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Archives for July 2007

Choosing a Strategy – The Big Leap Forward or Tiny Steps?

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Choose Your Way Forward

Every organisation is looking to improve the effectiveness and the efficiency of its operations. We are all looking for ways to make progress.

The Big Leap

Most of the time organisations go for a ‘big leap’ strategy. They choose a framework or mental model to hang their change efforts on (swot, lean thinking, systems thinking, balanced scorecard, 6 sigma, quality models etc) and then go through a process of ‘strategic planning’ followed by an implementation phase when employees are ‘engaged’ to make change happen.

They plan the jump, build the ramp and then open the throttle. This is by far the preferred choice of most organisations and some of them manage to make the leap.

The Tiny Steps

This is a much more unusual strategy for making progress. The first step in making this work is getting every one in the organisation crystal clear on what the organisation exists to do and how they can contribute. This is where third sector/social change organisations have a real advantage over the profit chasers because of the potential that lies in giving people the chance to make a real difference in society.

The second step is about talking to employees one-on-one every week – about what they have done, what they are going to do and how they can build their contribution in the future. Working with simple management tools including feedback, coaching and delegation these one to ones provide the vehicle for continually keeping everyone ‘aligned’ and contributing to the organisation. Every week it provides an opportunity to coach, improve and delegate. And these processes generate progress and change through a series of tiny steps. Every employee growing their contribution – every week. Week by week, person by person progress is made.

This ‘Tiny Steps’ strategy is a pretty rare choice for organisations to take. It does not rely on gurus or consultants to make it work. It does not need to be underpinned by advanced training – it requires time, commitment and discipline. It requires great management – not great theory.

So choose your way forward with care.

Thoughts, Feelings and Actions – A Lesson from Wimbledon for Managers?

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The Power of Self Talk?

Much has been made in the press about Serena Williams referring to a notebook containing a half dozen or so ‘motivational’ tips. This helps her to perform at her best. So how does it work? And if it works for tennis players can it work for managers too?

First of all – yes it works. And yes it works for managers too. But it is not about motivation. It is about what we choose to believe and think. It is about how these beliefs and thoughts then drive our feelings which in turn drive action. It is about inspiration. If we can change our thoughts, then this will certainly change our feelings and our actions.

Think → Feel → Act

Good managers are obsessed by actions and behaviours – by what people do in work time. They know that their job is to get the right actions and behaviours consistently from their team. They also know that actions are driven by feelings and feelings in turn are driven by thoughts. Sometimes the best way to get the desired action is to influence the feelings and thoughts.

If Serena thinks ‘I will win Wimbledon’ this will influence feelings of ambition and drive – especially when she has just served another double fault. The feelings of ambition and drive will cause her to lift her head up, put her shoulders back and fight even harder for the next point.

If she entertained an alternative thought, even subconsciously, such as ‘This could be the person that knocks me out of Wimbledon’ it would influence different feelings (such as frustration and anger at the same double fault) leading to different behaviours. The shoulder might tighten, the head might drop and the service deteriorate further. So what she thinks, feels and does are pretty tightly linked. And conveniently enough the thoughts of the brain can be controlled quite easily. Tell it something enough times and it will start to believe it!

So how does this work for managers?

Well imagine that you woke up with the next great idea to take your organisation forward. A new product or service or a new management tool for example. You can’t wait to get into work to share it with your boss. You knock on her door, invite yourself in and tell her all about it. She barely lifts her head from her e-mails, makes a few nods and grunts and tells you she will think about it. No enthusiasm, no praise, no thanks – nada! You leave her office feeling deflated, frustrated, disappointed and cross at her inability to see a great idea. You pick up the jobs section of the paper on the way back to your desk and wonder whether your talents might be better recognised elsewhere.

But what thoughts and beliefs triggered these feelings and the job-searching behaviour? They are probably along the lines of:

  1. the idea is a great one that will really help to move the organisation forward
  2. your boss is uncaring and not open to new ideas and enthusiastic employees
  3. your talents would flourish in a more caring environment

Supposing you substituted an alternative set of thoughts:

  1. the idea has some potential and deserves to be properly considered
  2. your boss is busy and might react better to the idea when it has been more thought through and if it is tabled at a scheduled meeting
  3. your talents will flourish right here

If you choose to think these things then it will trigger a different set of feelings and actions. Instead of walking out feeling bad you might say:

‘I can see that this is not a great time for you to think about this. I will do a bit more work on the idea and perhaps we can find 15 minutes later in the day to run it by you?’.

Different thoughts will trigger different feelings which trigger different actions. This is powerful stuff especially because the way we are wired up means that our first thoughts are always to place the problem being ‘out there’. The ‘bad boss’ or the ‘lazy team’ member.

Identifying ‘thoughts and beliefs’ that cause us to ‘feel’ and ‘act’ in ways that are less than optimal and changing them is a very powerful way of improving performance. Serena’s notes serve to do exactly that – they reinforce the thoughts and beliefs that are most likely to trigger the feelings and the actions that will help her to win the game.

There is a very good chance that Wimbledon will be won by the player who has the strongest mental game. This is what gives them the edge. Mental preparation and self awareness matter for managers as much as they do for tennis players.

“Twas Ever Thus”

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ripplesweb.jpg

“First organise the near at hand, then organise the far removed.
First organise the inner, then organise the outer.
First organise the basic, then organise the derivative
First organise the strong, then organise the weak.
First organise the great, then organise the small.
First organise yourself, then organise others”.

General Zhuge Liang

Zhuge Liang (181 – 234) was one of the greatest Chinese strategists, as well as a statesman, engineer, scholar, and inventor. His name has become synonymous with intelligence and tactics in Chinese culture.

Key Issues for Progressive Managers

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In a great post Jonathon Farrington reminds us that management:

Takes time – you cannot get so bound up in your own workload that you skimp on time you should spend with others – are you spending enough time on helping others to do great work?

Takes effort – it is challenge, there are no magic formulae or quick fixes that will do the job for you – you need to influence frequently, consistently and with a strong working relationship with your team members of you are to manage a team to high performance.

Needs thought – the obvious or immediate answer may not be best, things may well need research, analysis and thinking through – the short term answer dealing with the immediate presenting problem is rarely enough.

Is not a solo effort – seek and take advice from where you can, including your own staff

Is a process of helping others to be self-sufficient – this implies trust and that management works best when you take a positive view of what people can do

Is based on good, regular and open communication

Becomes self-sustaining when it works –  if people find your management helpful (to the job, the organisation and to them) then they will support it and support you

At its best management is not what you do to people but the process of how you influence them to improve their performance.

Management success comes down to a considered approach. It is about routine, consistency and patience.

So What Do You Want to Learn to Do?

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Progressive Manager Network Workshops are focussed on helping you to learn and put into practice management tools and processes that will make you a more effective manager. Each workshop will run typically for 2-3 hours.

Workshops currently available include:

  1. Using 121s Effectively
  2. Giving and Getting Great Feedback
  3. Practical Coaching for Progressive Managers
  4. Hold More Effective Meetings
  5. Effective Delegation – helping your team to grow and get more done
  6. Performance Improvement through Effective Recruitment and Retention
  7. Managing Virtual Teams
  8. Your Role in Effective Employee Development
  9. Putting Strategic Thinking to Work
  10. Making Performance Reviews Work
  11. Managing Your Boss – building a relationship that works – for both of you
  12. Effective Communication – Listening and Responding – especially when you have to say NO!
  13. How to work with Alpha Males, Alpha Females and Other Dominant Types
  14. How to work with Influencers, Persuaders and Sales types
  15. How to work with Steady Eddys’ and Edwinas
  16. How to work with the Rule Followers
  17. Coaching Under-performing Employees
  18. Using ‘Skip Level’ Meetings
  19. Receiving Feedback on Your Direct Reports
  20. How to Build a Network
  21. The Fallacy of Time Management – getting more done in a regular working week
  22. Using a Mentor to Develop Your Managerial Career
  23. Make Brainstorming Work!
  24. Preparing for Your Review
  25. Resolving Conflict Between Members of Your Team
  26. Managing During Mergers and Acquisitions
  27. When YOU have to train – how to do it well
  28. The Art of the Apology
  29. Accelerating Effective Internal Customer Relationships
  30. Developing Urgency in Your Team
  31. How to Make an Open Door Policy work
  32. Handling Peer Conflict
  33. Strategy and SWOT
  34. Clarifying Roles
  35. Using Goals and Objectives to Improve Performance
  36. Just What Meetings Do You Need? – Make Your Meetings Work for You
  37. Effective Influencing
  38. Using Emotional Intelligence as a Practical Management Tool

See something that you want to learn how to do?

Want to learn how to do something that is not on the list?

Then get in touch using the contact form