When the Grasshopper Teaches the Master

This post, from January 2010, is about the importance of being open to learning from those we might traditionally expect to teach.

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My son has been helping me learn more about Social Media.  He is the one who turned me on to the joys of blogging.  He helped me get started on Twitter too.   As a person with a degree in New Media, he is almost evangelical about the advantages and benefits of social networking. It is the way of the future, he says.  I believe him.  And, I know there is so much more that he can teach me.

Thinking about this more, and in the context of leading organizations, there is a lot to be said for learning from younger people. While we veterans can teach the invaluable lessons of the past, they can teach us the path to the future.  And that is worth paying attention to.

For instance, people of my generation often grapple with the wonders of technology with varying degrees of success.  Some of us are totally immersed and intrigued by what can be accomplished in a wireless world, (including all the cool toys that come along with it). Others of us are hard pressed to know how to turn on our computers, if indeed we even own one.   But, no matter where we are on the technology learning curve, the one thing we know for sure is that to learn it, we have to consult those who have the skill and it’s highly doubtful that we will find this expertise in people older than ourselves.

That’s why I like the idea of mentorships in organizations working both ways.

It should be pretty simple really.

Take young Person A, who knows about something and put him or her together with older Person B who doesn’t know much at all about that particular something. Then let the learning begin.

All right, so it’s not that simple

People of the older generation… well, we have our pride.  We like the idea of mentoring someone younger because it seems to us to flow with the accepted order of things…  you know, the Master and Grasshopper type of relationship.   However, when it is the Grasshopper doing the teaching, it can make us feel somehow redundant, even stupid and that’s not something one willingly puts a hand up for.

Alternately, people of a younger generation may not see the benefits of slowing down to help us older ones learn things that are, to them, elementary my dear Watson. They may also feel they are carrying a load for someone who might even make more money than they do and from whom they see no reciprocal reward.  There’s not much fun in that either.

So to begin with, I think that a successful Young master/Old Grasshopper relationship needs to begin with an attitude check on both sides.

And you spell that R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

Of course along with that has to come a certain measure of empathy that allows the older to appreciate the skills and knowledge of the younger; and the younger to give credence to the lessons that only an older generation can teach.

With that established, I can think of a few practical steps that might help the Young Master/ Old Grasshopper set off on the road to building a mutually rewarding relationship.  Here they are:

Determine a skill base line

There is nothing more counterproductive, or annoying, than making assumptions about what a person knows or does not know.  Spending a little time determining current skill levels within the context of the subject matter is a good use of time.

Take time to set some goals

Technology, for instance, encompasses a huge body of knowledge.  To make some headway and avoid being overwhelmed, discuss what you want to be able to do and how it might benefit your work before you start tackling applications that may, or may not, move you in the right direction.  Goals will also give you benchmarks against which you can monitor progress.  There is something very satisfying about that for both parties in the relationship.

Establish good communication habits

For the most part this means speaking plainly; being truthful; and regularly checking for understanding.

Have Fun

Working with someone to learn something new and seeing that new thing being applied in real time is exciting!  Enjoy the journey and the person with whom you are taking it and my hunch is, you will both profit from the experience.

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

Failure…The Other “F” Word

This post, from 2009, is about the possibilities that failure can provide if viewed as something other than a personal defeat or an instrument of blame.  After all, in the wise words of Winston Churchill: “Success is not final, failure not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”

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Failure. I don’t like it.  And, I defy anyone to put up a hand and volunteer if asked, “Okay, so who wants to fail today?”

The fact is though, unless we live in a bubble and do nothing, we are going to fail at something.  Failure is a part of living and, often, the very thing that makes success so exhilarating, if only by contrast.

Leaders experience failure all the time. Indeed, it is often failure that gives them the fuel and determination to succeed in the end. So, if you are new to leadership, know that to be a good leader, sometimes you’re also going to fail.

Some people will say that however you look at it, failure is failure.  But I can think of two kinds of failure, the glorious kind and the pointless kind.

The late Randy Pausch, author of The Last Lecture, talked about glorious failure. As a professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh PA, he regularly put out challenges to his students and then gave an award to the team of students that failed to meet their stated objectives.  He gave the award in acknowledgement of their dedication to new ideas; to their willingness to take risk and; to the effort they made toward achieving something that no one else had dared to try.

To me, glorious failures are also those that come from genuine effort.  These are failures that are used as springboards to something else.  They represent a piece of a larger puzzle and are used for learning, growth and exploration.

But, failures become pointless when we don’t pay attention to the lessons they teach.  I expect we do this for a number of reasons.  It can be embarrassing to try something and fall flat on our faces.  So the temptation to pretend it didn’t happen or to find someone to blame is often very strong.

Indeed, in some organizations, there is little tolerance for failure, at least in my experience.  Time is spent, and wasted, in rationalizing and blaming. The lessons that come from failure then become lost and useless.  And, people are less and less willing to explore new possibilities.

When it comes to trying new things I believe that good leaders do two things.

First, they focus on success.  That means they will do whatever they can to anticipate potential pitfalls that could get in the way of achieving their goal and work on mitigating these obstacles so that the way to the goal becomes less onerous.

Second, should they fail to meet their intended objective, they focus on learning. That means they will examine the outcome and circumstances  as dispassionately as possible with a view to squeezing as much juice out of the situation as possible.  To me, it goes something like this:

• Determine what worked and keep it for use at another time
• Acknowledge what didn’t work and determine what might be done differently next time.
• Take corrective action as required
• Remember the lesson and move on

And, if looking for someone to blame, good leaders look in the mirror first.

Oh, and just in case you want more evidence that failure can indeed lead to success consider this:

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

Leadership and the Value of Exploring Beyond Your Door

‘Jabiroo’ & Mount Rainier

Before I start, just let me say, I am not a sailor.  In fact being one of those humans with middle-ear issues, my experience with anything that goes with the flow has been known to involve something decidedly, and messily, unpleasant.  I have, however, nothing but admiration for those who choose, (and have the stomach for) sailing.  In fact, I’m slightly jealous of them.  There is a certain kind of freedom associated with living out on the open water.  It offers experiences that go beyond the imagination of the ordinary landlubber.  And, it proffers the kind of education that expands the worldview in a way that no bricks and mortar educational institution could match.

Witness Tristan Bridge, a thirteen year-old sailor and writer who produced this remarkable essay:

I am born from days without seeing land, those days when the horizons seem to blend into one another.  I am from the swells of the ocean rocking me to sleep; then I wake up and I’m not quite sure which country I’m in.  I am from those hours when the world seems to pause finally stopping to catch a breath.  I am from the most isolated settings, places that have yet to feel the taint of human interference.  I am an adolescent of the world, born from the simplicity of life, caught somewhere in between passive existence and the struggles of mortality.

Exploring by Cheval, my family’s Outremer 55 catamaran, is a way of existence.  We are the people with an unquenchable desire for answers.  We are the people who truly have no bounds.  The world unfolds at our hands – a mixture of peoples, a mixture of every lifestyle.  There are no boundaries to our curiosity.  We live only to cross the next horizon, to set foot on the next continent.  Our shoes have trod the corners of life.  We flourish in the secluded portions of our globe, and we retain experiences from each place we visit.  Our planet has much to offer; many possibilities await us.  Out at sea, anything can happen; places exist that seem beyond the imagination, and there are people to meet who define kindness.  I challenge you to immerse yourself in cultures and learn the traditions of our world.  Cast off the chains of immobility, because there’s something beyond your door”

We may not all be sailors.  But what this passage says to me is that we can all be explorers of one kind or another.  And, if you are a leader in any capacity and haven’t yet thought beyond the boundaries of your balance sheet, you may be wise to better develop the muscle that will stimulate your own “unquenchable desire for answers”.

You should do this because the world is small and you will need to understand what’s going on in it if you are going to survive.  That sounds dramatic, I know. But, more and more I’m noticing that success, and happiness too, depend on people being able to work together effectively. It’s so much easier to do that if you can bring empathy and wisdom that comes from varied experience to the table.

That’s the philosophy anyway.  And, from the level of maturity and intelligence that emanates from Tristan Bridge, it is a pretty sound one.

On a more practical level, aside from setting sail to places unknown, how might more leaders widen their own worldview and provide similar opportunities for those who follow them?

Well, not being short on opinions, I have some thoughts about that and here they are:

Read widely and encourage others to do the same ~. This may sound like a given but in my observation, those who read a wide variety of material seem better able to make bigger picture connections.  I’m not talking about just reading business books.  While those can be helpful in building skill, to achieve more worldly understanding I think you have to read other kinds of books too including novels, biographies and history books, magazines and newspapers.  As well, for those who prefer visual learning, there are a great many excellent films that serve to open eyes and provoke thought.  All these provide much insight into human nature, trends and patterns of behaviour.

Honour Diversity ~ This speaks to Tristan’s challenge to “immerse yourself in cultures and learn the traditions of the world”.  It’s not easy, this diversity thing.  We are creatures of habit.  We like structure.  We are fond of our opinions and our biases.  And yet, there is much to be learned from seeking to understand other perspectives and from being curious about how the world works for someone else.  It helps us build empathy and while empathizing does not equal agreeing it can help us to soften the edges of our rigidity and open doors to things we may not have considered before.

Engage people whose experience is deeper and richer than the content of their resumes ~ Some leaders will seek solely to hire those whose academic credentials will meet, or even exceed, job requirements. While this certainly has to hold weight in hiring decisions, those who bring rich life experience to the table often prove to be better decision-makers and problem-solvers than those who don’t.

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The bottom line is that success in these times will depend on our ability to reach beyond our current level of understanding about the world and about each other. Whether we choose to sail to far-flung places or find other ways to expand our knowledge, we must reach out and explore beyond our own particular doors.

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

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. 

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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

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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/.

“I Went on A Search to Become a Leader”…

This post is something of a preamble to a new post I will be publishing on Tuesday September 6th called “In Search of NOW Leaders…NOW” (watch for it won’t you?).  As far as I know, the poet remains unknown, but the message the poem sends is quite powerful and points out that leadership, even in all of its complexity, can at times be as simple as caring about others; rolling up our sleeves and joining in the work.  Enjoy.

A Leader?

I went on a search to become a leader

I searched high and low.  I spoke with authority, people listened but alas, there

Was one who was wiser than I and they followed him

I sought to inspire confidence but the crowd responded.

“Why should we trust you?”

I postured and I assumed the look of leadership with a countenance that glowed

with confidence and pride.

But many passed me by and never noticed my air of elegance.

I ran ahead of others, pointing the way to new heights.

I demonstrated that I knew the route to greatness.

And then I looked back and I was alone.

And I sat me down and I pondered long.

And then I listened to the voices around me.

And I heard what the group was trying to accomplish

I rolled up my sleeves and joined in the work.

As we worked, I asked,

“Are we all together in what we want to do and how to get the job done?”

And we thought together and we fought together

And we struggled towards our goal.

I found myself encouraging the fainthearted

I sought ideas of those too shy to speak out.

I taught those who had little skill.

I praised those who worked hard.

When our task was completed, one of the groups turned to me and said, “This would not have been done but for your leadership.”

At first, I said, “I didn’t lead, I just worked with the rest.”

And then I understood, leadership is not a goal.

It’s a way of reaching a goal.

I lead best when I help others to use themselves creatively.

I lead best when I forget about myself as leader and focus on my group, their needs and their goals.

To lead is to serve, to give, to achieve

TOGETHER.

 

What was your search like? 

Becoming a leader…Shifting the Balance of Power.

While this post is a “repeat performance”, I think reflecting on some of  the changes we must make when we first undertake a leadership role never goes amiss… and is worth repeating from time to time.  What do you think?

When I first became a manager, I tried to be friends with everyone.  Often that meant that I regularly went out to lunch with one or two of them.  I confided in some of them…personal things.  I expressed my private frustrations, cares, fears and concerns to them. I became personally involved in their lives.   And, while I was doing all of that, I was not doing my job.

And then one day, someone came to me and told me I was failing her.  Oh, she didn’t use those exact words but that’s what she meant.  From her perspective, she felt that I might be favouring one or two of the group over the others.  And, truth be told, she was worried because my own issues seemed to be distracting me.  She didn’t feel safe.  She wasn’t sure I was being fair.

Well, this came as something of a shock to me.  All I had been trying to do was be one of them; to let them know that I was human; that by being their friend, they could trust me. I was wrong.  They didn’t need me to be their friend.  They needed leadership from me.  And, up until that point, the only person who had shown any leadership at all was the brave woman who came to tell me how I was letting her down.

This is a hard lesson for a newly minted leader to learn but it is a truth that anyone who wants to be a good leader needs to know.

So what did I learn?

Well, I can think of a couple of things and here they are:

The minute you become a designated leader is also the minute the balance of power shifts

This means that as leader you will have influence over other peoples’ working lives, something you didn’t have before.  Those people will be looking for evidence that they can trust you with that.

The Relationships you develop must transcend personal feelings and biases

In other words, your job is not to be everyone’s friend but to ensure that the group and the individuals, who work in it, get what they need to give their best effort.

People who look to you for leadership are less interested in your worries and more interested in your ability to meet their needs.

Simply put, being a leader is not about you.  If you believe yourself to be more important because you carry a title, you might want to think about that a little more.  Your job is only done well if you have enabled others to excel in theirs.

So, what are your thoughts?  What would you add?  What do you think it takes to make a successful transition from individual contributor to leader?

Where Leadership Begins

I’m having a bit of a rant today.  I hope you will indulge me.  It doesn’t happen often but the events of the past few days in Vancouver have preyed on my mind.

A picture is worth a thousand words, or so they say.  But, for the life of me I can’t think what this picture is saying to me.  I only know I’m appalled and sad beyond words when I look at it.

photo by Anthony Bolante/Reuters

I believe that leadership begins with each of us, from the inside out.  That’s why I call this blog You’re Not the Boss of Me, because in the end, we are led by our choices and we influence others through our own behaviour.

When I look at this young woman, I wonder to what extent she appreciates the impact this picture, captured forever, will have on her life.  I wonder too if she has yet to learn the lesson of balance…not the work/life kind, but the rights/responsibilities kind.

How many others are out there who feel entitled enough to see nothing wrong with this image?

She may say, “We were only having fun”, but her city is being trashed and she is smiling and posing in a way that suggests she doesn’t care…that her only concern is to have a souvenir to show her friends.

I, for one, find that frightening.

Of course, this one young woman does not speak for the myriad of other young men and women everywhere who are doing great things for both themselves and others.  I worry though that more of us are neglecting to teach our children some of the basic lessons of living a rewarding and responsible life.

How could it be that when interviewed about being charged with looting, another young woman was heard to say to the press, “Somebody gave me the purse.  I knew it was stolen but I took it anyway. There’s nothing wrong with that. I didn’t steal it.”

This country is rife with privilege and plenty.  Those who fail to instill gratitude, responsibility and compassion for others in their children are doing them a huge disfavour and the rest of the world a disservice.

Leadership begins with us.  And it begins at home.

What do you think?

Going First

Photo by Erik Johansson

Leadership is a very big and often complex topic.  In very simple (possibly even simplistic) terms though, it’s about going first.  It’s also about having a clear sense of purpose and about engaging others in believing that the purpose is something worth pursuing; something that can be trusted; something that will make things better, not worse.

That’s the hard part.  Going first puts us under harsh scrutiny, creates (often vehement) opposition and sometimes gives rise to sabotage.  It also represents change and while we often talk about embracing it, for many of us, embracing change is sort of like, as children, having to give a distant and unfamiliar relative a hug.   You know you should, but you don’t really want to.

Going first asks a lot of us.

It asks us to be bold without being obnoxious  ~ willing to risk rejection, to bend rules, to make new ones, to explore uncharted waters but to resist the belief that only our own views count.

It asks us to be resilient without being stubborn ~ to learn to cope with stress, disappointment, criticism, to bounce back from adversity; but to maintain a level of vulnerability that allows us to express our emotions; show our humanity and accept the things we need to see about ourselves.

It asks us to be tolerant without being a pushover ~ to listen to, and learn from, opposing views but to challenge those that work against our purpose or values.

It asks us to be tough without being callous ~ to hold ourselves and others accountable for the decisions we make but to do so in a way that creates lessons rather than metes out punishment.

It is not an easy road but many choose it because they have a dream; because they see something and want something that the rest of us have yet to consider.  And, they want to help us get there.

So, if you are one of those people, the question is how do you blaze your trail and convince others that it is a road worth following?  Yes, I know.  It’s a very big question.  But, I have some ideas and also some very interesting places to point you to, so here goes:

Keep the Fundamentals of Being a Good Boss in Mind

There is a plethora of Leadership blogs out there.  Frankly, It is hard to determine which ones are going to do the trick for you.  But, here are a couple of places to start.  First, Wally Bock’s Three Star Leadership Blog is an excellent place to go for reference material and practical down to earth advice about how to be a good boss.  Similarly, Art Petty’s Blog, Management Excellence is equally thought provoking and informative.

The point is, there are a lot of fancy and complicated views about what it means to go first and bring others happily along with you.  Wally and Art will help you to get at what’s most important.

Be Clear about your Vision and Purpose

If you are even the least bit fuzzy about where you want to go, going first can turn into going alone.  This is where bringing clarity to your vision and purpose is critical.  To help you do that, I note that Jesse Lyn Stoner and Ken Blanchard have released a second edition of their book, Full Steam Ahead ~ Unleash the Power of Vision in Your Work and Your Life.  This book is written for those of us who enjoy a good story (and who doesn’t?).  It examines the notion of creating a vision, (which can have rather ethereal connotations) and brings it to life in a very real way.

Develop a Thick Skin

In order to be bold and to bounce back from the inevitable setbacks, going first often creates, we have to learn to take disappointment in stride and to hold ourselves in high enough esteem to weather undue or unfair criticism.

Anne Perschel of Germaine Consulting, recently wrote a blog post entitled,  Hold the Botox – Thicken Your Skin While its message is pointed at women, I think both women and men could learn something about developing resilience from Anne.

As well, I read another post from Jane Perdue in her blog Get Your Big On called, “When Pretty isn’t a Compliment ~ A story of Resilience This story illustrates how easy it is for the balloon of self-confidence to suffer from even the slightest pinprick if we are not vigilant.

And finally:

Learn to Coach …and Get a Coach

If you want to go first with purpose it is always a good idea to find someone you can trust to help you get there and hold you accountable for the things you want and the things you say you are going to do.  A coach can help you with that.  As well, if you want others to follow your lead, learning to be a good coach is a must, especially if you want them to follow you happily.

One of my favourite coaches is Mary Jo Asmus.  Mary Jo writes an excellent blog and one that is on my regular reading list.  One of her most recent posts is entitled, “When You Coach, This is What happens” You will not only get some insights about how to coach but perhaps also see the benefits of having a coach in your own life.

Of course there is much more to learn about going first.  In fact it is a never-ending pursuit.  Hopefully, this has provided something of a start to your own journey, one that will gather many followers.  And, there is a lot I have left out.

What would you add?

The Power of Many and the Power of One

I was YouTube surfing the other day.  I’m not sure what I was looking for…just looking.  In the midst of the plethora of films on offer, I came across two that made me think about what it takes to make a difference.  So, in acknowledgement that March is Women’s History Month in the United States and Europe, (in Canada and India, we reserve October for this acknowledgement), I offer two stories of women who found and exercised their considerable courage and used it to fight for something they believed in.

The first story illustrates The Power of Many, of bringing people together to create something that would likely not have happened otherwise.  It is a story about women who built a daunting solidarity fused by a common purpose. That purpose was to end civil war in Liberia and create a safe place for children to live and grow.

It began with six women, Leymah Gbowee, Etweda “Sugars” Cooper, Vaiba Flomo, Asatu Bah Kenneth, Etty Weah and Janet Johnson Bryant. Together, these women created a groundswell of support for their cause until there were thousands of women working together in protest against a bloody and merciless civil war that spilled the blood of countless innocents.

Here is the short trailer to the movie, Pray the Devil Back to Hell, made about this tremendous accomplishment:

These very brave and very determined women showed the world how to make change and bring about peace through peaceful means even in the face Charles Taylor’s brutal regime.

The second story illustrates the Power of One. This is the story of Violette Szabo, a young woman who went from selling perfume at the Bon Marche in London to serving as an agent in Britain’s Secret Operations Executive (SOE) during WWII. During her initial training, the instructors were reportedly concerned about her ability to carry out her mission suggesting that she had no initiative and needed constant guidance.  But, Violette was to prove her worth a hundredfold.  Parachuting into France in 1944 with the goal of determining the status of the Resistance there, she successfully completed her mission and returned to embark on another.

She could have chosen another, safer path.  She could have stayed in England to raise her small daughter, Tanya.  But, she must have seen a greater purpose for her life and a greater way to secure her daughter’s future.  Ultimately, she was shot in front of a firing squad at Ravensbruck Concentration Camp in Germany at the age of twenty-three.

Violette Szabo was posthumously awarded Britain’s George Cross and France’s Croix du Guerre, for bravery. In 1958, a movie was made of her life entitled Carve Her Name With Pride.  Here is a clip:

So, what, you may ask is the bottom line here?  Well, this is what comes up for me.

• Leadership does not always show itself in expected places
• We all have what it takes to be a leader in something and it’s usually something about which we are impassioned.
• Leadership and courage are inextricably linked.
• We find our strength when we most need it.
• Whether we are one or many, it is possible to make a difference.

What do you think? What would you add? What do these stories say to you?

Climbing the Ladder of Inference

The other day, while at the supermarket, I was reminded of how easy it is to make assumptions about people.  It happened while I was going through the checkout counter.  Behind me, were a mother and her little boy, who looked to be about three years old.  Together, they had two carry baskets brimming with grocery items.

Realizing she had forgotten something, Mom left the queue to go and get it, suggesting to her son that he begin to put the items they had already collected on the counter.  He was very small.  In fact so small his ability to comply with this suggestion was in some doubt, at least in my mind.  But, soon he was grabbing each item and chucking it as high as he could over his head so that it landed, rather unceremoniously, on the counter above him.  He was doing fine until he came to a can of soup.  After heaving this in the direction of the other items, it landed on its side. Being fearful that it might roll off the counter and hit him on the head, I took the can up and set it aright, thinking I was doing him a service.

The little boy gave me a filthy look.  He looked at the can.  Then he looked at me and scowled.  And, when his mother returned from her quest, he said, “Something’s not right”

Mom, not really understanding what her son was on about, asked him what was not right, at which point, I said,

“I think he’s referring to me”.  I righted the can of soup so it wouldn’t roll off the counter.  I was trying to help”

To this, the little boy raised himself up to his full height of maybe three feet and loudly proclaimed, “I didn’t want any help!”

While a little stunned by the vehemence of his words, I quickly apologized to him, received some words of thanks from Mom and then decided it might be best if I minded my own business.

Thinking about this story, The Ladder of Inference comes to mind.  It was developed by Chris Argyris and made known in Peter Senge’s book The Fifth Discipline. It works something like this:

http://www.strategyworks.co.za/2004/11/05/the-ladder-of-inference/

At the bottom of the ladder is information that is clear and observable.  In this case, I saw a little boy helping his mother with the grocery shopping.  I saw too, that there were a lot of groceries and that the little boy was really small.

I climbed to the second rung from the bottom where I narrowed my focus and selected only the data that interested me.  In this case, I concentrated on two things, the little boy and his attempts to hurl grocery items onto the counter above him.

I climbed to the third rung of the ladder and began to make assumptions. First, I assumed that because he was small, he was not really capable of fulfilling his assigned task.  And then, I assumed he needed help.

I climbed to the fourth rung of the ladder and concluded, based on these assumptions, that he would be glad of my help.  From there, I proceeded to the fifth rung where I connected this conclusion to my belief that helping each other is an important and natural part of the human experience.

When I got all the way to the top of the ladder and acted in accordance with my assumptions and beliefs, I was met with hostility rather than the appreciation, or at least neutrality, I was expecting.

The point is that it is easy for us to run up the ladder and get things wrong even when we have the best of intentions.  Had I simply asked the little boy if he would like help in unloading his groceries (or in his case UPloading his groceries), I would have had the answer I needed, respected his wishes and stayed out of trouble.  But I didn’t.  So I didn’t.

All of which brings me to this…Good leadership can falter quite easily too, if we fail to check out and validate assumptions before we act. For instance, before every meeting you hold do you assume that everyone knows why you are meeting?  Do you assume that everyone will have everything they need to fully participate in the meeting?

What other assumptions might you be making when you interact with those who follow your lead?  How accurate are they?  What steps might you take to prevent a trip up the Ladder of Inference?  What questions might you ask?

Have you other thoughts you can share?

In the meantime and on the lighter side, this is what Oscar Wilde thought about assumptions, courtesy of Benny Hill.