Best Plant 2008

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Building a culture that supports continuous improvement and enhanced organizational commitment

Adapting to change, open communication, holistic goals and effective leadership across all operations

© VDS Brink 2008

Best Plant Conference 13 August 2008

CONTENT

Examining the effect that new technology and implementation of new strategies can have on your current workforce

��Effectively implementing and managing change to get the complete results expected

��Generating systematic communication structures from factory floor through to executive level in order to achieve corporate goals

��Understanding why leadership failures are occurring and the subsequent impact on the execution process

��Highlighting the key areas of leadership that is required to meet your full potential

INTRODUCTION

It was the year 1787 when William Wilberforce first introduced a bill to abolish the slave trade. In those times, slaves were a commodity, caught like kudus, bred with, and sold at public auctions. In the 18th century some 20 million were uprooted from where they lived.

To ask for the abolishment of the slave trade was to ask people to give up their homes, their shares and their assets. It took twenty years of intense battle by a sickly man whose eyesight was so poor that he could barely read. On the 23rd of February 1807, the bill for the abolishment of slavery was finally passed. The speaker of the House of Commons rose and said: “When people think of great men, they think of men like Napoleon, men of violence. Rarely they think of peaceful men. The contrast of reception, they will receive when they return home from their battles: Napoleon will arrive in pomp and glory - a man who has achieved the very summit of earthly ambitions… and yet when he goes to bed his dreams will be haunted by impressions of war. William Wilberforce, however, will return to his family, lying his head on his pillow and remember the slave trade is no more…”

Are you a leader of war or peace? What is leadership and change really, beyond what is written in all the books filling the shelves of Exclusive Books?

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Never tall and handsome, I spent most of my childhood years on the edge of the playground and in the 4th team. At school functions, I always had to wait to pick up the leftovers. The only thing I could do well was mathematics and accounting, and my homework was sought after and I was frequently bullied for it. It then spread through the class like wild fire. Revenge? I simply turned all the “8s” into “3s” and when my book was returned, I just closed the loop. It was the ultimate revenge of the nerd!

After spending 25 years in the nuts and bolts of the mining industry, I left with many scars, yet having gained some wisdom – the comprehension that business is above all a people contact game. Everything else comes far second. Our primary growth as a person occurs in our interaction with people, and our ultimate personal edge is rooted in it.

This world is flooded by data and information that increase exponentially. Information itself gives little competitive edge, as anyone can obtain information. However, in investments it is still the 80-year-old Warren Buffet that beats everyone with simple rules and pure wisdom. Information comes from seeing and reading, wisdom from observing, making friends, and learning at the feet of great people.

In my simple mind there are only 4 types of people, if we classify them as active/lazy and informed/uninformed:

1. The active informed types, the Go-Getters, seem to be everywhere at the same time. They are highly connected, read a lot, but love to stick to abstracts. They are perhaps not wise yet, but may be on their way to becoming wise. They are the 35-year-olds who love to drive Peugeot 307 Cabriolet (ladies!), or a double cab, white Toyota Hilux (men). These people seem to make the world go round.

2. Then there are the lazy and uninformed that only read Huisgenoot or You magazines, especially the Astrology sections! They drive anything, but seldom service or wash it. These guys are of little harm to society and the burden we have to live with.

3. The dangerous types are those that are uninformed and active. They will send SMS’s about a tornado and evacuate a city. They are always e-mailing chain letters and an endless array of whatever they figure is good to read. They read a lot, focusing on the newspaper adds on the poles and then comment: ”Typical ... just what I always said would happen”. They always have the last word, you see them on a Sunday morning at 210 km per hour circling the Hartebeespoortdam on a Kawasaki without number plates. They have answers ready for anything and a value system of “if they can do it, then I can do it as well!”

4. Then there are the lazy informed amongst us. You might catch them driving an E class, but then it is a 2002 model as general wisdom considers it a safe car that still has lots of life in it. They will read for hours, but seldom watch TV.

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Wise people, on the other hand, will read for hours each day, and seldom watch TV. They will read whole books to understand the argumentation of the writer. They read newspapers like Mail & Guardian and the Business Day and study philosophy and art. The wise look after their minds; they also look after their bodies because they know it will later look after them.

We are all bombarded by team building exercises, change management, leadership development, and management of diversity workshops, all mostly instigated by the HR fraternity. Talking about culture, continuous improvement, commitment, change, communication, and leadership in a novel way is almost impossible, but I will attempt an approach from a different angle.

Illustration: Paper tearing exercise

The difference in each result was because I led you through the process of changing the paper, displaying all the worst of bad leadership. I did not tell you where we were going; it was classical command and control. I tried to transform you, and I told you what to do.

In order to formulate a different approach to leadership and transformation, I contacted more than 30 practitioners on the coal face (mostly engineers, some HR officials and a few academics). Their feedback was analyzed by identifying the focus areas, splintering some new theory over it and adding my own pinch of salt.

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From my aforementioned collaborators’ work there are three main areas of importance to consider in leading people and embedding deep change:

��A new approach to communication

��True leadership

��Facilitating change

COMMUNICATION

I believe that 80% of what goes wrong in this world is due to some communication problem. We simply cannot work hard enough at it. During a typical large group presentation there is some interest in the beginning, but after about 5 minutes most people will wander off into daydreaming. Twelve minutes into the presentation most of the audience have reached the “snooze zone” and interest increases again only as the speaker says: “Any questions?” The challenge is to raise the level of attention at the beginning of the presentation. Raise expectations before you speak by starting with a powerful introduction. A boring CV is the last thing you should use! Never open with a table of contents, nor close with the old “now in conclusion”-line. Start with a bang, and end by leaving them wondering. Some people learn best by hearing, others are visual learners, and yet others need emotional content to learn. During a presentation, try to use all three these elements all the time. Visual aids are great, but need to go far beyond Powerpoint. Props and verbal pictures often have a much greater impact.

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In small group, the typical Monday morning meeting usually driven by an agenda, we should rather follow a full problem solving process in the meeting, take less time and raise the quality while enjoying it. Do this while focusing on vital issues. Nobody reads the agenda anyway, except to quickly look for their own name and then spend the entire duration of the meeting cooking up an excuse for work that hasn’t been done!

Our most important interactions are one-to-one conversations. Carl Rogers developed the person-centered approach to psychotherapy and was nominated for the Nobel peace prize for his work with national inter-group conflict using this model. This approach include such guidelines such as using non-expert language; talking about talk; reflecting feelings, experiences, and content; invitations to repair previous views; withholding direct responses for help; sharing thoughts and ideas; summarizing and reflecting; and reformulation.

Change can only come from within. If we wish to change our communication skills, we must discover and develop these skills ourselves. A fresh approach to communication is perhaps the greatest gift you can give yourself. Read many books on the subject, practice, and ask for feedback until you can use your new skills effectively. And best of all – instead of going on a course - join Toastmasters!

TRUE LEADERSHIP

Are you a leader of war or of peace? Are you haunted in your dreams by impressions of war, or will you leave this world a better place for all? Any conflict is waged and won through strategy. Before directing your arrows at the enemy, firstly direct them at yourself. We may be brilliant with developing great ideas, but if the group we lead is unresponsive and uncreative, it will not work. The best strategy is developed by all, not in some mysterious breakaway venue led by some over-inflated consultant-type in a U-shaped room with only two people talking. People have heads to think, hands to do and feet to move. In the center there is a heart. Most decisions, whether we like it or not, are based on emotion. This is no different in business.

As leaders we need to keep strategies simple and focused; translate it so that everybody can understand. For example: What are the five things that need to be done today that will lead to the grand objective? What are those small things that could make a big difference today? A leader should supply the drumbeat for those around them. A leader is a servant, a William Wilberforce, never a Napoleon.

People are all so different from each other – we differ in culture, generation, gender… So when we address people we should rather focus on the similarities, not the differences. Every person’s heart is touched by a number of generic needs/experiences:

��I am part of the group

��I am worth something

��I do worthwhile things

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��I want to learn new things

��I want beauty around me, order, discipline

��I want to share, give away, mean something

��I want you to care for me

��I believe in a higher power, and I want to accomplish greatness

��I am angry against, yet want to forgive…

��I am better than others

��I am bored and need excitement

��I am afraid of …, and need to resolve it

��I love to laugh, play and have fun.

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Despite the differences and occasional irritations of the human element, this is the area where the greatest personal growth occurs. In the end it is about leaving with a smile. Remember that culture is built over years; it is not going to change overnight. It may be a long journey influenced by many factors. Set bold, no-nonsense goals; be open and honest – it pays off in the long run.

Technology often creates distance between people, yet it can save a tremendous amount of time. Using Wiki-pages and blogs effectively can connect people across the continents. I am currently involved in a social network application project with four other people. We rely on Wiki’s, blogs and Skype to connect us, and even though we find ourselves scattered between Manchester, Pretoria, Stellenbosch and Cape Town, we work together as if in the same room! Despite the efficacy of this method it is important, however, to remember that this can never completely replace or substitute real human contact.

FACILITATING CHANGE

Can we really change people? Of all people that undergo open-heart surgery, less than 10% will change their lifestyles after surgery. If people don’t even care about their health, how will they change deep-seated beliefs and values? How can I ever dream of changing people? Deep down life shaped us into who we are - our values, beliefs, and guiding principles influence how we think and shape our emotions, which in turn cascades into our behaviour.

If I wish to change the people I work with, it will be a long and complicated process. The tough process of changing how we do things in business can be summarized as follows:

��Doing the right things

��Doing things right

��Doing the right things better

��Doing away with things

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��Doing what others do

��Doing what nobody does

��Doing what has not been done before

On an emotional level, change is much more difficult. The work by Deutschmann defines two steps in this process:

��Relate: form a new relationship with an inspiring person/community. Repeat and repeat to form new brain patterns. Learn, practice, and master the new habits & skills and only then

��Reframe: learn new ways of thinking about your situation & your life.

Business is a people contact game; it is all about relationships, honesty, and hard earned trust. John Naisbitt’s great book “Mind Set!” states that many things might change, but most things remain constant. History tends to repeat itself. And yet, the times we live in show one great novelty - the speed of telecommunication.

CONCLUSION

Focus on the score of the game - we do not have to be right all the time. The future is a picture puzzle, work on the pieces and how to put it together. Never march outside the parade, but march on the edge of it. Change happens slowly, results will not be attained by solving problems; we obtain them by exploiting opportunities. We cannot add unless we also subtract and resistance to change will drop if the benefits, especially the emotional ones, are real.

“My children,” said Aslan, fixing His eyes on both of them, “you are to be the first King and Queen of Narnia.”

The Cabby opened his mouth in astonishment and his wife turned very red.

“You shall rule and name all these creatures, and do justice among them, and protect them from their enemies when enemies arise. And enemies will arise, for there is evil in this world.”

The Cabby swallowed hard two or three times and cleared his throat. “Begging your pardon sir,” he said, “and thanking you very much I’m sure but I ain’t no sort of chap for a job like that”

“Well,” said Aslan, “can you use a spade and a plough and raise food out of the earth?”

“Yes, sir, I could do a bit of that sort of work.”

“Can you rule kindly and fairly, remembering that they are not slaves free subjects?”

“I see that , sir,” replied the Cabby. “I’d try to do the square thing by them all.”

“And would you bring up your children and grandchildren to do the same?”

“It’d be up to me to try, sir. I’d do my best: wouldn’t we Nellie?”

“And you wouldn’t have favourites either among you own children or among the others, or let any hold another under or use it hardly?”

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“I never would abide such goings on, sir, and that’s the truth. I’d give ‘em what for if I caught ‘em at it,” said the Cabby

“And if enemies came against the land and there was war, would you be the first in the charge and the last in the retreat?”

“Well, sir,” said the Cabby very slowly, “a chap don’t exactly know till he’s been tried. I’d try – that is, I ‘ope I’d try – to do my bit.”

“Then,” said Aslan, “you will have done all that a King should do.”

- From “The Magician’s Nephew” by C.S. Lewis