We all know that organizational hierarchies generate tension between those on top and those at lower levels. However, we also know (based on ample empirical data) that many organizations and their leaders fail to effectively deal with this tension and keep it from turning into resentment and opposition. Addressing the issue of hierarchical tension requires a serious commitment to open and candid communication on a regular basis. Consider the following story.
A successful leader, who we had worked with, was being actively recruited for a position on the senior executive team of a major corporation. As part of interviewing process, she had the opportunity to speak with each member of the senior team. To her surprise, each of the CEO’s direct reports had anxiously counseled her on “what” and “what not” to say to the CEO. Needless to say, she was very concerned about what she’d heard and experienced. She did not want to be part of a senior team that focused more on posturing and politics than on achieving real results, but she also really wanted the job. When she finally sat down with the CEO, she chose to be completely open and candid, “I have been coached and counseled on ‘what’ and ‘what not’ to say in this interview by every member of your team.” After pausing a moment, she continued, “Is that what you want and expect from the members of your senior team? Because if it is, I’m not sure I want the job.” The CEO looked at her long and hard before he responded, “No, it’s not how I want this team or this organization to operate…let’s talk about how you can help me change it.”
She did take the job and together they did change the culture by creating a genuinely open and candid environment where concerns were easily discussed, opinions were always respected, ideas were vigorously debated, and judgments were never passed prematurely or inappropriately. To learn more about how to create a truly open and candid work environment, join our Accountability Community at www.ozprinciple.com, where you can review the accounts of actual leaders and organizations.
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The more experience you acquire, the harder it is to challenge your assumptions and biases, unless you make it a daily practice to clear your mind, your heart, and your routines of every idea, belief, or practice that is no longer facilitating or accelerating the achievement of your desired results. The success and sustainability of your organization depends on it.
Failure to do so can lead to disastrous results. Kmart is a case in point. The discount retailer built a powerful brand only to see it taken over by Target and Walmart. Holding on to basic assumptions and biases about low prices, product quality, store location, and marketing were not enough to save the one-time $40 billion retailer from massive layoffs, store closings, and bankruptcy. When competitors such as Target, Walmart, Sam’s Club and Costco changed the game, built stronger brands, and developed clearer marketing messages, Kmart just kept doing the same old things because, after all, it had been the first mover in the market. Big mistake. If Kmart executives had been willing to challenge their assumptions and biases, they may have been able to improve their powerful brand instead of resting on past success. They may have been able to embrace new technology instead of giving in to the resistance of employees. They may have been able to focus their marketing strategy instead of letting it bounce all over the place. They may have been able to manage cash flow instead of letting profits dwindle year after year.
Know yourself. Understand your strengths and weaknesses. Develop the humility to surround yourself with people who are better and brighter than you are, people willing to challenge you and your assumptions and biases. The major reason for business failure is poor management, caused by leaders who did not recognize their weaknesses and did not seek help from those whose strengths could have helped. To learn more about how to keep yourself Above The Line by constantly challenging your assumptions and biases, join our Accountability Community at www.ozprinciple.com, where you can review the accounts of actual leaders and organizations.
Above The Line and Accountability Community are both registered trademarks of Partners In Leadership Inc.
Some of you may remember the last time we addressed this topic in our blog. No Excuses Deadlines, a.k.a. NEDs, are deadlines that must be met along the path to fulfilling a key expectation. Whenever failure to deliver on a key expectation is not an option, NEDs become invaluable. To utilize NEDs effectively, everyone along your Expectations Chain must accept the key expectation, believe in it, and share responsibility for making it happen. Once there is clarity and commitment around the key expectation, you can employ NEDs to make sure milestones and deadlines are met along the way.
Take a minute and think about a time in your life when you were part of a team or Expectations Chain that effectively applied NEDs to successfully deliver on a key expectation. Deconstruct the experience in your mind. Was the key expectation or desired outcome clearly understood by everyone involved? Did everyone demonstrate accountability and ownership for making it happen? What did you do when an individual or group along the Expectations Chain began to falter or seemed to be in jeopardy of not delivering their needed contribution? Were the NEDs clearly established, constantly discussed, regularly monitored, and consistently met? How did you feel when the expectation was successfully met? Contrast that feeling with a time when you didn’t deliver on a key expectation. How did the people on your team and along the Expectations Chain feel after failing to meet the expectation?
Remember, real change and true success begins with a statement of what you (individually or as an organization) want to have happen. Stating your expectation, and making it as accurate as possible, helps you to clarify the outcome you need to achieve. When you add NEDs to your key expectations, it means no excuses will be accepted for failure to delivery on specified milestones and deadlines. To learn more about how to effectively establish and fulfill key expectations through our Accountability Sequence process, join our Accountability Community at www.ozprinciple.com, where you can review the accounts of actual companies.
Expectations Chain, Accountability Sequence, and Accountability Community are registered trademarks of Partners In Leadership Inc.
