All about Teams !

I have to admit: pretty excited to read my comments on a team article in my favorite professional magazine, Harvard Business Review.

Next up: writing and publishing my book on the Power of Teams !

What to look for in a new team member ?

Recruiting someone new to join your team is a daunting challenge. The CV or resume is no longer useful since services now spruce up your CV to make it look the best in the eyes of the recruiters. Some organizations try to "ensure" success by having multiple interviews. Possible questions and suggested answers have been so widely shared that there is no real uniqueness here anymore. Quite often, interviewers go with their gut when it comes to deciding on an applicant. Maybe there is a better way ?

Google is a master of data, and they did it again. They researched what characteristics really determine success on the job when recruiting someone new. An initial analysis showed that grades or school reputation, or past experiences are not predictors of job success. When they then looked at this challenge in much more detail, they found out that the differentiating factors are :

1. cognitive abilities ... brain skills (as opposed to physical) in performing tasks and solving problems

2. intellectual humility ... having an open mind: knowing what you know but also knowing what you don't know

3. ability to learn ... absorbing new knowledge, unlearning and applying into action

According to Google, these factors make the difference and determine job success. So maybe it is time to rethink how we evaluate new team members and try to focus on these critical factors rather than unending series of interviews.

When team connections come second ...

A team session is by definition focusing on the team interactions. During the day, the team members discuss in pairs or triads or with the entire group. All energy is spent on the exchanges, questioning, listening and then creating together. The team really feels like a team !

Why does this energy or momentum quickly dissipate after the team session ? Why does the team feel less like a team ?

Our brain has limited energy. During the team session, all energy is focused exclusively on the team interactions. Outside of the team session, each team member falls back on dealing with the different daily challenges and priorities that come their way. This can be under the form of meetings, calls, emails or reviews. The brain focuses its energy on solving the problems, finding solutions, explaining, negotiating or justifying. Not much energy is left for taking care of the interactions and relations within the team.

I recently experienced this is an interesting way. A large group of people is asked to walk around in a room, and interact with the others (eye contact, saying "hello"). The team members at first get simple instructions (start, stop, call out your name, clap ...) but these get more and more complex (when hearing "clap", say out your name, and "stop" means start). At the start there was a buzz when people walked around and interacted with the others in the room. In only a few minutes' time, the buzz disappeared, eyes were focusing on the floor, and each member of the group was spending all the energy on complying with the complex instructions. No energy was left to spend on interacting with the others in the room.

The key take-away: you need to deliberately carve out time to to grow your team, every day. The team session can give a good boost but without regular team reboots, not much will be built up.

The Power of Awareness

We often assume that people around us see and know themselves like we see or know them. When there are behaviors that are not appropriate or don't help the team, we assume that they are very well aware of these behaviors, but that they either don't want to or are not capable of changing. We "give up" and think it is hopeless to expect them to change their behavior.

I recently had a discussion with a manager as part of a leadership development program. This manager was well known by most around him as someone who just talks too much. Telling others what to do rather than finding out what they think. Using up air time that belongs to others (including answering questions that are asked to them). Never keeping this concise and just keeping on talking. This behavior is so obvious that it bothers everyone around him. He is otherwise a capable, hard-working and motivated young manager, but most around him just conclude there is no way he can change the way he is.

So I had a chat with him recently asking about his personal development as part of the leadership program. He told me he had simply divided by two the amount of talking, instructing and telling he does. He had gone "cold turkey". He simply changed his behavior very strongly from one day to the next. And those around him immediately noticed. So I asked him how he had done it ? What trick had he used ? It must be difficult to so fundamentally change an ingrained behavior. ? His answer ? For him, it simply was the first time he had become clearly aware of this behavior and the impact this had on his team. Nobody had told him, or even hinted to him. They just all assumed he was aware but that things were beyond repair. It was simple awareness that snapped him out of this negative behavior.

Simple lesson: don't assume all is clear for those around you. Tell them in a simple and clear way what is expected from them. No guarantee that all will be done accordingly, but at least they will be aware.

Are you focused ?

It is pretty amazing what you can do when you are focused and concentrated on what you are doing. This street artist, amidst the bustle of 1000s of people walking buy, creates T-shirts by drawing simple straight lines in different colors without any ruler or guide. Just his very steady hand. In a handful of minutes, he creates a unique T-shirt that is almost impossible to copy. If he would just lay them out for sale, there wouldn't be much interest. But by showing his skill, these commodity T-shirts become hot designer products. He is definitely enjoying "flow" (Csíkszentmihályi). In very little time, he is creating real value.

Let's take this story and reflect on how we typically do when we are working in a team. At the end of the very busy day, how much value have you really created for yourself, the team you work in or your organization ? How much of your working time have you been in "flow": focused on the things you need to do ? And how distracted have you been by what is surrounding you ?

There is the magic pull of the electronic gadgets in our hands. When they buzz or beep, we feel important, wanted and eager to contribute. We like to think something "urgent" is wanting us to take care of. In reality there are very few urgencies that need to be addressed in the minute that follows. And what urgencies get dealt with by shooting off an email ?

More fundamentally, when we are in a team discussion, we are often just waiting for the other to stop talking to get our point in. A typical way to start is "Yes but ..." which means pretty much "I haven't heard what you just said but listen to me !". Active listening is called like that because it requires effort. Staying focused and asking yourself W.A.I.T (Why Am I Talking?) is what brings real value to the team, not the amount of airtime each gets.

Remind yourself about your level of focus a few times during the day ... Ask yourself "For the last hour, how focused have I been ?". And re-calibrate !

Do you relate ?

The Mindgym (www.themindgym.com) just this year issued a very interesting white paper on leadership. Now, there are hundreds of articles on leadership ... every day ! So what is special about this one ? The first key difference is that this list of 7 key talents of exceptional managers is based on a  review of the literature in the field, so it is rooted in research and not just about someone coming up with a nice thought in the shower.

The 7 key talents of exceptional managers (the Mindgym)

Secondly, the analysis looked for the link of these leadership qualities and actual financial performance of the companies these managers work for. The result ? These are not just 7 nice 'soft skills' to have ... Companies where the majority of managers are evaluated as demonstrating these 7 skills (through 360 degree reviews) have a financial performance that is on average 25% higher than those where managers do not demonstrate these skills.

The reason "relate" is in the middle of the visual is powerful. "Relate" is the ability to develop, maintain and - where needed - repair relationships with colleagues and team members. Not just being friendly or friends with everyone, but having relationships of mutual respect that are the foundation of delivering what is best for the organization. Of all the 7 key talents, "relate" has a multiplier effect. Those managers that possess all the 6 skills on the circle, as well as relate, will do great and be respected by peers and team members at the same time. However, the opposite is true as well: a manager can excel in the skills of execute, innovate, coach and so forth ... yet when he or she cannot "relate", the effect is equally destructive.

So is the capability to relate to others the golden grail of being a successful manager ... ? Something to think about when you plan for your team's training program !

Why brainstorming won't get your team out of the box

Brainstorming is a very popular tool to address a problem or challenge with a team. The logic is that the ideas of a handful of people will be more creative or powerful than those of an individual. No issue here. In a brainstorming session, each participant takes turns to come up with an idea, and all are listed on a flipchart, without evaluating, judging or even reacting. The long list of ideas is then reduced, ideas are voted on, or combined.

Brainstorming is very intense. Energy is high. Participants think hard to come up with a brilliant idea waiting their turn ... and hoping that nobody else will have the same idea ! Nothing worse in a brainstorming session than to have your neighbor steal the idea you were about to share !

Neuroscience has demonstrated the limits of brainstorming when it comes to finding real breakthrough ideas. Because of the high level of energy and the dynamics of a brainstorming session, participants come up with those ideas or solutions that require the least thinking effort. The brain is forced to work hard: while others shout their ideas, the brain works overtime to come up with something - anything - by the time it's its turn. After a second of relaxation once the idea has been added to the list, it's back to thinking hard to come up with something - again, anything - before the next turn.

Research by David Rock (Mr. Neuroleadership) has shown that forcing the brain to think under time pressure does not mean great ideas will pop out. It is quite the opposite. Real breakthrough ideas occur when the brain is at rest. When some question or riddle jumps around in our unconscious brain, the weaker connections between neurons are activated: those are the things we know but we don't use them routinely. And that's where new solutions are found. So David Rock recommends the following process. When you are faced with a really complex challenge, spend some time with your team to agree on what the key question is the team should answer in order to solve this challenge. Let the team disperse, and go back to what they regularly do. Then bring them together, one or two days later. The brain has been allowed to rest, and the question has been playing around in team members' brains over this period. Doing a brainstorming at that moment will deliver far superior ideas than the immediate brainstorming.

Need urgent and great new ideas ? Slow down first !

Skipping maintenance anyone ?

You can skip the maintenance of your car. Nothing major will probably happen. And you can do the annual program just the next year. Or maybe you could even skip next year as well !

Leadership programs seem to be the first to get cut when cuts need to be made. It is way easier than to do something about the inefficiencies, or to address the structural issues that have grown over the years. So it's the leadership program that is sacrificed to "help" the company.

An organization's leadership development program is very much like a car. If you skip the program for a year, nothing major will happen. People will not start to leave in droves. And you will most likely not be faced with an acute shortage of leaders. All seems well ... If you intend to come back to the original program the year after, doubt will have started to creep in ... Is this program really necessary ? Nobody seems to be able to identify any damage from skipping it last year ... And it did help us to save XYZ US$ ! The argument for restarting becomes even more harder. All of the sudden the investment in people becomes a new burden, since we managed without last year.

That's why a leadership program is like a car. You can skip for a year, but whatever you do further down the road, you can never recover what was lost in that year. The minor damage that occurred to your engine from using bad oil or a blocked filter can never be erased. In an organization, that damage can be at different levels. People who had been told they would be part of a specific program will start to doubt if the company is really serious about their development. In general, employees will feel that leadership development, for all the nice vision statements, is dispensable. And managers will feel they do not have the tools to fully develop their teams for the challenges of the future.

And then we sometimes wonder why our surveys show that employees are not engaged !

Dreaming of an all-star team ?

The football/soccer world cup is just finished, the champions have been crowned and life is back to normal. Each of the participating teams have an excuse of why they did not become world champions, either one or a combination of the pitch, the weather, the referee, the ball or the opponents. If there is anything the pundits agree about, it is that the best team won. The best team. Not the team with the best players. It is clear the Germans played like a team, not just a star player with 10 others who circle around him.

And yet despite this consensus about the best team winning, the same armchair pundits immediately announce to the world their “dream team”, with the star players picked from several countries in each position. Messi, Neymar, Ronaldo, and 8 more big names. The dream team even has a “dream coach” ! Can you just for one minute imagine that this “dream team” actually plays a game together ? I think it would be rather fun, or maybe sad, to watch !

Something similar often happens in organizations. Managers often see the limits of their current employees, and imagine that "out there", there are star players that would turn around the whole organization's performance in a heart beat. If only I could get hold of these dream players who will set off sparks and turn dust into gold ! If only I could find the perfect purchasing/production/marketing/sales manager, then all would be great ! 

Well, working with a team in an organization might not be the same as a football team, when it comes to star players, the challenges are very similar. I have seen teams where nobody really stood out, but where everybody effectively worked together and moved forward. I have also seen "star players" joining a team, and the situation becoming much more complicated and tense than before.

Before hiring that superman/woman, think about what you have in your team, and what unexplored or non-optimized potential remains. I am quite sure that exploring - for real - the potential in your existing team will be a better approach to move your organization to the next level, than dreaming of the hero that will single-handedly deliver miracles.

Happy out of your comfort zone

At the end of a recent week-long leadership development program with a group of engineering managers in Singapore, the participants were asked to share one key thought or take-away for the intense week. One of the participants shared ...

"I have come to realize that, if you are pushed often enough out of your comfort zone, you can actually get used to it."

This is a thought that stuck with me. In several leadership development programs, I have seen participants who become very aware about themselves, and get a good understanding of what their own comfort zone is. Awareness is of course the necessary condition towards progress.

But while many understand the concept - and manage to apply it to themselves - pretty well ... the majority still struggle to do anything with this new awareness. As if they now have a good understanding of their own challenges, but remain stuck like a deer staring into the headlights.

So once you are aware of your own comfort zone, what's next ? My personal experience is that it helps to see the situations where you are moving out of your comfort zone, as ... learning opportunities. Not performance opportunities. Not opportunities to show to yourself, or someone else, what you can do (because you can't !). Just learning opportunities. If you can develop your mindset that these situations help you to learn, then the experience becomes far less stressful. And any of these experiences helps to learn more about yourself. Maybe learning that getting out of that comfort zone was easier, or harder, than you thought. It is not about doing it right. It is not about trying to copy what the others (the experts) do. I try to reflect out loud (in my head !) what I am learning, what is going better than thought, or what is not going really well and I would do differently next time. I try to keep myself in the learning mode.

Developing a mindset of learning, when faced with out-of-comfort-zone situations, goes a long way in becoming happy being out of your comfort zone.

The #1 mistake managers make

I have to admit: stole this blog title from a blog I recently came across. Reading the title made me think (in fact, the title was more interesting than the content !) ... In my experience, what would count as the #1 mistake managers make ..? The answer I came up with is: the #1 mistake managers make is that they stop to ask ...

1. they stop to ask for feedback

Growing up in the organization, people get feedback all the time, unfortunately often limited to the once-a-year performance review. Once they become manager, they give feedback to the team members they work with, and they are asked for their feedback about some other individual in the organization. Once manager, feedback becomes that which our title gives us the right to hand out. Feedback is what others need. In many situations, managers themselves receive feedback ... when there is an issue around their leadership style.

Managers should themselves, and continuously, ask for feedback. From team members, peers and their superiors. Feedback about themselves as well as the team they lead. It could take a while as sometimes people are not comfortable to give feedback when asked. But persistence, and genuine intention to use the feedback to develop yourself, does pay. You can be your own coach, you can be your own mirror ... All that is needed is to ask for feedback.

2. they give the answers (because they know them)

When you become a manager, it's for a reason. You have performed, you have solved problems. You have found answers and implemented solutions successfully. So when people come to you with their issues or problems, you want to help them, let them benefit from your experience, and give them the answers. And they happily go away and implement your  solution. And very often, the problems are indeed solved. And when it doesn't work, they will come back and ask for better solutions. This creates a feeling of empowerment ... for the manager, and a team that is completely dependent on him or her. When the manager is ready to move to a new assignment a number of years later, the conclusion is often that "nobody in the team is ready to take on my role". Help your team to develop by making them think for themselves. Giving the answers doesn't do that.

3. they don't ask what they should be learning

Being a high performing manager creates a zone of comfort. You "know" how to do things around here. You created an image of yourself as a manager, for your team and your superior. You are in your "managerial element" (as Ken Robinson would say). And you repeat, repeat and repeat, because it works. But things around you change: technology, people's expectations, the business environment ... Everything changes and the approaches that worked in the past will one day become old school, and limit your performance. I have seen managers who were successful and five years later had to be demoted because they were too "stuck". Managers should continuously ask what new there is out there, how the world and the views on management are changing, and use this to update themselves.

Children develop by asking questions. "Why this ?", "Why that ?". Managers can use this simple in-born technique do continue to develop themselves.

Whose development is it anyway ?

Who owns the people or talent development (or whatever it is called) in your organization ?

Many will point to the HR department or one of their activities such as OD or training. I often see participants in a seminar or training session who explain they are there because "HR told them to participate in this program". This ticking-off-the-list mindset is great for the corporate balanced scorecard indicator ("number of training hours per employee per year") but most often counter-productive when it comes to motivating someone to change. That is not to say that training sessions are not popular: a new environment and a sumptuous lunch buffet are appreciated by all !

If not the HR department, then it most likely is the direct manager. After all, it is him or her who will evaluate you and identify your "growth opportunities". These will then be discussed and prioritized and at the end of the performance review, your manager will add your name to the list of the people who need to be trained in this or that. And that is in the best case. Quite often the "growth opportunities" are pushed down the list or urgencies or priorities once the review fever has subsided.

But what if each of us took ownership of our own development ? Do you have your development target or priority for this year ? Have you identified the steps you can take (with or without help from the manager or organization) to make progress towards your goal ? There are so many resources around these days that you can find very high-level knowledge information about any development topic. But this is the easy part ... Just as a training session or workshop is meaningless without follow up, learning about a new topic without taking action and implementing is also a waste of time. And definitely not "developing" you.

My advice - to all - is to own your own development, and not outsource it to your manager or your organization. Fix your own development targets, and use the resources around you to contribute to that development. And take action. The greatest satisfaction comes from setting your targets and making progress towards them (I can testify on that !).

The challenge of leadership development

This article appeared in Commerce, the magazine of the Netherlands-Thai and Belgian-Luxembourg/Thai Chambers of Commerce in November 2013.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Train, train, train (repeat endlessly)

I recently came across a number of shocking bits of information around training:

• 50% of managers believe that employee performance would not change if their company's training program were eliminated (The Corporate Executive Board Company, 2012)
• only about 20% of managers are satisfied with the performance of their company's training function (Accenture survey, 2004)
• 85% of participants in training either never try to apply what they've learned, or try but give up (Mind Gym 2013)

Maybe these are data from other parts of the world, and not applicable in Asia. So what is happening in your organization ?

Has training become one of those "benefits" that the company feels more or less obliged to provide ? Is training seen as a few days "off" once in a while to keep the motivation going ? After all, participants' satisfaction is typically very high after a training session (maybe they're evaluating their satisfaction of not being at work ?). Maybe there is even the belief that training is a form of employee retention.
How are people identified for skill development training ? Is it based on an in-depth competency versus needs analysis ? Or is the selection based on completely meaningless factors like seniority, hierarchy or "we have to send X this time because last time we sent Y" ?
Is the training budget looked at with a zero-based budgetting approach ? Most often, companies increase (or decrease) the budget year on year simply based on evolution in headcount and inflation. Strategy or key development priorities hardly come into consideration when the detailed training budget is established.
Do you track in any shape or form the impact on your organization/department/team performance (in addition to the participants' satisfaction) ?

So does this meaning training is a complete waste of money ? I don't think so, but some serious changes are needed. I will describe in a next blog what I see as the key elements that are necessary to turn training sessions into building blocks of a development program. In the mean time, I would love to hear your opinions or experiences in the subject of training effectiveness ! Leave a comment in this blog, or in the LinkedIn or Facebook posts !

The missing link

brand new sign in parking lot

Thank you to those who expressed their opinion on the question of Thailand's top priority around AEC 2015, but no, I still don't think the mastery of the English language is the number one priority for Thailand. I have to admit (see at right) that it is sometimes discouraging to see the basics hopelessly missed !  

I think that the key competencies that nearly all Thais are struggling with are problem analysis/solving/proposing and standing up for and expressing their ideas. Both competencies are not developed through the educational system and cultural upbringings, and it makes for Thai employees being not good at them and not comfortable with them.

With problem analysis/solving/proposing, I mean the different steps of logical analysis, comparing possible options to progress, thinking about the what-if scenarios or the next steps, and finally proposing a path to resolution. As a young engineer, it is quite OK and normal to wait for and follow that the manager is proposing as the next step. But growing up in the organization means new competencies are required. Taking the lead in solving problems and defining the direction to be taken is what is required of a leader.  

Standing up for and expressing one's ideas is something most ASEAN professionals have no issue with. In fact, some even go to other extremes and talk a bit too much about all the good stuff they are doing: debating or expressing opposing ideas is enjoyed as a creative outlet for their thinking. For most Thais however, situations where ideas are opposed, even if that is the normal course of problem solving, are avoided, even more so with people in authority or with experience. Yet the people in authority these days expect their managers to be more upfront and open with ideas and input.  Thais prefer to stay on friendly terms with everybody at work. The line between work and out-of-work relationships is blurred, and professional friction or simple disagreement at work is for most seen as impacting the out-of-work relationship.

There is no magical solution. There is no single training course or team building session that will compensate for the years of education and cultural fundamentals. The first step towards solution is for the expat manager to be aware of the root causes of this situation. Even if Thais are willing to improve, they simply are not open to be out of their comfort zone. It is only exposure and experience that will allow some to be more comfortable in problem analysis and expressing freely their ideas. Participating in Toastmasters sessions is a good method to make progress.

In my experience in Asia, I have seen professionals from other countries in ASEAN very comfortable with these skills, and I think this is the real area where Thai managers need to step up if they want to compete in the new economic ASEAN that will be created in 2015. This is more critical than a few mistakes in the English language.

It's the people, stupid !

This blog is a follow up on the one I wrote a while ago on the smiling curve. Next one will be about the REAL challenges for Thailand with respect to AEC.

So let’s say you are aware that the future is not at the bottom of the smiling curve. You decide to change your business model and move either upstream, in more R&D and component design, or downstream, to develop a brand and services. Hooray, problem solved !

Maybe. Let’s take a look at HTC. Up until a few years ago, HTC was the FOXCONN of today, doing the OEM assembly of hand phones for others (and doing it quite well). HTC understood the concept of the smiling curve and knew there was no profitable future in remaining an assembler. The company launched its own sleek designs and a cool brand, and was for a while the darling of investors and consumers alike (timeframes in the mobile phone business are short). Today HTC is struggling for market share against Apple or Samsung: from a 10.7% market share in Q2 11 HTC dropped to 4% end 2012 (source www.idc.com and Wall Street Journal 12 November). Its stock price trades as one sixth of its all time high at the beginning of 2011.

What went wrong ? It is not sufficient to just update your business plan and corporate website. A key challenge HTC has been confronted with is that it has not been able to build up its people’s competencies in hardware and software that would allow it to come up with products and applications that can challenge the competition (reported in Global Times China on 13 October). Although HTC continues to develop and bring to market new models, it seems the company is relegated to playing catch up with the big players. Not a recipe for survival in the long term (which means 2 years in mobile phone business) !

Having a fresh strategy going forward is definitely necessary for getting out of the smiling curve. But a company needs to drill down into every aspect of its business to evaluate the impact of this new strategy, and address the gaps. Designs and capital investment are very tangible elements of a new strategy and they can in the short term give the impression the execution is well on its way. Yet what really makes the difference is how people’s competencies are developed to fit with this new strategy. Any deficiency in this area will show its ugly head a few years down the road.

It might have been the economy in the past (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It's_the_economy,_stupid) but in 2012, it's all about the people,  stupid !

What’s your name ? Fine, thank you.

When discussions take place around the challenges of AEC Asean Economic Community 2015 (soon-to-be AEC 2016), one easy topic that is always debated is the lack of English proficiency of many Thais. At a seminar I attended recently, the audience “voted” on the challenges for Thais in AEC 2015 and English language came up as the top of the list with nearly double the number of votes on the second in the list (international experience).

Is the mastery of English really the top issue that would hold back international development for Thailand around the AEC ? I think this is a false problem that hides the real one.

Of course, there is room for progress. But a lot has changed since I arrived in Asia 20 years ago. It used to be that only the lucky few who studied several years abroad were capable to communicate in English. Great progress has been made since, through teaching courses, exposure to international exchanges (mostly by email) and internet-based communication tools.

Tourism has been Thailand’s main economic pillar for years. The level of English proficiency has not been a brake (some other things have …). In fact, the great majority of tourists coming here don’t speak English themselves. I recall the Italian tourist, gesticulating in rapid-fire Italian, perplexed that the hotel staff didn’t understand him. What is the worldwide leading tourist destination ? France. Try and ask for directions in English anywhere in France. Bon courage !

Oh, but we are talking about business, not tourism. So let’s take a look at China. Not really on the top of the ranking as far as English proficiency is concerned. Yet this does not seem to have stopped them from doing business with the world ! And no, the rest of the world has not learned Chinese in the last 20 years. People just live with and struggle through the language issues that occur anywhere in the world when people communicate in a language other than their mother tongue.

I don’t believe English is the main challenge for Thailand going forward. I have a pretty clear idea of what it is, and it will be the subject of my next blog. In the meantime, I invite any of you reading this  to share your thoughts on what you think this main challenge is !  Let me know in the comment section or email me directly at peter@asioconsulting.com . I look forward to the comments !