Why culture eats strategy for breakfast

Why we have an issue Houston

Imagine that you needed to change the alignment of the iron filings around this magnet. Changing one-at-a-time would be time-consuming, and if you dragged them out of position without allowing for the magnet they'd soon snap back.

Failing to allow for the field would make it time-consuming and fruitless. Culture is essentially magnetic. Not poster-culture, the real one as defined by the behaviours we really see - the ones that are 'ok' and 'how we do things around here'.

These are ingrained ways of collaborating and working that we've become comfortable with.

Now, another word for culture is context - and an attempt to run a strategy without accounting for the context of the organisation is inherently flawed. People will only change to the extent that the context permits - and a coalition of the willing backed by strong leadership is required.

Fail to allow for this context and action and your strategy will not survive it's encounter with the organisation; not matter how well intentioned. 

Surviving contact with the organisation

First we need to confront the reality of 'how we work around here' and use it to drive change - it's a pretty powerful engine to aid change too, if used correctly.

Next, identify who really has influence in the areas that need to change - who does everyone go to for answers / insights? The answer may surprise you. Make an ally out of them towards the desired change

Lastly, ask their advice - inclusion is a powerful way of changing context - not just what needs to change but the way in which it can be changed successfully, from where you currently are.



 

Attitude control and effective leadership

Flying, attitude control and crashes

Early efforts at fixed-wing aircraft design succeeded in generating sufficient lift to get the aircraft off the ground, but once aloft, the aircraft proved uncontrollable, often with disastrous results. The development of effective flight controls is what allowed stable flight. This is known as attitude control.

It occurred to me that leadership is a lot like flying a plane - taking off is easy but without proper attitude control the leadership provides unstable, also with disastrous results.

Better control; better flight; better leadership

In attitude trumphs skill I wrote about how leadership is primarily judged on attitudes seen so what would constitute ‘attitude control’ for leadership?

Here’s 8 key behaviours (with thanks to Charlie Pellerin),  that show the right attitude in leadership, by example– which do you live the best / find the hardest?

1.       Clarifying roles, accountability and authority for team members

2.       My gratitude helps others feel appreciated

3.       I work with others to find shared goals and interests

4.       I evaluate and appropriately include others

5.       I clarify agreements, keeping them and renegotiating in advance before they are broken

6.       I call out unpleasant realities and present realistic solutions

7.       I am 100% committed to the outcome I’m seeking

8.       I recognise and shift drama  in myself and others towards resolution

9.       My behaviour and language confirm what results I am accountable to produce

Ending the ‘B’ game – leading good people out of apathy

Can you afford apathy in anyone?

I loathe the ‘B’ game – anything less than your best is poor fare in my book, and disrespects the efforts of others.

Let me clear, ‘B’ game staff are frequently good folks. Sometimes good friends – but they just aren’t there yet. They are definitely capable, but aren’t bringing their best – their ‘A’ game.

This is not just a momentary lapse; we all have those. This is when someone has become habitually ‘meh’ about their day or their performance. It’s when they’ve allowed apathy to set it.

The issue is that a ’B’ gamer looks just like the ‘C’ gamer; unless you know them well

One person I observed seemed to think that it was ok to Facebook for the afternoon, rather than help their colleagues who were struggling with a major project – causing a major schedule slippage and over $75,000 contract penalties.

Another demonstrated that it was apparently ok to ignore repeat emails and phone messages seeking their advice and cost their organisation a $100,000 contract.

Neither of these people were bad or incompetent, they’d become a ‘B’ gamer, and these were unfortunate consequences of their apathy. ‘B’ gamers will do just enough not to be fired.

By contrast consider the ‘C’ gamers here – they are apathetic and incompetent – there’s an easy decision there.

‘B’ gamers don’t realise it but the stories we tell ourselves about their motivations are the same as the ‘C’ gamers – unless we’ve seen them in action.

Dangerously close to ‘fired’.

All ‘B’ gamers are potential ‘A’ gamers  -help them!

Everyone cares about something – personally or professionally. When the context they experience is in the way of what they care about, they’ll leave if you’re lucky. In the current climate people are clinging to life rafts – and staying when they’d rather leave. The motivational compromise is to ‘B’ game – few choose to fix the context itself. That takes 100% commitment.

Fixing the 'B' game

I move people from their ‘B’ game by asking them what they really care about - the answer is often surprising and it’s wonderful to suddenly see a quiet withdrawn person ‘come alive’. That’s what we need – attention and help to follow our passions.

Working with a ‘B’ gamer? Ask them this and work together to hook it into the work you need their ‘A’ game with.

If they do not care about this work, is there another role that they could shine in? Move them into that role.

No care at all? – help them move on, perhaps into another Industry. Tolerating it simply allows the apathy to spread and this breeds frustration with ‘A’ gamers

If you suspect you are a ‘B’ gamer there’s a simple test – can you honestly say you’re brining your best most days? If not, you’re probably dangerously close to ‘B’.

Take charge and fix it now; before someone else decides you’re in the ‘too hard’ basket.

The play-date is over - redeeming 'best enemies'

So I've 1-2 best enemies in my life (no, no names!)

They're pretty much self-made. They achieved it through a concerted effort to run over other people (sometimes me, mostly others).

Such people suffer from a complete lack of emotional intelligence.

A few exhibits from the Night Gallery (with a nod to the great Rod Serling):

Picture a person who:

• promised to help another, while disparaging them behind their back; or
• repeatedly practices 'blunt is the new black'; or
• believes its ok to actively exclude others. 

Do you know such people? I know all three. Phew they make it tough to include them!

They miss out on a lot.

I have to wonder what we miss out on, by keeping them as 'best enemies'

I'm asking myself some tough questions:

• How has keeping them as a 'best enemy' improved my life?
• What do they know that could make others lives better?
• Does this take energy keeping them at a distance?
• What role have I played in this broken relationship?
• Do I want more of this?

One thing's clear - 'best enemies' hasn't driven anything constructive.

Maybe the phrase 'keep your friends close and your enemies closer' has a different interpretation.

How do you handle your best enemies?

Feeling your way in business: the proper role of emotions in the workplace

We've made weird emotionless workplaces

Riddle me this...

• We are a social creature (evolved or otherwise)
• We are an emotional creature and emotions play an important part in our everyday lives
• Our workplaces rightly discourage uncontrolled emotion (hysterics or rage for example)
• However our workplaces have little to no space for controlled emotion

... It's this last point that fascinates me - Why?


Emotions do have a valid role to play here too

I wrote in my previous blog on emotion that it's a crucial kind of petrol for people - in the same way that air and food are too.

You only have to look at someone completely without emotional expression to become uncomfortable quickly; with body language (especially facial) speaking volumes on intent, engagement and meaning - it's like being around the walking dead, frankly. Creepy!

Even Mr. Spock had facial emotional expression (that raised eyebrow in surprise?).

What I cannot see is why we deny that emotions have validity in the workplace - and we get in a great deal of trouble when we do so (especially around changing workplaces).

I guess that a key issue is that process often denies emotional elements (not states, this is controlled emotion remember)... and how we love our processes!


Actually, it's more about how we should be utilising emotion

It seems to me that we've formally thrown the baby out with the bathwater in trying to control emotional outbursts, we've missed that emotions are crucial to leadership.

For example, these real emotional examples I've experience seem constructive and useful to me:

• Using a love of work to motivate
• Anger at a situation; an injustice helped save a business
• Glad to work with inspiring people
• Sadness helped a team move on from the loss of a dear colleague

So my challenge here is this - next time you're in a meeting or work conversation, ask yourself 'how are the others feeling about this'?

Then, 'how do I constructively engage this'?





 

   

The socially acceptable addiction - the disconnect from real life

One of the most important human needs beyond food, shelter, water and air, according to Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, is the need to feel valued (I talk about this under my blog on ‘Appreciation’).

Second only to the need to feel valued is the need to belong, to feel included – there’s no doubt these are powerful drivers of our behaviour, on a daily basis.

For example,

·         What happened the last time you were in a relationship where you didn’t feel valued?

·         What happened the last time you were in a group where you did not feel included, on a regular basis?

Did you leave? Of course you did – in the same way you’d leave a room with no air.

Why are those needs such strong drivers? They are primal; we evolved as a social organism and being part of the tribe is essential to human comfort. Sure we have differing tribes and levels of engagement – but show me a human being who feels no need to be valued or a need to associate with someone and I’ll show you a hermit; such people are very much the exception.

Ok, so we’re wired this way – so what?

Here’s where social media can be so compelling – there’s niche for everyone (ultimate inclusion) and such communities can be rich feeding for feeling valued too.

Of course great things can (and do) come from this too.

However, is it any wonder that many lead virtual lives today?

I worry for the ‘Millennials’.

Going medieval - relationships and the digital age

hile centuries apart, the 21st century needs to go a little 'medieval'. Our ancestors had a geographic issue with the sharing of knowledge - with many never knowing what lay beyond the next village. Our situation is we know too much - with the digital age consuming attention and time, who can keep up?

Fortunately there's a solution we used back then, and it's just as good today - trusted relationships.

If you wanted to know about where to go and what was the best time to plant crops, or who the best blacksmith was you asked your neighbour.

No different today - excepting your digital neighbour may be 2000 miles away. Isn't it true that we need to rely even more on others to help us find the gold amongst the dirt?

  

Identify the people who lead you to gold and keep your attention there.

Some of my favourite voices on gold:

@NASA_Teambuild

@iggypintado

@SavannahSharpe

The ‘leading’ edge – attitude trumps skills

Of course we must develop leaders. After all, we’ve evolved to be strongly responsive to the context we’re in, and thereby people who can shape that context have a tremendous influence on us.

But given the state of leadership across the globe and decades of developing it, it’s clear that most leadership training is ineffective.

In a recent conversation with Charlie Pellerin, NASA’s former director of Astrophysics and the author of How NASA Builds Teams (life changing book!) he highlighted to me what’s wrong – most leadership training develops the wrong thing.

Let me show you why...

·         Think of someone you admire as a leader (from any walk of life)

·         Write down 4-5 qualities that make them a leader in your eyes

·         Now circle each quality if it is more about an attitude than a skill

... did you circle most as ‘attitudinal’? In fact, most things we call out as leadership qualities are attitudes.

Here’s the root cause - we train leadership skills, not attitudes.

Of course such skills (clear communication, emotional control, etc) are necessary but they are not sufficient; it’s your attitude that counts with others the most.

Raise leadership by focussing less on the leading skills and more on how your attitude is perceived.

... and now for a rude word - Accountable 

Caution – the following blog can be beneficial to your career; but it’s not for the faint of heart.

This is what accountable looks like; Gene Kranz, Flight Director of multiple Apollo Missions (most notably 1, 11 and 13) personifies it and I'd like to share why I think we should too - every one of us.

I’m not a fan of responsibilities – they enable the meek to say ‘it’s not my job’ and abdicate too easily, conscious cleared.

I’m often asked about ‘the next step’ for people’s project management careers – ‘what can I do to stand out / be more successful / be more competitive’. You know that question.

Simple – be accountable. Keep agreements, hold others to them, say ‘I will fix this’ – then fix it.

Let me ask you this – which would you rather – your staff and peers had responsibilities or behaved in an accountable way?

Which would save you more time and frustration? Which builds trust and respect faster?

Of course Mr and Ms faint-hearted will say ‘but you might fail’ or my favourite – ‘I can’t do that – I’m not allowed’.

Total number of times in my life someone has said ‘you're not allowed to be accountable’? Zero.

By being accountable in my career and life I have:

·        fallen over a few times and got back up (world did not end);

·        succeeded in delivering what I promised, wherever possible;

·       earned trust from people;

·       made many international friends;

·       learned (and continue to learn) from the best people on the planet, on leadership and performance;  

·       met my wonderful wife; and

·       quadrupled my salary (not really important actually, but some require a ‘tangible’ beyond the obvious).

The very best outcome was my wife – hands down – the rest is merely ‘terrific’.

Not a bad run so far...what have you got to show for your accountability?

No better voice than Gene Kranz's on personal accountability and where it got him. Listen to the man; this is the right stuff.

The new budget – Attention

So it turns out there is a harder budget to manage than cost or time – attention.

We are under siege from facts, demands and opinions and attention is rare. I’d like to begin by thanking you for yours, in the next minute.

How much time do you spend? This is to say, how much is truly discretionary – your choice – not captured by others.  This is the true budget and we’d all better be worthy of your ‘spend’!

With respect to Andy Warhol – this is now ‘the future’ and everyone will blow their 15 minutes of fame unless they manage attention as a budget.

My blogging is about ‘paying it forward’.  Each one will have ‘1 practical thing of value’ that you can take and use right now. Here’s today’s:

Assume your time with people is half what you want  – how would you still get the right outcome?