Blanchard LeaderChat

It’s the start of a new year and a great time to take stock of where you are and where you are going as a leader.  The ability to think clearly and make the best decisions is a key part of any leader’s role.  Yet, many leaders tend to fall into bad thinking patterns—especially after a couple of years on the job.  Here are three of the most common bad habits and what to do to avoid them.

1. Either-Or thinking

Executives are asked to make decisions—and they get more difficult the higher up you are.  People or profits?  Centralized or decentralized?  Frontline decision-making or command and control?  Leaders will often have to choose from among opposing viewpoints and the people supporting those viewpoints will be expecting and asking you to endorse either Plan A or Plan B.

Always consider a Plan C first.  While opposing camps argue for why their plan will work while the other point of view won’t, see if you can find a solution that incorporates the best of both proposals while minimizing the downsides.

For example, should we empower our frontline people to make decisions? Yes.  Is there the possibility that they will make mistakes if we do?  Yes.  Does that mean we have to choose between all decisions being made at the frontline, or all decisions being made at headquarters?  No.  There is a better decision that allows frontline decision-making and maintains accuracy and consistency.  Find it.

2. Confusing decision-making with taking action

As a leader, it is easy to think that your job is primarily to make decisions.  Decision-making is only the first step.  The purpose of leadership is to take action and move.  If five frogs are sitting on a log and one decides to jump, how many frogs are still sitting on the log?  The answer is five until the decision to jump is actually acted upon.  Don’t confuse decision-making for taking action.  Take action!

3. Making announcements with little follow-through

If good decision-making is hard—taking action is even more difficult.  The biggest trap for leaders is focusing too much time on getting things started and too little time on following through to achieve results.  Legendary former chairman of Herman Miller, Max De Pree once likened leadership to being a third-grade teacher when he said that it oftens means repeating things over, and over, and over again until people get it right, right, right.  As a leader you need to keep the vision alive—even after the newness wears off.  You also have to provide people with the tools and resources they need to get the job done.  Remember that there is a strategic and a tactical side to leadership.  To be effective, you have to be good at both.

Resources to help you get started

There are a lot of great resources available to help leaders get started or stay focused on making decisions and taking action.  Here are three that focus specifically on each of the points above.

• To help combat either-or thinking, check out Polarity Management by Barry Johnson.  It details a step-by-step process for finding the best solution when faced with seemingly opposite choices.
• Who Killed Change?  A great book which identifies the “usual suspects” that kill good ideas in companies and keeps decisions from turning into action.
• Helping People Win at Work  Identifies a clear, 3-step process for setting goals, providing resources, and following up effectively.

Make 2012 your best year ever.  Exercise your decision-making power.  Strive for the best solutions, take action, and follow-up.  You’ll be surprised at what you can achieve when you do!

The average organization is losing an amount equal to $1 million dollars each year that better leadership practices could prevent according to recent white paper from The Ken Blanchard Companies.   So why isn’t there a greater sense of urgency to change things?  Of course, it’s different in different organizations, but here is one of the most overlooked reasons why organizational practices don’t change—even when there is evidence that it could have a strong financial benefit.

Sometimes knowing can seem like doing.

According to authors Jeffrey Pfeffer and Bob Sutton, organizational inaction can often be traced to a basic human propensity: the willingness to let talk substitute for action.  In their classic Harvard Business Review article, The Smart-Talk Trap authors Pfeffer and Sutton explain that in business, “When confronted with a problem, people act as if discussing it, formulating decisions, and hashing out plans for action are the same as actually fixing it.”

But the results can be disastrous for a company.  As Pfeffer and Sutton point out, “Brought to a standstill by inertia, their problems fester, their opportunities for growth are lost, and their best employees become frustrated and leave. If the inactivity continues, customers and investors react accordingly and take their money elsewhere.”

So how do companies get past this inertia?  In studying companies with a strong propensity for action, Pfeffer and Sutton have found five common characteristics:

• “They have leaders who know and do the work.”  Leaders in these organizations have either grown-up in the business or spend a good portion of their time managing by wandering around.
• “They have a bias for plain language and simple concepts.” Leaders focus their efforts on a few, straightforward concepts.  They consider “common sense” a compliment rather than an insult.
• “They frame the questions by asking ‘how’, not just ‘why’.” Leaders look for ways to get things done instead of looking for ammunition for assigning fault.
• “They have strong mechanisms for closing the loop.” Leaders make sure ideas turn into action.
• “They believe that experience is the best teacher ever.” Prototyping, testing, and feedback is encouraged.  People are expected to take risks, occasionally make mistakes, and keep learning.

How would you score your organization in these five areas?  Is your corporate culture more “talking” or “doing” by nature?  If it seems a little conversation-heavy, develop an attitude of action.  Understanding, planning, and deciding are just the first step.  Doing is what counts.  Take action today!

Ready to get started?  Join us for a webinar this Wednesday!

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The High Cost of Poor Leadership: The three performance gaps you have to address Wednesday, December 7, 2011, 9:00 a.m. Pacific, 12:00 p.m. Eastern, 5:00 p.m. UK and GMT

Poor leadership practices cost companies millions of dollars each year by negatively impacting employee retention, customer satisfaction, and overall employee productivity. In this Webinar, Blanchard Program Director David Witt helps you take a closer look at the effect that leadership has in each of these three areas and what you can do to improve performance.

You’ll learn that

• Less-than-optimal leadership practices cost the typical organization an amount equal to as much as 7% of their total annual sales
• At least 9% and possibly as much as 32% of an organization’s voluntary turnover can be avoided through better leadership skills
• Better leadership can generate a 3 to 4% improvement in customer satisfaction scores and a corresponding 1.5% increase in revenue growth
• Most organizations are operating with a 5 to 10% productivity drag that better leadership practices could eliminate

Drawing on proprietary original research, you’ll learn which management techniques generate the best results and also look at some of the common cultural roadblocks that keep companies from implementing them. You’ll also learn how to overcome these obstacles and make the shift from knowing to doing.

Organizations need to make sure that they are getting the best out of their people by providing strong, consistent, and inspiring leadership. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how to evaluate and improve leadership practices throughout your organization.

Register today! http://www.webex.com/webinars/The-High-Cost-of-Poor-Leadership-The-three-performance-gaps-you-have-to-address

Join The Ken Blanchard Companies for a complimentary webinar and online chat beginning today at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time (12:00 noon Eastern).

Madeleine Homan-Blanchard, coauthor of Coaching in Organizations and Leading at a Higher Level will be discussing three strategies for getting people off to a fast start in a new role in a special presentation of On-Boarding: How to Shorten Ramp-up Times for Employees.

The webinar is free and seats are still available if you would like to join over 600 people expected to participate. Immediately after the webinar, Madeleine will be answering follow-up questions over at our sister blog, The Coaching Source for about 30 minutes.

We hope you can join us later today for this special complimentary event courtesy of Cisco WebEx and The Ken Blanchard Companies.

8/22/11 update: Recording of this event is now available online. To learn more, visit On-Boarding: How to Shorten Ramp-up Times for Employees

Organizations around the world have been forced to change the way they do business. The worldwide recession, downsized workforces, and value-conscious customers have created a new set of expectations.

A new white paper from The Ken Blanchard Companies identifies key strategies for leading successfully in the new business reality. Here are four of my favorites to get you started on positioning your company for success in 2011.

• Change the organizational mindset. In many companies people have been focused on the short term for over two years. The emphasis has been on cutting costs, holding down expenses, and weathering the storm.  One thing that leaders can do now is share a vision for the road ahead, indicate that growth is a goal again, and let people know that they can try new things that have some risk involved.
• Give people behavioral examples. What does “try new things that have some risk involved” really mean? The best organizations define the values, attitudes, and practices they desire in clear behavioral terms. Make sure people are clear on what the desired behavior looks like and what they should be doing now. The more specific and granular the examples are, the better.
• Stay open to change. Constant adaptation is a key for thriving in the new business reality. As a leader, it’s important to be a role model when it comes to embracing new ways of thinking that can breathe new life into old practices and generate innovative new ideas.
• Involve everyone. Smart leaders look for good ideas everywhere. This means checking in with people who are informal leaders in the organization as well as the people who are in formal positions. By listening to everyone—including people with divergent points of view, you increase the odds that the organization will be more responsive, adaptive, and successful in the face of change.

Make 2011 your best year ever. To learn more ways to increase your organization’s ability to succeed in the coming year, be sure to check out the complete white paper, Thriving in the New Business Reality.

Even under the best of circumstances, creating a business plan and getting others to actually buy into it is a difficult task.  Don’t make things three times as hard by trying to do everything yourself.  That’s the advice from Jesse Stoner in a recent article on Creating a Vision Statement that Works.

Stoner explains that too many executives try to do everything on their own.  They don’t leave room for other people.  As a result, people don’t feel like they own the vision and so they are less likely to follow it.

For executives looking to create a strong picture of the future for their company that will guide planning and decision-making in the coming year, Stoner recommends paying special attention to what she calls the three “hows.”

3 “Hows” of Creating A Successful Vision

1. How it’s created.  Resist the temptation to huddle together with a small group of executives at an off-site retreat to create a vision for the organization.  While part of leadership entails setting a strategic direction for the company, the key is to make space for all of the people who are going to be responsible for implementing the vision.  If you want them to buy into the vision, give them a chance to be a part of the process.
2. How it’s communicated.  Avoid the urge to laminate your latest vision statement, frame it on the wall, and distribute copies among the rank-and-file.  Instead, ask managers to share the new vision in small group settings, discuss what it means, answer questions, and gather feedback.
3. How it’s lived.  This is something that a leader can do personally.  Actions speak louder than words and employees will be watching a senior leader’s behavior to see if the vision is really a new direction or just words on a paper.  Make sure that your behavior is consistent with the stated direction of the company.  Nothing does a better job of bringing a vision to life.

Don’t lead in a vacuum—involve others in the process for better buy-in and greater results.

To learn more about what Stoner has to say on creating a clear direction for 2011, be sure to check out Creating a Vision Statement that Works in this month’s Ignite newsletter.  Also, learn more about a free webinar Stoner is conducting this Wednesday on Creating Engagement and Alignment through a Shared Vision. Over 700 people are registered already!

During the next couple of weeks, executives at hundreds of thousands of organizations around the world will be getting together to review their past year’s performance and to make plans for the coming year.  Many will make a common mistake during the planning process that will greatly reduce the amount of alignment and buy-in they receive from employees within their respective companies.  Instead of including employees in the planning process, they will decide to discuss planning behind closed doors and “announce” the new direction at the next all-hands meeting.

The result will be an excited group of executives leading a detached group of employees according to corporate visioning expert Jesse Stoner.  In a new article entitled Creating A Vision Statement That Works Stoner explains, “If you want the entire organization to be as excited about the vision as the senior leaders, you have to involve them, allow them to put their thumbprint on it, and have shared ownership. The people who create the vision understand it and own it because it is in their hearts and minds.”

According to Stoner, anytime a leader—or a group of leaders—develops a vision independently and then announces it to the organization, it almost always ends badly. Yet it happens more often than not because leaders think they are expected to have the answers and to set direction. For leaders looking to create a compelling vision, Stoner recommends using a collaborative, involving process that engages people in real dialogue about the vision and provides an opportunity to give feedback.

Some questions Stoner suggests leaders use include:

• What do you think about our vision?
• What is exciting about it to you?
• What would make it more exciting?
• What could we do differently going forward?

 “The best way to get people to buy into something is to give them an opportunity to participate in its creation,” says Stoner. “You will always end up with something better than if you did it yourself.”

Get everyone involved for best results

When people have an opportunity to share their hopes and dreams, are involved in the discussions shaping the vision, and are included in making decisions, they have a clearer understanding of the vision, are more deeply committed to it, and move quickly to implement it.

Don’t miss the opportunity to include everyone in the process. Remember, it’s not the words that will stick in people’s minds—it’s the experience.

Organizations around the world have been forced to change the way they do business. The worldwide recession, downsized workforces, and value-conscious customers have created a new set of expectations. A just-released white paper from The Ken Blanchard Companies identifies key strategies for leaders. Here are four of my favorites to get you started on positioning your company for success. 

• Change the organizational mindset. In many companies people have been hunkered down and focused on the short term for almost two years. The emphasis has been on cutting costs, holding down expenses, and weathering the storm.  Now that the worst is over, how do you let people know that it’s okay to lift your head, look around a little bit, and cautiously make new plans for the future?  One thing that leaders can do is share a vision for the road ahead, indicate that growth is a goal again, and let people know that they can try new things that have some risk involved. You want people to start thinking about stepping out again, but they have to feel safe in order to make that leap.
• Give people behavioral examples. What does “try new things that have some risk involved” really mean? The best organizations define the values, attitudes, and practices they desire in clear behavioral terms. People have gotten pretty clear about what they shouldn’t be doing over the past 18 months; make sure they are just as clear about what they should be doing now. The more specific and granular the examples are the better.
• Stay open to change. Constant adaptation is a key for thriving in the new business reality. Pay attention to customers’ expectations and competitors’ innovations. Especially after an extended time of downsizing it’s important for organizations to embrace new ways of thinking to breathe new life into old practices and generate innovative new ideas.
• Involve everyone. Smart leaders look for good ideas everywhere. This means checking in with people who are informal leaders in the organization as well as the people who are in formal positions. By listening to everyone—including people with divergent points of view, you increase the odds that the organization will be more responsive, adaptive, and successful in the face of change.

 By sharing power and expanding influence, leaders can create an organization with a strong overall capacity to change and succeed. The new business reality demands that organizations find new ways to address old problems. To learn more ways to increase your organization’s ability to succeed, be sure to check out the complete white paper, Thriving in the New Business Reality from the Blanchard website.

Gordon Pitman is the Manager of Global Management Development Programs at AkzoNobel, a global leader in coatings and specialty chemicals with more than 57,000 employees in over 70 countries. In this One Minute Interview, Pitman talks about drawing out learning from the recent economic crisis.

Q. What is the top business, or people management issue, you’re looking at? 

A. I think one of our main challenges for 2010 is helping leaders make sense of what happened in 2009 in a way that helps then take those skills into 2010. Just as we saw a country by country entry into the economic crisis in 2009, so are we seeing a similar, country by country, emergence.  I think that enabling leaders to reflect on their 2009 experiences will be a continuing challenge for global organizations like AkzoNobel and others.

The impact for those of us working in an HR, OD, or training function is to facilitate this self reflection process with our business leaders. Over the past six months a lot of our people managers and executives have had to learn, or relearn, some skills that perhaps they may not have had to use in a while.  This includes how to lead change, how to handle difficult conversations, and how to drive business performance in a climate where no matter what they do, the results don’t seem to come.

I am getting the sense that some of our business leaders have become much more flexible in their thinking and behavior in order to enable them to do things differently this past year.  I don’t think that they have had time yet to reflect and assimilate what those experiences mean for them and their leadership style.  So I think that will be one of the things that will be a focus in 2010—enabling and supporting our leaders to really make sense of what 2009 has been like, both personally and for their teams.

Q. What are some of the biggest challenges leaders face as they attempt to make these changes?

A. I think the challenges are around making sense of these experiences.  So the first challenge is a self-awareness and assimilation of these new behaviors.

A second challenge is how to make those skills a part of my ongoing leadership toolbox.  How do I keep some of those new skills that perhaps I may not get to readily use again, and how do I continue to build and develop some of those skills which I was forced to learn, relearn, or reuse? 

Q. What are some of the challenges from a human resource, or training perspective, that go along with helping managers build up skills again?

A. AkzoNobel is a global organization with 57,000 employees across 70 plus countries.  Being able to find a way to facilitate those dialogues and self reflection moments with our leaders is the first challenge.  For HR & OD people, enabling and supporting those conversations on a global scale is complicated, because most of those conversations happen one-to-one looking at the experiences that individuals have had within their department, or with the situation in their country.  Consistency across the organization is a second interesting challenge. 

The final challenge is then resourcing that global conversation, and effectively keeping your finger on the pulse, using all the different communication channels within the organization.

Q. Any advice for people looking to get ahead of the curve?

A. Ask great questions.  Because great answers usually come from great questions.  Make sure that there is a way to start to dialogue with your senior leaders and ask them the right questions. 

For example, “What do we see as a top management, or strategy priority for the year?  What have you learned through the economic crisis?  What skills have you identified that you need to develop more of?  What skills have you seen your managers are lacking?”  

And some of those questions asked in the right way, at the right time, would be a very insightful way to start a conversation about what your organization needs to really look at, and what needs to happen next to really take advantage of the global economic recovery.

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The One Minute Interview is LeaderChat’s new monthly series featuring interviews with some of today’s most intriguing HR-focused thought leaders and practitioners. Gordon Pitman is a featured speaker at this year’s Blanchard Summit 2010.

Has there ever been a time when we’ve had more access to good information about leading and managing people? Probably not.  Has it changed the way the majority of managers are leading their people?  The jury is still out on that one.

What gets in the way of managers making the shift from knowing to doing?  In their book Know Can Do! authors Ken Blanchard, Dick Ruhe, and the late Paul Meyer, identify three big reasons why people don’t put more of their good ideas into practice. See if any of these rings true for you.

• Too much knowledge
• Too much negativity
• Bad habits

To overcome these roadblocks, the authors recommend three strategies—a “less is more” approach, positive—instead of negative filtering, and spaced repetition with active coaching.

• Less is More. Before you can take a step, you have to decide on a direction.  Don’t become paralyzed wondering if there might be a slightly better idea out there.  The key is to move from analysis to action.  Which diet works best for you?  The one you stick to!
• Avoid Negative Filtering. While it is important to evaluate an idea from different perspectives, make sure that you are not letting a “why that won’t work” mentality keep you from moving forward.  What’s easier for you?  Seeing the reasons why something will work, or the reasons why something won’t work?  If you tend to see the negative first, practice seeing the positive side as well.  It will help you get started with taking action.
• Repetition, Repetition, Repetition. There is no substitute for just doing it.  Take action—evaluate the outcome—adjust accordingly—repeat.  You’ll be surprised how much you will accomplish once you set yourself in motion. 

At its core, behavior change is a personal process. Any real change has to start by addressing the beliefs, limitations, and thought processes going on inside of a person.

Today, the gap between knowing and doing is probably wider than the gap between ignorance and knowledge.  Close that gap in yourself and your organization by identifying and resolving the three challenges.  Make the shift from knowing to doing.

Join Ken Blanchard for a special complimentary webinar and online chat beginning today at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time (12:00 noon Eastern). Dr. Blanchard will be speaking on the topic of From Recovery to Prosperity: The Power of Vision and Leadership. The webinar is free and seats are still available if you would like to join over 1,500 people expected to participate.

Immediately after the webinar, Dr. Blanchard will be answering questions here at LeaderChat for about 30 minutes.  To participate in the online discussion, follow these simple instructions.

Instructions for Participating in the Online Chat

1. Click on the COMMENTS link above 
2. Type in your question for Dr. Blanchard
3. Push SUBMIT COMMENT 

It’s as easy as that!  Dr. Blanchard will answer as many questions as possible in the order they are received.  Be sure to press F5 to refresh your screen occasionally to see the latest responses.

We hope you can join us later today for this special complimentary event courtesy of Cisco WebEx and The Ken Blanchard Companies.  Click here for more information on participating.