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Leadership development: ‘The new kid on the block’

September 2, 2012 by Brenda Leave a Comment

I find the evolving approaches to leadership and leadership-development fascinating.  Even top business schools tend to shift their slant.  I like the approach that believes there are basically three aspects to leadership – meeting the strategic needs, motivating the team to get there and bringing out the best in individuals within the team. 

Another fascinating element is that of ‘leadership vs. management’.  Both are essential.  You can’t be a good leader if you aren’t a good manager – and the opposite also applies.  Many ‘experts’ argue using various distinctions.  For example, leadership is a ‘right brain’ activity and management is ‘left brain’.  Others will argue that leadership is strategic whereas management is process-driven.  Yet others say, leadership involves emphasising the needs of the team and the individuals and through them achieving ‘task’ whereas management emphasises the ‘task’. Another way of looking at it is that we have to build the future (leadership) while managing the present. If we don’t plan the future, the present will collapse in a heap.  And if we concentrate only on the present, we will never get further.   These differences go on and on.  

To me, it is also very interesting that leadership involves persuasion where management has the sting of compulsion.  For example, ‘if you don’t complete this task, you won’t be paid etc.’. Let’s look at an example where we use combinations of ‘leadership’ and ‘management’.  In the last article I used Skabenga, a ‘Fat Cat’ as an example in the ‘Imposter Syndrome’ article.  So let’s consider dogs this time!

Kaiser, German Shepherd Dog

Yesterday we became the proud owners of Kaiser, a beautiful two-year old German Shepherd dog.  He came from a loving home where the owners are moving to a much smaller simplex where they aren’t allowed to keep big dogs.  They were heartbroken at having to make this decision, but felt reassured that we’d give him the love that he is accustomed to.  

In dealing with our new ‘child’, having to consciously apply all we have ever learnt about dogs, is fascinating.  There has to be a combination of persuasion and compulsion.  ‘Come Boy’ said in a soft, gentle tone encourages the dog to do what we want him to do.  And that is essential.  But at other times, the dog needs a sharp jerk on the ‘choke-chain’ (compulsion).  So, a combination of both approaches is important.  We have to simultaneously lead and manage our dogs to achieve best results.

We again enrolled the help of a ‘dog expert’, Adrienne Olivier who has been of great assistance to us over the years.  We were concerned that our matriarch, a twelve-year-old GSD, Sabrena would not take kindly to the juvenile newcomer.  And we were right.  So, Adrienne carefully supervised both ‘playdates’ as a prelude to Kaiser coming to live with us.  This is important in avoiding a crisis and building positive relationships that will last a (dog’s) lifetime. 

If you have a look at Adrienne’s website, you’ll see that: ‘Adrienne’s passion and goal is to enhance the relationship between people and their dogs by not only helping them learn how to train using positive motivational methods, but to better understand their canine companions through education.’ 

I’m not implying that we should send in a dog trainer to help us with humans.  But we can learn a great deal from the way they handle situations and help us to understand the dog’s head, heart and action.  Isn’t it a pity that we don’t always manage the process of leading people into new positions in a similar way.  By helping to build positive relationships we would have a far greater chance of success – for everyone!   

So let’s consciously pay more attention to the needs of all parties while absorbing leaders or new team-members. And this applies to ‘the new kid on the block’, too!  The benefits will be great! 

For more information on ‘leadership development’ and ‘executive coaching’ please contact me - brenda@146.66.90.172, Phone: +27 33 3425432, Mobile: + 27 82 4993311.

A Simple & Effective Lesson In Change Management

May 7, 2011 by gary Leave a Comment

Gary is a business consultant and trainer based in Sydney, Australia but operating internationally. He assists organisations in getting business benefits from I.T . Contact Gary, +61 (0)4-1092-3445, gary@eckstein.id.au, http://eckstein.id.au

Kurt Lewin was a German-American psychologist. He introduced two simple yet hugely effective models which are widely taught in good Business Schools:

  • the Force-Field Analysis and the 
  • Unfreeze – Change - Freeze Model (this is also referred to as the Unfreeze – Change - Refreeze Model).

In this article we examine the Unfreeze – Change - Freeze Model and see how effectively this simple model can be applied to business and personal situations.

What is the Unfreeze – Change – Freeze Model
We know that change is disruptive and that some people and organisational cultures handle change better than others. Lewin studied change and then concluded that by following a three step Change Model, change could be made vastly less disruptive and more effective in reaching its objectives. The beauty of Lewin’s model (the model is actually a cycle as there is almost always a requirement for change in organisations) is that it is so simple to understand and yet so very powerful:

The Unfreeze – Change - Freeze Change Model

Unfreeze:  Before any change there is preparation to be done which includes communicating the need for change, up-skilling employees where necessary and so on.

Change:  As the organisation is now prepared for change (i.e. the Unfreeze stage has been addressed) the Change itself is now implemented.

Freeze: A period of stability is necessary after the Change for the organisation to adjust to the change. This time for stability is needed for employees and other stakeholders to adjust as well as for efficiencies and effectiveness resulting from the change to be realised.

The basic concept is that for change to be successful, it cannot be ongoing.  Periods of stability and preparation for change are necessary.

Example: Change Management in Education
It is interesting that so much of the Change Management theory is seen as business focused. Change however occurs in all professions and spheres of life. Below therefore is an example showing where Lewin’s Unfreeze – Change – Freeze model would benefit a primary school initiative:

In my home state of New South Wales (Australia) the State Government mandated that all Kindergarten children from 2010 need to be assessed as part of the ‘Best Start’ initiative. Certainly the idea is great as described by the Education Minister who states that ‘by sitting down with each student and assessing their early literacy and numeracy skills, teachers can develop learning plans for their students’.

The implementation of the assessment program was left mostly to each school and this is where a number of Change Management issues arose.

Change 1 – Starting school for the first time
Kindergarten in Australia is the first year of Primary School and the children are generally five years old. Many are away from their parents for the first time and for all the children it is a huge Change from their pre-school days.

My daughter’s school did a great job of preparing parents and advising them to get the children ready for the Change (i.e. they did well at the Unfreezing for children attending primary school for the first time). Day 1 of ‘Kindy’ came along and my daughter and others went off for their first day of primary school (i.e. the Change was effected). In the past (prior to 2010) the daily routine would then be the same for a certain amount of time so the children could adjust to the Change (i.e. Freeze).

Change 2 – Best Start Program
My daughter’s primary school decided that the class teacher would perform each child’s assessment of the new Best Start program.  This took place from day 2 of the new school year with teachers ‘filling in’ for the class teacher. This meant that for the next seven school days (i.e. days 2 to 8 of the children’s first days at primary school) there was a different substitute teacher each day who didn’t know the children (and the children didn’t know the teachers) and nor were the children familiar with the school itself. There was therefore no period of stability (Freeze) after the first Change.

Many of the children did not adjust at all well and, referring to the Unfreeze – Change – Freeze model it is evident why; a period of stability is needed after Change and this did not occur. The good news is that the school has recognised that there needs to be a period of stability (i.e. Freeze) before the Best Start assessments in future.

The Model Works
A common misconception is that simple models are less effective than complex models. Lewin’s Unfreeze – Change – Freeze model shows that a model that is  simple to understand and implement can be extremely effective in various organisations and Change situations.

Try applying this model to changes in your business and personal life and you will benefit.

Ten Steps To Effective Delegation

May 7, 2011 by Brenda Leave a Comment

There are many people who hesitate to delegate for a number of reasons. For example, they may have had bad experiences in the past when they have tried to delegate.  However, by following the simple ‘Ten steps to effective delegation’ which I have built up and refined over the years and cover in my workshops, and practising these steps diligently, many participants in the workshops have had outstanding results.  Their ability to delegate effectively has improved greatly.

By delegating effectively you create time for activities which are of higher importance to you at that specific time.  For example, you may need to devote more time to strategic issues. Or the requirements of the task you are delegating may help the other person to accept more responsibility and grow in different ways.

  1. Choose the right person
    Match the requirement of the assignment with the person’s needs, potential, skills, interests and motivation. (You want success!)
  2. Explain why you are asking
    Tell the person why you feel that he or she is the right person for the job and why you believe they will be successful.  In other words, articulate the points you have considered in 1. above.
  3. Define the required results
    Focus on the outcome which the delegated task will require (rather than on the tasks to be performed to achieve the results). Introduce a measure of success.  You want the best.
  4. Emphasise the benefits
    Mention the benefits to the organisation (of achieving the required results) and to the individual. (What’s in it for me?)
  5. Explain the resources
    Ensure that there are adequate resources and explain these to the person.
    (Remember to mention all resources – human, financial, supplies, time, transport, information etc.)
  6. Provide parameters
    Explain that he or she needs to develop a ‘plan of action’ for your approval and that this should include time limits.
  7. Introduce control systems
    Develop and discuss control systems and show how progress will be monitored and deviations dealt with.  Allow for different work styles and minor mistakes.
  8. Ensure that the person understands…….
    the rules, regulations, limitations and policies with which they will function.
  9. Empower with sufficient responsibility and authority..
    to achieve the best results.  (Don’t abdicate.)
  10. Conclusion
    Invite questions, summarise, make sure the person has accepted the assignment, indicate your availability to support and say ‘thank you’.

Follow these ten steps and you will delegate effectively.

Use Objectives For Success

May 7, 2011 by gary Leave a Comment

Most of us have personally set or have been provided with objectives. Objectives are commonly used in organizations of all size. However objective setting is often haphazard and objectives are not aligned towards organizational strategy. A framework for effective objective setting is also often lacking.

Peter Drucker, the well known management ‘guru’, introduced and recommended Management by Objectives (MBO). MBO, very simplistically, is about defining and communicating, at all levels of an organization, which objectives need to be realised in order to meet the aims of the organization (strategy, values and so on). Drucker was one of the first proponents of using objectives to meet the goals of an organization, for objectives to be complimentary and for formalising the objective setting process.

Below is a practical and simple guide for implementing the basics of MBO.

Objectives must align with Strategy

 

The Objective Setting Process
Per the diagram above, lower objectives are set for the specific audience and align to the higher objectives and ultimately organizational strategy. All objectives work towards common organizational goals.

Objectives should be set for departments and individuals. For example, a strategic objective may be ‘Improve market share of supermarket soap sales to 10% by March 2011’. Every sales person may then be given an objective of ‘Sell 500 cartons of soap to supermarkets each month’ (which will result in the 10% market share being reached). Each individual sales person will then be set further aligning objectives; Joe the salesman may be great at selling to existing customers however needs training in attaining new customers therefore may be set an objective of ‘Attend BEI training in personal networking techniques by March 2010’)

So, what makes a good objective?

Good Objectives are SMMART Objectives
SMMART objectives are extremely effective in aligning employees and the organization towards common goals. When setting objectives it is important that objectives are SMMART:

  • Specific: The objective must not be too broad and must be clearly defined.
  • Measurable: You must be able to measure success against the objective.
  • Measured: Measurement of performance against the objective as well as feedback to the person/people to whom the objective was set is critical.
  • Achievable: It must be realistic to achieve the objective.
  • Relevant: The objective must compliment higher objectives and strategy and be relevant to the person/department for whom the objective is being set.
  • Time-based: Don’t leave objectives open-ended. Have a specific date as to when the objective must be met.

MBO in Small Organizations
MBO was originally designed for large organizations. MBO is however often more effective in small organizations (and is usually far simpler to implement). Small organizations may benefit greatly from the entire organization having common objectives. Need assistance with aligning your objectives with strategy? Contact Gary at +61 (0)4-1092-3445, gary@eckstein.id.au, http://eckstein.id.au

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