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How to Lead
at Any LevelRESPECT
Copyright Caswell Corporate Coaching Company
Adapted from the CCCC Practical MBA
Leadership is about convincing and motivating people to
cooperate in a course of action
Leadership applies to every interaction you have with other
people
Up, down or with your peers
LEADERSHIP
Bad/Lazy leadership avoids the ef for t involved in convincing and motivating others
It is based on cooperation by fear “Do what I say or else …”
It relies on employment contracts, social norms, status, position or authority
These inhibit the follower from exercising the choice to cooperate or not
It is inherently disrespectful of others
Lazy leaders don’t care about the ideas of others.
BAD LEADERSHIP
Without cooperation, leadership is impotent, pointless and
foolish
“I would like to see anyone, prophet, king or God, convince a
thousand cats to do the same thing at the same time.” (Neil Gaiman)
COOPERATION
Cooperation makes things
work. Lack of cooperation
makes things fail
We are a company of people
cooperating towards a
shared mission/vision
Working in cooperation, we
can move mountains!
COOPERATION
Understand it
Why do people cooperate?
What prevents people from cooperating?
Learn how to foster and strengthen it
How can you as a leader make people cooperate?
How can you get the most cooperation from people?
BUILDING COOPERATION
Because they choose to
Seems like a truism but it is important to recognize that cooperation
is a choice, not an obligation
Because humans are wired to help
It is in our nature to cooperate because cooperation helps us survive
We are rewarded by the positive experience
WHY DO PEOPLE COOPERATE?
People don’t cooperate when they feel threatened
Misunderstandings
Insults
Lack of clarity
Defensive body language
Negative tone of voice
Posturing
Rank or hierarchy
Things that are different than expected
It doesn’t take much
WHY DO PEOPLE NOT COOPERATE?
When attacked, threatened – we react fast
Don’t think, MOVE!
Our brains are wired this way
Brain 1: don’t think, just react
Brain 1: Logic – takes a lazy back seat most of the time
Negative emotions jump to the fore
Brain 1 triggers a host of physiological changes
Prepares for fight or flight
Fear, anger
SURVIVAL IS CRITICAL
The biggest computer in the world!
A movie of your life with:
Pictures
Sound
Smells
Emotions
Thoughts arise out of Brain One without our knowing it:
How did you know where to come for this meeting?
How did you recognize the person across the table?
What is 2+2?
Remembering something you saw 20 years ago
BRAIN 1: THE COMPUTER
Loaded with all your accumulated experience
One look and you know if its good
One look and you know if its ready
One look and you know if it has value
One look and you make a judgement
Forms an answer in a fraction of a second
About things we know
Draws on our immense brain power
We don’t have to sift through a bunch of files
The answer just pops out when we need it
BRAIN 1: THE COMPUTER
Isn’t always reliable
We don’t know what we don’t know
Forms and answer with the flimsiest information
Stereotypes get applied with no basis in fact
The son is like the father
All people from that tribe behave the same
Finds patterns and connections that don’t exist
Tries to connect the dots and convinces us that it has the right
answer
“I have a pretty good intuition about these things.”
“I can’t explain it, just trust me on this."
BRAIN 1: THE COMPUTER
Trust me
It intentionally convinces us that we are right even when we do not
know we are right
We ignore details, convinced that we understand the “big picture”.
But details can matter a lot.
We are blind to our errors!
Why?
BRAIN 1: THE COMPUTER
We are wired to react in order to survive
Mouse vs snake
Bricks falling from a building
Screeching brakes
Amygdala of Brain 1 is 100 times faster than logic of Brain 2
A strong emotional and physical response to a threat
The speed of reaction is critical to survival in a chaotic world
SURVIVAL IS CRITICAL
The clunky logic processor
Brain 2 is lazy
Brain 2 prefers that Brain 1 does all the work
Brain 2 is will ing to ignore details if Brain 1 has a reasonable
answer
BRAIN 2: LOGIC
Example:
Steve is a very shy and withdrawn, invariably helpful but with very
little interest in people or the world.
A meek and tidy soul, he has a need for order and structure and a
passion for detail.
Is Steve more likely to be a librarian or a farmer?
BRAIN 2 WORKING WITH BRAIN 1
Is Steve more likely to be a librarian or a farmer?
Brain One quickly associates the characteristics of Steve as similar
to many librarians.
Brain Two is not called on, so it leaves well enough alone.
However, some people will pause and reflect
i.e. call upon Brain Two
Brain Two will say that farmers outnumber librarians 100 to 1, so on
any probability scale, Steve is more likely to be a farmer.
AND BRAIN TWO WILL BE RIGHT.
BRAIN 2 WORKING WITH BRAIN 1
Brain 1 often fails so try to answer the following questions
with logic instead. Is Brain 2 being lazy?
BRAIN 2 WORKING WITH BRAIN 1
How many animals of each kind did Moses take
into the Ark?
ANSWER WITH LOGIC
Pick up a scarf with one end in each hand. Now tie a
knot in the scarf without letting go of the ends. Can
you do it?
ANSWER WITH LOGIC
A bat and ball cost ₦1100 and the difference between
them is ₦1000. How much does each cost?
ANSWER WITH LOGIC
Lily pads on a lake double their area each day. They
cover the lake in 48 days. How long do they take to
cover half the lake?
ANSWER WITH LOGIC
It takes 5 machines 5 minutes to make 5 widgets. How
long does it take 100 machines to make 100 widgets?
ANSWER WITH LOGIC
If we have a great concern, Brain 1 invokes Brain 2. In that
case it is Brain 2 that can let us down.
We begin with a great idea (from Brain 1) and are about to institute
it, but we have some ‘nagging’ concerns.
So we invoke Brain 2 to think it through.
But many times, this slows the process down or even halts a good
idea or action from ever happening – Analysis Paralysis
BRAIN2 WORKING AGAINST BRAIN 1
Why we have lost is because Brain 1 drew on not just an idea,
but thousands if not millions bits of data residing in your
brain. Brain 2, however, was trying to sort it all out – but that
is not possible for our Brain 1’s processing is far too complex.
The challenge is to know if Brain One is working from
knowledge or merely connecting dots.
Example: Athletes lose ability to play because they are ‘over -
thinking’.
“Just play your game”, says the Coach.
BRAIN2 WORKING AGAINST BRAIN 1
We are susceptible to systematic error
We don’t know it and we won’t believe it despite all the evidence
around us every day
We live in a world where passion leads more than logic
Just look at the stories in the newspaper
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
Poor decisions
Can you point out
Dumb decisions in TCN, TSP or your department?
Dumb decisions in politics?
Dumb decisions regarding professional athletes?
We will have poor decisions unless we introduce some forced
logic into the process
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
Emotions trump logic
Emotions always dominated because survival must always dominate
Emotions are natural, largely uncontrollable human dimension
Cooperation stops or is reduced in the face of protective emotions
THE GREATEST MANAGEMENT SECRET
Neutralize “natural” defensive emotions if we are to cooperate
more
There are specific things we can do:
Be aware and think about your reactions to every situation
Learn how to diffuse emotions and get back to the logic phase
Stop blaming and criticizing which only stirs up emotions
In short – use respect
FOSTERING COOPERATION THEN?
Respect is the essential framework for guiding people
Respect is
Appreciating that the people around you have different thoughts and
values
Allowing those people to cherish those thoughts without censure in
any form whatsoever
About NOT springing other peoples’ defensive emotions into action
RESPECT
Respect fosters cooperation
Through cooperation, things get done
The logical way
The correct way
The successful way
RESPECT
There are things you can do that are within your control
There are things that can be done in a group setting – a
“respect system”
HOW TO RESPECT
Three things you can do:
Avoid the use of the word “you” in a problem situation
Don’t blame; just state the problem
Start the solution with “we” or, preferably, with “I”
This isn’t about right or wrong. Its about not triggering
negative emotions in the other person. Their negative
emotions will work against you (poor/ineffective leadership).
RESPECT IN YOUR CONTROL
An absolute “no -no”
Blame is a sure fire way of triggering negative emotions – it is an
attack
Don’t blame people even when they are obviously guilty
Your role in the blame game
It lifts your own ego and self-esteem
Better to take some of the blame yourself
Do you want a result?
If yes, keep blame out of the picture
BLAME
Emotions are normal
We just want the positive ones
Conflict is also normal and essential
We all have different ideas, perspectives and interests
As soon as feelings enter a discussion it becomes emotional
Negative emotions prevent getting at real issues
We need to take steps to prevent escalation of emotions by diffusing
them
Diffusing emotions is the first priority for the leader that
wants results
DEFUSING EMOTIONS
As soon as emotions occur in a discussion
Recognize the emotions as real and address the underlying issue
Control your own reactions
Increase your own Emotional Intelligence
Read about it
You can choose how to react rather than blindly lashing out
Avoid blame and counter attack
An eye for an eye will only make you both blind
Get back to the facts and away from emotions
Understand and address the fears of the other person’s personality/character type
Don’t be afraid to say no. Being nebulous or misleading when you don’t want to say no is passive aggressive and rarely helpful
Always provide an escape clause so the listener doesn’t feel trapped
Being trapped triggers defensive reactions and resentment
Allow people to say no with ease. You will find they will often rather cooperate
STEPS TO DEFUSING EMOTIONS
Bad
“Here are some
corrections”
Corrections suggest error
(blame)
Corrections suggest
control (trapped)
Better
“Here are some
suggestions”
Suggestions are helpful
Suggestions can be
ignored (no trap)
DIFFUSING EMOTIONS EXAMPLE
Type Is described as a … Whose biggest fears are …
PProducer, who is driven, direct, in
a hurry and sometimes hard on
people
That it won’t get done, that P will have
to take on the job in order to ensure it
gets done
AAnalyzer, who is careful, cautions,
thorough, orderly, analytical,
organized and logical
Of chaos, risk and disorder, or having to
clean up the mess afterwards
VVisionary, who has a vision of
things being better, newer and
who is creative and full of ideas
Of not being recognized, of not getting
credit or special honours. Also fear of
being constrained
FFriend, who cares deeply about
people, driven to help others, is
empathetic and consults people
to get their cooperation
Of not belonging. Also fear of
alienating anyone or of having conflict.
TREAT THE FEAR OF THE PERSONALITY
The greatest secret: emotions trump logic all the time
Emotions can be dif fused by respect
There is a process and a skill involved
Cooperation can force logic to the fore
Respect is the mechanism to achieve results through
increased cooperation
SUMMARY
The seven key motivators
1. To be in control of decisions, which fall within a person’s own domains
2. To be appreciated in their personal environments or on the job, as indicated by the people important to them, especially their partners, parents or bosses, listening to them
3. To feel that in their work, they are contributing to something worthwhile in the grand scheme of things
4. To achieve success in what they are doing
5. To move, upon achieving that success, to tasks of increasing complexity or variation, i.e. to learn
6. To feel that they are growing from that learning
7. To be allowed to make mistakes, since mistakes create the deepest learning imprint (allowing mistakes permits people to take the risk to open new doors)
Respect is ensuring that al l of the above conditions occur for those who interact with you, who associate or repor t to you or otherwise.
RESPECT AND HUMAN BEHAVIOUR
As clear as 1, 2, 3
1. We must clearly understand the differences between people and
how they affect each individual’s chosen behaviour
2. Success at work depends on aligning the character with the job
3. Any group of individuals will have a resulting, predictable,
collective way of doing things based on combining the
personalities of the individuals
RESPECT AND HUMAN BEHAVIOUR
Four Personality Types
PProducer, who is driven, direct,
in a hurry and sometimes hard
on people
AAnalyzer, who is careful,
cautions, thorough, orderly,
analytical, organized and
logical
VVisionary, who has a vision of
things being better, newer and
who is creative and full of ideas
FFriend, who cares deeply about
people, driven to help others, is
empathetic and consults
people to get their cooperation
Every individual is different
Most people are dominant in one or two but may have a bit of all of the traits
PAVF
The traits have inherent conflicts so people with different traits will have interpersonal conflicts
Positively managing conflicts is important
INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES
People
PProducer, who is driven, direct,
in a hurry and sometimes hard
on people
AAnalyzer, who is careful,
cautions, thorough, orderly,
analytical, organized and
logical
VVisionary, who has a vision of
things being better, newer and
who is creative and full of ideas
FFriend, who cares deeply about
people, driven to help others, is
empathetic and consults
people to get their cooperation
Important to find a fit
Important for jobs to
match personalities
For happiness
For good performance
Selection of new hires
should be based on the
fit
Don’t hire a P to do an A
job
MATCHING CHARACTER TO JOBS
Follows the character of its people and culture
Balance of PAVF is the goal but the focus depends on the stage of the
company and what it needs
Since no one has all characteristics in sufficient balance, we
have to work as a group and encourage group efforts
Decisions formed in meetings
Action taken by teams
THE BEHAVIOUR OF A GROUP
EVOLUTION OF AN ORGANIZATION
WOOING
(PAV F)
BABY
(PAVF)
TODDLER
(PAV F)
TEENAGER
(PAV F)
EXCELLENCE
( PAVF )
CONTENTMENT
(PA VF)
NOBILITY
(PA VF)
SCAPEGOAT
(PA _F)
SLUGGISHNESS
(_ A _ _)
DEATH
(_ _ _ _)
FLIPPANT
(_ _ V _)
CRIB DEATH
(P _ _ _)
EGO TRAP
(P _ V _)
PREMATURE
NOBILITY
(PA VF)
UNFULFILLED
VISIONARY
(PAV F)
PEAK PERFORMANCE
NO PERFORMANCE
GROWING DYING
A – analysis, bureaucracy, process based
Doesn’t exist in a start -up but grows to dominate and hangs in to the
bitter end
V – vision, creativity, innovation, change for the better
Required at the beginning but once A starts to dominate V, the
company is in decline
The leaders’ task
fight to maintain the balance of PAVF
TREND OF A & V
Work in teams of dif ferent people
Accept conflict but diffuse the emotions (respect)
Fight the bureaucracy
Develop simple, quick processes
Review and change old processes
Delegate effectively
Support V
LISTEN: V is about listening to others
Stakeholders, Board but most importantly the staff
Support creativity and innovation
Allow mistakes
Drive change and corporate learning
MAINTAINING BALANCE
Force logic into the system
Meetings are the best tool
Learn how to hold painless meetings
For routine business
To solve problems
Make meetings a safe environment
Control the emotions
Use meetings to listen
Keep minutes
Record actions
Follow-up
WORKING IN TEAMS
Recal l the key mot ivators
1. To be in control of decisions, which fall within a person’s own domains
2. To be appreciated in their personal
environments or on the job, as indicated by the people important to them , especially their partners, parents or bosses,
listening to them3. To feel that in their work, they are contributing to something worthwhile in the grand
scheme of things
4. To achieve success in what they are doing
5. To move, upon achieving that success, to tasks of increasing complexity or variation, i.e. to learn
6. To feel that they are growing from that learning
7. To be allowed to make mistakes, since mistakes create the deepest learning imprint (allowing mistakes permits people to take the risk to open new doors)
LISTENING
Listening Programs
Find ways to seek comments from all staff
Anonymous methods help
Suggestion boxes
Publically address every comment and your response
Meetings
Attendance should cut across levels, including lower levels
Straight talk – allow subordinates to speak their minds
Be able to demonstrate that you listened and that you heard and
reacted
Remember: Listening is a key motivator and a critical
leadership tool
LISTENING
The enemy
We’ve always done it this way (but I can’t remember why – loss of V)
Are we still using NEPA or PHCN forms?
I need to cover my backside (scapegoat) so I’ll hide in processes
Avoiding blame and fault is more important than reasons (loss of V) or
achieving results (loss of P)
Entitlement without reason
There is no reason for it (no V) but I’m entitled
FIGHT BUREAUCRACY
Support the V
Every process needs a reason why it exists
When the reason no longer makes sense, change the process
Focus on results – That is what we are paid to do
Accountability for results not process
A perfect process that doesn’t deliver results is a signal of corporate death
Feedback to staff
Regular performance monitoring is very important
Listen
V comes as ideas but most often as complaints
Don’t shut out the complainers – embrace them and react!
Support listening with systems and processes
Listening isn’t consistent or doesn’t happen otherwise
FIGHT BUREAUCRACY
Leadership is about cooperation
Cooperation requires respect
Respect people by providing the seven motivators
Emotions trump logic all the time
Work in balanced teams
Fight bureaucracy & support the vision
Listen!
CONCLUSION