A new study announced by the American Psychological Association shows that groups are better than individuals for solving complex problems. The new research, appearing in the April 2006 issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, quotes lead researcher Patrick Laughlin, Ph.D.:
"We found that groups of size three, four, and five outperformed the best individuals and attribute this performance to the ability of people to work together to generate and adopt correct responses, reject erroneous responses, and effectively process information,"
This power of the group for solving complex problems is what I wrote about in my book Leading People the Black Belt Way: Conquering the Five Core Problems Facing Leaders Today.
On page 97 of Leading People the Black Belt Way, I wrote:
"Some leaders incorrectly believe that needing other people is a sign of immaturity and weakness. Nothing can be more damaging to your organization than misunderstanding the importance of interdependence. The fact of the matter is that we all need other people."
Tim Warneka
BOTTOM LINE: Strong leaders tap into the power of the group
tags:
leadership
groups
APA
American Psychological Association
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Monday, May 01, 2006
Contingency Plan - Got Yours?!?
I've spent the past several days working with an organization that is experiencing a crisis. A tragedy happened to one of the key players, and the impact was felt throughout the organization. Even with a de facto contingency plan in place, the fallout was still messy. A crisis is (by definition) always messy.
It could have been worse.
The most important questions a leader should ask is not if a crisis will happen but when the crisis will occur. Many organizations have little or no contingency plans in place. The leaders of these organizations seem to be willing to gamble on the slim hope that a crisis will never happen under their watch.
That's quite a gamble.
Contingency planning requires thinking the unthinkable. Solid organizations - with strong leaders - always have contingency plans. FedEx has them. Microsoft has them.
Do you?
Wise leaders ask - using the collective wisdom of people throughout the organization - these tough questions:
When X happens, what will we do?
How will we respond when Y occurs?
If you don't get clear answers across the board, you are in critical need of a contingency plan.
BOTTOM LINE: Strong leaders have strong contingency plans in place for when the inevitable crisis occurs.
tags:
contingency plan
crisis
crisis leadership
It could have been worse.
The most important questions a leader should ask is not if a crisis will happen but when the crisis will occur. Many organizations have little or no contingency plans in place. The leaders of these organizations seem to be willing to gamble on the slim hope that a crisis will never happen under their watch.
That's quite a gamble.
Contingency planning requires thinking the unthinkable. Solid organizations - with strong leaders - always have contingency plans. FedEx has them. Microsoft has them.
Do you?
Wise leaders ask - using the collective wisdom of people throughout the organization - these tough questions:
When X happens, what will we do?
How will we respond when Y occurs?
If you don't get clear answers across the board, you are in critical need of a contingency plan.
BOTTOM LINE: Strong leaders have strong contingency plans in place for when the inevitable crisis occurs.
tags:
contingency plan
crisis
crisis leadership
Friday, April 28, 2006
Leadership & Fundamentals
I was teaching Aikido last night and several people in the class were preparing for their coming belt test this Saturday. In the excitement of preparing for an upcoming test, it's very easy to lose sight of the fundamentals. So, I spent the class teaching and reviewing fundamentals.
Here in the West fundamentals are seen as basic and boring and something to be gotten past as quickly as possible. There even seems to be a fair amount of shame around fundamentals - as if somehow being seen as a beginner makes one less of a person.
In contrast, the founder of Aikido, Morihei Ueshiba (or "O'Sensei" to Aikido people) taught that everyone is a student...and everyone is constantly learning.
How does this apply to Leadership?
Great leaders practice the fundamentals of leadership constantly. The fundamentals of leadership are relational: listening, talking, coaching, mentoring and making decisions.
BOTTOM LINE:Neglect the basics, and you neglect your leadership.
tags:
Leadership
fundamentals
Aikido
Here in the West fundamentals are seen as basic and boring and something to be gotten past as quickly as possible. There even seems to be a fair amount of shame around fundamentals - as if somehow being seen as a beginner makes one less of a person.
In contrast, the founder of Aikido, Morihei Ueshiba (or "O'Sensei" to Aikido people) taught that everyone is a student...and everyone is constantly learning.
How does this apply to Leadership?
Great leaders practice the fundamentals of leadership constantly. The fundamentals of leadership are relational: listening, talking, coaching, mentoring and making decisions.
BOTTOM LINE:Neglect the basics, and you neglect your leadership.
tags:
Leadership
fundamentals
Aikido
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Cemetaries, Hidden Treasures & Leadership
If you've ever been to Cleveland, I'll bet you've never been to Lakeview Cemetary.
If so, you're missing something special. My wife and kids were off on Spring break, so we decided to visit Lakeview Cemetary, one of the most beautiful places in Cleveland to spend a warm spring day.
Sound crazy? It's not.
A wee bit of history is in order, first.
In the late 1800's during the Industrial Revolution, when cities were growing, cemetaries were often the only greenspace left. Wise community leaders began developing these greenspaces into what would become early forms of parks. Back then, spending a Sunday picnicking at a cemetary wasn't as creepy as it sounds today. (For more on this history, read Thomas Christopher's fascinating book In Search of Lost Roses.)
Lakeview Cemetary was one of these cemetaries that was developed into a parklike setting. Now, over 100 years later, it is filled with beautiful flowering trees, any one of which would be the prized possession of most arboretums.
In addition to gorgeous trees and shrubs and flowers, the Lakeview Cemetary is home to stunning works of architecture, including an enormous 3-story monument to President Garfield; a one-of-a-kind chapel with an outstanding Tiffany stained-glass window; and much more.
Lakeview Cemetary is also the final resting place for people who have changed the course of American (and Cleveland) history, including first-ever billionaire & philanthropist John D. Rockefeller; President James A. Garfield; Al-Capone-catching lawman Elliot Ness and many others.
Funny thing about Lakeview Cemetary, though: most residents of Cleveland don't even know about this historical, botanical and architectural treasure, let alone people from out of town.
In the same way, many organizations have hidden treasures that very few people know about. These treasures, however, are PEOPLE. She might be Marge in customer service who knows how to calm the most irrate customer; he might be David in the IT department, who's problem-solving with computers is second to none.
EVERY organization is filled with hidden treasure - people who have talent and potential that goes unrecognized by the leaders of the organization.
BOTTOM LINE:DON'T make the same mistake most leaders make by ignoring the talent around them. Discover the hidden treasures among the people in your organizations and help them to shine.
tags:
Lakeview Cemetary
spring
hidden treasures
leadership
If so, you're missing something special. My wife and kids were off on Spring break, so we decided to visit Lakeview Cemetary, one of the most beautiful places in Cleveland to spend a warm spring day.
Sound crazy? It's not.
A wee bit of history is in order, first.
In the late 1800's during the Industrial Revolution, when cities were growing, cemetaries were often the only greenspace left. Wise community leaders began developing these greenspaces into what would become early forms of parks. Back then, spending a Sunday picnicking at a cemetary wasn't as creepy as it sounds today. (For more on this history, read Thomas Christopher's fascinating book In Search of Lost Roses.)
Lakeview Cemetary was one of these cemetaries that was developed into a parklike setting. Now, over 100 years later, it is filled with beautiful flowering trees, any one of which would be the prized possession of most arboretums.
In addition to gorgeous trees and shrubs and flowers, the Lakeview Cemetary is home to stunning works of architecture, including an enormous 3-story monument to President Garfield; a one-of-a-kind chapel with an outstanding Tiffany stained-glass window; and much more.
Lakeview Cemetary is also the final resting place for people who have changed the course of American (and Cleveland) history, including first-ever billionaire & philanthropist John D. Rockefeller; President James A. Garfield; Al-Capone-catching lawman Elliot Ness and many others.
Funny thing about Lakeview Cemetary, though: most residents of Cleveland don't even know about this historical, botanical and architectural treasure, let alone people from out of town.
In the same way, many organizations have hidden treasures that very few people know about. These treasures, however, are PEOPLE. She might be Marge in customer service who knows how to calm the most irrate customer; he might be David in the IT department, who's problem-solving with computers is second to none.
EVERY organization is filled with hidden treasure - people who have talent and potential that goes unrecognized by the leaders of the organization.
BOTTOM LINE:DON'T make the same mistake most leaders make by ignoring the talent around them. Discover the hidden treasures among the people in your organizations and help them to shine.
tags:
Lakeview Cemetary
spring
hidden treasures
leadership
Friday, April 14, 2006
Putting Employees FIRST?!?
Is this guy nuts?!?
Vineet Nayar, president of India's 30,000-employee HCL Technologies, puts his employees FIRST and his customers SECOND.
Is this guy crazy?!?
Of course not - he's simply practicing effective leadership for today's global economy. The problem is - today's effective leadership style can seem insane to someone who is entrenched in yesterday's approaches.
This from an article from CNN:
"Employees who are secure and happy can better focus on customer success, [Nayar] thinks. So he aims to build an organization full of highly-skilled employees dedicated to creating customer value. He wants to make HCL, which employs 20 percent of its workforce overseas, the place people most want to work."
Click here to read the full article.
Here are other cutting edge leadership practices that Mr. Nayar has put into place:
$$. All results of every 360-evaluation for every employee can be accessed by every employee on the company's intranet. (Mr Nayar is on the right path here...even better would be to replace 360-evaluations with something even MORE effective (Email me for more information.)).
$$. Every employee can create an actionable "ticket" to address a problem they see in the company. And only that employee can close that ticket.
$$. Mr. Nayar is focused on providing the best service to his employees relative to every other company in India.
BOTTOM LINE: Tomorrow's Leaders will understand that employees should come FIRST and customers SECOND.
Vineet Nayar, president of India's 30,000-employee HCL Technologies, puts his employees FIRST and his customers SECOND.
Is this guy crazy?!?
Of course not - he's simply practicing effective leadership for today's global economy. The problem is - today's effective leadership style can seem insane to someone who is entrenched in yesterday's approaches.
This from an article from CNN:
"Employees who are secure and happy can better focus on customer success, [Nayar] thinks. So he aims to build an organization full of highly-skilled employees dedicated to creating customer value. He wants to make HCL, which employs 20 percent of its workforce overseas, the place people most want to work."
Click here to read the full article.
Here are other cutting edge leadership practices that Mr. Nayar has put into place:
$$. All results of every 360-evaluation for every employee can be accessed by every employee on the company's intranet. (Mr Nayar is on the right path here...even better would be to replace 360-evaluations with something even MORE effective (Email me for more information.)).
$$. Every employee can create an actionable "ticket" to address a problem they see in the company. And only that employee can close that ticket.
$$. Mr. Nayar is focused on providing the best service to his employees relative to every other company in India.
BOTTOM LINE: Tomorrow's Leaders will understand that employees should come FIRST and customers SECOND.
Friday, April 07, 2006
Balance?!? Bah!
Work/life balance.
Finding balance.
Seeking balance.
Okay, folks...here's the news:
Balance is over-rated!
Try this simple exercise:
*******************
Where ever you are right now -- stand up.
Go to the center of the room you're in (so there's space to move).
Now, standing straight, try to move forward without shifting your weight.
Can you do it?
No! It's impossible!
*******************
It is a physical impossibility for us to move foreward without shifting our weight. And when we shift our weight foreward....we are off balance. Because we are holistic beings, this principle holds true in all areas of our lives: emotionally, mentally, physically & spiritually. The only way to remaining completely in balance is to stand perfectly still.
"Perfect stillnesss" is great for mystical contemplation, but....
Being off balance is what takes us places.
If you want to:
Accomplish anything great....
Be a more effective leader....
Deal more successfully with conflict...
...and so much more.....
You must be willing to be off balance (at least for awhile).
BOTTOM LINE: Nothing great in life ever came from staying in balance.
Finding balance.
Seeking balance.
Okay, folks...here's the news:
Balance is over-rated!
Try this simple exercise:
*******************
Where ever you are right now -- stand up.
Go to the center of the room you're in (so there's space to move).
Now, standing straight, try to move forward without shifting your weight.
Can you do it?
No! It's impossible!
*******************
It is a physical impossibility for us to move foreward without shifting our weight. And when we shift our weight foreward....we are off balance. Because we are holistic beings, this principle holds true in all areas of our lives: emotionally, mentally, physically & spiritually. The only way to remaining completely in balance is to stand perfectly still.
"Perfect stillnesss" is great for mystical contemplation, but....
Being off balance is what takes us places.
If you want to:
Accomplish anything great....
Be a more effective leader....
Deal more successfully with conflict...
...and so much more.....
You must be willing to be off balance (at least for awhile).
BOTTOM LINE: Nothing great in life ever came from staying in balance.
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Speaking the Truth...
Today's post is for Gen X'ers, Gen Y and any Millenial who is paying attention:
Great leaders speak the truth. They do it in an emotionally intelligent way, but they speak the truth.
I'm going to take the lead here and speak an important truth to Generations X (to which I belong), Gen Y, Millenials and beyond. This is important so I'm going to say it slowly:
You...will....not.....retire....like...your...parents....
I've been saying this for some time. Now the data is in to back me up.
The Employee Benefit Research Institute reports that most people are not saving enough to retire comfortably. (Read their report: "Will More of Us Work Forever?" here...)
I'll admit it: I'm not.
Most of my friend aren't. Between.....
Debt: student loans, car loans, mortgages and the myriad of other expenses required for living today;
A "guns and oil" economy: that we're in, an economy where the national debt is at an all-time high; of crumbling (read: unsupported) infrastructure; and businesses that outsource labor off-shore for short-term profits (and long-term pain);
Shifting the Burden: combined with an increased shifting of the burden toward individuals being responsible for their retirement accounts...
...it is simply not feasible to expect that the average America worker is saving anything near the amount required to retire. Certainly -- for Gen X, Y, and the upcoming Millenials -- nowhere near the amount required to live retired life in the same style that our parents do today.
Fortunately, I enjoy my work... and it gets better with age. I've met expert coaches, consultants and therapists in their 70's and 80's who were traveling the world teaching and training -- and getting paid for it.
That's where I'm going to be.
How about you?
Unless you plan differently, you'll be stuck in the same type of job at age 65 (the age when your dad was hitting the golf course full-time).
You might not like it.....
...but it's the truth.
Great leaders speak the truth. They do it in an emotionally intelligent way, but they speak the truth.
I'm going to take the lead here and speak an important truth to Generations X (to which I belong), Gen Y, Millenials and beyond. This is important so I'm going to say it slowly:
You...will....not.....retire....like...your...parents....
I've been saying this for some time. Now the data is in to back me up.
The Employee Benefit Research Institute reports that most people are not saving enough to retire comfortably. (Read their report: "Will More of Us Work Forever?" here...)
I'll admit it: I'm not.
Most of my friend aren't. Between.....
Debt: student loans, car loans, mortgages and the myriad of other expenses required for living today;
A "guns and oil" economy: that we're in, an economy where the national debt is at an all-time high; of crumbling (read: unsupported) infrastructure; and businesses that outsource labor off-shore for short-term profits (and long-term pain);
Shifting the Burden: combined with an increased shifting of the burden toward individuals being responsible for their retirement accounts...
...it is simply not feasible to expect that the average America worker is saving anything near the amount required to retire. Certainly -- for Gen X, Y, and the upcoming Millenials -- nowhere near the amount required to live retired life in the same style that our parents do today.
Fortunately, I enjoy my work... and it gets better with age. I've met expert coaches, consultants and therapists in their 70's and 80's who were traveling the world teaching and training -- and getting paid for it.
That's where I'm going to be.
How about you?
Unless you plan differently, you'll be stuck in the same type of job at age 65 (the age when your dad was hitting the golf course full-time).
You might not like it.....
...but it's the truth.
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