Leadership and Influence with management and employees. Chuck Easterly SAIF Corporation

Transcription

1 Leadership and Influence with management and employees Chuck Easterly SAIF Corporation

2 Today s objectives Describe the importance of our role as influencers and leaders of influencers Better define the term change agent and how to develop a culture that models that Identify ways to create the vision and exhibit the leadership to drive a consulting model that focuses on influencing change, and not simply regulatory compliance Slide 2

3 The power of leadership Personal and organizational effectiveness is proportionate to the strength of leadership. John C. Maxwell The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership

4 What is leadership? Organization around a common goal. Standing up for what you believe in. Sticking your neck out when it s the right thing to do. A leader is one who sees more than others see, who sees farther than others see, and who sees before others see. If I knew, I d have a job. From The Radical Leap, by Steve Farber

5 Leadership The five practices of exemplary leadership : 1. Model the way 2. Inspire a shared vision 3. Challenge the process 4. Enable others to act 5. Encourage the heart

6 1) Model the way Exemplary leaders know if they want to gain commitment and achieve the highest standards, they must be models of the behavior they expect of others.

7 2) Inspire a shared vision Leaders envision the future by imagining exciting and ennobling possibilities. You can t command commitment; you have to inspire it. You have to enlist others in a common vision by appealing to shared inspirations. Page 7

8 SAIF Loss Control Vision To make Oregon the safest state in the nation We are going to relentlessly chase perfection, knowing full well we will not catch it, because nothing is perfect. But we are going to relentlessly chase it, because in the process we will catch excellence. Vince Lombardi Green Bay Packers Coach Page 8

9 3) Challenge the process Challenge is the crucible for greatness. Every single personal best leadership case involved a change from the status quo. Not one person claimed to have achieved a personal best by keeping things the same.

10 There are many people who think they want to be matadors, only to find themselves in the ring with 2,000 pounds of bull bearing down on them, and then discover that what they really wanted was to wear tight pants and hear the crowd roar. Terry Pearce, San Francisco Examiner

11 Pursue the OS!M There is no way absolutely no way to participate in an extreme leadership experience without fear. Page 11

12 Pursue the OS!M We ve been conditioned to believe that fear is bad. And while it s true that fear can save your life or keep you from doing something stupid, avoiding it can also keep you from doing something great, from learning something new, and from growing as a human being.

13 Pursue the OS!M But the OS!M isn t about taking stupid risks and it s not about putting yourself in harm s way for some kind of gratuitous adrenaline rush. It s not about making yourself sick, though you may get sick in the process.

14 Pursue the OS!M Jim Shea, 2002 Olympic Gold Medalist

15 Pursue the OS!M I felt like I d just made the biggest mistake of my life. But when I got to the bottom I couldn t wait to get back up and do it again. - Jim Shea, when asked if he could recall his first time doing Skeleton racing No OS!M, no Gold Medal

16 4) Enable others to act Leaders foster collaboration by building trust and facilitating relationships. No leader has ever gotten anything extraordinary done by working solo.

17 4) Enable others to act Focusing on serving the needs of others, and not one s own, builds trust as a leader. And the more the people trust their leaders and each other, the more they take risks, make changes, and keep organizations and movements alive.

18 5) Encourage the heart Recognition is the most powerful currency you have, and it costs you nothing. Encouragement is serious business because it s how you visibly and behaviorally link rewards with performance. Make sure the people see the benefit of behavior that s aligned with cherished values.

19 Who are the leaders? Not just those in charge Our safety consultants* are leaders with incredible capacity to influence * Choose the name that fits inside your organization

20 Leaders influence change SAIF s loss control philosophy: Our role is to influence organizational change Cultivate business partnerships Earn the right to be heard Discover our best opportunities Keep our partners focused on their top issues Think strategically & collaboratively Slide 20

21 Consulting skills Front Wheel: People & Process Skills Rear Wheel: Professional Expertise Slide 21

22 SAIF s loss control mission To be cultural change agents who provide our business partners with a clear vision of what a high performance safety culture looks like and then strategically influence key management to achieve that vision. Slide 22

23 So, what exactly is a change agent?

24 Change agent Dictionary definition: Noun somebody or something that brings about, or helps to bring about, change Slide 24

25 Change agent A living, amplified definition: (as defined by Dennis Stevenson, Director, Software as a Service) Slide 25

26 Change agent A change agent lives in the future, not the present. Slide 26

27 Change agent A change agent lives in the future, not the present. Regardless of what is going on today, a change agent has a vision of what could or should be and uses that as the governing sense of action. To a certain extent, a change agent is dissatisfied with what they see around them, in favor of a much better vision of the future. Without this future drive, the change agent can lose their way. Slide 27

28 Change agent A change agent is fueled by passion, and inspires passion in others. Slide 28

29 Change agent A change agent is fueled by passion, and inspires passion in others. Change is hard work. It takes a lot of energy. Don't underestimate this. Think about the amount of energy it takes to boil water. The change from 212 o water to 212 o steam takes a lot more energy than heating water from 211 o to 212 o. In my experience, without passion, it is very difficult indeed to muster up enough energy to assault the fortress of status quo that seems to otherwise carry the day. Slide 29

30 Change agent A change agent has a strong ability to self motivate. Slide 30

31 Change agent A change agent has a strong ability to self motivate. There will be many days where everyone around does not understand and will not offer help. The change agent needs to find it within themselves to get up every day and come to work and risk being misunderstood and unappreciated, knowing that the real validation may be far in the future and may be claimed by someone else. Slide 31

32 Change agent A change agent must understand people. Slide 32

33 Change agent A change agent must understand people. At the end of the day, change is about people. If you change everything but the people, I doubt you'll be effective as a change agent. Change will really "stick" when people embrace it. Therefore, change is part sales, part counseling, and part encouragement. It's all about people. Note: I think this is the balanced perspective needed in combination with the passion Slide 33

34 How do you make that happen? What are the right ingredients to create an environment where change agents thrive? How do you use your skills as a change agent to influence others in your organization? Part 1: some thoughts from me Part 2: group discussion

35 How do you make that happen? What are the right ingredients to create an environment where change agents thrive? How do you use your skills as a change agent to influence others in your organization? Part 1: some thoughts from me Part 2: group discussion

36 Core beliefs of extraordinary bosses A company is a community, not a machine Average bosses consider their company to be a machine with employees as cogs. They create rigid structures with rigid rules and then try to maintain control by pulling levers and steering the ship. From an article on Inc.com by Geoffrey James April 23, 2012

37 Core beliefs of extraordinary bosses A company is a community, not a machine Extraordinary bosses see their company as a collection of individual hopes and dreams, all connected to a higher purpose. They inspire employees to dedicate themselves to the success of their peers and therefore to the community and company at large. From an article on Inc.com by Geoffrey James April 23, 2012

38 Core beliefs of extraordinary bosses Management is service, not control Average bosses want employees to do exactly what they re told. They re hyper aware of anything that smacks of insubordination, and create environments where individual initiative is squelched by the wait and see what the boss says mentality. From an article on Inc.com by Geoffrey James April 23, 2012

39 Core beliefs of extraordinary bosses Management is service, not control Extraordinary bosses set the general direction and then commit themselves to obtaining the resources that their employees need to get the job done. They push decision making downward, allowing teams to form their own rules and intervening only in emergencies. From an article on Inc.com by Geoffrey James April 23, 2012

40 Core beliefs of extraordinary bosses Motivation comes from vision, not from fear Average bosses see fear of getting fired, of ridicule, of loss of privilege as a crucial way of motivating people. As a result, employees and managers alike become paralyzed and unable to make risky decisions. From an article on Inc.com by Geoffrey James April 23, 2012

41 Core beliefs of extraordinary bosses Motivation comes from vision, not from fear Extraordinary bosses inspire people to see a better future and how they ll be a part of it. As a result, employees work harder because they believe in the organization's goals, truly enjoy what they re doing, and know they ll share in the rewards. From an article on Inc.com by Geoffrey James April 23, 2012

42 How do you make that happen? What are the right ingredients to create an environment where change agents thrive? How do you use your skills as a change agent to influence others in your organization? Part 1: some thoughts from me Part 2: group discussion

43 How should we influence? Begin with your team s most influential people Share your vision with key leaders Many of those are informal leaders Make sure you re not a crazy person Expand your vision through these disciples Be prepared for influence to take time Siege vs. take the hill mentality Keep your vision in front of people

44 An example from me Using our Quality Assurance process to push our vision, mission, and philosophy Standard Operating Guidelines 1 on 1 time with my QA point person to make sure our philosophies are aligned Using the joint field visits with field consultants to make sure they are also aligned with our philosophy

45 One more example Safety In Motion

46 Your turn: Group discussion How do you use your skills as a change agent to influence others in your organization? How have you been successful in driving a consulting model that focuses on influencing change? Pair up and share your thoughts and experiences.

47 VitalSmarts model Six Sources of Influence: Personal Social Motivation 1 2 Make the Undesirable Desirable 3 4 Mo Harness Peer Pressure Ability Over Invest in Skill Building Find Strength in Numbers Structural 5 Design Rewards and Demand Accountability 6 Change the Environment

48 VitalSmarts model Six Sources of Influence: it? Personal Social Structural Motivation Mo Harness Peer Pressure 5 Is it worth Make the Undesirable Desirable Design Rewards and Demand Accountability 6 Ability People will attempt to change their behavior if (1) they believe it will be worth it, and (2) they can do what is required. Can I do it? Over Invest in Skill Building Find Strength in Numbers Change the Environment

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