Facilitating Inspiring Leadership

Joy HumphreysDirector, thehumphreysgroup

October 2006

What is it?

Can you lead when you are not the leader?

Do you encourage others to lead?

Leadership…….

We can think of leadership as …..

being able to influence and inspire others

to follow, to facilitate others to work with

unknown outcomes;

to give up their daily habits, their loyalties,

their ways of thinking

Leadership…….

Jack Welch’s “8 rules for leaders”

•Leaders relentlessly upgrade their team, using every opportunity to evaluate, coach and build self confidence•Leaders make sure people not only see the vision, they live and breathe it•Leaders get into everyone’s skin, exuding positive energy and optimism•Leaders establish trust with candor, transparency and credit•Leaders have the courage to make unpopular decisions and gut calls•Leaders probe and push with a curiosity that borders on skepticism, making sure their questions are answered with action•Leaders inspire risk taking and learning by setting the example•Leaders celebrate

Essential abilities a facilitative leader must have

•Be able to tolerate the isolation of the leadership position•Create strategic opportunities•Listen actively•Challenge for deeper understanding•Use open questions – help others learn •Discover assumptions•Test inferences•Display courage – an ability to ‘not know’

Seek forgiveness rather than permission!

Take strategic risks.Don’t wait for official blessing to try things out.

Less effective managers adopt the attitude “if I have not been officially told yes, then I can’t

do it”, whereas good ones think, “if I haven’t been explicitly told ‘no’, then I can”.

Being responsible means making tough decisions

Trying to get everyone to like you is a sign of mediocrity.

You will avoid the tough decisions.You will avoid confronting the people who need to

be confronted.

By treating everyone ‘nicely,’ irrespective of their contributions,

you will simply ensure that mediocrity is maintained.

“Know thyself”…develop your emotional intelligence

Practice self awareness. Practice reflection.Tune into how you feel.

Manage your emotions.Self regulate.

Handling relationships.Manage emotions in others.

Recognise emotions in others.Show empathy.Be authentic.

The dynamics at play in the work environment…

Rational forces Irrational forces

MissionVisionStrategiesPoliciesJob descriptionsOrg. structure

Group dynamicsInterpersonal relationsFantasiesCultureEmotionsStress reactionsProjectionsIntuitionDreams

Dysfunctional leadership behaviour

※Abrasive ※Not setting a personal example, poor role model※Does not share information※Does not listen to subordinates or peers※Does not provide constructive feedback※Unable to make decisions※Unable to delegate decision making※Does not take responsibility for her own actions※Is not present in the conversation※Is absent for meetings※Takes all the credit※Has no personal awareness and does nothing about it※No succession planning

How are you responding to people?What are you defending?

What is your own hidden agenda?Look at yourself objectively –• talk to a colleague• have a critical friend• utilise an external coach/mentor• use a reflective learning journal

Check yourself –

Successful leadership behaviour

Self awareness(Tough) empathyAssertivenessCouragePositive reframingTeam builderTeam playerCollaboratorCan provide a ‘helicopter’ viewTakes time offIs balanced between work and life

Winning attitudes

Do you promote a ‘Can do’ attitude?

Do you energise people around a common goal?

If something is not working, do you give up?, or find a creative alternative?

Do you ensure the task is completed? Do you follow through?

Are you charismatic?

Do you encourage open dialogue to enable staff to articulate their dissatisfaction?

Do you facilitate to identify the challenges and provide a focus?

Do you create hope?

Are you passionate?

Do you set the example?

How to make a vision exciting!

Involve everyone from the ground up•Stretch people•Offer an exciting future•Create a sense of pride

Make it meaningful•Communicate, communicate, communicate•Involve people, create opportunities•Show immediate relevance•Be action oriented.

What are the norms/values alive in your team?

What are the values the group holds precious?What common values does the team share?What are you passionate about?Are there major values conflicts?How can you honour individual values, and as a

teamhave common values?What’s in it for them?

Publicly display collective values – use the bulletin board,

start a movement!

Does the team know and share common values?

Does your own behaviour mimic the values?

A quick map of change management..

1. Establish a sense of urgency2. Form a group who believe in the change3. Develop a vision and your strategy – collaborate4. Communicate this out to the troops, get them involved5. Empower all staff to enact the vision6. Encourage open dialogue7. Get some early wins8. Consolidate the changes9. Promote widely10.Recognise and celebrate

Sustaining good leadership requires you to have the capacity to see

what is happening to you and to your initiative as it is happening.

It requires you to understand how the decisions you make today will affect

tomorrow’s plans.

Moment by moment is unscripted.

It takes courage, an ability to work with ambiguity and

a strong sense of self.

Sustainability…

Identify areas of your own behaviour that could stifle the change you are planning to implement.

Remember you are asking people to go to a place they are frightened to go.

Staff members don’t have to like you, but they do have to trust you.

People must see that you understand the loss you are asking them to accept.

Are you stepping on your staff’s vulnerabilities?

Sustaining yourself

See your relationships with your superiors and subordinates as partnerships.

Initiate meetings.Have the difficult conversations.

Provide reports.Analyse results.Meet regularly.

Clarify your expectations.

Network – have coffee with colleagues, meet outside your work environment.

Identify the power lines…&….plug in!

Build relationships

Role model the behaviour you expect from others.

Own the message you are delivering.

Spend substantial time working with the staff.

Know their frustrations, walk in their shoes,get their buy-in.

Practice What You Preach- Lead by Example:

Walk the talk!!!!!!!!

Smile!

Project confidence, even when you don’t feel it.Look confident when you aren’t.

Check your demeanour – are you frantic?Are people reluctant to communicate to you?

Are they fearful of an emotional response?Are you thoughtful or arrogant?

How do others see you?Have you asked?

Be aware of the image you are projecting to the world.

Smile!

Transfer problem solving to others.Delegate.

Don’t get sucked in to the flattery – people are fickle. If you continually resolve others problems they will

never be accountable (and they don’t learn!)

Expect accountability.

Encourage responsibility.

If you are constantly fire fighting, who is thinking strategically for

your department?

Resist the temptation to always have the answers

SSpecificMMeasurableAAchievableRRelevant to the desired work outcomesTTime bounded.

Set SMART goals

Every time you start a new project make sure that youset goals that are:

Make these goals visible and accessible to everyoneworking on the team. When people know where they are headed, how far they have come,how well they are doing, they feel better – spiritually,mentally& physically and they achieve higher levels of performance.

Self development

•Attend conferences like today•Search the web•Enrol in courses beyond your own discipline•Read books like

•The Art of Possibility- Ben Zander•The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Stephen Covey•First Break All The Rules – Marcus Buckingham•The Tao of Leadership – John Heider•The Skilled Facilitator – Roger Schwarz•Presence – Peter Senge and friends•Synchronicity – Joe Jaworkski•Leading with Soul – Bolman and Deal

People will tend to act consistently with your

expectations of them

Be positive and optimistic yourself

Don’t take yourself toooooo seriously!

Tune in (Quieten the little voice)

Imagine you are being followed by a video camera –what does it replay? What are your signals? How areyou be-ing?

Colin Powell

“leadership is the art of accomplishing more than the science of management

says is possible”

References

Argyris C., 1993. Knowledge for Action: A Guide to Overcoming Barriers to Organisational Change. Jossey Bass.

Heifetz R A., Linsky M., 2002. A Survival Guide for Leaders. Harvard Business Review, June.

Kouzes J M., Posner B.Z., 1998. Encouraging the Heart. A Leader’s Guide to Rewarding and Recognizing Others. Jossey Bass.

Manfred kets De Vries: 2006 lecture series, “The Leadership Mystique”.

Walker C A., 2002. Saving Your Rookie Managers From Themselves. Harvard Business Review, April.

Further information can be obtained from

joy@humphreysgroup.com.au

www.humphreysgroup.com.au

Phone 04 12 128 565