Leadership Today Update

How Does a Focused, Credible Leader Handle Complex Problems?

The less than elegant and yet predictable departure of BP’s Chief Executive Tony Hayward is a real-time reminder of how today’s leaders are in a fishbowl – and rightfully so. No recent problem has proven more complex and resistant to a swift effective solution, it seems, than the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion and oil spill. 

One thing this debacle has shown us is how thorny it can be to lead in the face of disaster. Neither BP nor the Federal Government has demonstrated particularly credible or trustworthy leadership that can respond aptly to the complex challenges of this devastating situation.

So how does a leader even begin to approach such complex crises? I believe it starts with responding rather than reacting – and there is a big difference between the two. For example, let’s say that an apartment building is on fire. The building residents react – by fleeing the building. While this action quite clearly saves lives, it does not extinguish the fire. Fire fighters, on the other hand, respond.  They quickly assess the situation, get the right resources to the scene, and then take the necessary steps to put the fire out.  Their response is based on priorities, skill and action. In other words, first things first.

Leaders and their teams need to respond rather than react. I believe Peggy Noonan touched upon this in her Declarations column when she wrote about the Obama Administration’s leadership, “When your most creative thoughts in the middle of a disaster revolve around protecting your position, you are summoning trouble. When you try to dodge ownership of a problem, when you try to hide from responsibility, life will give you ownership and responsibility the hard way.”

The Obama Administration reacted to the disaster by trying to protect its image, disengage and show blame. The response would be to go in and fix the leak – first things first. Now we know Mr. Obama’s expertise is not in petrochemical engineering or deep water drilling, so he wouldn’t be out on the Gulf fixing the leak personally. But when a leader focuses on the mission and its priorities – and not on placing blame – the right questions are asked and the right people take action.

How does a leader respond with the right questions? Who are the right people to ask?  Who are those trusted resources that will give the straight answers that get closer to the essence of the problem?  What are the priorities?  This is where leadership moves from rhetoric to action.

In your leadership roles, how do you deal with complex problems? How do you prepare to respond?  Do you find yourself reacting?

Leaders and Teams: Who Owns Decision Making?

Leaders, teams, committees, task forces. With so many organizational resources involved, why can't anything get done? Whose decision is it anyway?  

General Motors CEO Edward E. Whitacre Jr. is working hard to transform GM's culture.   He expects executive teams to make decisions without going through the traditional GM process of multiple committee approvals before things get done.  (Wall Street Journal, April 7, 2010, GM's Plodding Culture Vexes Its Impatient CEO, by Sharon Terlep).  Mr. Whitacre has it right - it's the team's responsibility to make the decision, not just look for approval. 

GM hasn't cornered the market on an historically cumbersome decision making process. For many executives owning a decision is not easy - it's safer to get approval.  How effective is that?  Especially when there are fewer people doing more things and individual responsibilities continue to expand.

Establishing expectations - encouraging and requiring a more efficient decision making process - takes getting the right people in the right place where contribution and collaboration are welcomed by the leader. Then it becomes the team, not just the leader, who owns the decision. 

I have heard executives say that "their bosses are command and control people who need to make the final decisions themselves."  Really?  Has anybody talked to the boss and clarified what the expectations are for the team?   I've heard bosses say that "they wish their executive team would make the final decision and move on."  Really?  What's holding them back?  Does the team feel they have the responsibility and the authority to make and implement decisions?  

I recently commented on Dan Rockwell's blog post about "Bottlenecks", that "when people and teams are empowered to move things forward, they need to gather the right intelligence and be willing to make and own decisions. Sometimes the best decision is unpopular but must be made. If the bottleneck is a result of an individual, process or practice holding up the decision, then my suggestion is to identify and address the real issue head-on, in a practical and always respectful way."

In my view, leaders have an obligation to accurately communicate what decisions need to be made and the value that will result from the decision; and sincerely endorse the ownership of others.  When that happens, I believe that people will be inspired to take responsibility, make decisions and act.

How have you seen a decision making process slowed down? Tell us about it in the Comments section below.

Do Leaders Have a Listening Deficiency?

Responsible and effective leadership requires at its very core, an enormous capacity to actively and intently listen with ears, eyes, mind and heart.   In Peggy Noonan's article, "The Heat Is On. We May Get Burned" in the WSJ Weekend Edition (March 27-28, 2010), she quotes a comment to Steny Hoyer's news story in Yahoo, "...people are frustrated over not being heard...."  Although the context of the comment is around finger pointing, reprisals and threats to lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, the real issue in my view is that there is a basic and contagious listening deficiency.  And it doesn't just apply to politics.

Leaders must find ways to get a sense of the whole picture and listen for meaning, not just listen to what is said.  It's not about who is right or wrong, rather it is about identifying the real issue, asking the right questions and working with others  to create a common pool of meaning to achieve more complete  understanding, and work toward a solution that has win-win results.  The views and influence of advisors, the media, colleagues and organizations of all types that deliver information through their own filters shape what and how we hear things.  Effective leaders overcome listening deficiencies by balancing information as delivered by others with their own unfiltered due-diligence.

Does it take more work and time to overcome a listening deficiency?  You bet it does - at least initially.  It takes willingness and effort to get closer to the real issue.  A good way to get there is by asking thoughtful questions that pave the way to a better understanding of what is driving the issue.   It requires actively tuning into the content (the information) and the context.  And most importantly, it takes seeing and considering other points of view.

Effective leaders manage the process well.  They understand that there is a lot of noise in the air and that it takes effort to constantly cut through the clutter. They place a great deal of value in other credible views and they listen for the underlying meaning of what is really being said.  

What do you think? What else can leaders do to become more effective listeners? Please comment below.

Coaching Senior Executives Using the sCORE Model

Soft skills training often focuses on how well executives communicate and present themselves.  The sCORE^SM Model is a framework that can be used to raise awareness about how other leaders present themselves. These insights then can be applied to the executive's own leadership style.  

Rating Leadership Communication and Presence with the sCORE Model

Start by choosing someone they regularly see or are familiar with from business, the community, politics, the media, etc. Then observe how this individual presents him/herself, using the criteria below. Ratings serve as the basis for how you think the person comes across.

Name of person you're observing: ________________________________________

Use a scale of 1 (poor) to 10 (outstanding).

Speaker Style

_____ My first impression
_____ Personal appearance
_____ Took a moment to greet me (verbally or non-verbally)
_____ Established eye contact
_____ Used natural gestures
_____ Non-verbal expression (body language)
_____ Paced the presentation
_____ Used examples/stories
_____ Used appropriate vocabulary
_____ Had vocal variety

Commitment

_____ Connected to the information
_____ Prepared for the presentation
_____ Had a point of view/position
_____ Thoughtful
_____ Spoke from the heart

Organization

_____ There was a clear plan of material: beginning, middle, and end
_____ Framed key message with a strong opening statement
_____ Content points supported key message
_____ Logical
_____ Concluding remarks: summarized, clarified, set direction/action

Relevance

_____ Found the best way to present to the audience
_____ Increased understanding
_____ Provided value
_____ Meaningful
_____ Important

Engagement

_____ Aware of the audience
_____ Held my attention
_____ Tuned in to me
_____ Listened to verbal and non-verbal responses
_____ Adapted to the situation

 

_____ Total Rating (Maximum 300 pts.)

What are some of the points that you can apply to how your present yourself?

 

 

photo by Mays Business School (flickr.com) 

Leadership Competencies: 7 Tips for Effective Communication

Leaders succeed or crash and burn in part based on how well they communicate their vision to get others motivated and inspired to take action. Here are seven tips we often share with senior executives for communicating as effective leaders.

1. Remember the fishbowl. Leadership and communication go hand-in-hand. Leaders are in a fishbowl; they're always "on". They're constantly being judged by others. As an executive in a leadership role, knowing who you are, what you want to communicate, and how to communicate with clarity and purpose with different audiences at different times is crucial to surviving and succeeding in the fishbowl.
   
2. Communicate in small bites.  Information moves fast and there's a lot of noise to overcome. We have adapted to communicating in small bites, whether listening, thinking, speaking, or writing. As a leader, you have an important story to tell and you must cut through the information deluge to reach people's hearts and minds. You've got to consider how to purposefully present your ideas and quickly establish the essence of your message to stimulate the attention of your audience.
   
3. Preparation. Preparation. Preparation. We've all listened to speakers who seem to go on forever, and never get to the point. They sometimes think because they know their subject matter, they can "wing" it and people will get it. Nothing is further from the truth. When you take the time to prepare properly, you are better able to communicate confidently and clearly. Your ability to do this makes or breaks your credibility.  Woodrow Wilson once said, "If I am to speak ten minutes, I need a week for preparation; if fifteen minutes, three days; if half an hour, two days; if an hour, I am ready now." Try using the 10:1 rule - 10 minutes of personal preparation for one minute of presentation - and that's after your content has been developed.
   
4. Distill your content. What is the purpose of your communication? What is it that you want to say? How much detail is really necessary? What is the main point that you want your audience to get? How will you confirm that they understood your meaning?
   
5. Know your audience. Keep in mind as you prepare that different audiences have different expectations. It's helpful to reflect on these questions as you prepare: who is in the audience, and what are their expectations and attitudes? What is their level of understanding going in? Is the audience in multiple locations? How many people are in the audience? Is it a formal or informal setting? Will there be Q&A?
   
6. Context is critical. Presenting via webinar to a global audience is radically different from talking face-to-face to a small group. Each requires a different communication strategy. For example, when preparing for the webinar, you should remember that your audience will be seeing slides and listening to your voice. They won't have a sense of your body language.  Your voice alone will communicate how you feel about the information you're presenting. Is your voice communicating enthusiasm or boredom? 
   
7. Connect with your message. Preparing your content and knowing the context and audience are all important. But here's the most crucial question to ask yourself: Do you believe your message? Leaders who are effective communicators connect with the message and make it their own.

How do you communicate as a leader? Please let us know in the comments section below.

photo by Big Grey Mare (flickr.com)