In a recent blog, I defined collaboration as mutual responsibility. A key element of this definition is the idea of being responsible for results without the “illusion of control.” I cannot compel others to commit or perform, but I can ask directly for their commitments, reinforce effective performance, and engage and manage any performance that is off-track. This idea may seem self-evident, but you couldn’t tell by observing the everyday conversations in most organizations. From direct observations, data collection I’ve done, and anecdotes I’ve heard, such conversations are avoided more frequently than engaged. And, if people ever do engage, it’s typically when they can no longer avoid it, so the […]
Collaboration as Mutual Responsibility
May 14, 2015 By
Most people do not really want freedom, because freedom involves responsibility, and most people are frightened of responsibility. Sigmund Freud I think that Freud was wrong, but not totally wrong. I don’t think people are frightened of responsibility. Instead, I think that they’ve been conditioned to believe that someone else should and will be responsible. But, if we want every person to act responsibly – for results, for choices, for the risks they see in others’ decisions and actions – then we must change how we think and talk about responsibility. When I ask people to describe collaboration, the most frequent definition I hear is working together on some shared […]
Creating a Results-Oriented Culture
March 8, 2015 By
Even though my friends will laugh (or faint), I’ve decided that it’s time to talk about culture. Lately, I see so much content about this topic, and the role it can play in attracting and retaining talented people. Many of these stories focus on work experience and relationships, which I see as necessary but not sufficient. So, instead of another blog on how to create a great place to work, I want to focus on the issue that I believe matters the most to talented people and that’s how to create a “results-oriented” culture. FIRST, LET ME DEFINE THIS TERM. If you visit Dictionary.com and look for culture you can […]
Influence Without Authority
September 19, 2014 By
The aim of every form of organization should be to seek the methods by which power can be increased in all – Mary Parker Follett I’ve trained thousands and, whenever I ask people to define the word power, they always describe the word discretion. They define power as a person’s ability to make choices about his own interests and then impose those choices on others. Power is always seen as control, and I’ve heard the same definition on three continents. Even though I hear this definition everywhere, I see two major problems with it. The first problem is what I call the “illusion of control.” This illusion is […]
From Leading a Team to Leading Leaders
August 28, 2014 By
Has the scope of your role increased? Are you now leading leaders with teams of their own, rather than leading a team of individual contributors? Then you have a challenge. You can’t be the expert in every area you lead. You can’t be the problem-solver every time there is a crisis. Somehow, you need to find a way to have your finger on the pulse of your organization without monitoring everything directly. You need to “scale” yourself or you will be overwhelmed. And hardest of all, you may need to step further back from activities that you have found personally satisfying. SO WHAT CAN YOU DO? To scale yourself […]
You might be a narcissistic leader if…
July 24, 2014 By
What comes to mind when you think of great leaders? Visionary? Charismatic? Big personalities? Create transformative change? If that’s your picture of a great leader, then it involves narcissism. Surprised? Have you always thought of narcissism as a purely negative trait? The best theorist of narcissism and leadership is probably Michael Maccoby. For a fuller description of narcissistic leadership, see his HBR article. In it, he argues that many larger-than-life business leaders have been narcissists – Jack Welch, Larry Ellison, Steve Jobs. Narcissism can have downsides, but it has its upsides as well. And we all have some narcissistic qualities. What’s key is being what Maccoby calls a “productive” […]
Embrace Resistance
July 11, 2014 By
Q – How does a pilot know that he’s over the target? A – They’re shooting at him. An old joke, but one that a fighter pilot friend of mine swears is true. Another saying that goes with this joke is “nobody guards an empty hole.” Unfortunately, these sayings, while certainly funny and possible even true, also help sustain a dysfunctional model of resistance and conflict in organizations. Conflict isn’t bad or good, and conflict certainly isn’t about “winning” or “losing,” however you define those terms. Most people don’t resist your ideas simply to annoy you, and those few that do often prove to be inept in their […]
Building Others’ Commitment to Your Success
June 27, 2014 By
Beneath the surface of any leader’s daily actions lies a set of assumptions about what will make the leader successful. Some of the assumptions I’ve repeatedly seen include: I need to have others in the organization give me/my group credit for our contribution and value. I need to show my competence and strategic thinking. I need to focus on the task being done “right”. I need to overcome opposition to my goals and strategies. The pitfalls of these typical assumptions about success When leaders hold these assumptions as true, they remain focused on their own goals and achievement. They may accomplish the goals they’ve set for themselves, but […]
Get Beyond the Illusion of Control
June 11, 2014 By
If you live long enough, you realize that so much of what happens in life is out of your control, but how you respond to it is in your control. – Hillary Clinton To make sure we’re discussing the same term, let me offer definition one from Merriman-Webster. “Control – to direct the behavior of a person, to cause a person to do what you want.” I define it with a bit more color as the ability to get people to do what you want, when and how you want – and to act like they want it too. As the above title suggests, I believe that control is […]
Be a Better Performance Coach – Ask, Don’t Tell
May 2, 2014 By
If you’re like most leaders, you have a picture in your head about the performance you want from your people, and you want to get them closer to that picture. When faced with a gap between how they actually perform and what you want, what do you do? It’s likely that your first inclination is to tell the person – about how you see the situation, or what you believe they should be doing differently. Of course you tell, right? You have a perspective you want them to get, and you see the opportunities for different approaches that you believe would be more effective. Furthermore, you probably believe that this […]
