Our discussion this week focused on communication. The reading assignments discussed the need of employees to collaborate in order to maximize the effectiveness of today's organizations. I was a huge fan of The West Wing and a quote used in that show came up in the reading:
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead
I like what the reading had to say about putting together strong teams and motivating them through common goals. Within the framework of collaboration and teams, my discussion with Dan focused on interpersonal dynamics. This is the area that received little attention but my experience suggests its the biggest obstacle to success. Even outside of removing personal agendas, removing barriers to effective communication and getting everyone on the same page ... there is still the fact that some people just don't seem to like each other. It doesn't mean they can't work together, but it's not a recipe for a great team either. Dan emphasized how critical communication is in those instances and we talked about examples from my past, identifying areas when the communication wasn't as effective as it needed to be.
So it seems like everything comes back to communication. I think my mom told me that when I was a kid. I'm pretty sure my wife says this all the time. One of these times I'm going to start listening.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Leading through... leading
The reading and discussion came back to the concept of leadership. Contrary to my own opinion (and an earlier posting), leaders are made instead of born. At least, that's what the authors at Resource Associates Corporation say.
There's a lot of evidence presented to support that conclusion and I can buy it, for the most part. In some respects, its kind of like saying an athlete makes it to the professional ranks as a result of their hard work. Of course that's true. But if you believe that's all there is to it, you're ignoring the fact that they're also born with a great deal of innate ability. What sets them apart from others is that they've maximized their abilities through hard work.
In my opinion, the same applies to leadership. I've had the pleasure of working with some people I'd categorize as strong leaders and without question they work hard at what they do. They listen, they seek input, they have a great sense of who they are and they have a vision of the future. I'd argue that these people were born with certain gifts (and it varies by person) that others were not. They maximized their abilities. They recognized their limitations and compensated for them. But I'm not ready to discount the idea that they had a little more to work with from the start.
The trick is, I think we're all born with certain strengths, that we all have certain abilities that set us apart and above the rest. Maybe it's just a matter of recognizing those abilities and putting in the work to maximize them. If someone asked, what abilities would you talk about?
There's a lot of evidence presented to support that conclusion and I can buy it, for the most part. In some respects, its kind of like saying an athlete makes it to the professional ranks as a result of their hard work. Of course that's true. But if you believe that's all there is to it, you're ignoring the fact that they're also born with a great deal of innate ability. What sets them apart from others is that they've maximized their abilities through hard work.
In my opinion, the same applies to leadership. I've had the pleasure of working with some people I'd categorize as strong leaders and without question they work hard at what they do. They listen, they seek input, they have a great sense of who they are and they have a vision of the future. I'd argue that these people were born with certain gifts (and it varies by person) that others were not. They maximized their abilities. They recognized their limitations and compensated for them. But I'm not ready to discount the idea that they had a little more to work with from the start.
The trick is, I think we're all born with certain strengths, that we all have certain abilities that set us apart and above the rest. Maybe it's just a matter of recognizing those abilities and putting in the work to maximize them. If someone asked, what abilities would you talk about?
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Goals, goals, goals
As our sessions have continued, the workload has increased. This week Dan asked me to snatch a pebble from his hand. Not really. But we are biting off bigger chunks of the material between each session.
The reading and discussion centered around goals, planning them, aligning them, achieving them. If you're like me, you've had a great deal of experience with the goal-setting process, both professionally and personally. I allow for the reality of accidental achievement, but for the most part I don't think people really get anywhere without setting goals. The difference is in how specific your goal-setting process is and where you ultimately end up.
As noted in an earlier post, I don't make much progress unless I have a clear vision of where I'm going. I relate this to goal-setting, except I haven't always been formal about the process. I haven't, for instance, spent a lot of time writing goals down. There were several references to the power of this simple action in the chapters I read, as well as several references to the fact that people overlook that step because they believe it's too obvious. Check.
The next section of my reading dealt with turning goals into action. I thought this was a valuable area and I made a lot of notes in the margins. I never do this. The concept of S.M.A.R.T. goals was covered, as well as how fear (of failure, of criticism, of the unknown) can derail the effort. The piece I found most interesting was on affirmations. Admittedly, it took me a reading or two to get over the Stuart Smalley "Daily Affirmations skit on SNL. But once I did, I really liked the idea of making a goal a constant part of your daily life, surrounding yourself with images and positive self-talk, as a way of moving in that direction.
So now I'm going to give this concept a try. Because I'm good enough, I'm smart enough and, doggone it, people like me!
The reading and discussion centered around goals, planning them, aligning them, achieving them. If you're like me, you've had a great deal of experience with the goal-setting process, both professionally and personally. I allow for the reality of accidental achievement, but for the most part I don't think people really get anywhere without setting goals. The difference is in how specific your goal-setting process is and where you ultimately end up.
As noted in an earlier post, I don't make much progress unless I have a clear vision of where I'm going. I relate this to goal-setting, except I haven't always been formal about the process. I haven't, for instance, spent a lot of time writing goals down. There were several references to the power of this simple action in the chapters I read, as well as several references to the fact that people overlook that step because they believe it's too obvious. Check.
The next section of my reading dealt with turning goals into action. I thought this was a valuable area and I made a lot of notes in the margins. I never do this. The concept of S.M.A.R.T. goals was covered, as well as how fear (of failure, of criticism, of the unknown) can derail the effort. The piece I found most interesting was on affirmations. Admittedly, it took me a reading or two to get over the Stuart Smalley "Daily Affirmations skit on SNL. But once I did, I really liked the idea of making a goal a constant part of your daily life, surrounding yourself with images and positive self-talk, as a way of moving in that direction.
So now I'm going to give this concept a try. Because I'm good enough, I'm smart enough and, doggone it, people like me!
Monday, May 11, 2009
Working early on to define Vision and Leadership
Kyle mentioned my challenge to him to think of legacy in terms of leadership. What differentiates really good leaders from great ones is their ability to create an environment where everyone understands the Vision, knows the role they play, and is empowered to excel. The true test of this is what happens when the leader is not there.
There were periods of my life as a leader where I dreaded leaving the office for vacation. I believed that I would return to a larger mess when I got back and regret taking the time off. I would prove myself right every time. When I made my people capable of doing the job functions and understanding the outcomes, I found fewer fires when I returned from time off.
Leadership has many variables. Kyle and I discussed some of them as we began digging into the work. We even got on the subject of nature vs. nurture when it comes to producing great leaders. While leaders are not born, who they are has significant impact on their abilities. And even the right leader now may not always be the right person for that situation in the future. So timing can impact leadership as well. That is why so many variables make up a leader and the decisions that leader makes. The challenge is finding out where you fit and can you sidestep ego and insecurity to do what is right.
There were periods of my life as a leader where I dreaded leaving the office for vacation. I believed that I would return to a larger mess when I got back and regret taking the time off. I would prove myself right every time. When I made my people capable of doing the job functions and understanding the outcomes, I found fewer fires when I returned from time off.
Leadership has many variables. Kyle and I discussed some of them as we began digging into the work. We even got on the subject of nature vs. nurture when it comes to producing great leaders. While leaders are not born, who they are has significant impact on their abilities. And even the right leader now may not always be the right person for that situation in the future. So timing can impact leadership as well. That is why so many variables make up a leader and the decisions that leader makes. The challenge is finding out where you fit and can you sidestep ego and insecurity to do what is right.
Friday, May 8, 2009
An authentic vision
Well I'm now very much into the coursework of this process. Which means I have reading assignments each week, question sets at the end of each chapter and (gasp) critical thinking exercises.
My inclination is to revert to college study-mode when it comes to the reading and question material. Specifically, I glance at the information occasionally during the week and then try to cram the night before (and day of) the test. The test in this case being our coaching sessions. This process uses spaced repetition to drive memory. The concept being that if I read over the material several times, 5 is recommended, I will both retain more of the information and pick up on new concepts with each reading. That doesn't work very well if you try to read it through five straight times the day before.
I've gotten better at actually spacing out the reading now and I've found this helps me make the transition from learning to applying the info to my work. Go figure, right? I'm sure a number of my former professors are right now shaking their head in disgust.
The last two weeks have focused on what it means to be authentic and the importance of vision. Some of the reading resonates immediately with me, while other items don't fit neatly with my experiences. Dan and I had a long conversation about what makes a great leader. My concept is weighted toward the characteristics you would notice in someone right away: passion, ability to articulate a point of view, ability to rally people, intelligence. And yes, I believe you can tell if a person has these qualities in a short amount of time.
The item Dan left me with was the concept of creating a sustainable organization/legacy. In other words, a great leader can create something that not only succeeds while they're in charge but also succeeds after they leave. I wonder how many people are at odds with this concept? It's contrary to much of what we seem to strive for, things like making a big contribution, being the person with all the answers, being indispensable.
I've got to think about this one for awhile. In addition to my new homework. Great.
My inclination is to revert to college study-mode when it comes to the reading and question material. Specifically, I glance at the information occasionally during the week and then try to cram the night before (and day of) the test. The test in this case being our coaching sessions. This process uses spaced repetition to drive memory. The concept being that if I read over the material several times, 5 is recommended, I will both retain more of the information and pick up on new concepts with each reading. That doesn't work very well if you try to read it through five straight times the day before.
I've gotten better at actually spacing out the reading now and I've found this helps me make the transition from learning to applying the info to my work. Go figure, right? I'm sure a number of my former professors are right now shaking their head in disgust.
The last two weeks have focused on what it means to be authentic and the importance of vision. Some of the reading resonates immediately with me, while other items don't fit neatly with my experiences. Dan and I had a long conversation about what makes a great leader. My concept is weighted toward the characteristics you would notice in someone right away: passion, ability to articulate a point of view, ability to rally people, intelligence. And yes, I believe you can tell if a person has these qualities in a short amount of time.
The item Dan left me with was the concept of creating a sustainable organization/legacy. In other words, a great leader can create something that not only succeeds while they're in charge but also succeeds after they leave. I wonder how many people are at odds with this concept? It's contrary to much of what we seem to strive for, things like making a big contribution, being the person with all the answers, being indispensable.
I've got to think about this one for awhile. In addition to my new homework. Great.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
The things I don't know about myself
My first sessions with Dan focused on an introduction to the coaching process and the results of my attribute assessment. It also marked the end of my passive participation in this process, as I now have homework(!) and Dan's expectation is that my discussion drives our sessions from here on out. Luckily, I haven't often been short of things to say. Insightful things? That's another story.
I''m always fascinated with the results of personal assessments I've taken over my career. Why don't they have this stuff in high school? Mine might have saved me a trip to the emergency room by indicating I had no business trying to pole vault. Some simple bullet points about participating in sports that are land-based, explore activities that engage your mind and don't, whatever you do, talk about girls you like with seniors who think it's fun to watch a sophomore squirm ... invaluable. But I digress.
This assessment consisted of two exercises of matching statements based on my agreement or values. Pretty painless, as far as assessments go. I think it took all of ten minutes and I didn't spend a lot of time second-guessing. That makes me believe that the results are a truer indication of who I really am.
As Dan mentioned, I scored higher (if that's the right terminology, probably not) in the areas of big picture thinking and human interaction with the company/process/system. The reason I've always enjoyed these assessments is that I invariably agree with the results, based on my self-perception. Not only that, but I also tend to think that the areas I score high on are the areas that everyone would want to score high on. This seems to point to a high level of self-esteem and, sure enough, this assessment indicates that's true.
On the flip side, I tend to stall out in the details and action steps if I don't understand the big picture or feel the human side of the equation hasn't been adequately addressed. I've always been envious of people who were ultra-productive, the people who always seemed to churn out large volumes of work. I get exhausted just watching these people. Based on my findings, I get a clue as to why I've never seen myself as one of those people.
The only area of the results that gave me pause were the characteristic statements made about my type of person, based on the assessment. The Empathy section, for instance, included statements like "Understanding of others but not as trusting" and "Willing to manipulate others to achieve goals". What the what?!?! That doesn't sound good. Dan explained the terms in positive terms but I'm still a little dubious. Can I retake that part?
All in all, I'm happy to get the process moving and using the results to frame the way our sessions will go makes sense to me. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some homework to do...
I''m always fascinated with the results of personal assessments I've taken over my career. Why don't they have this stuff in high school? Mine might have saved me a trip to the emergency room by indicating I had no business trying to pole vault. Some simple bullet points about participating in sports that are land-based, explore activities that engage your mind and don't, whatever you do, talk about girls you like with seniors who think it's fun to watch a sophomore squirm ... invaluable. But I digress.
This assessment consisted of two exercises of matching statements based on my agreement or values. Pretty painless, as far as assessments go. I think it took all of ten minutes and I didn't spend a lot of time second-guessing. That makes me believe that the results are a truer indication of who I really am.
As Dan mentioned, I scored higher (if that's the right terminology, probably not) in the areas of big picture thinking and human interaction with the company/process/system. The reason I've always enjoyed these assessments is that I invariably agree with the results, based on my self-perception. Not only that, but I also tend to think that the areas I score high on are the areas that everyone would want to score high on. This seems to point to a high level of self-esteem and, sure enough, this assessment indicates that's true.
On the flip side, I tend to stall out in the details and action steps if I don't understand the big picture or feel the human side of the equation hasn't been adequately addressed. I've always been envious of people who were ultra-productive, the people who always seemed to churn out large volumes of work. I get exhausted just watching these people. Based on my findings, I get a clue as to why I've never seen myself as one of those people.
The only area of the results that gave me pause were the characteristic statements made about my type of person, based on the assessment. The Empathy section, for instance, included statements like "Understanding of others but not as trusting" and "Willing to manipulate others to achieve goals". What the what?!?! That doesn't sound good. Dan explained the terms in positive terms but I'm still a little dubious. Can I retake that part?
All in all, I'm happy to get the process moving and using the results to frame the way our sessions will go makes sense to me. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some homework to do...
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