tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238927151944148862024-03-13T07:39:06.793-07:00The Art and Science of LeadershipAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14002414119308274191noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-623892715194414886.post-15669248509398217972016-01-17T03:55:00.000-08:002016-01-17T03:55:38.330-08:00Accomplish your Goals in 2016<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Leaders, new year celebrations are over and so is the excitement over new year resolutions. It's time for the grind. Without a good plan and implementation strategy they will remain just resolutions. Since i</span><span style="font-size: large;">t is also time for some of us to set our annual </span><span style="font-size: large;">individual and </span><span style="font-size: large;">organizational goals let us walk through the process of setting up ourselves for success.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In order to accomplish the goals you need to first e</span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">stablish SMART Goals; where SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound. It is not just enough to write a goal that you want to reduce your weight or you want to earn a million dollars. You need to specify how much weight you want to lose and examine if it is achievable, is it relevant for your body structure and age and by when you want to do it. More the clarity on the goal more is the likelihood of accomplishing it.</span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Once the goals are established, next break them down into specific tasks. Determine which tasks need to be completed sequentially and put them in order. For each task determine measurable outcome. Determine what resources are needed to carry out each task and make sure that you have them available. Establish timeframe for completion of each task. Set up milestones to review task completion and its impact. Consider any obstacles that may impede your progress and map out possible solutions to each obstacle.</span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Finally assess your progress. Work from your daily and weekly schedules. As you reach milestones review next tasks and required resources. As you progress, update everyone involved in achieving your goal. Step back quarterly to see if your goals are still achievable and relevant. If the goal no longer creates value revise it. When you feel or think you have achieved a goal, confirm from others that they agree that the goal has been accomplished and the desired impact achieved.</span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Most literature on the subject does not go beyond this point however there is one more important thing that keeps you motivated. In order to achieve your goals successfully you also need an accountability partner. The accountability partner is the one who will not let you rest when you feel lethargic and will be your cheerleader when you are on course. Hence it is important to choose an accountability partner. It could be someone from your own organization or from your neighbourhood. And if you cannot find one you could look for that support from <a href="http://vl5wn1hr.kckb.st/" target="_blank">The Freedom Journal</a> which will take you step by step to your #1 goal in 100 days.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 25.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">If you like this post please share it with your friends. If you have feedback about this post or if you would like to share your experience please leave your comment. You can also get in touch with me at rakgoyal@gmail.com.</span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14002414119308274191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-623892715194414886.post-51844550107137928862015-04-27T09:32:00.001-07:002015-04-27T09:32:23.272-07:00Communicating with Clarity<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Recently a truck was allowed in our plant
with serious gaps in safety requirements. The root cause - Clarity in
communication. The concerned Manager had asked to change priority for </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">loading </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">a truck. The security sent the vehicle even with the gaps in safety assuming
the instruction from the manager could not be questioned. In another
organization, at a different time, the same root cause led to charging of a
wrong material in a batch resulting in an off-grade.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">In the first case, the concerned security
person was called and counselled. The incident was shared with all other
security people to ensure that learning was not confined to a single person. It
was stressed that the safety superseded everything else.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">In the second case, the organization
incorporated a long </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">clarifying</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> statement in all of their product SOPs. The Panel operator would
confirm from the Field operator if he had charged X kg of Y material in vessel
Z and the Field operator was required to reconfirm verbatim that he has charged X
kg of Y material in vessel Z. This action successfully eliminated the charging
of wrong material in any future batches.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Both the organizations learnt from their
mistakes and moved on. Many organizations today find themselves spending time
on conducting root cause analysis for similar incidents and trying to find
corrective ways to seemingly insurmountable problem.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">We have very clear understanding of our
ideas in our own minds and we think that other person has understood what we
have said or what we want. However it is like the game of Tappers and
Guessers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">In this game the tappers are asked to tap
a tune of a well-known song and Guessers are supposed to guess it. Since the
tappers know the song, as they tap they can clearly hear it in their heads
complete with rhythm and lyrics. When asked about their thinking on the probability of Guessers guessing the correct the song and they would respond
"Ninety five percent". However the average score of this game is only "Three
percent". What is clear as a bell to the tappers is just disconnected dots of
sound to Guessers. You need to connect the dots.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">One method, that I have found useful in this situation is to confirm the understanding of the other person. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Simply ask “What’s your understanding of
what was just discussed?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Some people resist this idea of asking.
They think this displays lack of trust or raises the question on </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">another</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> person’s
understanding. It can be easily dealt with if you think that you are actually
checking your own ability to explain rather than other person’s ability to
understand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">This goes a long way in making our
communication clear. It will also take you closer to the art and science of
leadership.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">If you like this post please
share it with your friends. If you have feedback about this post or if you
would like to share your experience please leave your comment. You can also get
in touch with me at rakgoyal@gmail.com.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14002414119308274191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-623892715194414886.post-81361268155673517252015-04-19T10:14:00.000-07:002015-04-19T10:14:08.238-07:00Create Sense of Urgency<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span lang="EN-US">John Kotter in his book “Leading Change” calls creating a sense of
urgency the first step in the change process. Many organizations fail in
implementation stage as they have not created enough buy-in among the
stakeholders for the need for change. The change could be initiated either to
take advantage of an identified opportunity or to overcome a threat. Without
urgency, the organization becomes complacent. As the people do not see the need
to change, projects take unreasonable amount of time to complete, and at times could
lose their relevance by the time they get to see the light of the day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">To motivate people to take immediate action, people need to see the
need for change. Having an honest dialogue with all the stakeholders in the
organization about the opportunities and issues that need to be addressed in
the early stages provides initial understanding for the need to change and can
provide solid foundation for it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">A SWOT analysis at this stage is vital to assess the current
situation. It will answer the questions related to:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US">1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Current organizational
performance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US">2.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Organization’s strengths and
how it can capitalize on them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US">3.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Organization’s weakness and how
it can improve.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US">4.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">The external and internal
factors affect organization in future. <br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Since any change will impact individuals, it
is important to consider how it will impact individuals and to engage both
minds and the hearts of the people. Change could initiate an emotional response
from the people and therefore must be addressed early on in the process.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">It is equally important to understand why
status quo is not an option, what will happen if the organization does not
change and what will be the benefits of the change.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">To create sense of urgency, the leaders need
to paint an inspiring picture of how the future could look like. Communicate the benefits at all
levels. Once sense of urgency is established, the organization can move on to
next stages of the change.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US">If you like this post please share it with your friends. If you have
feedback about this post or if you would like to share your experience please
leave your comment. You can also get in touch with me at rakgoyal@gmail.com.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14002414119308274191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-623892715194414886.post-36037728474011652202015-04-12T03:57:00.001-07:002015-04-12T06:17:56.022-07:00Changing Behaviors<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span lang="EN-US">How behaviors change<o:p></o:p></span></h3>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">In this ever changing world, change is the only constant. When we as
leaders identify development plan for our reports, giving them tools to achieve
it is equally important. Most of the leaders include antecedents like providing
standard operating procedures and training to achieve results. Research has
found that these methods yield results but are effective only up to 20%. The
80% of effectiveness comes from the consequences following the behavior. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Designing an effective consequence requires hard work. Once a specific behavior
is pinpointed, consequences that are encouraging or discouraging, delivered
immediately, are important and are highly likely to occur will increase or
decrease likelihood of that behavior repeating in future. However if the consequences are either
delayed, or are not important or is unlikely to occur will not change the
behavior.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US">Like all other processes the behavior change has four stages. The
four stages are:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"><span lang="EN-US">1. Unconscious
Incompetence<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"><span lang="EN-US">2. Conscious
Incompetence<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"><span lang="EN-US">3. Conscious
Competence<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"><span lang="EN-US">4. Unconscious
Competence<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">1<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Unconscious Incompetence – The Enthusiastic Beginner<o:p></o:p></span></h3>
</div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US">This is a stage when you don’t know what you don’t know. The most
often quoted example in literature is that of learning driving. The first time
you get on to the driver’s seat, there is lot of excitement but it is extremely
difficult to manage hand and leg coordination. The competence level is low but
the commitment level is high. This stage is also called The Enthusiastic
Beginner. At this stage the leader needs to provide high level of direction but
low level of support. It does not take much time for this enthusiastic to get
to the next stage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">2<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Conscious Incompetence – The Disillusioned Learner<o:p></o:p></span></h3>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US">In this stage, you know what you don’t know. You realize how bad you
are at driving. You start creating self-doubt if you will ever be able to learn
driving. With sustained practice, you start developing some competence but the
commitment level drops to low. The leader needs to provide coaching - both high
level of direction as well as support. With practice you start getting results
and then it is time to move on to next stage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div style="border-bottom: solid #595959 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid #595959 .5pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-bottom-themetint: 166; mso-border-bottom-themetint: 166; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;">
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">3<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Conscious Competence – An Emerging Contributor<o:p></o:p></span></h3>
</div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">This is the time when you start replacing
old behaviors with new behaviors. However you have to think about them. In the
driving example you start acquiring skills like talking while driving. If you
do not think, you fall back to old behavior. At this stage you have developed
moderate level of competence but commitment is variable. Sometimes you would
feel like quitting. Another day you would start with renewed vigor. Leaders at
this stage should turn down direction but continue to provide high level of
support.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div style="border-bottom: solid #595959 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid #595959 .5pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-bottom-themetint: 166; mso-border-bottom-themetint: 166; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;">
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">4<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Unconscious Competence – A High Performer<o:p></o:p></span></h3>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US">You are now a professional. You don’t have to think about what you
are doing. You can drive and listen to songs. You can talk to your co-passenger.
You have acquired high level of competence as well as commitment. The leaders
should turn down both direction as well as support. The new behavior is now a
habit. The job can now be delegated.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US">One small advice. You do not want to overwhelm the person. Start
small. Focus on a very specific behavior and you are well on your way to getting
better at the Art and Science of Leadership.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US">If you like this post please share it with your friends. If you have
feedback about this post or if you would like to share your experience please
leave your comment. You can also get in touch with me at rakgoyal@gmail.com.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14002414119308274191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-623892715194414886.post-30673500573072526612015-03-29T10:04:00.001-07:002015-03-29T10:04:39.403-07:00Asking Questions<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
We had made an off-specification
batch. The team was conducting the root cause analysis. The discussion had been
going well until I came in and started inquiring about the incident. Suddenly
the atmosphere changed. People were no longer open. They became defensive.
This sudden change in atmosphere would have fascinated behaviour scientists,
unfortunately I was no behaviour scientist. I could not even sense the
change. I had stifled the discussion which was proceeding so well before I
entered that room.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
What is wrong here?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Over several years I have learnt
that being an engineer I have tendency to ask lot of “why” questions to satisfy
my curiosity. A “why” question elicits defensive response. After four back to
back questions one finds oneself against a wall. After that people stop
answering your questions. This seriously derails the communication process.
Then, what is the alternative?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The alternative is surprisingly
simple. When I first read it, I was amazed at the elegance of the solution. The
“why” questions can be substituted with “what” questions or just a phrase that
encourages the other person to continue. For example, if you want to ask a
person “Why did you do that?” you could instead ask, “That’s interesting, what was
the thinking behind that?” or “Tell me more about that”. Or you could further
encourage explanation by saying “I am sorry, I still do not understand, could
you please elaborate”.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Another type of questions that
stifle discussion are closed ended questions. Closed ended questions are those
questions that elicit yes-no or fill-in-the-blanks type response. They do not
give chance to the responder to expound. A typical example of this type of
question is “Is this approved?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
You guessed this right. The
simple alternative to this is to ask an open ended question. That sounds
simple. However, it is not. People struggle to come up with open ended
questions. The good news is that it is not rocket science and can be learnt
with some practice. The phrase, “Tell me more about that” could be a life
saver. To benefit from people’s thinking you need to learn to listen as well.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
It’s always good to conclude a
discussion with asking the other person’s understanding on the discussion. This
may not sound like a good idea but will help bring all involved on the same
page. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Learning to ask right questions
will move you closer to the Art and Science of Leadership.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
If you like this post please share it with
your friends. If you have feedback about this post or if you would like to
share your experience please leave your comment. You can also get in touch with
me at rakgoyal@gmail.com.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14002414119308274191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-623892715194414886.post-48327608250436517472015-03-22T05:14:00.003-07:002015-03-22T05:14:41.489-07:00Delivering Feedback<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">"When performance is measured,
performance improves. When performance is measured and reported back, the rate
of improvement accelerates." said Thomas S Monson. It is not
without reason that most of the midsize and large organizations establish
elaborate Performance appraisal systems. However, in most of the organizations, this becomes an annual ritual instead of becoming a tool to continually
accelerate performance improvement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Many experienced leaders avoid
delivering feedback to their employees till the mandatory annual performance
review. In general, the employees know how they are doing but at times, the
feedback comes as a surprise. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Why do these experienced leaders
avoid giving feedback?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">The primary reason is that most
leaders think feedback only in terms of negative feedback and they avoid
upsetting the employees and they themselves are uncomfortable delivering it.
The employee gets no feedback when doing his job as per expectation and is
confused about how his performance is viewed by his leader.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Feedback is your gift to your
employee. It should not be just once a year but should be all year long in
small packets. In her book, "Unlock Behaviour Unleash Profits", Leslie Braksick
mentions that the effective leaders maintain a ratio of 4:1 for positive
feedback to constructive feedback. When the employee is accustomed to hearing
both positive as well as constructive/developmental feedback he is more likely
to accept it and will not be surprised when it comes up in annual review. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">To be
able to deliver meaningful feedback to their employees leaders need to ask
themselves for each of their employees, what should this person continue to do,
what should he start doing and what should he stop doing to make him more
effective in his job.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">This also helps them identify both
the strengths as well as developmental needs of their employees. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">To overcome their own discomfort in
delivering feedback they need to ask themselves following three questions:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">1.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Who helped them grow in their own career?
Were they leaders who appreciated their work and gave constructive feedback or
the ones who micromanaged them constantly fearing that they would fail.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">2.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">What is their real intention? If
their real intention is for the good of the employee then why should they
hesitate to provide feedback and finally</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">3.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Would their feedback help employee
achieve what they want him to achieve.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Once they have answers to these
questions they will be comfortable delivering both type of feedback: positive
as well as constructive and they will be well on their way to skillful display of the Art
and Science of Leadership.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">If you like this post please share it
with your friends. If you have feedback about this post or if you would like to
share your experience please leave your comment. You can also get in touch with
me at rakgoyal@gmail.com.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14002414119308274191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-623892715194414886.post-53817111540603746892015-03-15T08:56:00.000-07:002015-03-15T08:56:39.202-07:00Perseverance and Leadership <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I recently received a quote by Napolean Hill on Whatsapp "A quitter never wins and a winner never quits" that got me thinking. It is like a person who is digging for gold and does not know when to stop. Who knows, he may strike gold in the next hit or he may continue to labor for indefinite length of time.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
When faced with repeated learning experiences or failures, the person starts to have doubt in his own capability. This causes stress. This stress can consume significant part of the person's capability to perform and the performance will usually suffer resulting in reinforcing of the self doubt. This is a downward spiral. Once a person gets caught in this it is difficult to get off this spiral. It is like getting off a speeding bullet train running at 300 km/h. The only way to get off is to slow down this train and wait till it stops. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I have failed many a times. We all fail. There is nothing wrong in failing. It is just a feedback. However keeping oneself focused during such times is hard. How does one keep oneself focussed at task without worrying about outcome of one's efforts. I read a transforming mental image that one of my favourite executive coaches had developed. Imagine you are on edge of a large pond and you are next to a large pile of nice round stones. Your job is to throw one stone at a time in the center of the pond so that they will accumulate in the center of the pond till one of the stones will finally appear on the surface. You do not know how many stones will it take to accomplish the job for you do not know the depth of the pond or the height of the pile that you have formed under the water. Any stone that appears above the surface is job well done.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Each stone is important. Every stone has the possibility of breaking the surface but since you do not know which one, you have to focus all your effort on throwing the stone in hand. You cannot be distracted by the stones already thrown or the ones that will be thrown later. Nor could you be distracted by the thoughts related to the rewards that you will reap or disappointments you will have if the stone happens to appear or not appear on the surface. You have to believe that every stone made a difference and that they were accumulating under water even though you could not see them. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It is easy to get in self doubt. Your capability in accomplishing the task. The time it will take to accomplish the task. Just keep throwing.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">If you like this post please share it with your friends. If you have feedback about this post or if you would like to share your experience please leave your comment. You can also get in touch with me at rakgoyal@gmail.com.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14002414119308274191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-623892715194414886.post-10037544319989321882015-03-08T00:35:00.000-08:002015-03-08T00:35:26.455-08:00Quality and Leadership<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
There are four important goals that contribute to success of any project. They relate to - Safety, Quality, Time and Cost. Given that safety is non-negotiable, it is not a variable in the equation. Of the remaining three, many a times I have seen quality being sacrificed at the altar of time and cost. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I was in a dilemma. One of the key vendors who had assured me delivery of a critical piece of equipment in time, at the time of ordering, was now dragging his feet. He said, "I can only deliver it by end of the month". We were just in first week of March and that meant three weeks of delay. Considering a week's float in the project schedule later, it still meant two weeks of actual delay.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
My project team had worked overtime and found an alternative. With our float completely consumed and with some luck, we would be able to meet our time target with marginal increase in cost but significant difference in quality. My team was pushing for a decision while I was struggling with the dilemma.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
What should I do?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Project managers across the world are faced with similar situations everyday and more often than not they decide in favour of time and cost.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2a5FcZqQUw8/VPv1Nl-Q59I/AAAAAAAAA_0/GhWGYlIVJTI/s1600/What%2Bwould%2Byou%2Bdo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2a5FcZqQUw8/VPv1Nl-Q59I/AAAAAAAAA_0/GhWGYlIVJTI/s1600/What%2Bwould%2Byou%2Bdo.png" height="179" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
There could be other considerations. A friend recently shared a story with me. A large bearing manufacturer required a very high quality wash to remove small particles remaining in the ball bearings which otherwise would erode the bearings over time. If the wash medium could be cleaned further by an order of magnitude the performance (wear and tear) of the bearings could be guaranteed by a factor of 10 X implying that you may never have to change bearings of your Car unless it is damaged in an accident. The cost of doing this was prohibitive and therefore there were no takers.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Enter new disruptive technology. The wash medium could now be cleaned at an affordable price to the level one could have only aspired before. You thought every ball bearing manufacturer would fall for it. Surprise! Surprise! Still no takers? Now the manufacturers are worried about the volume of business that they will get if the quality is improved by 10 X. A significant segment of their business, the spare parts market, will vanish in no time.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Though cost, time and other business considerations have their own benefits in short term, the benefits of choosing quality over these far outweigh in the long run. So ask the question what will be cost of my decision over the life cycle of the project or how will it serve my customers. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This is what I did. I renegotiated the time for project completion. What? Am I grateful for it? You bet.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
If you like this post please share it with your friends. If you have feedback about this post or if you would like to share your experience please leave your comment. You can also get in touch with me at rakgoyal@gmail.com</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14002414119308274191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-623892715194414886.post-90985850170417600212015-03-01T00:41:00.001-08:002015-03-01T00:41:56.761-08:00Apologies and Leadership<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It was exciting time. We were building a new plant in India. We were all busy expanding our team and training the team for a successful commissioning of the plant. We were all longing to get into this brand new plant and start. Several months had passed before I got an opportunity to visit the plant.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Geoff, the Project Manager, had been kind enough to agree to give us a guided tour of this new facility. Geoff, had been explaining, which equipment would go in which location and how much time it would take for us to get it all done. All was going well until I noticed that one of the key equipment was missing a cover. I was concerned that something may get inside it and may become difficult to clean or remove after installation. I brought it to notice of Geoff and I could see suddenly his facial expression change. I thought he had understood my concern, as he immediately called someone to put the cover in place, until my boss summoned me next day to his office.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
"Rakesh", he said, "what happened during the plant visit yesterday". I had almost forgotten about the incident. He told me that I have ruined my relationship with Geoff forever and it was because of the way I rubbed the people wrong way. That got me thinking. That afternoon I was in Geoff's office. I told him I was sorry. I explained to him my concern about something falling inside the equipment causing damage later and that my intention was not to blame. He was a generous man. He accepted my apology unconditionally and to my amazement our relationship improved tremendously.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Fast forward twelve years. I no longer work for that company.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Recently I was listening to a podcast, in which the author spoke about four types of apologies two that enhance the relationships and two that diminish the relationship, and this incident flashed before my eyes.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Today I want to share these four types of apologies with you.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CB0vFEpRza8/VPLPkb6Oa_I/AAAAAAAAA_Y/8Y59bOqLHXg/s1600/I_am_sorry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CB0vFEpRza8/VPLPkb6Oa_I/AAAAAAAAA_Y/8Y59bOqLHXg/s1600/I_am_sorry.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Apologies that enhance relationships:</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The first apology that enhances the relationship is when you have different preferences and the other person is disappointed because of the choice that you made. It acknowledges that the person is upset without changing your choice. This is one of the most difficult apologies. It seems like that you are responsible for the other persons disappointment, when in reality it is just a matter of preference.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The second apology that enhances relationship is when you actually goof up and say I am sorry. It is when you own your mistake and ask for forgiveness. Not apologizing when you keep your team waiting for ten minutes for a meeting will damage your relationship with your team, whereas apologizing for it will build it.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Apologies that diminish relationships:</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The first apology that diminishes relationship is continuous apology for poor performance. This apology though appropriate diminishes relationship because they signify unkept promises or substandard performance. The good news is that the person making them is aware of his or failings and has a better chance of improving. Actually in this case it is not the apology that adversely impacts the relationship but the behaviour that requires continuous apology.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The second apology that diminishes relationship is the one where a person apologize for things outside his control as if it was in his control e.g. someone in his organization not responding to my email, or that I was stuck in traffic jam for two hours while travelling to his office. It signifies weak grasp of reality.</div>
<br />
Using apologies is a craft. Both abundance as well as lack of them can damage relationships whereas appropriate use will help build strong relationships. Skillful use of apologies will move you closer to the Art and Science of Leadership.<br />
<br />
If you like this post please share it with your friends. If you have feedback about this post or if you would like to share your experience or if you would like me to write about a specific subject please leave your comment on the blog. You could also get in touch with me personally at rakgoyal@gmail.com.<br />
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14002414119308274191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-623892715194414886.post-27533547074923805902015-02-20T23:53:00.000-08:002015-02-20T23:57:23.144-08:00Communication and Leadership<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It was a quite Sunday morning. I was sitting in my favorite chair enjoying a cup of green tea along with the daily dose of newspaper humor when my phone rang. It was Asha. She sounded upset. I calmed her down and asked her the cause for her rage. I had known Asha for several years now. She was calm, collected and a smart person. Hence I was surprised to hear her tone on phone. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
She shared that her manager had called and he was agitated. It was about an email that she had sent a day before. Her second level supervisor, the CEO, had contacted Asha just when she was about to leave for the day. He had been trying to contact her manager but could not reach him. He wanted a status report urgently. Asha had promised to take her teenage son out that evening. She grudgingly stayed back, updated the report and sent it to him with copy to her manager and her colleague who had helped her to put together that report.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
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In her email she wrote, "as per our discussion this evening, please find attached the status report". Her manager had received a terse email from the CEO asking for his analysis. From her email the CEO assumed that the report was prepared solely by Asha. She had failed to mention the contributions of her manager and her colleague.</div>
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I asked her to meet me in the evening.</div>
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I met her that evening. She asked if she could have done anything better. Instead of answering her closed ended question I explored the situation with her in more detail. Here are four specific questions that we discussed:</div>
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1. What is the purpose of the communication?</div>
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2. Who are the target audience?</div>
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3. Who are the other stakeholders? and,</div>
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4. What is the preferred communication culture in the organization?</div>
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In the situation described above Asha knew what the CEO wanted and she did well by including all the target audience and the stakeholders in the address field, however she failed to appreciate the communication culture in the organization. The CEO preferred that only his direct reports write to him. She had not followed that unwritten rule.</div>
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With practice she started developing the habit of asking these questions before any communication. Whenever she would not have answers to these she would go back and seek clarification. This one change moved her closer to becoming better at the Art and Science of Leadership.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14002414119308274191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-623892715194414886.post-55868111355470366792015-02-14T00:15:00.002-08:002015-02-14T00:15:40.862-08:00Listening and Leadership<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
There is a reason why we have two ears but only one mouth. It was not until I had made one of my worst career mistakes that I became aware of this.<br />
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I had just been assigned the role of the head of the newly built technology center in India. In my earnest desire to earn my salary through hard work and contribution I started pushing my team. Equipped with a fast-firing supercomputer brain, or so I thought, I would complete people's sentences before they had a chance to air their views and opinions. Sometimes I will notice a flash of disapproval on their face but I would dismiss it without giving it a second thought till one day my boss delivered the feedback. Change or else... Well not exactly in those words but it meant same none the less. I had no clue what I was doing wrong.<br />
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I never thought that I was alienating my own team by my lack of listening abilities. My inability to keep quite and listen to other ideas became my biggest stumbling block.<br />
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As soon as one of my colleagues will come with a problem I had ready solutions. I would immediately jump in and offer solutions without even understanding that he only wanted to share the solution that she had come up with.<br />
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My Aha! moment came when one of my colleagues explicitly asked me if he could complete was he was saying. He needed some space and once I gave him that, things changed. Not surprisingly, he was willing to listen to my ideas with open mind after I made a sincere effort to hear his thoughts. I had read Steven Covey's "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" long time back but had never experienced firsthand the power of the fourth habit "Seek first to understand and then to be understood". It was a defining moment for me.<br />
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What I learnt from this experience and my reading on the subject is that we have a strong urge to make contribution and are afraid that by the time our turn come our ideas would have been already expressed by someone else and we may not have anything new to say. Trust yourself. You will deliver the goods when its your turn.<br />
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Two techniques I learn't from executive coach Tom Henschel are Creating Silence and Resisting offering solutions too soon. Both these techniques allow another person the space to express himself. Continuing to explore the problem may reveal solutions that are better than the ones you had come up with initially and as a bonus helps you improve your relationships with other people.<br />
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This is my first weekly post and if you like it please share it with your friends. If you have any feedback about this post or a Leadership topic on which you would like me to write about in future please leave your comment on the blog or write to me directly on rakgoyal@gmail.com.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14002414119308274191noreply@blogger.com1