Culminating in last Saturday’s election, Singaporeans from all walks of life, representing the full range of political views and associations, have recently taken part in an unprecedentedly open and passionate debate about who their leaders would be. While the PAP won a clear majority of votes, it’s also clear that many people aren’t happy with the status quo.

In short: Singaporeans may not yet be ready to change their leaders, but they are ready for their leaders to change.
As coaches to corporate executives across Asia, we have seen this played out many times before. Of course, the context is a bit different: employees don’t get to vote for their CEOs. But their voice is still heard, through the strength (or lack) of their commitment to the leadership team’s strategy and vision. In our experience, when employees don’t commit, it’s usually because they lack a strong connection to their leaders – not because they think the strategy is wrong.

When an organisation’s leaders aren’t competent, then of course they need to be changed – time to call in the headhunters. But what to do when competent leaders are no longer connecting with their key stakeholders? Who helps leaders make that change?

Change is always difficult, but a core premise of coaching is that people are capable of changing and growing, usually more than they suspect. And while coaches don’t know much about politics, we do understand the process that leaders typically go through to create this change. In our experience five steps apply:

1. Awareness: Leaders need to be made aware of their effectiveness with key stakeholders through regular feedback. Politicians do this through research polls and, ultimately, elections. In the corporate world this takes place through stakeholder interviews and 360 degree reviews. Like the ballot box, this process needs to be confidential to allow for genuine and honest input. External agents such as coaches are more likely to confront an executive with the hard realities than are employees who depend on the executive’s continuing support to keep their jobs.
2. Insight: Habitual behaviours that were once a source of success can, in a different context, become problematic. For example, some CEOs see every meeting as a chance for them to show how smart they are – which may have worked well enough on their way up the ladder. But they may not realise the negative impact this has on their senior leadership team. Until they can get insight into their own motivations for acting this way, and can change a core belief (e.g. from “I add value by being the smartest guy in the room” to “I add value by bringing out the best from my team”), they will stay locked into the old way of behaving.
3. Action: People don’t acquire new leadership styles overnight. But most people are able to consciously make small if important changes to how they act. If these lead to better results then these small changes can become stepping stones to a more lasting change.
4. Commitment: Changing behaviour is a lot like losing weight: it’s easy to sustain a diet for a week or two, much harder to create a whole new way of eating. To achieve lasting change leaders need both a deep internal commitment and the committed support of key people around them.
5. Mastering the art of Change: As the Greek philosopher Heraclitus noted, “nothing endures but change…” Today’s corporate leaders are faced with a dizzying array of challenges and a constantly-shifting business environment. So even as they successfully master one behavioural change, new situations arise that challenge them to change in other ways. The truly successful leaders are those who can apply what they’ve learned through the process of adapting and changing to the next set of issues. This is true self-leadership.

When leaders take the view that the change that needs to happen is all external to themselves then failure will be the result. Our experience is that personal and organisational change are inextricably linked. Leaders must be part of the change process, and the commitment they make to changing themselves can set off a transformation in their organisations.

Rob Bier & Mark Powell are Directors of 6:30 Partners in Singapore and associate consultants with Self Leadership International.

From a self-leadership perspective, the answer lies in the question – to change we must change our ‘selves’. ‘Self’  is a matrix of frames of mind which includes our self beliefs and values which make up our ‘identify’ and we tend to conform to our identity. In short you behave to meet your expectations of how your ‘see’ yourself.

Ignoring the philosophical problem of who is the self that sees the self, the key to making a change in behaviour and a resoltion that sticks is to see your self in a new way.

In Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) there is technique known as the SWISH pattern and Positive Psychology has a similar intervention known as Best Possible Self.

The Swish works by imagining yourself as “the you for whom there is no problem”. For example if you procrastinate to exercise, overspend on  your credit card or lack confidence with new people, then you construct a ‘mental image’ of the you that can easily and successfully handle these, and other, situations. Once you have a rich and comprehensive idea of what the ‘new you’ would look like, sound like and feel like, you ‘step into’ this identity and believe and value this as the you that will move into the future.

Best Possible Self is similar with a diary option. 1 ) Imagine yourself in the future. 2) Imagine everything has gone about as well as it could have, and you have gotten most of the things that are important to you. 3) Spend 10 to 20 minutes of free writing describing this person.

You have heard of self-fulfilling prophesy, so why not write the prophesy you want fulfilled? Personally I am going to combine both techniques to ensure my 2011 is my best year ever. What about you?

As Christmas approaches we get time to reflect upon what we have learned from 2009; here are a few things that come to my mind.

It has undoubtedly been a tough year with a global financial meltdown and  H1N1 amongst the challenges we have all faced – so what have we learned?

Most people learn by feedback  or single loop learning; we take action using existing strategies, get a result and if it isn’t what we want we adjust the action and or the strategy in the hope that we get a better result. The events of 2009 need us to question some of the assumptions we have made about the world and business.

Double Loop Learning

Argyris & Schon (1974) proposed double loop learning theory which promotes learning to change underlying values and assumptions. The following diagram explains it.

Personally I had assumed 2009 was going to be pretty much the same as 2008 and that our clients would just keep booking training and coaching – duh!

I soon realised that just because I believed that coaching and training improves engagement, effectiveness and productivity did not mean that my clients would continue to purchase these programs when they were offered the choice, “slash costs or slash head count.”

Now 2009 has not been all bad, as it has caused me to reflect how I can better serve my clients and build programs that deliver more return on investment and more organisational learning. I am happy to report that our earnings this year are equal to last year and we are already have significant bookings for 2010.

“So what!” I hear you cry, “but what about me?” Well here are some Action Learning questions to help you acheive some double loop learning:

• What am I trying to do?
• What is stopping me from doing it?
• What can I do about it
• Who knows what I am trying to do?
• Who else can do anthing to help?

Now if you have a coach or a trusted friend you can get them to ask you:

• How do you feel about what is going on?
• What questions does that raise?
• How would someone you most admire deal with this situation?
• Can you think of three options for action?
• What are the pros and cons of each of these options?
• What first steps are you going to take?

As adults we learn best when we reflect and question what we do and then take action- make sure you spend some time reflecting this holiday season so that you make a difference in 2010.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

]]> http://selfleadership.com/blog/topic/leadership/reflecting-and-leaning-2009-to-2010/feed/ 0 http://selfleadership.com/blog/topic/human_resources/hr-summit-singapore-2009/ http://selfleadership.com/blog/topic/human_resources/hr-summit-singapore-2009/#comments Wed, 29 Apr 2009 02:52:30 +0000 Andrew Bryant, CSP, PCC http://selfleadership.com/blog/?p=884 Self Leadership International is a sponsor of the Singapore Human Resources Summit 2009.

Please come and visit us at our exhibition booth to find out more about our Leadership Development, Executive Coaching and Business Communication programs.

Mark Liew an Executive Coach and Leadership Trainer from our team will be speaking about ‘Creating Behavioural Lasting Change’ in the Corporate Learning Stream.

See you there?

It is a bit like if you were in a boat and have set your course, but the boat springs a leak and you spend your whole time bailing water and have no time to steer.

William Bridges created a model of change and transition that is highly relevant in today’s financial readjustment. When the collapse of Lehman Brothers started the domino effect of the global crisis, many of us would have experienced first shock, then denial, anger and fear. If you lost money or a job you might then experience grief, frustration, confusion, stress and loss of control.

As an executive coach and leadership consultant I have often witnessed this spiraling down into paralysis that Bridges calls the ‘neutral zone’. Symptoms of the neutral zone include ambiguity, anxiety and the absence of motivation. The cure for this paralysis is a new vision of what is possible.

Einstein said that, “A problem cannot be solved with the same level of thinking that created the problem.” When in the neutral zone, we are in a dark place and our ability to think optimistically and see possibilities is severely limited. What is required is a little magic, the magic of imagination. All of human achievement started with imagination, from running a mile in under 4 minutes, to imagining what it would be like on the top of Mount Everest to imagining walking on the surface of the moon.

A vision will inspire, motivate and engender creativity and it starts with using imagination to travel to the future when things will be better. The Executive who asks him/herself, “What is possible?” “What will we be doing when things are better?” To do achieve this we must take time to stop bailing the water in the boat and look to the shore. Most executives find this extremely difficult as they leave themselves little or no time to stop, step back and think strategically.

With a new vision of where you are going, you and your people will become more optimistic, think creatively and start planning actions that will move you towards success.

It was no surprise that Barack Obama beat John McCain; Dr Martin Seligman in his book ‘Learned Optimism’ talks about his analysis of US elections based on the number of positive or optimistic comments made by the candidates. Obama clearly offered a more optimistic view of the future and thus captured the popular vote.

Obama is being called a transformational leader because he:

1. Created a vision that inspired the American voters (and the world) to believe that there were new possibilities.

2. Stimulates people to think, to re-examine their ideas and find creative alternatives. Such an environment breeds imagination and innovation.

3. Treats people as individuals making people feel valued and encouraging them to contribute. He recognizes that people have unique talents, strengths and weakness and allowing for these differences without judgment.

The transformational leader must have what I like to call ‘realistic optimism’ which is a practical and pragmatic approach that is ideally suited to the current climate. Realistic optimism is the mindset that we can make the best of any circumstance; it is the acceptance that bad things do happen but with a healthy self-esteem and the confidence in our abilities we can overcome adversity, learn from the situation and be even better for the experience.

Optimism without right actions and following sound principles will not be enough. Lehman Brothers failed because of over-optimism and the senior management not being in alignment with their own company’s vision and values.

In the current climate it is tempting to focus on immediate need and make tactical rather than strategic decisions; I urge you to step back for a moment, get in touch with your personal or company vision and ask yourself, “Is this decision the right one for the long term?”

Andrew Bryant is the Director of Self Leadership International and is based in Singapore but travels extensively as an executive coach and leadership consultant.

Harvard Business Review (HBR Jan 09) has just published a review of the field of executive coaching and makes some significant points on how to effectively use executive coaching as a self-leadership or business tool.

Coaching used to be used to address toxic behaviours, some of which clearly needed therapy such as narcissism but most of which fall in the category of poor people management. Now coaching is seen as ideal to facilitate the development of high potential employees.

Quoting HBR:

• 48% of coaches surveyed were engaged to coach high potentials or
facilitate a transition.
• 26% to act as a sounding board, and
• 12% to address a derailing behaviour

I was speaking today to a coach in the finance sector who reports that, as organisations have let a large number of older (read more expensive) executives go; the remaining younger managers need help to rapidly upgrade their leadership skills.

Because of the fluid nature of the coaching profession the prevailing question remains, “How to choose the right coach for the right coachee.”

Starting with the coachee – they must really want to be developed and be prepared to take some constructive feedback. Many coachees will pay lip service to the process but are not yet ready to change – a good coach will not take on such a coaching assignment, I know I won’t.

As for the coach, there must be some ‘chemistry’ between the coach and the coachee; after all they are going to spend quite some time together. But this chemistry should be a catalyst for change not a validation of the status quo. As for a buyer guide, according to HBR here are the top reasons for choosing the right coach:

1. Experience coaching in a similar setting 65%
2. Clear methodology 61%
3. Quality of client list 50%
4. Ability to measure ROI 32%

Personally I have experienced numerous ‘interview the coach’ sessions and I agree with HBR’s findings. If you are looking for an experienced executive coach feel free to drop us a line.

At the heart of any change are people, and many people just don’t like change, full stop. A couple of years ago I (Peter Schmedig) was running a change management program for a government department in Australia, and staff were moving from one side of the building to the other, but the anger, frustration and lack of communication created by this seemingly simple move underlines the need to effectively manage people through any change process, not matter how big or small.
Managing change has two aspects to it, and both need to be managed well. Some organisations are very good at one aspect, but fail to understand the need to manage the twin aspects of change.

These twin issues are:

1. Change

Change is really the visible aspect of any change process. It could be moving to new premises, creating a new department, doubling the size of your team, or implementing a new strategic direction. There are many practical concerns with most aspects of change, and organisations often handle things efficiently and rationally in these areas.

2. Transition

Alternatively, imagine you are getting a posting to an overseas location; you would have mixed feelings of excitement and trepidation, you would be nervous about new team you’re joining, but sad to be leaving friends and family behind. This cocktail of emotions that we experience is the key to managing the Transition phase. The stages are predictable, and if handled well will lead to a balanced and highly effective change process, without the resentment, anger and frustration that most experience.

If managers cannot manage the key steps in both the Change and Transition phase the change may be less than successful.

If you are facing a Change Management initiative stay tuned to this blog for more information; or you could contact us at Self Leadership International.