HOW INNOVATIVE IS YOUR LEADERSHIP STYLE?
Nowadays, about 70% of CEOs in US Corporations request creativity amongst the key skills they seek in leaders. And, 86% of US companies mention innovation in their mission statement. Nevertheless, most companies lack know-how and appropriate tools to turn creativity and innovation into an organizational reality.
Innovation calls for breakthrough thinking – a blend of the 5 major elements: Thinking Approach, Creating Ideas, Impression Management, Championing Ideas and Attitude. Which of these elements do you have a strong preference for? Which ones do you need to further enhance? Tap all five and take innovation and team performance to the next level.
Use innovation to leverage your own strengths and those of others and take it as an invitation to:
ü Manage projects and challenges in a creative manner
ü Build more innovative and cohesive teams
ü Foster team diversity
ü Reduce destructive conflict
ü Develop the right skills for creative thinking
ü Get better results
WIN+WIN COACHING collaborates on a global scale in the commercialization process of a powerful yet practical Leadership tool in the field of Creativity and Innovation. This tool has been created by a prestigious U.S. consulting firm specialized in the area of Creativity and Innovation, and to our knowledge is the only assessment that measures both capability in creative thinking and the skills needed to build and lead coalitions as innovations are taken forward in the organization.
Through the completion of a user-friendly web questionnaire a personalized report will be generated and sent to you within hours.
The report contains a graph that shows the quantitative and qualitative results of the overall profile regarding the 5 major elements mentioned above. It describes thoroughly 15 descriptors related to the key elements and offers some suggestions for development that can be used to improve the specific skill areas in both creative thinking and leadership.
This work is based on more tan 15 years of research that was done to understand how people learn to think creatively. The approach incorporates step-by-step skill-based creative thinking techniques that have been shown to significantly improve the ability to generate innovative solutions and to achieve measurable impact for the organization.
For more information regarding this assessment please contact me at winwinbcn@gmail.com and we will revert to you shortly.
In most organizations, whenever there is a “fire”, the leader is often the first to arrive at the scene. The leader has in his hands two buckets: one which contains just water, but the other contains gasoline. The “fire” will either become a greater problem because the leader pours the gasoline on it, or be extinguished if he uses the right bucket.
Any leader can be an asset or a liability to his organization. So what are the main competencies organizations need to look for in leaders to ensure they recruit valuable assets instead?
· Any charismatic leader stands out for his CHARACTER. Honesty, integrity, self-discipline, empathy, learning openness, perseverance, conscientiousness, and a strong work ethic are all critical traits to look for in a leader.
· Leadership is INFLUENCE. Every leader is going somewhere and, he is able to persuade others to go with him. Otherwise, he will fail in his role.
· A POSITIVE ATTITUDE will drive the business ahead. Negativism translates into destructive conflict. And destructive conflict consumes a great deal of time and energy that should be dedicated to generating growth and wealth. Most problems stem from the wrong attitudes, which drive people to handle life’s obstacles poorly.
· A leader without PEOPLE SKILLS soon has no followers. The leader must develop a great deal of empathy for others. The way he behaves with his team will certainly determine the level of respect he will receive from the team.
· There is only one thing more painful than learning from experience, and that is not learning from experience. Leaders aware of this will develop successful TRACK RECORDS over time.
· People will follow those leaders with a great deal of CONFIDENCE on themselves. A great leader not only instills confidence on himself, but he is also able to instill confidence on each of the members that conform his team.
· EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION SKILLS. Liking people is the beginning of the ability to communicate. The key step in effective communication is effective listening. A leader who does not learn to listen empathetically, will rarely be able to identify the full scope of the problem. Even if he uses the bucket of water, the fire might not be fully put out.
· A leader who loves the status quo soon becomes a follower. He has to be eager to ongoingly improve and CHANGE THE STATUS QUO.
Leaders have to carefully select the players who will play in their teams. A good team selection will imply that the benefits will be multiplied and seem nearly endless. The key to making the right choice depends on two things: the ability the leader has to see the big picture, and the leader’s ability to judge potential employees during the selection process. Certainly, those closest to the leader will determine his own level of success.
Every person within your organization also carries two buckets. The question a leader needs to ask is, “Am I training them to use the gasoline or the water?
THE FLIGHT OF THE GEESE – AN EXAMPLE OF OUTSTANDING TEAM DYNAMICS
Every year, geese head south for the winter flying along in a “V” formation. As each bird flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird immediately behind it. By flying in a “V” formation, the whole flock adds at least 71% greater flying range than as each bird flew on its own.
Whenever a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go alone. It quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front. When the lead goose gets tired, he rotates back in the “V” and another goose takes the leadership.
The geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.
And finally, when a goose gets sick, or is wounded by gunfire and falls out, two other geese fall out of formation and follow it down to help it. They stay with the goose until it is either able to fly again or dead, and then they launch out on their own or with another formation to catch up with the group.
Unlike geese, many organizations fail to achieve effective teamwork because they unconsciously fall prey to the 5 roadblocks Patrick Lencioni states in his book "The 5 dysfunctions of a team":
· LACK OF TRUST. Team members often fail to understand and open up to one another. Trust is of paramount importance to building a cohesive, efficient team. If team members do not trust each other, how will they ever be able to excel in their work and achieve their objectives? Trust is the confidence among team members that their peers’ intentions are good, and that there is no reason to be protective or careful around the group.
· CONFLICT AVOIDANCE. It is important to distinguish between productive conflict and destructive fighting or interpersonal politics. Collaborative, productive conflict is necessary to enrich any decision making process with an ample range of viable alternatives. Collaborative conflict focuses on concepts and ideas, and avoids personality-based confrontations. It brings about new ideas and perspectives on how to confront problems in more efficient ways. When there is lack of trust in a team, team members are incapable of engaging in an unfiltered and passionate debate of ideas. Collaborative conflict is necessary to generate the best possible solutions in the shortest period of time.
· LACK OF COMMITMENT. If people do not feel confident enough to air their opinions, they will rarely buy in and commit to decisions, though they may feign agreement during meetings. Great teams make clear and timely decisions and move forward with complete buy-in from every member of the team.
· AVOIDANCE OF ACCOUNTABILITY. As team members have not committed to a clear action plan, they hesitate to call their peers on actions and behaviors that seem counterproductive to the proper functioning of the team. A team will work cohesively and efficiently when all members cease to tolerate misbehavior from anyone in the team and agree to foster trust so that no one will avoid exchanging his ideas and thoughts with the rest of the team.
· INATTENTION TO RESULTS. It occurs when team members put their individual needs or even the needs of their divisions above the collective goals of the team.
To sum up, in a team where trust abounds, team members are able to openly and respectfully express their thoughts and ideas and to empathize with each other. They select the best option available, thinking in terms of the team results and commit to decisions and plans of action. They then hold each other accountable for delivering against those plans. Finally, they focus on the achievement of collective results.
Thus, geese teach us a terrific lesson when they fly in their “V” formation, honking constantly at each other. Whoever dared coining the expression “silly goose” should have done his homework first!
HOW TO TURN THE FEAR CELLS OFF IN THE AMYGDALA!
A few years ago, while working on an international assignment for an American Corporation, I had scheduled a meeting with a supplier in Budapest. As my plane approached the Munich airport to catch my connecting flight, the pilot announced that due to severe weather conditions the airport would be closed for approximately 30 minutes. Menwhile, we were to hover in the air till the airport authorities would decide it was safe enough to land.
Somehow, our plane ended up flying right into the eye of the storm. The ride was so bumpy that anxiety quickly filled the air. But it was the conspicuous fear painted on the crew's faces that triggered the widespread panic among the passengers. I could not help thinking that I was not going to make it. This was one of the worst experiences in my entire life!
Months later, I had the opportunity to attend a terrific conference in Michigan where corporate coach James E. Loehr shared how he prepared businesspeople and athletes for the stress of world-class competition. He opened his talk with an anecdote quite similar to mine. However, his emotional mastery was simply breath-taking:
On one occasion, I had given a seminar to a group of corporate leaders in Portland, Oregon, and was flying out on a red-eye to Cincinnati, Ohio. During many years of travel, I’ve often flown in very bad weather, but it quickly became evident that this was going to be an unusually rough trip. About half an hour after takeoff, the pilot announced that rough weather was ahead and that we should keep our seatbelts on. And then came the words that chilled me. “We are going to get through this,” he said. “No problem.” In all my years of flying, I had never had to be reassured that we would make it to our final destination; it had always been an absolute given of the situation.
Suddenly, we hit a magnitude of turbulence like nothing I had ever experienced before; it was awesome in its violence. It seemed as though the plane suddenly dropped hundreds of feet like a stone, nearly flipped over on its back, and then righted itself. I could hear the plane give out metallic groans, and I wondered how long it could withstand this kind of force.
By now, everyone on the plane was screaming – even the flight attendants. The pilot came on again, and fear could be heard in his voice. He said that this new weather pattern had taken ground control by surprise, and all he could do was fly us through it.
I was petrified. I sat back, closed my eyes, and tried to think things through. I knew I was terrified and my body was in a state close to panic. But then I thought to myself: “Wait a minute. Is this an intelligent response – this all-consuming fear? Is this going to help me if the plane crashes? If there is any chance at all of escaping, am I going to be able to get to the exit faster when I’m carrying this heavy weight of anxiety? Then I told myself that it wasn’t the turbulence that was causing my physiology to self-destruct, it was my body’s response to the turbulence.
I rested my head against the back of my seat, closed my eyes, and intentionally moved the muscles of my face in the direction of a smile. I knew that to turn the fear cells off in the amygdala, I would have to use a powerful image. Out of nowhere, came an image that I had not thought of since I was a young boy. During the summer months my buddies and I would ride our bikes to a nearby amusement park. My absolute favorite ride was the bumper cars. We would get behind the wheel of a car and go nuts bumping anybody and everybody who got in our way I suddenly saw myself laughing and having the time of my life as I sideswiped and collided with other cars. I could even hear the carousel music. The screaming on the plane became the screaming of people having fun. Within seconds my entire physiology changed. The fear cells turned off. The amygdala was completely fooled into believing that I was actually riding the bumper cars – not being transported on a plane that was struggling to remain airborne.
After touchdown, I opened my eyes and almost wanted to say, “Was that a great flight or what!” I’m sure the people around me must have thought I had gone completely mad when they looked over and saw the big smile on my face during the flight.
In his bestseller Emotional intelligence, Daniel Goleman mentions that the architecture of the brain gives the amygdala a privileged position as an emotional sentinel, able to hijack the brain. Sensory signals from eye or ear travel first in the brain to the thalamus, and then to the amygdala; a second signal from the thalamus is routed to the neocortex – the thinking brain. This branching allows the amygdala to begin to respond before the neocortex. This explains why we might overreact in certain situations.
Now that we have shed some more light on this specific brain process, we know that we can turn the fear cells off in the amygdala. So, what prevents us now from harnessing this knowledge to better manage our emotions? How can we enhance our empathy and our communication skills? How many more outstanding goals could we achieve throughout our lives if we could stop our amygdala from kidnapping our emotions?
Coaching is by all means an indispensable tool that can help us work on all the aforementioned aspects. More specifically, it can help us:
· Clarify and prioritize our values, which are the compass that guide our decision making processes;
· Identify our limiting beliefs, so that we can replace them with strengthening beliefs;
· Comprehend our emotions, so that we can act rationally and coherently;
· Set our vital objectives, so that we can live fuller lives.
From now on, flying into the eye of a storm need no longer be a traumatic experience!
FLYING INTO LEADERSHIP!
FLYING INTO LEADERSHIP!
A father once told his son, “Son, you do not have to learn how to fly, but it would be a pity to limit yourself to walking.”
“I would like to fly, but I do not know how,” the son replied.
And so the father took his son to the top of a cliff and gave the following instructions “Whenever you want to fly, come here, take a deep breath, pick up momentum, spread your wings and plunge into the air. You will fly.
The son, unsure of himself, asked, “What will happen if I fall?”
“If you happen to fall, you will not die. You will just get a few bruises.”
The son consulted his friends. Some were incredulous. “Are you out of your mind,” they asked. “Why do you need to fly anyway?” But others suggested, “Your father may be right. But try it first from a tree.”
The boy followed the advice. He climbed a tree, spread his wings and flapped them as hard as he could. However, he fell to the ground and bruised himself.
Disappointed, the boy reproached his father, “You lied to me! I cannot fly.”
“Oh, but you can! However, in order for you to do it right you need to have enough room to fully unfold your wings, and you should be ready to take some risk.”
How can a leader provide his team with sufficient room to develop their skills? How can he coach them so that, should they stumble and fall, they would retain their willingness to keep on growing?
A leader has to motivate his team members to develop the necessary skills to quickly and appropriately adapt to the ongoing changing environment, by:
· Helping them develop initiative, flexibility and commitment. This will only be attainable if the team members are reassured of their leader’s constant support.
· Encouraging team members to actively participate in decision-making. Only when individuals feel that they form part of decision-making, will they apply 100% of themselves to reach their targets.
· Developing a sense of belonging. Teams will be most effective when they internalize the company’s mission, vision, values and objectives. Leaders are responsible for clearly transmitting all these to their team, so that each one would be inspired to fly, taking calculated risk.
· Building flatter organizational structures that facilitate smooth communication. Even now, small and mid-sized Spanish organizations lack appropriate information flow systems. Instead these firms tend to hoard relevant information away from most of their employees. Highly hierarchical structures make it formidable for individuals to gather all the necessary information they need to quickly and efficiently adjust to an ever-changing environment.
· Ensuring each individual’s ongoing learning and growth. The more leeway team members have in developing their skills, the more they will be enabled to help their leader hone his skills in turn.
A leader’s key responsibility is to provide his team members with appropriate tools and techniques that will allow them to “fly” on their own. Success relies not only on the leader’s knowledge, experience and wisdom. It also requires creativity and willingness from each one in the team to maintain an environment conducive to learning.
