Management Vs Leadership

Everyone seems to be a leader these days. Courses aim to teach anyone and everyone how to be a better leader.   

But is this what business needs?  Does everyone really need to be a leader?  Is everyone capable of becoming a leader?

First, we need to define what leadership is and how this differs from management.  One of the most succinct quotes I've found puts this very simply:

“Effective leadership is putting first things first. Effective management is discipline, carrying it out.”

  

Stephen Covey, Management Thinker

This would certainly mirror my view, that Leadership is about formulating vision and strategy, whereas Management is about execution of that vision or strategy.  There is definitely something within the study of leadership around the personality of leaders - Transformational Leadership, but I'll leave that to another post.  Here I'm concerned with differentiating between two terms that many seem to confuse or use interchangeably.

So, does everyone that's a manager also need to be a leader?  

I think it depends.  It depends on whether that person is responsible for managing tasks or teams.  If it's management of tasks, then no, leadership is not required, just effective management of the task and its associated processes.  If it's managing teams, then yes, some element of leadership is required as creating a shared vision for the team is essential in creating forward momentum.  And here's our first problem.

Many organisations have come to confuse the label "management" with solely managing people.  Rising to the heady heights of management in an organisation almost always entails taking ownership of a team of people.  Gone are the days when a Manager could just get on with his/her job - managing a process in which s/he is highly proficient.  So what do we have?  A whole heap of people that are highly proficient in managing tasks and activities thrust into an arena that requires leadership behaviours that they do not possess. Leadership requires a strategic mind and emotional content to engender followership.

Can anyone become a leader?

A debate that will probably rage on for ever, is the "are leaders born or made?" argument.  For me, I would tend to agree with the notion that some leaders are born, but all are made.  This is to say that some people posess certain social advantages at birth, characteristics and predispositions to intellect that make them better equipped to lead, but only if the circumstances and life experiences create the situations for that potential to be realised.

So, back to the Management Vs Leadership debate.  Selection of the right people for the right jobs is essential.  Those who are good at managing processes and activities may not neccesarily be capable leaders of people.  Allow them to to take on roles where their talents can be utilised away from the stress and dangers of leading people.  Those who show aptitude for leading people can be spotted with an effective talent agenda, and yes, in this context, leaders can be developed to inspire and lead your people. 

This means that you will have some people that will make great managers but not leaders and you will have some managers that can also be great leaders.  You may also have some great leaders who are poor managers - visionaries, strategists, for whom execution and management holds little thrill nor do they hold any competence in management, but are able to ignite passion, excitement and clear, compelling direction.  The key is to identify who is what and ensure that the right job fit is achieved and that training and development is tailored accordingly.

The questions that remain for many organisations are;

- are you able to distinguish between your managers and leaders in spotting talent?

- does your organisational structure allow you to exploit people's talents appropriately?

- are you directing people to the right development given what they need to do or the talents they hold?

or

- are you promoting based on professional competence/time served, sheep dipping people through generic Leadership/Management training and hoping for the best?

Fancy chatting this through?  You know what to do. ;)

The following always amuses me and also highlights a major difference between the strategic concerns of leadership and the detailed musings of management.  It's a letter from The Duke of Wellington (a formidable character and wit of his time) to the British Foreign Office in London, written from Central Spain, August 1812:

Gentlemen,

Whilst marching from Portugal to a position which commands the approach to Madrid and the French forces, my officers have been diligently complying with your requests which have been sent by H.M. ship from London to Lisbon and thence by dispatch to our headquarters.

We have enumerated our saddles, bridles, tents and tent poles, and all manner of sundry items for which His Majesty's Government holds me accountable.  I have dispatched reports on the character, wit, and spleen of every officer.  Each item and every farthing has been accounted for, with two regrettable exceptions for which I beg your indulgence.

Unfortunately the sum of one shilling and ninepence remains unaccounted for in one infantry battalion's petty cash and there has been a hideous confusion as the number of jars of raspberry jam issued to one cavalry regiment during a sandstorm in western Spain. This reprehensible carelessness may be related to the pressure of circumstance, since we are at war with France, a fact which may come as a bit of a surprise to you gentlemen in Whitehall.

This brings me to my present purpose, which is to request elucidation of my instructions from His Majesty's Government so that I may better understand why I am dragging an army over these barren plains.  I construe that perforce it must be one of two alternative duties, as given below. I shall pursue either one with the best of my ability, but I cannot do both:

1. To train an army of uniformed British clerks in Spain for the benefit of the accountants and copy-boys in London or perchance, 
2. To see to it that the forces of Napoleon are driven out of Spain.

Your most obedient servant

Wellington

I'll leave you with this, connected to the subject only by Wellington...I just think it's funny.  Enjoy.

Until next time, take care.

Al @ Oracle

Teambuilding

"There's no "I" in Team", "Together Everyone Achieves More" and other such tired platitudes - we've all heard them as we sit, cringing, through one of those awful "Teambuilding" sessions, commissioned by well meaning, but ultimately unimaginative managers wanting an "away day" but with no real concept of what s/he is trying to achieve.

For sure, a well formed, high performing team can have a significant impact on results, and there are activities that can help achieve this, but I've got a problem with a some of the "teambuilding" events that I've seen and (sadly) participated in over the years...

Tarzan Teamwork

First up, is the outdoor experience.  Whether it's hanging from a height by a thin piece of rope, manhandling a colleague through a web of elastic, making a raft out of some twigs and lemonade bottles, rescuing an inanimate object from "shark infested custard", or being asked to trust colleagues who you wouldn't normally trust with string, I have to ask, what does this have to do with making a team more effective?  My opinion?  For most people who work all day in an office, nothing.

Some of these events can (for some, but definitely not all!) be fun and a good day out.  Facilitators will use obvious lessons to convince particpants that some kind of new wisdom has been uncovered.  Invariably expensive, these days out do nothing to deepen team direction or loyalty, indeed, are quickly (perhaps best) forgotten when everyone's back at their desks and have little relevance to daily office realities.

Sure, they can be good social bonding experiences (although some would rather poke forks into their eyes than spend time time with colleagues doing uncomfortable things), but so can going to the pub and getting to know colleagues outside of the office.  If you want a social experience, go for it, enjoy yourselves.  If your business is de-fusing imaginary bombs using planks and rope, then I'm sure the learning will be valuable.  But the idea that such activities "build" teams is tenuous.

1 day course = instant success!

Then there are the courses - the classroom sessions where partcipants (often from varying businesses or at best, disparate parts of the same business) are given the low down on theories by Maslow and Tuckman's "Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing", fill out Belbin's Team Roles questionnaire and talk about communication and objectives.

Now, I actually have no problem with any of this - indeed, I feel that theoretical underpinning is essential to broader understanding of any subject.  However, delivering such training, usually to managers in isolation, without reference to the realities of the jobs that they are doing, does little to build teams or improve team performance.

An inherent problem for me in many approaches to "Teambuilding" is the notion that you can "build" a team using a set of theories and principles.  We do not (usually) have the luxury of being able to choose a team - we get what we're given and even if you are able to set up your team from scratch, I've yet to see a psychometric that will give you a 100% guarantee that you'll get the perfect team.  Why?  Well, simply because a Team is a collection of individuals.  No matter how many cliches we quote or how much uniformity we try to create, we ignore the huge diversity of human difference and aspiration at our peril.

And how many high performing teams have you been part of where explicit "teambuilding" has been done? It's normally an organic rather than imposed process, but it can be guided by understanding what does make a team effective. I've been lucky to have been part of a few teams that I felt were high performing and from observation I would say the following things happened:

- Recognition of the individual; their strengths, weaknesses, hopes and fears.

- Common, agreed purpose

- Mutual respect (distinct from all being "friends" - it's possible for a team to work well despite social friction)

- A role for everyone and everyone knowing what their, and each others' roles are

- Individual and shared ownership for roles, tasks, successes and failures

- Shared and agreed "norms" for behaviour - everyone knows what will and won't be tolerated and;

- in relation to the above, everyone has the courage to speak up when those norms are not being met

So, how best to develop a high performing team?  Well, from experience, reflection, and research, if building a team is to be aided by learning and development activity, I would advise the following:

- Work with the team that you are trying to develop (ie. not a random collection of people whose only common ground is that they're on the same course)

- Deal with the issues and problems that are specific and relevant to your work situation - make it real

- Create a shared vision/goal

- Develop understanding of what each individual needs

- Agree the values and behaviours that the team believe are essential to achieving that goal/vision

- Make such activity just part of "how things are done" - the big signpost saying "this is Teambuilding" will often alienate and create cynicism

If you want any help to facilitate building your high performing team, you know where to come, right?  ;P

I'll leave you with this little clip, which, whilst funny, you'd be surprised (or maybe not!) by how close it is to some of the more cringeworthy "Teambuilding" sessions I've been subjected to in the past...enjoy:

Until next time, take care.

Al @ Oracle

The great time management myth

One cannot manage too many affairs: like pumpkins in the water, one pops up while you try to hold down the other.

Chinese Proverb

All through my career, I've always had lots of requests for staff to have "Time Management" training.  It's usually a course that's chosen from a brochure and promises instant success for the disorganised and is usually prescribed as a cure for poor performance or to alleviate suffering in the stressed and bewildered.

So what happens on these courses?  Well, from my observations, it's usually a range of meaningless questionnaires, some charts to fill in and a handful of techniques to help you establish what you "Must, Should, or Could" do with your time, ABCs, analysing what's important versus urgent and on the list goes.  To the desperate seeking relief from their stressed out working lives, it all sounds great and they return to work, use the techniques for a week or so, then find that using them takes too much time and that their workload is exactly the same as it was before and the hours available are exactly what they used to be.

The big time management myth is that a one day course can cure your time woes.  It's absolute rubbish.  In almost 15 years of seeing people go through these courses, I haven't seen a single success story.  No amount of flash charts or three letter acronyms can singularly change a person's behaviour or magically create extra time.

So, let's get one thing straight - you can't manage time.  Time remains the same and you have all the time there is.  What peole need to focus on is being EFFECTIVE.  Ultimately, being EFFECTIVE is profoundly simple.  The problem lies in CHOOSING to be effective and developing the habits to become and stay effective.

Of the programmes that I have seen, one that is different is the FranklinCovey system.  This is due, in no small part to the work of Stephen Covey and in particular, his bestselling book

 "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People".  Of most relevance to this article, are the first three habits:

Habit 1: Be Proactive - this habit concerns taking personal responsibility for what happens to you and the choices you make in life.  When considering how effective you are, you have a choice - continue as you have always done and get what you've always got, or adopt new habits and CHOOSE to be effective and take control of your life and work.  Much of this thinking is also echoed in work by Ryan and Deci and their Self Determination Theory.

Habit 2: Begin with the end in mind - for me, in terms of being effective, this concerns the habit of setting objectives for oneself.  Based on the work of Edwin Locke, Goal Setting Theory suggests that we are far more motivated to work towards well formed goals and objectives than without.

Habit 3: Put first things first - simply, prioritise.  Decide what is most important to you (not the same as what is urgent or important to someone else!!!) and do that first.  If something is not important to you, either don't do it, or leave it until those at the top of your list are done.

It's no accident that Covey chose the word "Habits" for his book as it's forming new habits, new behaviours that will make the difference between superficial "Time Mangement" approaches and an individual CHOOSING to become EFFECTIVE.

Neuroscience supports the possibility of forming these new habits through the creation of new neural pathways and constant reinforcement of new, positive habits (research suggests that it takes, on average, 2 to 3 months to form a new habit), but it is a conscious CHOICE by the individual to adpot these habits and to continue to practice them until they become unconscious competence.

So simply, you can have all the Time Management techniques in the world, but being EFFECTIVE comes down to:

- Making the CHOICE to take responsibility and control over what you do

- PRIORITISING what's important for you to do

- Setting OBJECTIVES to guide your effort to the outcome that you want to see

So, do you want to develop your people to be more effective in a way that makes real changes?  Get in touch to find out about Oracle's "Habitually Effective" course.

I'll leave you with this little Dilbert clip on the subject of Time Management - enjoy.

Until next time, take care.

Al @ Oracle

The dreaded appraisal!

In just about every job I've done, I've spent a lot of time around appraisals - designing them, helping people do them, doing them myself, and, of course, being the subject of them. So here are some of my thoughts on this universally adored subject.

What is an appraisal?

Performance appraisal is a vital component of performance management but it is just that, one component - part of a set of actions and behaviours that form "performance management".

The appraisal or review is a chance for the employee and (usually) his/her manager to spend some time focussing on performance and development.  It is not something "done" to an employee, rather it should be an open conversation and exchange of views and ideas.

Performance appraisals are both retrospective and forward looking, examining past performance and planning improvements and future performance.

How to conduct an appraisal

There are five key elements to an appraisal:

1. Measurement – measuring performance against previously set objectives.
2. Feedback – on performance and behaviours.
3. Positivity – highlighting what has gone well and giving constructive feedback about what might be improved.
4. Exchange of views – an open exchange of views about what has happened, how appraisees can improve their performance, the support they need and any aspirations for their future.
5. Agreement – agreeing what will be done, by whom, by when and what support will be given.

A review will generally contain the following:

1. Review of previously set objectives - were they achieved?  If not, why not?

2. Review of Training - has the previously planned training happened?  If not, why not?  Has further training arisen as a result?
3. Review of competence – are individuals performing within the requirements of the role (Particularly important for those businesses operating within a Training & Competency regime).
4. Planning new objectives based on new developments, new tasks, improved performance based on past activities, new technology, processes etc - remembering to make them SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound)

5. Planning future training based on outcomes from any of the above points.

6. Agreement and sign off - indicating that both parties in the meeting have understood and agreed what has happened in the meeting.

Preparing for the meeting

Preparation is key to the success of an appraisal meeting. The appraiser should:

- Review previous appraisals and objectives set (including development).
- Consider what feedback will be given and what evidence might be needed to support views.
- Consider factors within and without the appraisee's control that may have hindered performance.

- Consider any potential career development for the appraisee.
- Think about objectives for the coming review period.

It may also be useful for the appraisee to do some preparation in order that s/he can contribute to the meeting as fully as possible, indeed, some organisations have a sperate appraisee preparation form to help with this.  The appraisee may wish to think about the following:

- What has s/he achieved during the review period, with examples and evidence where possible.

- Why any objectives were not achieved.

- What parts of their role they enjoy.

- How s/he might address any areas for improvement.
- Any Learning and development needs and how they relate to business performance.

- What support they might need from their manager.

- Future aspirations (if any).

- Objectives that they feel they might  like to work on.

What a good appraisal looks like

A good appraisal meeting is one where:

- appraisees do most of the talking

- appraisers listen carefully

- there is opportunity to think about what has happened
- achievement is recognised
- it ends with agreed and specific action plans

A bad appraisal meeting:

- looks solely at failure
- is dominated by the appraiser - "done" to the appraisee
- ends with disagreement and no clear goals.

Appraisal skills

Questioning Skills

Appraisers should try to use open questions - these tend to be general questions and usually invite information from the appraisee; Examples include:

- How have things been going?
- How did that make you feel?

- Why do you think that happened?

The information gained from an open question may lead you to want to probe further into a particular area to gain further information or to promote further reflection from the individual.  Probing questions might be:

- Tell me more about ….?

- Can you expand on...?

- Can you be more specific about...?

Active Listening

- focus on behaviour, body language and what is really behind what is being said
- paraphrase or ask questions to clarify
- give feedback or make comments to show understanding or empathy

Giving feedback

Feedback is aimed at making a person more aware of something that they do, or do not do and the impact it has on events or others around them. Feedback works best when:

- it is based on evidence that can be shared
- it is owned by the giver

- it is factual and given without judgement
- the receiver's opinion over what happened, why and how it can be improved is sought and distilled into a goal or target for improvement.

All pretty sensible stuff eh?  And yet so many managers do it badly - research by  Investors in People found that 29% of workers felt the experience was a waste of time, while 44% believed their appraiser had been dishonest or failed to address issues or give continuous feedback during the year.  Bad appraisals have a huge impact on motivation.  Appraisal is a fundamental part of performance management and most systems I have seen are fundamentally sound.  The success or failure of a system and the importance attached to it is more often than not, down to the skill of managers to implement appraisal in an effective way, utilising the right skills and knowledge.

Is appraisal working in your organisation?  Perhaps it could be improved?  If so, get in touch.

Until next time, take care.

Al @ Oracle

British Institute for Learning & Development

I just wanted to let you know that I've just joined the British Institute for Learning & Development (BILD) as a Member (MBILD).

The BILD is the UK’s leading organisation specifically representing the interests of learning & development professionals.

With a focus on professionalism and performance improvement, it provides coherence to a sector that embraces corporate, work based and lifelong learning and vocational training.

The institute contributes to the development and success of its members by offering:

• Impartial information and advice
• Examples of best practice
• News on techniques and technologies in learning
• Information on issues and events
• Opportunities for networking and access to the collective expertise of the membership
• Support in the use of quality models and promoting continuous improvements
• Strategic links with key organisations both UK and worldwide.
  

I'm proud to have become a member, and for Oracle customers, my membership offers:

• Externally verified assurance regarding my experience and qualifications
• The comfort of knowing that I'm signed up to continue my professional development, which means I can offer you the latest L&D thinking
• The security of engaging the services of a person committed to a professional code of conduct

So, get in touch with a true Learning & Development professional to find out how I can help your organisation.


Alister @ Oracle

Welcome to the blog

Welcome to the Oracle Blog.

I thought it would be useful to have an area where I can post thoughts, articles and links to the sort of stuff I find interesting. It’s here as a resource but also as a way of showing you how I think and like to do things. It’s also a chance for you to interact through the comments facility – I welcome any and all feedback. I hope you find it useful and interesting and that you get a sense of the way Oracle works, the values we hold and, ultimately, see something that makes you want to find out more about working with us.

So, where to start? How about how I see Training & Development? For me, Training and Development is simple. Perhaps I can show this by taking a look at how I see the training cycle working…

1. Analysing the need

Training and development is not a “nice to have” or a special treat that you give to people to give them a day out of the office. We all know that motivation is key to the effectiveness of an organisation – numerous studies and gurus tell us so. Countless employee surveys tell us that lack of training or development opportunities are one of the main causes of employee dissatisfaction. At the centre of the identification of a training or development need for any person, should be the fundamental assumption that meeting the need will bring about improved competence and performance. If not, what’s the point? Why spend the time and money?

It’s also good at this point to establish a distinct difference between needs and wants. There are loads of great courses out there and ways of developing people – some are even fun! However, do yourself, your people and your budget a favour and make a clear distinction between what people want (fun courses that may enhance their own personal CVs) and what they need (clearly defined programmes that will develop the competence and performance of people in the roles that they perform for your organisation).

2. Designing the right solution

Courses are not a tick-box panacea. Courses are great if you want to deliver core information to a group of people who all have the same summary need, but many people have entirely different needs and ways of learning. Courses deliver information, allow skills to be developed but, due to time constraints, will rarely deal with the underlying assumptions and values that each individual holds at the root of his/her development need. Sometimes, a longer term development plan, with a range of potential solutions are what’s called for, sometimes the line manager and the Training professional need to work in partnership to create a lasting change in behaviour or performance. What I’m trying to say is, development is not as simple as “sending” someone on a course. If it were, all training would be successful and I would be out of a job.

3. Delivering the solution

Having decided what you’re going to do, you’re faced with a bewildering array of options to help you deliver the development. Courses, coaching, mentoring, secondment, research, books, special projects, alone or in combination…the list goes on. And who’s best to deliver it? The range of providers out there is vast and I’m just one of them! My advice? Find someone who will tell you what need to hear, even if that isn’t necessarily what you want to hear (back with the needs/want thing again!). I’m serious about delivering a result – an improved capability or performance, otherwise it’s just games. That’s not the same as telling you what to do or being dogmatic, but I have a professional opinion and if I’m asked for it, I’m happy to give it and the support that goes with it. Honesty is key, and that works the same when telling people that I’m not the right person for a job too (but I bet I know someone who can…).

4. Evaluation

Ahhh…evaluation, the bête noire of every training professional. “Evaluation is hard”…except it’s not. It’s actually very simple. If you’ve done stages one to three of the training cycle well, evaluation is a doddle because you were clear about what you were doing and how. Lack of real evaluation is a poor excuse for not delivering the promise of improved performance or capability. By working with organisations and their individuals it should always be possible to make clear connections to a course of development activity and positive outcomes. If not, either the need was ill-defined or the delivery flawed.

See? Simple.

Until next time, take care.

Alister @ Oracle