Category Archives: Leadership

A Formula for Courage

I recently read Breaking the Fear Barrier by Tom Rieiger of Gallup Consulting. In it, he makes the case that parochialism, territorialism, and bureaucracy grow from fear. Managers fear losing the ability to control their outcomes so they build organizational barriers, e.g., unnecessary or self-serving rules and policies, to protect their interests. Ultimately, those barriers do more than protect parochial interests: they protect the organization from succeeding. Rieger also offers sound medicine for organizations that are wrapped up in fear and bureaucracy.

Rieger Sets a Low Bar

His advice is good, but he sets an awfully low bar for people. He seems to accept that people will not be courageous and recommends methods for breaking barriers erected out of fear. Rather than treating the nasty symptoms – the barriers of bureaucracy – we should aspire to overcome the fear that gives rise to it. Cowardice succumbs to fear whereas courage overcomes it. I don’t know about you, but I would rather overcome than succumb. Courage is a virtue; cowardice is a vice.

We fear failure, we fear looking silly, we fear seeming inferior to others, and we fear losing what we have. Fear stops us from voicing a dissenting opinion, changing jobs, confronting poor behavior, facing problems, and so on.

It’s plain to me that people need a formula for courage more than they need a medicine for dealing with the symptoms of cowardice.

Life Calls for a High Bar

I would like to offer my addendum to Breaking the Fear Barrier. I’ll call it “A Formula for Courage.” Everyone should learn this formula by heart because courage is an essential element of a virtuous character.

Ingredients:

Moral Compass
Worthy Goal
Humility
Self Sacrifice

* Note: Some formulas call for a measure of love.

I confess that I don’t know the proper portions, but I am confident that each is needed.

Moral Compass

A moral compass is the first ingredient because you must want to be virtuous and know what virtue looks like in order to pursue it. Your moral compass also gives you a clear vision to see where the trials of today are headed and to know what to do about them. Today’s small transgressions often lead to grave consequences tomorrow. A strong moral compass provides you with that foresight and the wisdom to face trials now.

Worthy Goal

Why would anyone stare down a giant, risk failure, or endure personal harm? Because the cause is worth it! Of course, if you haven’t set out to accomplish anything or set your mind on being a certain kind of person, then you have no reason to take a risk. When I am coaching people, I’ve learned that they need to be reminded of their values and goals when they are facing tough situations. Often, all it takes for people to move to action is a simple reminder of who they are striving to be.

Humility

Have you seen the t-shirts proclaiming “It’s all about me,” “Queen Bee,” or “I’m with stupid”? Don’t wear them. Courage requires a clear understanding that “it” is not all about you. Instead, it’s about putting a transcendent goal above your personal interests, and courageous leadership means placing that goal and other people before you. The Apostle Paul counsels Christians in Philippi as follows:

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. (Philippians 2:3-4)

I’ve noticed that humble people are generally trusted and admired. I’ve also noticed that the same people who esteem others for their humility often bristle at the notion that they should submit to others or truly serve people. It feels demeaning, and perhaps it is, but true humility and submission are hard to separate.

Self-Sacrifice

The ultimate act of valor is to give one’s life for another person or cause. Boys, even grown men, fantasize about being the hero who rescues another person from imminent bodily harm. In real life self-sacrifice comes in smaller increments – kind of like Chinese water torture. The little opportunities for self-sacrifice can seem like occasions to erode dignity one annoying drop at a time. Instead of the drama of life or death, the stakes we face are things like approval from others, a chance at a promotion, bonuses, inconvenience, and our fragile egos. This type of self-sacrifice is a bit less glamorous and a lot harder to choose.

That’s it – that is my formula for courage. I don’t expect Mr. Rieger to include it in his second edition, but one never knows!

What do you think of my formula? Will you try it? Would you change it a little and make it your own?

Executive Intent – C.A.P.E.S

Disappointing Results

Leaders know how frustrating it can be when team members fail to follow what seem to be simple directions to complete a task. It’s tempting to attribute the glitch on the staff member, but wisdom instructs leaders to rethink this notion. Instead the leader should consider whether the source of the problem might be his/her leader’s failure to communicate their purpose. “Purpose” tells people how to interpret orders, execute procedures, solve problems, resolve conflicts, and overcome unexpected challenges; it informs their judgment and allows them to improvise. “Purpose” is also the power behind initiative, goal setting, and perseverance. So it is always wise to communicate the purpose of a task or project when you assign it.

One way to ensure that you communicate your purpose is to use the C.A.P.E .S. acronym as a guide whenever you assign work.

Context:

Describe the situation, events, and conditions that are calling for action at this time.

Assignment:

Briefly tell the person what you want them to do. Concisely provide an amount of detail that matches their expertise. Include information on timelines, resources, and scope boundaries as well.

Purpose:

Describe why you want this work done, including goals, outcomes, and what is important about the work. Sometimes it can be important to use contrasting, which is telling the person what outcomes you do and do not intend to result.

Explain what you know:

Tell the person what to look out for, such as challenges they might face, problems that could arise, sensitive issues, and touchy stakeholders.

Solicit Feedback:

Invite the person to probe for more information. Converse with the person until they are clear about the “whats” and “whys” of the assignment.

Feedback, The Breakfast of Champions

The other night I watched two teenage sisters shine. They shined so brightly that their audience beamed with pride at their character and accomplishment. The girls volunteered to make a presentation and be coached in front of roughly fifty adults at a meeting of the Institute for Cultural Communicators (ICC). After diligent preparation and no small amount of creative labor, the girls stood in front of their audience ready to deliver their performance. What happened next reminded me of a paper my wife wrote entitled “Feedback: The Breakfast of Champions.” The girls confidently delivered their presentation. Then they consumed enough “breakfast” for a team of champions. Again and again, they performed and consumed, performed, and consumed. It was beautiful– and so were they.

With each cycle, their presentation improved. The girls listened carefully and graciously, though it was no doubt trying to be jostled around by such direct feedback– don’t do that, try this, now this… In the end, the performance was greatly improved and so was, I believe, the audience. We, the audience, witnessed two young ladies gracefully accept and respond to a public critique of something they personally created and performed. The contrast with the adult workplace was glaring, at least to me.

As I reflect on the contrast and draw on my years of experience, here is what I see.

ICC	Workplace
Interdependence	Autonomy
Feedback is expected and wanted by both parties	Feedback is threatening to both parties
Feedback is essential to the process	Feedback is an exception to the process
Critics are viewed as partners	Critics are viewed as rivals
Accepting feedback is a sign of character	Accepting feedback is a sign of weakness

I doubt that these girls have always taken feedback so well. Most people don’t. But I am pretty sure I know how they got to this point: Their goal is to improve, and their learning process is collaborative. Twice a month they gather with other students and adults to work on their communication skills. In those sessions, they routinely give and get feedback just like breathing– in and out, give and get—and the results are exceptional.

…I wonder what would happen if adults in the workplace did the same thing

What is Common Sense Anyway?

It’s common sense, anyone can do it.

That’s what the mechanic told me when I asked him what special skills it took to keep a 40-yard long bohemeth of a machine running. The machine made GE light bulbs and had thousands upon thousands of moving parts. His job was to keep the machine tuned and running in perfect order – plain and simple. Except, it really wasn’t simple at all.

One Man’s Trash is…

My job was to figure out what skills were needed to do the job so GE could hire more people like him. But he wasn’t of much help. Common sense my foot! This expert mechanic had mastered so much, but he was aware of so little of of it. He just knew it, and it seemed all so simple. I didn’t know “it,” but I wanted to, and GE was counting on me. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

The mechanic is not alone. Workplaces are filled with people who don’t know what they know. As result, organizations often have a difficult time developing younger, less experienced workers. And right now, experienced people are walking out the company door to retirement and taking their common sense with them. One man’s trash is a company’s treasure.

Developing Common Sense

When I met this mechanic in the back in the 80’s, I was convinced that he was wrong. I was convinced that he possessed inherent abilities that made him so good at his job. But now, I can appreciate his perspective. I still believe that he had a certain set of natural intelligences that “funded” his performance, but I also know a little more about what he called “common sense.” Now this topic is one my favorite things to talk about. So, when I had the chance to make a series of training videos for my alma mater, West Chester University, I decided to make them about “Developing Good Judgement” otherwise known as common sense.

Developing a Camera Sense

The link below will take you to my first video, shot in one take back at West Chester University. I am looking forward to making several more, and to developing more “camera sense” as I do.

A Six Million Dollar Employee

What would you do if you lost both your legs?

Bounce Back

When teenage rock climbing phenom Hug Herr lost his legs in 1982, he used the “tragedy” as a springboard into an exceptional life.

In 1982 Herr was an average student and world-class rock climber. That was before he got caught in a blizzard that took one friend’s life and the lower part of his two legs. A few months later, he was ascending the rock face with his homemade prosthetic legs. Soon, he was modifying his prosthetics to do things human legs couldn’t. He made those early devices of wood using the rudimentary skills he learned in shop class. Now, Professor Herr leads the Biometrics Research group at the MIT Media Lab where they design Star War’s style prosthetics. These new, sleek robotics are made of alloys, powered by batteries and biodynamics, and are guided by sophisticated software. Herr now says he feels bad for people who have to make do with their human legs.

Put on a New Pair of Glasses

Everyone gets their share of lemons in life – some get a boatload, and some get a just a bushel. But, as Mr. Herr’s story illustrates, it’s not how many lemons you get – it’s how you use them that counts. What happens in our lives often matters less than how we interpret our experiences. Experiences in themselves are not always inherently positive or negative. Researcher Barbara Frederickson found that people with a 3/1 ratio of positive to negative experiences a day feel a sense of well-being. On average, Americans’ positivity ratio is somewhere around 2/1, which may account for the level of discontent in American organizations. Like many researchers before her, Frederickson emphasizes that whether a person experiences a ratio of 2/1 or 5/1 actually depends on what they notice and how they interpret it.

Debbie Versus Harry

Various streams of research suggest that discontent has as much to do with personality and personal expectations as it does with reality. Some personalities believe that “bad” things are just bound to happen to them, and despite how hard they try, they can’t affect their outcomes. People like this learn less, overcome fewer challenges, and are in poorer health than their more optimistic peers. Besides that, these Debbie Downers are just hard to be around. In contrast, Happy Harries see failures as learning opportunities – as obstacles to overcome. To these folks, problems are temporary, situational, and solvable. That’s how they explain things to themselves. Consequently, they learn more, overcome greater challenges, and get things done. People enjoy being around them too. So one big reason why some people “fail” and flounder interminably is their explanatory style – they see themselves either as strong protagonists in their world or as backstage hands.

Be Realistic

Negative emotions can also be rooted in unrealistic expectations. When life events match our expectations, we tend to feel satisfied. When our life goals are met, we tend to feel positive about ourselves. But when life doesn’t match up, look out!

Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman and his colleagues linked Americans’ “happiness” to three things:

A positive life evaluation, which is largely based on whether a person has met his long-term goals,
A sense of emotional well-being, which comes primarily from strong relationships, and
A $60,000 salary, regardless of the local cost of living.

Organizational leaders need to be concerned with positivity and “happiness” because it affects team productivity and ultimate success. Attitudes, both positive and negative, are quite literally contagious. Happy Harries are more resilient and accomplish more and continually improve. As they succeed, so does the organization.

So, what can managers do to drive their teams’ positivity ratio closer to 6/1 where high-performing teams hang-out? One solution is to hire teams full of people like Hugh Herr – smart, positive, resilient problem solvers who work hard. He is a Six Million Dollar Man! Given a huge budget, an exceptional recruiting program, and a strong personnel assessment process, you just might find another “six million dollar man.” Realistically though, there are few people exactly like Hugh Herr out there to found. But there are million-dollar people to be found, and here is what you can do to find and keep them.

Invest wisely in your candidate assessment and selection process. Psychologists have refined tools for determining the fit between a person and the workplace. Personality assessments cut through the masks people wear to distinguish the real Happy Harries from the pretenders.
Build relationships with your team members, and encourage them to build relationships in the workplace.
Frame situations for employees to help them see opportunities and the big picture. Of course, this will require you to develop a positive perspective yourself as well.
Set challenging, realistic goals with people based on their talents and the situation.
Ensure that people have positive experiences at work, especially success in completing their work duties.
Communicate clearly what people can and should expect in and from their workplace.
Learn to genuinely appreciate people, and be generous in how you show your appreciation.

Managers who make a habit of doing these things find their team members acting a lot more like Hugh Herr than a huge mistake.

Easier said than done though, isn’t it? Most managers are everyday folks who struggle to get through the challenges of the day – putting out fires and responding to whatever is thrown at them. Leadership is very demanding; don’t toil away all by yourself! If you’re striving to do more with your leadership or your team, reach out to your fellow leaders and to Credo Consulting for some support. Wise managers know that leadership is not a solo sport: it’s a team sport.

Research References

Diener, E., Kahneman, D., Tov, W., & Arora, R. (2009). Income’s Differential Influence on Judgments of Life Versus Affective Wellbeing. Assessing Wellbeing. Oxford, UK: Springer

Positive Affect and the Complex Dynamics of Human Flourishing. Fredrickson, Barbara L.; Losada, Marcial F. American Psychologist, Vol 60(7), Oct 2005, 678-686. doi: 10.1037/0003-066X.60.7.678

Let’s Make Pretend

My young daughter sometimes reminds me, “This is just for pretend, Daddy.” Although play is very serious business, she is clear that we are operating by make-believe rules. We suspend the realities that govern our actual existence so she can be a mommy, a kitty, or render me powerless with the magic word “abracadabra.” My favorite part is when she kisses me to make me strong again. That is because, in reality, I crave affection from my little girl. I sometimes find that people in the workplace lack this same clarity about what is make-believe, what is real, what people crave, and what people loathe.

Make-believe rules govern our lives everywhere we go. Sheldon, the super-science nerd in the show “The Big Bang Theory,” refuses to give his best friend a birthday gift until Penny explains that gift giving is a “non-optional social convention.” Our made-up social “rules” are essential for holding society and companies together. We need these rules, but they are not always a positive force in our world. When we make-up rules that are contrary to our design, we create a mess.

One of my least favorite make-believe games at work is called: “It’s not personal; it’s work.” This game is played by a set pattern of complex, often contradictory rules. Here are a few of them:

Do not take how I treat you personally.
Do not bring emotions into your work (because they make me anxious).
Be very likeable and reliable so people will like you and want to work with you.
Be passionate about your work and put in extra hours.
Give us your best, creative ideas. But do not be upset if we do not use them.
Take pride in your work; make quality products.

The problem, of course, is that these rules contradict each other and reality. Unlike computers, people cannot partition their “hard drive” to operate their “rationale work being” separately from their “emotional personal being.” Work is an intensely personal activity. We are made to work, and we need to work. Like our creator, we express our very nature in our work. That nature is rational and emotional, artistic and scientific, playful and serious… People cannot be deconstructed in the workplace and maintain the integrity of their full personhood. As I have worked with companies whose employee surveys revealed deep dissatisfaction, I noticed that employees are not just unsatisfied with the situation. No, they are angry and feel that their very personhood is under assault. Consequently, they protest this treatment in ways that disrupt the effective operation of the business.

People crave the opportunity to bring their whole selves to work. In the pretend world, I am rejuvenated and reenergized when my daughter kisses me. In the real world, employees are motivated and engaged when their employer embraces their whole person.

If you want motivated, engaged people in your business, embrace them as whole people. Here are a few ways you can do that:

Notice what people enjoy doing and find out what people do best. Then make sure they get to do it every day!
Invite people to do more than what their job description includes. As they take on more, adjust their compensation.
Demonstrate that you personally care about them.
Encourage supervisors to use their judgment when they apply policies, e.g., scheduling rules; time-off; and allow consideration of the employee’s performance, commitment, and life circumstances.
Make sure job requirements do not contain needless formal education standards that bar otherwise qualified people from advancing.
Provide supervisors with “human relations” training including topics such as interpersonal communications and conflict resolution.
Reward high performers and genuinely treat them differently than lower performers.
Deal with the hard personal stuff. Stop avoiding conversations because it might hurt people’s feelings.