The Leader’s Notebook

Hard questions, ambiguity and opinion for leaders

The Leader’s Notebook header image 1

PonderThis: What Change? I Did Not See Any Change!

August 27th, 2010 · PonderThis, Sliding Down the Razor Blade of Life

If you're new here, or a refugee from the Entelechy Partners blog, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. If you prefer email- put your email in to the right and Feeblitz will deliver for you. And, although no one will disavow knowledge of your actions, this message will self destruct after your third visit to the blog. Thanks for visiting!

Dan Simons and Christopher Chabris met at Harvard in 1994 and began to collaborate on research about cognition.  Their interest was in understanding how and how well we really pay attention.  Their work demonstrated that we often do not observe change and most often, see what we are looking for.  Our brain fills in gaps or simply ignores information based on what it expects to see.  For leaders, who must make decisions that impact the organizations they lead, paying attention is critical.

Probably most of the readers of this blog have seen the original video.  One of the complaints about the experience is that the video has shown up so often that trying the experiment was nearly impossible.  I am happy to say that there is a new opportunity waiting- especially for those of you who are certain us would have seen everything in the original.  So, here is an opportunity to invest 5 minutes and learn how well your brain really sees.

Go here to watch the original and the updated video.  (They are the first two on the page)  There are a number of other less well known experiments shown on the page as well.

PonderThis is published to arrive in your RSS/ mailbox on Fridays as a concept to ponder over the weekend and goes to thousands of subscribers on 4 continents.

  • Share/Save/Bookmark

→ No CommentsTags:

Does Robert Dudley Have What It Takes?

July 29th, 2010 · Follow the Leaders, PonderThis

When Tony Hayward took the helm at BP in 2007, he did so in the shadow of Lord John Brown whose departure was hastened by the board based largely on an abysmal safety record.  Hayward was charged with creating a culture of safe operations.  In his first public presentation, Hayward said “…Leaders must make the safety of all who work for them their top priority. My enduring priorities are, firstly, continued improvement in the safety of our operations all around the world.”

So, what happened?  What will Robert Dudley have to understand that Tony Hayward missed?  His first statement as CEO reads almost exactly like Hayward’s, promising that a culture of safety was on top of his priority list as CEO.  And yet Hayward has been unable to move the needle despite awareness campaigns and safety programs.  So, how does a leader in a sprawling enterprise make change real?

I collected a few ideas from clients who have successfully delivered major cultural change and here are a few highlights.

SVP Operations of a national process manufacturing firm in the US:
“An organization the size of ours needs time and constant reinforcement to make the most basic change stick.  In an operational environment that is decentralized like BP, no change will take root that is not adopted and endorsed by front line and middle management.  We integrated our green and safety initiatives into their 360, their performance reviews, their career development and of course the compensation systems.  And we sent 3 long-time SVP’s out the door who gave the program only lip service.”

Program Manager for a major international logistics initiative:
“We suffered through 2 executive sponsors who did not have the chops.  We got a lot done in the design and build out of systems, but we still did not get the business’ attention.  I finally went to the COO and put it on the line.  Either he personally took this on and made it important with unit heads and the admin functions- or shut it down.  After three years I was done being a sideshow.  It took another 18 months but once he started getting serious, so did others who where key to success.”

And my personal favorite from the EVP and Chief Administrative Officer for a global financial services firm:
“We learned the hard (and expensive) way.  Programs that address a change in business process only are cosmetic and not sustainable.  You have to dig into the DNA of how decisions are made.  Think of it this way.  A pregnant woman cannot birth a child just with her reproductive system.  Every part of the body and even the psyche has to change to accommodate childbirth and motherhood.  A safety program will not make a difference as long as it runs against how success is measured- both formally and informally.  The entire organizational culture has to change.”

One of my favorite quotes on this topic comes from Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan in their book Execution, the Discipline of Getting Things Done:

“And never launch an initiation unless you’re personally committed to it and prepared to see it through until it’s embedded in the DNA of the organization.”

That means a willingness to take a deeper and more thoughtful look at what will be needed to bring the change in successfully.  Or as we say in golf- “All the bets are won and lost on the first tee.”  If Mr. Dudley is serious about embedding safety in the DNA of a new BP, we will know it very soon.  If all we see are renewed safety posters and reporting processes… well someone else will likely get a shot at it in a few years.

Given what is at stake, I wish Robert Dudley well and hope he has the chops to get it done.

PonderThis is published to arrive in your RSS/ mailbox on Fridays as a concept to ponder over the weekend and goes to thousands of subscribers on 4 continents.

NOTE: The Notebook will be on holiday for a couple of weeks.  Short of anything irresistible, look for posting to continue after mid August.

  • Share/Save/Bookmark

→ No CommentsTags:

PonderThis: Simple Rules for Getting a Project Started

July 15th, 2010 · Follow the Leaders, Playing a Bigger Game, PonderThis

Getting a project or initiative off the ground is an important leadership competency, and yet may die in the planning process or simply do not gather enough inertia to get off the starting line.  At a meeting this week in Washington, I heard Kim Keenan, President of the Washington, DC Bar Association make a remarkable presentation on the establishment of pro-bono legal clinics in the District.  Her description of the process was a solid primer for getting new initiatives off the ground.

Stay Focused on the Outcome

Ms. Keenan described a number of interesting challenges encountered as their efforts scaled.  Facilities, information, traffic management, promotion, compliance and a host of other roadblocks could have at any time limited or even shut down the program.  The stories of overcoming these challenges were entertaining and inspiring.  It was clearly passion for the outcome that played the key role in finding answers.  A tough challenge can shut a project down, or inspire creativity and initiative- depending on how inspiring and important the outcome of the work is to participants.  Ms Keenans own clear dedication to the vision of the project was both clear and infectious in the room.

Get People Who Care About the Work Around the Table

While no one knew much about how to get started, everyone who was willing to give up time to give up billable hours and get to committee meetings had some interest in the topic.  The challenge of fanning a spark of interest into a flame is far easier than trying to create an initial spark where there is none.

Focus on What You Can Do

Reaching back to her first committee chairmanship, Ms. Keenan described the painful experience of several meetings in which she listened to attorneys arguing for 3 entire meetings about what they could not do, and why they could not do it.  When she realized that it was her job to move the committee along, she changed the game by re-engineering the 80/20 rule.  “Look…” she said.  “We can agree on 20% of this.  Why don’t we just start working on that and figure the rest out as we go?”

I know that I have often written here about projects that failed by rushing to action.  But how long can you imagine a group of attorneys showing up for committee meetings that accomplish nothing?  Getting to action that opens possibilities creates an emotional investment in the work, connecting back to why they were there in the first place

Reinforce the Impact of Small Steps

Ms. Keenan described the impact of getting the first bare-bones clinic underway  by saying “Getting a small step done makes the impossible seem possible.”  The early work of the clinic was by all reports rough around the edges; however, it had two big impacts besides the work itself.  First, judges who had become accustomed to being frustrated by poorly prepared pro-se clients began to notice that people who had been helped at the clinic were better prepared to be in court, which made their lives much easier.  Second, the participants could see the impact of their work and were far more energized by seeing the benefits of their efforts than worried about what was not yet done.

The initial idea was to find a way to help people show up in Landlord/ Tenant court better prepared.  They got a small corner of the court-house and started matching volunteer attorneys with clients in need.  Today, the clinic and several others like it are thriving and hundreds of lawyers donate time and services to assist those who need help on a civil matter but cannot afford it.

Not bad for what started as arguments about what could not be done.

PonderThis is published to arrive in your RSS/ mailbox on Fridays as a concept to ponder over the weekend and goes to thousands of subscribers on 4 continents.

  • Share/Save/Bookmark

→ No CommentsTags:

The Cost of a Culture of Distraction

July 14th, 2010 · Great Questions, Team Notes

I visited with a client this week in Washington DC where a bet-the-business project team is having a hard time making progress.  They have sufficient resource and skilled leadership.  They have a clear and critical charter and even a sponsor who is willing to go to bat for them when needed.  So, what’s the problem?  Distractions!

The culture of this organization can best be described as “Go-Go-Go!”  And while the project is considered mission critical- the team members are all blood-donor staff.  Each has a full time position to cover as well as their place on the project team.  Add to that the number of daily emergencies and over full meeting schedules and the members of the team are looking over their shoulder all the time for the next incoming round of distractions.

For a demonstration of the cost of distraction, have a look at the video below.

Were you watching for the gorilla?

Dan Simons’ and Christopher Chabris’ famous Invisible Gorilla research was done originally in 1999, but I think that this revisit is even more powerful.  It shows us that we can miss critical information even when we know about and are watching for the distraction- perhaps even especially if we are looking for it.

Simons’ focus is on whether or not people observed details that they were not asked to watch for.  But if I was that team’s sponsor, I would want to know how many people counted the passes accurately.  If a team is so culturally trained to be watching for the budget cut, the deadline change, the scope creep, the waffling sponsor or any of the other common team derailers, how well can they actually do their job?

So what is the take away for leaders here?  I go back to a quote I use often from Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan in Execution, The Discipline of Getting Things Done: “And never launch an initiative unless you are personally committed to it and prepared to see it through until it is embedded in the DNA of the organization.”

It is up to a change leader to ensure that those on the team have sufficient time and overhead to get the work completed, and to insulate them from distractions sufficiently that they are not always looking over their shoulders.

For more information on the work of Dan Simons and Christopher Chabris, visit www.invisiblegorilla.com

  • Share/Save/Bookmark

→ No CommentsTags:

Why General McChrystal Had to Go

June 28th, 2010 · Uncategorized

Any top team needs debate and even conflict- but only at the right time and in the right setting.  That time and that setting are before the matter is decided.

Given how long it took President Obama to set the strategy, there was plenty of time for disagreement and even advocacy.  Great leaders know that this debate helps assure that they have heard and had the opportunity to consider all points of view.  In cases where consensus is unlikely, the debate informs the decision made- in this case by the President and Commander in Chief.  At that point, debate about how to accomplish the strategy should supplant further discussions about the direction.

While clearly a brilliant and dedicated officer, General McChrystal was evidently unable to let go of his strong dissension about the strategy- or his need to be public about it in a number of forums, including The Rolling Stone.    Last October, I wrote here about the 4 toxic team behaviors.  These are the ones that will destroy both productivity and team culture even in small doses.  The team that tolerates them does so at its peril.

To disagree so publicly and with such derision demonstrates 2 of the 4 toxic behaviors.  Even the most skilled team member at a particular job is a detriment to success if he cannot discipline his own communications and attitude, especially in a forum as public as a national magazine.  Ignoring clear contempt and and criticism of the strategy and team members shows tacit approval by the team’s leader or sponsor.  It is an invitation for compromised results.

  • Share/Save/Bookmark

→ No CommentsTags: