Disruptive leadership

Listen to this great compilation of talks from how leaders deal with failure to how grandmothers and ordinary people become leaders.

http://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/261084166/disruptive-leadership

Be tenacious and never give up! You'll succeed!

I say that one of the keys to success in life is perseverance.

64-year old swimmer Diana Nyad embodies this.  In her TED address she talks about never giving up.  Watch and be inspired!

http://www.ted.com/talks/diana_nyad_never_ever_give_up.html

per·se·ver·ance

ˌpərsəˈvi(ə)rəns/

noun

noun: perseverance

1. 1.

   steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.

   "his perseverance with the technique illustrates his single-mindedness"

   synonyms:

   persistence, tenacity, determination, staying power, indefatigability, steadfastness, purposefulness; More patience, endurance, application, diligence, dedication, commitment, doggedness, assiduity, tirelessness, stamina; intransigence, obstinacy; informalstick-to-it-iveness; formalpertinacity "in a competitive environment, perseverance is

Is Your Organization Burned Out? Tips to Get off the Hamster Wheel

Like people, entire organizations can experience burn out.  Sometimes, the burn out is a result of systemic problems: busy time of year, new contracts, world events, etc.  Unfortunately, many times organizational burn out is caused by a leader or a leadership team.  This can happen when a leader moves from an operational or more urgent line of business to one that is strategic or enabling.

Are any of the following signs resident in your workspace?:

Keep adding more work without taking anything off the plate
Chasing after the hottest thing (shiny object syndrome)
Lack of understanding of priorities
Focus on everything at the cost of the work or product with the highest revenue/impact

What can you as a leader do to help?

Set priorities
Throw things off the plate-  Stop doing projects that aren't having impact
Refocus
Build in down time and communicate that it's ok to have it (model it)
Stop reorganizing

For more information, see "The Acceleration Trap" by Heike Bruch and Jochen Menges.

http://hbr.org/2010/04/the-acceleration-trap/ar/1

Resolve to be Happier - Some Tips

It's the new year, and one of my resolutions is always to be happier.  How do I do this, and as a manager how do I help my team?  There's more science on this topic than there has ever been.  Happiness is related to what motivates us and as a boss, it's always good to understand who's motivated and why.

Extrinsic motivation occurs when we are motivated to perform a behavior or engage in an activity in order to earn a reward or avoid a punishment. Research shows that those who are motivated by money, status or image are less satisfied, less energized.

We all have the potential to get on what is called the "hedonistic treadmill."  It's a vicious cycle of the more we have the more we want thus leading to unhappiness since we always are wanting.

Intrinsic motivation refers to motivation that comes from inside an individual rather than from any external or outside rewards, such as money or grades.  The motivation comes from the pleasure one gets from the task itself or from the sense of satisfaction in completing or even working on a task.  Those who are intrinsically motivated look for personal growth and continued learning, close and connected relationships, and a feeling of community.

As a public sector manager, I seek employees who have intrinsic motivation.  These people don't work for the pay -- though in government, job security is sometimes a factor-- but for the rewards of doing something for the national good.

In the video documentary "Happy," it is noted that our ability to be happy comes 50 percent from our genes and 10% from wealth and social status.  This leaves 40 percent that we can influence.  Happiness is a skill that you can develop.  There are ways we can influence this 40%: 

• Meditate to increase levels of compassion, love and kindness
• Build new experiences into  your life
• Spend time with friends and family
• Play more
• Get off the hedonic treadmill!

Good Luck to us all! (and watch the documentary, it will put things in perspective and inspire you!)

Using Data to Show the Benefit of Managers to a Technical Workforce - the Google Way

In December's Harvard Business Review there's an article on how Google used data to determine that managers in fact do play an important role for the company (sad that they didn't know it already!)  By showing these results to the workforce, the company increased the value of its management to the employees.  The company identified eight key behaviors to being a good manager:

1. Good coaching
2. Empowers and doesn't micromanage
3. Cares about people's success and personal wellbeing
4. Productive and results oriented
5. Good communicator-- listens and shares info
6. Helps with career development
7. Has clear vision and strategy for the team
8. Has key technical skills that help advise the team

Google also uses regular surveys to get at how leaders are doing with relation to these specific behaviors.

http://hbr.org/2013/12/how-google-sold-its-engineers-on-management/ar/1

"The smell of the place" Change company context on the front line and people will thrive and improve your company's bottom line

We all know that engaged employees are more productive and contribute more to the bottom line.  Their enthusiasm and motivation is also contagious.

We talk a lot about changing the people or even firing them, but perhaps we need to look at the system or environment in which they work.  Oppressive conditions create resilience; however, they don't help optimal performance. 

Leadership guru Sumantra Ghoshal calls this contextual environment " the smell of the place," and it shapes how individual actors inside a corporation are able to perform.  He notes that organizations that are about constraint, control, compliance, and contract will find that it's very difficult for people to give their best in this environment.  Organizations that value stretch, discipline, trust and support are building cultures of high performance.  Ultimately, the test of leadership quality of an organization is the context that shapes individual and team behaviors and performance.

See his inspiring 8-minute talk at the link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUddgE8rI0E

Dare to Disagree- Power of A Good Fight

I once had a senior boss who arrived on the job and handed out the Harvard Business Review Article,  "How Management Teams Can Have a Good Fight" and then he proceeded to marginalize anyone who disagreed with him, even if it was in a one-on-one discussion.  Learning from Lencioni's The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, there was definitely an absence of trust.

Conflict is so important to an organization, yet it is viewed as a negative.  Differences create rich discussions and produce better outcomes.  Having conflict requires patience and energy but a good, clean debate or discussion leaves you with confidence in the outcomes and as a manager, you get the best out of your people.

How do we develop the skills:

Don't fear conflict, fear silence
Practice standing up to authority
Assume others have the same doubts
Voice concerns
Teach this early and often

http://www.ted.com/talks/margaret_heffernan_dare_to_disagree.html