Transforming Performance by Improving Thinking.
Transforming Performance by Improving Thinking.
It was during a recent talk at an institute meeting on Leadership to a room full of senior executives from the engineering, construction and resource industries that I had one of those “aha” moments.
This group was keen to learn more about how to improve their management and leadership skills as they were now in senior leadership positions having come through technical roles.
You see I also come from this technical background so I could appreciate why they were really struggling with some of the concepts that just were not around 10 years ago.
People with MBA’s, engineering, technical and finance type degrees and backgrounds, are often (not always) logical and analytical thinkers that enjoy delving down into problems. And here in lies the dilemma. When analysing and trying to changes processes or systems, an analytical and problem-focused approach is very useful. But when trying to change people, something else is needed.
Their standard practices for improving performances involve techniques that are largely ineffective: giving advice (telling), solving their problems, or trying to work out what they are thinking. It is best to give up trying to second guess what people need and focus on helping others think for themselves. The best way to do that is by defining solutions rather than problems. And helping others gain new thinking habits.
Pivotal to all this is enabling others to have their own insights. Once people have had new insights for themselves, the leaders role is provide the encouragement, ongoing support and belief in the person, over time, so they develop this new habit. Then we will truly bring out the best in others.
Now this may sound obvious that to improve people’s performance we need to focus their thinking on solutions, rather than problems. It is surprising how little people do this in practice. When dealing with such groups, and hundreds of other such instances, somehow people always go straight to the problems.
Focusing on problems leads us to the past. This is also where many of beliefs we hold to be true are false, so we are merely reinforcing those beliefs when we put our attention there. It forces us to try and change what cannot be changed. This can also lead to blame, excuses and justification. It is slow, and drains valuable mental energy.
Focusing on solutions, however, immediately creates energy in our minds. It opens up ideas and possibilities. If we want people to come up with great ideas, to think well, to reach their potential as employees, we want them focused on solutions most of the time.
The fastest way to transform performance, particularly with intelligent, high functioning people, is to get them to ask about solutions. It sounds so simple but it is extremely rare in the workplace. So a person in a leadership position should be disciplined in getting their people to focus their thinking on solutions. This can be the difference between asking “Why did this happen”, and “What shall we do about this?” It is a choice. It is a discipline, a mental habit we either have or can develop.
Getting people to think for themselves and be solution focused can be a stretch for a lot of people. Leaders understand that their job involves taking people beyond their current comfort zones, so they learn to be comfortable with making people uncomfortable. Change is a stretch and bringing about change is not easy as it requires stretching.
Change can bring on strong emotions. There are two main things to be aware of here. First is to be aware that people often give up when they try something new, so it helps to let them know their frustration is normal. Second, given all the fear and uncertainty in creating any new change, providing lots of encouragement and accentuating the positive is a big help.
In many organisations there is a leadership crisis, a lack of the right talent to fill key positions at mid and senior levels. As leaders go through the process of moving from managing oneself to managing others, they need to change the way they think, yet organisations have scant internal resources allocated to helping key people go through this change. They need to instil in their leaders and managers the ability to transform performance by improving thinking.
Thinking is what many key employees are paid to do. Many employees are highly capable individuals who will thrive on this approach. They want to work smarter; they want to be smarter and are crying out for help. I witnessed this again first hand in that room full of senior executives grappling with the change from becoming managers to becoming leaders.
Transforming Performance by Improving Thinking - To learn more about this author, visit Geoff Flemming's Website.
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During this first quarter 0f 2008 I have been meeting with and talking with numerous heads of human resources and organisational training and development people in companies of various industries. The common interest in all these people was not only how do we improve the performance of our key people but how do we get them to change and improve their leadership and communication skills.
It was during a recent talk at an institute meeting on Leadership to a room full of senior executives from the engineering, construction and resource industries that I had one of those “aha” moments.
This group was keen to learn more about how to improve their management and leadership skills as they were now in senior leadership positions having come through technical roles.
You see I also come from this technical background so I could appreciate why they were really struggling with some of the concepts that just were not around 10 years ago.
People with MBA’s, engineering, technical and finance type degrees and backgrounds, are often (not always) logical and analytical thinkers that enjoy delving down into problems. And here in lies the dilemma. When analysing and trying to changes processes or systems, an analytical and problem-focused approach is very useful. But when trying to change people, something else is needed.
Their standard practices for improving performances involve techniques that are largely ineffective: giving advice (telling), solving their problems, or trying to work out what they are thinking. It is best to give up trying to second guess what people need and focus on helping others think for themselves. The best way to do that is by defining solutions rather than problems. And helping others gain new thinking habits.
Pivotal to all this is enabling others to have their own insights. Once people have had new insights for themselves, the leaders role is provide the encouragement, ongoing support and belief in the person, over time, so they develop this new habit. Then we will truly bring out the best in others.
Now this may sound obvious that to improve people’s performance we need to focus their thinking on solutions, rather than problems. It is surprising how little people do this in practice. When dealing with such groups, and hundreds of other such instances, somehow people always go straight to the problems.
Focusing on problems leads us to the past. This is also where many of beliefs we hold to be true are false, so we are merely reinforcing those beliefs when we put our attention there. It forces us to try and change what cannot be changed. This can also lead to blame, excuses and justification. It is slow, and drains valuable mental energy.
Focusing on solutions, however, immediately creates energy in our minds. It opens up ideas and possibilities. If we want people to come up with great ideas, to think well, to reach their potential as employees, we want them focused on solutions most of the time.
The fastest way to transform performance, particularly with intelligent, high functioning people, is to get them to ask about solutions. It sounds so simple but it is extremely rare in the workplace. So a person in a leadership position should be disciplined in getting their people to focus their thinking on solutions. This can be the difference between asking “Why did this happen”, and “What shall we do about this?” It is a choice. It is a discipline, a mental habit we either have or can develop.
Getting people to think for themselves and be solution focused can be a stretch for a lot of people. Leaders understand that their job involves taking people beyond their current comfort zones, so they learn to be comfortable with making people uncomfortable. Change is a stretch and bringing about change is not easy as it requires stretching.
Change can bring on strong emotions. There are two main things to be aware of here. First is to be aware that people often give up when they try something new, so it helps to let them know their frustration is normal. Second, given all the fear and uncertainty in creating any new change, providing lots of encouragement and accentuating the positive is a big help.
In many organisations there is a leadership crisis, a lack of the right talent to fill key positions at mid and senior levels. As leaders go through the process of moving from managing oneself to managing others, they need to change the way they think, yet organisations have scant internal resources allocated to helping key people go through this change. They need to instil in their leaders and managers the ability to transform performance by improving thinking.
Thinking is what many key employees are paid to do. Many employees are highly capable individuals who will thrive on this approach. They want to work smarter; they want to be smarter and are crying out for help. I witnessed this again first hand in that room full of senior executives grappling with the change from becoming managers to becoming leaders.
Transforming Performance by Improving Thinking - To learn more about this author, visit Geoff Flemming's Website.
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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Joe DagerJoe Dager is President of Business901, a progressive coaching company providing no-nonsense direction in areas such as Lean Six Sigma Marketing and organized referral marketing. What others say: In the past 20 years, Joe and I have collaborated on many difficult issues. Joe’s ability to combine his expertise with “out of the box” thinking is unsurpassed. He has always delivered quickly, cost effectively and with ingenuity. A brilliant mind that is always a pleasure to work with.” - James R. If you want to learn more about Business901, start a conversation with us. We can be found @ Web/Blog: Business901.com Web/Blog: FundingYourNonprofit.com LinkedIn Profile Follow me on Twitter - Visit Joe Dager's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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