Promoting Organizational Change

It occurred to me today while talking with a colleague that one of the most difficult things we do as professionals is to promote change within our organizations. This is especially the case if we are employees who have not yet risen to a high enough stature to have the ability to affect change independently. Where this can be most frustrating for individuals is when one is able to identify ways that systems or processes can be improved or made more efficient, but does not have the power or authority to make that occur. This is where it is most crucial that a staff person has the training and knowledge to effectively communicate the what, how, and especially why of the proposed change. It is imperative as OD professionals and Training specialists that we incorporate this sort of developmental opportunity into the work that we do with our staff. We often get so caught up in the technical aspects of positions (e.g., training in desktop applications) that we neglect some of the more important interpersonal skills training. When it comes right down to it, those who typically know the most about how to best run an organization are those ‘on the ground’ who meet with customers every day or build the widgets we produce. It is important to empower them with the ability to both identify what can be changed in their work to make the organization run more smoothly and to speak effectively about these changes so that the right people in the organization will listen and can hear the recommendations.
… Continue readingPromoting Organizational Change

Growing Your Staff

I have focused quite a bit on the financial and business benefits of providing professional development opportunities to your staff. Now I’d like to change that focus a little and examine what I will call the psychic benefits. When working with staff, we often can find that person who has been with our organization for a long time, but who has not progressed very rapidly. In fact, they may still be in the same position they started in 10 or more years ago. Oftentimes though, it is clear to see that that individual has (that dreaded word) potential far beyond their current role. So how do we approach this? Let me propose the following. It has been my experience that when first presented with the concept of doing work beyond (more challenging than) their current job responsibilities, many, if not most, people will push back. You will often hear things like “I am very comfortable doing what I am doing,” or “I’m good at my job so I don’t want to try anything else.” These are very natural, normal reactions to the proposed change. Just like economic markets, people at equilibrium are heavily resistant to change. Instead of pushing back with a hard sell though, I recommend first empathizing with the individual. “You’re right Joe, you are very good at your job. If the time comes that you’d like to take on some new challenges, let me know.” This leaves the door open for the employee to bring it up with you when the comfort level has improved. In the meantime, you can carefully and gently give the person additional tasks that are slightly beyond what they have been doing. They will likely be hesitant to accept them, and may even express concern that they cannot complete the work adequately.

What We Can Learn from Our Children

Watching a youth football game, I was struck by the similarities between the skills and knowledge my son was learning and those I try and engender in staff every day. Having originally been trained as an economist, it is always intriguing to me to see how the concepts I learned in that discipline play out in real life. For example, one basic tenet of economics is that the specialization of resources is the most efficient manner of production and conducting business. This is ever-so-clear on the football field, where we see each of the players taking up a very specific role, with defined assignments. Not much different from an effective project team. … Continue readingWhat We Can Learn from Our Children

Organizational ‘Turbulence’

I heard a great new term from a colleague of mine today. We were talking about the inability of some managers to effectively communicate with staff and he said that to him this was the primary source of organizational ‘turbulence.’ Let me clarify a bit. The types of miscommunications we are discussing here typically refer to either a manager who does not reveal his or her organizational goals to those who are supposed to operationalize them, or more often, someone who changes direction mid-stream but does not inform others of the change. In many circumstances, this type of person is invaluable when it comes to the origination of a project or goal because he or she is able to take a very broad look at all of the possibilities and ask a wide range of key questions. Most often, these individuals are considered visionary at the start of a project because they can see all of the possibilities before settling on a single direction. However, the ‘turbulence’ factor comes into play after a plan has been developed, articulated, and put into action and staff are working toward its objectives. Then, the manager, seeing all of the options, decides that there is a better (more interesting?) way of going about things. Unfortunately, this information is not then communicated to others already well down the path toward the original goals until and unless the discord between the original direction and the ‘new’ path becomes apparent. The result of this of course is that a great deal of work is unnecessarily wasted and, if this pattern repeats itself too many times, the manager becomes untrustworthy to staff who are now hesitant to follow any directions from him/her for fear that in just a short while things will change. This ‘turbulence’ problem appears often

A Coach is a Coach… A Team is a Team

Growing up and then into adulthood I have been heavily involved in a wide variety of sports as an athlete, official, and coach. What I have noticed as I transitioned from being part of these recreational endeavors to my career is that the same general principles apply in both worlds. In short, a coach is a coach, and a team is a team, regardless of the environment. I tend to think of leadership in terms of appropriately coaching and guiding those to whom you are accountable (and I believe leaders must recognize that they are accountable to the people who follow them!).On the football field, for example, the coach is the individual who creates the vision and the energy that is designed to encourage successful outcomes from the players. While the coach can, and does, draw up dozens of plays, and even select the one at any given point in time that he thinks is most likely to lead to a positive outcome, ultimately the best/most the coach can do is stand back and watch from the sidelines and hope that the guidance and direction he has imparted on the players was enough to ensure that they will work together effectively and be able to carry out their assignments. As I recently heard a college player say during an interview about his coach, “We have a great deal of respect for…but when it comes right down to it, he can’t make us win. We [the players] are the ones who have to make the plays on the field.” Is this in any way different from the skilled leader in an organization? As a leader, one of the most important roles that you perform is to provide a mission and an overarching strategy and then provide ample direction and appropriate

Do it – RIGHT NOW!

Have you ever been scared…really scared? I don’t mean the ‘butterflies in my stomach’ type of nerves we all feel when we have to make a big presentation. I am talking about the sort of paralyzing fear that renders you unable to make changes when you know they must be made. How many of us currently work where we work or do what we do as a result of this kind of fear? If you are honest with yourself, are you doing what you most want to do? We all have our own personal passions. Taking the sometimes large and scary steps to follow those passions though can seem virtually impossible. But what if… … Continue readingDo it – RIGHT NOW!

What Have You Done Today?

I recently heard this song by Heather Small, and I must say it is one of the most inspirational pieces of music I have ever heard. It makes me want to fly… Proud by Heather Small I look into the window of my mind Reflections of the fears I know I’ve left behind I step out of the ordinary I can feel my soul ascending I am on my way Can’t stop me now And you can do the same What have you done today to make you feel proud? It’s never too late to try What have you done today to make you feel proud? You could be so many people If you make that break for freedom What have you done today to make you feel proud? Still so many answers I don’t know Realize that to question is how we grow So, I step out of the ordinary I can feel my soul ascending I am on my way Can’t stop me now And you can do the same What have you done today to make you feel proud? It’s never too late to try What have you done today to make you feel proud? You could be so many people If you make that break for freedom What have you done today to make you feel proud? We need a change Do it today I can feel my spirit rising We need a change So do it today ‘Cause I can see a clear horizon What have you done today to make you feel proud? So, what have you done today to make you feel proud? ‘Cause you could be so many people If you make that break for freedom So, what have you done today to make you feel proud? What have you done today

Baby Steps

To get to any destination, you must first start making progress toward that goal. Sounds simple enough. However, too many of us don’t head in the direction we want to go because we see the chasm that lies between here and there and think that we somehow must get there in a single giant leap. Instead, we should be considering ways that we can get where we want to be by making a series of baby steps in the right direction. Taking small, well-planned, and thought-out steps to achieve our end goals allows us a great deal of flexibility. With baby steps: … Continue readingBaby Steps

How Will You Lead?

Management literature is filled with all sorts of definitions and descriptions of leadership styles and behaviors. Whether you read The One Minute Manager, The Leadership Imperative, or The Consultative Approach, the same basic tenets apply. Those who are visionary, flexible to changing environments, and who provide their teams with the flexibility to excel in their particular strength areas will invariably find success. Those who provide unclear directions, change directions frequently, communicate poorly, and either berate or ignore their staff will almost certainly be miserable failures. Given that, and the fact that literally thousands of books on (presumably good methods of) leadership exist, how will you choose to lead? I want to first emphasize that leadership behavior, like all other human behavior, is a choice that we make. Though born or raised with certain innate characteristics, we each have the ability to decide how we are going to interact with others. Every day you are given the gift to wake up and decide on your mood, your outlook on life, and how you will treat those around you. The first step in becoming a good leader, or more specifically, a leader who encourages the best in her employees, is to decide to bring a positive, supportive attitude to work. The rest tends to flow from there. People who are generally positive and upbeat, even when facing obstacles and challenges, typically find that they can accomplish more, more efficiently, and more creatively than leaders who rule with an iron fist or who are overtly negative. Like so many other parts of our lives, leadership starts with attitude. And only one person can create and foster your attitude…YOU! Start down the path to making yourself an exceptional leader. Decide to bring the best of you to the game, and you will surprise yourself

What Does it Take to Lead?

I know I keep coming back to this theme, but everywhere I turn I am struck with the same thought. The reason that so many of our organizations, even our society in general, are lacking true leadership is because to really be a leader, it takes 1 thing…courage. It can be incredibly challenging to put yourself out there, share your ideas, and hope that others will follow. Let’s face it, that is always a risk. Just because you want to lead, does not imply that you will have followers. The video below perfectly exemplifies true leadership and the process by which a leader is created. One of the key points I found here is that one of the most important roles that an individual can take in a leadership situation is that of the “first follower.” In some ways, this person is even more critical to the success of the leader than the leader herself. Leadership Lessons from Dancing Guy
… Continue readingWhat Does it Take to Lead?

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