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Newsletter June 2009

Greetings!

In this issue we continue to explore the challenges that leaders encounter regularly in fulfilling the two key aspects of their role:
  1. Creating a vision:  how in the day-to-day of management priorities to be able to see for oneself and to convince others that there is a better way, even when the observable reality seems to refute that conviction?
  2. Guiding people in implementing that vision effectively: how to involve others in contributing to the definition of the vision and its implementation, without using coercion, intimidation, or manipulation that always result in skepticism and resistance?
In This Issue
Creating A Vision When The Numbers Are Not There Yet.
Getting Everyone on the Same Page
Creating a Vision When The Numbers Are Not There Yet
 
We all do the same thing: we get energized about new ideas, new possibilities.  But then we take a look at the immediate reality of our bank account (or profit and loss statement) and we immediately feel that these new ideas are a "waste of time".  But there is an error here: we forget how the current reality was created.

The reality we observe today is the result of the thoughts and actions we took in the past.  If we don't like what we see now, why would we want to continue on the same path?

And then there is the issue of other people who did not take part in the development of the new ideas.  As a first reaction, they will throw a wet blanket over anything new, sometimes with the best intentions: to protect us.  Other times it is out of fear and judgment; "You haven't done so well in the past, so let's not go crazy here..."

Often, we don't even need others to cut our vision short; we have our own disbelief running in the back of our heads, "it would be nice but..."

How do we answer that negative little voice?  We need to anchor our vision in practical term and see how the plan might unfold and how all the pieces could come together.  Remember a real plan is more than a budget derived from last year's numbers adjusted by "reasonable" percentage.  That kind of plan goes to the bottom drawer to then never resurface for the entire year.

No.  You want to put some reality behind exciting new concepts; you need to get a picture of how all the organizational aspects come together to generate the desired outcome.  That includes both the measurable items that accounting captures and the intangibles, such as how motivated your people are, how they communicate among themselves, how much they trust each other.  Create enough "reality" around your vision, so it can guide what to focus on and so that you begin to believe in the plan.

Equally important, others in the organization need to believe in the vision as much as you do.  Do not make the mistake of concocting the vision on your own, and then presenting it to your team in all its glory, expecting people to line up behind a concept they are just discovering.

Granted sometimes it works.  Particularly if what you propose requires no great leap of faith.  But if you need everyone to think about their work in a new way, you will need to include them in the design. If you don't, you will encounter a lot of friction when it comes to implementation.  You will also discover as is always the case, that the group is capable of finding better solutions than you alone can.

Having a new vision and then planning for it is an opportunity to bring your team together to experience that they have common ground and expectations.  Best of all it gives them a practical road map to develop a more successful reality.  The process has to be genuine.  Participants need to know that their contribution matters and will be taken into consideration.  To make your vision a reality, it needs to be anchored in something that everyone can believe in.
 
The tightrope walk for leaders is to balance the need to  clarify the vision for themselves so they can maintain the course when no one else sees the destination, and engaging others early enough so that they can participate in the development of the new ideas and contribute to the specifics of their implementation.
 
We wish you a good summer.  This is a perfect time for thinking of new potential and to lay the groundwork for planning work in the Fall.
 
Sincerely,
 
 
Alain Bolea
 

Getting Everyone on the Same Page

When deciding on important changes, business leaders face two extreme temptations:
 -To jump too quickly to the "obvious" solution before checking out viable options and implications, and
 -To resist making any significant change at all.
 
Choosing too quickly: 
We are all capable of rushing to a conclusion.  Even more so when the situation is urgent.  We value leaders and staff alike for being decisive problem-solvers.  We believe we 'know' the business, or our staff or our customers.  The information and analysis present a clear path to follow, we think, if only we will just accept what's in front of us. 
 
The problem with going with the most likely and obvious choice is making the decisions without having all the facts.  Frequently left out of the decision process are those that will implement the changes, or be directly affected.  They're often considered the 'doers' not the 'thinkers.'  Yet when invited to take part in the evaluation of options, implementers always come up with critical insights; they invariably flag areas that will undermine or even prove fatal to implementing the original concept.
 
Resisting Any Significant Change:
The reverse temptation is to not want to change enough.  Resistance shows up throughout the change process.  At inception, the common attitude is "Let's not fix what isn't broken."  Later in the process as the team struggles through options, the resistance shows up again as doubts that any available solution will work.
 
Working Through the Choice:
What leaders can do to naturally take their staff through the decision process is to include the following steps:
 
1. Focus first on the outcome that each considered option needs to deliver,  usually meeting the client requirements for your service or product.  This ensures that the important objective of the organization is fulfilled, and not just the objectives of particular subgroups.   Then,
 
2. Each major option is talked through by all key players for the changes that would occur if implemented.  The two yardsticks are that the changes deliver reliable performance and that they are efficient and sustainable in term of the organization's resources.
 
With these two simple yet powerful sets of conversations businesses can empower their staff to take charge of making necessary changes happen.  They can make sure that concept and implementation are coherent and increase buy-in by those who will carry out the changes.
 
Scott Brumburgh
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