Leading Change from the Middle

Recently I was working with a Client struggling to bring about cultural change in her organization. Senior managers were paying “passionate lip service” to the organization’s core value, but their actions clearly conveyed that “hitting the numbers” ultimately trumped all other behaviors. Unfortunately, this is an all too common situation.

This HR professional was reinforcing a leadership development program for supervisors and department managers we designed for them using The Leader’s Digest and its Practical Application Planner. She decided to now use Moose on the Table as pre-reading to a refresher follow-up session.

I wrote Moose on the Table based on what my experiences have taught me about what is needed to bring lasting cultural change to organizations. If change facilitators like HR professionals or middle managers are not able to get senior executives leading this charge from the top down (and even if they are), a critical component to success is equipping supervisors and middle managers with the skills, tools, and processes to change the way their part of the organization is led on a day-to-day basis. This does tie directly into metrics, priorities (what we call Strategic Imperatives), processes, systems, and the like.

Pete Leonard (the central character in Moose on the Table) made a feeble attempt to do some moose hunting in Chapter Six (I’d like to rename that chapter “Wild Moose Chase”.) It’s not until he goes through a deeper team/organizational analysis (Chapter Eight) and gets into identifying Strategic Imperatives with his team (Chapters Nine and Ten) that things start to happen (the Strategic Imperatives of Pete’s team start on page 120). But as he gets back to the organization, his boss and the organizational culture pushes back and he needs to really screw up his courage to break through that inertia.

Health and Safety Program versus Culture

Building on the highly customized Courageous Leadership for Health & Safety training program we designed for Barrick Gold (see July 2006, December 2006, and December 2007 issues – The CLEMMER Group’s training and consulting division has been rapidly expanding our offerings and expertise in this area. As word of the dramatic results of Barrick’s program (75% reduction in safety incidents over three years) spreads, I’m having more conversations with health and safety professionals as well as senior executives about The CLEMMER Group helping them improve their safety performance.

But far too many leaders don’t get the difference between “sheep dipping” people throughout their organization in a training program and truly shifting the culture and daily leadership behaviors.

See Health and Safety Bolt-on Programs or Built-In Processes from the August 2003 issue for a deeper look at this critical distinction. The article also has a “commitment continuum” that is central to Barrick defining expected leadership behavior and one of the keys to their success. You can also watch me presenting this difference in a nine-minute video clip at http://www.clemmer.net/video (scroll down to “Quality and Safety Leadership”.)

Most Popular January Improvement Points

Here are the three most popular Improvement Points we sent out in January:

“Many people lose the boss lottery and, through no faulhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif t of their own, end up reporting to an ineffectual manager. You may not have chosen your boss, but you don’t have to be a victim of his or her weaknesses.”
- From Jim Clemmer’s article, “Bad Boss: Learn How to Manage Your Manager”
http://www.clemmer.net/articles/article_306.aspx

“‘How long have you worked here?’ ‘Ever since my boss threatened to fire me.’ Far too many people have retired, but still show up for work. Others have resigned but still go through the motions and are on the payroll.”
- From Jim Clemmer’s article, “Apathy and Cynicism Zap Our Spirit”
http://www.clemmer.net/articles/article_49.aspx

“We must ring true to ourselves by exploring our inner space, gathering feedback on our personal behavior, and ensuring consistency with our stated values and principles.”
- From Jim Clemmer’s article, “Growing the Leader in Us”
http://www.clemmer.net/articles/article_81.aspx

 

Lessening My Anxiety: Great Feedback To Kick Off My New Book!

Jim Clemmer reports some exciting responses to his new book, “Moose On The Table”!

Since the fictional approach of Moose on the Table is such a big change from my previous books (although Growing the Distance and The Leader’s Digest have fictional elements with fables and stories sprinkled throughout) I’ve been quite keen to get feedback from readers.

So Curwin Friesen, President of Friesens Corporation, made my day when he sent me this e-mail about a week after his printing company sent us our first 15,000 print run of Moose on the Table:

“Hi Jim,

I have a request. I read your book on the weekend (had a sample copy in my office) and loved it! Very easy read - well suited for many levels of managers. I would like to have all of my production managers read this book before our upcoming planning session in two weeks. I need 20 copies for this.

Given that I need to get them books in the next few days (so that they have time to read it), would I be able to reproduce the book here at Friesens and simply pay you for the 20 copies? It would be like a mini-extra print run? “

We made a deal. About a month later he sent me a follow-up letter with comments from six of his managers after his management team read Moose on the Table as preparation for their planning session. You can read the full letter along with other comments about the book at http://www.mooseonthetable.com/Reviews.aspx.

Another early e-mail came from a business school professor interested in bulk pricing for thirty-five copies of Moose on the Table for his second year Professional Development/ Leadership class.

I’ve since heard from nearly a dozen early readers of Moose on the Table with extremely positive feedback. Many said they couldn’t put it down. We’ve also been getting moose hunting stories (ways of playfully addressing tough issues with the Moose-on-the-Table metaphor or variations) and photos starting to come in. Book comments, photos, and stories are now available for viewing in our new Moose Gallery at http://www.mooseonthetable.com/Reviews.aspx.

I’d love to get your feedback on Moose on the Table and/or moose hunting stories (and photos if you have any). E-mail them to me at Jim.Clemmer@Clemmer.net.

Living Above The Line

In this post, Jim Clemmer provides some tools, tips and techniques for Living Above The Line.

The following are a few “personal application ideas” I pulled together in an extensive redesign I have just completed for a practical implementation workbook based on Growing the Distance for my Practical Leadership Strategies for Peak Performance workshop.

Search out/collect stories of inspiring people who have overcome large obstacles in their lives (see www.clemmer.net/excerpts/pf_leaderscontrol.html for examples from Growing the Distance). When you’re facing a big problem or setback, compare it to these stories to reframe your situation and change your perspective.

The Slush on the Windshield… or the Winter Wonderland Beyond?
Do you mostly see the slush on the windshield or the winter wonderland beyond? (see www.clemmer.net/excerpts/choice_more.shtml for this story from Growing the Distance.) What’s your reality? What would you like your reality to be? When and how are you going to change your perspective?

Ask people who know you well to allocate the percentage of time you spend in Navigator, Survivor, and Victim mode. Ask for their help in identifying Victim Speak in your conversation.

Conversation Navigation
Be a conversation navigator. When the talk is negative, find ways to provide evidence of a more positive perspective, offer alternative solutions or viewpoints, or question the usefulness of using that negative framework.

Are You a Reactor…or a Leader?
Are you part of the solution or part of the problem? Are you a reactor or leader? Does your own attitude and do your actions just reflect the temperature of your more senior managers to the people in your part of the organization? Or do you try to readjust and change the temperature? How do you know?

A JOB, a CAREER or a CALLING?

In this post, Jim Clemmer talks about the differences between a JOB, a CAREER and a CALLING.

There are many reasons people work. Here are what I think are the three main categories:

Job

• A means to some other end
• Providing financial support
• I don’t expect much else from my work
• Often little loyalty or emotional commitment (”work is a four letter word”)
• Move on if a better job (usually more money/benefits) comes along

Career

• Mark achievements through income, advancements, power, or prestige
• Usually involves ongoing training and development
• Focus on a particular profession/trade/skill set
• Often certified, licensed, or credentialed
• “Topping out” (little further advancement) can cause mid-life crisis or big career changes
• A big source of personal identity

Calling

• Fulfilling my sense of purpose and making a meaningful difference
• Contributing to a greater good that’s bigger than me – a sense of service
• Aligned with my values and strengths
• Being (the real me) is more important than ‘doing’ or ‘having’
• Following my inner voice or what I feel called to do
• Income and advancement is secondary
• Time often flies by

Any job can become a career or calling and any career or calling can be become a job. A scientist, physician, or pastor may have initially felt called. But if he or she finds their work has become drudgery, it’s then a job. A production worker or hospitality server may have started in a job and progressed to feeling a calling to make better products, happier people, or the world a little better place. I have worked hard to make my work a calling. Then it doesn’t feel like work – most days! I’d love to get your thoughts.

The Fish Tank Factor

In this post, Jim Clemmer talks about the importance of the environments we create.

In The Leader’s Digest, Jim wrote the following about the kind of culture or environment created by management teams:

The Fish Tank Factor

If you buy a little goldfish and keep it in a small bowl, it will remain no bigger than a few inches long. Move that same fish to a large aquarium and it will double or triple in size. Put the goldfish in a large pond and it can grow up to a foot long! The biggest factor that determines the size of the fish is the size of its environment. And so it is with people.

Managers see people as they are and treat them according to what they see. A manager would take a small goldfish and keep it in the little bowl because it would be inefficient and wasteful to put it in a larger environment. Leaders, on the other hand, see people as they could be. A leader takes a small goldfish and puts it in a larger tank because it would be ineffective and wasteful of the fish’s potential to keep it in a confined environment.

Leaders provide a bigger environment by delegating autonomy. Strong leaders are strong coaches. They clarify performance targets, develop skills and abilities, reinforce progress, and build on strengths. Leaders consult, facilitate, counsel, and guide. They also confront when they feel someone is not living up to his or her potential.

In my Leader’s Digest: Practical Application Planner, I built upon this concept with the following assessment exercise for management teams to examine the kind of culture or environment they have created for people in their organization. It is also available as an On-Line Assessment for management team members to complete privately and have their scores combined for the overall picture as seen by the team.

Is Moose On The Table Suitable For All Staff?

“Hi Jim,

I have two coordinators and 10 staff ranging from a financial officer to HR assistants and records clerks.

Would this book be suitable for all staff or just the coordinators?”

Bev

Hi Bev,

I actually wrote Moose on the Table (and we’ve priced it) to be purchased in bulk for everyone in an organization so they can:

• Develop a common language and mutual supports to Navigating Change.
• Identify team and organizational moose and work together to get rid of them.
• Build a communication rich environment through “courageous conversations.”
• Reduce internal politics, turf protection, and misunderstandings.
• Tame “The E-mail Beast.”
• Understand how to help build a high performance culture.
• Increase personal and team effectiveness.
• Practice outward and upward leadership.
• Learn to seek and use personal and team feedback.

If you click on the Moose Store tab (top right) at www.mooseonthetable.com you’ll see our pricing for bulk purchases of Moose on the Table.

If you decide to do some group moose hunting, we’d love to hear about your approach (and see any photos you might have taken)!

Feedback and Follow-up: Ways To Use The Leader Letter

Nearly three hundred readers responded to our survey regarding The Leader Letter. The ratings and feedback has been very useful and gratifying. Eighty-five percent rated The Leader Letter’s overall quality an eight or more out of ten. Other insights about which sections or regular features are most useful, along with the newsletter length, and why readers signed up for it for it in the first place, are very helpful to us as we continue to invest a fair bit of time producing this “good for nothing” publication.

Many rich and encouraging comments were freely given in the open sections of the survey. Some of those are published in this issue. Others, you’ll find on our website: http://www.clemmer.net/newsletter/survey.aspx

Thanks VERY MUCH to everyone who completed the survey and left so many supportive comments. It’ a thrill to hear from so many that all the work myself, Aidan Crawford, Gini Kechnie-Williams, and others at The CLEMMER Group invest in producing The Leader Letter each month is worthwhile.

So this month we’re publishing a few comments within the main categories of why readers subscribe to The Leader Letter and how they use it. If you want to review a broader selection of comments under each category, click here. They are all anonymous because the survey did not ask anyone to identify themselves.

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Supplementing HR/Training and Development Efforts
(65% of survey respondents pass The Leader Letter on to others each month)

“The Leader Letter gives me practical ideas and themes for sharing with other managers within my organization.”
“Our whole salaried staff sees The Leader Letter monthly. It is the reason Jim was chosen to facilitate our Leadership Conference in the Canadian Rockies May 8 and 9. Our entire team is buzzing and those who were not there are infected with the energy and positivism we caught. We have action teams who are accountable for addressing the ‘strategic imperatives’ we identified with Jim’s help. Our company will be even greater because of The Leader Letter and the two days spent with Jim. Thanks again.”

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Personal Inspiration and Practical Applications

“Extremely practical. Many ideas can be taken directly from the newsletter and applied to day-to-day leadership issues.”
“Jim, I have always found truth in your words and strength in applying them. It must give you great satisfaction in helping others so profoundly - at work, home and in all relationships - it is very powerful stuff.”

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Sharing with Colleagues and Team Members
(65% of survey respondents pass The Leader Letter on to others each month)

“I and my team find them very useful to keep abreast of things that are happening and as a reminder of important considerations in our quest to get better.”
“The Leader Letter acts as catalyst for development. I get satisfaction when sharing these thoughts infuses enthusiasm in the team members.”

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Personal/Professional Growth and Development

“I set aside a time to initially scan the latest edition, then print off articles of particular and current interest to read on flights, waiting in airports and quiet times to allow digestion of the content. Often I leave them on a seat then watch others pick them up and start to read them. A silent passing of the wisdom so to speak. Please continue!”
“It’s my favorite ‘professional development’ vehicle…that comes to me in my own home, to read at my convenience - in the middle of the day or night - and in my PJs if I want!”

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Staying in Touch With or Building upon My Work

“I have come across many ‘Clemmer Quotes’ over the course of my years in leadership and have even used some of them in presentations. It is delightful to finally make the move to receiving The Leader Letter. Thanks!”
“Jim, I have been a fan of yours since Firing on all Cylinders keep it up!”
“Thank you, Jim. After attending one of your workshops in Calgary over 4 years ago, your Leader Letter serves as a booster shot for me. I am relatively new to management/leadership and I value the words of wisdom and practical applications I find in your articles and books. I especially enjoy ‘Thoughts That Make You Go Hmmm?’ Once again thank you.”

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General

“I have been reading your Leader Letter for a few years now and I have enjoyed the continuous improvement in its delivery. Congrats! Keep up the good work.”
“This is positively THE BEST newsletter I have ever received to date. I love the Thoughts That Make You Go Hmmmm. The new blog format is great (forgive me if I just read for now, I’ll comment later!)”
I am always delighted to hear from readers of The Leader Letter with feedback, reflections, suggestions, or differing points of view. Nobody is ever identified without their permission.

I am also happy to explore customized, in-house adaptations of any of my material for your team or organization. Drop me an e-mail at Jim.Clemmer@Clemmer.net.

Chapters One To Eight Now Online - With Video Commentary

A respondent to our Leader Letter survey question around what feature he or she would like to see added to the newsletter wrote:

“I’d like to see a fable corner…perhaps a variation on the Moose on the Table book. It could be a fable with a ‘moral to the story’ component or it could be a running chapter of a ‘a day in the life’ of a fictional manager (the fable) with his solution (the moral).”

That’s pretty much what happens with Pete Leonard, the central character, in Moose on the Table. Since we launched the book in the October issue of The Leader Letter, we’ve been putting up a PDF versions of each of the book chapters every week on our new Moose on the Table web site. You can read the chapters as well as watch a short video clip of me giving a short introduction to that chapter and its main underlying leadership lesson.

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