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Leaders Leading Change By Ed Yager I have reached the point in my career where the term "seasoned" fits all too well. If seasoned can be translated to experienced then I'm ok with it. Other connotations I will ignore for now. This seasoning process involves about 15 years as a fortune 500 executive and over twenty-five years as a consultant to organizations involved in change of one sort or another. I have learned that one of the major differences between effective executives and the other kind is in their approach to change. Too many executives move from crisis to crisis and event to event, praising when things go really well and condemning when they do not. They fail to realize that occasional events, things or activities that are unique or out of the ordinary are not worthy of attention because it is not organizational behavior. When the organization is not capable of sustaining high performance levels an executive's attention must be directed toward consistency - not occasional wins. What is organizationally important are those things that are likely to happen as routine events. Leaders concentrate on the patterns. When a really good day is followed by a poor day followed by a good day, the good days do not deserve praise, nor do the poor days deserve energy. The variation is the problem. Organizations are "bundles of activity" with common elements or patterns that allow activities and people to be grouped or treated as an entity. Organizations are always in movement and there is always some directional tendency. The objective is, as Tom Peters describes, "Keeping the herd moving roughly toward the west". Change of one sort or another is always occurring. Obviously it is best if it is being guided by the organization's leader to be consistent with the strategic intent. Herein lies the problem. Too often the organization's leaders are operating from a position of weakness. Exacerbating problems rather than resolving them, stoking the fires of conflict, demoralizing or alienating those whose talent they need most, fueling fear, and criticizing people at every turn, killing their golden geese. So many executives believe that others should be willing to give everything to the job, sort of a you owe it to me attitude. Entrepreneurs are particularly vulnerable to this brand of thinking. "I invented it, I built this company, and if it wasn't for me you would not have a job." Steven Sullivan writing in LEADERSHIP AT MACH 2 writes, "Leadership is not about self interest. It is about looking out for others. I give 110 percent, and I expect the same from everyone. Wake up buster. No one gives 110%. When we begin to think we have given everything and then some the next step is the cemetery." To expect the same of others is unrealistic. I approach change and improvement in the following manner: 1. Begin with a process of diagnosing your organization in a process called scanning. Scanning requires a thoughtful look at both the internal culture and at external events to determine the organization's abilities to deal with the forces it faces or will face. This can include one-on-one interviews with key stakeholders, focus groups, surveys of employees, surveys of customers won and customers lost, literature search, and industry data. 2. Leaders must individually and collectively engage in a learning situation that will help them through personal introspection to determine their own strengths and weaknesses. 3. Introduce leaders to "new" paradigms of leadership and organizational thought and to options associated with high performing organization and leaders, and then provide mechanisms to facilitate those leaders developing other leaders. 4. Engage the organization's leaders, a sort of critical mass, to facilitate an analysis and a plan for generating data and action steps relative to control systems, support systems, developmental systems, and other aspects and activities of the organization. Communicate the visions, the whys, and the hoped for outcomes, and then do it some more. Everyone must develop absolute awareness of the benefits and the dream. An important finding relative to the way we think should be considered by any leader or executive who believes he or she is in control of the situation. That is the fact that the less competent people are the more competent they believe they are, and the less able they are to recognize competence in others. Consider the challenge this creates for leaders who believe all is well and that they can solve any problem that comes up. GE's Jack Welch, one of those relatively few who have recognized what it takes and the value drawing upon the wisdom of counselors (in his case it was Noel Tichy from the University of Michigan, but it might be anyone from a chief executive's forum to an internal team of confidants) lists his 6 rules to live by. Good stuff here for any leaders to consider. 1. Control your destiny or someone else will. 2. Face reality as it is, not as you wish it were. (Understand that you probably do not know reality. That will require some work on your part.) 3. Be candid with everyone. 4. Let others, or the process manage itself - you lead. 5. Change before you have to. Don't assume that incremental change will be enough. Most organizations need revolutions. 6. If you don't have competitive advantage, don't compete. It is clear, those leaders who are able to create an environment that involves, communicates, considers, proposes, and plans will have the upper hand. There are skills involved and spending the time to learn those will pay tremendous dividends. |
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