My new book Strategic Project Management Made Simple: Practical Tools for Leaders and Teams (Wiley) is being acknowledged as a breakthrough approach to turn strategy into action. While written for a general management audience, it is also being called "a top ten must-read book for IT managers" by a credible source.... see http://tinyurl.com/must-read-book
Get your copy at www.tinyrurl.com/strategicprojectmanagement or wherever books are sold. I'm happy to autograph your book. After you purchase a copy, I'll send you a special personalized "bookplate" that pastes into the front. (And if we have met in person, remind me when and where). The best way to contact me is through the contact form easily found on our website www.ManagementPro.com.
Some Things Never Change
These thoughts seem as timely as ever...
"What no one seemed to notice was the ever widening gap between the government and the people. And it became always wider... the whole process of its coming into being, was above all diverting, it provided an excuse not to think....for people who did not want to think anyway gave us some dreadful, fundamental things to think about.... and kept us so busy with continuous changes and 'crises' and so fascinated.....by the machinations of the 'national enemies,' without and within, that we had no time to think about these dreadful things that were growing, little by little, all around us.....
"Each step was so small, so inconsequential, so well explained or, on occasion, 'regretted,' that unless one understood what the whole thing was in principle, what all these 'little measures'.....must some day lead to, one no more saw it developing from day to day than a farmer in his field sees the corn growing.....
Each act is worse than the last, but only a little worse. You wait for the next and the next. "You wait for one great shocking occasion, thinking that others, when such a shock comes, will join you in resisting somehow. You don't want to act, or even talk, alone.....you don't want to 'go out of your way to make trouble.' But the one great shocking occasion, when tens or hundreds or thousands will join with you, never comes.
"That's the difficulty. The forms are all there, all untouched, all reassuring, the houses, the shops, the jobs, the mealtimes, the visits, the concerts, the cinema, the holidays. But the spirit, which you never noticed because you made the lifelong mistake of identifying it with the forms, is changed. Now you live in a world of hate and fear, and the people who hate and fear do not even know it themselves, when everyone is transformed, no one is transformed.
"You have accepted things you would not have accepted five years ago, a year ago, things your father.....could never have imagined."
*Milton Mayer*, They Thought They Were Free, The Germans, 1938-45 (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1955)
Mother Nature on Leadership
Everyone knows that leadership is a pressing issue so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to interview the world's foremost authority on the subject, Mother Nature.
Dr. Weisinger: Mother Nature, first I want to thank you for taking the time to come out to Westport, Connecticut and share your thoughts on leadership.
Mother Nature: I'm happy to be here. It is always a Mother's responsibility to educate her children.
Dr. W: Mother Nature, I understand you have developed a very provocative perspective on leadership. Tell us about it. How long have you been working on it show us how it would apply to our newest leader, President Obama.
MN: I call it "instinctual leadership" and it took million of years for me to get it right.
Dr. W: And what is instinctual leadership?
MN: In a nutshell, it is based on the fact that the brain is like a tool box with a collection of instinctual tools that have been designed through the principles of evolution and natural selection to help you solve adaptive problems-problems that every member of every species of every generation-past, present, future- must solve if it is to survive and ultimately thrive. You would find evolutionary psychologist to acknowledge the validity of this perspective, not that I need them to tell me how I work.
Using your instinctual tools to solve adaptive problems is the essence of instinctual leadership, and according to the irrefutable scientific process of natural selection, those individuals and who can apply their instinctual tools most broadly are the most effective leaders and thereby increase their organization's ecological niche - the role it plays in its environment, be it financial services, auto, health care, consumer electronics, retail, or service.
Dr. W: Adaptive problems, Instinctual tools, "these are some "new" terms so a little more specific.
MN: Sure, I'll make it really simple. I'm sure you've often thought and been told, "Life is tough." Well, it is. I've had long discussions with my cousin, Mother Earth, and we decided that if you were going to live in this world, you would have to solve a series of problems. You solve them, you succeed. If not, well, then as we say, nature takes its course, and you're out-for good! The problems that I solve helps you adapt, helps you succeed.
Dr. W: Well, what are some of these adaptive problems?
MN: Adaptive problems have three defining characteristics. First, they are ones that crop up again and again during the evolutionary history of a species. Every human, for example, has to find the right environment in order to thrive, whether it is a cave, college, or company. A second characteristic of adaptive problems is that their solution-many times very indirectly- affects the reproduction of an individual or an organization. "How to retain key employees?" would be a "corporate adaptive problem," as holding on to key talent directly influences the future success of the company and, third, and most importantly, solving adaptive problems leads to results that are in the individual's best interest. FYI, here are the six adaptive problems that I demand everyone to solve if they are going to thrive-which I assure you, is must better than simply surviving.
- How do I get myself into an environment that will help me thrive?
- How do I protect my vulnerabilities?
- How do I develop the future?
- How do I get others to desire me?
- How do I get others to work together?
- How do I stay ahead of the pack?
In essence, these are the problems that make life tough!
Dr. W: This is some curriculum, overwhelming to say the least.
MN: Well, life is tough-but fair. In other words, I give you the problems but I also give you the answers.
Dr. W: Well, (sarcastically) that's nice of you.
MN: Hey, respect your mother. Just because I make life tough doesn't mean I don't want you to succeed. In fact, it's just the opposite. Every mother wants her kids to succeed. That's why I've hardwired you with specific tools that are designed to help you solve the adaptive problems I've outline.
Dr. W: Ok, but how did you select these tools?
MN: Through the fair process of natural selection-if they work, I'd make them permanent. If they didn't. I'd let them go. This process took millions of years so I am very confident to tell you the instinctual tools you have do work. Most of your man made leadership theories are based on very unreliable methodologies, like an expert interviewing ten CEOs and then declaring here is what makes a successful CEO, or a celebrity CEO who presents his leadership lessons. It is because of methodologies such as these that leadership is all over the place. Instinctual leadership is derived from scientific fact-the process of natural selection.
Dr. W: So I guess there is a specific instinctual tool for each adaptive problem?
MN: That is correct. One of the defining criteria for a behavior to be classified as an instinct is that it is designed for a specific purpose. This is true for all of your instinctual tools. I'll put them in a leadership context. That is, as a leader,
- Use your shelter seeking instincts to create an empowering environment that helps people grow continually grow and thus energized to do their best.
- Use your care soliciting instincts to protect the vulnerabilities of your organization.
- Use your care-giving instincts so that you are continually developing those around you.
- Use your Beauty instinct to attract and retain the most talented people.
- Use your cooperative instincts to create collaboration, team work, and synergy.
- Use your curiosity instinct to keep your organization ahead of the pack.
Dr. W: It sounds so simple.
MN: Well, there is a catch.
Dr. W: I knew it was too good to be true!
MN: Hold on. The only problems in the system are the ones you-man-have created. Nobody stops you from being a care-giver except yourself, like when you are angry. Nobody prevents you from cooperating with others. Nobody stops you for asking for helps. In other words, many times, when we are "ruled with reason" we head for disaster because it prevents us from using are instincts-we become instinctually disconnected. And many times, we blatantly ignore or disrespect our instincts-like the leaders who cheat their company and their invertors- and without exception when this occurs, disaster results. There is no doubt that those individuals who are connected with their instincts-instinctually connected are the most successful-a strong and secure niche that allows them to thrive.
Dr. W: Is president Obama an instinctual leader?
MN: He is showing that he is. I will give you two examples and preface them by reiterating the point that the instinctual leadership is about applying your instinctual tools in very broad ways to solve adaptive problems and those who can apply them most broadly will be the most effective leaders. Already, the President has shown his care giving instincts...
Dr. W: How?
MN: By advocating and passing the Children's Health Insurance Program. The function of care-giving is to develop the future so providing health to all children-who are our future-becomes one way to apply care-giving instincts. Contrast this to your last leader who did not support this bill - was he an effective leader?
Dr. W: Another example?
MN: One of the ways you create cooperation is through fair play, all people treated equally. Capping executive compensation for those that received government bailouts is an example of this - failed executives will not be rewarded, they will be treated like everyone else who doesn't get the job done. Here is another example; in the President's Inauguration speech, he declared that "curiosity" will be one of the core values of his administration, thus support cutting edge scientific research. This tells me he's connected to his curiosity instinct, the function of which is to accelerate our learning, in this case, to keep American ahead of the pack. Again, compare this to the values of the last President - did he strike you as a curious individual?
Dr. W: So it looks like we are going to have a president who is much more instinctually connected that the former President.
MN: I would say so, and thus he will be a better leader. More importantly, note that I have giving you a leadership development blueprint - focus on applying your innate leadership instinctual tools and the universal performance appraisal system would be: the quantity and quality of how the leader applied his instinctual tools to solve adaptive problems.
Dr. W: Anything else you'd like to add?
MN: My message is that those leaders who apply their instinctual in board ways will help their organization secure their niche - they will become the leaders of the pack. Now, I have to catch a plane to Chicago - Oprah wants me on her show!
Dr. W: Thank you Mother Nature. It's been a pleasure and I will be sure to pick up a copy of your book, The Genius of Instinct.
My latest book includes several interesting case studies. One covers the GIS team at the Los Alamos National Lab, and describes their strategy for greater networking and team-building. This month's Logical Framework shows their action plan for achieving that aim.
"Shifting Your Level of Communications for Optimum Results"
(Part Two - continued from February Newsletter)
Effective communication requires us to be in tune with our shifting thoughts and feelings and those of others. Most communication is non-verbal-even when one person is speaking. Communication is layered with other facets of interaction demonstrated through body language, tonality, word choice and so on. Being able to shift effectively between levels of communication is the mark of master communicators.
The following Four Main Communication Levels were introduced in the February 2009 Take It From Terry™:
Level 1 - Niceties: "How are you?" "How's it going?"
Level 2 - Factual Information: "Wow, the Democrats control Congress now."
Level 3 - Thoughts and Ideas: "I think our governor is crooked."
Level 4 - Feelings: "I am angry about what she did."
We shift easily amongst levels with some people, and stay mostly at one level with others, depending upon our relationship and the circumstances. Knowing when to shift or not shift requires skill and sensitivity. The following Master Communicator (MC) Tips will increase your awareness of how to navigate within and between communication levels.
MC Tip #1 - Assess the current level of the conversation and match your level to the other person's level, particularly when the other person is in an authority position.
Being attuned to the nature and content of the communication will help you recognize which level you and the other person are using. The purpose of the conversation, the type of concepts expressed, the vocabulary and phrases used are all indicators of the specific level. To gain rapport, match your level to the other person's level, by exchanging the same kinds of information, using similar vertical patterns, matching body language, etc.
MC Tip #2 - Shift up and down within and between levels as appropriate in response to the other person's reactions and changes in the context of the conversation.
Notice the reactions of others in order to determine if a shift is necessary, and appropriate. Some strategies include:
- Shift down from the Factual Information level to uncover the reasons behind the Ideas and Thoughts.
- Shift up from the Feelings level to get at Factual Information provided by and connected to the feelings.
Some more strategies:
- Shift when you and the other person are at different levels and the current level is ineffective or has become uncomfortable.
- Shift when a different level would serve the information exchange better.
- Shift when a communication pattern has neared the end.
MC Tip #3 - Use active listening as the key tool to know how and when to respond to others.
By listening well, you increase your level of awareness of what the other person values, and how they are responding so that you can decide what level at which to maintain or move the conversation. Be particularly sensitive to when it is appropriate and/or necessary to shift to a feelings-based mode of communication or to remain on the current level.
Here are more issues to keep in mind regarding whether or not have feelings-level discussions: (1) When you are in the process of problem-solving, it's best to stay focused on the factual level so that you stay in a more logical frame of mind; (2) When someone is angry, a shift to a factual level of communication would devalue their feelings. Discussing feelings is often an opportunity to build trust, although if done at the wrong time or in an insensitive manner, it can have the opposite effect.
MC Tip #4 - Learn from your mistakes and miscommunications in order to be more proactive in future communication.
At times, we all make mistakes in what we say and how we say it. Analyzing those incidents helps reduce the likelihood of making the same mistakes. As appropriate, return to clarify, apologize for and amend previous communications with others as needed. In addition, learn from when you are effective, and pride in doing so.
MC Tip #5 - Understand that the impact of communication can resound well beyond the moment of conversation because it can be internalized as it becomes part of our inner dialogue.
Being aware of the power of your communication and its impact on you and others allows you to strengthen your relationships at the desired level you choose.
That's the key to being not just a master communicator, but to being a master human being who is appreciated, respected, and loved.
Tribal Leadership: Leveraging Natural Groups
To Build a Thriving Organization
By Dave Logan, John King and Halee Fischer-Wright
My bookshelves are stuffed with leadership books, this newest addition is one of the best because it provides a practical leadership model that we can all identify with.
Breezy and well-written, the authors suggest that every organization is comprised of "tribes" of 20 to 150 people who get work done. Each tribe has a dominant culture, and tribes can be classified into fives stages. Stage One: desperately hostile. Stage Two: Antagonistic. Stage Three: Competitively hoarding resource and talent. Stage Four: Team greatness. Stage Five: Infinite potential believing the tribe is going to make history.
Here's a summary of the culture of different stages.
Stage One runs the show in criminal clusters, like gangs and prisons, where the theme is "life stinks," and people act out in despairing and hostile ways.
Stage Two, the dominant culture in 25% of workplace tribes, says, in effect, "my life stinks," and the mood is a cluster of apathetic victims.
In Stage Three, the dominant culture in almost 50% of U.S. workplace tribes, the theme is "I'm great" or, more fully, "I'm great, and you're not."
Stage Four represents 22% of tribal cultures, where the theme is "we're great," and other groups aren't.
Stage Five is the culture of just 2% of the workforce tribes, where the theme is "life is great" and focuses on realizing potential by making history.
The book includes helpful summaries of the key ideas at the end of each chapter which make it easy to review key concepts and implement the action ideas..
Anyone interested in organization development, corporate culture, or leadership will enjoy the anecdotes, and insightful stories of cultures from Amgen to GE. Your greatest ah-ha will come from being able to diagnose which stage your company is at, and get clues about what it takes to get to a higher stage of effectiveness.
Things My Mother Taught Me
My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE
"If you're going to kill each other, do it outside - I just finished cleaning!"
My mother taught me RELIGION
"You better pray that will come out of the carpet."
My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL
"If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"
My mother taught me REASON
"Because I said so, that's why."
My Mother taught me LOGIC
"If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me."
My mother taught me FORESIGHT
"Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident"
My mother taught me IRONY
"Keep crying and I'll give you something to cry about."
My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS
"Shut your mouth and eat your supper!"
My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM
"Will you "look" at the dirt on the back of your neck!"
My mother taught me about STAMINA
"You'll sit there 'till all that spinach is finished."
My mother taught me about WEATHER
"It looks as if a tornado swept through your room."
My mother taught me how to solve PHYSICS PROBLEMS
"If I yelled because I saw a meteor coming toward you, would you listen
THEN?"
My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY
"If I've told you once, I've told you a million times--Don't exaggerate!!!"
My mother taught me THE CIRCLE OF LIFE
"I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."
My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION
"Stop acting like your father!"
My mother taught me about ENVY!
"There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do!"
My Mother taught me about ANTICIPATION
"Just wait until we get home."
My Mother taught me about RECEIVING
"You are going to get it when we get home!"
My Mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE
"If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to freeze that way."
My Mother taught me to THINK AHEAD
"If you don't pass your spelling test, you'll never get a good job."
My Mother taught me ESP
"Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you're cold?"
My Mother taught me HUMOR
"When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."
My Mother taught me how to BECOME AN ADULT
"If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."
My Mother taught me about SEX
"How do you THINK you got here?"
My Mother taught me about GENETICS
"You're just like your father."
My Mother taught me about my ROOTS
"Do you think you were born in a barn?"
My Mother taught me about WISDOM OF AGE
"When you get to be my age, you will understand."
And my all time favorite...
My Mother taught me about JUSTICE
"One day you'll have kids ... and I hope they turn out just like you!