Collisions between the Finance Department and… well, everyone, are the stuff of legends. In most companies, business teams are as likely to voluntarily ask Finance for help as a Russian citizen would ask the KGB for help. Instead, teams develop strategies to keep finance at arms length as long as possible.
Even high intelligence and experience do not instinctively produce the BEST solutions.
Smarts and experience. Who could ask for anything more when assembling a project team?
How then do we explain the 70% to 80% failure rate on acquisitions? Don’t organizations assemble their A-team for acquisitions? Don’t they engage investment bankers– firms that hire the cream of MBAs from the top schools?
When the U.S. Supreme Court justices cannot agree, the majority rules the day. Even so, the minority are still given a voice with a “dissenting opinion” – their public assessment of weaknesses in the majority position and their preference for an alternate ruling. Strangely, dissenting opinions are usually taboo in the corporate world.
I am asking business leaders, “Are dissenting opinions presented to the CEO along with the proposed course of action?” There used to be an occasional “Yes,” but in the last three months, the consistent answer has been, “No.”
When I follow-up with “Why Not?” a few themes emerged.
What do you really want: great analysis or your first impressions repeated back to you?
If you lived back at in the 1890’s, you would have been extremely impressed with a horse named Clever Hans. This horse correctly answered math and current event questions posed by his master by tapping out the answer with a hoof. He could even read and answer questions written out on cards by people in the audience!
Clever Hans amazed audiences for more than a decade before the truth emerged. No, the owner wasn’t perpetrating a fraud… the master was as shocked as everyone else to learn that Clever Hans didn’t excel in mathematics and world events. Where Clever Hans did excel was in pleasing his owner!
In 1904 it was demonstrated that the horse was looking for cues of approval. After the owner asked a question, Hans tapped his hoof until he perceived approval – perhaps a smile or a raised eyebrow. He had learned that, by stopping when he saw these cues, he was rewarded with an apple or carrot.
It’s not just horses that watch their masters for the “right answer.”
I doubt that anyone reading this would disagree with the theme that it’s important to be a good listener to be a good leader. However, in working with leaders at all levels striving to strengthen their performance, listening skills aren’t an issue some of the time; they are an issue nearly 100% of the time.
For too many in leadership roles, either the Symphony of Brilliance (as in, “I know the answer” or, “I’m right”), or, the Symphony of Busyness (“I’ve got so much to do, don’t distract me”) playing in their minds, drowns out attempts at communication emanating from those around them.
We create our own barriers to active listening, and our performance suffers accordingly.
Nothing, but NOTHING, replaces genuine dissent.
Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation is in the news and commentators are abuzz with speculation on who will be his successor. Also elbowing for air time is a parade of church experts describing the centuries-old traditions for selecting that successor.
While much of the selection process remains untouched, one element was dropped exactly three decades ago. Strangely, we still use it in business decisions today… foolishly I might add.
I’m referring to the Devil’s Advocate. You have likely been involved in deliberations where, close to the conclusion, someone says: “We should have a Devil’s Advocate.” The thinking is that assigning one or more people to argue against the team’s conclusion is an effective stress test that produces better decisions.
It sounds good, but it’s wrong.
What’s that you say? Corporate Character? Don’t you mean Corporate Culture?
Not necessarily.
Corporate Culture is more of a company-driven belief system. Whether it’s derived from its mission statement, is spoken, or is simply “understood,” a company’s culture describes and governs the way the company’s stakeholders think, feel, and act.
But, a Corporate Character (or Company Character) is something different. It’s a bottom-up driven approach to customer engagement.
This talk affirms Napoleon Hill’s premise that any idea connected with an unshakeable desire often becomes a success. It also helps define the notion of the following saying, “Consumers don’t care what you know until they know that you care.” A clearly defined “Why” with ample desire are two ingredients to success in any venture.…
This is a fantastic presentation on how to structure a great talk. Lessons learned from Steve Jobs, the “I Have a Dream” speech and others.
From: http://www.ted.com/
We all know what it’s like to sit through a bad presentation. We can easily spot the flaws — too long, too boring, indecipherable, what have you — when we watch others speak. The thing is, when we take the stage ourselves, many of us fall into the same traps.
Here are five of the most common, along with some tips on how to avoid them.