back in a very personal, targeted way. It doesn’t make our contribution more valuable to those we help, but it does give our people a more personal connection, especially when they work with local organizations or on causes that are important to them individually. It also enables you to relate to clients and peers in the business community in a different way. It gives you a chance to see them—and have them see you—as people who share an interest in doing the right thing. Giving back reminds us all that not everything is about a transaction, or commerce, or winning business.

Mike Sheehan is chairman of Hill Holliday, the fifteenth largest advertising and communications agency in America. He joined in 1994 as a group creative director, became president in 2000 and CEO in 2003. In May 2013, he became chairman. Mike’s board service includes BJ’s Wholesale Club, numerous not-for-profits, and his alma mater, Saint Anselm College.

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LEADERSHIP SUSTAINABILITY WHAT’S NEXT FOR LEADERSHIP IMPROVEMENT EFFORTS Dave Ulrich & Norm Smallwood

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ny good leader wants to be better. And committed leaders invest to improve themselves. They attend training, invite coaching, take performance reviews seriously, participate in 360-degree feedback, and continually identify what they can do to be more effective. And yet, even with all these investments, many leaders are not making the improvements they desire or that their organization requires. Unfortunately, too few of them implement their good intentions. At the end of every leadership improvement effort, participants need the discipline to do what they desire and to turn their aspirations into actions. Leaders need to sustain the changes that they know they should make. One of our favorite cartoons shows a group of turkeys who attend a two-day training program to learn how to fly. They learn the principles of aerodynamics and they practice flying in the morning, afternoon, and evening. They learn to fly with the

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wind and against it, over mountains and plains, and together and by themselves. At the end of the two days, they all walk home. So often desires for improved leadership become dashed against the realities and headwinds of making change last. We can orchestrate leadership events like training and coaching in which individuals learn why they should lead and what they should do to be better leaders. The greater challenge is how to turn these events into an ongoing pattern. We call turning leadership events into patterns leadership sustainability. The concept of sustainability comes from a consideration of the environment and context of the organization. Environmental sustainability is about caring for the Earth’s resources by reducing carbon footprint. Leadership sustainability is about caring for the organization’s resources by getting things done. Leadership sustainability is not just what the leader does but how others are affected by the lead-

er’s actions. We judge ourselves by our intentions, but others judge us by our behaviors. Leadership sustainability has to show up not only in personal intentions but in observable behaviors. Leadership sustainability is about caring for the organization’s resources by adapting and changing leadership patterns consistent with organization requirements. Environmental sustainability gives back through social responsibility initiatives. Leadership sustainability occurs when leaders take personal responsibility for making sure that they do what they say and know they should do. Environmental sustainability is a long-term commitment to changing the world in which we live and work. Leadership sustainability is a lasting and durable commitment to personal change. It may start with learning agility, but it has to show up in leadership actions.

Why Does Leadership Matter?

Leadership sustainability matters and is the next step for real improvement in leadership. We believe the challenges of leadership can be captured in three phases (Table 1):

Because leaders deliver these results, they matter to those both inside and outside the organization.

1. Why: Why does leadership matter?

If leadership matters (the why question), then what must leaders know and do to make that important difference? As we thought about this question, we began to focus on the importance of brand as a metaphor for defining leadership. The concept of leader-

2. What: What makes an effective leader? 3. How: How do leaders sustain their desired improvements?

In our work, we have explored five results that leaders need to deliver: 1. Employee: Leaders increase employee productivity by building competence, commitment, and contribution among the workforce. 2. Organization: Leaders must build sustainable capabilities that shape an organization’s identity. 3. Customer: Leaders ensure customer share by creating long-term relationships that delight target customers. 4. Investor: Leaders build intangible value (which is about 50 percent of a firm’s market value) by creating investor confidence in future earnings. 5. Community: Leaders establish their organization’s reputation by becoming active community citizens.

What Makes an Effective Leader?

Phase and Leadership Challenge

Leadership Question

Leadership Failure

Our Work

1

Why:

Failure of rationale.

•Results-based leadership

Need

Why does leadership matter?

No one is making a

•How leaders build value

strong case for leader-

•Why the bottom line isn’t

ship. 2

What:

Failure of accuracy.

•Leadership code

Vision

What is our theory of leadership?

Leaders and leadership

•Leadership brand

What does it mean to be an effective leader?

are not doing the right

•Why of work

What are the right standards of leadership?

things.

3

How:

Failure of sustainability.

Action

How do I become a better leader?

Leaders don’t finish

How does my organization sustain leadership

what they start.

•Leadership sustainability

by weaving it into the organization systems? TabLE 1. Th e E v o l u t io n o f L e a d e r s h i p Thi nk i ng : Wh y a nd Wh a t , N o w H o w

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leaders take risks, experiment, and seek for new ways to do their work. In organizations with a focus on customer service, leaders spend time on segmenting customers, knowing customer expectations, and delivering on those expectations. .

The metaphor of brand starts from the outside.

We (and many others) have articulated why leadership matters and what good leadership looks like. We have spent countless days on both the why and what of leadership. But, we still struggle with the how.

ship brand as the metaphor for effective leadership draws on two conceptual shifts in leadership thinking:

How Do Leaders Sustain Their Desired Improvements?

1. From a focus on the leader as a person to a focus on leadership as a capability within the organization. The metaphor of brand is more about leadership than about the characteristics of individual leaders.

Most if not all the leaders we work with know the importance of leadership for their organization’s success. Most also want to be better leaders, and this leads them to adopt personal improvement goals, to participate in training and development activities, and to invest in leadership of others in their organization. In leadership workshops or coaching, we often start with three questions:

2. From a focus on what happens inside the leader or inside the firm to a focus on meeting customer, investor, and other external expectations. The metaphor of brand starts from the outside and focuses clearly on business results. Leadership brand offers a robust definition of what makes an effective leader. It translates customer expectations into internal behaviors so that leaders ensure that employees deliver the desired customer experience whenever they touch the customer. We further found that leadership brand is made of two elements: the code and the differentiators. The leadership code represents the basics of leadership that all leaders must master. We have identified five domains of leadership effectiveness: strategists who shape the future, executors who get things done, talent managers who engage today’s talent, human capital developers who invest in tomorrow’s talent, and personal proficiency or taking care of oneself. Consistent with the brand metaphor, we also believe that leaders inside a company need to tie their knowledge and behaviors to expectations of customers outside. The code represents the basic DNA that all leaders must demonstrate. Leaders’ DNA shows up in behaviors they practice. The differentiators are the unique behaviors that leaders do that reflect customer expectations. In organizations with a focus on innovation,

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1. On a scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high), how important is leadership either for your personal or organizational success? Most answer 8, 9, or 10. 2. What specific things do you need to do to be a more effective leader? Most can quickly write down two or three desired behaviors. 3. How long have you known you should improve these behaviors? Most meekly acknowledge that they have known what to improve for three, six, twelve months—or longer (decades for some). In this simple exercise, we don’t discount the why and what of leadership, but most leaders still don’t see their aspired improvements. These improvements may come from a stronger desire to lead better or from being able to upgrade the right skills. But we believe that many leaders are at a point of diminishing returns by focusing only on the why and what of leadership. By shifting attention to the how, leaders emphasize finding ways to sustain desired improvements. To determine how to build leadership sustainability, we reviewed and then synthesized a number of lit-

eratures to identify principles of sustainable change. Some literatures and exemplar books are noted below in Exhibit 1. Each of these ideas is good in its own right, but to make sense of them in an integrated way it is necessary to reduce the concept clutter. To do that, we synthesize these diverse areas of research into seven principles that drive leadership sustainability. 1. Simplicity Simplicity addresses the importance of focusing on the key behaviors that will make the most difference to the most important issues. The world is increasingly complex; technology makes global events local news. Leaders have to cope with complexity not only in the world around them but in their personal leadership styles. Most leaders create to-do lists of things they should change—but they get overwhelmed when they try to change them all at once. Leadership sustainability requires finding simplicity in the face of complexity and replacing concept clutter with simple resolve. It entails prioritizing the behaviors that matter most, shifting from analytics with data to action with determination, framing complex phenomena into simple patterns, and sequencing change. 2. Time Leaders continually take and need to pass the calendar test. It takes up the question of the allocation of days, hours, moments. We often ask leaders we coach to tell us their priorities, which most can do. Then we ask them to review their calendars for the past thirty or ninety days and show us how much time they spent on these priorities—an exercise that often reveals unnerving gaps between intention and reality. Effective leaders build their desired behaviors into their calendars, and this shows up in how they spend their time. Employees attend to what they see leaders do far more than to what they hear them say. Leadership sustainability shows up in who we spend time with, what issues we spend time on, where we spend our time, and how we spend our time. When leaders invest their time as carefully as their money, they are more likely to make change happen.

3. Accountability A cycle of cynicism occurs when leaders announce wonderful aspirations (organization vision or strategy and personal mission statements) but fail to deliver. Over time, this cycle breaks down trust and erodes commitment. Leadership sustainability requires leaders to take personal responsibility for making sure that they do what they say. Accountability increases when leaders expect and accept personal commitments from others and follow up on those commitments. Accountability increases when leaders make sure that individuals make personal commitments to act and then follow up on those commitments. Over time, sustainable leadership occurs when the leader’s agenda becomes the personal agenda of others. 4. Resources Resourcing implies institutionalizing. Steve Kerr, formerly chief learning officer at GE and Goldman Sachs, made the clever observation that a training challenge is to make an unnatural act (for example, listening to others) in an unnatural place (a training program) a natural act in a natural place. Coaching and HR practices create part of the infrastructure of sustainability. Marshall Goldsmith found that when leaders have ongoing coaching, they are much more likely to enact desired behavioral change. We have found that a mix of self-coaching, expert coaching, peer coaching, and boss coaching can be woven together to resource sustained change. HR practices often define and create an organization’s culture. Selection, promotion, career development, succession planning, performance reviews,

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Making Change Happen • Chip Heath and Dan Heath, Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die • James Prochaska, John Norcross and Carlo DiClemente, Changing for Good: A Revolutionary Six-Stage Program for Overcoming Bad Habits and Moving Your Life Positively Forward • Jeffrey Pfeffer and Robert Sutton, The Knowing-Doing Gap

Influence and Persuasion • Robert Cialdini, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion • Roger Fisher, William Ury, and Bruce Patton, Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In

Changing Habits • James Claiborn and Cherry Pedrick, The Habit Change Workbook: How to Break Bad Habits and Form Good Ones • M. J. Ryan, This Year I Will . . .: How to Finally Change a Habit . . . • Mark F. Weinstein, Habitually Great: Master Your Habits, Own Your Destiny • Jack Hodge, The Power of Habit: Harnessing the Power to Establish Routines That Guarantee Success in Business and Life • Debbie Macomber, Changing Habits

Self-Discipline (Self-Help Books) • Brian Tracy, No Excuses!: The Power of Self-Discipline • The Dalai Lama, Becoming Enlightened • Jim Randel, The Skinny on Willpower: How to Develop Self-Discipline • Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose • Norman Vincent Peale, The Power of Positive Thinking

Leadership Derailment • Sydney Finkelstein, Why Smart Executives Fail: And What You Can Learn from Their Mistakes • Tim Irwin, Derailed • Adrian F. Turnham, The Elephant in the Boardroom

Leadership Development • Ellen Van Velsor, Cynthia D. McCauley, and Marian N. Ruderman (Eds.), The Center for Creative Leadership Handbook of Leadership Development • Morgan McCall, Michael M. Lombardo, and Ann M. Morrison, Lessons of Experience: How Successful Executives Develop on the Job • Morgan McCall, High Flyers: Developing the Next Generation of Leaders

Organization Execution • Ram Charan and Larry Bossidy, Execution • Chris McChesney, Sean Covey, and Jim Huling, The Four Disciplines of Execution exhibit 1. T o p ic s an d E x e m p l a r B o o k s o n L e a d e r s h i p Su s t a i na b i l i t y

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resilient, to face failure, to not be calloused to success, and to improvise continually.

HR practices often define and create an organization’s culture. communication, policies, and organization design may also be aligned to support leadership change. 5. Tracking The maxims are true: You get what you inspect and not what you expect; you do what you are rewarded for (and so does everyone else); and you shouldn’t reward one thing while hoping for something different. Leaders must measure their behaviors and results in specific ways. Unless desired leadership behaviors and changes are translated into specific actions, quantified, and tracked, they are nice to contemplate but not likely to get done. Effective metrics for leadership behaviors need to be transparent, easy to measure, timely, and tied to consequences. Leadership sustainability can be woven into existing scorecards and even become its own scorecard to ensure that leaders monitor how they are doing. 6. Melioration Melioration (a Latin word meaning “to improve or be resilient”) is a new term for a whole complex of actions and attitudes designed to make things better. Leaders meliorate when they improve by learning from mistakes and failures and demonstrate resilience. Change is not linear. We don’t often start at point A and end up in a logical and smooth progression at point Z. Most of the time, we try, fail (or succeed), try again, fail again, and so forth. When we learn from each attempt, the outcomes we intend eventually come to pass. Leadership sustainability requires that leaders master the principles of learning: to experiment frequently, to reflect always, to become

7. Emotion Leaders who sustain change have a personal passion for the changes they need to make. Sustained change is a matter of the heart as well as the head; it needs a strong emotional agenda and not simply an intellectual one, however logical and cogent that may be. Action without passion will not long endure, nor will passion without action. Leaders ensure emotion by drawing on their deeper values and finding meaning in the work they do. Leadership sustainability occurs when leaders not only know but feel what they should do to improve. This passion increases when leaders see their desired changes as part of their personal identities and purpose, when their changes will shape their relationships with others, and when their changes will shift the culture of their work settings. These are the next phase of our leadership journey. These seven disciplines spell the mnemonic START ME. We think this is apt because for each of us, sustainability starts with me. These seven disciplines turn hope into reality. Leaders who apply these disciplines go beyond the why and what of leadership to reach the how. Of course, if leaders lack a strong sense of why they should change and what they should change to, leadership sustainability does not matter. But once leaders accept the why of change and understand the what, dealing with how will make sure leadership change happens. We are sure that we have not captured everything that will increase leadership sustainability, but these seven principles should inform both personal efforts to be better leaders and organization investments to build better leadership. When leadership training

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occurs, the impact will increase when participants attend to these seven factors as they anticipate how to turn their learning into action. When an aspiring leader receives 360-degree feedback, the personal

action plan will be more sustainable if it attends to these seven factors. When an organization’s leadership development plan is reviewed, executives can increase their confidence that the leadership investments will have payback if they pay attention to these seven principles. Leaders matter. Leadership matters more. Leadership sustainability matters most.

Dave Ulrich is a professor at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, and a partner at the RBL Group (http://www.rbl.net). He studies how organizations build capabilities of leadership, speed, learning, accountability, and talent through leveraging human resources. He has published more than 200 articles and book chapters and more than twenty-five books. He edited Human Resource Management from 1990 to 1999, served on editorial boards of four journals, on the board of directors for Herman Miller, and board of trustees at Southern Virginia University, and is a fellow in the National Academy of Human Resources. He has received numerous honors and wide recognition for his work.

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Norm Smallwood is cofounder of the RBL Group and is a recognized authority in developing businesses and their leaders to deliver results and increase value. His current work relates to increasing business value by building organization, leadership, and people capabilities that measurably affect market value. He has coauthored eight books, has published more than a hundred articles in leading journals and newspapers, and has contributed chapters and forewords to multiple books.

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DREAM ON THE ART OF STRATEGIC IMAGINATION Howell J. Malham Jr.

The Road to Pre-Reality

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or some reason, the word “imagination” doesn’t resound in our age of progress, certainly not as much as do its far more popular cousins “ideation” and “innovation.” It may be that “imagination” carries with it a whiff of child’s play; or perhaps because it doesn’t pack the requisite Silicon Valley gravitas that comes preloaded with a word like “innovation,” which is still very much in fashion at those equally fashionable idea summits breaking out on a weekly basis at a conference center near you. Maybe it’s because when we hear the word, we don’t necessarily think of a better, smarter world. We just think of Disneyworld. That’s a shame. The most successful strategies are visions, not plans, as Henry Mintzberg wrote in his sweeping panegyric on strategy, “The Fall and Rise of Strategic Planning,” which appeared in Harvard Business Review in 1994. He was right. Strategies are visions, which occur spontaneously to children and miraculously to saints. For the rest of us, they require a little more work. They require strategic imagination—that is, the

ability to storm the void where one can flirt and freely design to the outer limits of the impossible. If a vision is a vision about something that’s possible, given the existing technology and know-how, then it’s not really a vision at all. It’s just another option, and not a very imaginative one. The imagination stage of strategic development is neither analysis nor synthesis—it is seeing and thinking in the subjunctive in order to discover that which has yet to be known: A pre-reality. (Preality, if you prefer.) Unsurprisingly, this is a fundamentally different process—different from every other stage of development, and it requires different kinds of people in the room. Not planners and analysts, who come armed to the teeth with data, and who—to be fair—are not expected or required to imagine beyond the latest infographics on customers “most likely” or “least likely.” Besides, data are anathema to strategic imagination. It is psychogenic Kryptonite to the incurably inquisitive. There is a time for data—and for the people who crunch them to bits, just not when you’re endeavoring to go where few minds venture to go: the void. What the room needs are fearless thinkers who, if building a new type of racing car, for example, would

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Strategic imagination begins by asking for the impossible. be willing to wonder aloud: “What if this car ran on air? Or on exhaust fumes of the car in front of it? Or what if we built a car that ended the world of racecars as we know them?” Ask yourself: “Where and when does that kind of thinking happen now in my world?” Odds are you’re investing in incremental innovation: refining existing principles, processes, and products, not transforming or, even bolder, transcending them. And that’s okay. New and improved dishwasher soap is a much safer bet than designing a universe where nothing ever gets dirty. But strategic imagination begins by asking for the impossible.

The Missing Bookend It’s fashionable to begin “innovating” with some sort of discovery process. Go and talk to your customers, and your customers’ customers, find out what new “innovations” they want or wish existed. Henry Ford, an innovator of some renown, didn’t set much store by that kind of “innovating.” He famously remarked that if he asked horse-and-buggy customers what they wanted in the future, they would have said “a faster horse.” As for the last stage of innovation, rapid prototyping continues to grow in popularity, mostly because it’s proving to be an incredibly useful addition at the end of the standard arc of development. Used to be only small companies could make good on it. But, thanks to a variety of factors, technology being one of them,

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businesses of all sizes, in a variety of industries, are getting better with this type of experimentation—a bookend to natural cycles of innovation. Insight Labs, a foundation that was created in 2010 to design and disseminate new models for solving social challenges, contends that what’s missing is the other bookend: strategic imagination, which occurs in the beginning. (Yes. Even before you start asking customers whether they want a faster horse.) An audacious experiment in social change, the Labs leverages the biggest, boldest thinkers in every field with an approach aptly and most colorfully described as the “love child of a think tank and flash mob for good.” Instead of waiting for insights to hit you, Archimedean style, while contemplating the volume displacement of a protruding umbilicus in your bathtub, The Labs believes that strategic imagination requires an accelerated collision of minds: not the minds of subject matter experts, who hot-foot it back to the data at the first sign of trouble, but smart, accomplished professionals who have succeeded—and delivered—in different ways, in different industries. People who have absolutely no skin in the game, are not at all invested in the solution, and won’t lose their jobs for asking questions nobody would dare to ask in the presence of somebody who does the hiring and firing. This is not a move for the Socratic soloist who strolls pedantically about the corporate agora, annoying senior-level execs with vexing rhetorical questions. That results in one thing: Socratic termination. Again—this is a collaborative effort among strangers in a foreign environment; a particle accelerator for insights, if you will, that propels highly charged thoughts at lightning speed and contains them within the parameters of an assumed premise. In the Labs, minds are not only free but encouraged to collide with one another, oftentimes merging into one larger super-insight, or splitting apart and producing the intellectual equivalent of neutrons and photons, releasing massive quantities of raw, psychic energy into the room: the stuff of strategic imagination. In a Lab we convened in partnership with the U.S. Department of State, we contended that in order to remain relevant in the twenty-first century, inter-

national organizations—such as the Community of Democracies (COD)—must evolve as quickly as the problems they confront. Before thinking forward, we thought back on the rise of intergovernmental organizations, and the conditions that caused their proliferation. Not only do those institutions number, literally, in the thousands, they come in all shapes and sizes: defense alliances, trade confederations, regional cooperatives, and hundreds of groups devoted to standardizing practices like weights and measures. One could assume that a rich tradition of thinking informs the structural makeup of such organizations and helps them evolve. Our Lab suggested that such precedents are preventing, not promoting, development. And maybe it’s all about process and not structure, anyway. Maybe the next truly great international organization will be the one that gets over the textbook idea of “organization.” Then we designed for some yet-to-be created organization, one that would share the mission with COD: helping democratic nations work in blissful, mutually beneficial concert. The primary consideration was processes those nations will actually experience together. The structure of “Organization X” became secondary—in fact, we imagined it changing regularly in order to keep the right kinds of interaction going. Imagining in this way, deep in the void, upended many of the assumptions that presently govern international organizations, as we learned from our State Department partners. Nations might be represented by someone other than the “usual suspects” from the diplomatic corps. Governance of the organization might be handled in a radically different manner. In fact, the organization might need to consider partnerships with entities that, today, are unthinkable. It all seems unthinkable, really, until you think it through. Over the years, Insight Labs has developed a sort of calculus that, when applied correctly, results in strategically imaginative—and actionable—insights. It’s simple math, really: The sum of your experience plus

the sum of mine, plus the sum of all those minds sitting around the table equals something that is much greater than the sum of its parts—something that did not exist when the Lab commenced. The goals of a Lab are incredibly high, not to mention audacious. This is not the way to decide where you’re going for lunch. But it is incredibly useful when trying to imagine what comes after museums, for example. That was our charge with the West Collection. Initially, we were asked to help the organization decide what type of museum it should build for its treasure trove of emerging art, arguably one of the most important and influential collections in the Western hemisphere. Working closely with the founder and curator of the West Collection, we aimed higher and farther: Museum 2.0. After we convened our first West Lab with a roomful of the smartest folks we could find, we emerged with a key insight: art, especially emerging art—in other words, brand new works that are not “preloaded” with all sorts of cultural and historical baggage—has the greatest impact when experienced in an environment where a sense of collective ownership in the art can be cultivated among the viewers. In other words, an environment that is more like a nature preserve for art; as opposed to a zoo, where creative works are locked up in a glass cage and beheld at a safe remove. And where the visioning starts and stops with “free Thursdays.” These insights, the vital components for new models for social innovation in our case, are a product of strategic imagination. A huge advantage to thinking

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We’re not predicting the future by rehashing the past. like this is that we pull together people who don’t normally think together like this, in spaces where they don’t normally think. Familiar surroundings, we believe, trigger familiar ways of thinking. In fact, the biggest threat to strategic imagination is safety. Predictability. A comfort zone. Thinking in your lucky comfy chair, in the lucky conference room, the one with the great view and the automatic dimmer. That’s a recipe for only one thing: a nap. To be clear, this is not brainstorming. We don’t gather a bunch of eager faces, ask them to write down all their ideas on Post-It notes, paste them to foam core, and then vote on the best one, which is certain to emerge from somebody. Our insights are not revealed. They are created.

The Five (Known) Rules of Strategic Imagination Strategic imagination, unlike virtue and knowledge, is not its own reward. We use it as a means to achieve some well-intended end, or at least incline our thoughts toward one. However, without some healthy resistance and a few rules, the creative mind spins without rhyme or reason, if it spins at all. Here, then, are a few guidelines for imagining strategically.

Stop with the Data When we’ve squeezed all the possible value from extant data, we have a few options: listen to the numbers people, who will tell us it is time to examine the “big” data to learn everything about everybody, measuring multitudes about multitudes. And if we don’t

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like that answer, they’ll encourage us to explore the “metadata,” to learn even more by stepping back— way back—and drawing new conclusions from the metrics. It’s data about the data. If we’re serious about progress, we must agree: At some point, we need to put the data away. It’s a catharsis. And it helps us avoid “analysis paralysis,” which immobilizes the empirically minded and freezes imagination in its tracks. Once unfettered, we’re free to go where no mind has gone before: lush, green pastures beyond the overgrazed fields of research.

Game Out Failure When we imagine strategically, we doubt. Doubting leads to inquiry, and inquiry leads to the truth. So find the stomach to imagine for failure, debating openly and honestly the things that can and will go wrong. And imagination, unlike Trix, is not just for kids. We must surround ourselves with senior professionals; failure-hardened veterans who can wax long and far on past experiences: what they regretted, what they didn’t see coming, what they did see coming and ignored. We’re not predicting the future by rehashing the past. We’re learning how to fail wisely and in the worst of conditions. And when we start asking questions like “What do we do when this fails?” or “What do we do if this thing actually works?” we’re designing with one of the greatest human gifts: common sense.

Dream Your Narrative All strategies need stories. There’s no other way to talk about how we get from “A” to “B” to “C” without a narrative. As we start to develop the language around our strategies, let’s bear in mind that narratives don’t map to goals. Narratives help us achieve them. That means it’s perfectly acceptable to craft a public story that doesn’t have any connection whatsoever to what we’re trying to accomplish. King Louis XIV, already a powerhouse at home, set out to augment the strength and influence of seventeenthcentury France by creating a universal monarchy throughout Europe, conquering and cornering as many foreign markets as he could. To reach his ze-

ter, then you’ll never, ever discover such a place. You won’t even be able to imagine it. …

All strategies need stories. nith, the Sun King played the Three Kingdoms of Great Britain off one another and harried the Dutch at every turn. But the narrative of his reign didn’t have a thing to do with anything as prosaic as trade and commerce and excise taxes. His narrative was all about la gloire.

Don’t Just Think the Unthinkable, Speak It Consider all the great ideas that died in the cribs of our minds because we thought them too preposterous, too audacious for the boardroom, and didn’t want to risk looking ridiculous in the eyes of the people whose favor and devotion we continually curry. However, the sign of a truly original idea is our reluctance to breathe a word of it for fear of being harassed at the next company mixer as the dolt who daftly suggested something as daffy as cutting the bread into thin slices before selling it. Our egos keep us in check most of the time, as we strive to appear outwardly cool, calm, and rational, dismissing anything that has not been vetted and that can’t be measured properly. But there’s something else being checked by our egos, other than ourselves: meaningful, substantive change.

Muster True Belief Great leaders, like great inventors, are motivated by dint of the shocking, glaring difference between what is and what can be. They know there is a there there—a there that we cannot get to from here. But knowing isn’t quite enough, is it? By believing it will be so, a leader makes it so. Naturally, this requires every leader to ask “What do I believe?” And if you don’t really believe in the possibility of someplace bet-

The End Is the Beginning Successful leaders understand that strategic vision requires more than a single, inspired notion; it requires a combination of powerfully creative minds, more than a pound of expertise, and a busload of sheer will. It’s something that can only occur when leaders give themselves—and the people whom they lead— permission to charge beyond the point of the known; a point beyond the data. When the data end, strategic imagining can begin.

Howell J. Malham Jr. is co-founder and director of publishing and media for Insight Labs (www. theinsightlabs.org). A foundation designed to develop new models for solving social challenges, Insight Labs tackles 10 problems a year in partnership with organizations dedicated to solving those problems. He is also the author of I Have a Strategy (No You Don’t): The Illustrated Guide to Strategy. He has written for The New York Times, Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune.

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TALENT DEVELOPMENT FOR THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY BOOSTING ENGAGEMENT, INNOVATION, AND RETURNS Don Maruska & Jay Perry

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t’s time to turn talent development on its head. The prevailing mind-set about talent development remains mired in nineteenth-century top-down thinking. It focuses on what organizations need to fill slots in a mechanistic business model. In the business world of the twenty-first century, people everywhere, especially up-and-coming generations, can access any information they need, create their own videos, be in touch with anyone in the world, even create their own apps. Why would they want to surrender their accustomed autonomy to an organization? Who wants to be a cog in someone else’s machine?

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Employees want to matter. They want to make a difference. They want recognition, not only for meeting a target but also for who they are. This article shows why traditional top-down talent development often falls short. It then presents a seven-point manifesto for shifting to a take-charge talent culture and demonstrates why leaders can trust it to work. We close with a specific set of action steps that you as leaders can take to unlock the 30 to 40 percent of current talent that is lying dormant in your organization.

Why Top-Down Talent Development Falls Short In addition to people not wanting to be cogs in a machine, there are other problems with typical topdown talent development programs: hipo mania, transactional compacts, and victim stories. Hipo mania, when the organization focuses a majority of resources on chosen “high potentials,” feeds into the notion that what’s needed is an inspiring leader or even a cadre of leadership recruits who can fire up the troops to produce extraordinary results. The relationship is upside down. A few are trying to motivate the many instead of each person firing off her own battery to sustain herself and the organization. In the transactional compact, management asks, “How do we get employees to contribute more than what’s required without raising their pay?” In positing the question that way, employers lose the race right out of the gate. When employees sense they are working in a tit-for-tat environment, they may respond by thinking, “Okay, I’ve got my skills. You’re my employer. How are we going to barter? What’s the best deal I can get?” The transactional compact triggers fearful behavior. Everything is a negotiation that no employee wants to lose. A panoply of sticks and carrots can be applied, and yet, the relationship is still upside down. What if the deal is fair? Lack of fairness can kill motivation, but fairness alone doesn’t inspire it. As a senior executive commented, “We concluded that we could pay people twice as much and get a shortterm bump in performance, but it wouldn’t make a lasting difference. Long-term change has to come from the employees’ own motivation.” Top-down talent development, while earnestly attempting to motivate, often encourages employees to develop strong victim stories. “I could be doing more, but. . . .” “We don’t have a budget for it.” “I didn’t get picked for the role.” “My boss won’t let me.” “They wouldn’t pay me any more to do it.” “It will take time from my personal priorities.” Such thinking, through which employees are comforted by excuses, robs them

The transactional compact triggers fearful behavior. of their most creative thinking. They focus on what can’t happen rather than what they can do. Sadly, the typical water cooler conversations in which coworkers try to empathize or console one another just reinforce the victim story. It’s no wonder that a Gallup employee engagement survey from 2011 estimated that 71 percent of American workers are not engaged or are actively disengaged, with the cost of the actively disengaged alone pegged at $400 billion to $500 billion per year. Interestingly, engagement statistics have varied only a few percentage points over the past decade during both boom and bust economies. Similar engagement patterns elsewhere in the world underscore the global challenge. In short, these data demonstrate a chronic and costly problem that has remained unsolved.

How a Take-Charge Talent Culture Helps Everyone Win Instead of a top-tier, top-down transactional model, talent development for the twenty-first century needs a new generative approach of “Everyone can play and everyone can win.” This approach makes access to talent development available to all. It generates an environment in which people stop worrying about the transaction; they just want to contribute. Victim stories transform into hero stories. If your organization chooses to encourage all employees to take charge of their talent, you’ll benefit from having coworkers who will be learning and growing with you. Talent development needs to ride the wave of interest people have to take charge of what’s important to

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Victim stories transform into hero stories. them. As new opportunities arise for people to do things for themselves—for example, online brokerage or smartphone apps—generations, young and old, rush to use them. Putting talent development into the hands of the talented is similarly a movement whose time has come. Take-charge talent development offers a fresh solution: tapping employee self-motivation to create authentic engagement and enduring value. In this bubble-up, generative approach, employees are more inclined to support one another instead of competing against each other, creating an environment that welcomes and explores fresh ideas. Margaret Wheatley noted in Leadership and the New Science, “As we let go of the machine models of work, we begin to step back and see ourselves in new ways, to appreciate our wholeness, and to design organizations that honor and make use of the totality of who we are.” People can be more focused and productive in such an atmosphere because they know that they are appreciated as individuals and that the expression of their talent matters.

It’s not that people aren’t working hard. Most people who are fortunate enough to have jobs are working very hard, often more than they would like. Not surprisingly, we also found that personal satisfaction corresponds closely with how much of our talent we put to use. Figure 1 gives an example of survey results for a team in an overall high-performing organization. We’ve seen similar patterns with thousands of leaders and employees in dozens of organizations—large and small, for profit and nonprofit. When employees are using more of their talent, their satisfaction is higher.

2.  Accessing our hopes helps us to get out of our own way and stimulates better results. Our brains work both to protect us and to help us grow. When we are in a hopeful frame of mind, we engage the parts of our brains that specialize in creativity, insight, and development of alternatives. We need all these faculties to tap our talents and enjoy them more fully. Although neuroscience indicates that fear diminishes metabolism in the creative parts of our brains (prefrontal cortex and cerebral lobes), asking people about their hopes opens up a sense of possibility and opportunity and stimulates fresh thinking.

Let us share with you the “Take Charge of Your Talent Manifesto” and the research and experience that support it. The manifesto outlines seven key points that establish the foundation for talent development in the twenty-first century. Enjoy the liberating value they offer.

1.  We each have untapped talents and opportunities for greater satisfaction. Our research showed that even hard-working people who are the best and brightest people in their field typically have 30 to 40 percent of their talent untapped.

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F i g u r e 1 . Oppo r t u nities to B oost Talent an d S atisfaction

3.  We can be talent catalysts for one another to generate new ideas and precipitate action.

out of what you already have, and then you can use the “mash-up” model to create new hybrids, just as software developers do.

In order to shift out of being victims and avoid reinforcing their victimization, employees need a new kind of conversation that can be facilitated by what we call a “Talent Catalyst.” We’ve developed an easily trainable approach to having intentional talent catalyst conversations in less than an hour. It is based on a carefully developed script of open-ended questions, asked by a person who provides generous reflective listening and adds comments and suggestions only with permission. Talent catalyst conversations help employees look at their careers and lives from a new angle and help them move from hope to action to become heroes of their talent stories.

With abundant resources, we all can find healthy stretches that we’d love to pursue. This stretch (see Figure 2) transfers potential energy into kinetic energy—results that make a difference.

4.  Abundant resources are available to help us realize our deepest hopes. Each of us has access to many more resources than we may think. As people move from hope to action they are bound to encounter obstacles. Abundant resources help us to engage our talent and master frustration, discouragement, and limitations as we build momentum and turn our aspirations into reality. A simple but effective approach is what we call the “Resource Power Up: the 100 Resource Challenge.” It asks you to become aware of the number of resources you have; the 100 Percent Resource Usage Challenge multiplies the value by encouraging you to get more

5.  We can get the time we need to pursue our hopes and take charge of our talent. One of the biggest blocks people cite as getting in the way of their talent development is a lack of time and focus needed to pursue their hopes: “I could do it if only I had time.” We can be like surgeons, however, and slice through overwhelming workloads to do what’s most valuable. Few employees target, protect, and apply their most creative and productive times to the highest and best use of their talents. Instead, we hear workers at all levels describe how they try to squeeze in a major project or key talent development opportunity at the end of a long and tiring day. Would a surgeon do his most exacting surgeries under such unfavorable conditions? Would you want to be the patient of someone who did? Indeed, surgeons teach us the value of attention management. They target their surgeries for their best and most productive times of the day and push other tasks to designated office hours. Yes, we all have busy schedules, and being immediately responsive to others has become both possible and

Fig u re 2 . Tr ansfo r m ation P y r a m i d

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expected with modern technology. But employees who set up their most productive work schedules, coordinate them with others in order to ensure coverage of emergency items, and follow this practice for just a few days report a large jump in both productivity and satisfaction.

6.  The self-organizing culture of talent development creates enduring assets and fulfillment for individuals and organizations. Pumping up the troops with inspiration from the top brass or from outsiders can feel good but is often shortlived. Although inspiring leaders can give us a jumpstart, we need to be running off our own batteries to stay engaged. Truly sustainable motivation rests within each of us. Trusting people to engage their hopes and giving them permission to pursue what’s important to them produces results in many ways. We feel more responsible for our organizations because they become ours as we help to create and foster the talent that fuels them. We can create a take-charge talent culture that encourages not only self-expression, but the development of tangible assets that benefit the individual and the organization. As the talent wheel in Figure 3 illustrates, the motivation to make talent tangible creates career assets. When employees share their knowledge with others, they become recognized for their expertise and contribute enduring assets to the organization. In turn, this sharing enables them

and others to have the room to grow and expand their talent. With tools like internal wikis, organizations can provide vehicles to encourage the development and sharing of bankable knowledge assets.

7.  Everyone can participate because the “See one, do one, teach one” approach supports a culture of accessible and selforganizing talent development. Talent wants to flow freely. Indeed, the movement to take charge of your talent can go viral in the positive sense that it is a highly constructive and contagious process. As one participant learns the process, serves as a Talent Catalyst, and then teaches someone else, that person can serve and teach others. The process builds a network of learners and teachers such that talent emerges within us and all around us.

What Leaders Need to Do to Enjoy the Benefits of a TakeCharge Talent Culture Leaders can engage a take-charge talent culture with a few critical actions.

Choose the right model to serve the situation. If you have discrete, specific information to convey that needs to be consistent throughout the organization, the top-down model may serve your immediate needs. For example, this could address the details of a new product launch requiring close coordination across manufacturing, marketing, and sales. If, however, you are looking to tap new ideas for products, services, and processes and want a selfmotivated workforce to lead them, you’ll want to choose the take-charge model.

Talent wants to flow freely. Figure 3. Keep Yo ur T alent Wheel S pinning

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Element

Top-Down Model

Take-Charge Model

Approach Motivation Role of leader Employee engagement Training method Applications

Mechanistic, transactional Carrots and sticks Hero directing the employees Exclusive; emphasis on “high potentials” Experts, instructors Transfer of prescribed information and skills

Employee-centered, generative Self-motivation Host inviting employees to develop and share their talents Inclusive; everyone can be hero of his or her own talent story Learners become teachers Development of creativity, innovation, and enduring assets

TabLE 1. Ch o o sin g T al e nt D e ve l o p m e nt f o r t h e T w e nt y - F i r s t C e nt u r y

Table 1 contrasts the choices of the top-down and takecharge models.

Ask your employees about their hopes. You can change the story in your organization. It all begins with a conversation and you start by asking “What are your hopes?” and “Why are they important to you?” This is the on-ramp for employee self-motivation. As we’ve taken this work to thousands of employees across a broad spectrum of organizations, we’ve heard participants respond, “Wow. No one, certainly no one in management, has ever before asked us about our hopes. Most of the communications are about the organization’s expectations of us or what’s not working. This is a refreshing change.”

Share your story for good. Imagine this: you have talent catalyst conversations with five people; they each become a talent catalyst for five more people; and the chain continues five times. In a short time, you have changed the lives of more than three thousand people. When thousands of people similarly take the initiative, literally millions will start living in a world in which their talent thrives more fully. Small beginnings make a huge difference. How big can this get? Clearly, there is a large wave of need and interest. With an estimated 95 million employees not engaged in their work in the United States alone, 200 million people unemployed across the globe, and many others wondering if there is anything more for them in their careers, huge

numbers of people and organizations need to shift gears and tap their self-motivation to put more talent into action. But how many people will step forward and embrace the opportunity? History demonstrates that people want to take charge of what’s important to them. Look at the growth in the number of people buying and selling stocks on their own. In decades past, people had to rely on personal brokers to execute transactions. With the advent of online brokerage, people surged into online trading. Now, there are more than 30 million online brokerage accounts in the United States alone. Wise online investors don’t do it all alone. They tap information sources and talk with knowledgeable people before taking action. However, they have chosen to take charge of their financial assets. Do you see the parallels with people and their talent assets—the true source of their wealth and fulfillment? Taking charge of your talent isn’t going it alone, but each employee taking responsibility and acting. The take-charge talent culture is about hope. Hope is not some abstract, softheaded concept. Instead, it can be a practical and powerful way to tap the passion, energy, and creativity that lie within us. As we find hope within ourselves and translate our inspirations into opportunities through honest and open-minded conversations, we revolutionize our whole way of living—for ourselves, our organizations, and everyone who knows us. You matter. Your talent matters. And together we can create a world of talent development that works for all.

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Don Maruska and Jay Perry have led organizations in Silicon Valley and New York, now serve as Master Certified Coaches to leaders and teams, and are coauthors of Take Charge of Your Talent: Three Keys to Thriving in Your Career, Organization, and Life,. See www.TakeChargeofYourTalent.com for additional information, case studies, and resources.

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JUDGING OTHERS HAS NOT WORKED … SO LET’S JOIN THEM Judith H. Katz & Frederick A. Miller

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ince the dawn of human history, most people’s immediate reaction when meeting someone new has been to judge that person. Organizations cannot afford to take this approach. Being in a judging mode with other people slows us down in a world that demands speed. Judging others creates waste in our interactions at a time when organizations have little tolerance for waste. Even more serious, judging other people can make them feel small and unwilling to contribute their best thinking—a fatal flaw for organizations that must have everyone’s best thinking in order to compete. In contrast, we can choose to join others—assessing performance and ideas when necessary, yet affirming people’s essential worth and viewing them as worthy partners who can add value. By incorporating this foundational joining mode into our interactions, we can together move quickly to a higher level of performance at the speed that today’s organizations require.

The Essence of a Joining Mode In joining mode, we operate from a stance of openness and support rather than (as in the case of a judging mode) caution and defensiveness. The goal is to engage with and learn from people. We hold the belief that the best way to succeed is by making problems visible and solving them together through collaboration. We begin with the assumption that we are going to connect with others—that we have something to offer to others, and vice versa. The joining mode, in short, focuses on we. This mode makes a marked difference in interactions. In joining, people build on one another’s ideas and contributions, seek out areas of agreement, find ways to link to the perspective of others, and foster collaboration. People in joining mode listen as allies, extend trust, and enter difficult con-

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versations with the belief that the investment will bring about a better outcome. They give others the benefit of the doubt.

A Role for Judging Almost immediately in any discussion of joining, the questions arise: “Does judging play any role in today’s organization? What about judging an idea, or someone’s performance?” Without a doubt, assessing an idea is crucial in determining its value for the organization. People must evaluate the idea critically, “seeking out the holes in the argument” as a way to determine its merits and to make sure that nothing is overlooked. Judging plays a valuable role with people, too, within certain limits. Here we must be mindful of the difference between judging people and assessing their performance or ideas. Managers, leaders, and team members

The goal is to engage with and learn from people. have critical roles to play in assessing whether an individual is performing at the level needed for organizational success. Indeed, this assessment is the responsibility of every manager. However, what one does with the assessment is where the choice to judge or join comes in. Do we engage with the person from a joining mode—focusing on the individual’s development and how we can provide support as she or he seeks to improve her or his performance? Do we join even if the person is leaving the organization? Or do we engage from a judging

Joining in Action: The “New Person” A new team member joins the organization. In the previous months, she navigated a vetting process that included a background check, discussions with references from previous jobs, as well as numerous interviews with HR, the hiring manager, and a handful of individuals from across the organization who were a part of the selection process. All the reports were enthusiastic about hiring her; they expressed the belief that she would bring necessary skills to the organization and be a good fit with its culture and approach. In a judging environment, the new team member’s experience upon joining the team is anything but smooth. Her colleagues keep her at arm’s length, carefully evaluating everything she says and taking a “wait and see” approach. She often hears comments like “You don’t understand” or “That’s not the way we do things around here.” Their critical stance dissuades her from speaking up. As a result, the team does not get the benefit of her ideas, energy, and experience, and they continue to move along in “the way we do things.” All this “re-vetting” of the new person, over and above the hiring process, represents substantial duplication of effort and therefore waste. In a joining environment, the members of her team trust both the functional leader and the vetting process itself. They treat her as the right person to have been hired, not someone who might be right and needs to be tested again. They are excited to hear the new person’s perspectives and leverage her experiences to enhance their approach to the work. Sensing this, the new team member eagerly shares ideas from her experience and is eager to learn from her team members and peers. She observes the interactions of the team and raises alternatives that the team members may not see. The team starts performing at a whole new level, achieving breakthroughs they could not have dreamed of before, as they join together to solve problems and learn from one another.

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mode—in which the person leaves the conversation feeling small, less empowered, and less supported to address those areas of development? (Even if we do not intend to make the person feel small, we still must take responsibility if that is the undesirable result.) Do we focus on the issue of performance, exploring ways to co-create solutions, or do we decide the person is intrinsically a failure and not worthy of our energy? The distinction between judging and joining becomes even clearer when applied to the workplace, as in the following case example.

The Impact of a Joining Mode The shift from judging to joining (Figure 1) can deliver organizational results while improving the quality of interactions. Those benefits include: •• More and faster collaboration. When people join one another, they are more open to hearing and building on each others’ perspectives. As a result, their inclination is to collaborate, and they act on this inclination more often and more

quickly. On a systemic level, a joining mode enables people to break down silos and other barriers that have prevented them from working effectively across work groups, departments, and functions. This, in turn, allows them to collaborate at increased speed, which may be the key to being competitive and thriving in a complex, shifting world. •• Being more accepting rather than always sizing up others. In judging mode, we size people up: Are they better than me? Smarter than me? Adding more value than me? When we join others, we look for ways we can learn from and partner with them, accepting their strengths and their areas for growth as well as our own. •• Exploring ideas versus evaluating ideas. In judging mode, we expend a great deal of energy and thinking on evaluation. Is this idea “good” or “bad”? Where are the holes in the argument? What’s missing? In joining, by contrast, the conversation is about exploring, expanding, building on what others present, thinking together, and continuous improvement by all involved.

Source: Adapted from Judith H. Katz and Frederick A. Miller, Opening Doors to Teamwork and Collaboration: 4 Keys that Change EVERYTHING, copyright © 2012, Berrett-Koehler, San Francisco. All rights reserved. Fig ur e 1 . J u d ging V e r s u s J oining

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•• Being curious versus being defensive. When we judge people for seeing things differently, we often leave them feeling small, guarded, and defensive. In joining mode, we are curious about why they see things differently. We are willing to explore and discover what we can learn.

The Benefits of Not Being in a Judging Mode on Organizations Joining also helps us avoid several pitfalls of a judging mode: •• Waste. Judging people in organizations takes an enormous amount of effort and generates significant waste. People waste time evaluating others, searching for hidden agendas, being cautious, and second-guessing others’ motives and approaches when they could be joining together and collaborating for the good of the organization. Another source of waste in judging is the strong possibility that we will judge incorrectly. By establishing distance between ourselves and others—before we have had the opportunity to get to know them—we run the risk of cutting ourselves off from the ways in which their strengths and contributions could, through joining, help everyone be more effective. •• Loss of talent. Judging places limits on the person being judged. When individuals are con-

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tinually judged by their colleagues, they stop speaking up and contributing. The organization misses out on their expertise, experience, and knowledge—and ultimately loses the people themselves. •• The vicious judging cycle. Once we are judged by others, we act small and in turn judge them, creating a cycle of defensiveness and mistrust. Likewise, joining creates its own (virtuous) cycle of inclusion, trust, and speed.

Concerns About Joining With all of these advantages, why would anyone not proceed from a joining mode? People in our client systems have told us that joining would leave them too vulnerable. They do not want to appear gullible to their colleagues, as they might if they attempt to join someone and that person judges them in return. They feel a need to protect themselves from this type of interaction. This is one reason that judging has persisted for millennia: it is a ready defense against vulnerability. In addition, many people in organizations value their “good judgment.” The ability to assess a situation or an idea and chart a course of action is held in high esteem. “If I stop judging,” they wonder, “will I lose my edge? Will I be able to make an assessment when called upon to do so?” A change this foundational must start at the senior leadership level. Only with a visible commitment from senior leaders will people feel safe enough to make the choice to join and practice the associated changes. Moreover, leaders’ modeling of the joining stance and inclusive behaviors give people a clear picture of what joining looks like in the workplace. When people see leaders calling out instances of judging and joining, partnering differently with others, or giving feedback from a joining stance, they can follow that lead more effectively, and the joining mode and inclusive behaviors can take hold more quickly through the organization. And when leaders model how to assess situations or performance without judg-

ing people’s value, they show the way for others to do the same.

What Leaders Can Do Within the general categories of commitment and modeling, leaders can leverage a variety of strategies to make joining foundational to the way people interact in the organization. First and foremost is modeling several behaviors that typically accompany joining: •• Make the decision to join—and let others know about it. Challenge yourself to find ways to connect with others. Let go of the past, and give others the benefit of the doubt. Invite others to challenge you when they think you are in judging mode. •• Listen as an ally. When we decide to join people, we need to listen to them as their allies. This means listening actively, setting aside our own criticisms and viewpoints to pay full attention to the other. After listening, we respond, also as allies, to what we have heard. Associated with listening as an ally is challenging as an ally: for example, bringing alternative points of view not from a place of attack but rather from a stance of “How can we make this better?” •• Be aware of your own stance. When we find ourselves in judging mode, we can move toward joining by asking ourselves “What would it be like if I were joining this person or team right now? How might I engage in a joining mode to communicate my discomfort or concern? How would I indicate that I am here to help solve the problem with the other person or team?” This awareness of whether we are joining or judging at any given time helps us be clear of the choice we are making in every situation—whether we have chosen to judge or to join. •• Pay attention to others’ street corners/perspectives. Invite others to share their perspectives—and when they do, be curious about them. If something they say is different from your point of view, it presents a great opportunity to be curious and join them,

Judging places limits on the person being judged. to learn more about why they see the situation from a different street corner (or perspective). •• If you must judge, judge quickly. As a species, we have been judging for so long that it is often automatic. When we find ourselves in judging mode, moving faster through it—that is, moving to joining more quickly—keeps us from the significant waste of time and energy incurred when we linger in judging mode.

One Leader’s Decision to Join Once leaders decide to join, opportunities for practicing a joining mode seem to emerge everywhere—as do the results. A composite story from our client experience illustrates this point. A global organization began to miss key opportunities in a challenging market of rapidly accelerating change. When investigating the causes, a senior leader discovered that members of her team were afraid to speak up for fear of retribution. She realized how often she took a judging stance toward the people around her—finding the holes in their ideas, criticizing them as people rather than assessing their performance, dismissing any contribution that did not fit her preconceived notions. To improve her performance and that of her organization, she made the decision to join more and spent the next few months practicing a joining stance. She began by telling her team members of her decision and asking them to challenge her when she appeared to be in judging mode rather than joining. At first they were reluctant to speak up

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as requested, but over time—as team members leaned into discomfort, gave her candid feedback, and were thanked for it—they developed a level of trust in her. With that trust came information. Individuals began to bring the opportunities and challenges they saw in the organization to her attention. At first this was difficult for her. In one early case, a manager presented a potential market opportunity to her and the leadership team, and her first thought was “No, no, no! This will never work!” As the presentation proceeded, however, she moved quickly from that judgment to a joining stance and invited other team members to comment. As it turned out, the manager’s presentation was well received, and team members used it to build on one another’s ideas. Even though the manager’s initial idea was not a large part of the team’s final decision, several new and promising options came out of the conversation. The implementation of these options helped the organization make significant progress in addressing the market. Buoyed by this success, the leader looked for other ways in which joining could enhance her work—and she did not have to go far. One of her managers came in for his second performance evaluation, having made no progress on his areas for improvement from the first. In the past, the leader might have asked for his resignation on the

Challenge yourself to find ways to connect with others.

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spot, bemoaning his lack of progress and leaving him doubting his own value as a person. Instead, from her joining mode, she began the meeting by listening as an ally; she communicated the “hard” feedback she had for him and then gave him the space to explain the dynamics behind his performance. With this information in hand, she was able to recommend a coach and specific strategies for rectifying the situation. As a result, the manager turned around his performance. Not long afterward, the organization decided that consolidating its operations would enhance its competitive position, which meant downsizing in several functions, including that of the leader. In her previous judging mode, she might have avoided discussing the topic or even made people feel small to justify the downsizing. In joining mode, however, she not only communicated the situation fully and openly but also encouraged people to share their street corners on specific strategies for the downsizing. The underlying message, delivered time and again, was “Regardless of your status in this workplace, you matter.” That inspired people to continue doing their best work until the downsizing occurred; because of their positive experience with the leader’s joining, several of them chose to rejoin the organization when it began expanding again in the following business cycle. No longer can organizations and teams afford to approach interactions with anyone—new people, people from another area or department, even those who disagree with them—from a judging mode. It puts distance between people, and the resulting inhibition of individuals and ideas can prove fatal to the engagement, speed, collaboration, and higher performance that organizations need. Only through a reorientation to a joining mode as the dominant way of interaction can the organization begin to gain from the flow of knowledge, innovation, and energy required for success today and in the years to come.

Thought leaders in organization development for more than thirty years, Judith H. Katz, EdD, and Frederick A. Miller have created numerous breakthrough concepts, including Inclusion as the HOW® as a foundational mind-set for higher operational performance and accelerated results. As executive vice president and CEO (respectively) for The Kaleel Jamison Consulting Group, Inc., they have partnered with organizations worldwide to elevate the quality of interactions, leverage people’s differences, and enhance teamwork and collaboration. Together they have coauthored three books: Opening Doors to Teamwork & Collaboration: 4 Keys That Change EVERYTHING (2013), Be BIG: Step Up, Step Out, Be Bold (2008), and The Inclusion Breakthrough: Unleashing the Real Power of Diversity (2002).

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TO DE-HUMDRUMIFY WORK MAKE THE JOB A GAME! Robert H. Schaffer

W

hy should we needlessly spend the majority of our lives in boredom and anxiety, when games point to a clear and better alternative? Jane McGonigal, Reality Is Broken, 2011

“How can my people get so excited about guys hit-

ting a ball with a wooden club and not care half as much about the phenomenal parts they are building for interplanetary rockets?” A senior officer of an aerospace company asked me that question during a World Series. How indeed? His people are not all that unusual. Most working people can be highly enthusiastic about all sorts of things in their lives yet go to work with no sense of enthusiasm or fun. TGIF is a common expression, but TGIM? Hardly ever—except as a joke. Many business leaders are convinced that employees who are capable of enthusiasm are a rare breed.

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But wait a moment. How come some of those “indifferent” employees spend many hours without pay as volunteer firefighters—risking their lives to serve? Others are leaders in their churches. Others work as volunteers in hospitals. Others serve on town councils. They are officers and stewards in their unions. If you look around, you’ll see that many of these employees do all sorts of “work” voluntarily and with enthusiasm. The question is, Can people enjoy the same productive gratification at work as they can in these volunteer activities? The evidence suggests that they can if their work is designed for it. In the humdrum organization, however, where the great majority of people work, such lively moments are rare.

The Humdrum Organization Life No managers ever say, “Let’s make our company a humdrum place to work.” Nevertheless, most of them

do a superb job of achieving that result. Consider some jobs in your own organization and test them against these characteristics of the humdrum environment: •• Endless sameness. People at all levels come to work and do essentially the same thing every day without experiencing beginnings or ends—like a mountain climber who never reaches a peak. •• Little sense of personal achievement. People have some general sense of how they are doing, but the great majority lack sharply measured goals and can work diligently every day but never have a success – or failure. •• No celebrations. Many people are isolated in their own jobs. An employee may be making essential contributions, but he may never, in his entire career, enjoy a moment with the same sense of personal pride he felt at his birthday party at age five. •• Long time spans. In their personal lives, people are opting for activities with shorter and shorter time spans – sport contests, video games, texting, and so on. But at work they live through what feel like glacial planning and execution cycles. It is easy for organizations to evolve into these patterns of work and remain frozen in them forever.

Stirring Up Some Fun: Gaming the System Because enjoyable moments are rare in most humdrum organizations, to have a bit of fun and variety people often create their own excitement. Unfortunately this fun often consists of “gaming the system.” An example I will never forget was perpetrated by the plant workforce at a Pennsylvania manufacturer. On the plant manager’s birthday, which the employees called “Stan Smith Day” in his honor, they would spontaneously produce 15 to 20 percent more than on any other day. None of the employees would ever admit they were doing anything different—but there was plenty of chuckling and joking in the plant. Next day, back to normal.

Many people are isolated in their own jobs. I’ve seen work groups invent new and better ways to get the work done—and then use those methods without telling management. And I’ve seen groups and individuals figure out how to get higher earnings or higher performance ratings when the amount of the money they got seemed less important than the fun of putting one over on the management. The sad thing is that in many humdrum organizations the only opportunity for creative initiatives is to try beating the system. This insight is not new. Roethlisberger and Dickson discovered in their classic 1930s Western Electric project that work was so humdrum for a group of telephone assemblers that simply observing them in a research study stimulated higher productivity. In the years since then, hundreds of strategies have attempted to make work more productive and more meaningful—with generally limited results. Today this challenge is even more urgent. Ninety-seven percent of children play video games and are make constant use of Twitter, Facebook, text messaging, and online games. They will not be happy or effective in the humdrum organizational environment. It is vital that we change those environments. The question is how to do it.

Crises Provide a Hint Consider the behavior of organizations when suddenly faced with a must-do situation. When thirtythree miners were trapped in a cave-in in Chile in 2010, mining experts estimated that, with luck, they might be rescued in four months. They were

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all safely on the surface in half that time. In the same way when Apollo 13 was aborted, programmers rewrote some software in three days instead of the usual three months. We’ve observed that these must-do situations all have a few common elements: •• An urgent, clear challenge •• A very tight deadline •• People encouraged to experiment •• Results clearly recognized and celebrated You don’t need a fire or flood to create these dynamics. Video games share the same elements on a small scale. A specific measurable goal. Freedom to experiment. Urgency to succeed. Immediate feedback. And the important stimulus of competition with others (or with yourself). With additional proficiency the target is raised. Designing jobs with these game-like characteristics enlivens work and produces the same kind of high-level, enthusiastic behavior that is stimulated by crises.

Games Can Spice the Culture Here’s how to do it: No matter how long term a goal may be, have a team carve off one or two subgoals that they will accomplish rapidly—ten or fifteen weeks, not six months or more. The team defines a precise target that they will achieve and makes it their business to achieve it. It must be a real results goal, not just a step along the way toward a result. The

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whole effort should encourage some fun and creativity along the way. The team should be urged to experiment. Team successes should be celebrated. These are the raw ingredients for making the job a game. With these basic elements, it can be done many different ways. Here are a few of them: A company can try it in some modest, low-risk tests to see how it works for them. One large natural gas extraction company tried it with safety. With gas well–drilling operations spread over seven states, and dozens of wells being drilled, they narrowed down the first experiment to one property and to the group of drilling rigs on that property with the worst safety record. Focusing first on contractor safety practices, a team of both company and contractor employees devised a one hundred-day test. During that period they reduced the Total Recorded Incident Rate from 2.06 to 1.38, a major improvement. When a staff specialist redesigns a process, a team can be asked to conduct a pilot test. At VIA Rail, Canada’s passenger rail system, the design of a new inventory control system for food service cars was being slowly installed. An impatient chief of passenger service told his commissary people and the systems folks designing the system to act as if the system were already in place in one region and use it to reduce the inventory levels by a significant amount in a matter of weeks. The team not only achieved the result, but it also discovered a number of ways to strengthen the new system and get it installed more quickly. A number of “rapid results” projects can be launched simultaneously. Joe Dear was brought in as chief investment officer of the California Public Employees Retirement System (CALPERS) to modernize operation of this $250+ billion fund operation. To create momentum, he aimed at advancing a number of key goals simultaneously. He charged a number of cross-functional teams to achieve tangible results in one hundred days, for example, in: •• Creating a process for the equitable screening of outside investment managers candidates

•• Sharpening the measurement of certain investment performances •• Influencing the boards of directors of companies with major CALPERS investments to make board selection more transparent These and many other goals were achieved, a few at a time, in tight-deadline projects instead of the usual bureaucratic pace of a government agency. One of these one hundred-day projects yielded just under $100 million annually in reduction of fees paid to outside investment managers. In the same way, a team of quality experts at the Consolidated Edison Riverside electric generating station was assigned to reduce the polluting lubricants and chemicals leaking into the East River in New York City. There were so many sources of leaks and so many different company groups and vendors responsible for the leaks that it appeared to be a Sisyphean job. To break the logjam, they charged a team with achieving zero leaks for a certain “model week” about two months ahead. That goal sparked a host of simultaneous actions that reduced leaks to near-zero during the model week. The steps that worked were integrated into the ongoing processes of the station. In all of these rapid results varieties, teams should be composed of employees who have the knowledge to achieve the result—without regard to function or level. Teams should select ambitious targets that will require a real stretch. And they should be encouraged to experiment and have some fun doing the work. In this way, the productivity and cost reduction benefits that result are virtually free dollars. Game-like designs can be built into ongoing repetitious routines. In every organization there are ongoing activities that may not be viewed as very valuable but that persevere nevertheless. You can use a game strategy to make them more valuable—and more fun. Some examples: Monthly sales meetings. Instead of the chief sales executive reviewing numbers, sharing information, and providing the usual pep talk, assign a few sales people on a rotating basis to plan and

run each meeting. Their mission: “Make the meetings more informative, more interesting, shorter and contribute more to sales results.” At the end of each session, participants are asked for feedback and recommendations. Accident prevention. On a rotating basis small teams are charged with maintaining safety awareness and achieving a zero accident rate but in an innovative way calculated to get employees interested and involved. Some sort of recognition and reward for performance here. Performance reviews. Instead of the formal assessment form and discussion, employees (at all levels) are asked to fill out a self-administered performance review form and development plan. Then to interview everyone who could provide some additional perspective. Finally, to gather the material and plan a session with their boss. When enough confidence has been gained, you can try it on more significant issues. The general manager of a small critical division of a large telecommunications company promised top management that his division would end its chronic losses and break-even within a year. His management team, however, vigorously asserted that he was asking for a “miracle”—it couldn’t be done. At a meeting of this management group (that I was attending with a colleague) the argument began once again. To generate some fresh dialogue, we asked the dozen or so managers in the room: “For just one mo-

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ment, put yourselves in Jim’s (the GM’s) shoes. If you were he, and top management asked, in how many months would you promise that the division would reach break-even? Put that number but not your name on a sheet of paper.” The papers were gathered, and the numbers written on the board. Not one was greater than twelve—the “impossible” goal. A few were in the order of four or five months and the rest were between six and ten months. That “game” broke the logjam, and they turned attention to making it happen. The main plant of a fiber manufacturing company was the target of many quality-related customer complaints. By chance, one of their large customers, a carpet mill, was only about 50 miles away. Determined to solve the problem, the plant manager rented a couple of busses and took some supervisors, workers, and union officers to the customer’s plant. Once there they received a tour of the operations, with some of the carpet mill workers detailing how poor quality fiber sabotages their operations. There were several such trips, and, as the issue of “quality problems” focused on real people having real issues, there was much more energy to attack the problem. Similarly, GE Lighting brought customers into their operations to conduct the same sort of dialogue with groups of GE employees—leading to a number of important changes in operating procedures.

Infusing the Company with the Game Spirit You can start the process with a few simple ideas such as those outlined here. Start modestly in a few departments where you have some managers who like to pioneer. As the first few projects begin to succeed, you can expand the effort and spread the “game spirit.” You can appoint some internal staff people to support the effort. By expanding the work as success is experienced, you can very quickly involve hundreds or thousands of people in achieving improvements. Each project is a package with a defined goal and a tight deadline—thus a perfect vehicle for experimen-

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tation and learning. Because the projects are limited in scope, the risks are minimal, and it is safe to assign responsibility to lower levels. The Municipal Property Assessment Corporation of Ontario, for example, had two union employees each lead a team that included management people in process simplification and redesign. Both teams set ambitious improvement goals. They learned how to do process maps and simplify the flow. Their streamlined process yielded several million dollars a year in savings.

The Challenge for Senior Management The guidelines in this article can get you started, but you have to take it from there. Even these suggested approaches, if applied routinely, can quickly become humdrum. Once you get started making everyone’s job a game, sustaining and expanding the process becomes the game that you and every level of management must play. Continual inventiveness becomes a new part of the management job. With accelerating progress, the senior leadership needs to think about how they can use these shortterm gains as building blocks for their long-term strategy. The dynamic, empowered culture that is being created greatly expands the organization’s ability to translate strategic ideas into operating reality. This challenge—of continually inventing new ways to stimulate a game-like environment— and linking these short-term successes with longerterm strategy—can make the senior management

Each project is a package with a defined goal and a tight deadline.

jobs much more fun, too. In managing an effort like this you will find your job takes on a new challenge. As momentum picks up and you enjoy success, you will wake up to a shocking discovery: it has not been your “uninterested employees” who are to blame for the organization’s ennui. If you have a humdrum organization, it is senior management who has failed to reinvent it. Don’t feel bad about that; just concentrate on getting it moving. In the new organization you create, many things will be moving at once. You will need to develop methods both for generating and keeping in touch with all these simultaneous changes. A lively, high-achieving work life need not be the domain only of astronauts, entrepreneurs, movie actors, and NFL quarterbacks. Almost every job can be designed to have much more fun, challenge, and celebrations of success.

Robert H. Schaffer is the founder of Schaffer Consulting. He is author of High Impact Consulting and coauthor of Rapid Results. He has written many articles on accelerating organization change, on results-based management development, and on effective consulting.

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CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING AND KNOWLEDGE SHARING IN ORGANIZATIONS Today’s organizations operate on what they find to be the most effective and strategic creation and use of information, knowledge, images, ideas, and concepts. At the same time, there is never a shortage of problems, large and small, that must be solved. The role of knowledge sharing in creativity and creative problem solving is not as well understood as it should be. And taken a step further, the role of leaders in creating cultures of knowledge sharing is even less understood. These issues are discussed in the January– February 2013 Human Resource Management article “Leadership, Creative Problem-Solving Capacity, and Creative Performance: The Importance of Knowledge Sharing.” It was written by three experienced researchers in the field: Abraham Carmeli (professor of strategy and management at Tel Aviv University in Israel); Roy Gelbard (the head of the Information Systems Program in the Graduate School of Business Administration at Bar-Ilan University in Israel); and Roni Reiter-Palmon (professor of industrial/organizational psychology, and director of the I/O psychology graduate program at the University of Nebraska at Omaha). Carmeli says that “the findings of this article show that leaders can help employees improve their capacity to solve problems and issues creatively.” He cautions that this is more complex than it appears, “because it entails some complexity to develop and cultivate employee capabilities in general, and employee capacity for creative problem solving in particular.” Leader support and encouragement are important, but he says that the article relates the idea that “leaders can help employees

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in solving problems creatively by facilitating a context in which they are motivated and more willing to share knowledge with both members within their work group and with members outside their immediate work group. It is important to note that we do not talk about external knowledge sharing with members outside the organization but refer to the extent to which employees are engaging in exchanging knowledge with members across the organization.” He notes that there are two reasons why knowledge sharing helps employees to improve their ability to creatively solve problems: (1) When sharing knowledge, one needs to “dive in and provide more precise insights,” and (2) “When you share knowledge it is an interactional process where you have more opportunities to extract ideas from others and apply them (with some modifications) to your own problem.” Carmeli says that although we may think managers and employees exchange knowledge freely, this is not always the case. He notes that there must be a giver and receiver in knowledge exchange, and if the giver thinks the receiver might not reciprocate, he or she is not likely to share his or her knowledge. “In addition,” he says, “a receiver is in many ways an advice seeker and we know that people are often reluctant to ask for advice; afraid to self-disclose their lack of knowledge and feeling embarrassed. Thus even if a giver would be willing to share knowledge it often depends on the willingness of the receiver to engage in this exchange relationship.” He says that this article and others that he has written have shown that “leaders can make a difference if they are able to shape a relational context of connectivity where there is a high level of openness and generativity. They can do it by conceiving their role mainly as designers (of a culture and climate) and facilitators (of processes).” This means, he says, that there are three modes leaders should facilitate: sharing knowledge (1) within a work group, (2) with other groups within the organization, and (3) with external stakeholders, such as customers, investors, suppliers, and so on. The article focuses on the first two modes. The first is “quite straightforward

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because the work structure in many organizations is centered around work groups. Creative work requires a collective effort, rather that the ‘lone inventor’ myth. The second mode is less straightforward but very crucial. Expertise often resides in silos and is not transferred across them. This impedes the ability of members in a particular group to draw on other groups’ experience to solve problems that may have some similar aspects or bear ideas that can serve to address problems from a different angle.” How can leaders foster creative problem solving strategically? “Vision is important,” Carmeli says, “but not enough. You need to enact your vision by displaying behaviors that 1) shape a context for creativity; and 2) facilitate work processes.” He says that by displaying behaviors he refers not only to acting as a role model “but also to displaying inclusive behaviors by inviting people’s inputs and contributions. I have done some work on learning from failure and found that the most challenging issue for leaders is how to foster the exchange of knowledge not about success stories but rather on experiences of failures. This is crucial because we have shown in a variety of studies that when groups learn from failures they can reach their full potential.” Reiter-Palmon notes the importance of dealing with failure in a constructive way. She says that “creative ideas are also risky ideas; there is a high risk of failure. Leaders must also allow for that failure, not punish it, and create a culture where it is seen as a learning experience. That will create an environment where people are not afraid to try new things. In addition, leaders can model and facilitate a positive environment—one where diverse ideas are welcome, where discussion about ideas and solutions is open and frank, and employees feel comfortable.” The article places an emphasis on novel ideas and solutions. How important is it for people to intentionally broaden the diversity of their information sources? Reiter-Palmon says there is a “real benefit to diverse information, and being open to information that is different than what you already know. People have a tendency to focus on and remember information that fits with what they already know (we call this

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confirmation bias). However, diverse information means that you will also see information that is disconfirming, and that may open new options, allow you to develop new ideas and be more creative. So it is not just the amount and diversity of information you are exposed to, but also what you attend to.”

PRODUCT DESIGN AND DESIGN MANAGEMENT Design has become a hot business topic in recent years. Companies such as Apple have thrived in part because of their groundbreaking work in making products that are useful and in many cases beautiful. Mainstream publications such as Fast Company and Bloomberg Businessweek have devoted entire issues to design. But what has to happen within a company to enable game-changing design? And what elements go into the work behind successful product designs? In the 2012 International Journal of Management Reviews article “Product Design: A Review and Research Agenda for Management Studies,” Davide Ravasi and Ileana Stigliani review research on product design within a wide range of business-oriented publications. Ravasi, in the Department of Management at Bocconi University in Italy, and Stigliani, at the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Group, Imperial College, London, say that their article is “based on the idea that product design conceived exclusively as a product’s form is misleading and narrow.” Instead, their research shows that a different perspective is needed, one that takes into account the entire process. This includes three stages: design activities (encompassing design management, design practices, and design tools); design choices (including technological and stylistic innovation), and design results (including operations efficiency, performance, and consumer response). Within the first category,

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design management is particularly crucial and has emerged as a separate discipline in recent years, with journal articles, books, and activities within such organizations as the Design Management Institute (DMI). The DMI’s website states, “Simply put, design management is the business side of design.” In the article’s section on the three stages, Ravasi and Stigliani characterize design activities as “how design choices are or should be made.” Design choices “affect the formal and functional properties of products,” and design results show “how formal and functional properties of objects influence firm performance.” With the increased worldwide focus on design, has this raising of awareness led to better design across the board, not just from the most celebrated companies? The authors say that “companies around the world have realized—some of them long ago—that good design is good business. The increasing awareness of how design can help create value for companies is definitely leading more and more firms to attempt to use design as a source of competitive advantage. However, onetime investments or occasional contracting of design superstars to revamp a product line may produce only ephemeral results. Good design, we believe, stems from a systematic approach to design.” Using Samsung as an example, they say that “it is possible for any company to become ‘design driven,’ but it requires determination, a concerted effort across the organization, the staunch and enthusiastic support of the leader, and time and patience. In other words, to become designdriven, companies need to have leaders who appreciate and encourage design, who foster an organizational culture supportive of design and creativity (which implies a maniacal attention to details, and a higher tolerance for risk and failure), and who formally acknowledge the central and autonomous role of designers in the organizational structure, by giving chief designers or design managers the same status and authority that other Vice-Presidents have.”

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In the article, Ravasi and Stigliani state that products are “increasingly bought for their symbolic properties as well as for their functional ones.” Given the renown that Apple and others have achieved with product design, how difficult is it for companies to distinguish or differentiate themselves by virtue of the aesthetic, functional, and practical success of their product design? The authors say that “people tend to make purchase decisions based on three dimensions: function, expression and experience. The first dimension addresses a utilitarian function, while the others address respectively emotional and symbolic needs. Design, in a broad sense, can contribute to all these dimensions. Generally, though, firms tend to compete on these dimensions in isolation. The real challenge in order to produce more and more good design is to tap into these dimensions at the same time, as companies like Apple are successfully doing.” It has become increasingly crucial for leaders and managers to become aware of the dynamics of the design process, including the elements of design management and how designers work. “A common misconception about designers,” the authors say, “is that they are above-average creative persons who do their magic behind the scenes to come up with a big idea. There’s no magic there. Or rather, the magic lies in the adoption of a rigorous set of practices and tools designers use to develop and refine their ideas, certainly coupled with a curious and forward-thinking mindset.” Leaders and managers should be aware of the challenges faced in working with designers. According to Ravasi and Stigliani, “Based on our experience, although managers and designers are two different ‘breeds,’ they can effectively work together. This requires, among other things, negotiating the ‘design brief,’ and actively collaborating during the design and development process.” The potential for Applelike success for other companies is enticing. The research by Ravasi and Stigliani takes some of the mystery out of this possibility and replaces it with the requirements of hard work, considerable thought, and genuine collaboration.

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FOR MORE INFO... Additional readings and resources on the topics referred to in this issue.

Confidence in Leadership Frances Hesselbein More Hesselbein on Leadership (JosseyBass, 2012; 91 pages, $19.95) My Life in Leadership: The Journey and Lessons Learned Along the Way (Jossey-Bass, 2011; 236 pages, $27.95)

LISTENING PAYS!: Achieve Significance Through the Power of Listening Rick Bommelje LISTENING PAYS: Achieve Significance Through the Power of Listening (Leadership & Listening Institute, 2013; 244 pages, $16.95)

Talent Development for the Twenty-First Century: Boosting Engagement, Innovation, and Returns Don Maruska & Jay Perry Take Charge of Your Talent: Three Keys to Thriving in Your Career, Organization, and Life (BerrettKoehler, 2013; 195 pages, $19.95)

DREAM ON: The Art of Strategic Imagination Howell J. Malham Jr. I Have a Strategy (No You Don’t): The Illustrated Guide to Strategy (JosseyBass, 2013; 215 pages, $22.95)

a n d

c o n t a c t s

Judging Others Has Not Worked . . . So Let’s Join Them Judith H. Katz & Frederick A. Miller Opening Doors to Teamwork and Collaboration: 4 Keys That Change Everything (Berrett-Koehler, 2013; 117 pages, $18.95)

Leadership Sustainability: What’s Next for Leadership Improvement Efforts Dave Ulrich & Norm Smallwood Leadership Sustainability: Seven Disciplines to Achieve the Changes Great Leaders Know They Must Make (McGraw-Hill, 2013; 264 pages, $30.00)

To De-Humdrumify Work Make the Job a Game! Robert H. Schaffer Rapid Results!: How 100-Day Projects Build the Capacity for Large-Scale Change (Jossey-Bass, 2005; 272 pages, $29.95)

COMING IN FUTURE ISSUES Marty Cagan Leadership Lessons from Silicon Valley

Joan Snyder Kuhl Investing in Millennials for the Future of Your Organization

Modesto A. Maidique, Candace Atamanik and Ruthann B. Perez The Six Competencies of a CEO

Mitchell Marks, Philip Mirvis, and Ron Ashkenas Making the Most of Culture Clash in M&A

Robert H. Rosen The Foundations of Healthy Leadership: Six Crucial Roots and How to Cultivate Them

Roger Schwarz How Well Does Your Leadership Team Really Work?

Robert J. Thomas, Joshua Bellin, Claudy Jules and Nandani Lynton How Global Companies Are Really Led

Michael Watson Leadership for a 21st Century War on Poverty

Po Chi Wu How Is Innovation in China Different?

Fall 2013

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THE FrancEs Hesselbein LEADERship INSTITUTE MISSION  To strengthen and inspire the leadership of the social sector and their partners in business and government. HISTORY  We began as the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management in 1990 with a simple challenge: How to share the best thinking on leadership and management with our partners in the social, public and private sectors. Six weeks after Frances Hesselbein left Girl Scouts of the USA, the largest organization for girls and women in the world, she become the CEO of the smallest foundation in the world, with no money and no staff, just a passionate vision and mission. Twenty years later, the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management was known as the Leader to Leader Institute, which, with the contributions of more than 400 thought leaders, has published 27 books in 30 languages and delivered programs and trainings. In 2012, the Institute honored founding and active president Frances Hesselbein by renaming the Institute in her name. One of the most highly respected experts in the field of contemporary leadership development, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States of America’s highest civilian honor, in 1998. The award recognized her leadership as CEO of Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. and as a pioneer for women, voluntarism, diversity and opportunity. IMPACT  By fostering leadership grounded in •• the passion to serve •• the discipline to listen •• the courage to question •• and the spirit to include The Frances Hesselbein Leadership Institute fulfills its mission by perpetuating and sharing Peter Drucker’s legacy and the wisdom cultivated over two decades guided by the vision, commitment and spark of Frances Hesselbein through a multi-media knowledge approach and a blended learning model that combines face-to-face and online learning including: –– Online Global Resources including leadership dialogues, global webinar series, and distribution of electronic publications –– Partnership and Collaboration Opportunities across sectors that provide new and significant experiences for learning and growth –– Self-Assessment Workshops and strategic planning resources –– Unique High-Level Summits and Conference for leaders from all three sectors We are on a journey whose destination is changed lives. We believe that to serve is to live.

Get to Know The Frances Hesselbein Leadership Institute See www.HesselbeinInstitute.org for information on our programs, resources, and articles from Leader to Leader. Become a member and support our work.

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Board of Governors Christopher D. Fralic Chairman Managing Partner First Round Capital William S. Conway Vice Chairman and Treasurer Senior VP & Chief Operating Officer Mutual of America Life Insurance Company Frances Hesselbein President and CEO The Frances Hesselbein Leadership Institute Geneva Johnson Secretary Former President and CEO Family Service America Darlyne Bailey, Ph.D. Dean & Professor Graduate School of Social Work & Social Research, and Special Assistant to the President for Community Partnerships Bryn Mawr College Nelson Del Rio Chairman and President Del Rio Family Foundation Mark Goldsmith President and CEO Getting Out and Staying Out Marshall Goldsmith, Ph.D. Author and Executive Coach Joan Snyder Kuhl Associate Director Managed Markets Training Forest Laboratories Dennis J. Manning, CLU, ChFC Retired CEO Guardian Life Insurance Company of America Annie McKee Founder Teleos Leadership Institute Jeanette Mitchell, Ed.D. Program Director Cardinal Stritch University Leadership Center Charles J. O’Connor III Managing Director at TIAA-CREF United States Air Force, Colonel, Retired Keith Schaefer Founder, BPL Global Inc. Retired Richard F. Schubert Chairman Emeritus International Youth Foundation