Scott Span, MSOD

May 2013
S	M	T	W	T	F	S
« Apr
	1	2	3	4
5	6	7	8	9	10	11
12	13	14	15	16	17	18
19	20	21	22	23	24	25
26	27	28	29	30	31

Technical Foul: Leadership Lessons from the Rutgers Basketball Scandal

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Scott Span, MSOD

Fired

What leadership lessons can we learn from the recent firing of Rutgers coach Mike Rice?

If you have been following the news story about how now former Rutgers basketball coach Mike Rice was verbally and physically abusing his players, then you undoubtedly know that he was fired and that his assistant Jimmy Martelli has also recently resigned.

In addition, others at the university are also under investigation.

Why is this happening? Mike Rice has been shown in videos as a poor example of a leader – shoving, throwing basketballs, yelling gay slurs at players. Some call it passion. But is this passion appropriate?

Passion on Display

Passion is important, but how that passion is displayed is also very important. Now, we all have a different level of tolerance for “tough love” leadership; however, for those serving as role models for young people, distinguishing between an appropriate amount of toughness and going too far often becomes a fine line. Unfortunately for many involved, Mike Rice crossed that line on more than one occasion.

New Jersey Governor, Chris Christie, said it perfectly:

“This is not the type of example we should be setting for our young people.”

The Governor is absolutely correct. Most of us learn by example. We learn by what we see and hear. Leaders need to set good examples for those they lead, whether on the court or in the boardroom. Rice’s example of leadership was a most certainly poor one.

Levels of Acceptable Behavior

What this shows is when you’re teaching someone to do something, that if they don’t do it right, instead of encouraging them (and that’s not to say, particularly in sports, that a bit of tough love is discouraged when used appropriately) being physically or verbally abusive is an acceptable way to motivate them to perform. It isn’t.

“Coaches who can outline plays on a black board are a dime a dozen. The ones who win get inside their player and motivate.” ~ Vince Lombardi

The evidence that this does not work can be proved simply by looking at Mike’s record over his 3 years as head coach. His record shows a measly 44 wins and 51 losses. Now, his type of leadership style is not the only reason for the losing record, however it is certainly a contributing factor to it.

Whether you are a coach, a CEO, an educator, or a Governor, it’s your job to lead by positive example.

It is your job to lead the team in a way that inspires others and make others want to follow you. You have to do this whether they are players, employees, or constituents. Good leadership is about supporting and influencing in a way that makes others want to follow your lead, respect you, and trust you.

Creating Your Environment

It’s the job of a good leader to create an environment in which people can fully develop their potential and actively participate to the fullest extent for the benefit of themselves and the group.

Good leaders should never need to resort to belittlement, manipulation, or force.

Imagine how people would have responded if Governor Christie threw basketballs at those who ignored his warnings to evacuate before Hurricane Sandy? Imagine if a CEO yelled slurs at an employee for not grasping a concept they were trying to convey? They may not get fired, but they certainly will have a tougher time gaining support and high performance in the future.

Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it’s amazing what they can accomplish. ~ Sam Walton

So how do you lead by example and gain high performance? How do you get people to follow, respect, and support your leadership?

3 Ways to High Performance Leadership

Communication

Be transparent. If your team isn’t performing to what you think is the best of their ability, then tell them, and explain why. Offer some constructive criticism and ideas for improvement. Ask their opinions. Don’t scream and yell and throw a tantrum.

People can usually tell when “something is up.”

So before frustration mounts and productivity is impacted, communicate with your team. When trying to increase performance, making strategic decisions, determining changes, or facing issues that impact the team or organization, successful leaders need to be very specific in their actions

They need to be transparent and to communicate with those they lead about the concerns, performance, how these matters arose, their thought process for improvement and how solutions or lack of action may directly impact those they lead.

Trust

Create a safe and trusting environment. This can’t happen if you’re verbally, emotionally or physically abusive to those you lead.

Trust is a fundamental behavior for any relationship, both personal and professional.

According to a study by the Hay Group, a global management consultancy, there are 75 key components of employee satisfaction (Lamb & McKee, 2009).

They found this: Trust and confidence in top leadership was the single most reliable predictor of employee satisfaction and high performance.

Trust must be earned. Leaders can earn employee trust by helping those they lead understand the overall strategy and mission, informing them how they contribute to achieving key goals, and sharing information with their team on both how the organization is doing and how a team member’s own performance is relative to organizational objectives.

It is much easier for employees to trust a leader that supports their growth and development and shows a genuine interest in them.

Self Awareness

Be self aware. Successful leaders have a heightened level of self-awareness; they have an understanding of themselves, their behaviors and actions, and how those behaviors and actions are interpreted by, and directly impact, those they lead.

Personally, I don’t think Mike Rice was wearing his self-awareness hat.

A good example of leadership self-awareness is exhibited in the U.S. Army’s leadership philosophy of “be, know, do.”

Be proficient and competent
Know yourself and your strengths and weaknesses
Do take responsibility and lead by example

Always be open to further growth and learning. Professional coaching is also a great way to help further develop leader self-awareness.

Leadership is unlocking people’s potential to become better. ~ Bill Bradley

So, what are you doing to be an example of positive leadership? Are you contributing to high performance or hindering long-term success? Remember, whether a leader on the court or in the office – you’re a role model – so act like one!

**********

Never miss an issue of Linked 2 Leadership, subscribe today.
Learn, Grow & Develop Other Leaders™

Image Sources: media.heavy.com

Rutgers basketball abuses his players (jillmodjeskicapstoneproject.wordpress.com)
Rutgers fires basketball coach Mike Rice after video release (abclocal.go.com)

Filed under: Authentic Leadership, Conflict Management, Leading & Developing Other Leaders | Tagged: business, leadership, Management | Leave a Comment »

Strategy vs. Culture – Can We Call A Truce?

Posted on October 10, 2012 by Scott Span, MSOD

Much discussion has transpired lately regarding strategy and culture in the workplace. And often it becomes a battle between which is more important and why.

Although I find the various points of view to both be of value and interest, I find the entire discussion to be quit absurd.

Can we call a truce?

Debating Strategy & Culture

I imagine that if “Sally Strategy” and “Calvin Culture” were having a debate, it would go something like this…

—————————————————————

Sally Strategy:

“Calvin, I find that you sometimes make it very difficult for me to do my job! It’s hard to keep us on track when I feel you and I aren’t on the same page.”

Calvin Culture:

“Well Sally, I sometimes feel the same way. Your job doesn’t always fit in with my work, sometimes you can be an impediment to what I’m trying to achieve.”

Sally Strategy:

“Oh really, how’s that Calvin? What exactly is it you’re trying to achieve?”

Calvin Culture:

“Well Sally, I’m trying to achieve building a positive environment for our people, an environment with a clear set of values and norms that engages and aligns our people, unifying them in delivering high performance and value to our customers. I just feel that the direction you’ve set can be a bit rigid and can be prohibitive to my work.”

Sally Strategy:

“Interesting point, Calvin. You realize when I first started my work my intent was not just to help us formulate a clear direction and define who we wanted to be – but also to help us get there. It’s my job to execute, to get things done. Though we have come a long way since I first started my work and it may be time to revisit a few things. After all, I can’t get things done if I’m in the way.”

Calvin Culture:

“Don’t get me wrong, Sally, I couldn’t do my job without you, and I value the direction and execution you bring to our work, as we both play a huge part in the happiness of employees and customers and in overall success, perhaps we could collaborate together more closely moving forward?”

(*Aside – See the way that was phrased? Calvin acknowledged what Sally brings to the table and made her feel valuable and important to the process. Speaking to and providing feedback to your employees in this style can be beneficial to engagement and performance…but more on that in another article.)

Sally Strategy:

“That sounds like a fantastic idea. I’m glad we got a chance to connect. Thanks for taking the time to chat with me today, Calvin. Let’s stay in communication.”

—————————————————————

In reality, culture and strategy are often viewed independently – they are both parts of the system and need to be viewed together.

Understanding Strategy

Strategy can be defined in various ways…

According to Henry Mintzberg’s book, The Rise and Fall of Strategic Planning:
- Strategy is a plan, a “how,” a means of getting from here to there.
- Strategy is a pattern in actions over time; for example, a company that regularly markets very expensive products is using a “high end” strategy.
- Strategy is position; that is, it reflects decisions to offer particular products or services in particular markets.
- Strategy is perspective, that is, vision and direction.

According to Kenneth Andrews’s book, The Concept of Corporate Strategy:
- “Corporate strategy is the pattern of decisions in a company that determines and reveals its objectives, purposes, or goals, produces the principal policies and plans for achieving those goals, and defines the range of business the company is to pursue…”

According to Michael Porter in his Harvard Business Review article and books:
- Strategy is “…about being different…It means deliberately choosing a different set of activities to deliver a unique mix of value.” “…It is a combination of the ends (goals) for which the firm is striving and the means (policies) by which it is seeking to get there.”

A strategy delineates a territory in which a company seeks to be unique. ~ Michael Porter

Based on how most define strategy, the main reason for the existence of strategy is to achieve end goals. Culture is the environment in which strategy achieves those end goals.

It is a general framework that provides guidance for actions to be taken, and, at the same time, is shaped by the actions taken…this shaping in part occurs due to the culture.

No culture can live if it attempts to be exclusive. ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Understanding Culture

Culture can be defined in various ways…

According to Edgar Schein:
- Organizational culture is “A pattern of shared basic assumptions invented, discovered, or developed by a given group as it learns to cope with its problems of external adaptation and internal integration that have worked well enough to be considered valid and therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think and feel in relation to those problems.”

According to Charles W. L. Hill, and Gareth R. Jones book Strategic Management:
- Culture is “the specific collection of values and norms that are shared by people and groups in an organization and that control the way they interact with each other and with stakeholders outside the organization.”

According to Geert Hofstede:
- “Culture is the collective programming of the human mind that distinguishes the members of one human group from those of another. Culture in this sense is a system of collectively held values.”

“We tend to think we can separate strategy from culture, but we fail to notice that in most organizations strategic thinking is deeply colored by tacit assumptions about who they are and what their mission is.” ~ Edgar Schein

Your Mission Statement

Whether written as a mission statement, spoken, or just understood, organizational culture describes and governs the ways a company’s leaders, employees, customers and stakeholders think, feel and act.

Culture may be based on beliefs or spelled out in your mission statement – which should be created as part of the strategy.

Beliefs and values are words that will pop up frequently when defining culture. Culture is the identity of a company, and because of that, in some ways it becomes an identity of those who work there, as well.

The people end up affecting the culture as much as the culture is affecting them.

So while there are many definitions of organizational culture, all of them focus on the same points:

Collective experience
Structures
Beliefs
Values
Norms
Systems

These are learned and re-learned, passed on to new employees, and continues on as part of a company’s core identity.

So – culture is how “work gets done around here” and strategy determines “what work gets done around here.” A positive culture and a clear strategy are both needed for organizational, employee and customer satisfaction and success. After all…

A satisfied customer is the best business strategy of all. ~ Michael LeBoeuf

Calling a Truce

We need to call a truce and work more collaboratively, both between and with culture and strategy, to truly create high performing organizations. Based on the definitions, and based on my experiences, the relationship between culture and strategy is – or at least should be- a symbiotic relationship.

What do you think…Is a battle between culture and strategy occurring in your organization? Do you think one is more important than another? If so why or why not?

*In this article, culture refers specifically to corporate and organizational culture and strategy to organization and business strategy.

**********

Never miss an issue of Linked 2 Leadership, subscribe today.
Learn, Grow & Develop Other Leaders™

Image Sources:landscapingnetwork.com

The Levels and Formulation of Strategy (prmarketingcommunication.com)

Filed under: Organizational Health, Professional Development | Tagged: business strategy, corporate culture, culture, organizational culture, Strategic planning, Strategy | 2 Comments »

Leadership is…

Posted on September 4, 2012 by Scott Span, MSOD

Leadership

The topic of leadership is more popular then ever!

According to our marketing partner, Preactive Marketing, the phrase “leadership is” has over 6 million global monthly searches. This indicates there is a growing interest in the topic and in learning to become a better leader.

So, how would you finish the phrase leadership is…

I would finish it something like this:

“Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.” ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

Thanks for the words of wisdom Ike. Leaders can’t lead without followers – or as I like to call them – implementers and doers.

Creating a Leadership Model

So, how does a leader get someone to do something because he/she wants it done?

Transparency – Be transparent.

People can usually tell when “something is up.” So before the rumors begin flying and productivity is impacted, communicate with your employees.

When making strategic decisions, determining organizational changes, or facing issues that impact employees, successful leaders need to be transparent with their workforce about how these matters arose, their thought process for dealing with them, and how their solutions may directly impact those they lead.

Trust – Create a safe and trusting environment.

Trust is a fundamental behavior for any relationship, both personal and professional. According to a study by the Hay Group, a global management consultancy, there are 75 key components of employee satisfaction (Lamb & McKee, 2009).

They found that:

Trust and confidence in top leadership was the single most reliable predictor of employee satisfaction in an organization.

Trust must be earned. Leaders can earn employee trust by helping employees understand the company’s overall business strategy, informing them how they contribute to achieving key business goals, and sharing information with employees on both how the company is doing and how an employee’s own performance is relative to organizational objectives.

It is much easier for employees to trust a leader that shows an interest in them.

Self-Awareness – Be self-aware.

Successful leaders have a heightened level of self-awareness, they have an understanding of themselves, their behaviors and actions, and how those behaviors and actions are interpreted by, and directly impact, employees.

A good example of leadership self-awareness is exhibited in the U.S. Army’s leadership philosophy of “be, know, do.”

Be proficient and competent
Know yourself and your strengths and weaknesses
Do take responsibility and lead by example

Always be open to further growth and learning. Professional coaching is also a great well to help further develop leader self-awareness.

You see…leadership is a facet of business that is imperative to succeeding.

“The quality of leadership, more than any other single factor, determines the success or failure of an organization.” ~Fred Fiedler & Martin Chemers

So be a quality leader – one who people trust, respect, and want to follow!

**********

Never miss an issue of Linked 2 Leadership, subscribe today.
Learn, Grow & Develop Other Leaders™

Image Sources: donnacicotte.com

Filed under: Authentic Leadership, Leadership vs. Management, Leading & Developing Other Leaders, Organizational Health | Tagged: executive coaching, Leadership Development, leadership skills | 10 Comments »

Goal Setting for Leaders: Why Bother?

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Scott Span, MSOD

Goals The topic of goals and objectives arises frequently at the end of any year. And by March, many people have given up on them.

Have you already stopped trying to achieve the New Year’s resolution that you set late last year?
Or did you not even bother to write down your goals for 2012 knowing that you wouldn’t even make it until March?

Many successful organizations (and individuals) are well into their new strategies and are busy executing their plans for this year. Are you there with them? Hopefully you are, and if you aren’t, well – you may want to add goal-setting to your ‘to do’ list.

“Goals allow you to control the direction of change in your favor.” ~Brian Tracy

Defining Goals

So what are goals and why are they important?

A goal represents the “to be” state, not the action of getting to that state
Goals are the most important outcomes that need to be accomplished to achieve and maintain the vision of the organization
Goals are derived from the vision statement and must be addressed through the objectives of the organization and establish the long-term direction for the work within the organization

In short, goals are the desired end result.

Target

As Stephen Covey says, it helps to “Begin with the end in mind.”

Goals should also decide the results that are wanted/needed and set a time frame for achieving results. Most importantly, goals must build in accountability and consequences for not achieving them.

Performance measures are the best indicators of success in achieving goals and outcomes; they should be relevant and practical.

Measuring Goals

It helps to ask…do the goals:

Address improvements in performance of mission?
Address individual improvements in performance?
Tie to the strategic objectives?
Capture the requirements of external and internal customers?
Emphasize the critical aspects of the organization?

Most leaders know that an effective strategic plan must contain measurable high-level goals and objectives, though goals should not only be high-level organizational in nature. They should also be in place for each contributor.

Individual and Organizational Goals

I am often asked this question by leaders who have a developed strategy:

“Why do my people need their own goals – we already have high level strategic organizational goals they are expected to meet?”

My reply is this:

“Goals tell you as an organization where you want to be and what you want to achieve – they do the same for your people.”

Employees must have goals and objectives, not only to help support the organization in achieving its strategy, but also to see how the actions they take in executing their roles and responsibilities directly contribute to the broader organization mission and vision.

In developing organizational and employee goals, it is important to ask this:

“Are we measuring the right things?”

Goal Alignment

Program, departmental and individual employee goals should align to and support organizational goals and objectives. If the workforce cannot see themselves and their actions in strategic goals, then your organizational goals aren’t as likely to succeed.

Remember this: Personal goals, incentives, and competencies should be aligned with the strategy.

Without individual goals tied to specific roles and performance, it is difficult for employees to gauge the impact they are making through their work.

It is also more difficult for them to see the WIIFM (what’s in it for me) for achieving high performance - without goals, it proves difficult to measure, evaluate and reward individual performance.

”My philosophy of life is that if we make up our mind what we are going to make of our lives, then work hard toward that goal, we never lose – somehow we win out.” – Ronald Reagan

On Communication and Goals

Clear communication of goals and priorities is necessary for people to see how their goals are contributing to organizational success and why they are being measured and evaluated against them.

That creates a win/win for both the employee and the organization.

For goals to truly increase accountability, they should include baselines. Baselines are time-lagged calculations which provide a basis for making comparisons of past performance to current performance.

A baseline may also be forward-looking, such as when you establish a goal and are seeking to determine whether the trends show you’re likely to meet that goal.

Measuring performance at a specific time establishes a baseline and provides the starting point for setting goals and evaluating future efforts and overall performance.

Getting Started with Goals

Several questions to ask when developing and defining goals:

Does the goal support the mission?
Does the goal represent a desired result that can be measured?
Does the goal reflect a primary activity, a strategic direction, a strategic issue or a gap in service?
Is the goal challenging, but still realistic and achievable?
Is there at least one key goal for each program/sub-program, but not more than can be reasonably managed?
Is the goal important to management?
Is the goal important to the employee?
Is the goal important to customers and stakeholders?

On Goals, Journeys, and Milestones

Just as your final destination is important to your journey, your goals are important to your business and your people.

Goals define your destination and shape what your business will become.

So, as you and your organization dive deeper into your objectives this year, give some thought to where you want to be, how are going to get there, and how you’re going to measure success.

Set goals early and take one step closer to being set for success in all year!

After all:

“If you don’t know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else.” ~Yogi Berra

So have you already given up on New Year’s resolutions that you set just two months ago? Or are you progressing toward your goals and making headway. What kind of milestones and road markers do you have in place so that you can measure your progress toward your goals? I would love to hear your thoughts!

**********

Never miss an issue of Linked 2 Leadership, subscribe today.
Learn, Grow & Develop Other Leaders™

Image Sources:

Filed under: Leading & Developing Other Leaders, Organizational Health, Professional Development | Tagged: goal setting, goals, planning, Strategy | 1 Comment »

Generation “Y” Employment: The Candidate Perspective

Posted on October 2, 2011 by Scott Span, MSOD

Today, employment ads from recruiters and HR generalists are on the rise despite the current economic woes canvasing the nation. This is a good sign that the economy is starting to gradually improve in some areas.

As Generation Y (“Gen Y“) job candidates are an ever-growing part of the applicant pool for employment openings at corporations, companies may need to re-evaluate their Gen Y recruiting strategies to meet workforce demands.

Hasty Makes Wastey

Recruiting today seems to be a rush-job. And it usually looks takes a one-size-fits-all approach toward sizing up talent. To fulfill the open employment requisition, recruiters get a position description and scour the internet for a match. Recruiters find a CV (resume) that matches the position description and then simply send an often-canned, cold and generic email.

With this type of lackadaisical approach to finding talent, recruiting today has become less and less personalized.

Many companies do not embrace a diverse recruiting strategy that mirrors the current diverse pool of applicants. This approach is not always the best means to attract certain qualified talent, particularly Gen Y talent. I’ve seen minimal use of cross-generational recruiting because of the lack of a recruiting strategy and approach based on different demographics.

A Baby Boomer will not respond to the same style and approach of recruiting as a Gen-Y’er.

A Customized Approach

Generations view things differently and thus expect different ways of being recruited. With an ever-changing and more diverse workforce, recruiting must become more unique and customized if organizations wish to attract the best possible Gen Y talent.

So how do you properly hire and retain Gen Y talent?

The Right Steps

In order to get the best talent from the Gen y talent pool, follow these steps to make sure you are taking the appropriate approach to connecting in a manner that serves you and your candidates best.

First Contact

Gen Y values a personalized touch. A canned and generic email will often turn them off immediately to a potential new position. If sending an email inquiry to a potential Gen Y candidate, use their name, not “dear candidate.” Take the time to discuss why you think they may be a fit for the role as it relates to their own experience.

This lets them know you have actually reviewed their CV and job goals and not just mass emailed based on a keyword search. Gen Y also values details, so for the quickest possible response, include the job description, and why you see them as a fit in the first correspondence.

Response

Gen Y is a tech-savvy generation. If first contact regarding a possible new role peaks their interest, they waste no time in responding. They utilize the technology at their finger tips (WiFi, Blackberry email etc.) to promptly express interest.

They expect the same in return.

If your organization has high interest in the candidate, then don’t let communication lapse. Respond proactively, promptly, and personalized with establish next steps.

Expectations

Once the time for the first conversation has been set, use that time to set clear expectations with the potential Gen Y candidate. Take the time to explain in detail what they can expect in the new role and from the organization, and what would be expected of them. Be congruent, honest, and transparent about everything from salary and work life balance, to culture and roles and responsibilities.

Gen Y is very tuned into organizational culture.

One of the main reasons Gen Y talent tends to leave an organization within the first year is because what they were told they can expect is not the reality. Try and prevent this from the first conversation.

Interviewing

Be prepared for Gen Y to ask detailed questions regarding not just the potential role but the organization overall. Gen Y views interviewing as a two-way process. Often recruiters don’t have the specific information required to answer certain questions.

If this is the case, make sure the people the candidate interviews with are knowledgeable of the various parts of the organization and can answer specific questions.

Offer

If the process leads to making a job offer, then do not only do so in writing, but also make the personalized phone call. This call should come from the person who will be the candidate’s direct supervisor. Often disconnects exist between recruiting and the actual departments and managers who the employee will be working with.

Gen Y values open and honest communication in all directions.

Having the opportunity to speak directly with the individual they will be reporting to offers them the opportunity to begin to build a relationship immediately and get any last-minute questions and concerns addressed.

After the offer is accepted, the next step is a process called on-boarding, but it doesn’t end there. Recruitment is phase one, once the employee joins the organization focus must be placed on engagement and retention – success is an ongoing cycle.

**********

Never miss an issue of Linked 2 Leadership, subscribe today.
Learn, Grow & Develop Other Leaders™

Image Sources: media.photobucket.com

Filed under: Future Leadership Issues, Leadership Lessons Learned, Professional Development | Tagged: engagement, Generation Y, Multigenerational, Retention | 1 Comment »

Obama Jobs Speech: Real Life Leadership Lessons

Posted on September 27, 2011 by Scott Span, MSOD

Real life leadership lesson: Be transparent, congruent, and authentic to yourself and to those you lead!

[To Be Clear – I am wearing my organization development (OD) practitioner hat here. This is a non-partisan analysis of a real-life event to highlight what I believe are imperative traits of successful leadership; transparency, congruence, and authenticity!]

Leadership Ain’t Easy

After watching Obama’s recent jobs speech, a thought struck me – leadership isn’t easy!

President Obama Don’t get me wrong, as an organization development practitioner, leadership development and coaching is part of my work, and an area that can often be difficult for my clients.

However, the very public scrutiny of how high-profile figures, such as Obama, handle leadership difficulties seems to be more in public view and debate than ever before.

The public debate seems to be is Obama a “wimp” or isn’t he, though to me that’s not the real issue. The real issue is focused around perceived leadership traits.

People now see, hear, act, and react to information faster than ever before.

Speed of Digital

In this digital age of instant information, timing, transparency, congruence, and authenticity are more important than ever if leaders expect the support of their followers (or constituents).

As Kathleen Parker mentioned in the Sunday Washington Post regarding Obama’s jobs speech,

“Obama tried to unite the nation with his purple rhetoric, but he missed his window when it came time to act. The jobs speech he gave Thursday night was 2 ½-years late, and the health-care reform bill he pushed through against a tide of opposition was a calamity of bad timing.”

I saw the timing and tone of the speech to be long overdue and the authenticity of some of the content to be based more on a sense of urgency than on actions and ideas that can really benefit those he leads. Politics aside, from an OD perspective, I couldn’t help but think “…yes, his timing was way off, but I think there is more than the issue of timing!”

============================

:: SIGN UP :: GET FREE EXPOSURE ::
:: PREVIEW THE SECTIONS :: SEE SAMPLE LEADERBRIEF ::
:: 1.6 MILLION SUBSCRIBERS ::
============================

Authenticity

If Obama had been authentic to himself and to his followers, and not caught up in political mumbo-jumbo (yes I know he is a politician…), given the tension and the divide of his followers (We the People), this issue would have been a topic addressed long ago in a timely and transparent manner.

Bossy Boss

Obama’s transparency shined through, but it was a transparency of frustration with the system in which he must operate as a leader, and less a transparency of genuine concern.

And the interesting thing I found is that I do think, as a leader, he has concern for his followers.

All leaders have to operate in political systems, not just politicians. Though sometimes difficult to maintain a balance between personal and systemic authenticity and transparency, maintaining that balance is a vital skill to successful leadership.

The article went on to say this:

“Instead of commanding, Obama seemed bossy. Rather than inspiring, he came across as hectoring. This is partly because Obama was trying to be something he’s not. He is not a pot-banging politician but reflective and cautious. Rather than quell the emotional disarray born of fear and resentment, he pounded the drum of class warfare. He shouldn’t expect to see white flags in response.”

I agree.

Leading In Sync

Keeping my OD hat on, I would say that he was incongruent! That is, what he was saying was not in sync with his feelings and thinking, he came across as not being his authentic self and it showed!

To truly inspire people they lead, leaders must be authentic and congruent, if they fail to do so their people will notice and they may not only lose respect but also lose their following – and in today’s digital age they may lose it faster than ever before.

“We believe in our people and we believe in trying to inspire them. To me that’s the start of leadership” ~ Joe Paterno, Penn State Football Coach

**********

Never miss an issue of Linked 2 Leadership, subscribe today.
Learn, Grow & Develop Other Leaders™

Image Sources: farm6.static.flickr.com, arthhopenetwork.net

Filed under: Leadership Lessons Learned, Leadership vs. Management, Leading & Developing Other Leaders | 2 Comments »

Economic Leadership Development: Is O.D. the Rx?

Posted on August 11, 2011 by Scott Span, MSOD

**To jump-start the US economy, is an “Organizational Development Intervention” needed?**

A recent US Senate hearing on the recruitment and hiring of college graduates made it clear that the Senators as well as the panelists from government and academia faced difficult questions about the future of the workforce and the dismal U.S. economy.

The harsh reality is that the marketplace is not producing enough jobs for college grads.

“In today’s economy, many students are graduating only to find that they are locked out because the marketplace is not producing enough jobs. At the same time, federal jobs in science, national security and medicine are difficult to fill. We must develop innovative strategies to bridge this gap.”

~Senator Daniel K. Akaka, Hawaii Democrat and chair of the Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management

Negative Effects

The recession of 2007-2009 caused huge layoffs and some early retirements in the federal workforce. The current economy has resulted in heavier work-loads for employees left holding down the fort – as I’m sure many of you have witnessed firsthand According to a recent report from Mercer ², an outplacement and consulting firm, the snail’s pace growth in the job market means workers are reluctant to leave jobs, even if they are overworked, unhappy and not focused on their employer’s success.

Even though they stay, stagnant wages and slow company growth is creating low employee morale. This has an overall negative effect on company revenue and customer service.

How to Produce Growth

It's About People

So what can be done to inspire employees and job seekers in both the public and private sector, to increase employee morale and produce economic growth that can yield enough jobs for everyone including college graduates?

How can America’s largest companies and the federal government work together to improve everyone’s bottom-line?

The answer is an “organizational development intervention.”

An organizational intervention is not just a fancy name for “let’s pay a consultant to make our employees happy.” An organizational intervention is a conceptual, organization-wide effort to increase an organization’s effectiveness and viability.

Responding to Change

These interventions are usually a response to change. They consist of strategies intended to change the beliefs, attitudes, values, and structure of an organization so that it can better adapt to new technologies, markets, challenges, and the dizzying rate of change itself.

OD interventions, if properly designed and deployed, contain a set of processes designed to bring about a particular kind of result. Though some federal government agencies and private sector companies may utilize some organizational development principles, they rarely take the time needed to establish customized people development strategies or to go deep enough to create lasting change that can foster exponential growth.

Organizational Health

What, where, when? To increase organizational health, engagement and productivity and spur organizational growth, what is really needed is to conduct an “organizational development intervention.”

In considering organizational development intervention strategies for my clients I often include several concepts to which I have found to be successful adapted from Richard Beckhard’s Addison-Wesley Organization Development Series.

The Prescription

Customization

Organizations are like fingerprints, no two organizations are the same, no two cultures are the same, and thus organizational development strategies are not a one size fits all. The strategies must be customized to fit the particular organization and circumstances

Leadership commitment

Any intervention or change strategy requires a committed sponsor and champion. Leadership must be committed to the outcome and communicate their commitment throughout the organization to achieve successful desired results.

Follow through

Organizational interventions cannot be a one off event. For improvement strategies to be a success they must be followed through to the fullest extent; both by those leading the efforts and those impacted by the intervention strategies.

Course correction

Success doesn’t happen overnight. The first organizational intervention may not always succeed how it was planned. It is imperative to get feedback from those throughout the impacted groups and change direction, tweak the approach and course correct as needed.

Focusing on these strategies will help guide an organization to individual and organizational success and lead to increased employee and customer satisfaction and financial growth.

The Bottom-Line: Effectiveness

The System

Any one of these strategies can be used to improve the effectiveness of people and teams.

When combined with other organizational intervention strategies they can also synergistically produce a positive effect on the organization. Enthusiastic employees are more likely to be committed to their organizations.

Committed employees are more likely to deliver satisfaction to customers, which leads to increased revenues, which leads to more consumer spending, which leads to improvement in theU.S. economy which … well you get the idea.

Perhaps Senator Akaka and his panel of experts should consider organizational development interventions as part of their innovative strategies to help attract, retain, and engage the current and next generation of workers; as the ability to do so will help positively bolster the US economy.

Image Sources: externaldefibrillators.net

Political Aspects of Organizations (smalallah.com)
Leadership: A Big Fat Who Cares? (linked2leadership.com)

Filed under: Leadership Lessons Learned, Leading Change, Organizational Health, Team Building Leadership | 2 Comments »

#1 Business Blog

Top Leadership Blog

Linked 2 Leadership

5 Minute Survey

Subscribe Now

Special Offer This Week!

Get Published!

Top Leadership Blog

Join L2L on LinkedIn

Get L2L via Email

Share L2L now!

Top Leadership Blog

100% Guaranteed!

L2L Blog Topics

Top Leadership Blog

L2L Community

L2L Archives

L2L Back Office

L2L Calendar

L2L Tags

Tom Schulte Contact Info

What leadership lessons can we learn from the recent firing of Rutgers coach Mike Rice?

Passion on Display

Levels of Acceptable Behavior

Creating Your Environment

3 Ways to High Performance Leadership

Communication

Trust

Self Awareness

Related articles

Rate this:

Share This:

Like this:

Much discussion has transpired lately regarding strategy and culture in the workplace. And often it becomes a battle between which is more important and why.

Debating Strategy & Culture

Understanding Strategy

Strategy can be defined in various ways…

Understanding Culture

Culture can be defined in various ways…

Your Mission Statement

Calling a Truce

Related articles

Rate this:

Share This:

Like this:

The topic of leadership is more popular then ever!

Creating a Leadership Model

Transparency – Be transparent.

Trust – Create a safe and trusting environment.

Self-Awareness – Be self-aware.

Rate this:

Share This:

Like this:

Defining Goals

Measuring Goals

Individual and Organizational Goals

Goal Alignment

On Communication and Goals

Getting Started with Goals

On Goals, Journeys, and Milestones

Rate this:

Share This:

Like this:

Hasty Makes Wastey

A Customized Approach

The Right Steps

First Contact

Response

Expectations

Interviewing

Offer

Rate this:

Share This:

Like this:

Real life leadership lesson: Be transparent, congruent, and authentic to yourself and to those you lead!

Leadership Ain’t Easy

Speed of Digital

Authenticity

Leading In Sync

Rate this:

**To jump-start the US economy, is an “Organizational Development Intervention” needed?**