Paradoxes, Matrices, and Global Leadership… Oh My!

This globalization thing where companies are competing throughout several cultures, languages, and economies continues to throw leaders for a loop.  The idea of working across cultures, leveraging the entire organization, and accommodating shifting priorities due to shifting global economics can present significant barriers and challenge our best leaders.  Now our strategies must consider many markets, managing internal and external resources, and enable systems-thinking approaches.  Here are some of the questions any leader might pose:

1. What style of leadership should I embrace as a global leader?
2. What skills should I embrace?
3. What organizational structure best supports effective leadership in global companies?

As leaders, we are being asked to embrace an enterprise model and manage paradox in a matrix organization – I warned you.

While the previous sentence is heavy and may make your head spin a bit, I am hearing the terms enterprise, paradox, and matrix everywhere these days.

So for those of you who are interested, dig in a little deeper and understand these concepts better.  First, let me describe these main themes.

Background

An enterprise model

This model shifts the power away from a company’s corporate headquarters and enables the field offices.  In an enterprise model, the best ideas don’t have to come from HQ Research & Development.  With an enterprise, the best ideas come from wherever the best ideas come from.  Anyone can contribute – vendor, supplier, field manager, manufacturer, business partner, business unit, etc.  The enterprise model calls for leaders to leverage a broad-base of relationships, bringing many people to the table to solve a problem or pursue an opportunity.

Manage paradox

Leaders are being asked to navigate through opportunity and change more so than managing compliance.  Our command and control style worked for managing compliance, but falls flat in managing the paradox.  Paradox represents conflicting ideas or pursuits.  A paradox is a dilemma.  An example of paradox is when you’ve got to deliver on speed and quality.  Both speed and quality are good pursuits that are oftentimes in conflict with each other.  But today, leaders are expected to manage the paradox between speed and quality to meet the business goals.

Matrix organization

A hierarchical organization has a very vertical structure.  I have a boss, who has a boss, who has a boss, who has a boss.  Vertical.  Other organizations shun the vertical hierarchy organizing purely behind a project.  These organizations bring teams together to deliver a job.  For instance, building contractor companies work this way as they bring subcontractors to a building project.  A plumber shows up, so does an electrician, and a construction worker all specializing in their particular area of focus.  Horizontal.  A matrix organization does both with employees reporting vertically up through the organization and horizontally with other team members to deliver special projects – thus the term matrix – vertical and horizontal lanes.

Bringing it all together

So, as a leader, consider these points as you become a better global leader that manages paradox effectively in a matrix organization:

For the enterprise

• Don’t just network; build relationships that you can truly leverage.
• Communicate more – share more information with more people more often.
• Be driven by progress, not politics.

For the paradox

• Develop a deeper curiosity for your business – ask what if and why not from more people more often.
• Work to a higher end game or a more important end objective.  Focus on the more inclusive value that brings system-wide value.
• Shift your perspective by embracing the Jim Collins idea of tyranny of the OR versus genius of the AND.

For the matrix

• Don’t just grow your area of specialty; broaden your skills to be more transportable across your business.
• Seek stretch assignments in your organization to help you grow your value across the organization.
• Grow comfortable having two reporting lines – one to your supervisor and one to your project lead.

Questions for you:

1. How do you feel about these three factors and their impact on a company’s effectiveness in a global marketplace?
2. Is there a better structure, philosophy, or model that you feel is better?

Please comment.

Tags: change, corporate, effective, Fast, global, Leadership, markets, matrix, multicultural, paradox, structure

Can Authenticity and Political Skill Actually Get Along?

I have a desire to be authentic.  I don’t always succeed, but it’s almost always on my radar.  I recently read an article in Harvard Business Review (HBR July / August 2010 – Idea Watch) on the topic of political skill.  This article talked about the value of political skill and how, when used effectively, it can bring favor to your cause through your influence.

More On Political Skill:

According to Gerald Ferris, Sherry Davidson, and Pamela Perrewe, in their book Political Skill at Work: Impact on Work Effectiveness, political skill is “a style of interaction that allows you to read situations, interpret them, and exhibit just the right kind of behavior to induce others to do what you want — and do it willingly, as if it were their idea.”

My initial reaction after reading the HBR article was to completely discount political skill and view it as in direct conflict with authenticity.  And why not?  After all, the article associated words like flattery and ingratiation with political skill.  When we think of politics, don’t we think of self-serving agendas?  Aren’t we often less trusting of politicians?  Still after dissecting the term, political skill merely represents our ability to influence others to favor our position, opinion, or bias.

Political skill isn’t flattery or ingratiation at all.  Political skill doesn’t have to do with sucking up to the boss to get ahead.  But there are people who are better than others in their ability influence others toward a position or opinion.  People who do this effectively get ahead.

As you engage and improve your political skill, consider the following:

1. TONE – Try not to be flagrant with your flattery. A little subtlety goes a long way to build trust in your communications. Don’t overwhelm your audience by your verboseness. Passion is one thing – a good thing – audaciousness is not.  Avoid being the loud and obnoxious used-car salesperson.
2. TIMING – Consider the timing of your talk.  Be calculated as you communicate.  Be careful not to interrupt others in order to get your point across – at least not here in the United States.  Evaluate your audience to make sure they are ready and able to truly engage in what you are about to say.  Make sure you’ve got their attention before trying to compete for it.  If you’re constantly trying to compete for the floor, you might appear desperate.
3. TARGET – Make sure your words are relevant.  You’ll quickly lose credibility when you bring up topics that are completely irrelevant to the current conversation.  People who are off target and irrelevant often find themselves randomly rambling, hoping something they say will stick with the group.  Your communications should be well-crafted toward the needs of your audience and the topic at hand.  Those effective in political skill know how to insert their ideas in a relevant manner into almost any conversation.

When you consider your tone, your timing, and your target, you’ll likely avoid the flattery and suck-up perceptions that so many associate with political skill.

Tags: authenticity, corporate, culture, Leadership, political, skill

The Missing Half of Leadership Training

It is unsettling to me that companies are still looking to capture the perfect leadership competency model. The expectation is that the right skills can be developed for the right situation. Many people are operating under the belief that the right skills help leaders execute the plan. But, there are contradictions for every situation. A move that was logical yesterday, might be illogical today as a result of rapid change. Consistent business practices are only valuable in a consistent business climate, which is virtually nonexistent today.

For today’s leaders, mindset development must come before skill-set development. For instance, it is hard to become a better listener without developing curiosity first. Learning to look people in the eye, fight distractions, and ask appropriate questions are important, but they are simply mechanical skills. Being open to new ideas and processes, and remaining inclusive of others lets you really hear what’s being said – and put it to good use. This is what I mean by mindset. Mechanics can be applied and developed universally. Mindset is individual. Mindset is the true separator of talent, not technique.

Our leaders do not know how to manage the paradox between the need to be strong-willed and sensitive to the needs of the team. They struggle with balancing command and control and remaining collaborative. They struggle balancing between having the right answers and forming the right questions. Today’s leaders do not know how to manage the paradox that exists in protecting organizational heritage and tenets while driving change, or making the tough call while trying to create an inclusive working environment.

Leadership development must look beyond simple skill-set development and focus more on helping leaders navigate the paradoxes by helping them form the proper leadership mindset.

10 ways to know if you’re teaching mindset in your organization:

1. Are you teaching mechanics or principles? Teaching mindset is principle based. If you understand the principles, you’ll embrace the mechanics.
2. Are judgment and paradox involved in what’s being taught? Teaching mindset prioritizes judgment and introduces paradox. Judgment helps leaders navigate through change and develop adaptability.
3. Are debate and collaboration part of the learning process? Teaching mindset opens up valuable debate. Diverse opinions matter for teaching mindset.
4. Does your teaching emphasize compliance or progress – acknowledging that these aren’t mutually exclusive? Teaching mindset will emphasize progress as the priority. Progress is the reason for compliance, but progress sometimes requires a leader to improvise.
5. Is there a social component to your teaching where participants are asked to react according to their observations of others? Social interactions and reactions are important for mindset development.
6. Is your teaching pushing transactional or transformational outcomes? Teaching mindset helps leaders move beyond transactional thinking and bring valuable ideas and innovations to the table.
7. Do you emphasize personal values over conformity in your teaching? Teaching mindset invites participants to bring their own personal values to the training, allowing diverse ideas and solutions to emerge.
8. Is your teaching focused only on the present circumstances or are future needs and opportunities contemplated? Teaching mindset asks participants to anticipate future needs and opportunities as well as deliver results in the business today.
9. Do you value imagination in your teaching and training? Teaching mindset asks participants to be imaginative. Teaching mindset shouldn’t answer every question for participants.
10. Does your teaching encourage rote repetition or routine versus creativity? Teaching mindset demands significant creative thinking.

Five concepts to teach mindset:

1. Teach systems thinking.
2. Teach creative thinking.
3. Teach principles and values.
4. Teach judgment for paradox.
5. Teach transformational ideation. i

Leaders cannot be successful with skills alone. Organizations that recognize the importance of developing an innovative and adaptable mindset in their leaders are the ones that will experience the greatest success in the face of ever-increasing change.

Onward!

Tags: development, Leadership, mindset, skill, skills, skillset, Training

Are You Really Seeing the Sunset?

Like almost half of the country, I got away for Spring Break with my wife and a few close friends. It was the trip of a lifetime and it should have been – after all, I just turned 40 and I wanted to celebrate the milestone. So I splurged. We spent a week on a beautiful sailboat cruising the British Virgin Islands (BVI’s), snorkeling, hanging out on the beaches, and eating all the fresh seafood we could handle. A few days into our trip after watching yet another amazing sunset, I found it hard to fully appreciate the experience.

Why? The setting was inspiring. The beauty was amazing. The adventure was gripping. What I realized was that I was incapable of comprehending the magnitude of this experience. It was beyond me. I couldn’t fully appreciate it because I had nothing to do with creating it. I didn’t form the clouds or the seas. I didn’t do anything to set the sun or to usher in such clear blue water. My appreciation was limited by my comprehension. Don’t get me wrong — I truly appreciated the experience. But my lack of comprehension limited my appreciation.

I think this also applies to our everyday lives and our everyday work as well. Just yesterday, I asked several members of the SVI team to stretch themselves on a deliverable. I wanted a piece of work done faster and better for one of our clients. I made the request, but I wasn’t a part of the process. I had no part in creating the deliverable. The team delivered my request and the work was exceptional. In my typical fashion, I grabbed the work, gave a casual “thanks” and then raced out the door to my client meeting. I appreciated the work and the work was great. But only later did I realize that my lack of involvement likely limited my appreciation. I began to imagine some of the members of my staff saying, “he has no idea what went into making that happen.”

Don’t we often experience this in our work? We may be impressed with what someone else produces, but our lack of involvement limits our appreciation. I often find myself overlooking someone else’s big accomplishment because of my lack of exposure. My appreciation often occurs after I hear a client’s reaction to our work, not when I view the work for my own eyes. I can find myself taking the work of others for granted, not fully realizing the effort that went into it. This not only limits my ability to fully acknowledge the value we are providing, but can also have an impact on the sense of value others perceive of their work which can impact future productivity, creativity and the joy they gain from their work. While work quality can stand on its own, the full expression of appreciation generates motivation, inspiration and creativity for the entire team that keeps them going and growing to new levels.

Coming off of my Spring Break trip and experiencing one of the most extraordinary places on earth, I want to do more to appreciate the work of others. I want to be more sensitive to the time and effort that someone else puts forward that I may be completely ignorant to. This perspective is also timely for me as Easter is approaching – comprehending God’s gift of life when I had nothing to do with it.

Let’s do more to appreciate life and the work of others regardless of our involvement. Let’s not allow our lack of understanding to limit our appreciation and the inspiration and joy of others that follows.

Onward!

Tags: appreciation, corporate, culture, Leadership, responsibility, team, thanks

Champions Integrate Drive and Empathy

Question your nature if the recent earthquakes in Haiti and Chile didn’t move you. Millions of lives got rocked from those tragedies and the pictures are gut wrenching. Also gut wrenching is seeing some of my friends’ lives get tough due to recent layoffs. It seems like each day presents new challenges and each business day gets harder.

Today, our leaders are called to be compassionate and driven. Our employees need to feel appreciated, or at least let down easily, and our businesses have to reach new heights despite the obstacles. A question I’ve debated with myself and with others is how to balance drive and empathy. How do I show enough compassion and still I apply the performance pressure? My dilemma is that it’s Sunday night and I’m preparing for my Monday morning at work, but my mind is on Chili.

Do I forcefully transition? If so, how? If not, do I show up unprepared for another challenging day with big demands at the office?

Before answering that question, I believe there are leaders who are naturally empathetic and leaders who are naturally driven.  But I believe champions are both—and both are critical for success.

Champions have a sensational drive for success and an ability to truly connect emotionally with others. Their compassion doesn’t impede their business acumen. Nor does their business acumen impede their compassion. Since a champion is self-aware, they know their natural tendencies and where they need to compensate for their lack of skills. If empathy is natural for the champion, they will compensate for balance and emphasize drive. If a champion is more naturally driven and less empathetic, they will compensate by emphasizing compassion.

My concern for the Chileans shouldn’t keep me from being prepared for my Monday. And my Monday shouldn’t desensitize me to the Chileans.

Below are a few points to consider as you work to better integrate your business drive and empathy as a leader:

1. Know your natural tendencies. Are your natural tendencies more for empathy or for drive?
2. Prepare to compensate the other attribute by being intentional in your actions in order to capture a healthy balance. Too much empathy can stifle progress, and too much drive can create a trail of people debris behind you. Realize that both traits are important.
3. Take a little more time before you react. Try not to always respond at your first notion. Consider [taking] a pause and allow things to soak in a little more.
4. Help others understand the reasoning behind your reaction or position—whether empathetic or direct. Explaining the reasoning helps others overcome their tendency to take things personally.
5. Explain your motives. Explaining your motives not only helps others realize you’re not completely insensitive, or overly sensitive for you empathetic leaders, but explaining your motives holds you accountable for making sure your motives are right.

Champions know in their heart of hearts that the world – in general and in business – is not black and white.  They are keenly aware that a black and white approach will fall short of the results and guiding principles they are committed to. They must be able to integrate their keen business drive with a deep appreciation for the people with whom they work and the events occurring in the world that impact all of us.

Onward!

Tags: champions, compassion and drive, Drive for results, Empathy, Leadership skills, OrganizationalChampions, tragedy and leadership

Champions Don’t Do It Because They Have To

If you’ve been watching the 2010 Winter Olympics, you’ve seen champions in action.  One champion who stands out for me is Shaun White.  Knowing that my coolness factor pales in comparison to that of Shaun White only elevates my appreciation for his bravado. For those who don’t know, Shaun White is the two-time U.S. Olympic Gold medalist in the snowboarding halfpipe event. I watched him earn his second Gold last night and was amused by his preparation before his last run.

In snowboarding, competitors get two attempts to score on their runs down the halfpipe. Their scores for both attempts aren’t accumulated to a grand total, but rather, only one of their scores—their highest score—counts. Shaun was the last competitor to go for both rounds. In his first attempt, he set the high score. No one else got close. So when it was time for his second attempt, he had already won the Gold. There was no need for him to do anything else. Gold was secure. What was amusing was overhearing his conversation with his coaches. He expressed in his excitement that he didn’t think he could run. His coach asked him what he wanted to do on his run and White said, “I don’t know. Go right down the middle.”

But of course, that’s not what Shaun did. He went all out—not for Gold, not for reward, not for promotion. He went all out because that’s just who he is. Champions relish a whole lot more in who they are, not in what they do. Put a set of skates on Shaun and he’ll go all out. Put him on the front lines and he’ll charge forward. Put him in any situation and he’ll go extreme, every time.

Shaun brings the same championship attitude to every area of his life. He and his brother, Jesse, have been in business together since 2002 when Shaun was 15 years old pursuing their passion of designing clothing.  They recently pitched a girls’ line and were met with some resistance—despite the success they’ve seen with their designs for the male population. There was doubt as to whether or not they could handle designs for the ladies.  But their passion, creativity and preparation won the Creative Director of Burton’s (the world’s leading snowboard maker) over in a big way.

What is the key to Shaun’s extraordinary success?

Shaun White knows what he loves to do.  He is clear about what lights him up and where his strengths lie, and he pursues them with unbridled passion and courage.

He is committed to giving his all, without fear of the risks.  In Shaun’s case, he not only faces financial risks but risk of physical injury every time he engages in a sport because he is pushing the boundaries of what he has done before and what has been done period.  He is not focused on the risks, but the fulfillment of reaching new heights—literally.

Shaun is playing full out in life and, because of that, he is setting new standards and challenging others to do the same.

Do your pursuits align with who you are?  What is holding you back from being a champion in your life and achieving extraordinary results that light you up?  We can all learn from champions like Shaun White.  Imagine what the world would look like if we all pursued our own passions fully without being held back by fear.  Inspiring!

Tags: champion, passion, Shaun White, Winter Olympics

Passion & Perspective Trumps Proficiency

Sometimes the Super Bowl match-ups aren’t very compelling. But for me, Super Bowl XLIV (Colts versus Saints) was worth the watch. Why, because the off-the-field stories are so inspiring – especially for the Saints. This team rallied behind a community in turmoil – New Orleans in post Hurricane Katrina – and the community in turmoil rallied behind the team. The team and the community needed each other in order to heal. Drew Brees, the quarterback for the New Orleans Saints, was presented as the face of healing for New Orleans. A Super Bowl victory would mean the world to Brees and to New Orleans.

As I watched Brees in his Super Bowl pre-game and post-game interviews, I observed his category 5 heart, his mission-minded mentality, and his passion for victory. You see Brees’ passion in his eyes and in his voice. He seems to have a strong and enduring will that has been born out of setbacks such as his potential career-ending injury while with the San Diego Chargers. How closely those attributes resemble the community of New Orleans.

When Brees reflects on his journey to Super Bowl XLIV, he talks a lot about perspective and how perspective has helped him find peace and develop strength. After seeing the devastation in New Orleans firsthand, there wasn’t much more that could rile Brees. His new perspective would help him fight through adversity and his passion would inspire others to do the same. And his passion and perspective helped him and his team defeat a very proficient Peyton Manning and Colts team.

This is a common observation in leaders. Leaders with passion and perspective outperform leaders who rely on proficiency alone. Influential and inspiring leaders just seem to outperform skill-set leaders – acknowledging the obvious point that these attributes aren’t mutually exclusive. What we can learn from Drew Brees is that passion and perspective matters in our leadership, in our performance and in the results.

Congratulations Who Dat nation!

Tags: bowl, brees, drew, football, hurricane, illustration, Leadership, manning, new, Orleans, passion, perspective, peyton, saints, super

Observers Make Better Creators

My daughter Alex, at age 10, has her sights set on being the world’s greatest fashion designer. Her bedroom features a sewing machine, a mannequin, and the 2009 DVD series of the show, “Project Runway.” She’s got a sketch book full of outfit designs and random fabric spilling out of her closet.

My wife and I have taken Alex on a couple of visits to a few fashion forward shops and stores—even spending a couple of days in Miami’s fashion center, South Beach. I’ve gotten quite a kick out of watching my daughter’s reaction in these world renowned stores. “These people don’t know what they’re doing, Dad”, Alex suggests. “I’ve got my own ideas. I need to get home and get to work.”

While I admire my daughter’s drive, I’ve begun to encourage her to become a better observer—a better learner.

Alex has my DNA. I take much of the blame for her pace and her drive. It takes a great deal of conscious effort for me to slow down enough to observe and learn. I like to create. But I’m a much better creator when I slow down enough to listen rather than talk, to observe rather than react.

Today, Northwest Arkansas is experiencing a winter storm that has our community shut in. The storm has forced me to listen, observe and learn more. I found time to watch a 19 minute TED video that was recommended to me by a friend. I invite you to watch the TED video where Carl Honore, author of In Praise of Slowness, presents the value of slowing down.

By slowing down we enrich our lives, become aware through our observations, take in the preciousness of the moment – and because of it, we become better creators.

Are you blazing past life’s precious moments or are you making time to listen, to learn and to observe? I encourage you to work in some “slowness” into your life. I think you’ll be surprised by the results.

Onward!

Tags: Carl, creating, creativity, down, Fast, Honore, rushing, slow, TED

Learning from Adaptable Leaders – One-Size-Fits-All Doesn’t Work

The challenges we’ve faced economically have brought necessary change in businesses at every level. The larger the company, the greater the change. And the greater the change, the more that change is felt by everyone. We’ve seen everything from massive layoffs to corporate mergers. Corporate leaders have had to rethink how they do business to remain competitive – and profitable. Jobs that were once thought of as secure have become dispensable. The concept of being a “lifer” at a company has virtually become a distant memory.

As a corporate leader, it can be difficult to stay on top of all the changes and support your team members in navigating those changes so they can stay focused on business objectives while dealing with the uncertainty.

If my experience as an external consultant has taught me anything, it is that adaptability is the most crucial ability for any leader. Thousands of observations, interactions and interviews have shown me that those leaders who have advanced their careers and supported company growth through tumultuous times found a way to fit in, build trust and contribute quickly in any setting they are placed. The adaptable leader is a cross-cultural champion who can easily navigate and contribute in different environments—and that is their profound differentiator.

One of the most significant challenges I’ve experienced in working with so many companies is how to quickly adapt or acculturate to the different cultures within our client base. SVI has a culture and it is unique and different. Within SVI, as with any organization of any size, there are micro-cultures. Additionally, each one of our clients has their own behavioral standards and norms as well as many, many micro-cultures. When I’m called into work with one of our clients, I must effectively acculturate from my culture at SVI to my client’s culture to serve them well. In any given week, I may be immersed in ten different corporate cultures and who knows how many micro-cultures.

It is clear that I’ll be highly ineffective unless I can navigate well across many different work environments, structures, standards, expected behaviors, rules, routines, and norms. Having cross-cultural abilities means that I am capable of subconsciously or consciously processing social cues. Being adaptable to different cultures means that I am able to quickly pick up the unwritten rules of a group or community. Without cross-cultural abilities—the ability to adapt within various cultures—I can be perceived as a social klutz. By honing the skills necessary to adapt to different cultures, I am able to communicate powerfully so that they know I really “get” their needs and goals. It is only from that place that I can serve them and introduce programs, tools and the innovative thinking that will help them successfully reach their goals and grow.

That’s why I have significant empathy and admiration for the adaptive skills of professionals and leaders who are asked to lead in today’s cross-cultural business environment while faced with the demands of the shifting economy.

A champion doesn’t create culture at all, but rather, effectively navigates across many different cultures. The champion works with people where they are. From there, he can bring them and the organization to a place where they can collectively realize more of their full potential in their industry and as individual contributors.

Tags: behavior, behaviors, champion, communicating, corporate, cross-cultural, culture, office, people

What Distinguishes a Key Leader from a Normal Leader?

There’s so much talk about key leaders, but what distinguishes key leaders from other leaders and how do we spot them? Below are a few points to consider for identifying your key leaders.

1. Know what a key leader is:

A key leader is someone whom you rely on, more than others, to move your business forward. Note the emphasis on the word, forward. Key leaders aren’t differentiated from others by how well they execute the work, but rather, how they help move your business into the future.

2. Know what a key leader does:

Sure, a key leader can execute the work effectively, but their real value is in their ability to create growth and establish competitive advantages for you today and tomorrow. Key leaders don’t just manage the value proposition, they create value.

3. Know how to spot a key leader:

Consider evaluating key leader potential by comparing the following characteristics of a leader versus a key leader.

I hope this helps. Onward!