Tag: leadership

Leaders support change

When you lead, you are supporting a team to move from point A to point B. This requires change. While this may sound obvious, it is worth remembering that change is often used as a noun… but it is, in fact, also a verb. Change is something we do, and the leader supports an environment where individuals can be innovative and initiate action toward a shared goal. 

In the article about the 6 essential leadership styles, I spoke of the commanding style of leadership as described by Daniel Goleman in his book, Primal Leadership. Leaders who command change are often met with resistance… Lots of resistance. If you want a change to happen, doing so via commandment is a sure way to make enemies and ruin morale. Let’s discuss three methods for creating change. Before talking about them, we have to talk about buy-in. 

Getting Buy-In

Organizational changes only work when individuals change. Individuals usually know what is best for them, so getting buy-in for the change can help mediate conflict when someone perceives the business needs are at odds with their personal needs. When individuals agree that changes are necessary, and have a hand in forming that change, you (the leader) will see less resistance, more creativity, more buy-in, and better results. Change can still happen without buy-in, but the process is messy, forced, and in extreme cases, wrought with tension and high emotions.

Getting buy-in is a topic all in itself. However, it starts with listening. Leaders do not have all the answers in a vacuum. They create a vision, indeed a shared vision, only after reflecting on experiences and listening to others. If you are a leader looking to make a change, then you must understand the environment you are stepping into and envision how it could be different. Listening helps you understand the experiences of others, and gives you insight into how things could be better.

Appreciative Inquiry

Let’s talk about our first method for supporting change: Appreciative Inquiry. The topic was written about in the book  Conversations Worth Having, by Jackie Stavros and Cheri Torres. It focuses on communication strategies for discussing what is desired as opposed to what should be avoided. The authors describe “great conversations” as being meaningful, engaging, geared to generating information and possibility, solution-focused, positive, and productive. Imagine how you feel after a conversation with these qualities versus one that feels judgmental, dictatorial, commanding, and negative. One will motivate you and the other will trigger negative and defensive emotions. If you want to be good at creating change, be inspirational and caring, not dictatorial and judgmental.

There are 2 practices of appreciative inquiry:

Positive framing – With this practice, challenges are named, looked at from a positive angle, and then framed in terms of results and ideal outcomes. The authors suggest doing the following:

  • Name it – What is the problem, or the thing you don’t want?
  • Flip it – What is the positive opposite of this?.. the thing you do want?
  • Frame it – What is the desired outcome? 

Positive framing lays a foundation for better relationships and positive workplace culture. Who doesn’t want more of those?

Generative questions – Be curious. When you are curious, you naturally ask generative questions. They focus on the best of what is and what might be. If you want to inspire engagement, you must ask questions. Doing this lights up the brains and creativity of others. Also, you can easily turn around a negative conversation by beginning to ask questions. Don’t fake your curiosity. Find a way to desire understanding and seek to find it. By the way, the topic of generative questions pairs nicely with The Coaching Habit, written by Michael Bungay Stanier. 

Appreciative inquiry will help you lean into problem-solving with a positive perspective, thus improving relationships, inspiring individuals, and increasing buy-in. 

 

Action Research

Action Research is means of inquiry where a person actively investigates and evaluates their work and efforts. “Actively” means you are taking action and reflecting on that action. Traditional research could be described as a researcher performing an experiment on others and watching the results occur. As an action researcher, you would ask “what am I doing? Do I need to improve anything?” and then create an action plan and time for reflection. As a leader looking to change an organization, you are part of the change required. Your questions simply replace the “I” with “we.” How do we improve? Is our way working? What can we do to be better?

Action research follows a cycle referred to as the “action-reflection cycle.” The steps are as follows:

  • Observe – Look at your current environment, actions, results, etc. Are they what you want? Are they aligned with your goals and vision?
  • Reflect – What could be done differently to move you in the desired direction?
  • Act – implement your action plan. 
  • Evaluate – Did your action plan work
  • Modify – What tweaks need to be made to keep you going in the right direction?

When you reach the last stage, you are essentially back at the beginning of the action research cycle. 

Design Thinking

Design thinking is a process commonly used for product design. It is popular in the design and software spaces as the process requires you to understand the problem before building a solution. Many product creators build solutions hoping to find problems for them to solve. This leads to wasted time and effort as you cannot be sure there is a worthy problem that customers want solved. Design thinking works to ensure you understand the problem you are trying to solve before ideating, building, and testing solutions. 

The process can also be effectively applied to organizational change. In the book The Designing for Growth Fieldbook, the authors walk the reader through 15 steps to get them from zero to making an effective change. These steps are separated into 4 stages and align with 4 questions:

  1. What is? Start by scoping your change initiative and figure out what is the current state of reality. Talk to people. Observe their behavior. Immerse yourself in the experience. The deeper you get into the scenario, the better able you are to identify where the problems exist and what could be better. At the end of this stage, identify your insights and get ready to imagine. 
  2. What if? At this stage you should have a good idea on what the problems are, and now you get to ideate on what is possible. Consider what would be best for your team or organization. Do you need to change your systems and processes? Do you need to change how your team communicates? What does the ideal state look like? Brainstorm your ideas, write them down, and create “napkin pitches” for each (write a brief pitch that could fit on a napkin).
  3. What wows? You have your ideas and your pitches. Go get feedback. Go back to the people you spoke with in the first phase and ask them about your ideas. Ask for input and reactions. Iterate on your ideas based on their feedback. In this stage, create simple prototypes and share them. This could be an outline of a new process, new conversational tools, or new was to track work. Do not put a ton of effort into polishing prototypes. They are simply meant to show stakeholders and individuals ideas for change and get their feedback. Once you have a short list of impactful ideas, get ready to implement them and test.
  4. What works? Test your ideas. Prototypes and napkin pitches will earn feedback, but the proof is in the pudding. Only by implementing and trying the changes can you really see what works. In this stage, continue the listening tour and implement tracking metrics to learn which of your solutions are effective.

Deisgn thinking is a system that will ensure you understand the right problems to fix before putting effort into solutions. Also, by going through the four stages, you can bring your team along with the process and increase buy-in. If they identify the problems which need solutions, and also co-create solutions, you are more likely to have an engaged team through the effort.

Which system is best?

You may be drawn to one system over another, so try each methodology as you see fit. Regardless of which system you try, lean in with curiosity and seek to understand the problems which need to be solved. 

Thanks for reading.

Until next time…

Clark

 

First… Emotional Intelligence

If you are not familiar with Daniel Goleman, you should add two books to your reading list: 

  1. Emotional Intelligence
  2. Primal Leadership

Goleman wrote Emotional Intelligence in 1995 and the topic soon became top of mind for leaders and change agents across the world. In 2002, he wrote Primal Leadership, where he took the principles of emotional intelligence and merged them with leadership styles and their impact. Both are essential reading for any leader, new or experienced. 

There are 6 essential leadership styles

Goleman says, “When leaders fail to empathize with, or relate to the emotions of, a group accurately, they create dissonance. The resulting collective distress then becomes the group’s reoccupation, displacing the attention they need to give to the leader’s message – or to their mission.” He also states, “Dissonant leaders sometimes may seem effective in the short run – they may get a coveted promotion, for instance, by focusing on pleasing their boss – but the toxicity they leave behind belies their apparent success… dissonant leaders are the bosses that people dread working for.” To summarize, a leader is best served to live in resonant styles of leadership and use the dissonant styles only when the situation requires it. You might be asking, what are resonant and dissonant leadership styles?

Goleman’s research found that there were 6 basic leadership styles. These styles should not be confused with the types of leaders, like authentic, transformational, or servant, but are more like skills that are used at different times. He found that the most effective leaders could use all 6 styles at different times noting that the situation dictated the usefulness of each style. Also, the styles are divided into 2 categories: resonant and dissonant. Resonant styles promote positive workplace culture, whereas dissonant styles can lead to negative environments if used too much or in the wrong situations. 

Leadership styles in a nutshell

Adapted from Primal Leadership, 2002, p. 55.

Resonant Styles

Visionary – Moves people toward shared dreams.

  • Visionary leaders inspire others through a clear image of what is possible and where the organization is headed. they do not dictate how the vision is to be achieved, thereby freeing the individuals to innovate and maximizing buy-in from the group.

Affiliative – Creates harmony by connecting people to each other.

  • Affiliative leaders build and nurture relationships. They exude collaborative competence and value the emotional needs of employees over work goals. 

Coaching – Connects what a person wants with the organization’s goals.

  • Coaching leaders “help people identify their unique strengths and weaknesses, tying those to their personal and career aspirations.” They help individuals identify goals and co-create a plan for achieving those goals.  

Democratic – Values peoples’ input and gets commitment through participation.

  • Democratic leaders rely on utilizing the input and recommendations from individuals to guide actions. They build on three emotional intelligence abilities: collaboration, conflict management, and influence. 
Dissonant Styles

Pacesetting – Meets challenging and exciting goals. 

  • Pacesetting leaders drive for achievement by continually looking for ways to improve performance. When used with a motivated team, pacesetting can help get high-quality results when driving toward an exciting goal. Too often, pacesetting leaders are driven by numbers as opposed to focusing on the emotional needs of the team. 

Commanding – Soothes fears by giving clear direction in an emergency. 

  • Commanding leaders are also known as coercive leaders. They are dictatorial (in the micromanagement sense, not the tyrannical sense) and lead with a “do it because I say so” disposition. This style is often successful in times of crisis and emergency and is an effective way to soothe fears when times are uncertain. However, this style erodes trust and usually comes at the expense of developing individuals on the team. 

Which Style is most impactful?

As mentioned before, the most effective leaders use all 6 skills. They primarily reside in one or two of the resonant styles and use the dissonant styles only when necessary. In my opinion, there are 2 styles to learn immediately: visionary and coaching.

Leaders have a vision. Leadership implies a destination is present. Without a vision, leaders are not leading, but instead are shepherding followers in a stale pasture without growth. Sheep do not get inspired to act. But followers want to be inspired, and you will only get their best effort when their motivation is maximized. 

Coaching is a skill all leaders must learn. Leaders do not scale through micromanagement, but through unlocking potential in others. Coaching is a skill to make this happen. Also, the communication skills learned through coaching practice lead to better affiliative and democratic behavior. If you are new to coaching, check out The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier. It is a great (and short) book that will kickstart your skills as a coaching leader. 

Over time, practice all the styles. But remember that some styles will breed a positive culture, and others, if overused, will crush it. 

Thanks for reading. 

Until next time…

Clark

 

 

Trust Matters

A healthy team has trust. Look at any dysfunctional team and you will see problems stemming from a lack of trust. When there is a lack of trust, communication evaporates. Well… communication with YOU (the leader) disappears. Your team will still talk, but it will be gossip, complaining, communication triangles, and all sorts of morale-destroying behavior. Also, good luck getting honest and infiltered information from your team. If there is no trust, then honest communication is hidden. Patrick Lencioni writes about this in The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team. Trust is the first dysfunction that must be addressed before any other team problem can be solved. As a leader, it is your job to create and nurture a trusting environment. 

Signs of distrust

Be aware that the below are signs of mistrust, but may also breed mistrust.

  • Back-biting – this can be gossip, or simply talking about someone else when they are not present
  • Communication triangles – This is where person A talks to person B about a problem with person C instead of person A going directly to person C.
  • Lack of objections to decisions – When decisions are made, you can be guaranteed there is always someone with a different opinion. If objections are not made, it is possible there is a lack of trust in the group.
  • Always hearing what you want to hear – This is similar to the above, but involves more aspects of your work. If you never hear of problems, challenges, mistakes, frustrations, etc., then you may not have earned the trust to hear of such things. This is a problem, because these DO exist, and you can’t help fix what you don’t know about. 

How to build trust

There is an old saying that it takes a lifetime to build trust, and a moment to ruin it. I disagree. I believe trust can be quickly earned if your behavior is trustworthy. Also, each of us ascribes a certain amount of our trust to individuals based on our perceptions of them. Then the trust is either reinforced or diminished with future interactions. Be trustworthy. Act trustworthy. You will be fine. 

Create clarity, and act, on your values

A trustworthy individual has values/morals/ethics. I acknowledge values/morals/ethics are different but are similar enough for this conversation. I will use them interchangeably for this article. Great leaders make it known what they believe in, then they act in alignment with those beliefs. You must have both! To build trust, you cannot only establish your values without acting in alignment. Also, you cannot act in alignment with your values if no one knows what they are. Establishing your moral identity and acting in alignment has 2 notable effects: 

  1. Increased charisma – Stated values and morals lend to the charisma of a leader. If you know what a leader cares about (and THAT they care), you are more likely to admire them for their commitment to purpose and high moral standards. As mentioned in this article. High moral standards are traits of both authentic leaders and transforming leaders. These leaders inspire us to be more and achieve more. 
  2. Earned trust – It is possible to be charismatic and untrustworthy. However, if you state your values AND act in alignment with them, you increase your trustworthiness. This is simply due to integrity and doing what you say you will do. Any behavior where your actions and words are not aligned makes you inherently untrustworthy.   

So how do you create clarity on your values? A starting place is by answering the questions I proposed in this article. Also, have you learned from past experiences that influence your values and ethics? While your moral identity should evolve over time, being intentional with self-reflection will help create clarity on your values and highlight if and when they evolve.

Listen

Another old statement is,  “people do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.” I completely agree. If you want others to trust you, then care about them. Don’t fake it. Care. One way to show you care is by listening. Listen to understand and not just respond. When you listen, you allow the other person to feel heard and understood, which does a great deal for creating a personal connection. Also, listening is strategic. When you listen you learn. As a leader, listening can endear you to your followers as well as provide insight for problem-solving. Isn’t being trustworthy fun?

Speak without judgment

Fear of judgment is a real thing. As is fear of retaliation, ex-communication, resentment, etc. If you want to garner trust, listen to understand, then speak without judgment. Humans will err (you and I included, of course) and nobody wants to admit a mistake if they will be excoriated for it. Instead, be the coach. Ask questions, make no assumptions, guide, help, and do not judge!

Imagine yourself on the opposite side of this argument, just to drive the point home. Imagine you are at work, crushing it, doing what you feel is right, pushing toward a goal, and you realize you messed up. Like… you made a mistake which could cost your company thousands, or hundreds of thousands of dollars. You know what you did wrong. You know what you need to do to fix it. You need to tell your manager. How do you want your manager to respond? I am willing to bet that the way you should react to your own team is the same way you desire your manager to react to you.

Your next steps

Leadership can work without trust, albeait much less effectively. Start your journey here by answering the questions shared in this article. Then, establish how and when you will make time to practice your skills of communication. How will you share your values? How will you live by them? How will you listen? How will you communicate without judgment. 

Go be a great leader. Go be trustworthy.

Thanks for reading.

Until next time…

Clark 

What is the best way to lead?

Let’s get to the answer first: The best way to lead is authentically. I do not mean the model of leadership known as authentic leadership (but I will be discussing that below). I mean that the best way to lead is the way YOU can authentically lead. Be yourself. Would you rather put on a mask every day and lead with false traits and forced emotions? Or would you prefer to use your strengths and skills to be effective? You are not Winston Churchill or Joan of Arc. Their leadership is different than yours. while you can and should learn from their example, the best leadership you can provide is that which is authentic to you. 

But how do you determine what is authentic to you? Well… you ask questions. 

The questions to ask

You can lead by the seat of your pants, or you can lead intentionally and authentically. To begin understanding how you should lead, I suggest starting by answering these 5 questions:

What do I want as a leader?

What do you want to achieve? What goals do you have? What is important to you? What impact do you want to have on others?… on the world? Create clarity here on what you want and why that is important.

What DON’T I want as a leader?

What lines will you not cross? What kind of leader do you NOT want to be? Do you have experience working with a toxic leader? If so, dig into what was so memorable about that experience and how you strive to be different. 

What traits do I have that make me worth following?

You have superpowers. What are they? If you were to ask a friend what your best traits are, what would they say? Can you lean into these traits as a means to lead and support your followers? List at least a few traits which will help you lead effectively.

What traits do I have that could impede my effectiveness?

Time to get real. What do you do that could be an impediment? Are you reactive? Do you have weak empathy? Are you a poor listener? While you should lean into your strengths, take time to note areas of weakness that you can improve. 

What do I plan to do to become the leader I choose to be?

Time for action. Leadership will present challenges to you. How well do you know yourself, and can you plan for actions to build yourself into the leader you want to be?

Styles of Leadership

There are as many styles of leadership as there are diets and workout routines. While you should lead with authenticity, you may find one of the leadership styles below resonates with you. Here are a few leadership styles along with some pros and cons. If you wish to dig deeper into this topic, check out the book Leadership by Peter Northouse.

The Authentic Leader

Why don’t we start here? Bill George describes the authentic leader as having 5 characteristics:

  1. Purpose – They have a strong sense of purpose
  2. Values – They have strong values
  3. Relationships – They establish trusting relationships with others
  4. Discipline – They demonstrate self-discipline
  5. Empathy – They are sensitive and empathetic to the plight of others. 

Authentic leaders are those who know what they are doing and why they are doing it.

The Servant Leader

Servant leaders are attentive to the needs and concerns of followers. They are attentive, empathize, and nurture followers to empower them toward fulfilling their own potential. There are 10 characteristics of a servant leader:

  1. Listening – They listen well and validate the perspectives of followers.
  2. Empathy – Servant leaders truly understand the perspective of followers
  3. Healing – They care about the personal well-being of those they engage with. 
  4. Awareness – They are attuned to the physical, social, and political environment.
  5. Persuasion – This is demonstrated by clear and consistent communication that convinces others to change.
  6. Conceptualization – Servant leaders are visionaries and create clarity on goals and direction.
  7. Foresight – They can predict what is coming.
  8. Stewardship – Servant leaders take responsibility.
  9. Commitment – This refers to commitment to the growth and development of people. 
  10. Community – Servant leaders foster and nurture a community of followers. 

Servant leaders are very focused on others and helping them develop into the best versions of themselves. 

The Transforming Leader

Transformational leadership changes others and focuses on intrinsic motivation and follower development. Compare this to transactional leadership where the leader exchanges one thing for particular behavior from the follower. For example, politicians are often transactional leaders as they promise to provide X, Y, and Z if we only give them our vote. Transformational leaders, however, tap the motives of followers in order to reach the goals of both leader and follower alike. Transformational leaders have 4 traits:

  1. Idealized influence – This is charisma. Followers identify with these leaders and want to emulate them. These leaders typically have very high moral standards.   
  2. Inspirational motivation – These leaders communicate high expectations to followers. They inspire them to become part of the shared vision.
  3. Intellectual stimulation – This involves challenging followers to be creative and innovative. It also includes challenging the followers on their own beliefs, as well as the beliefs of the leader and the organization
  4. Individualized consideration – These leaders support, listen and empathize with individuals. They act as coaches and advisors while empowering others to act. 

To me, the transforming leader is an authentic leader with a healthy dose of charisma.  

The Dictator

I put this in here to see if you were paying attention. Don’t be a dictator. No one wants to work for a tyrant. 

What kind of leader are you?

You do not have to choose one of the above leadership styles. You can pick traits from the lists above and create your own style specific to your strengths. But first, ask yourself the 5 questions to create clarity. At the end of the day, every leader is different. I hope you lean into what makes you a great leader. 

Thanks for reading. 

Until next time…

Clark

 

What is leadership?

What is leadership, and what makes a great leader? No doubt this is a topic that many books and speakers have elaborated on. There are many definitions of leadership. In Dare to Lead, Brené Brown defines a leader as, “…anyone who takes responsibility for finding the potential in people and processes, and who has the courage to develop that potential.” In Primal Leadership, Daniel Goleman says, “Great leaders move us. They ignite our passion and inspire the best of us.” In his book Leadership, Northouse defines leadership as, “… a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal.” You can feel the similarities. Overall I like the summary shared by Jeff Weiner in his LinkedIn Learning course: 

“Leadership is the ability to inspire others to achieve shared objectives.”

 There are 6 words in this definition that help us focus on what leadership is and how to be better at it. Let’s tackle each one below.  

Leadership is a skill

Leadership is a skill. It is something you do and something you can learn. You do not need 10,000 hours of practice to become a good leader, but you must be intentional about learning leadership as a skill. With every hour of intentional practice and reflection, you will build yourself into a stronger leader.

Leadership does not occur in stillness. It is action-oriented. It is an active sport. Think of great leaders. Were they always great leaders? Surely not. But they didn’t become great leaders by sitting on the sidelines. They became great leaders through action, learning, and experience. 

If you are new to leadership, be sure there is much to learn. The 5 points below will give you a starting point for taking action and building your skills.

Leadership is about others

Surprise! Leadership is not about you. It is about your followers. Leaders need followers, not employees, charges, or direct reports. By definition, a leader must have followers to be considered a leader. So how do you earn followers? Well, this is a big question, and this highlights the first dichotomy of leadership: leadership is about you.

In order to be about others, you must first take ownership of your actions, beliefs, words, etc. You must realize that your behavior can influence others. As a leader, you must work to scale efforts through your followers. Understanding how your behavior influences others is a must. Work to master yourself so you can be a good leader for others. 

Leadership is about inspiring

Leadership is not about force. It is about motivating others to act. Great leaders in history painted pictures of new futures, better conditions, more flourishing, and an improved world. Leaders do not manipulate. They inspire. Consider how you show up in this regard. Are your words inspirational? Do you lead a life that motivates others to follow you? 

There is a dichotomy here as well. While leaders inspire others, you must also be inspired. Your passion for a desired future can be contagious. Followers can feel your passion and will buy into your vision only as much as you do. 

Leadership is about objectives

Leading implies you are headed somewhere. Can a boat captain be effective if no destination is set? Leaders share a vision (a set of objectives) and inspire followers to take action toward achieving that vision. The effectiveness of your leadership depends on the clarity of your vision and objectives. It is paramount that you are clear with your objectives. Imagine if a boat captain said, “Well, we will set sail across a dangerous sea… we are headed that way, toward somewhere!” Not too inspiring, eh? Clarity of objectives also includes understanding what you don’t want. The journey to the future is full of distractions and forks in the road. Establish clear objectives and ignore distractions.

Leadership objectives are shared

Though you may be the leader, your followers are not sheep. They are the executors, facilitators, and change agents. They have insights and perspectives that must be acknowledged by the leader. Great leaders co-create a vision of the future through dialogue with their followers. Indeed, many leaders create their own vision of the future only AFTER consulting with followers. Followers cannot effectively push for a desired future if they do not share the beliefs and vision for that future. Leaders who push toward their singular view of the future are on the Edge of dictatorship. 

Leadership involves achievement

Leadership is an active sport. Words can inspire but results are what matter. What actions are you taking to move toward the desired future? How are you promoting positive actions? Do you practice what you preach? As nothing can get done without taking action, consider how you move others to initiate change. 

Objectives and achievements happen on many levels. While leaders push for a desired outcome, achievements can come from changes in processes, hitting milestones, and other outcomes. While the long-term goal should always be top-of-mind, don’t forget that you are on a journey, and hitting a milestone is an achievement. Create clarity about the objectives that can be hit along the way.

Now what?

The above topics cover the basics of leadership. While leadership is a broad field with much research behind it, the points above should give you points to consider as you begin your journey. Try asking these questions:

  1. What are you doing to learn about leadership? What are you practicing?
  2. What is your vision?
  3. How do you engage with followers to co-create that vision?
  4. What are the measurable outcomes, both intermediate and final, that will determine when success is achieved?
  5. How will you inspire yourself and others to take action?
  6. What will you do to support your followers?

Thanks for reading. 

Until next time…

Clark