Ask Tom Archive

Preparing for organizational change

By
TomChampoux
Published: September 6, 2011Posted in: Ask Tom, Leadership Development, Team DevelopmentTags: , ,

Tom, how does a manager prepare him or herself for organizational change and manage that same change in others?

When dealing with organizational change, it is important to consider change management, organizational management and employee morale.

Three issues are key:

1. A CONNECTION TO SOMETHING LARGER THAN SELF. Why would you change anything when what you are doing is working? The first and primary role of the manager is to continually educate and reinforce to his or her staff how what the team is doing is part of something larger. The world of finance is not a world unto itself. It is an integral part of a seamless organization. Finance works with operations, sales and systems support to make it all work.  If an individual is to collaboratively and successfully integrate change, first he or she must be committed to a larger team goal, a goal larger than one’s own function or responsibility

2. CREATING A SENSE OF URGENCY. Individuals change when they see or experience urgency. The question then becomes, “how do you create urgency?” Simply telling an individual that this is urgent will not achieve the desired response. I believe the answer to creating urgency is tied into two things: 1) the “why” is understood, and 2) the consequence of not making the change is clear. This cannot be a one way conversation. It must include dialogue where an individual can surface concerns and address the frustrations that the change will cause.

3. LEAVING THE COMFORT ZONE. The third issue in change is addressing the fear issue as the individual is asked to leave his or her comfort zone. In a competitive marketplace where quality is the norm and mistakes are not tolerated, individuals creatively work to stay in their comfort zone where their strengths are. If they do this, change will never happen. Managing the personal side of the professional relationship is critical to the success of any manager if they expect their people to risk and grow. Support, reassurance and guidance are key.

Change is not difficult. It is just as natural process as not changing. Individuals want to do good and they want to make a difference. They want to be part of something larger than themselves. If leaders and managers talk about and continuously clarify the organizational goals, that dialogue surfaces the why’s and the what’s for team members. As they pursue HOW to make it happen, the urgency created in the why/what discussions enable risking and leaving the comfort zone and change happens. By first understanding change management and organizational management, leaders are better equipped to prepare employees for change.

How are Behavior Styles not stereotyping?

By
TomChampoux
Published: September 6, 2011Posted in: Ask Tom, People SkillsTags: , , , , ,

Behavior Styles is one of the core training principles taught by Tom Champoux and other Effectiveness Institute consultants.

Tom, how are Behavior Styles not stereotyping?

Great question and one we should all be concerned about.  None of us need another label for ourselves to box ourselves into a certain way of thinking and acting.  A Behavior Style is simply a description of a pattern of behaviors.  It is how we “behave” and it can be observed easily by others.  Do I talk fast or talk slow?  Is my tendency to ask questions or is it to make statements?  Is my emphasis to get it done or is my emphasis on how things get done ?  If I can recognize a pattern in myself and in the behavior of others, I can increase my credibility by flexing my behavior to meet another person’s needs.  I did not change who I am.  I changed what I do – my Behavior Style.

A label has one upside and several downsides.  The upside (which we should use and quickly discard): it organizes information into a pattern so we can internalize and understand it.   The downsides: I feel judged and stereotyped.  I feel locked in.  A label says I am only one pattern and I cannot change it.  That is closer to the description of a personality…rarely are those changed by making a choice.  We emphatically believe that any of us can make the choice to change our pattern (Behavior Style) whenever we choose to in order to be appropriate in a given environment.  This would lead to a discussion of Emotional Intelligence – the ability to demonstrate the appropriate behavior at the appropriate time to meet the appropriate needs of the environment and the people in the environment in real time.

Behavior Style is a pattern, but I am not locked into it.  We can always make the choice to change our behavior.  It may not be a comfortable choice, but it is still a choice.

Learn about behavior styles and behavior patterns at training workshops in Seattle, WA.

Which Styles Make the Best Leaders?

By
TomChampoux
Published: June 8, 2010Posted in: Ask Tom, Leadership DevelopmentTags: , , , ,

Leadership Development and Behavior Styles Programs are taught by Effectiveness Institute and Tom Champoux.
Tom:  Which styles make the best leaders?  It seems like most CEO’s would be a Controller; is that true?

Whenever I am asked this question, I always ask, “Why do you think Controllers would make good leaders?” The answer invariably comes back …“because they make fast decisions, they are results oriented, they can be tough when they need to be, they are not afraid of conflict”…all great traits that any leader should have access to in my opinion. But my thought is that any person can do these things with the simple choice of “rotating the iceberg.” This is the very definition of emotional intelligence – the ability to demonstrate the appropriate behavior at the appropriate time to meet the appropriate needs of the environment and the people in the environment.

Controllers do have natural, intuitive access to these behaviors but that can be a huge blind spot as well. We teach that when under pressure the initial tendency is to overuse our greatest strengths. Under stress, Controllers will push through the task to such an extreme they may not bring people along. Stabilizers and Persuaders, on the other hand, will go to great lengths to bring the people along but task achievement may lag.

So, which Style makes the best leader? How about the person who can wear all four “hats” and demonstrate – both people and task wise – the needed behavior, in the moment, without losing stride. It is true that some behaviors are easier for a given Style, but effective leadership demands the use of all four Style strengths – generating, promoting, fulfilling and quality/perfection.

A shorter answer to this question of which Style makes the best leader goes like this: “I don’t know. What is the leader going to be doing? Focusing on the future and setting goals to get there – a Controller. Generating excitement about where we are going and the things we need to do to get us there – a Persuader. Building a collaborative team approach where each team member buys in – a Stabilizer. Bringing efficiencies to the status quo and creating an infra-structure that carries the mission forward – an Analyzer.”

Clearly then, a high level of emotional intelligence is a better prognosticator of successful leadership than an individual’s Behavior Style. A secondary consideration is Behavior Style – What leadership behaviors are needed at this time? High emotional intelligence combined with the appropriate Behavior Style makes for the best leader.

Behavior Style workshops are available and facilitated by Effectiveness Institute consultants in the greater Seattle area.

When the organizational processes don’t reinforce respect and dignity

By
TomChampoux
Published: May 24, 2010Posted in: Ask TomTags: , , , ,

Tom, what should a manager do when the organizational processes they are charged with upholding don’t reinforce respect and dignity?

This is a tough situation to be in.  I always think the first thing to do when one feels compromised is to take a deep breath, center yourself – and then ask a question.  This is likely to ensure the tone and volume of your response are appropriate.  The goal is to have your question really be a question instead of statement hidden in a question,.  Below are two questions and then a suggestion:

Questions:

  1. State your concern and ask for clarity in how the process aligns with values.  Something like:  “….I’m confused.  This process doesn’t align with our core values of respect and dignity.  Can I modify how is this to be carried out so we don’t compromise our company values?”  Then, listen carefully.  Ask further questions to gather information and clarify what is driving the decision.
  1. If this does not get some wiggle room, then ask for flexibility.  “The WHAT is clear.  Do I have any flexibility in HOW I carry this out?”

If you are still troubled, buy some time and talk with trusted others internally and/or externally if appropriate.  This helps clarify whether what you are asked to do violates company values as well as your personal values.  Frequently, in the attempt to be logical and clear while dialoguing with others, we find answers about what we need to do.  A good, objective listener will help you “discover” your own answer.  The tough part is acting upon that answer.  Make a plus/minus graph to look at consequences to help isolate your choices.  Once you reach a decision, sleep on it, and then trust your decision and go for it.

Biggest insights from the work you do?

By
TomChampoux
Published: February 25, 2010Posted in: Ask TomTags: , , ,

Tom, I know that you have been working with Behavior Style information for over 25 years. What are some of your biggest learnings or insights from your work?

Personality Type and Behavior Styles are both important to consider in professional development and leadership skills development. There have actually been several big insights along the way. The more I work with this body of knowledge, the deeper the insights get for me personally…and sharing those learnings is what keeps me excited about the work we do here at the Institute.

Here are a handful of my insights from the 27 year journey with Behavior Styles:

1. Discovering for the first time that even though I am primarily one of the Styles, I am also the other 3 Styles AT ALL TIMES. This led to the belief in the importance of Choice.

2. Discovering that what the ancient Greeks said about being born with basic temperaments is absolutely modified by learning to survive in a given environment. This led to the belief that each of us struggles every minute, every day to be “in control.” There is a reason why we each do what we do.

3. Discovering how important it is to delineate between Behavior and Personality. Behavior is impacted by choice so I can change my behavior with choice. Personality is not changed through simple choice. This led to using the iceberg as a model to demonstrate how we can be all the Styles while showing only one that is hopefully appropriate in a given environment.

4. Learning that Behavior Style information is really about how we use energy – to initiate, to implement, to do tasks or to be with others. The Controller likes to initiate tasks, while the Stabilizer prefers to implement and work with others to get the task done. The Persuader likes to initiate others and get them excited while the Analyzer enjoys working alone to get the task done right. This helps break down labeling. Behavior Style information is about how we use our energy to interact with the world.

5. Learning that as I age (gracefully I hope), my preference for a given Style changes as well. I look for the best way to expend the least amount of energy to get done what I want to get done. I think this leads to a deeper level of empathy and greater appropriateness in a given environment. That is still a choice I want to make so that I can be in control…and when I stop doing that, I hope somebody is willing to take me out to the woodshed.

There is a difference between Behavior Styles and Personality Type. We offer professional development and leadership skills development workshops and training in Seattle, WA.