This week represented a unique intersection of experiences for me. I am on a speaking tour of east coast USA for three weeks and it is 5 AM on Sunday morning in Boston. No, not jetlag - my mind is wide awake and bursting with ideas. For the last four days I have been attending the International Leadership Association (ILA) conference and heard a wide range of ideas about what leadership should be and how leaders how leaders need to...
Leadership is behavioural - not a position! The person at the top of an organisation may be a poor leader. They may occupy the top job and command decisions, but this does not mean they are a GOOD leader. A real leader is a person who has WILLING followers. People want to help them because they are inspired by them and respect them as a person. To become a leader of great standing requires a history of proven performance where your stewardship and demonstrated...
The use of animals as metaphors for behaviours was covered in The Organizational Zoo as well as some other places. Sports metaphors also have been widely used for business teams. I have for some time played with the combination of the two to generate an understanding of the relationship between behaviour and a team role. Belbin's research built an understanding of how different teams benefit from acknowledging that a diversity of roles is required to optimise outcomes. My own interactions have been experimenting with...
Collaborative employee A We are between a rock and a hard place, they will not change their plans and we cannot force them to. I honestly believe this training proposal is necessary for the program be successful, but they simply won’t resource it. Collaborative employee A’s manager I'm almost to the point of saying "to hell with it - let them rot", but I know that isn't the answer. If they persist then we need to be prepared to assist when the...
Constructive conversations are the single most powerful way to engage people and make a difference for those you interact with. It is a pity that many people underestimate the power of the conversation. Everyone engages in conversations, but only a small percentage know how to create the right environment for "Conversations that Matter". Effective conversations that matter follow a simple structure defined around understanding what you are trying to achieve and four fundamental focus areas: Outputs, Outcomes, Benefits and Beneficiaries. For example, brainstorming, making a decision and authorising actions are all...
The most common question I get when facilitating conversations around behavioural metaphors is "Which animal am I?" This is of course the wrong question. People need to think outside the box when it comes to behaviours. So many profiles try to put you into a box, when they should be highlighting behavioural strengths and potential opportunities. This is where the adaptability of the animal metaphors work their magic. The key is to be the right animal in the right context...
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