Conversation as a Core Strategic Process

The most widespread and pervasive development and learning no longer occurs in workshops, classrooms, conference rooms or boardrooms. It occurs over coffee, around the water cooler, in the corridors and the team’s kitchen. It is in emails, skype sessions, phone calls, instant messages, intranet-based groups and any internal social media applications. Every conversation is an opportunity to delve deeper, be more innovative, reinforce values, explain strategic priorities, support, inspire, ask questions, provide information and advice, share history, and (most of all) listen. Inquire about issues, approaches, opinions, experiences, obstacles. Spark a new insight, investigate a new perspective, explore an alternative path, suggest other sources of information. Offer feedback, seek feedback, ask advice. Make the person feel valued.

Performance Focused Organisations: Extreme Leadership

In Performance Focused Organisations, diversity in style is welcomed. PFOs are not “cloned” organisations where a mono-culture exists. Rather the ideal is an active culture built around strong and deployed values where diversity is welcomed, honoured and respected.

Leadership styles vary. Some are strongly driven, some are strongly people-oriented. Others are detailed, thorough and exact, cautious or forever seeking opportunities. Some leadership styles work best in small groups, some are best in very large teams. As long as there is a central respect of People, Results, Profits, Customers and Process, each style has a part to play.

Our Mind and Our Brain: Our Responsibility

There is interesting research coming to light on the brain and the mind – in many ways this reflects the journey of science towards the philosophies of the East, which have always believed in the plasticity of the brain. Nowhere is this more evident than in the meditation techniques associated with the teachers from India and beyond.

Our brain is a fascinating organ – about 1.5 kg, or 2% of our body weight. It swims in a clear fluid but we are not yet sure of the purpose of this fluid. It needs oxygen, glucose, calories and utilises about 20% of the body’s nutrients. There are wonderfully eloquent parts of the brain, and also many whose use continues to elude us. There are a finite number of neurons but an infinite way of connecting them and communicating between them.

Paying Attention to Attention: Part 3

Over the last couple of weeks we have been discussing how to watch your attention each day to develop dynamic knowledge about yourself and your drivers or motivators. You can see the posts here and here.

If you are persistent in your personal journey to better leadership and people management, sooner or later you will have to face your emotional capacity. In other words, you will find yourself assessing your ability to positively control your emotions. Often this is called Emotional Intelligence (IT) or Emotional Quotient (EQ).

This is not the same as suppressing emotions. The two are often confused.

Paying Attention to Attention: Part 2

Last week we looked at how dynamic knowledge of our own behaviours – drivers and motivators – can give us the edge in terms of our development as great leaders and managers. I included a simple tool in that post – watching where our attention wanders during the day and also how it wanders. Where our emotions are at. Patterns of behaviour (both positive and negative).

To build on that simple exercise, here is an extension that will help you notice and understand the reasons behind the attention shifts and emotional shifts that occur during each day. As with anything, once we understand, once the reasons are understood, it is much easier to take decision and make modifications.

Paying Attention to Attention

The reality is that as your management career progresses, your management style will change. The styles of supervisors are different to those adopted by middle managers who have primarily people concerns, and these are different from high-end middle managers and senior managers who have strong results emphases. These are different again to the skill requirements of general and executive managers who have few direct people management concerns but carry an enormous responsibility for results. The success of whole businesses, regions or sites rides on their ability.

I notice that many of the managers at the middle management and senior management levels have low appreciation for the different working, management and thinking styles required for the next steps in their career. Most assume it will be “more of the same”.