When discussing change in any organization there is some level of trepidation. Will the change be good? Will anyone be negatively impacted? Will the be loss of jobs, financial security, or even more important, life? These changes are necessary to continue the evolution of any company or business. Yet, how do you ensure as a leader that the changes you are making are in the best interest of the company? How do you create a strategy to help improve the odds of success?
Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale (2012) realized that his business was about to be out of business. Profit margins were non-existent. The company was spiraling downward quickly and there was nothing on the horizon to indicate upward trends in the financial strength of his company. That is when he decided to implement strategies from a book he read titled Influencer.
McIngvale did not just implement strategies from the book. He looked at his current culture. He developed skill sets, he created incentives and he promoted an all-inclusive approach to change. Everyone knew this was going to be a transformation of the company. He included health initiatives. He made sure that his decisions aligned with creating strong initiatives that would manage the change in the culture of the organization, not the other way around. He didn't just set out a memo that stated all employees must become computer literate. He completed a training system that ensured each employee knew how to incorporate technology into their daily processes. He did not just say, "Call the customer back." He set up incentives and reinforced those that completed the prospect/follow-up cycle to seal the deal and get the final sale.
Similarly, Retired US Army General Stanley McChrystal 2011) realized that he needed to create a strong culture and manage the change of the culture after the 9/11 attacks. The business-as-usual techniques of paratroop jumps and practice maneuvers became real-life combat techniques and the mindset of all those enlisted or involved in the war needed to be centered on one another. During his recollection of the War on Terror, he provided the mantra of the Army Rangers. A mantra that he stated may be more real and true than many marriage vows. These soldiers would go out into the battlefield and do everything in their power to help another on the force. They would lay down their life to come to the aid of a brother or sister. It was not longer about them, it was about being part of The Army. That cultural mindset drove the change needed to win the battles. When sharing about a father that watched his son on screen fighting a battle, I could not help but think of my little one out there in the line of fire. I would want to jump through the screen and protect her. Then I had to think about what was being delivered from the top down as a leadership message to all those on the front-line. These soldiers knew what they were going into. They knew their lives were on the line and cared more about my life, my daughter's life and our freedoms than their own. That is a huge indication that they truly believed the message and there is a strong culture of bravery among the US Army and all military.
Brown (2011) explains that a "strong culture is characterized by the organization's basic values being intensely held and widely shared." (p. 426) In McChrystal account of the Army Ranger mantra, he shared about waking daily to recite a creed in which they promise that if another Ranger needs them, they will be right there no matter the cost. That is powerful. That is intense. With over 2,000 rangers making that promise daily, it is definitely widely shared. If any of those rangers needed to go into a large gun battle alone they would likely not step out onto the field with such confidence as knowing they are backed by the other 2,000 rangers willing to lay down their life for one another. That culture is the culture that will help bring home the greatest number of lives saved in battle. That culture will withstand the greatest attacks of terror. That culture is deeply rooted in good and will prevail no matter what the cost.
Brown, Donald R. (2011). Experiential Approach to Organization Development. Pearson Education. 9th Edition
McChrystal. S (2011). TEDTalk. Transcript of "Listen, learn....then lead." Retrieved July 30, 2016 from http://www.ted.com/talks/stanley_mcchrystal/transcript?language=en#t-780000
McIngvale, J. (2012). VitalSmarts. "Influencer Training Helps Texas Retailer Save Millions and Prosper in Economic Recession". Retrieved July 30, 2016 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=E20RW75Fhu4
Saturday, July 30, 2016
Friday, July 29, 2016
A635.7.3.RB_TAYLORHEATHER
Are you a leader if your team doesn't require your presence for effective management? A self-managed work team is an "autonomous group whose members decide how to handle their task." (Brown, 2011, p. 369) If the decisions are being made within the team and not handled by the external team leader, is the external team leader's role necessary?
According to Paul Tesluk, self-managed teams do need their leaders but in a much different way than those teams that require their manager to be ever-present. In a self-managed team the leader is there to develop relationships, reinforce boundaries, ensure the team is aligned with the shared mission and provide the support necessary for the team to achieve their goal. (INSEADofficial, 2008) Leaders are not required to make the small decisions, but are better suited to coach, mentor and guide as the self-managed team works out the role and task assignments.
One of the major drawbacks to a self-managed team would be the limited amount of direct oversight available to the leader. With a self-managed team there is a great level of trust and an understanding that micromanagement will not be in place during the teamwork process. By not being involved in daily decisions, leaders are not immediately aware of the course the team is moving along toward the goal. That being said, it takes a great level of communication and a requirement of transparency among the team to provide a working relationship between the self-managed team and the external leader.
Would I like to work within such a team? Yes. Both as a leader and as a team member. Self-managed teams have a great level of opportunity to execute decisions that are above the standard pay grade. Yet, it provides the comfort of knowing there is an upper management individual who is there to provide a safety net in case the decisions are not well analyzed or thought through. It is almost like a leadership-in-training experience. Another plus to the self-managed work team is the shared roles that are necessary to achieve goals. Members are both workers and managers. By self-managing, there is a need to constantly self-police and ensure each members is keeping themselves aligned with the mission, vision and goals of the company.
Thankfully, I am developing the hands-off approach through child-rearing. My nature is to be ever present with my daughter. I constantly want to be right there in case she falls or available in the instance where she needs a hand. My husband is teaching me that as a parent I need to help her become independent and learn to self-manage. This is a big lesson I am learning. It takes a great deal of self-control to watch the falls, see the bumps and bruises and hear the cries. Yet, seeing the smile when she is able to balance herself without falling and reach new heights is a great thing. Now just to keep her from learning how to climb on top of the tables! We are learning together and it is great to continue to grow as a mom and as a leader.
Brown, D. R. (2011). An Experiential Approach to Organizational Development. Upper Saddle River, NJ, Prentice-Hall.
According to Paul Tesluk, self-managed teams do need their leaders but in a much different way than those teams that require their manager to be ever-present. In a self-managed team the leader is there to develop relationships, reinforce boundaries, ensure the team is aligned with the shared mission and provide the support necessary for the team to achieve their goal. (INSEADofficial, 2008) Leaders are not required to make the small decisions, but are better suited to coach, mentor and guide as the self-managed team works out the role and task assignments.
One of the major drawbacks to a self-managed team would be the limited amount of direct oversight available to the leader. With a self-managed team there is a great level of trust and an understanding that micromanagement will not be in place during the teamwork process. By not being involved in daily decisions, leaders are not immediately aware of the course the team is moving along toward the goal. That being said, it takes a great level of communication and a requirement of transparency among the team to provide a working relationship between the self-managed team and the external leader.
Would I like to work within such a team? Yes. Both as a leader and as a team member. Self-managed teams have a great level of opportunity to execute decisions that are above the standard pay grade. Yet, it provides the comfort of knowing there is an upper management individual who is there to provide a safety net in case the decisions are not well analyzed or thought through. It is almost like a leadership-in-training experience. Another plus to the self-managed work team is the shared roles that are necessary to achieve goals. Members are both workers and managers. By self-managing, there is a need to constantly self-police and ensure each members is keeping themselves aligned with the mission, vision and goals of the company.
Thankfully, I am developing the hands-off approach through child-rearing. My nature is to be ever present with my daughter. I constantly want to be right there in case she falls or available in the instance where she needs a hand. My husband is teaching me that as a parent I need to help her become independent and learn to self-manage. This is a big lesson I am learning. It takes a great deal of self-control to watch the falls, see the bumps and bruises and hear the cries. Yet, seeing the smile when she is able to balance herself without falling and reach new heights is a great thing. Now just to keep her from learning how to climb on top of the tables! We are learning together and it is great to continue to grow as a mom and as a leader.
Brown, D. R. (2011). An Experiential Approach to Organizational Development. Upper Saddle River, NJ, Prentice-Hall.
INSEADofficial. (2008, September 22). Self-managing teams: Debunking the leadership paradox. Retrieved July 27, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBnR00qgGgM
A520.8.2.RB_TAYLORHEATHER
Obolensky defines eight principles which create an
effective, complex, adaptive leader.
These principles include:
1 Clear individual objective- delineation of
duties, responsibilities, tasks, norms and values
2 A few simple rules- enforcement of critical rules needed to sustain business operations
3 Clear boundary- setting the structure for the company
4 Continuous feedback- allowing two-way communication to occur in order to maintain the feedback loop
5 Skill/will of the participant- Does and employee know how to do their task and do they want to do the task?
6 Discretion and freedom of action- moving away from micromanagement and into self-managed individuals
7 Underlying purpose- shared vision and achieving the mission of the organization
8 Ambuiguity and uncertainty- preparing for the moments of chaos, knowing that you will never have all the answers but with the right people on the team you can adapt.
2 A few simple rules- enforcement of critical rules needed to sustain business operations
3 Clear boundary- setting the structure for the company
4 Continuous feedback- allowing two-way communication to occur in order to maintain the feedback loop
5 Skill/will of the participant- Does and employee know how to do their task and do they want to do the task?
6 Discretion and freedom of action- moving away from micromanagement and into self-managed individuals
7 Underlying purpose- shared vision and achieving the mission of the organization
8 Ambuiguity and uncertainty- preparing for the moments of chaos, knowing that you will never have all the answers but with the right people on the team you can adapt.
It is interesting that Obolensky not only created the eight
principles but then joined each principle in a way to create balance for
leaders.
1 (Clear Individual Objective) was paired with 7 (Underlying
purpose)
2 (A few simple rules) was paired with 5 (Skill/will of the
participant)
6 (Discretion and feedom of action) was paired with 3 (Clear
boundary)
8 (Ambiguity and Uncertainty) was paired with 4 (Continuous
feedback)
Each of these principles are well-applied on a daily basis
in the workplace. Does the team
understand their role and do they see how it aligns with the overarching
purpose of the business? Are team
members aware of their expectations, do they have the knowledge to complete
their tasks and are they motivated to do so? Is there an ability to trust
employees to self-manage with an underlying awareness of the ethical
expectations and business norms? Do
workers understand that they will never have all the answers but the door is
always open to receive and provide feedback?
What I learned through the reading of oligarchic and
polyarchic principles is that narrow minded, strict and unbending leadership is
not conducive to helping those you lead to become leaders themselves. By creating a balanced system there is the
opportunity to develop trust and to grow together. Employees feel empowered and
are more willing to work as a team to achieve goals.
Will there be times where a leader needs to take a firm
stand among the group and demonstrate leadership power/control. Sure.
However, that does not mean that it is done to lower the morale or
esteem of employees. It is all about
balance and these eight principles help create directional beacons for leaders
to understand where they are on the spectrum of oligarchical and polyarchic
assumptions.
Obolensky, Nick. Complex Adaptive Leadership : Embracing Paradox and Uncertainty. Farnham, GB: Gower, 2010. ProQuest ebrary. p. 198
A520.7.3.RB_TAYLORHEATHER
According to Whetton and Cameron (2016), coaching is the "interpersonal communication used by managers to pass along advice and information or to set standards for subordinates." (p. 196) If I am going to be a leader or manager, I also am going to need to learn how to coach. So what is the best way to learn how to coach? To be coached.
When you think of mentorship, coaching or learning from those that are wiser you may get a mental image of Mr. Miyagi from The Karate Kid. You may think of Rocky Balboa's coach, Mickey. When I think of a coach and mentor, I think of my husband. He knows me better than anyone else on this earth. He knows when I am having a good day. He knows when I am having a bad day. More importantly, he knows how to help me achieve my best.
When it comes to providing mentorship to employees, I will need to use the same techniques my husband utilizes to help me succeed. I will need to employ compassion without compromising my values. I will need to show mutual respect and regard to teach employees how best to manage their own behaviors when they hopefully become leaders one day.
Without mentorship and coaching there is a great potential for stagnation in personal development and career development. By having someone there along the way helping you set and reach your goals, telling you to get back up and fight harder for your dreams, you are providing a level of accountability for yourself that surpasses any personal efforts for attainment.
When researching the impact of mentoring relationships I found there is a division in thinking. Some feel that the mentor relationship stifles upward movement for the protege, while others believe it is a necessary stepping stone to leadership. An anonymous, but very wise author noted, "However mentorship is perceived and utilized, it remains an essential component of effective knowledge transfer, well-planned career development and professional networking." (Anonymous, 2010)
The greatest lesson I have learned about mentorship is that we are all on a journey. At times we may be on an upward climb. Other times we may feel we are backsliding. It is the mentor that is a support during both the climb and the fall. By having someone there with you there is a greater sense of safety and an understanding that you are never alone.
Anonymous (2010). The importance of mentoring for individuals and organizations. Development and Learning in Organizations, 24(3), 27-30. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.edu/10.1108/14777281011037281
Whetten, D. A., Cameron, K. S. (2016), Developing management skills (Ninth edition). Pearson Education, Inc.
When you think of mentorship, coaching or learning from those that are wiser you may get a mental image of Mr. Miyagi from The Karate Kid. You may think of Rocky Balboa's coach, Mickey. When I think of a coach and mentor, I think of my husband. He knows me better than anyone else on this earth. He knows when I am having a good day. He knows when I am having a bad day. More importantly, he knows how to help me achieve my best.
When it comes to providing mentorship to employees, I will need to use the same techniques my husband utilizes to help me succeed. I will need to employ compassion without compromising my values. I will need to show mutual respect and regard to teach employees how best to manage their own behaviors when they hopefully become leaders one day.
Without mentorship and coaching there is a great potential for stagnation in personal development and career development. By having someone there along the way helping you set and reach your goals, telling you to get back up and fight harder for your dreams, you are providing a level of accountability for yourself that surpasses any personal efforts for attainment.
When researching the impact of mentoring relationships I found there is a division in thinking. Some feel that the mentor relationship stifles upward movement for the protege, while others believe it is a necessary stepping stone to leadership. An anonymous, but very wise author noted, "However mentorship is perceived and utilized, it remains an essential component of effective knowledge transfer, well-planned career development and professional networking." (Anonymous, 2010)
The greatest lesson I have learned about mentorship is that we are all on a journey. At times we may be on an upward climb. Other times we may feel we are backsliding. It is the mentor that is a support during both the climb and the fall. By having someone there with you there is a greater sense of safety and an understanding that you are never alone.
Anonymous (2010). The importance of mentoring for individuals and organizations. Development and Learning in Organizations, 24(3), 27-30. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.edu/10.1108/14777281011037281
Whetten, D. A., Cameron, K. S. (2016), Developing management skills (Ninth edition). Pearson Education, Inc.
Monday, July 11, 2016
A520.6.4.RB_TAYLORHEATHER
Team Roles
When it comes to a team, I often will take the unofficial role of mother hen. I will lay out the pecking orders, I will assign duties and I will follow-up consistently. I will accept leadership from others, but generally vie for the position of ensuring we stay the course toward finding the goal. If I see there is a teammate that is doing a wonderful job and completing tasks well, I will ensure the entire team recognizes the effort. If I see an under-performing teammate, I will offer support and then if the teammate continues to be under-performing, I will become more stern in my requests discussing corrective action and subsequent written recommendations to enhance their job performance.
I will be a facilitator, moderator, cheerleader and sergeant-at-arms. I will be the visionary member or the quiet listener. Often it is whatever role the team needs to enhance performance that I will complete. If I notice there is a great team of minds that are all shy and hesitant to speak up, I will do the speaking up and draw out information through prompting and positive statements of regard toward the individuals. If I notice a group where there is a monopolizer present in the group, I will ask that the monopolizer become the sergeant-at-arms and ensure that no one individual has more than 1 minute of uninterrupted communication. This is a tool to help the monopolizer increase their own awareness without being told to stop talking in front of their peers.
Essentially, as a leader, I have found that my role is ever evolving. It is ever changing. It is the role of becoming a food and beverage server, making sure everyone has something to eat or drink. It is the role of hospitality manager, making sure the room temperature is favorable for the group dynamics. It is the role of comforter and motivator.
Why do I take on these multiple roles? To increase cohesion in the group. Each member needs to feel wanted and appreciated. I try to help other members see the benefit each individual has to the team and then have the team recognize each individual.
Ways that I can improve as a leader in the team is by stepping back more and allowing the group to complete more action. Rather than jumping in at the first sign of group distress, it may be better to help the group learn to overcome their barriers to communication on their own and reaffirm them during the process. Taking that supervisory role requires a lot of self-control, but I know it will be worth it!
A635.6.3.RB_TAYLORHEATHER
My initial thoughts on EcoSeagate is utter and shear anger. I am upset. I am mad. I am motivated to go right up to CEO Bill Watkins and ask him how someone like me would be able to receive equal opportunity employment at his business. How would I be afforded the same opportunity to engage with my peers during their extreme team building events. I am outraged that someone could honestly think this is the only way to effectively bring a team together and that it would require $2 million dollars annually to invest in this.
Now that my initial thoughts are out there, I am still furious. How can someone who does not even have the agility to complete his own tasks expect others to fulfill the physical requirements put forth during the event? How much physical stress do the employees need to go through prior to and after the team building experience to be able to keep up with their peers? Moreover, how much is he paying in workman's comp benefits?
Calming down a little, I can see some benefit to having these events. The endorphin level is high, the physical connections formed between employees that live miles and miles apart are growing strong and the memories made together will last a lifetime. That is all well and good. Yet, could not the same amount of joy be experienced giving back to the community together? What if instead of spending $2 Million to go to a remote location, the group was able to build an entire community in an undernourished and underdeveloped area of the world without clean water or sewage systems? What if the $2 Million could help leave a legacy of hope for generations to come?
I understand the power of competition. I understand the need to hire people that are at the peak of the their performance. However, I am appalled that someone who is a leader in the modern age could be so out of tune with the reality that physical abilities are not equivalent to intellectual and emotional ability levels. Perhaps Bill Watkins' boot camp days helped him form great bonds with his "platoon mates" (Brown, 2011, p. 294) but I am going to assuredly state that similar bonds can be formed without the need of climbing over rock walls or risking life and limb to achieve a goal as a team.
Now that my initial thoughts are out there, I am still furious. How can someone who does not even have the agility to complete his own tasks expect others to fulfill the physical requirements put forth during the event? How much physical stress do the employees need to go through prior to and after the team building experience to be able to keep up with their peers? Moreover, how much is he paying in workman's comp benefits?
Calming down a little, I can see some benefit to having these events. The endorphin level is high, the physical connections formed between employees that live miles and miles apart are growing strong and the memories made together will last a lifetime. That is all well and good. Yet, could not the same amount of joy be experienced giving back to the community together? What if instead of spending $2 Million to go to a remote location, the group was able to build an entire community in an undernourished and underdeveloped area of the world without clean water or sewage systems? What if the $2 Million could help leave a legacy of hope for generations to come?
I understand the power of competition. I understand the need to hire people that are at the peak of the their performance. However, I am appalled that someone who is a leader in the modern age could be so out of tune with the reality that physical abilities are not equivalent to intellectual and emotional ability levels. Perhaps Bill Watkins' boot camp days helped him form great bonds with his "platoon mates" (Brown, 2011, p. 294) but I am going to assuredly state that similar bonds can be formed without the need of climbing over rock walls or risking life and limb to achieve a goal as a team.
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