ITLP Tuesday Readings

We all need to have a "listening" tune-up from time-to-time. Today's reading "How to Really Listen" serves that purpose. The article is from the Harvard Business Review Blogs and was written by Peter Bergman, author ("Get the Right Things Done") and strategic advisor to CEOs and their leadership teams.

Listening is hard, one or the hardest of the routine things we have to do each day.

It's so hard because we have to actually listen. That means stopping all the multitasking - email, surfing, making a list, thinking about what you are going to say next. You have to focus on what the other person is saying and don't interrupt, let them finish their thought.

We can demonstrate that we are listening by repeating back what we heard. It sounds silly. But it communicates to the person that he or she has been heard. This also gives you a brief moment to organize your thoughts and form a question to continue the discussion.

Your open-ended questions should explore the other individual's thoughts and feelings so that you can see the issue more clearly. This is not a time to prove your point. It's a time for you to better understand what's going on so that you allow your conversation partner to go deeper in what she cares about.

Listening is not agreeing. It, in and of itself, doesn't force any particular action on anyone's part. But, you will increase everyone's understanding of the issue. And, that's good.

So, as you go about your day, really listen. You'll find it really improves your conversations.

. . . . jim

Posted by Jim Hall at 9:33 AM | Permalink

"There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them." ~ Denis Waitley

How do you respond to situations that you do not like or are uncomfortable with? How do your responses affect you, others, and work?

Are your responses helping or hurting the situation? What actions can you take to improve the situation?

Posted by Jim Hall at 5:11 PM | Permalink

Peter Bergman, author of today's reading - "What's Your One Big Theme?" - takes time each year at Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year to identify what he wants to change during the coming year. Others write New Year's resolutions. But, when you think about it, there's no magic in any particular day. So today may be your day to identify your one thing to work on until you've nailed it. And, then as a leader striving to be better, you identify a next one thing.

Bergman, an author (18 Minutes: Find Your Focus), and strategic advisor to CEOs and their leadership teams, starts by making three lists:

1. What went well during the past year.

2. What he wants to repeat.

3. What he really wants to do differently.

Once you have the data, the usual approach would be to identify a number of things to turn into resolutions - exercise more,don't multitask, arrive at work on time, spend more time with the family, ... The list is virtually endless. Then you select a few of the items and develop plans. If you have ten things you are working to change, you have ten plans and you probably wont make too much headway. It's just too hard to keep up with all these goals.

Having done this for years, Bergman decided to take a different approach. He stepped back and looked at the list from a broader perspective - what's this all about? What are the underlying major themes? Is there one thing that if you acted on it you would see major improvements in a number of areas?

For Bergman the theme was "I'm moving too fast." The thought was that if he slowed down a lot of things would get better. And, they did.

What's good about "one thing"? It's easy to remember, easy to implement, it's achievable, and sustainable. In short order, it becomes what you automatically do.

So, give it a try. . . . jim

Posted by Jim Hall at 11:22 AM | Permalink

Thank you to Phil Mikulak from Indiana South Bend for this quote!

"We can complain because rosebushes have thorns, or rejoice because thornbushes have roses." ~ Abraham Lincoln

Do you know people who focus on what is wrong and ignore what is right? How does that affect your perception of them? What is the impact when people complain in a way that is not helpful? Are you aware when you do that?

Do you look for positive ways to look at a bad situation? Think about the lessons you learned from your leadership journey. Are you reactive to frustrations versus proactive to improve a situation?

Be part of the solution.

Posted by Jim Hall at 11:35 AM | Permalink

A few weeks ago, Erik Lundberg, an ITLP alum from the University of Washington, shared with me a short piece from Inc. - "Don't Be Afraid to Break Stuff" - which is today's Tuesday Reading. Chris Mittelstaedt, Founder and CEO of the FruitGuys, a company delivering farm-fresh fruit and vegetables to the American workplace, homes, and schools, is the author.

Mittelstaedt notes that we often encounter problems that are too thorny and overwhelming to solve in the usual ways. Solving them requires that you think differently. But, too often you get stuck!

In a wonderful story in today's reading, Mittelstaedt's father uses a sledgehammer to change the problem from one that was intractable to one that was not only solvable but one that addressed the underlying immediate problem. "If you want to salvage something out of a bad situation, you've got to realistic. Readjust your thinking to the situation. And, don't be afraid to break stuff if you have to - especially if it is already broken."

The learning here is that you must be able to see the right problem and solve it. This often means that you have to accept some hard truths and let go some tightly held assumptions.

So, when confronted with that really hard problem, take out your sledgehammer and knock out the kinks until you find the right starting point.

I suspect that I may need to use this approach now. And you may also.

Have a great week. . . . jim

Posted by Jim Hall at 9:30 AM | Permalink

"Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be." ~ John Wooden

Do you stick with what you know because it is comfortable and has worked in the past? Others will pass you. Or do you complain when changes are made? How is that helpful?

How do you interpret failure? An identity crisis or learning experience? Do you seek new and better ways to accomplish things that will keep up with the trends of the future?

Posted by Jim Hall at 12:15 PM | Permalink

Today's reading, "Five Questions That Should Shape Any Change Program" comes from Scott Keller and Colin Price, directors at McKinsey & Company and coauthors of the book Beyond Performance. This article appeared early in December in the HBR blog.

Keller and Price wrote this book to address a key problem in leading change: "organizations that focus too much on short-term financial performance, at the expense of organizational health, are those that most typically need transformational change." They also note that if the organization puts equal emphasis on both performance and health it will get both near-term improvements and also build the organization's capacity to learn and keep changing over time.

Even though financial performance has a different dimension in universities, Keller and Price's questions to help guide a change program seem just as valid for higher education as for the commercial sector:

1. Where do we want to go? Quite often we have a clear view of the service we want to provide or the performance improvement we want to achieve as a result of our change initiative. But, do we have an equally clear view of our staff's capabilities and where your and their passions lie. You need to know and to develop both as you create your plan.

2. How ready are you to get started? Being ready to start requires having an action plan that addresses all the change issues - both those having to do with the service as well as those having to do with the competencies and mindsets needed to make the change stick.

3. What practical steps do you need to take? You start by being clear about what you won't and what you will do to improve both performance and health. It's always as much about staff competencies and mindsets as it is about performance.

4. How will you manage the journey? Clear communications - everyone understands how their work contributes to the outcomes. Work to ensure that staff feel they own the results. Make real progress toward goals that are kept relevant.

5. How do you maintain forward motion? Too many times our planning horizon (and the work) goes only through the service delivery or the performance improvement. It needs, however, to go through the delivery and convert into a continuous improvement activity. Continuing to work on the new service is necessary to sustain the new level of performance you have achieved.

It certainly takes more effort to focus on both the performance as well as the necessary competencies and mindsets dimensions. However, both are absolutely necessary for real success.

So, the next time you lead a change effort, think broadly. Let these five questions be your guide.

. . . . jim

Posted by Jim Hall at 11:01 AM | Permalink