Guest Post from Suzi McAlpine of The Leader's Digest, an award-winning leadership blog.
I like acronyms. They’re handy. Where would we be without RSVP, ETA and FYI? And having to remember the colours of the rainbow in correct order is made easier by ROYGBIV. This is required far more often than you’d think when you have a ten year old daughter.
Then, there’s the ‘too weird to believe’ acronyms. Like WISEASS: Weizmann Institute of Science Experimental Astrophysics Spectroscopy System. Yep, it’s a thing.
But here’s an acronym you SHOULD remember when you're leading change. This will be often, BTW, given you’re in a leadership role.
It’s called SARAH, and like my best friend of the same name, it’s helpful, handy to have around and hard to forget.
The acronym SARAH stands for the stages most of us go through as we adapt to change. It might be a restructure, a redundancy, or a change in strategic direction of your company. It might be a torturous IT systems implementation. Or just the fact the boss you love is leaving. Change is inevitable. The SARAH model helps you lead more competently through that change.
Some people zip through the SARAH process as fast as you can say, “hey pronto!” Others amongst us take a little more time to adjust to the new norm. We might even get stuck in the A or R stage. AAARRR indeed.
There’s no right or wrong. But understanding your reactions to change or more importantly, your team members' reactions - is ‘mui importante’!
Feeling heard is always important. It’s even more important during a change process.
This response is often characterised by strong feeling and emotion - or none at all. They might not understand the change. Fear often paralyses. It might show up as denial that the change is even happening at all! Think head in the sands or deer in the headlights.
What to do? Respond gently, empathise, listen. Provide context or historical information that led to the decision. Support is key here. You might ask, “what support do you need?”. Stay close.
Shock can manifest into anger or anxiety once people realise the implications of the change. They might be highly defensive, belligerent or passive aggressive. You might even see downright 'dig your heels in' rage. Resist the temptation to fight anger with insistence or anger. The person in this stage may not agree with the need for change. It’s like the rejection response, but less rational and is heat in the moment behaviour. They may lash out at you, when what they’re really lashing out at is the thing that’s changing.
What to do? Show empathy, ask questions, and let the person talk. Listen, listen some more and paraphrase to check your understanding of their perspective. Restate your points – but only after you’ve done the steps I’ve listed beforehand. Oh, and did I mention listen? Loads of that.
During the rejection phase, they reject the need for change. They might deflect, identify loads of other issues and support their case with logic and reasoning. They may be apathetic, check out or temporarily give up hope. You might see cynicism, self-pity or a sense of injustice.
What to do? Be patient (easier said than done). Listen without diving into collusion, stick to the issues. Agree action plans over clear time frames and with success indicators. The theme for this stage is 'one step at a time'. Ask, “what is the one small thing you can do today or this week that’s within your power here? What support do you need to get it done?” Focus on small wins and low hanging fruit.
This stage occurs when they’re coming to terms with the change and are ready to accept or live with it. When people begin to embrace or accept the change, the benefits start to become visible to them.
What to do? Encourage them to take small, manageable risks. Give them positive feedback and cautious corrective feedback, where they can accept it. “Well done on xyz! That meant (insert positive impact). What could we do next to build momentum?”
Hallelujah! The person is now asking for help. Signs include a lift in energy and motivation. You’ll know it when you see it. You’ll see a shift, a 'lifting' of sorts.
What to do? You can now begin to coach and guide them. This includes setting goals, discussing the current situation, exploring options and agreeing actions. Helping to balance learning and develop new skills. And now more than ever, uphold the vision.
Use the SARAH model the next time you're leading change. Or if you have a boss who’s leading YOU through change and needs to read these tips, drop this article on their desk ASAP. Or "accidentally" email it to them.
Leading change is hard. But it can be easier if you befriend SARAH, just BTW, FYI.
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How interesting reading social media and hearing in the news how NZ and its staunch dedicated rugby supporters are dealing with the shock loss to South Africa in Wellington on Saturday.
While the feeling isn’t anything like prior losses at world cup events, there is certainly a sense that perhaps change is happening in the global rugby community. Has the competition learnt from their experiences losing to NZ for so many years? Have the changes they’ve implemented in their teams, their organisations and the way they play the game finally taken effect?
Change management is an important concept to consider when making any sort of transition or transformation. Whether it’s on the rugby field when deciding who plays what position and when, or in the business world, when it’s time to make a change to company goals, strategy, processes or technology.
Unfortunately, what’s often forgotten or not done well, is not the ‘change’ itself, but how organisations help their people adapt and get on board with the change taking place.
Now more than ever, people leaders are responsible for managing their people through change. No longer is it seen as the sole responsibility of the HR team, but a core skill for people leaders to develop and master.
Type ‘change management’ into any search engine and the availability of information and research is mind boggling and endless. So as a people leader, where do you start clicking to ensure you’re reading the latest best practice advice available around this very hot topic?
I’ve always thought ‘simpler the better’ when working with managers as they support their people through change, whether it’s organisational, structural or simply a change in process or policy. Therefore, I’ve come up with some tips that I always recommend for anyone leading through change – whatever it is!
Not dealing with uncertainty and resistance will only escalate the issues and increase the risks.
Educate your leaders first, get them on board and aligned. Encourage a ‘single source of the truth’ to avoid confusion and uncertainty.
Have a clear change management plan in place that you can articulate to your people, what it means to them individually and what the process for implementing the change is.
It needs to work both ways so make sure you have in place the opportunity/forum for your people to discuss how they’re feeling, what they’re concerned about and what support is available to help them through this. Have regular, timely advice in place throughout the change process.
Your people are more likely going to accept the change and get on board if they hear it from you rather than someone they don’t know or trust.
Be aware of your own reactions to the change and how this is perceived by others. If your people are struggling with the change they need to learn from you around maintaining personal resilience and dealing with things in the right way.
It’s a big part of change and can’t be sugar coated or ignored. Therefore, be a strong leader, explain why the uncertainty is necessary, what action is being taken and when it will be resolved.
Communicating once won’t cut it as you lead your people through change – whatever the size or scope of it. Imbed a process for keeping everyone up to date with the change taking place. Even if there isn’t anything to update your people about – an update is an update.
Keep in tune with how your people are functioning and reacting. Respond to this as quickly and effectively as possible.
Be clear about how the change will impact the individual (or team), and what is expected of them during and after the change programme.
Perhaps like most of us on Saturday night, we thought the AB’s would never lose. In fact, what we’ve experienced is a fundamental change to not only our winning streak as a team but to our mindset - yes, we can be beaten. This change is a journey for everyone to get on board with – coaches, players and fans.
Perhaps a quick reflection of the tips above may help us on this ‘journey of change’?
By Amanda Parish, HR & Talent Partner
Recently, I was fortunate enough to attend an evening hosted by by the Institute of Directors in Marlborough where Sheffield and their team of specialised consultants shared the outputs of their recent Leadership Survey.
This year's focus was on the ‘emerging’ leaders group across the South Island, specifically leaders under the age of 50. More than 60 leaders were spoken to as part of this survey, concentrating on the big question, “what are the big issues facing South Island business leaders today?”
There were five clear takeaway areas from the survey and interestingly (thankfully), all focussing on performance and people.
1. The importance of people skills is now a top priority for our leaders and is usually the critical shortage in their leadership teams.
2. While having a strategy in place makes good business sense, making sure your strategic priorities are clear, translated into measurable goals and objectives and regularly reviewing how you’re tracking against achieving your business goals is fundamental.
3. Even if you have the best strategy in the world - if the culture isn’t right, you’re in trouble.
4. Gen Z is here! Employing across five generations in one company is becoming the norm. A key focus moving forward will be how we motivate, reward, support and lead with such diversity.
5. Coaching is in, traditional performance management is out! Looking forward, being flexible, agile and focussing on continuous improvement will drive success.
While I didn’t participate in the 2017 Sheffield Leadership Survey, it is great to see the focus this year is about 'people.' The takeaway challenges for leaders this year are refreshing and good to see.
People are and need to be, the number one priority. How we attract, develop and lead ‘our people’ will impact how successful businesses are moving forward.
Amanda Parish, Intepeople HR & Talent Partner
The term ‘mindfulness’ can bring up various images for people. They may see a Buddhist monk, someone practicing yoga, the meditation pose or someone doing deep breathing. Not as many people would think of neuroscientists, researchers and executives practising mindfulness at work.
The exciting thing is that mindfulness now has research behind it. We can now explain why mindfulness is no longer just a Buddhist term, but a ‘must do’ for executives.
I personally look at mindfulness for executives and leaders the same as a sports conditioning coach for an Olympic athlete. If you want to learn how to get the most out of your brain - and in return, the most out of your life both personally and professionally - you MUST know how to incorporate mindfulness into your life/training.
And no, I don’t mean you need to stop and breathe and sit cross-legged in your office practising mindfulness at work. You can simply bring mindfulness into your daily life in a realistic way that’s right for you.
But first, learn the why.
David Rock, the Founder of Neuroleadership (the Brain Based Coaching System that I use in my coaching), explains this really well in his Psychology Today journal here.
Essentially, the brain has two networks which we can switch between. One network is the Default Network and the other is the Direct Experience Network.
The Default Network is the one that most people stay in for the majority of their day.
It includes thinking about the past and future and includes a narrative with characters and a story. The story involves history about you and other people - I like to call it the ‘NST FM’ Radio (The Non-Stop Talking FM Radio). It can be loud, distracting and tiring!
Now, there is nothing wrong with the Default Network but you want to limit experiencing your entire world through only this network.
When the Direct Experience Network is active, several different brain regions become more stimulated. As a result, you are experiencing information coming into your senses in real time. In this network, the brain is calmer, clearer, sharper and more focused.
If an executive can practice switching between the two networks they become stronger and more successful in the following:
So, mindfulness is actually just the opposite to 'Mindlessness'. Mindfulness is scientifically proven to make you the best version of yourself!
Step 1: Building your self-awareness of when you are in each network.
Step 2: Learn ways that work for you to tune into your Direct Experience Network during ‘moments’ in your day. Little bite size moments of ‘mindfulness’ which have no narrative but purely tuning in on the senses – touch, vision, hearing, etc.
Step 3: Allow your brain 30 minute bouts of ‘focus’ time on one task with no interruptions. Yes, that’s right – turning off your phone and email alerts!
Step 4: Keep practicing. It may be simple but it is not easy! Keep practicing - it is like a muscle, the more you use it the stronger it gets.
To find out more about Executive Coaching with Intepeople contact kimberley@intepeople.co.nz
By Executive Coach Anna Gibbons
Did any of you notice this interesting article in the Business pages of Stuff last week?
Employees rating Employers Article
It essentially outlines how there are now websites like Trip Advisor that you can go to and rate your workplace – usually out of 5.
The site the articles uses as an example is www.glassdoor.com.
As a seasoned HR professional I had to go and check it out and see how it could affect the EVP (Employer Value Proposition) of a company – i.e. the impact this could have on how attractive are you to work for.
Glassdoor calls itself a career community website that features areas such as: Jobs, Salaries, Interview Questions, a place to rate employers and quite a large employers section where employers can place job ads and get free advice on some career type issues.
Be aware that there are already a number of New Zealand based companies on there – usually bigger one e.g. Banks, Insurance. Interestingly as part of your login you are asked to rate where you currently work so it won’t be long till there are a number of NZ employers on there. Glass door has over 30 million users…
So what does this mean for Employers today? I see pros and cons
Pros:
• If you have a really great place to work you will get free advertising and endorsements
• Negative feedback is always a chance to take a step back and ask yourself some hard questions about how it really is working at your place
• You get free feedback on areas you may need to improve on
• It’s a relatively controlled environment where there is not a lot of space for employees to rant about really bad experiences
• It will encourage employers to ensure their recruitment processes are robust and transparent that they provide a high standard of customer service to their candidates
Cons:
• The feedback you may receive is out of your control and there is no opportunity to respond to this
• Employers will really have to live up to their promises
• You may struggle to attract the kind of staff you really want
• You have to rely on perceptions from people who may be very one sided in their views
I do believe this type of rating system is a bit of a wakeup call for Employers. They need to be aware and ready to deal with the impact of these websites on their employment brand.
The changing face of available workforce shows us that the younger Generations are consistently relying on endorsements when it comes to making decisions.
Good feedback could add strength to your employment brand but criticism may have the opposite effect.
Do you have any thoughts on how these rating sites may impact at your workplace?
by Emma Worseldine
Have you ever wondered how Recruiters decide which CV’s to take through to Interview stage?
Is it as simple as and Yes, No and MAYBE?
No – it’s not - before they review every CV they gather a set of selection criteria that may make the decision at the Yes, No, maybe stage that much easier– this may include:
Recruiters will already have sat down and talked with the hiring Manager and got a whole lot of back ground information about the vacancy and what type of skills and experience are needed.
The other big piece of the puzzle is called organisational fit – this means that the recruiter is often looking for someone with similar values and attitude that will fit in the current team.
When screening CV’s the organisational fit is looked for by seeing where you have worked in the past and who you have worked for.
Your education levels can show recruiters your ability and passion for learning.
Selection is also helped by having the following:
All these factors and many more go through a recruiters head as they filter the pile of CV’s and yes it can be quite a subjective process at times. Some recruiters are better than others at seeing in between the lines and are more open to going outside the square with putting applicants through.
If you really feel passionately about a job then make sure you ring the recruiter to ensure they have your CV and have had a look at it. They should then be able to give you some feedback on why you are going through or not.
Over the last few weeks we have witnessed some wonderful examples of strong and considered leadership and conversely some very poor ones as well.
The Black Caps’ captain Brendon McCallum exemplified all the qualities of great leadership. By leading from the front, taking bold decisions, being humble in victory and dignified in defeat he created a team culture that brought the best out in everyone. He was able to galvanise the “Will and Skill” of the team to take them collectively and individually to the edge of their potential. More importantly he galvanised the nation behind them and had previously non- followers of the game converted to an exciting brand of cricket.
Contrast that with the leadership shown by the coaches and senior players in the Australian cricket team and along with the behaviour of some of the parents of the St Bedes’ rowing team. The respective 'win at all cost' tactics deployed by both manifested in arrogance, bully boy behaviours, brashness and seemingly a complete ignorance or disregard to the consequences to their sports and the example it set as leaders and parents. It will be argued by the “get hard or go home” advocates that this is what is necessary to win. History shows the result of this sort of behaviour in business and sport is usually short lived and unsustainable. Indeed the public reaction to both events suggested both were the losers in the way they behaved and undermined the credibility of both sporting codes and particularly in the latter case the role of parents to be role models and set good examples for others.
There is a great quote by Jim Rohn which I believe sums up the difference of the leadership displayed by Brendon and his team and the others mentioned.
“The challenge of leadership is to be strong but not rude; be kind but not weak; be bold, but not a bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud but not arrogant, have humour, but without folly.”
The Australian cricket team and St Bede’s parents may have thought they won the battle but I think they lost the war. The Principal of St Bedes and The Captain and Coach of the Black Caps are to be commended in their response.
by Paul Bell
Last week I looked at what competencies are and explored what a Leadership Competency Model will bring to your business.
See Last weeks blog here:
This week I have a look at who has input into your competence model and how you decide on the top 12.
Depending on the size of your company it is important to get as much information from staff and managers as to what competencies (or skills and characteristics) they think make up an effective leader.
If you are wise enough to have run a staff satisfaction survey within your organisation then you may already know some of the issues staff see within your leadership team/s.
You can challenge your existing leaders to bring competency suggestions to the table.
Take time to review existing people issues – what competencies were needed to handle that issue, what potential competencies could have handled it better.
Brainstorm all possible competencies – get a nice long list if you can.
Once you have that list it becomes time to decide which ones are the top 12.
This should be based on:
• The culture you want in your organisation – leaders model the way
• Your strategic direction – skill up leaders to deliver your plan
• The behaviours you want your leaders to display – hire and fire on them
• Are they linked to your vision?
• Are they linked to your values?
• You may wish to scale and rank them e.g. 1 -4 individually then as a group
And who should undertake this exercise? – your Executive team. It makes a great team building session or provides good material for an away day exercise.
Once you get your final draft you may want to run it past some trusted advisors or get the Board to review and provide feedback.
The continuing story - next week I look at how you get the best out of your leadership competency model – buy in and acceptance.
By Emma Worseldine
