Archive for March, 2010

In the fine arts, the word “value” has to do with the degree of lightness or darkness, the “luminosity” in a color. This is true for human beings too; we all emit a certain degree of luminosity to others – a value that can be interpreted in a positive or negative way.

We can notice the value in others if we stay alert. We’ve all known someone who emits a great deal of light; they are luminous. We are attracted to them. That’s the easy part.

Making the effort to notice value in those we have rejected, whom we don’t see eye to eye with, is important too.

As leaders, there is also some real worth in seeing beyond our negative judgment of others for the greater good of our organizations and communities. Instead of outright rejection of an individual, we may find value there.

Mom was wrong

My mother would say, “first impressions are lasting impressions” – meaning that a first impression of someone can’t be changed (and an implied caution that I better be careful to make a good first impression on others!). Sorry mom – you were wrong.

It is possible to change your first (or second) impression if you are willing. We all judge some people harshly.  If we are intentional, we can learn to give up those negative first impressions to discover what is valuable.

These negative judgments are particularly harmful when they apply to the people we lead:

that colleague down the hall who is always whining about something;

the employee who just “doesn’t get it”;

the person whom we just can’t see eye to eye with philosophically.

In all of these cases, even if we don’t realize it, we are snuffing out a person’s luminosity and devaluing them to the detriment of our organization.

Seeing beyond the negative

Stop and think about those negative impressions. Are they true, or just an opinion – something that you see through your own lens? Have a dialog with the person, listen, and ask, “What can I value here?”.

What new beliefs are you willing to be open to?

You might be surprised if you are open. And you might find some lightness shining through.

“Have patience with everything that remains unsolved in your heart. Try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books written in a foreign language. Do not now look for the answers. They cannot now be given to you because you could not live them. It is a question of experiencing everything. At present you need to live the question. Perhaps you will gradually, without even noticing it, find yourself experiencing the answer, some distant day.”

Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet

• What questions, if answered, will release your full leadership potential?
• What questions, if answered, will release the full potential of your employees?
• What keeps you from asking?
• What compels you to ask?
• What questions will you let simmer?

Ruth Shaw was the first woman to head a U.S. power company (Duke Energy). Equipped with a Ph.D. and a successful career in higher education, she had served as an executive in various positions at Duke. When she was chosen for the top position, she was surprised. She didn’t have technical knowledge in engineering, marketing or operations. The board chairman told her that the company already had specialists; that she was chosen to be the CEO to connect the dots. Connecting the dots is very much about having, and using, one’s intuition.

My own lifetime of connecting dots

Early in my corporate career, I set out to learn as much as I could about the large organization of which I was a part. Since I began as a bench scientist, learning more about the bigger organization meant that I needed to take control of my own learning and seek out positions in business areas that would help me learn as much as I could in the shortest time possible.

At one point, one of my managers said to me, “Mary Jo, if you want to get into management, you’ll have to stay in a position for a while” (I had never stayed anywhere in the company for more than 2.5 years at that point). He was implying, of course, that I needed deep technical knowledge in order to move up the ladder.

I wasn’t buying his advice, and have grown to understand that the learning I did served (and is serving) me well. I ended a long career with a global position that required a ton of intuition and a lot of knowledge stuffed into my brain. Because of my broad experience and my drive to learn, I am proud that, most of the time, I am able to connect the dots.

Why dot-connecting is important

As our world and our businesses become more global, connecting the dots will become even more important. Leaders who can grasp the significance and connectivity between their organizations, the larger corporation, their communities, countries, and the global context are going to be in top demand. In a poll conducted by PRWeek and Burson-Marsteller, the majority of the 252 CEOs surveyed said they were likely to rely on their intuition when making most business decisions.

The key is in being a learning leader

In order to see the whole, leaders need to be learning leaders. This implies a lot of vulnerability and a willingness to ask the questions that will help the brain to patch seemingly unconnected information together. Leaders need to be able to take in large amounts of information and make the connections visible and relevant to others. The ability to anticipate the future, solve problems with insight, and focus on long term goals are all direct results of being a learning leader.

Learning has everything to do with your ability to work with people and create healthy, strong relationships with others too. When you learn more about your followers, you are able to connect the dots in order to guide them in applying their strengths and passion to the work that is most meaningful for them and your organization.

A learning leader is able to seek out and distill a great amount of  information. They can then exercise their brain muscle by intuitively connect the dots; an in-demand skill at almost any organization. It takes a dedication and drive to learn, as well as conscious intent.

Are you being intentional about learning today in order to connect the dots tomorrow?

There are times when a leader must refrain from giving advice and offering opinions; yet such restraint is difficult. After all, you’re paid to provide solutions….aren’t you? So you don’t pause to consider, in the moment, about whether it’s appropriate to give your opinions and advice. When asked, your mouth opens and you speak your truth without considering the consequences.

And so it continues. Opinions and advice are provided, and your staff keeps coming back to ask for more. You’re wearing down under the burden of being the person with all the knowledge. You’ve dug yourself into the answer-person hole and it seems too deep to climb out of. To quote an old commercial, “It’s a vicious cycle!” Do you really want to work this hard?

It’s flattering, but is it wise?

It’s certainly flattering to give your advice and opinions. Excuses I often hear from leaders for doing so are, “they asked me for my opinion” or “my staff expects me to tell them.” Stop and consider if this habit of is really serving you and your staff at this time and for this situation.

The truth is that leaders must give advice and opinions. The wisdom to be learned in this is discernment about when to give answers and when to guide (or coach).

Less-experienced staff may need more from you; your opinions and advice will be valuable as they are learning about the organization and your expectations. As they learn and develop, you will need to let go and let them grow by guiding (coaching) them, rather than providing your solutions.

Support your staff in finding their own solutions

When you support your staff in developing their own solutions and opinions, you’ve not only supported their growth, but you also free up yourself to do work that has a higher priority for you and your organization.

So before you spout off those solutions and opinions, ask yourself:

• How does it serve me and those I lead at this time to be the answer person?
• What does this situation call for?
  • Is my advice and opinion needed, or
  • Do I need to guide them instead?

It’s freeing to help others find their own solutions. Your staff wants to develop and discover the best ways that they can serve the organization, and you want to dig your way out of the answer-person hole. Perhaps now is the time to consider “guiding” rather than “telling”.