An alternative perspective on the “Brown’s a Bully” scenario

March 1st, 2010

General Election season is upon us – and the pace of revelation, attack and counter-attack is warming up (unlike the weather that continues to shroud us in grey gloom).

Once more the shadow side of politics – and personalities – is coming to the fore. While Labour delights in showing up Cameron as full of hidden shallows; so the latest furore over “Brown the Bully” is pointing to our PM’s explosive depths.

What else can we read into this? As so often, Brown demonstrates both the good and the bad news that our psyche brings to our behaviours. The good news is that this is a man of high intellect, single-mindedness, and someone who desperately wants to achieve. But the bad news is that he also demonstrates a breakdown in our expectations of normal functioning in interpersonal relationships. His high intellect and single-minded need to achieve, can lead to a build up of frustration with himself and others, and leads to high anxiety in those around him. This in turn can lead to fear of giving feedback, in an attempt to avoid creating conflict and outbursts of temper.

It is very hard for everyone when working with those who lack the traditional interpersonal skills of leadership. Well-developed personal skills - even showmanship – in the age of constant public interaction and media coverage are vital for political leadership success.

Brown’s weakest link (or missing link?) seems to be within the interpersonal dimension; his inability to observe or understand what other people are feeling. This is not to say that he does not have feelings of his own. He does – and it’s often his own feelings of frustration that lead to his explosive outbursts. We also know that Brown can show his emotions – for example in his recent interview with Andrew Marr. He is not comfortable with it – but that’s not what is at the heart of this issue.

Brown has not one, but two achilles’ heels. He does not appear to tune into the signals coming to him from others. What he has in intellectual power he lacks in emotional connectivity. And, his inner frustrations build up inside him with no outlet (a pressure cooker without an escape valve) until they overflow in an explosive outpouring of frustration and temper.

Because of this, he does not measure up to our idealised view of what leaders need to be able to do. But are we right to condemn Brown for being different?

Or should we be wondering why such a senior leader does not choose to put in place some psychological support – to enable him to harness more effectively his obvious talents by managing his areas of difficulty?

Values, trustworthiness and trust

February 22nd, 2010

An employee outlook survey conducted last year by the CIPD found that 2 out of 3 employees don’t trust their senior managers. This would probably be true of the general population’s trust of political leadership. The current turbulent economic times continues to test our trust in our leadership.

A recent lecture at the RSA by Lord John Browne of Madingley explored the very subject of Trust and Leadership. Building on the work of philosopher and economist Onara O’Neil, Lord Browne explained that there can only be trust when the organisation/the leader / the political body has demonstrated Trustworthiness. And trustworthiness is built on shared and transparent values. The chain can only be as strong as its weakest link.

Being trustworthy is about doing things consistently well. To build trust is about bringing the barriers down, accepting that people can talk to you, and that you’ll do something about their concerns. Onara O’Neil also points out that deception is the enemy of trust.

Shall we see if values, trustworthiness and trust are clarified as the heart of the political campaigning leading up to the General Election?

We are all prisoners of our past

January 16th, 2010

Are you a prisoner of your past? As I discussed in a previous blog, sometimes we might rely too much on the experience of a previous role when we are executing a new role. There is an equally important aspect where our unconscious memories of the past can affect our current performance. Sometimes we perform in the present based on our ‘memories of the past’. Our childhood experiences can have a marked impact on our current behaviour.

Take Fred, a senior executive. He was finding it difficult to face up to powerful male authority figures. Coaching conversations revealed that Fred had unresolved issues about still seeking the respect of his father (personal issues from the past). This resulted in Fred finding it difficult to challenge his boss (the father figure) when his role required him to give tough upward feedback.

So Fred’s behaviour was stuck in an eternal battle that stemmed from his past. On the one hand he was driven by a desire to succeed. On the other hand he found it difficult to use the behaviours that would enable him to succeed.

Once this underpinning pattern was uncovered, Fred was able to see that using the power and authority of his role was necessary in order for him to succeed.

Santa chills out for the e-elves comeback tour

December 15th, 2009

This article, written by Alison Eadie, first appeared in the Telegraph Business File 14th December 2000. This blog is in memory of Alison who died in 2004.

Santa needs help Santa Claus is finding it lonely at the top. As chief executive of North Pole Enterprises, he has no one to share his problems with. The elves and the reindeer have each other. Mrs Claus is preoccupied with the grandchildren.

Santa suspects the global brand of which he is custodian needs updating. He wonders if his leadership style is appropriate. How is he to manage the impact of the credit crunch alongside ever-rising stakeholder expectations? Is it time for him to hand over the sleigh reins? To whom should he turn for help?

As he flicks through management publications he spies a piece about executive coaching. It is apparently the latest thing. Even successful people suffer from self-doubt and need a sympathetic ear. Life is fast changing and top people’s behaviour has to adapt, he reads.

So Santa decides to call in an executive coach. We hide under the couch and listen.

Santa Life just does not seem to be as much fun as it was in the simple old days. The children now text or e-mail letters instead of sending them up the chimney. They barely believe in me any more. How can you talk to me about self-belief when even seven year olds doubt my existence.

Coach You are obviously unhappy doing a job you once loved. Is it because you have changed, the task has changed, or your role in the organisation has changed? Let us think in terms of a triangle of task, role and person. Where, as we go on our journey of prompted discovery, do you think the emphasis lies? What bothers you most?

Santa It hurts that children no longer respect me. Apparently I am not cool. What am I to do? Arrive on a micro scooter? Shout whazzup or whazzat or High Fives instead of ho, ho, ho? And it is not just the children. My employees laugh at my poor technological skills. When e-mails first arrived, I asked my secretary to print them off so I could read them. Now the elves in the workshop want to hold online auctions to source our toy supplies more cheaply. I do not understand.

Coach Many boards of directors are baffled by the technology of the businesses they run. Have you considered a reverse mentoring programme? The younger e-elves could help you. You will have to swallow your pride and admit your inadequacies. Not many chief executives can do this. Think about it.

Santa Then there is this work-life balance malarkey. Elves used to be grateful for a job here. Now they make outrageous demands. Because they are working long hours at this time of year, they think I should arrange to have their drycleaning collected, their dogs walked and the snow cleared from their driveways. All the most caring employers offer this sort of concierge service, I am told. The elves also want communal spaces in the grotto where they can mingle with their colleagues, play games and chillout. Chillout? At the North Pole? Are they mad?

Coach You seem to be having difficulty securing buy-in from your customers and your staff. Followership is no longer automatic. You need new skills to influence and persuade stakeholders to stay loyal to you. You have to find a better way to communicate your brand values. How do you usually communicate?

Santa I shout.

Coach Hmm, is anything else worrying you?

Santa Well I do not go along with this diversity stuff. We have always been an equal opportunities employer. You can see we have never discriminated against anyone for having big ears or red noses. But I am not going to change the tradition of hundreds of years. The chief executive of this organisation will always be a fat, white man.

What is more, I am not putting up with this dress-down nonsense. How can we possibly have elves in smart casual clothes? They wear green breeches and that is that. They would look ridiculous in chinos and polo shirts. So would the reindeer, come to think of it.

Coach Your leadership style appears to be hands-on and somewhat inflexible. Have you considered letting go a little and trusting your employees more? Is there anything in your background that drives you to resist change? Perhaps you should delve into your childhood and see if you can identify causes of insecurity.

Santa Stuff and nonsense. My father brooked no interference in the way he ran North Pole Enterprises and nor will I. However I am worried about Nicholas Junior. He is showing no aptitude at all. I will never be able to retire if he doesn’t buckle down.

He has some crazy ideas. He thinks I should offer the elves share options to stop them chasing fairytale salaries elsewhere. This is a family business. How can I give it away?

Coach I can see there are quite a few issues to work through on all three parts of our triangle. You need to develop greater insight into your own behaviour and how you interact with others. You recognize all is not well, which is a good start, but you are reluctant to accept you may have to change. Rather than relying on your position and force of personality, you need to learn the art of advocacy. It is going to take a long time. I recommend a course of two hour sessions once a week for at least the next year.

Santa Well, I suppose I have to keep up with the chief executives. What do you want for Christmas?

Coach About £500 an hour would do nicely.

(with thanks to Steve Schneider for his ‘mentoring’ help)

Past experience can be a limitation to future success

November 13th, 2009

I’ve just been reading a blog by Dev Patnaik at Fast Company as part of a series of articles on Reinventing the MBA. It examines the approach of Roger Martin and the Rotman School of Management in Canada – to develop business leaders who are well-grounded in multiple disciplines.

I was particularly struck by this:

“Most people, whatever their background, are more comfortable reapplying a formula that has worked in the past than at generating new possibilities. They just try to use a template from an existing success . . . ”

This is one of the limitations that, time and again, is a major hurdle to overcome for leaders new to board level leadership. You can’t deliver an effective contribution if you are using a template or behaviour that belongs to a different role or task.

Emotional Intelligence

October 31st, 2009

There’s been some debate recently on whether Emotional Intelligence can be classified as an actual intelligence – ie something that you have to a lesser or greater degree. Or is it a skill and a competence that can be learned and developed? We believe that emotional intelligence lies within all of us but can often be further developed through effective mentoring.

But leaving this debate and the semantics to others, we do see that emotional awareness – of oneself, and of others – is an essential ingredient in the leader’s toolkit. If we do not pay sufficient attention, then our own emotional and personal history, or perhaps the cumulative effect of the stresses and strains of everyday life, have an impact on our judgement, on our relationships with others, and our effectiveness in our leadership role.

For more insight into this area, why not read our article Keeping your head in the present

Leadership and Courage

October 26th, 2009

We believe it’s important to encourage leaders to exchange and share their experiences. So we hold regular informal dinners where we invite our clients to come and engage in conversation, develop their network, and listen to other perspectives. The speaker at one of our recent dinners was the Financial Tmes columnist Stefan Stern.

He initiated a conversation on leadership – and the need for courage.

At the fundamental level this must manifest itself in the courage to guide and steer the organisation, but as the conductor of the orchestra, creating the space and place in which other people do the performing. This indeed takes courage where the leader has built their success on being a star performer. And this courage will develop out of the skill and practice of deep listening.

HR needs to take the initiative

October 5th, 2009

HR must take the initiative

Following on from my previous post, I notice that Douglas Ready warns (from research of 40 companies worldwide) that ‘a large proportion of the HR professionals said that they were worried that the progress made in leadership development and talent management … might be wiped out as a result of excessive short-term thinking and non-strategic cost cutting‘.

He too is concerned that this is evidence that many senior executives still see talent management and leadership development as activities for ‘good times only’. He also is concerned that HR is not playing the role it should – or could – to champion the business case for ongoing leadership development for the future.

HR of course is closely involved in delivering HR services to the business. And indeed, these services are always stretched at times of change and restructuring. But just as leadership generally needs to manage the short term and the long term, so too HR Directors need to step up to the mark and deliver their equally essential mission of delivering appropriate talent for the business both today and tomorrow.

Clevers and Smarts

September 28th, 2009

I’ve just been reading the article by Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones on ‘How to harness the special talents of clever people’, Management Today September 2009 . They add their voices to others who warn that there are organisational challenges in these difficult times that will be critical for success in the future, which have to be attended to.

This is the retention, management and leadership, of talent. Headcount reduction, cost cuttings, reorganisations have already led to a significant loss of organisational knowledge and wisdom. It’s evident that a critical focus of the organisation has to be survival today – but it cannot be at the cost of the leadership health of the company in the future.

It is critical that today’s leaders continue to create, protect and provide the enabling, flexible, challenging and adaptable environment that enables talent – especially ‘the Clevers’ – to flourish. Do read this article – it gives some useful guidelines on how to lead and get the best out these talented, clever people. If all you provide is a siege mentality they will respond by taking their talents elsewhere. You can’t afford to lose them. Because how will you replace them?

Hiring is down. Training and development budgets have to be justified in terms of immediate return on investment. Many graduate trainee programmes have been shelved or postponed. So protect and develop the talents and leadership you already have.

Reading this article also reminded me of the complementary and fundamental challenge that we are engaged in – actually ensuring that leaders do develop and learn. This was expounded so well in the seminal work of Chris Argyris published in the Harvard Business Review in 1991 ‘Teaching Smart People how to Learn’. While Goffee and Jones show us that organisations need to combine a demonstration of high affinity/empathy for the Clevers with clear discipline, we have to make sure that we are also providing a learning environment where talented people are encouraged to admit to uncertainty and failure and to learn to learn from it. Then we will be ready for the future upturn.

Leadership development for uncertain times

September 18th, 2009

Leadership is difficult at the best of times. It’s much more difficult in today’s world because it’s not always clear – to anyone – what direction is needed. The purpose of a leader is to steer the ship. There has to be someone in control – whether on the bridge or in the control room – to ensure that we avoid the icebergs and forge ahead safely towards our destination.

Leaders have to inspire the confidence in others so that everyone can make their proper contribution to the collective endeavour. However, today’s burning issue is that leaders are as unclear as their followers as to what to do.

Successful leaders recognise that they don’t have all the answers – particularly in difficult times – and need to involve others in conversations around issues of uncertainty. This is often a problem, because our model of leadership is based on the assumptions that the leader knows everything.

Linda Holbeche, director of Research and Policy at the CIPD wrote in May 2008 about Developing leaders for uncertain times , arguing the case that “ maintaining and growing the investment in developing leaders will produce significant payback and enable organizations to build differentiation and competitive advantage”.

I agree with Linda that we also need to review the content, focus and method of leadership development to ensure that their development enables them to deliver the job they have to do. Leadership development needs to ensure that as well as engaging and developing the leader’s capabilities to be decisive and to keep their followers focused, motivated and able to handle uncertainty, it also enables the leaders to confront and handle their own uncertainties, their own anxieties and vulnerabilities. “Quis custodiat ipsos custodies” (who guards the guards). Leaders need their coaches and mentors more than ever today.

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