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People | Process | Performance

Welcome! Indra Process and Performance Consulting partners with our clients to create smart and performance focused organisations through engaging their people; aligning processes, talent and strategy; building performance confidence and accelerating sustainable business results.

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Our Visitors are Reading:

The most read posts for 2011 are:

• Performance Focused Organisations: Aspects of Performance
• Performance Focused Organisations: So what is Performance Management
• Performance Focused Organisations: Organisational Paradoxes
• Courage in the Workplace.
• Can You be Too Empathetic?
• The Freedom to Seek Feedback
• The Chemistry of Stress
• To tolerate or not? Unsocial Behaviour in the workplace.
• Spontaneous Recognition
• Harrison Assessments Distributor Training: Building Job Success Formulas

The Definition of a Problem

In one of our previous posts, Identifying Causes of Organisational Problems, we spoke about the layered questioning process that helps in solving problems of all sorts – the cause and effect chain.

One more trick that helps enormously in problem solving, and indeed in many other areas of organisational life, is to spend some time defining the problem. So often we assume that we have a problem clear in our mind, and that there is a shared understanding of the problem amongst the team. However when we try to articulate the problem, all too often the areas that lack clarity or shared understanding are exposed.  It is in the act of defining the issue that the end goal becomes clear.

Use this technique in other areas as well to bring clarity. For example, always define carefully the

Leadership: Exploring Workplace Vulnerability

Here in the offices of Indra Process and Performance Consulting, we are continually extending and updating our Deep Leadership modules and supporting material. It’s a great and dynamic atmosphere as we sort out in our own minds the relevance of material and how we can deliver it in the most meaningful way. For us that means in a way that will change lives and accelerate business results.

Our programs cover both Personal Awareness and Business Awareness.  In the Personal Awareness components, we present and explore numerous traits that are or will become important for leaders intent on building great leadership ability that is applicable in a business world that is rapidly changing.

Recently we have been exploring the place of Leadership Vulnerability in

Solving Organisational Problems: Identifying those causes

In our previous post about Solving Organisational Problems , we mentioned the difference between symptoms, the pain that is being experienced at the moment, and the causes of the problem, the underlying reason or trigger for the current symptoms.

Symptoms are the sign that a problem exists. Like symptoms of sickness, they may not be strong indicators of the actual problem. They are just the flag that an issue exists.

The confusing thing about causes is that they may be multi-layered.

What appears at first glance to be a cause may in fact be a different symptom on our journey to uncover the underlying cause.

The Chain of Cause and Effect

In fact what we often find is a chain of cause and effect relationships as we move ever deeper in our quest to find the initial causal trigger for the problem.

“No” is Enough

The challenge of communicating well in the workplace is complex and multi-faceted. One of the classic challenges is when to say more without it being too much, and when to say less without seeming heartless, terse or brusque.

How to Say “No” and Keep Yourself AND the Other Person Motivated

It is always inspiring to receive feedback on what has made a difference to people and for people in their working lives. I met with a client recently, now a good friend, and she spoke to me about one piece of advice that I shared with her that has positively changed her confidence in the workplace (and beyond).

It was this: When you need to say “No”, saying “No” is enough. Offering or making excuses is not necessary.

In nearly all cases, the reason behind our refusal is not of concern

Solving Organisational Problems

I came across these definitions of problem recently, and I loved them so much they brought a smile to my face. The definitions are succinct and accurate, and also are worthy of some contemplation.

• Having a problem is by nature a state of affairs plagued with some difficulty or undesired status.

• A problem represents a challenge that encourages solving to establish more desirable circumstances.

[These are from Root Cause Analysis, by Bjorn Andersen]

When we talk about problems in an organisational context, the discussion ultimately

More on Humility as a Leadership Trait

Long ago, as I started my consulting career, I was assisting a colleague in running a Leadership Development Course. Over a period of several days, I watched this group of 15 individuals, young, confident, cocky and somewhat arrogant. I asked my colleague if I could run a session on Humility. And so began my interest in the traits that, when cultivated and attained, manifest in deep leadership ability.

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been revisiting Humility in these posts as we explored some of the concepts behind Good to Great, and in a more abstract way, through Empathy and Business Assertiveness. But humility is difficult to define. Worn as a cloak, something just thrown on,