Because of the technology available to us, information travels at great speed. Truth, misinformation and assumptions also travel quickly. Without clear communication and connection between individuals and groups the misinformation can give impetus to the wrong direction or wrong conclusions about moving forward. Today’s business teams are globally located in different time zones with differing cultural norms. However, I have found it’s not the only situation in which quality communication and connection are difficult. This problem has been present even when teams are located in the same building. What is needed is a change in leadership mindset; the adoption of a different perspective and a reordering of priorities that support quality communication, collaboration and engagement throughout the organization

It is critically important that executives be more than just the boss, they must be a role model for leadership in order to motivate and drive their organization to achieve at a higher level.

Here’s what I mean:

When You’re Just the Boss

The boss is someone who sets the strategic plan and the team does what they can to satisfy and deliver results. Communication goes on without true connection because each person has a hidden agenda that is not approached. The hidden agenda of the team is to maintain their position and to hope that the boss will notice what they do. The agenda of the boss is to have the implementation happen and for the team to do what they are told to do. Communication and follow up does not occur so the team wonders if they are right about the conclusions they make.

This may seem to be an extreme scenario; and most bosses would deny that is their position. However, it is quite often what is experienced by the team, regardless of the boss’s intent.

In my experience working with leadership teams, while the boss is at least somewhat appreciative of the team, they often complain that their team does not own the strategy or are not strategic in their thinking. Yet, it is often the boss who needs to connect in a more meaningful way with the team members to engage them in the strategy, foster ownership, and get them thinking of creative solutions. Team members typically report their boss does not create time for interaction or follow up on decisions.

Most team members want to please the boss, however, they are not informed often enough when they do something well. When issues or concerns arise they may not be approached and resolved in a productive way because blame or a sense of being patronized is what is perceived by the team.

Result: the strategic process misses the creative input of the team who are often vying for position with the boss. Often what needs to be done is seen as a requirement rather than a creative opportunity because the team has not been engaged. Because there is lack of communication regarding issues or completions, the flow of work is interrupted or stalled.

This can occur at high levels in any organization.

When You’re The Leader

Communication and connection with the team is seen as a priority, not a soft skill or something to do at a dinner or a party. Regular connections occur which relate to strategic planning, implementation and individual development. This means that regular 1:1 meetings include the elements that go into a Performance Review, on an ongoing basis, and are tied to specific actions and results within a strategic plan.

The top priority of a leader is to hold the vision and strategy intact, while others bring forward results. If there are issues regarding results, they are addressed with the team as they occur. This allows the leader to attend to their own peer-leader relationships, enhancing the overall business performance of the organization. Delegation is seen as a priority, and there are integral processes set up for Strategic Planning, Accountability, and Solutions that are inclusive in accessing the resources of the entire team.

As a leader, the accountability process becomes a working solution with collaboration and partnership rather than competition. Accountability includes ownership which is established at the beginning of an initiative or set of goals. Leadership includes perceptiveness of the team members so that specific areas are addressed when necessary. This can now be done more effectively because time has been given for the creation of quality connection and trust within the team.

Leading inspires others to achieve more. Being just the boss can actually impair the engagement process of your team which will diminish progress, and sabotage your success.

If you have a leadership question or challenge you’d like to share, be sure to leave a comment. I would enjoy hearing from you!

~Patricia

That article began with these questions:

1. How can I develop a team that will not need to talk to me and still move forward?
2. Why do we have a great strategic plan and then only get a fraction of execution of that plan?
3. Why don’t the functional leaders of this organization work together more effectively?
4. How can we engage people in our vision and make it their own?
5. There is no one who can take my position at this time, and I am not sure the people that are on my team can be the ones.

I would like to postulate that the most important aspect of leadership development in 21st century business is the ability to create leadership at all levels. Top leadership cannot afford to continue to have only a small percentage of people leading a large number who have not learned to express their leadership, nor use information about the vision of the organization to affect their conversations and decisions.

We all know that communication is key, yet how can we define communication so that it affects results? In the Rockefeller Habits the first and most important question is: Is the Leadership Team Healthy?

The first area to look at is the top leadership team to assure that the coming together of that team creates positive changes in the people, strategy, execution and cash position of the business.

When you decide to make meetings a priority, execution improves almost immediately. I was invited into a large Fortune 500 company because one of the top teams was having difficulty due to continuous conflict that was exaggerated by lack of effective communication and collaboration.

The plan that I proposed and delivered included individual confidential interviews with specific questions relating to team effectiveness, leadership and collaboration. I interviewed the Vice President team leader and the direct report leaders who each lead a team of managing leaders within the manufacturing plant. In addition, an initial day-long meeting was scheduled with the leadership team, followed by four monthly meetings over a period of 6 months.

The results have been very positive with the team working together in a new way, with a sense of empowerment, effective communication, and results that have created greater accountability and rhythm in the manufacturing area.

The first meeting consisted of using the Rockefeller Four Decisions Methodology and some communication exercises that began to get past the conflict and focus more on the strategic direction and core values of the team, and of the larger business.

The most effective and important part of this process is to allow team members to go beyond their own personal concerns, and to access their leadership and their contribution to the business as a whole.

In the Execution Module, the most important aspects are: priorities, metrics and meeting rhythms.

Have you struggled with meetings that lose focus and seem to accomplish nothing or less that you planned?

Would you see the advantage in having meeting rhythms that would create better, faster decisions?

The rhythm refers to daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual contacts of the functional teams in the organization, starting with the top leadership. You can start to reshape the effectiveness of your meeting rhythms to conform to the real time of your business.

Daily Huddle-–These serve to Synchronize the Team. They are short, no longer than 15 minutes, and can be shorter. They are designed to bring forward issues that need resolution but do not necessarily need to be solved on the spot. The format is short and allows each person to speak and to talk about the day, what is up, and if there is any place where they feel stuck

Speeds up business, insures teamwork, and heal relationships

Weekly Meeting—Focus and Collaboration: These serve as a status and update session for the leadership team and other departmental teams.

Monthly Meeting— Learn and Solve: This meeting includes the top leadership and the next level to provide information and to review progress. These meetings, along with the huddle and weekly meetings, address the strategy and progress, as well as provide a leadership opportunity for the management staff to give them a sense of progress and of their contribution to the overall strategic plan.

Quarterly Meeting— Full Day: Priorities and Critical Numbers: These serve as directed review, communication and education opportunities, and create the sense of teamwork at all levels.

The four meetings above are the recognition of the 13-week cycle of each quarter for the whole organization.

Annual Meeting—Reviews the year and plans for the upcoming year.

I highly recommend Scaling Up by Verne Harnish where these meetings are discussed more fully. The Rockefeller Habits and Four Decisions are a very effective way to scale up your business and to increase results. I find this way of expanding business and of creating a culture that develops leadership and accountability to be effective and practical.

I hope this month brings great results and connection for you and your team!

As always, if you have a question, challenge, or success story you would like to share, please be sure to leave a comment. Also, if you are interested in an opportunity to experience this methodology, please let me know. I would enjoy hearing from you! – Patricia

Now many see that meetings are the core of successful implementation or execution of strategic planning. Both of these areas can be done more successfully by setting priorities and giving teams the ability to communicate, set up accountability, and problem solve with greater trust.

The essential component of business growth and success is the Health of the Executive Leadership Team which cascades down into the business no matter how large the company. Meeting Rhythms are an effective way to promote a healthy company culture and ongoing awareness of priorities within the organization, which is essential to moving business goals and business growth forward.

Meeting rhythms encompass the course of a full year, and are positioned as an important part of the overall business strategy and flow. Below are the recommended meetings to include in your company rhythm , from daily huddles to the annual meeting. Some may already be a part of your execution culture, some may not. The important thing to remember is that team cohesiveness at all levels is vital to the process.

Daily Huddles: these meetings typically start the day, and are held with everyone standing (who is able), and last 15 minutes or less. Daily huddles must have a specific agenda:

• What’s Up for you related to today
• What is the top priority for the day
• Am I stuck

Weekly Team Meetings for focus and collaboration: The weekly meeting should be held at the same time each week. Most organizations hold them either at the start of the week to set the stage for a productive week ahead, or at the end of the week, to serve as a recap of the week’s activities and performance. This is an opportunity to gather brain power to discuss strategically issues and solutions. This is also an opportunity for the leader to spend time with the team encouraging team relationships.

Monthly Meetings include front-line, middle and senior management and focus on strategic discussion and collaboration on issues and solutions, and further learning. They can be half or full day.

Quarterly Meetings: These are typically held offsite for one day to encourage uninterrupted focus on action planning and review of the yearly strategic plan.

Annual Meeting: This is typically held offsite as well for up to two days and includes review and strategy of the plan for the upcoming year.

The term Meeting Rhythms is used because the successful implementation comes from making the above meeting structure a part of everyday work patterns.

In my last article, Are you Thinking and Planning or Just Doing, I mentioned the basic foundations of strategy; Core Values and Purpose, along with Brand Promise and knowing your Core Customer. In all meetings, except the huddle, it is a good idea to review your organization’ values, purpose and brand promise, or have them visible. This way the foundation of your business is always present in each meeting as the planning and review are done.

Huddles and Weekly meetings provide opportunity to build trust and to correct difficult interaction issues. When things are left unspoken they tend to grow. However, adopting the business practice of regularly scheduled time together can help teams lift above their emotional reactions that stop progress, and bring them back into focus. Meeting rhythm creates consistency, which in turn, creates greater trust, and comfort in accountability.

You can find more information on Meeting Rhythm in Verne Harnish’s book, Scaling Up, How a Few Companies Make It…and Why the Rest Don’t.

Do you have a question, challenge, or success you would like to share? Please be sure to leave a comment. I would enjoy hearing from you! – Patricia

When you are a senior leader you are likely the one to encourage an environment that uses conscious leadership, or managing up, in order to create the relationship you want with your team and your boss.

I have had several clients in the last year where managing up became an important conscious choice. All are at the VP level of Leadership and have relationships with the CEO of the organization. One is supervised by the CEO, while the others are just below the level of the top leadership team.

The first client is a Global VP who has been constrained by poor communication, resulting in a lack of knowledge of how to meet expectations, or even what the expectations are. This has caused anxiety and lack of confidence, which has, in turn, affected her communication in meetings with top leadership. It was important for her to become aware of her strengths, and to bring those into her communication and expression of innovative ideas.

As I continue to work with these leaders, the common issue is predominantly a lack of aware self-definition and communication, which can be better facilitated by working with Core Values and Purpose.

In the second client situation, the expectations for the VP kept her online to deal with conflict and challenging conversations for others. This hindered the overall development of her sustainable communication, leadership, and vision for engagement. As she has set up conversations with her boss to further define her function, they are beginning to develop a partnership to solve problems that creates more support.

A third client has been exploring his desire to move up into top leadership. He has had an awkward time in the discussion of the future, and it seems that he and his boss have difficulty understanding each other. As he begins to consider and refine his vision, and what he would like to contribute to the company, he is experiencing better connection with his boss, and they are discovering new areas of mutuality as they discuss the future.

Here are some key activities to help you with Conscious and Effective Managing Up from an empowered position:

1. Schedule regular weekly or at least bi-weekly meetings with your direct boss to keep communication open, as a way for you to report in and as a way to receive information. Come to the meeting with a prepared agenda for what you would like to cover. If your boss wishes to drive the agenda that is OK but you want to know yours.
2. Consider your vision of your career tract and what you would like to be known for doing to make a positive contribution to your company. This moves you into a more proactive stance rather than a reactive one.
3. Create opportunities to become more aware of how others are receiving your communication, and seek their responses to your communication.
4. Become more neutral and exploratory when conversing with top leaders so you can learn what they want to be known for and what is important to them.
5. Find opportunities to discuss with peers or a coach what is important to you, your core values, and the purpose you see for doing your job.

We are creating a forum for the discussion of manifesting your leadership and managing up to create influence and impact. Please let us know your thoughts and experiences.

If you have a leadership question, challenge, or success you would like to share, please be sure to leave a comment. I would enjoy hearing from you! – Patricia

As we were talking, she clearly understood the importance of strategic partnerships with leaders from other companies who use her services or vice versa. But she was struck that she had never considered strategic partnerships within the units of her business and began to consider what it might be like to sit down and develop joint goals whereby both units would be able to accomplish what they had not been able to do on their own. What if there were larger goals that they had never even thought of before that could increase the success of the whole business?

It was a great question, so today I thought I would focus on setting up those joint efforts within your organization to enlarge the scope of the business.

As a leader in your organization one important aspect of leadership behavior is the ability to influence others.

Do you sometimes hold back in your conversation because you are unsure of how to express your thoughts or ideas?

Do you sometimes not contribute to meeting discussions because you have heard what you have to say expressed by someone else; telling yourself and others that you have nothing to add?

If you answered yes to either or both than you are not using your influence as effectively as you can.

As you are prioritizing connection and partnership it is important to remember that others want to know what you think even if someone else has already expressed it. The willingness to share your thoughts and opinions is a cornerstone to partnership and collaboration.

A former client of mine, who is the leader of the IT function in his organization, was well thought of but a mystery to his co-workers. Not being aware of his mystery status, he felt isolated and as a result did not contribute to discussion in leadership meetings unless he had something new or earth shattering to say.

As he opened to contribution, just to let people know how he felt, his co-workers felt more comfortable with him, and began to seek him out since he was knowledgeable and could assist them in their endeavors. In addition, the whole corporate services leadership team came together and was able to assist each other with the strategic questions that each of them was having within their own unit. He became a much more engaged member of the team, and was able to further develop the team that he led, creating more influence in other areas of the business as he fostered more connections.

Influence is an essential function of connection and partnership. Next week might be a good time to consider setting up some connecting appointments with key members of your organization with an eye to how partnerships can help reach and expand company goals.

Do you have a question, challenge, or success you would like to share? Please be sure to leave a comment. I would enjoy hearing from you! – Patricia

Stage I:  The Change: The Event

Often organizational announcements are made without any plan for moving through the process of letting go of the old processes and bringing in the new. Meetings with those who work together are essential during this time so that new methodologies can be created. Often these meetings are about rumors and fears without much planning involved. It is important that the leadership take time to make the necessary announcements about what will change, and what will stay the same, so that some of the fear can be acknowledged and addressed. Naturally the change will negatively affect some, so following through with these people when the changes take place is extremely important. Often at the beginning, and toward the middle of the change process, uncertainty does not abate because of the lack of communication. If a process for letting go and clarity about moving forward is intentionally directed, it can make a huge difference.

A clear example is an acquisition whereby a much larger company buys a smaller one and begins the process of melding the staffs, letting some go, shifting leadership and creating a new organizational model. This process takes time, but often the lack of communication and development begins as soon as the change has been made, resulting in confusion and an environment of fear. The need for clearly defining what will be let go and what will remain is very important to convey to employees at the beginning, but is typically not done. The processes for changing roles and behavior cannot begin until this is communicated.

Stage II: The Transition Period

As the change moves forward, the Transition or neutral period is the most important focus for successful change and is often neglected. There is a period of less activity and focus toward goals as the organization adjusts. The good news is that by giving permission to your team(s) to look for new ways of doing things and relating, leadership peers can take more time to create new initiatives for achieving results.

Intentional communication is necessary so that the adjustment period (Stage II) is an accepted change mechanism. During this period, as people adjust, it is important to have intentional conversations in order to create greater opportunity for innovation.

Stage III.  The New Beginning

The new beginning is more than just a new start because it requires that new processes and relationships are put in place and brought about through intentional communication.

This stage can only begin in full when the first two stages have been successfully implemented. At this point not every problem or issue will be resolved, but it does mean that the change is moving forward and requiring new behaviors for everyone.

Because of the continued, intentional communication and devotion to adjusting and creating new processes, new relationships are formed, geared toward implementing the new behaviors required to create new results.

If you are moving through the changes described, consider planning specific meetings with teams in the organization to clearly define what needs letting go, what adjustments are needed to move forward, and what new behaviors are needed, replacing the old. Leadership can only implement new processes successfully when everyone is engaged in the change, and given the chance to let go, adjust and create a new beginning.

Do you have a question, challenge, or success you would like to share? Please be sure to leave a comment. I would enjoy hearing from you! – Patricia

What are the changes necessary in mindset and behavior that will enable her to take that jump, and how many of you know top executives who have not done that? You may even suspect that you yourself need to expand vision and connections but do not know how, or have not found the time when so many immediate things are calling.

Expanding your Leadership network, as well as creating strategic partnerships can be important steps. Often these network connections can occur outside of your organization, and once you establish those, it becomes easier to find connections within the organization.

How often have you been called upon to lead an internal project that involves two or more functional units of the business? Have you noticed how difficult communication about the simplest things can be stymied by lack of understanding, almost as if you were speaking different languages?

Another client of mine decided to contact the other Vice Presidents in his organization and schedule a lunch that could be repeated once a month or even once a quarter. What happened for him was that he created a totally different perception of the other senior leaders and began to communicate more effectively. His mindset altered because they were seen as resources for him in his own work and he could visualize the possibility of joint endeavors with them as a reality.

My current client is part of a large organization that has a myriad of community connections. For her, creating a leadership network in the larger community will increase her profile, increase the profile of the business, and create opportunities for joint ventures and innovative opportunities.

Often this kind of activity sits on the back burner as internal needs and crises take the energy and time of top leaders. As you create time for these activities, there is an opportunity to develop your team to interact and communicate as leaders with each other. Are you the hub of your team wheel or do the team members interact and partner together?

Developing your leadership team is an activity that takes some time and focus. I bring it up here because that activity goes along with creating time for your leadership network both within and beyond your organization.

With focus on collaborative leadership, leadership behaviors within your team can be expanded. The development of partnerships and projects can evolve so that you do not have to be involved in the everyday detail and trouble shooting.

Once the communication and connection is established your ability to delegate with confidence increases and there is an increased sense of ownership and engagement. The intra team partnerships can create an opportunity for accountability support so that when they report in at meetings they can give a good picture of what is working, what is not working and the plans for moving forward.

Your action plan for the week: Make a connection with another leader either within your organization or outside and plan a lunch or coffee.

Have a good two weeks and if you have any questions, challenges, or successes you would like to share in the meantime, please be sure to leave a comment. I would enjoy hearing from you! – Patricia

I recently spoke with a fellow consultant who has invited me to speak to a group of CEO’s about Collaborative Leadership and about how to keep the leader involved with the team as they move forward on the implementation plan. It is important to allow the leader the opportunity to consult and to hear progress rather than to enforce accountability. In collaborative leadership, accountability is a supportive process created through accountability partnerships where there is an opportunity to report action steps , discuss and solve challenges and finally to celebrate completion.

So often teams get lost in the action process and are not encouraged to seek support especially in some highly competitive situations. The accountability partnerships change this. These partnerships are created in the second meeting of the four meetings mentioned above:

• Each team member selects someone that they have not had that much opportunity to work with.
• They set up a schedule for a 15-30 minute meeting with the partner and create several goals that they are working on during the next week.
• The meeting occurs mid-week to see how everything is going.
• Then they report back to the team during the next full meeting about completions and challenges.

For full description of the Collaborative Leadership/Team Alignment process be sure to visit the Library Page of  our website and select the article entitled, The Full Team Alignment Process, pdf.

The most important thing to remember is to engage everyone in implementation and in the development of their own leadership in the process.

Do you have a question, challenge or particular success story you would like to share? Be sure to leave a comment, I would enjoy hearing from you. –  Patricia

I started writing this post on Monday and decided to share the process of living through and with Hurricane Sandy in New York where life as all know it has changed. New ways of thinking and arranging have come forward for all of those affected. I have written this from Monday through Wednesday as I moved through my process of acceptance and new arrangements for traveling:

Today is Monday, I find myself sitting out the super storm in New York City. It’s the afternoon and we are awaiting the landfall which continues to be predicted at an earlier as the speed of the hurricane accelerates.

The predicted path of the storm is being followed almost perfectly. It is amazing how technology can work so well even though the predictions were not what I had hoped. My wish was that the storm would stay in a straight path East out into the ocean instead of making the predicted left turn into the central Atlantic states. But here in New York the winds continue to build and there is no exit until the storm passes and we can begin the business of traveling again.

Since I last wrote I have completed the Global Institute of Leadership Development and once again was very happy to meet the leaders with whom I coached and consulted. The variety of situations I became involved with was amazing from a large hospital and medical school to one of the top executives in an international wine business.

As I spoke to these leaders, I was gratified to see how many of them were focused on the people within their organizations and the importance of collaboration and teamwork. However, I am becoming more and more convinced that the new culture needs to develop from the top down so that everyone has “permission” to step up to greater expression, empowerment and leadership.

For example, I had the opportunity last week to participate with a team in a pre-strategic planning exercise. Once again I saw a process where engagement can be created so that strategy will be implemented. There was discomfort, however, when the facilitators of the group did not provide a meeting structure, even though the processes for arriving at strategy and implementation were clearly outlined.

It is interesting to note that we often have left it to someone else to tell us what direction to follow. Yet when we are given the opportunity to create direction and focus do we take it or do we defer? How often do we complain about a situation rather than creating a solution and presenting that?

These are important questions and challenges that many organizations face, which our Strategic Planning Process addresses, outlined here on the Bridging Associates website, and helps leaders empower their teams to create direction rather than wait for it.

Wednesday: The storm has finally moved out of the area. However, the damage and changes to the infrastructure have kept most of the travelers here, including me. After several cancellation disappointments I have secured a flight out of New York and have been able to check in. I will fly home tomorrow through several cities to reach my final destination, Santa Fe, New Mexico.

As I wait, I continue to reflect on the opportunities I have created in my own business and the expansion in my thinking, and how my experience relates to what I call the new business paradigm that requires a restructuring of mindset regarding success and the use of essential collaboration to achieve results.

Take a look at the Strategic Planning Process on the website. If you have time, it would be great to hear your comments on the blog site or via e-mail about how your experience has required creative thinking and a change in mindset to accomplish the goals for leadership and innovative practices in your organization.

Sending a special message of safety and healing for those of you on the East Coast.

In our initial conversations, I became aware of his caring and his expertise. In addition he had some ideas for the bank that he was not communicating due to his sense of inadequacy at the executive leadership meetings. As we went through his routine he began to talk about his open-door policy. As you might imagine, he was extremely well-liked by all and spent his day getting interrupted constantly. This, to me, is an example of the collaborative leadership premise that, one of the least successful modes used for communication; is the “drop in” meeting.

We all appreciate a sense of control over our lives, but in reality the drop-in meeting creates interruption, a lack of preparation, and can lengthen into a long period of time where the person who has dropped in has abdicated his/her responsibility for reflection, research and decision making.

Scheduled meetings on the other hand, even short ones, can be valuable and connective. It is clear that the mindset surrounding meetings will be part of the change that occurs in a collaborative leadership culture. The word “meeting” has from time-to-time been thought of with distaste, irritation and sometimes dread. But effective communication and connection can only happen within a meeting, where the meeting process is a focus prior to and during discussion of agenda items or initiatives. Leadership, in the context of the meeting process, and in general, is not a role as much as it is a behavior. Therefore, everyone in the room has the opportunity to demonstrate leadership and to contribute to the meeting purpose.

As I worked with my client, we set up a new routine which included having available hours posted on the door so that appointments could be made for those times. A positive consequence of this routine was that the members of his team began to talk more to each other, and to arrive at his office with more organized thinking and with decisions for approval rather than beginning discussions.

In addition, my client was able to organize his day and set aside time on the calendar for thought projects that he wanted to do, which also gave him confidence to discuss his ideas in the Executive Leadership meetings.

If you have any questions, or would like to discuss how the Process Focus of meetings can help you create more effective communication within your organization, please contact me directly at patricia@bridgingassociates.com. In the meantime, I’ll be discussing the process further in my next post.