In The Hyper-Social Organization, authors Gossieaux and Moran (I did a podcast with Gossieaux a few weeks ago here) suggest that leaders need to create communities. They suggest leaders:
- Behave naturally, not overly formal
- Ditch rule books and embrace values
- Live their values
- Create trusting environments
- Embrace transparency
- Embrace diversity
- Never compromise on the quality of the people who surround you
- Let go of control
Which of these suggestions might be most helpful to you?
Community building is deeper and more organic than team development. Should our training programs be shifting away from team building to community building? I think some of the skills we practice when building teams are still relelvant (learning behavioral tendencies, for example). But what about the stages of team development? I think we might need to rethink how communities of coworkers develop, create agreement, communicate, and build relationships. What do you think? Hey, training professionals, how do you plan to change your development plans will all this in mind?
Lisa Haneberg
www.lisahaneberg.com
You have probably heard that the band, Guns and Roses, were booed and pelted with bottles in Ireland because they were 1 1/2 hours late for starting the show. As I listened to the news story on the radio, I felt a moment of disgust and found myself thinking, “how dare you be so self-absorbed!” Sure, this is not unexpected from some rock stars, but let’s think this through for a moment:
What’s the cost of 90 minutes of time for thousands of people? What might the opportunity costs be? The costs are HUMONGOUS. What would you have to tell yourself that would make showing up 90 minutes late for a concert (where people PAID to see YOU) an OK THING TO DO? I can’t imagine the mindset that rationalizes that this as acceptable performance. Let’s relate this to leadership and work professionalism, now. How many of you are habitually late? What if you suffered from the politically correct versions of being booed and pelted when you showed up late? What if people did not wait for you?
As managers and leaders, we need to hold ourselves to a higher standard than the members of Guns and Roses are apparently doing (I say this because the newscaster said that the band is known for showing up late). I know that some people struggle more than others to be on time, but tough cookies. Being habitually late, when a specific time is agreed to and especially when groups are involved, is irresponsible, rude, and self-absorbed. It has to be self-absorbed – somewhere in your head you are rationalizing that this is OK and your argument will be some version of the following thought, “my time is more valuable than yours and it is OK for you to wait for me.” You probably don’t say it like that in your head, but it often boils down to this.
I am not talking about the occasional lateness caused by freak things like traffic piles ups, stuck elevators, or suddenly being called to the CEO’s office. My tough stance is aimed at habitually late people – you know who you are. :-)
 I want to share three wonderful quotes I came across while writing a book about senior leadership team excellence. They share a common message at the core, let’s see if you can notice it.
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I have been doing several employee engagement survey projects recently and continue to notice how important it is to employees that their bosses be real – informal, open, friendly. The bosses that get mentioned in a positive light are the ones who take the time to get to know folks, even if only for a moment while passing in the hallways. The bosses that get mentioned in a negative light are nearly never bashed for not knowing the function. They are bashed because they are negative, aloof, and unfriendly.
I continue to be surprised by this because these are issues that should not exist and cost nothing to fix. Well, I suppose that if you have to retrain all your managers to be nice, there might be a small cost. But, come on, this is fare more than common sense, this is human nature.
1. Why does any professional, espectially any leader, think it is OK to be impersonal or unfriendly?
2. Why does any leadership team tolerate leaders and managers who are not likeable?
A leader is, by definition, someone who has signed up to lead the way. This does not mean leading the way in percentage of time spent in meetings or leading in creating plans and charts. This means leading people so that they might do their best work on behalf of the enterprise.
This should be simple. A no-brainer. Something that consultants like me NEVER get paid to resolve.
I was on a panel discussion at SOBCON2010 and ran into Steve Farber, who was speaking there. He talked about leadership and the importance of LOVE. When I talk to leaders and managers, I also mention the word LOVE. We recently got on the phone to chat about this on my podcast and you can listen to that here.
What is leadership love? It’s what we are sharing when we show employees, peers, managers, and others about what matters to us – what we are passionate about, why we love our business, and what about our work we are committed to.
As we mention on the podcast, all leaders can and should show love. Extrovert, introvert, verbose, or reserved. People commit to people, not enterprises. Employees feel connection to leaders, not missions.
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