As our coaching session progressed, it was clear that the operations manager did not have a vivid image of what “good” leadership performance looked like, so I asked the general manager to describe this to him – what unfolded next was interesting.
Generally when I ask CEOs to describe what “good work” looks like from a subordinate their response begins with what they don’t want to see and shifts to describing what they do want to see using concepts like “accountability, delegation, process or strategic”.
Telling a person what we do not want to see is an elementary level of coaching and it’s usually ineffective. Slightly more effective and very common, is sharing concepts as a diagram for good work. These tactics target the head.
Follow the life of a typical heart transplant survivor for the first year and you will notice that the rational brain is incapable of sustaining change. On the other hand, the brain is a wonderful tool when the heart forms a picture of what “good” looks like for the brain to see. The heart is the source of energy that engages the head.
If the saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words” is accurate, then why do leaders persistently defer to impotent concepts and words to improve performance?
When we are hurried, we defer to our old behaviors. However, when we experience a relaxed place for reflection and intense listening and learning with others, our hearts naturally develop fresh pictures and new outcomes. Our hearts synthesize what we see, hear, feel and sense so our heads can implement the harvest.
In my 1:1 with Steve (the CEO of an early stage company) he commented, “As our roundtable helped Tom (a fellow CEO in Steve’s roundtable) work his problem, I was able to put my finger on my problem. I see it differently now.”
Seeing is believing.
Steve constructed a new picture of success for himself during the roundtable process while he and the other CEO members worked on Tom’s problem. They all asked Tom questions, but in the background, Steve’s open heart synthesized everything he heard, saw, and felt and was trying it on in his world. How does that happen?
When a high performance team works on a member’s problem, new possibilities cascade effortlessly into the hearts and heads of everyone. The knowledge and experience represented by individual members is quickly exceeded when the free flowing spark of collaboration ignites. This is what Steve experienced.
Conversely, when a person works on their problem independently, other things happen. They analyze – by reducing the problem to its component parts, or they use their imagination to generate a solution, which can never exceed all the knowledge and experiences they have acquired, or they become impatient, which lures them to form quick solutions.
Expanding leadership capacity requires a vulnerable connection to others.
There is good work and great work, but when you solve problems independently, the best you can hope for is good – but great is right around the corner. Great work only happens when we collaborate with others. During the above roundtable experience, Tom’s vulnerable connection to the others in his group helped Steve expand his leadership capacity.
A good rose bush can be pruned to beauty, but a picture of beauty is first required. If good is all we can see then that is all we will produce. A company can be a thing of beauty.
Do you need a different picture? I’d love to know what you are thinking. Jim@peer-place.com
Jim
