Tag: leadership
Some good news re. Covid 19, but we still need to be cautious
A few people have been asking for my opinion on some of the latest news re. Covid 19.
In summary, we are at last hearing some encouraging comments from some of the experts,
However, we also need calm and reflective leadership right now. People who are aware of the conflicting pressures (and agendas) and are not likely to make any rash decisions.
This video is an extract from Zoom.
Protective factors: caring v passion
Here is the transcript from the latest video about caring v passion.
“Hello. I have made this video because I was talking to some people online earlier on today and we were discussing the protective factors. And if you haven’t heard of those before the protective factors are those things which can essentially help us maintain resilience or even enhance it, those things that when things get tough around us can help protect our psychological well-being and protective factors can be things like exercise, a good diet, a good group of friends around and family that we can discuss things with and a few others, but one protective factor, which I believe is often missed out is connected to the word passion. Now what really made the conversation earlier come alive is that I’ve been reading an article by a professor from Harvard Business School. Jon Jachimowicz and I’ll put a link to the article in the in description to this video and he’s done a lot of research in and around passion and a couple of things that leapt out to me are things that…you probably already know this but sometimes it’s just worth getting that reminder; that passion can be really difficult to find, sometimes passion disappears and yet we’ve all probably seen somebody, a motivational expert talking about, you know, find your passion, and when you do that everything falls into place, I think it’s a great thing if you can find your passion, but that’s the issue. Sometimes it’s tough to do that and sometimes you can find the passion but it’s difficult to find how to earn any money with that passion. Maybe that’s a lack of creativity. Sometimes it is. Sometimes it isn’t, and so what you’ve got to do is do the thing that you’re passionate about and make money another way. What leapt out for me additionally in that article was a little description of how some people frame things in terms of what they want to get out of life what they want to focus on, some people focus on the classic, the passion, do what you love, find what it is that you love and follow that, but other people suggest that what you should do is focus on those things that you care about And follow those in terms of a career and I would add in terms of setting goals. Now it might seem like not much of a distinction initially, but if you think about passion it can be quite fleeting. That’s quite a high-level powerful emotion, but caring, that tends to have more longevity for a lot of people and it tends to be steadier, it tends not to fluctuate as much, imagine the following, I’ll use this little plug here as a prop, imagine somebody says well look, you know, that’s out of date. now. That’s an old School plug. We should recycle it, chuck it out, and I say well no, Surely not because my great great great grandfather gave me this. So I value it. And because I value it it has meaning and so I’m going to protect it. I’m not going to allow it to be thrown out. It’s really important to keep this plug. If you think about that to use that analogy and expand it into the real world, if you think about something that you care about, what does that actually mean? It means that you value it, that it is something that you would protect, that you would strive to enhance, protect as I’ve mentioned, augment, improve, perhaps even it’s something that’s missing and you need to create because you value that which is not there already, or is there in a diminished way. When we set goals in alignment with the thing that we care about that has meaning to us, it essentially gives us meaning and when we move towards that thing that gives us meaning, we schedule, we prepare, we work, that gives us a sense of purpose. So there we have in my opinion another important protective factor, the sense of meaning and purpose, but it’s ignited …it is ignited not by passion alone, although passion can be there, and that’s great if it is …it’s ignited long term by finding those things that we care about and meaning and purpose and moving forward is so important. It’s in a sense of version of that, that idea of not to focus on those things that we can’t control but to focus on those things that we can; if it’s raining outside that’s a change in the weather. What do I do? Find a jacket to put on, that’s a protective factor. I may get a bit wet, but not as much as I would have done without that protection; and I’m not focused on the rain, I’m focused on the task at hand. So we shouldn’t be focused on the rain. We should be focused on the task at hand, those things that we can influence, and make a difference to…all very beneficial for us psychologically. I think it was Martin Luther King Jr. who said, let me paraphrase this slightly…something along the lines of, if you can fly, fly…if you can’t fly run, if you can’t run, walk…if you can’t walk, crawl but whatever you do, you’ve got to keep moving forward. And I think that is so true. We have got to keep moving forward. I had a message from somebody just the other day there who has retired, inverted commas. They have given up a job after a relatively long time and are looking around and wondering what they should do, and they should said to me now I understand why you keep on banging on about meaning and purpose because, I feel like I’m evaporating almost, I’m diminishing I’m drifting. This is not a good feeling. Another example of the need to be moving forward. It’s so crucial for us. And therefore I’d ask you to have a think about what you care about. You might be thinking well, there’s nothing I can do inside work. It may have to be outside work, that’s true. It’s exactly the same for passion. We have to be aware of that, if it’s in work great, but it might not be; but let’s just run with that for a second, suppose you decide that you care about Mental Health but that’s not your role in work, but maybe you care about it. So maybe what you could do is to adopt a role, not an official role, of somebody, who is there, who makes sure that they talk to people, who who really looks out for the emotional tone of the team and the business, and in due course, hopefully you’ll influence other people and help raise and/or maintain it. There would be a way to take something which you cared about, but wasn’t in the job description As I’ve suggested it could also be outside work and that’s absolutely fine. So, what are you going to do about this? Passion? Yep, sure. It maybe I care about and I’m passionate…fine, but try that little exercise out, try out sitting down, having a real think, writing down with a pen and a bit of paper, or typing it, those things that you truly care about. You may already be aligned in terms of your goals, your meaning and purpose in life, to them, but maybe not, maybe you’ll get some insights and maybe you can then set some goals from them, because make no mistake, things will remain different, the ‘New Normal’ may also shift, and it’s been unsettling. It will continue to be unsettled. We have to decide to make sure that we put things in place to look after ourselves in the first instance, so we can look after other people and one of those things is to continually move forward as Martin Luther King suggests and align that movement to those things that we care about because as the passion may wax and wane, the caring is unlikely to, so as the weather changes, improves, gets worse we can hold a steady course, and that’s so important for us. So please have a think. What do you care about? What do you really care about?”
Humility, Honesty, Support
Here is the transcript to the latest video about humility, honesty, and support. A link to the video is below the transcript.
“Hello, well the lockdown continues to
dissolve and that means that for many people for many lucky people.
They are going to head back into a working environment which will be a bit different, the new normal.
And we have to bear in mind though
it’s difficult not to, that this has been a hugely unsettling time for a lot of people.
It’s been a scary time for a lot of people, and for many people it’s been absolutely tragic.
We’ve been reminded about the finiteness of life, the
fragility of life, the fact that life is often not fair.
So what can we do? What can we do that’s positive, what can we take forward with us?
That are lessons learned, that can improve things, or hopefully improve things?
Well, I think there are many things that we can do. But in this short video,
I’m going to focus on three; these three things you may think apply to the leader, or leaders.
Well, yes they do, but I think the one of the lessons that we’ve
learned is that we’re all in this together
and so many people have stepped up to the plate.
Why would we change that? It’s up to everybody to contribute to a culture which is beneficial
because if we have recognized how short
and fragile life can be then shouldn’t it be the case that we would want to create an
environment, a culture that we work within, that is beneficial
and not toxic, because not only do we work there, we live there, we exist there.
It’s crazy to do otherwise, and yet for some of us, we’ve let that creep up on us.
That’s wrong. I think. And I think it’s wrong to expect anything less from leaders than support
and encouragement to create a beneficial,
a nourishing culture and environment; a non toxic environment.
Now not every leader will do that unfortunately,
that’s where we need to all play a role, to demand it of ourselves
and to demand it of other people. So what are these three things?
Well, number one in no particular order is humility. Humility is not of course
allowing people to kick sand in our face on the beach.
Not at all. We all have to be able to defend ourselves, humility is a little bit different from that.
Let me just pull up one little thought about humility.
I’ve pulled a few things from the web
because sometimes these pithy little statements make the point, make the point rather
well, and quite quickly. So humility is the solid foundation of all
the virtues according to Confucius, allegedly.
It is a virtue, that’s what we have to bear in mind.
It’s not a weakness. It’s a virtue. Very important distinction.
One definition of humility; freedom from pride or arrogance.
I think this is the key. We need to ensure that we’re not
allowing arrogance to run riot, with ourselves
or with others, and we need to be focusing on leaders to help
develop them, to dial down that arrogance.
Imagine that you go towards somebody in a position of authority, a manager
or leader, a supervisor, whoever it might
be and you’ve got a proposal
and you know right away that the barriers come down they’ve switched off they may
not even disguise it, or they may pay lip service.
But you know that your proposal your idea is going no further.
What does it do to your motivation? What does it do to your morale, your energy?
Well generally reduces it.
That’s not good. You don’t feel good.
The business doesn’t get to hear your idea or ideas,
but imagine you go in to see a person and they are very curious.
You see arrogance wants to tell, wants to show off
because it’s connected to being egotistical, humility is
curious; humility says, this person may know things
I don’t. In fact
they almost certainly do, so when you go into that individual,
they’re curious. How do they look?
How do they sound? What’s the body language doing?
How do you feel in their presence? Because they have no barrier of arrogance or ego up.
They want to hear what you’ve got to say, what a huge difference
that makes or can make to your motivation and energy. What a huge difference
it can make to the business. And again,
as I say this I know you’re probably thinking well it’s common sense.
And we also know that not everybody does it, so we need to dial that down.
We’ve got to be curious, got to practice humility. Being curious is I think a talent
but it’s also something that reaps such rewards, gives us so many dividends.
Let’s move on. Honesty. Word number two, honesty is crucial.
We need to be honest. We need to be transparent, the flip side of honesty.
We need to, to speak our truth.
We need to encourage others to speak their truth as well.
If we’re honest, if we’re
transparent
that links strongly, is associated strongly with integrity.
It pulls people together there are no hidden agendas people feel
part of the team, it’s such a powerful thing to do.
Sometimes it’s very difficult, to be honest can cause a bit of an explosion initially
but once things settle down then it’s like sunlight.
It’s disinfectant the way forward is clear,
but honesty is not just about being honest and transparent with others, honesty is
also about being honest with ourselves.
Carl Jung quoted here; ‘knowing your own darkness is the best method
for dealing with the darkness of other people’,
what he’s really saying…and Carl Jung has written an awful lot so again I’m still hugely summarizing here.
But my interpretation of what he’s saying is that
when we don’t explore that darker side of ourselves that that that hidden side then we don’t fully
integrate it, if we integrate it we can become really effective, effective members of the team, of
society, that can allow us, that integration, to be more resilient.
It can allow us to stand up and be assertive, to to tell our truth, and that’s really important
but when it’s not integrated it can lurk away in the shadows, and that, according to Carl Jung, can cause us to project onto
other people those things that actually we think are hidden, but we are
actually displaying ourselves.
And you’ve probably seen this. I’ve certainly seen it on many an occasion
where somebody is saying, ‘oh, you did this, you did that.
Look at this. Look at that
And in actual fact you look at this individual and think, my goodness, that’s you!
So we need to be honest with self, and one of the ways that we can do that
is to make sure that we have mentors
and coaches around and it’s a coaching type environment, that
we are developmental focused, with the leader, but with everybody, that it’s a learning
culture
and that we have those honest conversations, at an equal level of respect.
If not, then we can get into this stress area
because with arrogance can come bullying, you probably seen this before
but there’s good stress and bad stress; eustress is that good
stress it allows us to get a bed in the morning.
It can help us get towards our Peak Performance level,
but go beyond it into distress… then again, anxiety, fear, all sorts of things
and performance, and mental health, all affected, not good stuff. Last word…support.
An antidote, perhaps, to arrogance. Supporting other people.
We need to create, as I’ve suggested, a coaching, a learning environment.
We need to reach out to people and make sure that they’re okay.
It’s amazing what we can do, we don’t think we make a difference,
but we do, it’s like a ripple that goes out.
We think we’re not impacting people
because we’re not necessarily the leader, you would be amazed
you would be surprised, people come back to
me and say, ‘what you did a few years ago that really made such a difference’.
I’m glad I did but I didn’t think it made such a difference
and that they’d still be talking about
it. And I can say the same thing about other people who’ve helped me… it can
…and they don’t even know, I’ve told them, but they didn’t even realise! Here’s a quick quote.
’Your life has purpose, your story is important, your dreams count, your voice matters.
You were born to make an impact’.
HUMILITY, HONESTY, SUPPORT”
The B word
Hello
Well, unless you have been deep sea diving in the ocean on one of Saturn’s moons, you have probably heard the B word mentioned. That blend of Britain and exit. Brexit. I’m really sorry to have mentioned it. I’m sorry in so many ways!
Whether your perspective is that of a Remainer, or a Brexiteer, or even if you don’t give a Frexit. I suspect that most people would be able to agree that the ability of politicians to totally disagree, and to spectacularly fail to work together to produce a solution to which the epithet Le petit dejeuner du chien, would be far too much of a compliment.
So many individuals have demonstrated a startling lack of leadership. Of course, who knows what forces are at play behind the scenes. The vast majority of the population have not been privy to the convoluted Machiavellian machinations of parliament, or indeed the EU.
However, what appears to have been demonstrated spectacularly well by many (but not all) is a distinct talent for self-aggrandising, and the ability to provide textbook examples of classic narcissism. Where has the ethical compass been pointing amidst all the posturing?
The theory which gives rise to Deontological ethics suggests that as long as the action taken has followed a predefined set of rules, then all is well, all is ethical, irrespective of the consequences of the action taken.
And I think that many politicians have been following a deontological approach to doing the right thing, deliberately hiding in the matrix of their own party’s or clique’s ideology. Some of the behaviours witnessed do leave the bitter taste of, ‘I was only following orders’. Under present circumstances, that is about as useful as practicing the yoga pose where one’s head is stuffed forcefully into a bucket of sand. It doesn’t look good, and it’s ultimately self-destructive.
Unlike the theory of Deontological ethics, Consequentialism, is a suggested ethical approach which holds that it is the potential consequences of our actions against which me must consider their rightness or wrongness.
Jonathan Haidt, amongst others, posits that ethics are shaped by culture. I don’t think it’s too much of a leap to suggest that a rigid ideology creates a rigid culture. Adopting a deontological approach to an action or ‘stance’, rather than consequential one, can allow certain individuals to claim that they are being ethical, working within expected parameters, when in fact they may actually be behaving in a self-serving way.
Any structure which is too rigid will be destroyed in a storm. We are in the centre of a major storm right now. Instead of witnessing intelligent movement and flex, we are observing a clash of cultures, ideologies, and egos, with certain individuals demonstrating short term, self-centred, point scoring behaviours.
Hello! Consequences?!
If all these disparate forces and opinions are to in any way tessellate in a consequentially ethical way, the real leaders need to step up to the plate. We need need those decent and often self-effacing individuals to be bold and courageous and to do the right thing.
The solution could be found by those leaders (irrespective of party) working together openly, honestly and transparently. However, the rather depressing question is, are there enough of those types of individuals around within the crucible of high political intrigue with its two way mirrors, revolving doors, and escape slides?
On the other hand, as an incentive we could perhaps offer everyone in parliament a one thousand percent pay rise and a guaranteed peerage, if they work together to intelligently solve this national puzzle. That way we’d probably have everything sorted out the day after tomorrow. However, that’s probably an exceptionally cynical thought. I do hope so.
Best wishes
Mike
A lack of Trust
I read with some dismay the BBC report about Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust (SaTH), which is already in special measures, but has now been rated inadequate by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Several things about the report were both shocking and anger-inducing in equal measure.
1) “Staff at a hospital trust being investigated over baby deaths say there is a ‘culture of bullying and harassment’”.
That’s a tough sentence to read. What the heck has been going on? A hospital being investigated for baby deaths, and claims of a culture of bullying and harassment!
2) “Emergency and maternity services at its two hospitals were deemed unsafe”.
Two rather important services (to say the least) are deemed to be the antithesis of what they should be!
3) “Trust chief executive Simon Wright said: ‘You cannot be unaffected by a report like this’”.
I believe that that sentence falls into the category of ‘understatement’. A very large understatement.
4). “Inspectors also said as well as the bullying and harassment claims they ‘found a culture of defensiveness from the executive team’”.
Defensiveness?! Not, openness? Not, ‘how can we help you get to the bottom of this?’. Not, ‘please ask us anything’.
5) “Staff felt they were not listened to and were sometimes fearful to raise concerns or issues, there was low morale among staff and high levels of stress and work overload”.
When people suffer from stress and are fearful, that tends to be not good for their health and can often result in suboptimal thinking and problem solving, which given the demands and complexity of treating patients, strongly implies that the culture (at least in some parts of the Trust) was putting patients (and staff) at risk. The tragic circumstances which prompted the inspection and report, appear to add weight to that conclusion.
6) “The report is stark in its denunciation of the current management – not all of them have the ‘right skills and abilities’ to provide ‘high-quality sustainable care’”.
A couple of things leap out here. Firstly, one of the primary roles of a manager is to be aware of ‘skill gaps’ (self and others) and to take steps to fill any ‘skill gaps’ (self and others). At best, this looks like a lack of self-awareness coupled with a liberal sprinkling of incompetence. In fact in this instance, it’s incompetence about incompetence.
Secondly, the word ‘ability’, used in this context, implies to me something wider than skill, and that by inference that would probably include the ability to actually manage and lead.
What sorts of behaviours should we expect to see if a leader or a manager was actually displaying a level of ability commensurate with doing that job well?
I’d suggest that those behaviours would probably not tend to have any causal link to the following finding from the report:
“Staff did not feel valued, supported or appreciated by senior staff”.
It’s also unlikely that competent leadership and management would inculcate a culture which, as reported by one nurse, resulted in, “junior staff frightened to raise concerns or questions for fear of being labelled troublemakers”.
Something has gone terribly wrong here. Whilst it’s impossible to say at this juncture who is responsible (without more information) it does appear to be the case that there has not only been the aforementioned skill gap, as well as an ability gap, but also that that ability gap includes a lack of some of thee most basic behaviours that the vast majority of sane people would expect from a leader, and that those behaviours may have helped prevent at least some of these tragic events from unfolding.
A list of expected behaviours would include:
Being honest
Being humble
Taking responsibility
Respecting others
Caring about others
Developing others
Much of what I have written here is conjecture. However, I cannot help but feel that some sense of doing the right thing has been lost in the complex warp and weave of the culture of this Trust, and that it was lost by the very individuals who were most needed to maintain it.
Hopefully at least some good will come out of this. Learning from, and never repeating these mistakes would be something.
It seems to me that we must pay at least as much attention to the character of those in positions of power and influence as we do to whatever skills and knowledge they may have.
Mike
Leaders or Pirates
The new year. A time of contemplation. A time when we often think about doing things differently. I wonder what might be worth doing differently in this new year? Well, amongst some other things, I believe that there is still an awful lot to do in the area of leadership development.
Last month Sir Brian Souter, co-founder of Stagecoach (the bus company, not Wells Fargo) warned that too many large companies are run by ‘control freaks’ and that their outlook affected long term business growth.
Sir Brian! How ungallant.
In the same newspaper article, he was also reported as saying, ‘the more emperors we have the more staid our growth will be for the longer term…entrepreneurs need to be encouraged…there needs to be a fiscal system to do that which is simpler than the one currently in place…some people are terrified to do anything in case it affects their share price’. (A link to the complete article can be found at the bottom of the newsletter).
Let’s consider one of the main points he appears to be making.
Bosses who are control freaks stifle business growth.
Have you ever had a boss like that? You would certainly recognise the signs if you had. These signs include the following:
You need to run all your ideas past them first – welcome to kindergarten.
Innovation and creativity can be permitted only on their say so, and even if others are allowed to be creative and innovative, the kudos for the idea may not ultimately be allowed to remain with the originator(s) – how motivating.
The general atmosphere around them feels tense, restrictive, overbearing – how energising.
People are generally nervous and fearful for their jobs – how relaxing.
Any element of humour has got to be of the correct type and may also only be deemed humour if the boss deems it to be – how depressing.
It’s an open secret that must not be said out loud (a bit like Volderm…oops) but you know, and you know that everyone else knows, that everyone is essentially working towards making sure that the boss’s impending bonus is paid in full so that their latest exotically located Caribbean holiday property can be purchased, along with the prerequisite monogrammed carpets for the driveway, Ultra HD 4K TVs on the floor of the swimming pool, and gold satin waistcoats for the kangaroo butlers – how inspiring, but perhaps only for the kangaroos.
Now being a control freak does not necessarily run hand in hand with having ostentatious and self-indulgent tastes. It does however often run hand in hand with being self-indulgent; self- indulgent in the sense that the control freaks can harbour a belief that the whole enterprise actually revolves around them and is simply there to fulfil their desires for power, prestige, wealth (and sometimes the kangaroos).
What sort of working environment might that type of boss create? Probably pretty grim. The fact that they focused so much on themselves and their own gain, would likely sabotage ultimately the gaining of that gain! Would anyone around them really be giving one hundred percent? One hundred percent in terms of fear, and thinking simply about survival perhaps.
And yet these often apparently smooth (to the investors) operatives pocket the money, tick another box on the CV, and move elegantly and decisively onto the next cash cow with vampiric accuracy, leaving behind them the collateral damage of dashed hopes and shredded nerves.
Imagine the following organisation. The leader laughs. The leader has a sense of humour. That leader can be self-deprecating. Others are encouraged to have fun. Bonuses, if they exist, are more evenly spread. People know at least a little about each other’s families. The leader welcomes and encourages new ideas, and the person who generates the ideas gets the kudos. There are regular celebrations, for the right reasons. The leader mentors and coaches. The leader also understands that sometimes others must lead. There is a high level of transparency. Doors are actually open.
Unrealistic? Of course not, many successful teams work that way and also some organisations. But here’s the secret…it takes effort! It generally doesn’t just happen. And this is where we need a fully developed (as a person) leader! Not a boss. And certainly not a control freak.
Now, importantly in the article, Sir Brian Souter also goes on to acknowledge that ‘the best leaders needed a mix of qualities’. That is very important, for just as the thrust of his argument was that the emperors could stifle growth and tended to be risk averse, I would suggest that whilst many entrepreneurs have the admirable ability to create businesses from almost nothing, and can display incredible resilience, motivation and creativity, they can also be blind to the needs of others in a more defined structure. Their mercurial creativity, and sometimes bad temper, often needs to be tempered, otherwise they are in danger of generating a revolving door staffing policy, and that will also affect performance and share price.
All things in balance and moderation it would seem. Perhaps this can be summarised by thinking about it in the following way.
We need more leaders who will take appropriate risks for the business, and who do not avoid risks to simply protect themselves.
We need leaders who are comfortable enough to work within a team where views and opinions may differ.
We need leaders who are not control freaks. In fact real leaders are not control freaks.
We need leaders who genuinely support others.
We need leaders with a very well developed sense of humour!
As an interesting postscript, in the same newspaper article, Anton Colella, the chief executive of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Scotland (ICAS), said that ICAS was proposing to add a moral courage principle to the body’s code of ethics. He also stated that individuals needed to take more personal responsibility to rebuild customer trust in the wake of wide ranging corporate scandals seen in recent years. Laudable stuff. And yet I would strongly suggest that until we can generate a critical mass of leaders who are smart enough and courageous enough to actually make a difference in the heat of the moment, when the pressure is on, then any such code is likely to remain much like the pirate’s code in the movie Pirates of the Caribbean.
Captain Barbossa: ‘…the code is more what you’d call “guidelines” than actual rules’.
Link to the full article: http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/14109809.Sir_Brian_Souter_says_too_many_bosses_are__quot_control_freaks_quot_/