Michael Lee Stallard's Blog, page 19

How 3 Leadership Styles Contribute to or Undermine Your Success

Connection is a bond based on shared identity, empathy and understanding that moves individuals toward group-centered membership. It’s an essential attribute of successful teams, departments and organizations.

Groups with a high degree of connection have an assertive communication and leadership style. Being assertive means you speak and act in ways that reflect honesty and integrity, i.e. you say and do what you mean and don’t try to manipulate others by moving against them or moving away from them.

Being assertive is in contrast with being aggressive or being passive. The aggressive individual moves against others. The passive individual moves away from others.

The assertive individual communicates with others with the aim of reaching a shared understanding. The aggressive individual tries to coerce others by using physical aggression, nonverbal aggression, verbal aggression or passive aggression (i.e. intentionally ignoring someone to hurt or coerce them). The passive individual tries to avoid conflict at all costs and, as a result, withholds what he or she believes or would like to do. By going against themselves, passive people tend to boil inside or give up altogether on asserting themselves so they become docile (what has been described in psychology as a state of “learned helplessness”).

Here are some typical patterns you may have seen of aggressive or passive people.

Put-Down Paul

He is quick-witted and uses his humor to put others down. People laugh at Put–down Paul’s verbal assaults because they’re humorous. The problem is they always make fun of someone. This is Put-down Paul’s way of gaining power, status and control over others so that he can feel superior and get his way. As a manager, Put-down Paul creates a culture of control. He controls others by effectively using his humor to undermine them or coerce them to give into what he wants. Put-down Paul has an aggressive style.

Forceful Freda

She’s bright and she’s a yeller. She’s loud, intimidating and dominates conversations. She always has to get her way and have the last word. When someone speaks up to challenge Freda’s point of view, she locks her eyes on them and her tone of voice becomes loud and hostile. Although people with a lot of power are not threatened by Forceful Freda, people with little power dislike being around her because they feel unsafe and that they lack the freedom to share their opinions and ideas. Forceful Freda has an aggressive style.

Silent Sally

She’s smart and knowledgeable but rarely shares her opinions and ideas. In the past when Silent Sally tried to speak up, her face got all red and she had a difficult time sharing her point-of-view in a concise, articulate fashion. If aggressive people challenge Silent Sally, she retreats and her viewpoint is lost in the discussion. This is unfortunate because Silent Sally’s insights would improve her team’s quality of decision-making and its rate of innovation.

These are three common profiles of people who are holding themselves, their teams, departments and organizations back from being successful because they are aggressive or passive. In my next article in this series, I’ll look at the assertive individual, including his or her attitudes, language and behavior, and how it has a positive impact on individual and group performance.

Application

Look around your workplace and see if you can identify individuals who are assertive, aggressive and passive.  Write down what attitudes, language and behavior sets each apart and how you think it impacts performance. Also, ask trusted friends if they can remember any examples when you were assertive, aggressive or passive.

The author would like to thank Ruth N. Koch and Kenneth C. Haugk for their book Speaking the Truth in Love which inspired this article and series.

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When Employee Engagement Efforts Fall Short, Try These 4 Steps

Is your organization struggling to improve employee engagement? If so, you’re not alone. Some organizations have become so frustrated that their efforts are failing to produce results that they’ve given up entirely on engagement.

When it comes to employee engagement, programs won’t do it. Something more is required. That something is culture change. But mention “culture change” and people immediately think it will take forever to see a tangible difference. What can be done?

Begin with Connection

Engagement is primarily driven by connection to people and to a pro-social purpose. You can see this by scrutinizing the most popular employee engagement survey, Gallup’s Q12. The Q12’s questions are all about connection. It includes questions that determine whether you feel connected to your supervisor, such as does someone at work care about you as a person and care about your development, do you know what is expected of you, are you in a role that fits well with your strengths and helps you learn and grow, do you have the resources you need, do you have conversations about your progress, and does your opinion matter? It also includes questions on whether you feel connected to your colleagues, such as do you have a best friend at work, do your colleagues care about excellence and have you recently received recognition and praise? Finally, it assesses whether you feel connected to your organization’s mission or purpose.

In our book Connection Culture, we describe five benefits from having connection infused in the culture: 1. People perform better in terms of decision-making and creativity when they feel connected versus feeling disconnected, left out or lonely, 2. They give greater effort, 3. They align their behavior with the leaders’ goals, 4. They communicate more so that decision-makers have better information to make optimal decisions, and 5. They engage in creative conversations that fuel innovation. These benefits add up to a powerful source of competitive advantage.

Implement Attitudes, Language and Behaviors that Connect in Context

Culture can be a confusing term to many because they see the word used in different contexts in which it has different meanings. For example, the definition of culture in anthropology is different than the definition of culture in the context of organizations.

In the organizational context we define culture as “the predominant attitudes, language and behaviors of a group of people” (be it a team, department or overall organization). Attitudes are feelings or ways of thinking that affect behavior, language is the system of words or signs that people use to express thoughts and feelings to each other and behavior is the way people act.

For more than a decade, my colleagues and I have been collecting examples of attitudes, language and behaviors that connect from a range of organizations we’ve worked with and studied. Download the 100 Ways to Connect ebook to see many of them. Have your leaders follow the directions in the ebook and the exercise will give them practical and immediate actions to get started creating a Connection Culture for the groups they lead.

Create a Feedback Loop and Mentors to Support Development

No one gets great alone. As human beings we have a considerable propensity for deceiving ourselves when it comes to our own performance. We need feedback loops to give us objective guidance on how we can improve the culture we are responsible for leading. Employee engagement surveys provide this and help leaders learn their strengths and areas that require help to develop. We learn and grow through relationships so establish supervisor and/or peer mentors to provide guidance and encouragement.

Presently we are validating two new Connection Culture assessment tools with units of two of America’s leading healthcare organizations and we plan to make these assessments available for other organizations later this year.

Name It and Claim It so that It Becomes Part of Your Organization’s DNA

Finally, to make Connection Culture stick, it must be driven into the organization’s identity. One example of how to do this is provided by Texas Christian University (TCU). Victor Boschini, TCU’s Chancellor, regularly references “TCU’s Connection Culture” and describes how it differentiates the university of 10,000 students. He tapped Ann Louden, one of his senior staff, to create the TCU Center for Connection Culture and be its director. The Center conducts a wide range of activities that raise awareness of TCU’s Connection Culture, and provides workshops and consulting support for areas of the University that request it. The Center reports to the Chancellor and is funded by his office to reinforce that it applies to the entire university. Organizations in higher education are taking note. Recently, Stanford University communicated the need to create a “culture of connection” and cited our book Connection Culture as a source.

If you are presently disappointed in the level of employee engagement in your organization, don’t give up, and don’t dismiss culture or employee engagement as irrelevant. Instead, shift your efforts to create a Connection Culture and make it part of your organization’s DNA. Doing so will boost organizational outcomes that provide a competitive advantage and lead to sustainable superior performance.

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6 Actions Help ABC News Perform at the Top of Its Game

ABC News does it right when it comes to workplace culture. Recently, I sat down with Zach Toback, Vice President, News and Non-Fiction Production & Studio Operation at ABC News in New York City and Ann Louden, Director of the TCU Center for Connection Culture. Ann and I wanted to learn how ABC News stays at the top of its game as a leader in an extremely competitive, demanding industry.

During our conversation Zach zeroed in on people at ABC News who work behind the scenes in editorial and production roles, especially newer ambitious employees who put in long hours and have yet to figure out how to maintain work/life balance. These individuals are more likely to feel chained to their desks all day long because of the never-ending demands of the 24/7 news business.

Recognizing the positive effect that a strong sense of connection in a culture has on employees, ABC News senior management formed a committee to think “out of the box” about ways to show people they are appreciated, encourage them to take breaks for self-care, and offer settings for them to connect with colleagues. It’s open to anyone who would like to join.

Here are six programs the culture committee created that help make everyone at ABC News feel like part of the team.

Speed Meet – Participants come away energized and enthusiastic from this opportunity to interact with colleagues whom they see around the office but don’t really know. A twist on the “speed dating” concept, in three-minute intervals, people meet one-on-one with a colleague and ask their name, what area they work in, and what their role is, then finish off with an open-ended “tell me something about yourself.”


Storyteller Series – Past speakers in this in-house series featuring compelling guest lecturers include the legendary journalist Barbara Walters (on “how to tell a good story”); Ed Catmull, CEO of Pixar and Disney Animation; Disney’s Chief Diversity Officer; and senior executives of ABC News who talked about various aspects of the television and news business.


Wellness Series – The Wellness Series helps people manage stress. The series includes a class on meditation techniques. Another event, “office yoga,” teaches stretching and breathing exercises that can be performed without needing to be in workout clothes.


Food and Fun – On several occasions three food trucks lined up on the street in front of ABC News’ offices and lunch was “on the house.” ABC News paid for 750 lunches that day. At Halloween, candy was delivered. During Christmastime, Santa stopped by to take photos with ABC News employees, and hot cocoa and cookies appeared for people who had to work over the holidays.


Professional Photos – The halls of most media organizations are lined with photos of anchors and correspondents. The culture committee had an in-house professional photographer take photos of people in editorial and production roles working alongside their on-air colleagues. These photos are displayed throughout the halls of the ABC News production floors and are a visible reminder of teamwork in action. Also, a photographer was made available for any employee who wished to have a professional head shot taken that he or she could then use on social media sites such as LinkedIn and for an email identification photo.


Notes Day – Borrowing a page from Pixar’s playbook, a “Notes Day” was held. The idea is to involve as many people as possible in an intensive focus on solving business problems. The issue ABC News employees dug into over the course of two days was communicated in the form of a question: What are the core things that are not allowing you to do your job successfully (with an emphasis on productivity and work/life balance)?

Zach expressed the importance of these efforts to provide a healthy workplace culture at ABC News, which is a division of The Walt Disney Company. Thanks to leaders such as Zach Toback who care both about people and results, ABC News maintains a competitive advantage in the fast-paced, 24/7 news business.

If you’re a leader, what actions are you taking to create a Connection Culture? For additional practical steps you can implement and the “why, what and how” of intentionally infusing your organization’s culture with connection, read our book Connection Culture: The Competitive Advantage of Shard Identity, Empathy and Understanding at Work and signup to receive the 28-page 100 Ways to Connect ebook and semi-monthly Connection Culture email newsletter. These free resources will encourage and equip you to create a Connection Culture in your organization.

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Photo used with permission of ABC News. 

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3 Practices to Protect Your People from Toxic Stress and Burnout

Burnout is on the rise in healthcare. Increased stress and complexity, and the demands to achieve higher productivity are taking a toll. Each year nearly 400 physicians commit suicide, more than double the rate of the general population. Healthcare workers are also susceptible to anxiety, depression and addiction. What can be done?

One of the most effective ways to address rising pressure on healthcare workers is to foster a life-giving culture of supportive relationships that benefits all, including patients and their family members. The best practices of leading healthcare organizations and recent scientific research provide evidence that an organizational culture which fosters connection among people positively affects human productivity, wellness, wellbeing and overall performance.

Sloan Kettering’s Connection Culture

My wife, Katie, was diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer in 2004, a year after being treated for breast cancer. While she was in the midst of six rounds of chemotherapy at our local hospital that spring, we chose to go to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City for a second opinion on her treatment plan.

I expected Sloan Kettering would be a bleak environment that reeked of death and dying. It was anything but.

I’ll never forget our first visit. As we came within eyesight of the building’s entrance a doorman named Nick Medley locked his eyes on Katie and greeted her like a returning friend. This surprised me, given that people on the sidewalks of New York City rarely make eye contact. Nick was intentionally reaching out to connect with Katie and others whom he recognized were cancer patients.

The security and administrative people we encountered were friendly and helpful, and our oncologist was informative, upbeat and optimistic.I already knew that Sloan Kettering was among the best at treating ovarian cancer. By the end of our visit, I also knew they cared.

Katie went on to do further surgery and chemotherapy at Sloan Kettering. The feeling of connection we experienced made me more optimistic about Katie’s prognosis. Earlier this year we celebrated her 12th year of being in remission for ovarian cancer.

Research supports that the medical care she received helped her survive. In addition, research has established that the psychosocial support that came from feeling connected with our family, friends and the healthcare workers we interacted with also helped Katie survive. Observing Sloan Kettering’s Connection Culture first-hand and discussing it with a wide range of employees, I know that it is helping healthcare workers too.

Creating a Connection Culture

In the context of an organization’s culture, “connection” is a bond based on shared identity, empathy and understanding that moves individuals toward group-centered membership. Organizations with greater connection experience five benefits that add up to a powerful source of competitive advantage:

superior cognitive and physical performance of employees,
higher employee engagement,
tighter employee alignment with organizational goals,
better communication that helps improve decision-making, and
greater employee participation in efforts to innovate.

Certain collective beliefs and behaviors promote this bond of connection among people. There are three distinct elements in a Connection Culture that can be summarized as the 3V Leadership Model, with the 3V’s being Vision, Value and Voice. Each V provides a practice that protects people from stress and burnout.

Communicate an Inspiring Vision

Vision exists when people in an organization are motivated by the mission, united by the values, and proud of the reputation. The M.D. Anderson Cancer Center has a strong vision summarized in the phrase “making cancer history” that appears as part of its logo. M.D. Anderson has a reputation for being one of the leading cancer research centers in the world. Its vision provides an enormous source of pride to its employees and it helps connect them.

Vision also includes an organization’s values–its core beliefs about the ways it goes about doing its work and, by inference, the ways it deems as unacceptable. For example, many healthcare organizations embrace the values of excellence, integrity, respect, and caring and compassion for patients and their families. Leaders are responsible for making these values clear. They do this by articulating them in word and deed. Because Vision leaks as people get caught up in the day-to-day tasks and lose sight of it, leaders must regularly communicate the Vision.

Most healthcare organizations are strong when it comes to Vision because workers see they are making a difference in the lives of people. Unfortunately, because of the stress on people in healthcare organizations, most are not very strong at embracing the next two elements of a Connection Culture.

Value People

Value is the heart of a Connection Culture. Value exists when everyone in the organization understands the needs of people, appreciates their positive, unique contributions, and helps them achieve their potential. People in a Connection Culture value others as human beings and treat them as such rather than being indifferent to them or treating them as means to an end.

Dr. Herbert Pardes is a great example of a leader who promoted Value in a healthcare culture. When he was president and CEO of the not-for-profit New York–Presbyterian Hospital, Dr. Pardes devoted time to make bedside visits to patients, something that other senior leaders might dismiss as inefficient. He understood that walking the talk influenced his colleagues.

Dr. Pardes valued employees. He put practices in place to assure that people who worked at New York–Presbyterian were caring individuals and that they would be engaged at work. He advocated that everyone should have personal and professional mentors, and he strived to help the people he led balance their personal lives and professional growth. To extend the feeling of connection outward beyond the staff, he encouraged members to memorize the names of patients as well as their family members.

By combining Value in the culture along with sound management practices, Dr. Pardes and his leadership team turned around the hospital system. New York–Presbyterian’s revenue rose from $1.7 billion in 1999 to $3.7 billion in 2011. Although most hospitals were scrambling to attract and retain nurses, New York–Presbyterian’s vacancy rate for nurses was less than one-third the national average. The New York Times observed that while “most urban hospitals have struggled, New York–Presbyterian has thrived.”

Give People a Voice

The third element of a Connection Culture is Voice. This element exists when everyone in the organization seeks the ideas of others, shares their ideas honestly, and safeguards relational connections. In a culture with Voice, decision-makers recognize that they don’t have a monopoly on good ideas so they are intentional about keeping people in the loop on matters that are important to them, and seeking their ideas and opinions to get different perspectives.

The Cleveland Clinic boosted Voice in its culture by holding Cleveland Clinic Experience workshops in which 40,000 physicians, nurses, environmental service workers, administrative and other staff sat together and had conversations on the patient experience they aspired to deliver.

The Science of Connection

Research shows that chronic stress damages telomeres, the caps at the end of chromosomes, by shortening them. This damage weakens the immune system and promotes rapid aging. Conversations in which people experience mutual empathy and emotional support release telomerase, an enzyme that heals damaged telomeres. A culture that fosters connection can play a role in healing the corrosive effects of stress, literally.

When the human body is in stress response it over-allocates blood, glucose and oxygen to the body’s fight or flight systems, at the expense of parts of the brain that affect memory, the digestive system, the immune system and the reproductive system.  Connection has been found to help keep the human body in a state of balance or homeostasis. Connection also helps prevent the “amygdala hijack,” in which brain activity shifts from the cortex (where we make rational decisions) to the midbrain (where there is a greater probability we will make rash decisions).

Other research studies support the positive effects connection has on organizational performance. Compared to organizations with connection/employee engagement scores in the bottom quartile, organizations with top quartile scores have been shown to experience 2.5-4.5X greater revenue growth, 21% greater productivity, 22% greater profitability, 10% higher customer service metrics, 41% lower quality defects, and 37% lower absenteeism.

Over the last decade, research studies by Gallup consistently show that two-thirds or more of employees in the U.S. are not engaged. They show up for the paycheck but don’t give their best efforts. While this may sound bleak to some, I see it as a major opportunity. Create a Connection Culture in your healthcare organization and watch what happens. You will likely see people in your organization experience greater productivity, prosperity, and joy, and your patients experience superior health outcomes.

To get started, download the free 28-page 100 Ways to Connect e-book. The attitudes, uses of language and behavior in100 Ways to Connect will help equip you to create a high-performance, life-giving culture in your healthcare organizations.

This article originally appeared on Becker’s Hospital Review. 

 

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Do You Have “Still Face” Managers in Your Organization?

Do you have “still face” managers in your organization? By still face managers, I mean supervisors whose lack of emotion makes it difficult for them to connect and to get people fired up. They seem unable to express appropriate emotion when interacting with others. The disconnection the other person experiences can be confusing, discouraging or lead to reaching a wrong conclusion.

As part of the activities of the TCU Center for Connection Culture, I recently spoke to a group in Texas about the importance of connection and Connection Cultures for employees and organizations to thrive. I was making the point that we are “hardwired” from birth to connect and showed a 2-1/2 minute video of still face research. Still face is the name of a landmark experiment conducted by the developmental psychologist Edward Tronick, Director of Child Development Unit and Distinguished Professor at the University of Massachusetts in Boston. The video captures the surprising effect that a mother’s lack of facial expression (hence, “still  face”) had on her baby daughter. The baby’s reactions are raw and honest; her brain is not yet developed to where she can hide or mask the reaction she is feeling.

Sitting in the audience was a CEO who recognized that she had a still face manager in her organization. This manager was not performing well and neither was an employee who reported to him. To address the situation, the organization was about ready to let the underperforming employee go. Reflecting on the presentation gave the CEO an idea.

Still face managers usually shut down their emotions because they feel threatened in a supervisory situation. As such, they tend to be hyper-focused on tasks when conversing with their employees. Not engaging in conversations that provide social and emotional support negatively impacts the relationship between the manager and employee, and is probably more keenly felt by the employee.

There is a cost to the manager too. The ability to hold conversations that connect is important because such conversations engage the rational part of the brain (i.e. the cortex) and quiet the part of the brain where we are more likely to make rash decisions (i.e. the amygdala).

People follow a still face manager because the manager has authority to hire, fire, promote and pay. They don’t, however, follow a still face manager because they want to, and that makes all the difference to employee engagement.

The CEO realized the employee’s underperformance was likely due to the inability of the still face manager to express emotion and connect with the employee. She moved the still face manager to a non-supervisory position. The result was the still face manager felt and performed better. With a new manager in place, the employee began performing well too.

Several weeks later, I had lunch with the CEO and Ann Louden, Director of the TCU Center for Connection Culture. The CEO told us how grateful she was to have attended the presentation. “It saved two of my people,” she said with a smile.

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Leading with Character: Citizenship

Definition of Citizenship

Citizenship (social responsibility, loyalty, teamwork) is working well as a member of a group or team; being loyal to the group; doing one’s share.

Citizenship in Today’s Organizations

The historian and bestselling author David McCullough observed that, “little of consequence is ever done alone.” McCullough recognizes history has repeatedly shown that groups are essential to progress and impact on the world. That’s why citizenship is so important. When people are good citizens (members) of teams or organizations, they give their best efforts and strive for excellence in their work, and often go “above and beyond the call of duty.” They also align their behavior with team/organizational objectives and values and they cooperate, encourage and help their colleagues.

The root word of “corporation” is “corpus,” which means “body” in Latin. Citizenship helps us put the corpus in corporation so that we reflect the true definition of a corporation, “a group of people combined into one body.”

Citizenship is built on the foundation of trust and loyalty. People are generally not good citizens unless they believe the organization they work for is loyal to them and trustworthy. In this day and age, when corporate downsizing is commonplace, trust, loyalty and citizenship have been severely diminished. Two Harvard psychiatrists, Drs. Jacqueline Olds and Richard S. Schwartz, believe that so many people have been negatively affected by corporate downsizing and the resulting social pain they experience that many of them are withdrawing from relationships. It’s important for leaders to recognize the decline of trust, loyalty and citizenship in recent years so they have a realistic perspective. In this climate, leaders are even more important for they are key to strengthening trust, loyalty and citizenship.

Leaders who build trust, loyalty and citizenship genuinely care about people. That’s critical. Such leaders are capable of building trust for those around them will sense their care is not motivated by self-interest. A caring leader will take the time to get to know the people he or she leads – their stories, career aspirations, values and strengths. Armed with that understanding, the leader will look for ways to align each individual’s interests and goals with the organization’s so that the individual’s work is a “win-win” for the individual and the organization. They also expect leaders who report to them to follow their example.

Example of Citizenship in Action

In the book Fired Up or Burned Out, we shared the story of General George C. Marshall, arguably one of history’s greatest examples of a leader of exceptional character. It’s well worth reviewing Marshall’s example of the citizenship he displayed in serving his supervisor, U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and the trust and loyalty he developed with the people he led that encouraged them to be good citizens. You may recall that Marshall was the U.S. Army Chief of Staff during World War II then the Secretary of State who advanced the “Marshall Plan” to rebuild a war-ravaged Western Europe.

Let’s look at some specific behaviors of Marshall’s that reflect citizenship. Marshall was known for his loyalty. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt always knew Marshall would fully support him in implementing a decision, even if it was one with which Marshall disagreed. President Roosevelt said about him, “When I disapprove [of Marshall’s recommendations], I don’t have to look over my shoulder to see which way he is going… I know he is going…to give me the most loyal support as chief of staff that any president can wish.” Marshall once said, “the less you agree with the policies of your superiors, the more energy you must direct to their accomplishment.”

Marshall was also well known for giving his best efforts at work. Senator Henry Stimson said about Marshall’s planning and coordination of the war effort, “I have never seen a task of such magnitude performed by a man.” The British Chiefs of Staff wrote in a note to Marshall following the war, “…you have inspired us by your singleness of purpose and selfless devotion to our common cause.”

Marshall demonstrated his care for the people he led. He made sure they received training to improve their skills and continue learning and growing. During the Depression, Marshall made certain the people he led had proper medical and dental care. He also made inexpensive meals available to soldiers and their families. To avoid the perception that the meals program was a “condescending charity,” Marshall and his wife ate the same meals, too.

Result: Marshall’s leadership in organizing many of the logistics over the course of World War II and in advancing the Marshall Plan following the war were extremely successful. Following the Allied victory, Winston Churchill hailed General Marshall as “the true organizer of victory.” The Marshall Plan has been recognized as one of the most effective foreign policy programs in history. In recognition for the positive impact General Marshall had on the world, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1963, the only career soldier to ever receive the honor.

Actions You Can Take to Develop Citizenship Among Your Team

Be a model citizen. Like General Marshall, be loyal to your supervisor and give your best efforts at work. When your supervisor asks for your input, respectfully share your point of view. If he or she makes a decision that you disagree with, be sure to make an extra effort in implementing the decision. In addition, be cooperative with people who work in other parts of your organization. The people you lead will see your example of good citizenship and be inspired by it to follow your lead.

Clarify your covenant. Take some time to think through and write out the covenantal promises you would like to make to your supervisor and to the people you lead. These promises define your relational expectations. Read through theMontpelier Command Philosophy for ideas and ways to express them in writing. Send a draft to two or three people you respect and ask them to provide feedback about “what’s right?, what’s wrong?, and what’s missing?” from your promises. After incorporating the feedback, send your promises to your supervisor for his/her approval. Once approved, share your promises with the people you lead, asking them to consider the covenantal promises you made then write their promises to you and to the people they are responsible for leading.

Celebrate good citizens. Look for examples of citizenship that you can share with your team. You can use examples from your team, from other parts of your organization or external examples that appear in the press.

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Leading with Character: Integrity

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Leading with Character: Integrity

Definition

Integrity can be defined as always interacting with others ethically and honorably. People with integrity aspire to the highest ethical standards and expect the same behavior of others. They conduct themselves honorably in any situation that may arise. They treat every person with respect and fairness. They are straightforward and forthright, expressing themselves with clarity, so that others always understand what is being communicated. They approach their work with honesty, and having made a commitment, keep their word.

Integrity: An Essential Component of Servant Leadership

The word “integrity” comes from the Latin “integritas,” meaning wholeness and soundness. The integrity of Servant Leaders is one reason people see them as being sound and grounded human beings. Their integrity is like a rock-solid foundation of a building.  Conversely, a leader who lacks integrity is not perceived to be solid, dependable or reliable.

Servant Leaders have integrity. In other words, they express what they believe (reflecting honesty) and what they feel (reflecting authenticity). They don’t hide or misrepresent their thoughts and feelings. They don’t exaggerate. They don’t lie. They follow through on their commitments. They practice what they preach.

Leaders with integrity declare and explain their values. In the “Montpelier Command Philosophy,” the commander of the U.S.S. Montpelier showed integrity by expressing his values, what he expected of himself and the crew he was responsible for leading. He also defined integrity as “Do the right thing; don’t take the expedient path. If you are not sure what the right thing is, and you have the opportunity, ask. If you can’t, trust your judgment and training. This requires a great deal of courage, but if you act honestly and faithfully in this regard, you will not be second-guessed.”

Because Servant Leaders possess the character strength of integrity, they strongly believe the following statements: it is more important to say what I believe than to be popular; things tend to work out when I tell the truth; I would never lie just to get something I want from someone; my life is guided and given meaning by my values; I always follow through on my commitments, even when it costs me; I dislike phonies who pretend to be what they are not; and, it is important to be open and honest about my feelings.

Why is integrity important to a Servant Leader’s performance? Effective leaders build trust with the people they lead. Trust is strengthened when a Servant Leader demonstrates integrity by saying what he/she believes and feels. When a leader has integrity, people aren’t left to guess the leader’s true intention, which often creates ambiguity, uncertainty and anxiety. Trust is also strengthened when a Servant Leader does what he/she declared would be done. This builds the Servant Leader’s reputation for reliability.

Integrity is related to the core element of Voice in a Connection Culture. People with integrity strengthen Voice in a culture because they speak up and say what they believe rather than withhold their thoughts or lie because they want to say what others want to hear. When they express themselves, it is done in a way that reflects Human Value. In sharing their thoughts and feelings in a manner that safeguards relational connections, leaders with integrity also demonstrate the character strength of social intelligence.  People with integrity are not naysayers because, in addition to integrity, they also possess the character strength of hope (which includes optimism). When they speak, their comments are sincere, constructive and intended to advance their team’s work, rather than to impede it.

Examples of Integrity in Action

Ann Mulcahy, former CEO of Xerox Corporation, had a reputation for being candid.  Shortly after becoming CEO, she announced that Xerox’s business model was unsustainable and that the company would confront reality then make the tough decisions necessary to restore the Xerox’s competitiveness. One employee told the press, “part of her DNA is to tell you the good, the bad, and the ugly.”

Result: Because of her integrity, Ann Mulcahy gained the trust of Xerox employees. They pulled together, gave their best efforts and returned Xerox to profitability. One Xerox board member described the turnaround as a “minor miracle.”

After Goodyear Tire lost money in 1990 (the first time in 60 years), the board persuaded Stan Gault, a Goodyear director and former CEO of Rubbermaid, to come out of retirement and replace Goodyear’s CEO. When Gault arrived, he began to unplug lights and unscrew light bulbs in the former CEO’s large office to reduce costs. He ate in the company cafeteria with the rest of the employees and got rid of executive parking spaces.  The word spread like wildfire among Goodyear employees that Gault believed “thrift is a virtue.” When Gault then asked all Goodyear employees to help reduce the company’s bloated costs, they already knew their leader walked the talk.

Result: Goodyear employees responded to Gault’s integrity and plea to reduce costs. As a result, the company paid down its debt and invested in new research and development.   Soon thereafter, Goodyear launched the newly developed “Aquatread” tire. It was a huge success and Goodyear was restored to profitability.

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company has 20 values that comprise what is referred to as “The Ritz-Carlton Basics.” Each day, in a brief session called the “Daily Lineup,” supervisors review one of the 20 values with their staff and each Monday all Ritz-Carlton Hotels world-wide celebrate an example of a staff member who went beyond the call of duty to live up to one of the 20 Ritz-Carlton Basics.

Result: These practices help maintain a high level of organizational integrity because employees know Ritz-Carton’s values and are more likely to apply them. The Ritz-Carlton’s integrity has contributed to the organization receiving all the major awards bestowed by the hospitality industry and leading consumer organizations.

Five Actions You Can Take to Develop Integrity as a Leader

Be a model for your team. It is critical for you to be consistent and clear about your ethical standards. Strive to provide facts, not smokescreens, speak up even when it may be risky to do so, and challenge any system that encourages or rewards dishonesty and unethical behavior.
Be a model for ethical behavior. Ensure you are consistent, open, and clear with your ethical standards and expectations. Encourage your team to express concerns about questionable practices and take the time to review any ethical concerns and your team will provide open, candid feedback.
Don’t be a political animal. Being competent in your job is the most effective method of achieving success. Avoid being political by increasing your own awareness of political behavior. Start by listing the tactics you are aware of and ensure you’re not exhibiting these behaviors. Then ensure you always share recognition, be a team player, acknowledge people for their unique knowledge and talents, and set SMART objectives to help with unbiased measurements of performance.
Be a risk taker and stand up for what you believe in. There is a direct correlation between risk, success, and excellence. These are key components in maintaining a competitive advantage. When standing up for what you believe in, approach any adversity with a positive attitude and always work to gain support and cooperation from key people in your immediate or broader team. Be sure to encourage others to speak up and voice their viewpoints.
Be a role model for living your organization’s values. If you demonstrate that you are a proud member of your organization and live its values, and explicitly articulate to your team why you’re proud and why these things are important, they will soon follow. Walk the talk, be an example of what you want your employees to be and ensure your performance reflects the standards you expect from your team.

Remember that people will not follow a leader they do not trust. Trust is earned through, among other things, integrity. Great leaders — trusted leaders — demonstrate integrity.  This leads to gaining the confidence of those around them. These people then become dedicated employees, trusted friends, and strong supporters of shared goals.

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Leading With Character: Gratitude

Definition of Gratitude

Gratitude is being aware of and thankful for the good things that happen; taking time to express thanks.

Why Gratitude Matters

The word gratitude is based on the Latin root gratia which means “grace,” “graciousness,” and “gratefulness.” Religious thinkers and moral philosophers throughout history have long appreciated gratitude. Only recently, however, have scientists come to appreciate the positive influence gratitude has on human and organizational performance. 

Neuroscience research has shown that positive environments improve the human brain’s ability to solve problems and think creatively. An environment where people possess the character strength of gratitude tends to be more positive. This is the case because individuals show their gratitude in the form of words and acts of appreciation expressed on a regular basis to the people they come in contact with each day, including their family members, friends, colleagues and customers. Receiving appreciation from others meets our human need for recognition, which has the effect of encouraging and energizing us.

Gratitude is necessary to offset the negative bias in news reporting and media that has a 21-to-1, negative-to-positive ratio. Real life is much more positive than reflected in the press because, for the most part, it’s negative events that journalists view as newsworthy. Taking time to reflect on and be grateful for the positive things in our lives is necessary to help us keep a realistic — and more optimistic — perspective so that we will function at our best rather than be dragged down by a barrage of negative news in the media.

Individuals with the character strength of gratitude typically take time to reflect on how much easier their lives are because of the efforts of others, how they could not have gotten where they are today without the help of others, and the beauty, excellence or awe of something they’ve experienced. To develop gratitude in his character and boost his own happiness, productivity and creativity, Harvard psychology professor Tal Ben-Shahar keeps a diary where each day he records three things for which he is grateful. Research supports the wisdom of this practice. In 2002, Emmons and McCullough had test subjects keep diaries for a period of six months. The research participants were split into four groups: people who recorded things they were grateful for, people who recorded daily hassles, people who recorded either positive or negative experiences, and a control group. The results were that the test group that kept gratitude diaries were healthier, more optimistic, happier, more generous and more likely to accomplish their goals. The test subjects who recorded their daily hassles experienced the least favorable outcomes.

Examples of Gratitude in Action

From 1991 to 2001, when Bill George was CEO of Medtronic, a maker of pacemakers, defibrillators, stents, catheters, shunts, and surgical tools, he held a holiday party each year where six individuals who benefitted from Medtronic products told their stories. The event helped Medtronic employees clearly see how their work helped others and made them more likely to be grateful that their work had meaning. Result: Bill George successfully led Medtronic to become one the most respected companies in the world. He was named one of “Top 25 Business Leaders of the Past 25 Years” by PBS; “Executive of the Year-2001” by the Academy of Management; and “Director of the Year-2001-02” by the National Association of Corporate Directors.

The great British writer G.K. Chesterton was known to be exuberant and exhilarated by life. His writings reflected a sense of wonder and gratitude. Chesterton had a keen sense of observation and appreciated the big and small things in life. About ink, he wrote, “I like Cyclostyle ink, it is so inky. I do not think there is anyone who takes quite such fierce pleasure in things being themselves as I do. The startling wetness of water excites and intoxicates me: the fieriness of fire, the steeliness of steel, the unutterable muddiness of mud.” Result: Chesterton became one of the major literary figures in the first third of the 20th Century. His productivity was remarkable writing nearly 100 books on a wide-range of subjects including faith and philosophy, mystery, biography, poetry, and social and political commentary.

Three Actions You Can Take to Develop Gratitude as a Leader

1. Take time to regularly and genuinely express your gratitude to the people you lead. Express your gratitude in person or in an email. For items that have truly impacted you or the team, copy your manager as well to show the employee you are also showcasing their efforts beyond their direct environment. Use phrases like: “Thank you,” “I truly appreciate your…,” “I really appreciate your help with …,” “Thank you for helping me with…,” “How can I ever possibly thank you,” “Thanks a million for…,” “I’m so grateful for…,” “I’ll forever be grateful for…,” “I appreciate it,” “I appreciate what you did,” “You have my gratitude,” “Without you, I wouldn’t have been able to… Thank you,” “How can I ever thank you?,” “How can I show you how grateful I am for what you did?,” and “There are no words to show you my appreciation.”

2. Take the time to reflect on things you are grateful for by keeping a gratitude journal. Like professor Tal Ben-Shahar, keep a gratitude diary by writing down each day three things for which you are grateful. If you’re not likely to keep a diary, find a regular time each day that you can pause and reflect on what you’re grateful for that day. You may be grateful for a wonderful friend, a great meal, the warmth of the sunshine, a new favorite song, excellent work you’ve done or the positive impact your work had on others.

3. Encourage your team to express gratitude for what they have done for one another. Take time in your regular team meetings to have team members share things that others have done that have had a positive impact on their performance, mood, and/or day. To get this going, you should take the lead by sharing some things others have done for you. Be sure to include small things, too. For instance, perhaps you could share an example of a friendly gesture or small act of kindness that helped you when you were having a tough day. Doing this on regular basis will help raise your team’s gratitude and awareness of how important it is to help one another.

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The Flawed “Customer First” Focus (and Other Management Practices to Question)

“It isn’t what we don’t know that gives us trouble, it’s what we know that ain’t so.” – Will Rogers

In his latest book, Under New Management, David Burkus challenges a number of conventional business practices. These practices include, but are not limited to: the “customer first” mentality, non-compete agreements, email, standard vacation policy, office design, annual performance appraisals, and even the need for managers.

Under New Management is well worth reading. Below, I zero in on three practices Burkus addresses.

Management Focus on Employees First

Vaneet Nayar, CEO of HCL Technologies (HCLT), jettisoned the “customer first” mindset and replaced it with “employees first, customers second.” Burkus describes HCLT’s practices in the book.

John Mackey of Whole Food Market has described this mindset as a virtuous circle. He said management’s job is to take care of employees and the employees’ job is to take care of customers. This leads to profits that take care of shareowners who in turn reward management with additional investment to expand their activities to serve customers.

I like this mindset because too often the “taking care of employees” link is left out. This is why two-thirds of employees in America today are not engaged at work.

Hire as Team

Burkus says the best leaders bring their whole team into the interview process, unlike the conventional approach in which the specific manager makes the hiring decision. He cites Whole Foods as an example. Each Whole Foods store has 8-10 teams grouped into functions, including produce, meat, and checkout. Potential new employees go through phone interviews, one-to-one interviews with store leaders, and panel interviews with recruiters, managers and select employees. Once associates come on board, the store leader places them on a team for a trial period after which a two-thirds team member vote is required to finalize team membership. This process applies in stores and in the home office.

The only company I have worked for that employed a team approach to hiring was Morgan Stanley. Based on my observations, it resulted in identifying new employees who best fit the culture so I’m a big fan of this approach, primarily because the more employees who interact with a potential new hire, the more input on whether or not  the new hire shares the values.

Ditch Performance Reviews

Everyone knows that the annual performance review is problematic and yet many organizations still employ this practice. Burkus tells the story of Adobe Systems replacing its annual performance review with a more frequent (typically monthly or quarterly) informal “check-in” process that focuses on expectations, feedback, and growth and development. With this method, Burkus says Adobe reported a significant improvement in employee and manager morale.

This more frequent / less formal approach addresses my primary concerns with annual performance reviews. First, they create too much anxiety on the part of employees. With greater frequency, the performance check-in will become part of ongoing communications rather than a big event. The second problem I have is that if the only time an employee hears constructive feedback is during an annual review, there are going to be long periods during which an employee may be unaware he is performing sub-optimally. Frequent check-ins encourage dialogue.

To learn more about research and examples that challenge conventional management practices, pick up a copy of Under New Management and read it with your team.

Note: I received a review copy of this book in advance of publication.

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Leading with Character: Creativity

Definition of Creativity

Creativity is thinking of novel and productive ways to conceptualize and do things.

Why Creativity Matters

Creativity is essential for innovation. Exercising creativity to continuously improve by finding new and better ways of serving clients is something we must always strive to do. An organization that settles for the status quo will never be a great organization. For that reason, we must never allow our organizations to become complacent. One of our ongoing goals must be to continuously make the world better by improving what we do. Exercising creativity is essential to this task.

Unfortunately, we don’t drift toward creativity and innovation. It requires intentionality is several ways. First, we must recognize the need to foster a team approach to creativity and innovation. Although the media likes to glorify the lone creative genius, a closer look at creativity reveals that it is, to a large degree, a team sport. Thomas Edison, one of the most prolific inventors of all time, readily admitted that he drew upon ideas from many people. Edison once said, “I am quite correctly described as ‘more of a sponge than an inventor….’”

Second, we need to recognize that creativity flourishes in an environment where the Connection Culture element of Knowledge Flow (or “Voice”) exists. When people are intentional about improving what they do, when they seek the ideas of others, when they share their ideas and opinions honestly, and when they safeguard relational connections, it creates a robust marketplace of ideas that feeds creative minds.

Note that several character strengths contribute to increase the element of Voice in an environment that stimulates creativity. These character strengths include curiosity, love of learning, humility, open-mindedness, persistence and an appreciation of beauty and excellence. People who possess these character strengths persist in coming up with ideas drawn from the knowledge they’ve gained as a result of their curiosity to learn and to improve upon their work product and processes.

Third, creativity and innovation increase when certain processes and practices are in place. A simple example is a suggestion box where people are invited to submit ideas. Here are several ways to become more intentional about exercising creativity to innovate and identify new products, processes and approaches that improve your organization.

Examples of Creativity in Action

Dolland & Aitchison, an optician and spectacle retailer, believed that “every idea is a good idea.” Employees are encouraged to write directly to the CEO with their ideas. They receive a written response from the CEO and if their idea is implemented they also receive a “thank-you” gift. An example of such an idea is “Styleyes” a computer aided system, pairing customers with ideal frames to fit appearance and lifestyle. Result: Increase in customer satisfaction, increase in customer spending and an annual sales increase of 17 percent.

At 3M, they have an Entrepreneurial Policy which allows employees to spend up to 15 percent of their time at work developing their own creative ideas for the betterment of the company and the creation of new products or services. Subsequently, 3M was able to capitalize on the creative ideas to create and launch the 3M Post-it Note product. Result:The 3 M Post-it Note is one of their most successful and popular products.

At Ritz-Carlton Hotels, each department has a white board where people are expected to write down ideas for their teams to consider in upcoming team meetings. This has fostered a culture of creativity and innovation where people are continuously looking for ways to improve what they do. Result: Ritz-Carton is consistently recognized as one of the top performing hotel companies worldwide. It is a perennial winner of awards for quality and customer service.

Actions You Can Take to Develop Creativity Among Your Team

Encourage, respect and reward new thinking. It takes courage for your team members to bring up a new idea or a fresh perspective. By making sure that you are open to new ideas, and that you suspend judgment during the idea generation phase, you’ll be encouraging people to think about things a little differently. Take it a little further and encourage your team to build on and explore each other’s ideas, even the ones that might sound a little odd at first. Dismissing ideas too soon is a sure way of losing the best solutions and suppressing creative thinking. And remember to recognize people for their contributions and ideas.

Believe in the capabilities your team. Expect the best from your team, keep your expectations high yet realistic and your team will be inspired to perform at their best. In terms of creativity, a group is more likely to come up with innovative solutions if you believe they can. Just remember your optimism needs to be realistic, so raise the bar for top performance one step at a time.

Try the “six hats” technique. The “six hats” technique involves looking at a problem from six differing perspectives. By doing this, you’ll produce more ideas than you might have had you only looked at the situation from one or two points of view.

White Hat: Look at the situation objectively. What are the facts?
Yellow Hat: Use a positive perspective. Which elements of the solution will work?
Black Hat: Use a negative perspective. Which elements of the solution won’t work?
Red Hat: Look at the situation emotionally. What do your feelings tell you?
Green Hat: Think creatively. What are some alternative ideas?
Blue Hat: Think broadly. What is the best overall solution?

Consciously build diverse teams. Diversity of backgrounds, thinking and experience and is the key to creativity. Allowing your team to express themselves and share based on their diverse backgrounds will ensure that they’re considering many options, many of which would not have been considered if they investigated the issues in isolation. Even if the diverse backgrounds drive a little “Creative Abrasion” it will result in positive outputs as you’ve provided a safe, respectful environment where people feel comfortable with each other.

Have fun. When our bodies are active, tensions are released and we are more able to let our minds take leaps of faith. For this purpose, have plenty of toys that require physical activity in your office environment. Things like balls and board games will change your team’s routine, get their blood moving, and result in a flow of ideas.

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Image courtesy of Flickr user Steve Wilson under Creative Commons license Attribution 2.0 Generic. Image has been cropped. 

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