Driving Future Success Through Leadership Capability and Team Effectiveness: Best Practices

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1 Driving Future Success Through Leadership Capability and Team Effectiveness: Best Practices March 19, 2012 Sonya Stevens & Tim Hewat Knightsbridge Dianne Dowsett & Karen Laidlaw Hewlett-Packard

2 The L&D Challenge Today Knightsbridge Human Capital Management Inc.

3 Investment is Disproportionate to the Output Size of L&D Industry The Leadership Challenge $xxx Billion 3

4 The Challenge Leadership Today is simply more complex. There are increased expectations to: 4 create and/or execute strategy stay ahead of changes in market and competition lead through crisis focus on short-term and long-term manage both people themselves and the complex interactions between people all over the organization be a leader right out of the gates front-line The environment is more complex: Matrixed organizations cross-functional work Virtual organizations 4

5 Leadership Gap Failure Paths 1. Trying to do it all 2. Over Reliance on Trends or Best Practices 3. The Quick Fix Do It Now Approach Band-aid solution The grass is greener Boil the ocean 5 Weiss, Molinaro & Davey (2007) Leadership Solutions (Jossey-Bass) 5

6 The Evolution of Development Weiss & Molinaro (2005) The Leadership Gap (John Wiley & Sons) 6

7 Maximizing the Impact of L&D: BEST PRACTICES Knightsbridge Human Capital Management Inc.

8 Your Business Environment & Strategy Defines Leadership for the Future 8 Knightsbridge Human Capital Management Inc.

9 It Takes 3 Dimensions to Build Strong Leadership It needs to be beyond just training Building the skills required to demonstrate the desired leadership behaviours Have your leaders internalized the behaviours needed for future success? Do they understand their strengths, their over-strengths and their blind spots? What leadership gaps exist currently that put strategy execution at risk? Fostering the desired leadership culture by building a genuine community of leaders Do your leaders model the desired leadership culture? Do leaders work collaboratively across functional units? Do they have one another s backs? Systems and processes enabling leadership Do you leverage your organizational practices to build leadership capacity? Do your practices (plans, budgets, structures, metrics) hand-cuff leaders or help create results? Weiss, Molinaro & Davey (2007) Leadership Solutions (Jossey-Bass) 9 Knightsbridge Human Capital Management Inc.

10 A Holistic Approach 10 Knightsbridge Human Capital Management Inc.

11 Initiating & Sustaining New Leadership Behaviors Understanding what must be done Creating insight Increasing awareness and openness for growth Exposing cognitive barriers Understanding how to get it done Increasing knowledge Practicing skills Applying to workplace realities Transferring learning to the day-to-day work environment Developing action plans Establishing accountability mechanisms Anchoring into core organizational processes 11 Knightsbridge Human Capital Management Inc.

12 Building Leadership at All Levels Skillset Executive Level Leaders Often feel frustrated with the amount and complexity of change and lack of leadership pipeline in place Need to focus on strategic and forward-looking issues Require plenty of airtime for conversation Senior & Mid-level Leaders Often feel sandwiched between levels Need an approach that stretches to appreciate the strategic context and accountability for leading across the organization Require time for connection across units Frontline Leaders Often feel overwhelmed and have a hard time going beyond their technical expertise Need a more tactical and practical application of leadership to their daily work and a lot of space for questioning Require an understanding of their opportunity in transforming the experience of teams and the broader culture 12 Knightsbridge Human Capital Management Inc.

13 PDI Research: Leader Transitions Skillset See Handout Increase over time: Think strategically/future-oriented Take charge and give direction Depend on others and give them autonomy Be willing to take risks Tolerate high energy expenditure Use persuasion and negotiation Decrease over time: Attend to daily details Social acceptance/ Keep people happy Curvilinear relationship Act independently & autonomously 13 Knightsbridge Human Capital Management Inc.

14 Using a Cohort Strategy Implementation Cohort Benefits Participants experience a real continuity and building of the content Increases accountability among leaders to participate and make progress along development goals Participants have learning partners and confidents to help them while back on the job Creates an intact leadership community with collaborative ties long past the program is over Administratively, it is easier to track participation and progress Paced approach - $$$ Module 3 Cohort Confines Don t connect with different colleagues across the organization Need a process for participants who cannot make their cohort dates Module 1 Facilitator 3 Module 3 Module 2 Module 1 Facilitator 1 Module 2 Module 3 Module 1 Facilitator 2 Module 2 14 Knightsbridge Human Capital Management Inc.

15 L&D: Snakes and Ladders Implementation See Handout Implementing leadership initiatives is a lot like playing Snakes and Ladders. Some actions help you move ahead, other actions cause you to slide backward

16 The Ladders: Top 10 High Value Implementation Tactics Define for leaders the future they need to create and be part of. 2. Involve senior leaders in the leadership program. 3. Develop a robust leadership communications plan that connects the dots. 4. Ensure leaders are responsible for their own development. 5. Align your rewards and recognition programs to new behaviours required. 6. Provide forums for leaders to connect across departments and business units. 7. Create practical assignments aligned with key strategic initiatives. 8. Share stories of change and success. 9. Weed out leaders who don t model the desired leadership behaviours or values of the organization. 10. Establish groups of cohorts. And 11. utilize facilitators not trainers 16

17 The Snakes: Top 10 Low Value Implementation Tactics Implement leadership components with the best in class provider for each tool (e.g. assessment, training. coaching). 2. Get rid of all symbols, rituals or anything that reinforces the status quo. 3. Make the leadership training about the most up-to-date topics. 4. Keep your programs appropriate for the level of leadership 5. Ensure HR ownership of the initiative. 6. Ask participants to sign up for the training program. 7. Provide post-program support to those who ask for it. 8. Have leaders give the on the bus, off the bus speech. 9. Use classroom training as the centerpiece of the development program. 10. Implement your initiatives at top speed. And. 11. The peanut butter approach - spreading a thin layer of funding across the entire organization 17

18 Sustainment Processes Deliberate Practice Booster Webinars Facilitate short webinars with intact cohort to reinforce learning, introduce complementary content/tools & address questions Individual Development Planning Log learnings throughout modules in a Leadership Action Planner; set developmental goals; embed into development planning and discuss and align with manager Manager Guides/Webinars Provide mangers with the program objectives and content and their role in supporting their direct report Pod Coaching Facilitated hour sessions with intact cohort to recap key learnings; address questions as skills are applied back on the job; coach, share & celebrate success; commit to action; and build community Peer Learning Partners/Mentors Participants paired with learning buddies or mentors to assist in progress and application of content on job Linked In Groups/Communities (e.g., TheCommunityOfLeaders.com) Provide participants with ongoing thought leadership and ways to build broader community ongoing 18 Knightsbridge Human Capital Management Inc.

19 ACTIVITY: Mindset, Skillset, Deliberate Practice 1. On your own, answer the following: What is the mindset around leadership in your organization? What is the core skillset required to achieve your strategic objectives? What is the deliberate process you have created to ensure that this happens? 2. Share a key insight with your table 3. What insight will you take back to your organization? 19 19

20 Additional Complexity in LD Virtual Organizations Mindset. I need to communicate across distances to get things done ( distance amplifies dysfunction ) Skillset. Leading virtual teams must be particularly good at: Clear direction and goal setting Communication appropriate medium and frequency Facilitate teamwork - instill sense of community and personal connection Act as mentors empower, motivate and inspire. Balance task and relationship focus Matrixed Organizations Mindset. I need to collaborate across functions to get things done Skillset. Leading in a matrixed organization requires: Influence & Persuasion Collaboration What else? Sources: Davis & Bryant, 2003; Jonsen et al., in press; Zander et al.,, 2012).

21 Best Practices in Team Effectiveness

22 Team Effectiveness Why is it important? Teams are the most fundamental organizational structure we have. Because most work is too complex or too big for individuals to accomplish on their own, businesses use teams of all sizes and compositions to execute their strategies. Dr. Liane Davey, Vital Teams Increasing demand from clients 89% of 50 major organizations said that teams will be even more important in the future than they are today What we are hearing? People work in silos here We waste a lot of time in meetings We have trouble getting things done as a team Our team doesn t communicate well with one another The new reality is working together to get things done. 22 Knightsbridge Human Capital Management Inc.

23 Teams and Leadership How things get done: Leader Cross- Functional Team Necessitates: Lateral Leadership Leading without Authority Functional Functional Team Team 23 Knightsbridge Human Capital Management Inc.

24 Keys to Team Success To be successful in either of these contexts what are a few of the most important elements to remember? 1. A Healthy Team = Alignment & Dynamic 2. The importance of Influence and Collaboration 3. Invest in Team Effectiveness vs Team Building 24 Knightsbridge Human Capital Management Inc.

25 1. A Healthy Team: Alignment and Dynamic High alignment and a healthy dynamic leads to a high-performance team. 25

26 About Alignment on Teams Team members need to be aligned on the unique value they bring to the organization and what they are working towards.. Without alignment the team: Will squander energy and accomplish little value to the organization. Can t prioritize and will waste time and resources trying to do too much. Develops intra-team conflict because of poor role clarity and turf wars. Develop inter-team conflict when the team fails to grasp its role in the organization. Knightsbridge Human Capital Management Inc. 26

27 About Team Dynamic Teams need to create a team dynamic based on trust that supports communication and productive conflict. Without engagement there is either: not enough friction to spark innovative ideas, or adversarial interactions that create a fight or flight response where no one is focused on the task at hand, or lack of trust reduces the value team members get from one another. Knightsbridge Human Capital Management Inc. 27

28 ACTIVITY: Alignment and Dynamic On your own: 1. Think about a team you work on. How much alignment is there? How much dynamic is there? 2. What are the implications? What must you do to establish more alignment or dynamic? At your table: 2. What are the implications for a matrixed organization? For a virtual organization? Where does your team fall? LS Orientation

29 2. Influence & Collaboration Lateral leadership and influencing without authority is one of the most essential skills for leaders today Leaders need to get things done through people often their peers or even other, more senior, leaders Levers of Influence: Constructive persuasion/negotiation. Networking. Consultation. Coalition building. Evidence a compelling story Source:

30 Two-Way Influence = Collaboration Influencing others AND being open to their influence to achieve greater results than one can achieve alone = COLLABORATION Is NOT More meetings More people in a room More people signing off on something Collaboration is Co-creation Achieving otherwise impossible results More than the sum of the parts 30 30

31 Barriers to Collaboration Defensiveness Focus on own goals Territorialism No common vision or language Geographic dispersion Rewards systems (formal and informal) Time 31

32 The Collaborative Mindset FROM Win-lose Guardedness Competitive Silos Territorialism This is the way we do it TO Multiple winners Trust Non-defensive Communication Authentic Open to possibilities 32

33 See Handout 3. Invest in Team Effectiveness Team Effectiveness vs Team Building 1. Start with the purpose of the team. 2. Establish a shared set of guidelines that team members hold each other accountable for following. 3. Use assessment tools and discussion to gain a better understanding of the people on the team. 4. Address difficult issues directly. 5. There is a plan to sustain real behavior change. 33

34 Key Take Aways Knightsbridge Human Capital Management Inc.

35 Summary & Take Aways Mindset. Leadership development should be linked to future requirements Leadership development involves shifting the mindset, building a skillset, and engaging in deliberate practices to create a leadership culture. Skillset. To think about leadership development as an integrated process To apply the Mindset, Skillset and Deliberate Processes framework in your workplace to drive sustained results To avoid the Snakes and leverage the Ladders in leadership development Methods for sustaining results How leadership development is different in virtual and matrixed organizations How building team effectiveness is integral to leadership today Deliberate Practice. That is up to you! What are your commitments? 35 Knightsbridge Human Capital Management Inc.

36 Questions to Ask Your Organization Is your organization targeting mere skills development, or is all learning & development targeted at moving the organization in the execution of its strategy? Do you have the right people to challenge the mindsets of your leaders in service of the desired culture change? Are you willing to make more targeted investments to really move a segment of your leadership? Are we investing in team effectiveness? 36 36

37 Resources HANDOUTS: Snakes and Ladders Blog Mindset, Skillset, Deliberate Practice worksheet Vital Teams e-book Available for free download at Toxic Teams The YOU in Team Available for free download at The Leadership Challenge 37 Knightsbridge Human Capital Management Inc.

38 FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT Sonya Stevens, PhD Consultant, Leadership Solutions 250 Yonge St., Suite 2800 Toronto, ON M5B 2L Tim Hewat Partner, Executive Search 250 Yonge St., Suite 2800 Toronto, ON M5B 2L ABOUT KNIGHTSBRIDGE HUMAN CAPITAL SOLUTIONS Knightsbridge works with organizations to strengthen their most valuable asset, their people. We help our clients seamlessly recruit, develop, and optimize talent to create competitive advantage and improve performance. Knightsbridge is Canada s leading integrated human capital company, with over 265 employees in Executive Search & Recruitment, Leadership & Talent Development, Career Management and Workforce Management, serving clients across Canada, the US, the UK and Australia. We serve our clients globally through strategic alliances with Career Star Group for career transition services and Amrop, the world s largest executive search network. Knightsbridge has the people and services you need when you need stronger people.