The Certainty of Ambiguity in Leadership

This post is a refreshed version of one written originally in  June, 2009.

=============================================

Anyone who has ever been in a leadership role for longer than, oh, five minutes, knows that leadership is not a prescriptive thing.  As simple as we try to make it with lists of the ten top things to do here or the best five things to do there, it remains rife with complexity.

Part of this complexity lies in the many roles leaders must undertake that, while necessary, seem incompatible with one another.

Here are some examples:

Being conceptual and Tactical

As a leader, it is important for you to be able to rise above the day-to-day mechanics of your operation so you can see where it is all going. This is about having a vision and ideas that give purpose to the work.

There is, however, a limit on the amount of time you should spend at thirty thousand feet without coming down to the ground and working with people to ensure that plans are developed in line with the vision and specific actions are taken to bring it to life.

Leaders who dwell in the land of ideas too long tend to accomplish very little. Alternately, those who keep their noses to the grindstone and never get off the ground might accomplish a lot but chances are, it will be a lot of the wrong thing.

Being a Leader and a Manager

Some people believe that leadership and management are two separate jobs. From where I sit, they’re not.  Both roles belong in the leader’s virtual backpack. Confusion often raises its quizzical head, though, when deciding what to manage; what to lead; and when.

A simple rule of thumb is that you manage things and lead people. However, to add complexity to the mix, you also manage events and happenings that involve people. And that means you must be prepared to manage conflict and other situations that could potentially get in the way of accomplishing the work.

Being a Leader and a Follower

Opportunities for people to show leadership, regardless of their formal status in the organization, are everywhere.  It is a wise leader who will recognize this and make room for it when it serves the organization and supports its goals.  The trick is in knowing when it is appropriate to stand down and become a supportive follower.

In general, allowing someone else to take the lead is a good idea when:

S/he knows more about the specific work involved than you do or;

S/he has demonstrated more skill in a certain area than you have.

This doesn’t mean you abdicate your position.  It does mean that you are leading for a time, by following and supporting someone who can by leading, accomplish the goal better, faster or more efficiently than you can.

To do this effectively, you must first know your own strengths and limitations and also make it a priority to know the capabilities of the people who work with you.

Controlling and Empowering

We all know that empowering others to express themselves and make contributions to the organizational goals is key to creating vibrant, engaged, working environments. And, while this is a leadership responsibility, it is also the job of the leader to create a controlled atmosphere that connects to the demands and goals of the business.

This means finding a fine balance between being autocratic and being liberal. It is where having a fully activated set of organizational values and a comprehensive, well-articulated vision of the future come in handy. They form a framework within which people can be empowered to use their creative abilities and make contributions on their own terms.

There are many other situations where leaders are required to make choices between seemingly contradictory activities.  For instance, when would you encourage individual effort over team development? Under what circumstances might you favour an arbitrary decision over a democratic one?

What comes up for you?

Leadership and the Credibility Factor

What does credibility mean to you?  Here’s my take on it and why I think it’s an important quality for leaders to develop, not just in effecting change initiatives but in everything else they do.

================================================================

I’ve been thinking about change lately, mostly about what it is that separates a person who seems to be able to influence change in a positive direction, from a person who might have the authority and the technical skill to do the work, but seems unable to pull it off.

The word credibility comes to mind.  The Thesaurus suggests that credibility is synonymous with trustworthiness, integrity and sincerity. I think that if these basic values are present, the chances of arousing the interest and respect of other people are pretty good. And, I believe too, that change agents come in many forms, manifest themselves in a variety of ways and at a variety of levels.

Thinking about that reinforces for me, the notion that it is credibility not title, position, role or authority that makes the difference between an effective change agent and an ineffective one.

So, if you are with me so far, the big question seems to be ” How do I prove my credibility to others?”

Here’s what I think it takes to earn credibility:

I do what I say I’m going to do… and I do it, when I say I’m going to do it.

Reliability is an important ingredient in establishing credibility.

There’s nothing more infuriating or counter-productive, than when someone makes a commitment to do something and then fails to follow through.

I represent myself honestly and do my best to be candid and open with my colleagues and bosses.

I think that to gain credibility with others we must simply find the courage and confidence to be ourselves and make our contributions without pretense or bravado.

I show that I’m open to learning and trying new things

Nothing puts holes in our credibility more than conveying the impression that we have all the answers. And, it is arrogant to think that we can influence change in others without feeling the need to change something in ourselves as well.

After all, change is a learning experience in itself. If we believe that it is for everyone but us, we are likely not asking the right questions, enough questions, or paying attention to what is going on around us.

I demonstrate respect for the experiences and knowledge of others.

One of the best ways to build credibility is to observe those who have gone before us and learn from their experiences.  If we want to be heard we must first listen.

When I challenge the status quo, I offer feasible and thoughtful alternatives.

To me, presenting a problem without considering a solution is not supporting change.  It is simply complaining.  This doesn’t mean that we have to have a solution for every problem.  But if we want to earn credibility, we have to consider not only the problem, but also the possibilities and questions that will stimulate further exploration.

I own up to being human and making mistakes. And, when I make mistakes, I apologize and then do my best to make amends.

Making excuses for the mistakes we make is simply unproductive and, well, not very attractive either. In general, we do not adversely affect our credibility when we make mistakes. We adversely affect our credibility when we try to cover them up, rationalize them away, blame them on someone else or otherwise pretend  they didn’t happen.

That’s what I think anyway.  What do you think?

Putting Rules in Their Place

To live a civilized life, we need rules, but when do rules start working against us instead of for us?  I think it is when they morph into something that satisfies the few while serving to control and stifle the ideas, ambitions and progress of the many.

Witness the British Government in 1964.  This was a time when, musically, the British invasion was happening everywhere… except inBritain where the government there placed a ban on Rock ‘n Roll music.  In fact, British rock and pop broadcasters were allowed only two hours of airtime per week, despite a growing demand for it from the public at large.

Here, from the movie, Pirate Radio is an idea (although somewhat exaggerated) of the government attitude of the time on this subject.

Your organization may not look very much like that. But as its leader, or one of its leaders, you will also have rules. Some will have preceded you.  Some you will make yourself.  Some you will develop with others.  And some will be imposed upon you. Whatever their genesis, these rules were at one time or another put in place for a reason.  In my experience though, it is often the case that the reason disappears long before the rule that was developed to address it.  As a result, governments and organizations alike accumulate rules that no longer serve any useful purpose.  An example of this comes from the Province of Alberta where the law still states “businesses must provide rails for tying up horses”.

The point is, that while rules must be respected, they should never be viewed as sacrosanct.  As such, they are fair game for challenge.

The process of putting rules under scrutiny does not necessarily have to be a big undertaking.  It could be simply a matter of developing a habit of examining them through different lenses, like these three, to confirm their continued effectiveness:

 Relevance in the current environment

If the rule in question seems more to hinder than contribute to your progress, it may be time to give it closer examination. Why was it made in the first place?  Do those conditions currently exist? What purpose might it continue to serve? If you abolish it, what are the risk factors associated with doing so? How will it affect other areas, or people, in your organization?

Alignment with organizational purpose, and values

In my mind, rules must fit with purpose and values, not the other way around.

For example, in Florida recently, a young lifeguard was fired for going outside the bounds of his designated area to save a drowning man.  The company’s argument for firing him was that he disobeyed a rule and they were concerned about being exposed to litigation.

It seems to me that the organization’s purpose was essentially to keep people safe from drowning. In fact, as it is a private lifeguarding company, keeping people safe from drowning is its whole reason for being.  But, had this particular lifeguard obeyed the rule and stayed within his designated area, a man might very well have lost his life.  So, while there may still be a place for this rule, in order to fit with the organizational purpose, it requires examination and change for alignment.

Accuracy of assumptions

Sometimes rules are made based on false assumptions so it’s always a good idea when examining a rule to consider the beliefs on which it is based.  Simply asking, ‘by enforcing this rule, what might we be assuming?’ could trigger a useful discussion about its continued place in the organization.

=====================================

So here’s the bottom line.  Rules have their place but they form only part of the framework that allows people the opportunity to do their best work.  Outdated, irrelevant, self-serving rules can get in the way. If you are a leader, you can’t afford to let that happen.

That’s what I think anyway.  What do you think?

Please Note: The clip from the movie “Pirate Radio” is not used for commercial purposes or financial gain.  It is respectfully borrowed  for illustration purposes only and not intended to infringe on copyright.

Change and the Credibility Factor

This is a refreshed version of a post I wrote just over three years ago.  I’m giving it another airing because, at its core, leadership is about change and exploring new territory.  No leader can do that successfully without having earned the confidence of those s/he leads.  It’s as simple and as complicated as that.

=======================================================

I’ve been thinking about what it is that separates a person who seems to be able to influence change in a positive direction, from a person who might have the authority and the technical skill to do the work, but seems unable to pull it off.

The word credibility comes to mind.  The Thesaurus suggests that credibility is synonymous with trustworthiness, integrity and sincerity. I think that if these basic values are present, the chances of arousing the interest and respect of other people are pretty good. And, I believe too, that change agents come in many forms, manifest themselves in a variety of ways and at a variety of levels.

Thinking about that reinforces for me, the notion that it is credibility not title, position, role or authority that makes the difference between an effective leader and an ineffective one.

So, if you are with me so far, the big question seems to be ” How do I prove my credibility to others?”

Here’s what I think it takes to earn credibility:

I do what I say I’m going to do… and I do it, when I say I’m going to do it.

Reliability is an important ingredient in establishing credibility.

There’s nothing more infuriating or counter-productive, than when someone makes a commitment to do something and then fails to follow through.

I represent myself honestly and do my best to be candid and open with my colleagues and bosses.

I think that to gain credibility with others we must simply find the courage and confidence to be ourselves and make our contributions without pretense or bravado.

I show that I’m open to learning and trying new things

Nothing puts holes in our credibility as a leader more than conveying the impression that we have all the answers. And, it is arrogant to think that we can influence change in others without feeling the need to change something ourselves.

Change is a learning experience in itself. If we believe that it is for everyone but us, we are likely not asking the right questions, enough questions, or paying attention to what is going on around us.

I demonstrate respect for the experiences and knowledge of others.

One of the best ways to build credibility is to observe those who have gone before us and learn from their experiences.  If we want to be heard we must first listen.

When I challenge the status quo, I offer feasible and thoughtful alternatives.

To me, presenting a problem without considering a solution is not supporting change.  It is simply complaining.  This doesn’t mean that we have to have a solution for every problem.  But if we want to earn credibility, we have to consider not only the problem, but also the possibilities and questions that will stimulate further exploration.

I own up to being human and making mistakes. And, when I make mistakes, I apologize and then do my best to make amends.

Making excuses for the mistakes we make is simply unproductive and, well, not very attractive either. In general, we do not adversely affect our credibility when we make mistakes. We adversely affect our credibility when we try to cover them up, rationalize them away, or otherwise pretend they didn’t happen.

That’s what I think anyway. What do you think?

Leadership and the Challenge of Change

I am not a baseball fan.  Nonetheless the other day, I sat, somewhat reluctantly, in front of my television and watched the movie “Moneyball”.  I say somewhat reluctantly because, well, Brad Pitt was involved… so I forced myself.

For those who are unfamiliar with it, “Moneyball” is based on the story of Billy Beane, General Manager of the Oakland Athletics. It’s about how he defied deeply entrenched tradition and beliefs and changed the game’s system of player selection forever.

There are valuable lessons and reminders in this story that for any leader are worth considering when it comes to making change happen.  Here are just a few of them:

Begin by defining the problem correctly

Change usually begins with a problem. While everyone involved might acknowledge its existence, it would be a mistake to assume that everyone sees it in the same way.  Here is a clip

*  

Billy Beane saw the problem as one of disadvantage.  His scouts saw the problem, more traditionally, as one of deficiency.   If you fail to see the problem in the same way, resolving it will be that much harder.

To find a different solution, you have to employ different means and sometimes, different people

In order to better understand and resolve his problem, Billy partnered with a very unlikely individual.  Peter was an economist, newly graduated from a prestigious University, who had developed an unorthodox method of player evaluation.  It was an untested process and yet to Billy, it spoke of possibility.  Sometimes to make change happen, you’ve got to take a leap of faith.

Once you’re committed, there’s no going back

Billy’s story made me think about just how hard it is to make a major change in any organization.  At some point in the process the going is bound to get tough, often unbearably so.  In spite of it, a leader’s belief in what s/he is doing cannot waiver, especially in the face of naysayers.  Failure is always a possibility but giving up too soon, or not trying in the first place, is a kind of failure in itself.

In the face of immovable obstacles, go around

In the movie, the Oakland Athletics Team Manager was fiercely opposed to Billy’s new approach.  Billy’s suggestions for player positioning fell on deaf, and  very stubborn, ears.  The manager continued to play in his time-honoured way, honestly believing that Billy was making a terrible mistake.  No manner of persuasion would convince him otherwise.  So Billy traded the players favoured by the team manager, effectively forcing him to do something different.  Sometimes you have to rattle the cage hard.

Know when it’s your turn to take charge

The introduction of a new process and a new Assistant GM was a great boon to Billy in initiating change.  When something is working it is tempting to become reliant on it for all the answers.  However, good leaders understand that a system, process, or even the advice of others can only take you so far.  That means that on  occasion, decisions have to come from your own experience, your own talents and your own understanding of what’s going on.  It goes with the territory.

That’s what I think anyway.  What do you think?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Please Note: The clip used from the movie “Moneyball” is not used for commercial purposes or financial gain.  It is respectfully borrowed from Sony Pictures for illustration purposes only and not intended to infringe on copyright.

Leadership ~ Creating Stability in the Midst of Uncertainty

Over the holidays, I allowed my curiosity to scan the Internet for 2012 predictions.   It seems that we are in for a big year. In fact, according to a Mayan prophecy, on December 21, 2012, the World is to come to an end…again.  The good news is that apparently too, one quarter of our planet will be online so I suppose many of us will have some time to say our goodbyes before we all fade to black.

While my tongue remains firmly in cheek regarding prophesied world ending events, these thoughts give rise to the notion that there always seems to be something happening, changing, interfering with, or otherwise upsetting our equilibrium.  It’s the way of the world.  And, we are choosing to make our world more intricate and more accessible which renders our day-today dance both exciting and sometimes horribly stressful.

To me, all this suggests that a leader’s role, (at least one of them), is to create a platform for stability, often where none exists, because in a world of constant change and increased complexity, people need to feel anchored to something they can count on.

For some, it is as simple as knowing that in the face of the unknown, they can still be all right.  For example, during the Second World War, The British Government gave the people of Britain reassurance that they can still be all right through a poster campaign that said, among other things, “Keep Calm and Carry On”.

Of course it wasn’t the only thing they did to help sustain the people but it served as a vote of confidence in the spirit and capability of the British people to stay the course and overcome the hardship, terror and uncertainty that war had foisted upon them.  They, in turn, rose to the occasion finding ways to support each other; share what little resources they had and keep their upper lips proudly stiff.

Today too, we are bursting with uncertainty. We have come to know that just at the moment we begin to feel steady, things are going to change. So finding ways to create stability amid inconstancy is, in my view anyway, a primary goal for the 21^st Century leader.

The question is, how? The answer is…well I’m not sure.  But I have some ideas and here they are:

1.    Be Purposeful

Knowing our organizational purpose is a great beginning to creating stability. After all, while change affects the way we go about fulfilling the purpose, the purpose itself, more often than not remains the same.

2.    Extend the purpose beyond the confines of organizational boundaries.

Most organizations support charities or causes of some kind.  Just as the causes can vary, so can the motivation for supporting them. To me though, doing good works that align with the organizational purpose helps the company grow roots and contribute to the creation of stable communities, both inside and outside corporate boundaries.

3.    Keep Learning

Broadening our knowledge base creates a more stable environment.  In other words, the more we know and understand the less there is to fear.  So giving true value and support to learning, not just training, will build a company of people who are confident, resilient and eager to see and experience what comes around the corner

4.    Be Guided by a set of strongly held values

World events, economic instability and a constant feed of both useful and useless information contribute to a dizzying existence for most people.  Sometimes we just need to stop and remember what’s important and what we stand for.   It’s kind of like being out in rough seas.  When we can’t see the shore and the boat is tossing us around mercilessly, our values serve as the lighthouse beacon that gives us the promise of solid ground.

5.    Take Blame out of the Equation

When things go wrong, and they do, it’s easy to panic.  When we panic we look to place blame.  Blame is the enemy of stability.  It rattles people and often for the wrong reasons.  Blame is not about accountability it is about passing a hot potato and making sure it lands in someone else’s lap.

Taking blame out of the organizational culture and replacing it with a more solution oriented demeanor allows more people the confidence to participate in solving problems as they arise rather than spending time looking for ways to take cover.

That’s what comes to mind for me anyway.  What about you?  How do you help people Keep Calm and Carry on?

Take a Look at Yourself ~ And Then Make That Change

This week, I’d like to introduce you to Kaity Nakagoshi. Kaity is employed by the University of Notre Dame’s on-line certificate program where she “works closely with leaders and managers whose voices are on the web through community outreach and internet marketing”. I have invited Kaity to write a guest post here because I believe online education plays an important role in our opportunity and ability to learn, and apply new learning, on a daily basis. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today’s leaders must be experts in change management in order to guide their teams towards organizational goals. In business, change is the one thing you can always count on – and now, it happens faster than ever. Unfortunately, not everyone embraces change. In fact, some employees actively resist it. Not everyone is a born leader, but most can learn the tools and techniques used by respected leaders to influence others and bring about change.

Building Trust Leads to Embracing Change

Would you like to inspire your employees to embrace new initiatives and work toward common goals? For some leaders, that may seem effortless, but in reality, they’ve worked to gain the trust of the people they lead. Cultivating a high level of trust is essential to getting things done efficiently and cost-effectively – both of which are required in a competitive business environment. Here are three tips to quickly build trust:

1. Trust Yourself: To be a leader, you need self-confidence. Confident people live their beliefs. They back up their words with commitment, and they always speak the truth. When you trust in yourself first, your ability to earn the trust of others will follow.
2. Acknowledge Past Missteps: Perhaps you weren’t completely truthful, or haven’t followed through on your promises. If so, it’s quite likely that your staff noticed your missteps. Before you can ask for their trust, you must take responsibility for past actions.
3. Be Accountable: Effective leaders require accountability from their people, and are accountable to their people. Don’t promise what you can’t deliver. For example, have your bicycle commuters requested a bike rack? Be proactive and have one installed. Is flexible scheduling a wish-list item for your employees? These efforts will not go unnoticed – they will trust that you “walk the walk.”

Continuous Improvements Require Thorough Training

A smooth-running, productive team is comprised of individuals who have the opportunity to contribute their best efforts toward common goals. But first, they must clearly understand the reasons and objectives behind a new project or process, and how they fit in. Next, they need to feel comfortable taking on their share of the responsibility. If there are any gaps in the team’s capabilities, it’s time for additional training. Effective leaders recognize each employee’s strengths and abilities, and assign tasks accordingly.

Effective Leaders Focus on Customers

Customer-driven enterprises exist to serve the needs of customers. All improvements to processes, procedures and operations must support this goal. The best leaders track customer demands and share with their teams, so everyone can fully understand the changes they are asked to implement. Operations improvements that will benefit the customer are much more accepted.

Don’t Settle For Less Than Excellence in Communication

Your team will trust in your leadership, as long as they know that their efforts are for the greater good. But it’s also important to be consistent and honest in your communication. Empowering your team members to feel comfortable with sharing information, asking questions and voicing their ideas is a key to success. Good, honest communication helps build trust, and it’s no stretch to say that every great leader is an excellent communicator.

Change Management Comes From Effective Leadership

The best leaders have the ability to keep their own goals in sight, while also focusing on those of their team members and the organization at large. Moving a business toward meeting its objectives requires that each member of the team have a stake in those objectives. When procedures change, individuals often feel uncomfortable and lose sight of the goal. This can lead to a drop in confidence, morale, and productivity. Building trust, providing training, focusing on customers’ needs and providing clear communication are essential to fostering effective change. Try these ways to strengthen your leadership skills, and you’ll have a much better impact on your team’s performance

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This article was submitted by the University of Notre Dame, in partnership with the University Alliance. The University of Notre Dame provides all the necessary tools and resources to gain an executive certificate in leadership and management online.  To see additional information please visit http://www.notredameonline.com/.

Surviving the Fire ~ 5 Things I need From You

I think we know by now that leadership does not always involve building something up.  Sometimes, it’s about dismantling something to make room for something else or reducing something rather than growing it. These are hard times involving difficult conversations, conversations that affect the lives of others…and not in a good way.

I’ve been thinking about the times when I’ve had such conversations with people, when change was afoot and jobs were diminishing or disappearing altogether.  And I’ve been thinking too about how the sting of losing a job can be slightly eased, or made infinitely worse, by the person delivering the news.

So, if you are such a person, let’s pretend that you are my boss and you have to tell me that I no longer have a job.  I’m fired. It’s a nerve-wracking proposition, I know, and one that you’d probably give anything to be able to delegate.  But you can’t.  So it’s you and me kid.  And, when the time comes, here’s what I’m going to need from you:

The straight goods:

Beating about the bush might make you feel better but it won’t help me.  Come to the point right away.  Do not launch into a soliloquy about the company’s challenges, concerns or plans before letting me have it.  After all, I’m not going to be part of your future.  And really, at this point, I’m not likely to care am I?

Simply tell me you have bad news and then tell me what it is.  If I want an explanation after that, (and I most likely will) I’ll ask for it.

Some direction:

Before we sit down together, please be prepared to tell me what is to happen immediately after our interview and in the ensuing period.  You may appreciate that I will feel a little stunned and disoriented.  If you anticipate this and make sure that all the information and documentation I need to begin the process of moving on is promptly available to me, it will help me feel just a little safer.

Some Support:

I may not need or want you to “hold my hand”, but it’s possible that I will need you to listen to me.  This may take time.  Please allow me this.  If I am emotional give me a tissue, and the benefit of your quiet presence.  If I am angry allow me to vent just a little.  I may say things I don’t mean.  To use the vernacular, suck it up.  It’s not really about you.

Your professionalism

I know delivering this kind of news is terribly hard. For this reason you might be tempted to say things that will sound, well, kind of empty and insincere.  I need you to practice what you are going to say to me so that when the time comes, you will deliver your message with clarity, empathy and without apology.  There’s a difference between feeling sorry and apologizing.  Don’t get the two mixed up.

My dignity intact:

Please allow me to make a dignified exit from the workplace. I am not a criminal.  My job may be redundant but I’m not. Please do not frog march me out of the premises with my potted plant and my personal items in a box or demand my keys and passwords in front of my peers. The truth is, I’m more likely to speak well of you and the company if you treat me with respect.

============================================================================

Here’s my bottom line on this.  Terminating someone’s employment is one of the most difficult things a leader must do.  It is important to remember though that it is infinitely more difficult for the person on the receiving end.  Doing all we can to help that person make a dignified and minimally painful transition to his or her next step is simply the right thing to do.

That’s what I think anyway. What do you think?

Leadership and Innovation

Steve Jobs once said, “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower”

It made me think that success in any endeavour today depends on our ability to create new things, embrace new ideas, experiment, risk… and change.   Without this, business, large and small, loses its competitive edge and customers drift away, looking for the next best thing.

Other organizations find themselves in the shallow end of a small and crowded funding pool, struggling to raise enough profile to fulfill their purpose.

There is a huge role for leadership in creating and living a culture that values innovation.  In this culture, innovation becomes everybody’s job, with all brains engaged in the pursuit of what now and what’s next.

So, the question is, what must be present and  valued in an organization in order to create this innovative culture?

Well, probably lots of things but this is what comes to mind first for me:

Diversity ~ in every way that one human being is different from another.

While our natural tendency is to gravitate towards those who are like us, innovation lies most often in unexplored places and with people who vary in thought, background, experience, gender, age, ethnicity and skill.  The wider the net is cast, the greater the opportunity for innovation.

Relentless Change ~ as an accepted norm.

Those who embrace innovation, also embrace change.  They expect it.  They create it. They even demand it.  Innovation and change are inextricably linked.  As the song goes, “ you can’t have one without the other”

Open communication ~ at all levels

Innovation requires us to listen deeply, speak candidly, question constantly, challenge openly, and get a little messy in the process.  In other words, an organization that values innovation will be light on bureaucracy and heavy on curiosity and transparency.

Failure ~ as a learning tool

In order to break through the barriers of sameness and routine, we have to experiment and risk failure.  Failure happens. In an innovative environment it is also expected because with each defeat we get closer to learning about what it will take to succeed.

There are, of course some structural considerations in the development of an innovative organization.  For instance, if you expect people to be at their most creative it’s probably not a good idea to put them in an office structure that includes a maze of Dilbert style cubicles.  Creativity has its own demands and so flexibility in the way people work, and when, is often a more appropriate and productive choice.

There are other possible structures too, ones designed to capture and process ideas as they are born and ones that reward both successes and failures.

To me, though, however we go about it, the goal for the leader is to make it possible for as many people as possible to contribute their most creative thoughts and abilities to the business, whatever that business might be.

And, speaking of creative, in my Internet meanderings, I came across one Jeremy Gutsche, a Canadian innovation expert and chief “Trend Spotter” at TrendHunter.com.  Jeremy  maintains that our current precarious economic climate presents much opportunity for innovation. Here, in a keynote presentation, he has some really interesting ideas to share about innovation and culture.  It is thirty minutes long but well worth the time.

So, what would you add to the list of must have values or structures for an innovative culture to thrive?  How do you encourage innovation in your organization?

Change…And Six Ways To Reinforce It.

I think it was Alphonse Karr who first said, “The more things change, the more they stay the same” And, if we look back in history we will no doubt find a myriad of examples that bear this out.  The thing about change though, is that while it’s happening, it feels new, raw, foreign and unfamiliar. So, making a planned change successful is probably one of the most challenging things a leader can undertake.

A few weeks ago Anne Perschel wrote a post called “Leading Change: The Playbook Chapter 1, Principles 1 & 2”, those principles being, Empathize and Involve.

After reading Anne’s post, I began to think about what might follow after everyone has come to appreciate the need and urgency for change and signed on.

The word that kept coming up for me was Reinforce.

For instance, I remember the year I stopped smoking.

I had been thinking of doing it for a while, not for any noble reason, but because my office building was about to be declared a smoke-free zone and I didn’t fancy smoking on the street.  And too, smoking, I was told, would give me wrinkles.  (I am nothing if not vain).

In spite of my initial enthusiasm, as I moved through the process of changing from a smoker to a non-smoker, my commitment to it began to wane.  The new vision I held of myself as a non-smoker started to blur and the temptation to revert to my old ways grew stronger. That’s pretty typical, even when we choose to change.  That’s why reinforcement is vitally important.

So what must we do to provide this reinforcement?  Well, here’s what I think.

Watch and Listen ~ Over the course of the change process, people will suffer in a variety of ways.  For example, when I stopped smoking, I gained weight; I contracted shingles; and I experienced inexplicable emotional meltdowns. While this may not be a consequence of organizational change, you can bet there will be other kinds of suffering and stress in the air.  Watching carefully and listening for the signs will allow us the opportunity to anticipate the negative effects of change and mitigate them to avoid the potential for derailment.

Keep the empathy coming~ I believe people are more willing to stay the course of change when their leaders genuinely strive to understand and share their feelings during each stage of the process.  That means travelling down the road with them and bringing our own emotions with us.

Keep everyone’s eyes on the prize ~ Just as I had to be reminded, and continually imagine, life as a non-smoker, in change initiatives, so must we, as leaders, keep the new vision alive in the hearts and minds of people who follow us. I needed someone to tell me that my suffering would, in the end, be worthwhile. So will they.

Burn the bridges that Lead back to the old world~ I think, if we want people to move away from the old world, we have to render that world unattainable. For example, I was no longer going to be able to enjoy smoking at my desk or even in the cafeteria at work.  That world had changed.  And so, even if I wanted to go back to the way things were, I couldn’t.  The bridge had been burned.  So, a question to ask ourselves might be, to what extent have I dismantled the trappings of our old world?

Model what we want to see ~ No matter how much encouragement my colleagues who smoked gave me in my quest to stop, it was hard for me to believe them as they offered me their best advice between cigarette breaks. Being mindful of our own actions as we move through change keeps things real for everyone. Simply put, if we want others to change, we have to change too…and go first.

Recognize and acknowledge behaviour and actions that align with the new ~ Real change comes about when we begin to notice new behaviour and actions in others. When this occurs, it is crucial to acknowledge those who are both consciously and unconsciously bringing the change to fruition.  It is a prime opportunity for reinforcement, especially for those people who continue to struggle with the prospect of embracing the new world.

What do you think? What have I missed?  What other principles besides empathize, involve and reinforce come to mind for you when you contemplate the challenge of change?