Leadership Beliefs Critical To Success - Part Three

Certain beliefs, convictions and statements keep being repeated in our conversations and seminars and feedback sessions with managers and leaders. What follows is Part Three of our series dealing with the beliefs that are critical to success in the areas of Change and Self Responsibility and Accountability

Change

There are Four Stages in the life of every successful Change process – from the smallest to the largest. They are: 1 - Enthusiasm, 2 - Frustration, 3 – Renewal, and 4 – Success. They always occur in this order. Stage 2 – Frustration, is the graveyard of most failed Change initiatives.

Resist the impulse to create change in too many areas at once. Let success in one area create motivation for success in the next change area – and then watch the momentum build!

The single best way to create commitment and alignment of effort in change situations in any organization is through a goal setting process that starts with macro goals and creates the opportunity for every person in the organization to set individual goals that support the big organizational goals. You gotta take those Big Hairy Audacious Goals and size them so everyone can get their arms around them if you want success.

People don't resist change – they really resist attempts at being changed!

The most difficult kind of change is to change behavior – but it is the most effective, longest lasting and the highest leverage kind of change.

The ability of an organization's people to support and embrace change is its single biggest source of competitive advantage. The middle 80 to 90% of the people in any organization represent the biggest single opportunity for increased competitive advantage – and the most challenging.

Follow the 24 Hour Rule! When faced with a life altering piece of news, or any other event that demands a response – be it about health, career, family – step back for 24 hours and process it – do not make decisions during this period of time. If others press you to – resist. There are a very few situations that won't allow a 24 hour period for processing.

Small changes lead to big changes. Identify the big change demands– then start with small incremental changes. Most people think in terms of big change – lose 100 pounds; quit smoking; learn a language; get a new job. Those are great, but they are made up of a series of small changes – the snack we replace with a 10- minute walk, the book we read every month instead of watching TV. And the sum of those small changes is huge!

The key to any change is to act - today.

Choice – to about 30 percent of the population the idea that personal choice is part of every action is a very liberating and exciting concept. It is of equal importance to realize that for the remaining 70 percent it is a scary and threatening concept!

When starting anything new, write down your first impressions, how you feel, the way you look at people and problems ---whatever you think is important. Put it away – don't look at it for a month – then read it and be amazed at how much progress you have made and how your perspective has changed. Write a new letter and wait another month to read that one. Prepare to be amazed at yourself!

Self - Responsibility and Accountability

Always assure that accountability is clear. There must always be a single person accountable for every project, function and responsibility. Where accountability is not clear, the risk of failure is high and the opportunity for recognition in success is low.

You do not have to pay someone else's dues – only your own. Beware the vague "You gotta pay your dues" advice. That advice is usually just code for "You're not going to be successful faster than I have been."

You are responsible for your own choices, actions and decisions – in all cases – without exception – always.

Victims blame others for problems; leaders fix the problem. Find the lessons to be learned and see the same thing doesn't happen again, and press on.

You are responsible for your own success at work. It may be tempting to turn that responsibility over to someone else, but remember, assuming you can find someone willing to take that responsibility, their idea of success for you and your idea are probably very different!

By the time you realize you have been complaining about your job or your boss or your career, be aware that you have been behaving like that for some time, and you may be "toxic" to others around you. If you can't change that behavior, get out and start over somewhere else –with the experience having taught you something.

Share these with your own universe of people and be amazed at how effective they can be as a tool to begin discussions on the issues in your organization.

Haunting Effects of Globalization - Nu Leadership Series

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."

Mohandas Gandhi

As competition continues to increase around the globe, why are some organizations unprepared for globalization? Senge, author of The Fifth Dimension, suggests that many businesses suffer a narrowness of focus. This causes leaders to miss the root cause of problems. Senge argues, "Yet the primary threats to our survival today come not from events but from slow gradual processes to which we are 90 percent blind."

Obviously, globalization is forcing organizations to change. However, these corporate changes are beyond nontraditional organizational structures, such as spider plants. First, structural indeterminacy is the issue. Galbraith, author of Designing Organizations, argues no single organizational structure is the answer in an international environment. This reality is clear for multinational companies. They must be able to integrate activities in different countries.

Therefore, organizational structure gets blended into culture. Second, some management gurus believe that decentralization isn't achievable, even globally. Peters, management guru, argues, "It is easier to kill an organization than to change it. Therefore, decentralization is hard to do." Furthermore, Senge warns that organizations that rely solely on their past experience to solve future problems will make fatal mistakes.

Drucker, author of Managing for Results, maintains that some of these organizational issues stem from ineffective leadership. Drucker argues, "Business tends to drift from leadership to mediocrity. And the mediocre is three-quarters down the road to being marginal." Given the unforgiving nature of the market, why are leaders being caught unprepared for globalization?

Clearly, leaders must understand the needs of the international markets while optimizing the efficiency of the whole supply chain. Leaders cannot afford to neglect any component in their socio-technical systems. This means staying on top of technology, interconnecting with suppliers, and monitoring the needs of this global market. As a result, 21st century organizations face another paradox. Will today's organizations be ready to transform themselves into international champions or become extinct? Time will tell.

References:

Drucker, P. (1964). Managing for Results. New York: Harper & Row, Publishers.

Gailbraith, J. (2000). Designing the Global Corporation. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Peters, T. (1997). The Circle of Innovation. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

Senge, P. (1990). The Fifth Discipline. New York: DoubleDay.

© 2007 by Daryl D. Green