The Manager - Edition 70 - A good example beats a brilliant description

The Manager - Edition 70

This week I've been mostly thinking about:

Why a good example is better than a brilliant description

Hi

I hope you've had a cracking week and are looking forward to the week ahead. 

It's been a hectic week for me with Leadership off-sites, communication workshops and lots of busy consulting. It's why I've hardly had time to look at my RSS feed and email subscriptions to share good stuff with you. 

I've started to really slow down a lot as well and really prioritise the work that adds to most value for you, and for me. I was running too quick, taking on too much, reading too many books, trying to juggle too many projects - and burning out. My pillars were out of balance. So I've taken some time to get my fitness back on track, started some meditation and created a more reasonable and achievable calendar!

A few weeks back I bought a SkiErg machine and it's kicking my backside every day, but I love it. It took plenty of experimenting with various sports and activities until I found one I liked (and my body could cope with).

Anyhow, enough prattling on from me. 

I've not been to many Software Testing Conferences recently, as I don't do testing anymore, but this year I will indeed be back at the EuroSTAR testing conference in Prague. I love that city - I had my Stag Do there and it's a brilliant historical place to wander. I'm also looking forward to bringing back my Communication Workshop - it's at EuroSTAR that it won best workshop so it will be interesting to see how, after 66 editions of it, the audience response. 

You can find out more about the conference, the session and of course, grab some tickets here.
 

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A Good Example Is Better Than A Brilliant Description

Role modelling the behaviours you want is an under-utilised strategy by most managers and leaders.

It's the only real way to bring about change, yet so many managers and leaders don't model the very behaviours they expect others to.

"We're going to change the way we do work and here's how, but we'll keep acting and communicating and behaving in the existing way".

Instead they use words, value statements, purpose statements, goal statements, team charter statements, ways of working statements, playbooks, change teams, project boards, assurance teams, strongly worded emails, the grapevine, the rumour mill, backchatting, powerpoint decks, annual performance reviews, project rules, more governance, committees, review boards, change consultants, more governance, agile manifestos, lean manifestos, wagile manifestos, LESS manifestos, more or less safe manifestos, more governance, lifecycle diagrams, large scale planning meetings, more powerpoint, more governance, more control mechanisms, flow diagrams, improvement boards, improvement charters and all the rest of the chaos you see in many organisations. Well intentioned - but often used to solve the wrong problems.

And still it doesn't work.

And still change is slow, expensive, delayed, painful, out of control.

And so they apply more of the above. 

"If only people would do what we ask of them" you hear them say.

All of these are just descriptions, posters, induction packs, plans, diagrams, presentation decks, charts - they are containers of wishes. They are hopes. Hopes that people will rally behind the descriptions of the new ways and therefore change.

That somehow, if we can convince people to change, they will. Hope was never a good strategy - and it still isn't.

And all these wishes and hopes are irrelevant without consistent demonstrations of new behaviours by leaders and managers.

And scarily - hundred and thousands of people are working in organisations trying to bring about change, for leaders who claim they want it, yet whom are unable (for whatever reason) to actually make the changes in themselves and their leaderships/management teams. 

I always say that change is easy. If people don't have to change their behaviours. 

So, as a manager or leader, if you're creating brilliant descriptions of how things need to change, take stock.

Pause.

And double check you're at least also showing good examples. Demonstrate congruent behaviour that matches the descriptions and you'll show people you mean what you say.

After all, a good example of how to behave, is always better than a brilliant description of it. 

Until next time - go forth.

Rob..

 

BOOK OF THE WEEK

Still. Struggling. Starting too many books. Someone help.

Cultivated Content Of The Week

This week's content I reckon you'll enjoy.

1 - I love this. Some very clever scientists have started to map emotions in the body - If only we could somehow bring this in to the workplace to actually help people and teams stay well and healthy whilst also delivering on their expected results. It would certainly support many of the wellness campaigns many companies are running.

2 - Imagine we are all new to the organisation. A great way to look at what's working and what is not. After all, it's obvious to new starters where the problems are. But we also have to be careful that the history and legacy of the company had lead to where it is today through overcoming previous problems and growing an organisation. There will be problems, but we should appreciate, as new people, that existing employees have a story to tell about what they've overcome, why it's like it is and how come some problems have remained un-tackled. 

3 - Positive thinking actually has some benefits. It's not all WooWoo after all. I must admit, when I meditate and journal what I'm grateful for I do feel a whole lot more positive about life - it's hard creating that habit though.

4 - You are incompetent...in something. I know I am. My word. The older I get the more I realise how stupidly over confident I was in my own experience and ability. I am incompetent in more than I realised. 

5 - Book clubs at work are cool. Well, I think so. Here are some ideas on how to start one.