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Leading In Turbulent Times:Building Leadership Skills for Resilient Cultures
Warren Bennis
“I can’t recall a period of time that was as volatile, complex, ambiguous and tumultuous. As one successful executive puts it, ‘if you’re notconfused, you don’t know what’s going on’.”
“I can’t recall a period of time that was as volatile, complex, ambiguous and tumultuous. As one successful executive puts it, ‘if you’re notconfused, you don’t know what’s going on’.”
Warren Bennis, leadership author and Professor of Business Administration at the University of Southern California
Warren Bennis, leadership author and Professor of Business Administration at the University of Southern California
Shifting Perspectives Beyond the
Obstacles to the Opportunities
Navigating Change:Leading In Turbulent Times
“Leadership in a (Permanent) Crisis”
Harvard Business Review, Ronald Heifetz, Alexander Grashow, and Marty Linsky
“…a different mode of leadership will be required…sets the stage for a sustained or even permanent crisis of serious and unfamiliar challenges.”
• Foster Adaptation – balancing the continuation of current practices while at the same time helping people develop the next practices.
• Embrace disequilibrium – keeping people uncomfortable enough to induce change but not so much that they fight, flee, or freeze.
• Generate leadership – building leadership across all levels of the organization to adapt to changing times.
Leadership is an Action, Not a Position
Influencing, Connecting, Changing, and Delivering Results
“…positive psychology is rooted in scientific evidence that it works.
It uses tried‐and‐true methods of measurement, of experiments, of longitudinal research, and of random‐assignment, placebo‐controlled outcome studies to evaluate which interventions actually work and which ones are bogus.
It discards those that do not pass this gold standard as ineffective, and it hones those that pass.”
• Positive emotion
• Engagement
• Relationships • Meaning
• Accomplishment.
Being in a state of mental health is not merely being disorder free; rather it is the presence of flourishing.”
Pessimism Optimism
Range of Reality
Fearful Courageous
Negative energy
Tuned into bad vibrations
Positive energy Tuned into good vibrations
Hopeless Hopeful
Impossibility thinking
See the worst in people
Unlucky
Possibility thinking
Find the best in people
Lucky
Problem focused
Unhappy Solution focused Happy
Growing @ the Speed of Change
Following
WFL Model – Which Framing Level?
Hopeful Skepticism
Helpless Cynicism “Let’s wait and see what happens.”
“They couldn’t hit an elephant from this dist…”
Last words of General J. Sedgwick, Battle of Spotsylvania, 1864
Following
WFL Model – Which Framing Level?
Leading
Hopeful Skepticism
Helpless Cynicism
Wallowing
“They are doing it to us again.”
“Let’s wait and see what happens.”
“How can we capitalize on these changes?”
+ 100
- 100
To Wallow1. To roll one’s self about, as in mire; to tumble and roll
about; to move lazily or heavily in a medium; to flounder; as swine wallow in mire.
“With Smithers out of the picture I was free to wallow in my own crapulence.”
2. To roll; especially to roll in anything defiling or unclean.
3. To live in filth or gross vice; to deport one’s self in a beastly and unworthy manner.
Wiktionary.org
“Hardiness” of people who had suffered serious adversity like cancer patients, prisoners of war, accident victims, etc. fell into three groups:
1. Used the experience as a defining event that made them stronger (Lead).
2. Got their life back to “normal” (Follow).
3. Permanently dispirited by the event (Wallow).International Committee for the Study of Victimization
Our Hardiness Choices
What are we feeling, talking, about and doing when we are:
• Leading?• Following?• Wallowing?
Leading In Turbulent Times
Weaknesses/Gaps Strengths
Positional/clinical authority Inspiring shared leadership
Catch people doing things wrong Catch people doing things right
Negativity and Wallowing Positivity and Leading
Focus on fixing what’s wrong
See the worst in people
Leverage/build on what’s right
Bring out the best in people
Push and punish Pull and coach
Culture Anchor Points
“We all want to know how to make other people effective.
Peter Drucker (1909 – 2005), author of 39 books and hundreds of articles on leadership, management, and organization effectiveness. Widely considered to be the father of “modern management”
But that’s not the place to start. The place to start is ‘how do I make myself effective?’”
How do you keep yourself out of the swamp and in Leading mode?
How do you help team members/colleagues spend more
time in Leading mode?
Daniel Boone
“I can’t say I was ever lost. But I was bewildered once for three days.”
TheHigh-Performance Balance: Managing
Things and Leading People
Leading In Turbulent Times
How Organizational Capabilities Impact Each Other
(A)
Ability to
Execute
(B)Positive Work
Environment
• In this organization we stay focused on the critical tasks that need to be accomplished.
• When problems occur in our work group, people accept accountabilityrather than blame others.
• This organization executes key priorities well, versus executing many initiatives poorly.
• All in all, I am satisfied with this organization as a place to work.
• Respect for the individual is reflected in my management team’s decisions/actions.
• I am confident that I will be treated fairly.• This organizations retains talented, contributing people.
• I can report unethical practices without fear of reprisal.
The High Risk and Huge Cost of Silence“nearly half of executive teams lack the information they need to manage effectively because employees withhold vital input out of fear that doing otherwise will reflect poorly on them. …can cripple a company’s ability to identify and respond to internal and external threats…companies rated by their employees in the top quartile in terms of openness of communication have delivered 10 year Total Shareholder Return (TSR) of 7.9 percentcompared with 2.1 percent at other companies.”
Conference Executive Board study and survey of 400,000 employees
“47% of staff feel free to question the decisions or actions of those with more authority…"the data tell us that if any hierarchy is present in the interaction, over 50% of staff will not speak up. This is a serious patient safety issue."
Steve Harden commenting on research from Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
The Independent Impact of Each
If this IS a strength . . . but this isn’t . . .
the probability of being an extraordinary organization: 9%
(A)
Ability to
Execute
(B)Positive Work
Environment
If this is NOT a strength . . . but this IS . . .
the probability of being an extraordinary organization: 4%
(A)
Ability to
Execute
(B)Positive Work
Environment
The Independent Impact of Each
The Combined Impact
If these are BOTH strengths . . .
the probability of being an extraordinary organization: 4% + 9% 13%
(A)Ability toExecute
(B)Positive Work
Environment
Management Systems and Processes
The Performance Triangle
Technical/Clinical Expertise
Leadership
Managing Things and Leading PeopleManagement
People Feelings Heart Persuasion Power Commitment Possibility Thinking Proactive Doing the Right Things Values Vision Stoke Fire Within Verbal Communications Innovation
Leadership
The Leader’s Digest, Jim Clemmer
Processes FactsHead Position Power Control Problem Solving ReactiveDoing Things Right RulesGoals Light Fire UnderWritten Communications Standardization
Finding the Right Balance
Technical/Clinical
Management
Leadership
100% 100%
Is Now %
Should Be %
Strengths‐Based Leadership: A Powerful and Empowering New
Developmental Approach
Leading In Turbulent Times
Evidence‐Based Medicine“The use of scientific data to confirm that proposed diagnostic or therapeutic procedures are appropriate in light of their high probability of producing the best and most favorable outcome.”
The Need for Evidence‐Based Leadership Development
• Over 121,000 books with “leadership” in the title at Amazon – how many others don’t have that word in their title?
• Over 343,000 Google hits on “leadership books.”
• A flood of theories, opinions, thesis papers, inspiration, training programs, frameworks, styles, models, tools…
Leadership…by the Numbers
LeadershipBy Examples and Experience
Leadership
It’s Art! It’s Science! It’s Spiritual!
LeadershipIt’s a Secret...
LeadershipIt’s centered, on something . . .
LeadershipIt doesn’t take a genius . . .
LeadershipThe ultimate authority . . .
The Original Research Base• Two years researching the impact of leadership performance and the key behaviors great leaders demonstrate.
• Data set of 200,000 evaluations on 20,000 people.• Contrasted the highest‐performing 10% to the lowest‐performing 10%.
• The data conclusively demonstrates: leadership effectiveness can be measured and is strongly correlated to performance outcomes
16 competencies most differentiate the extraordinary leaders from everyone else
building on existing strengths is the most effective approach to development
Differentiating Competencies
•Communicates Powerfully and Prolifically
•Inspires and Motivates Others to High Performance
•Builds Relationships
•Develops Others
•Collaboration and Teamwork
•Develops Strategic Perspective
•Champions Change
•Connects the Group to the Outside World
•Drives for Results
•Establishes Stretch Goals
•Takes Initiative
Leading Change
Focus on Results
Interpersonal Skills
•Technical/Professional Expertise
•Solves Problems and Analyzes Issues
•Innovates
•Practices Self‐Development
Personal Capability
•Displays High Integrity and Honesty
Character
Leadership experienced
every day on the job
One variable emerged as the best predictor of employee engagement, satisfaction, and commitment
Searching for the Keys to Employee Engagement, Satisfaction, and Commitment
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0Employee
Satisfaction/En
gagemen
t/Co
mmitm
ent P
ercentile
Overall Leadership Effectiveness
1st‐9th
11th‐19th
20th‐29th
30th‐39th
40th‐49th
50th‐59th
60th‐69th
70th‐79th
80th‐89th
90th‐100th
Leadership Effectiveness and Employee Engagement/Satisfaction/Commitment
46
Based on 23,800 Leaders
Poor LeadersCreate
Dissatisfaction
Great LeadersMake a GreatDifference
Good Leaders Have a
Mediocre Impact
Extraordinary leaders have much higher retention rates.
19
14
9
02468
101214161820
Bottom 30% Middle 60% Top 10%
The Impact of Leadership Effectiveness on Turnover
Average Pe
rcen
t Turno
ver
Poor Leaders Good Leaders Great Leaders
Percent of Employees that “Think about Quitting”
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
1st -9th
10th -19th
20th -29th
30th -39th
40th -49th
50th -59th
60th -69th
70th -79th
80th -89th
90th -100th
% of E
mployees in Work Group
s
That “Th
ink ab
out Q
uitting”
Leadership Effectiveness Percentile
Impact of Leadership Effectiveness on a Safe Work Environment
Bottom 10 Percentile
11th – 35thPercentile
36th – 65thPercentile
66th – 90thPercentile
Top 10Percentile
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0Safe W
ork Environm
ent (Pe
rcen
tile)
19
4250
5967
Leadership Effectiveness
Leadership Effectiveness vs. Satisfaction with Pay and Job Security
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
65
70
1st - 9th 10th -19th
20th -29th
30th -39th
40th -49th
50th -59th
60th -69th
70th -79th
80th -89th
90th -100th
Satisfaction with
Com
pany
Pay &
Job Security
Leadership Effectiveness Percentile
Fixing Weaknesses!
What Does Performance Improvement Mean to Most People?
“You cannot build performance on weaknesses. You can build only on strengths. To focus on weakness is not only foolish; it is irresponsible. It is a misuse of a human resource, what a person cannot do is a limitation and nothing else.”
Peter Drucker (1909 – 2005), author of 39 books and hundreds of articles on leadership, management, and organization effectiveness. Widely considered to be the father of “modern management.”
• Positive emotion
• Engagement
• Relationships • Meaning
• Accomplishment.
Being in a state of mental health is not merely being disorder free; rather it is the presence of flourishing.”
The Power of Focusing on Strengths
a strategic partner of
The Power of Focusing on Strengths
a strategic partner of
What if the teacher had asked them to write down
weaknesses and improvement suggestions?
• Why do most performance reviews focus on fixing weaknesses rather than leveraging strengths?
• What’s the lingering effect?
a strategic partner of
Weaknesses Strengths
Power‐based command and control
Inspiring shared leadership
Catch people doing things wrong Catch people doing things right
Indifference and apathy Energized and engaged
Focus on fixing what’s wrong
See the worst in people
Leverage/build on what’s right
Bring out the best in people
Push and punish Pull and coach
What’s Your Culture Anchored In?
"...the path to greatness is really about building profound strengths, rather than through relentlessly focusing on one's weaknesses.”
Michael A. Peel, Vice President, Human Resources and Administration
Building Strengths is the Only Way to Become an Exceptional Leader/Performer
1. Think of the best leader/performer you’ve ever worked with…………
2. Did he or she possess any weaknesses?
3. Was he or she above average on all competencies?
4. Did he or she possess some profound strengths?
Focusing Development on Weaknesses Works Well When. . .
Lead
ership Com
petencies
. . . People Have Fatal Flaws
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Fatal Flaws & NoProfound Strengths
18
Ove
rall
Lead
ersh
ip E
ffec
tive
nes
s (P
erce
nti
le)
1 2 3 4 5
P
O
N
M
L
K
J
I
H
G
F
E
D
C
B
A
Strong negative data on an issue can cripple a person’s
leadership effectiveness
You don’t have to be a superhero to be an extraordinary leader.
Extraordinary leaders are distinguished by existence of a few profound strengths, not the absence of weaknesses
0
20
40
60
80
100
0 1 2 3 4 5
34
6472
8189 91
Average Pe
rcen
tile ScoreOverall
Leadership Effectiveness
Our Research Shows Strengths‐Based Development is Most Effective
Number of Profound Strengths(Competencies at the 90th percentile or higher)
Pre‐test Post Test
+26+12
* Fixing weaknesses excludes those fixing fatal flaws
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0*Fixed Weaknesses Built Strengths
Percen
tile
54
66
56
82Why does focusing on strengths more than
double improvement?
A Strengths Focus Doubles Improvement Rates
“We have seen that people are much more successful when we focus on improving their natural leadership strengths while minimizing their weaknesses."
Stephen K. Wiggins, EVP, Chief Information Officer, Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina; coauthor, Picasso on a Schedule
“…their research caused us to rethink our performance management philosophy. We revamped our process to orient it more toward building employees' strengths. The results have been remarkable…The biggest change has been in the energy people have for the performance management process. It is now something that most employees look forward to. How many companies can say that?"
Mary Settle, Vice President of Human Resources, BARD Access Systems
Give me your card for a follow up e‐mail:
• A copy of my slides.• White papers, articles and blogs related to this morning’s topics.
• Links to webinars and other resources.
The most valuable insights/approaches I am taking away
from this session are….
Reflections
a strategic partner of
“The effective executive makes strengths productive….one cannot build on weaknesses.Strengths are the true opportunities. to make strength productive is the unique purpose of the organization.It cannot overcome the weaknesses with which each of us in endowed, but it can make them irrelevant.Organizations must feed the opportunities and starve the problems.”
Peter Drucker (1909 – 2005), author of 39 books and hundreds of articles on leadership, management, and organization effectiveness. Widely considered to be the father of “modern management”
Elbert Hubbard, American writer and publisher
“People who want milk should not seat themselves on a stool in the middle of a field in hope that a cow will back up to them”
