Category Archives: Talent Development

Culture and Innovation Positively Linked

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Organizations frequently look for innovation to help them help solve thorny organizational problems.  Whether the phrase is uttered, “Do more with less” or “Think outside the box”, innovation is key.  A recent study, “The Global Innovation 1000”, outlined key elements for success:

  1. Innovation strategy tightly aligned with it’s overall organizational strategy
  2. The strategy is communicated consistently throughout the organization
  3. A prioritized set of capabilities that match the strategy
  4. Ensure the innovation strategy translates to a clear, tangible, action plan
  5. A supportive culture

The culture element is so difficult because it is built up “a brick at a time, a point at a time, over decades.  You need consistency; you need persistence; and you need gentle, behind the scenes encouragement in addition to top down support.  And you can lose it very quickly.”

The big takeaway?  The more closely aligned these elements are, the greater set of capabilities you can bring to bear on these thorny organizational challenges.

(Source: Jaruzelski, Loehr, and Holman, Booz & Company, Winter 2011)

2 Questions to Ask Yourself before Making an Unwise Decision

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In an earlier post, I outlined a summary of research from Nobel Prize Winner Daniel Kahneman and his colleagues on some reasons why we make unwise decisions. They outline two questions you should ask yourself before making any big decision:

  1. Qui Bono (who benefits?) Do you have any reason to suspect that you or whomever is making the recommendation is motivated by a preference for a certain decision? You should look for two or three realistic different options and recommendations with the potential short and mid term impacts.
  2. The Cupid and GroupThink Syndromes: Has the individual or team who is making the recommendation fallen in love with the recommendation?  I remember working with one very senior leader who told his senior leadership team that he relished the chance to spar with a team making a recommendation when they told him, “We’ve all agreed, this is unarguably the best course of action.”  He pushed and fought for them to argue the different options to get as many dissenting views on the table as possible.  He wanted and actively solicited dissent on the possible options so that they had the best possible chance of making a good decision.  This had the side benefit of helping his team think through different options before coming to him with a recommendation.

Secrets of Success: Dr. Catherine Gordon

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This is a segment in a series of profiles of values based leaders in all walks of life.  It is part of GEN Shelton’s book, Secrets of Success.  This post focuses on Dr. Catherine Gordon, a highly acclaimed medical researcher in the Boston area.

  • Over the years I’ve realized what an important role leadership plays in my work.  I was blessed by some wonderful mentors and, for young scientists, a mentor is so important.  So part of my mission is to coach young scientists the way I’ve been coached, taking the time to give them both positive and negative feedback.  As academic doctors, we are so busy in the hospital; there’s always a sick patient, a class to teach, a grant due.  There’s no room for error with patients, so it’s easy to forget to take the time to give your team positive feedback.  But I try to remember to mix the positive feedback with the negative, that good leaders will always take the time to discuss what’s going well and why. 

5 Key Thoughts and Principles of Leadership (Part 5 of 5)

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This is the last in the series of key thoughts and principles of leadership from an interview with a CEO.  You can find the previous key thoughts and principles below:

Part 1: Know Who You Are     Part 2: Be a Listener/Listen Broadly

Part 3: Courage and Attitude   Part 4: What is your Philosophy of Leadership

5-COMMUNICATION-What do you believe in and how can you communicate that most effectively?  You say more by saying less. Be authentic and genuine. We all can learn a lot and do a better job with this.  Style never displaces substance.  you have to avoid the situation where your team says…”Pass me the hemlock please”.  You have to work on your communication skills all the time-you always can improve.  You deploy the right style with the right audience , then tailor the message-length, style, substance.

Are leaders and great communicators born or made? I get this question a lot.  I believe that lots of leadership skills that can be learned. Even if you are not wired that way-you can get over that.

Two questions you need to ask yourself:

1-Before you say anything that is emotionally charged, ask yourself “Is what I am about to say necessary?” I have to ask you…If you sit in meetings, how much commentary would not pass that test?    Ask yourself, “Will what I am about to say advance the discussion, add a new dimension that matters and is relevant and important OR is what I have to say a regurgitation of what others have said?”   If what you want to say needs to be backed up, it is necessary. But if it is argumentative for sake of disagreeing, you don’t do it. This works in families as well.

2-Is what I am about to say, kind?  I mean this in an exploratory and inquiry based way, not sugar and spice.  How you say things is more important than what you are going to say.  Will you say it in the right way and will it be constructive or destructive?  How many times have we seen a relevant point delivered in the wrong way?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Five Key Thoughts and Principles of Leadership (Part 3 of 5)

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(Note-you can find the first post that outlines the background of this series here and here. This is the third in the series.

3-COURAGE AND ATTITUDE- Let me share something with you. Almost every leader likes people to be happy. I want everybody to be happy.  That is a positive and a detriment. But sometimes, you have to have the moral courage to make a decision that will disappoint and upset people.  If you are going to be a leader, you have to step up and put up.  You have to make the call.  There will be a percentage who will hate the decision and will try to mitigate, resist, or sabotage the decision.  It’s hard work and not easy to do.  I screw it up all the time because of blow back.