10 Discussions For Effective Leadership

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Contents

Foreword.....................................................1The State of Leadership......................................7A Glance at the Past.........................................8Looking at the Challenges of the Future......................14What Do We Do Now?...........................................17The 10 Discussions...........................................23Understanding the Approach...................................231 - The Right Stuff..........................................292 - The Myth of Empowerment..................................473 - Trust and the Boomerang Theory...........................674 - Telling The Truth........................................875 - Optimize Results with Joint Planning.....................1076 - Clarity of Vision Leads to Success.......................1297 - Leading by Example.......................................1518 - Asking Good Questions....................................1779 - Think Like a Champion....................................19710 - Alone at the Top........................................219Summary and Conclusions......................................241Acknowledgements.............................................247About the Authors............................................251Marcel Bellefeuille..........................................251Bruno Lindia.................................................255Raymond Perras...............................................259Contact Details..............................................265

Chapter One

(prescription, dose, timeliness)

"If you choose peak performance, you will learn to apply the right stuff, in the right amount, at the right time." Raymond Perras, author of AïM for Life Mastery

(Ray setting the stage)

In my book, AïM for Life Mastery, I provided an extensive explanation of my concept of peak performance, the right stuff, in the right amount, at the right time™. Peak performance is not the pedal to the metal. It is the acute awareness of whatever action or skill is needed in a certain circumstance, and the ability to apply the correct effort in a timely manner. All that happens in a way that reduces stress and increases focus so that minimal energy is expanded.

In the context of leadership as an action, the concept of peak performance is more applicable than ever. With everything going so fast and results expected "yesterday", it is essential that a leader learn to guide his team on a path of minimum effort to produce maximum results. That relates to the appropriate knowledge or skill, in the right dosage and in a timely manner.

A leader cannot do it all to the extent that he or she provides the total PUSH. There must be a constant focus put on devolving responsibility and accountability to the team through a systematic and consistent framework so that the PULL comes from the team.

The aim must be to create an environment where people, everyone involved, take ownership and provide their own drive to create, sustain, and maintain momentum. This will usually produce the best results with the least effort. It becomes a collaborative and joint effort to minimize waste in order to make optimal use of resources.

This calls for product or service delivery processes that are designed to fit the team's skills, competencies and expertise. These processes are understood, used across the board, and are respected and valued as the core structure of organizational success.

Unless everyone aligns on purpose and puts their competencies to the service of the common goal, there will be waste, and the team will be unable to produce at its maximum expected level.

Failing to minimize overlap, recycling, gaps in approaches and blind spots will inevitably result in unmet expectations and a lot of frustration for both management and the workers alike. Logically, a higher level of performance is expected when there are skills, knowledge and abilities applied to the various tasks. But that does not always happen when people are not aligned on purpose.

In spite of good will and desire, people who are involved will be disappointed or will disappoint their leader if he fails to explain his vision or organizational goals clearly – the right stuff. It will be difficult to make optimal use of their skills and knowledge. In some cases, it may result in the leader getting involved to do the work when he should have delegated the task.

This might happen for one of four reasons: 1) the leader lacks the trust necessary to let people operate on their own; 2) the people don't have the necessary guidance and training to get it done; 3) there is no clear vision to guide the team; or 4) the vision has been very poorly explained and is not understood by the team or workforce. In most cases, gaps in these areas result from failure to assign priorities, and the inability to recognize that some tasks deemed to be urgent are not so important in reality.

Basically, an effective leader will pay attention to the right stuff, in the right amount, at the right time™ because it is the fast track to success. This approach enables the team to minimize waste and maximize results. Applying the concept is the foundation of a successful approach. Increased awareness of the benefits brings increased attention. Increased attention raises the potential for successful outcomes.

For example, the leader may request a report on a project without specifying the critical information he expects. The person assigned will do her best to review, assess and note the progress on the various fronts: installation, timing, resources spent, problems encountered, budget status, future challenges, potential issues for decisions, etc.

If in the leader's mind the goal was to produce a chart of the progress as compared to the initial plan, he may find what he needs in the report but it will take more effort. He will have to sift through the details. It will also have taken more effort for the person reporting because more information was generated than required. In the end, good work indeed, but not effective or efficient because "the right stuff" was not specified. And it resulted in a discrepancy between the "right amount" and what was expected. Timeliness would likely suffer and disappointment would likely surface on both sides.

Through the lack of regard for the right stuff, in the right amount, at the right time, much energy was spent which could have been saved. When resources are at a premium, it becomes obvious that attention to details and clear communication can make a big difference in the final outcome, at least from the point of view of good will and initiative.

Let's read about some real facts in the sports and business domains that demonstrate how a leader can easily fall in the trap and end up with unmet expectations.

* * *

The Sports Perspective (Marcel)

"Football is the ultimate team sport." I am sure most sports fans have heard this mantra. If that is so, then professional football is the ultimate organizational sport. The point is that although fans see the players and coaches perform on television each week, the preparation, performance and ultimate success of the teams is decided in many ways by a complete organizational effort. Professional sports are similar to the business world; it takes a complete organizational effort to have a successful product.

As I reflect on the theme of this chapter, it is important to put some structure to what I am going to discuss. So what is "the right stuff, in the right amount, at the right time" in football? For me, it can be stated as "What you say, how much and when".

What you say can take the form of a presentation, a trigger word or even something as subtle as a physical gesture. It is usually a response that is needed to refocus your team or an individual.

How much you say to your team mainly depends on the situation you are addressing. If you have ever heard the military term "conditional response", this definitely fits here.

Deciding when to intervene with some form of communication, correction or encouragement is always a critical decision. Specific situations need immediate feedback and others may require a more structured environment.

Let me share a few times when I was faced with some challenging decisions regarding this aspect of leadership.

This first situation is an example of a potential breakdown that could have ended our season on a sour note had it not been addressed in an appropriate fashion. Our football team was about to compete in a playoff game. This team had not had any post season success in many years. Everyone had worked extremely hard to bring the organization back to a place of respectability. Needless to say, post season success would help validate our efforts.

The night before we were to fly out for our game, we had to make a tough decision regarding our roster. It was decided that we would sit out one of our key players and leaders. Some unforeseen injuries had created a very difficult situation that required an equally difficult decision.

Obviously, the timing of these events was not ideal. The leaders on our team had expressed some concern. They were not sure that our younger players would understand the situation and this might upset the psyche of the team.

That night I pondered; how should I deal with this situation? There were those around me that felt nothing needed to be said. They felt a coach's decision is just that. However, I have always believed that if there is a "moose on the table" you better discuss how it got there. So, I set out to inject the right stuff, in the right amount, at the right time.

I decided that the right time to discuss the issue and remove the moose would be at our team meeting the next morning prior to leaving for our road trip. It was critical to avoid disturbing the team chemistry in a time of such pressure.

The right stuff was to emphasize that all the players, even ones not making the trip were very important to our success. As a head coach, it is necessary to make every player on the team feel that their contributions are a valuable part of the process of winning. Furthermore, I decided to discuss this specific player's situation in order to remove any doubt about the reasons for our decision.

It was critical to frame it as a one game scenario and not something that would be a factor beyond that. It was also important to communicate that our decision was based on the best potential for the team, not on that player's performance.

That morning I addressed the situation in front of the team. We talked about the player's value to the team and what would be needed to replace him. I openly asked certain players to step up and fill the void created by his absence. Each of them committed to contribute more in different areas to honour the team and their teammate. This situation could really have had a negative effect on us. However, our team came together as a result of our openness and desire to do the right thing – communicate in a timely and clear fashion. All the credit goes to our players for rallying together for the common purpose.

We won the playoff game and the player was re-inserted in the line-up for our next game. Crisis averted.

In some situations, less is more. The second example I want to share is a time when I was a head coach at the collegiate level. It was the night before the "National Championship" game. We had a team meeting in the ballroom of a prestigious hotel. I had arranged for a guest speaker to address the team. As the players began to arrive, a group of them entered the room in slippers wearing the hotel robes from the rooms.

My first thought was to aggressively address the situation. They were not dressed appropriately, and our program would have to pay for these robes if damaged or not returned (all considerations when coaching amateur sport).

As I walked to the back of the room, they knew I was going to deal with this deviation from our team principles. Then it occurred to me, perhaps they were just letting off some nervous steam. This team had never played in such a big game. So I set out to inject the right stuff, in the right amount, at the right time.

As I approached them, I said "gentlemen, where are your smoking pipes?" We all had a chuckle and I started the meeting. It was just enough to break the tension and set the mood to be at peak performance.

In the same vein, you can also derail your team's efforts when you deliver "the wrong stuff, in the wrong amount, at the wrong time".

I recall breaking my golden rule prior to an important game. Never break the momentum of your preparation close to competition.

Our team had a terrible practice the last day prior to an important game. After practice I was less than complimentary to our players. They knew how angry and disappointed I was with our execution that day.

The problem when you push buttons closer to competition is that you do not always have enough time to bring your people back to a place of confidence. Furthermore, it was just a handful of key people that upset the execution of our practice. I should not have addressed the whole team regarding it. I am sure half of them wondered what I was talking about. Needless to say, we did not play as well as we could have in that game. The key players who practised below our standards also played the game that way. The old adage "You play as you practice" surely applied here.

Leaders cannot always be the ones pushing the buttons. It is important that you give your team the opportunity to recognize their mistakes and correct themselves. Continually lashing out may alienate you from your team and render you ineffective as a leader.

The challenge occurs when you do not have enough people on your team or in your organization that are prepared to make others around them accountable for their quality of preparation. That is what I qualify as "not having the right people on the bus".

"The wrong stuff, in the wrong amount, at the wrong time" can also come from any area in your organization. That is especially true when senior management is not on "the same page" as the team leader.

As a coach, I have seen teams in many different sports underachieve when different messages are sent from other areas of the organization.

It can happen directly, or through the media. Sometimes a coach may decide to downplay the importance of an upcoming game to relieve some pressure from his athletes. The choice is to focus only on the process during that week. However, conflicting messages outside the direct chain of command could affect the performance of the team. Players may press, or work outside their abilities and job responsibilities if they have the sense that there may be underlying consequences if they fail. In these cases, all leaders in an organization have to trust their people to get the job done.

So the question you have to answer is: "How do you ultimately achieve effort-less effectiveness?"

One mission-critical aspect is that everyone in the organization must share the same vision, and formulate the messages in the same sense. Every member of the team has to pay attention to the right stuff, in the right amount, at the right time. Otherwise, the organization, as viewed from the outside or even from different internal departments, can appear disjointed and misaligned on the common goals.

Whether you are a manager or a head coach, there is always someone above you in a team or organizational structure. There has to be a common vision that is developed and shared from top to bottom. One cannot be naïve enough to believe they can be successful at the highest level if the whole organization is not on the same page. A childlike faith can only carry you so far.

* * *

The Business Lens (Bruno)

"Hard" Task + Process = Simpler

The right stuff, in the right amount, at the right time: simple to say, simple to understand but almost impossible to implement; impossible if there is no structure around the words.

With respect to the right stuff, let's consider this. When assessing any task, people tend to rank it on a scale of difficulty. "Easy" to "Hard".

When I first started REALLY working on Peak Performance concepts, it occurred to me that I would say that things were "Easy" or "Hard". I then noticed that I wasn't the only one. This is fine if it is in a simple conversation with a friend, but in a more serious exchange this may present a challenge with meeting the other person's perceived expectation.

After further reflection and dialogue with professionals, the conclusion was that nothing in the world is "Easy". Without the proper framework, "easy" can become a "Hard" thing. And that is where the right stuff comes into play. Having a clear approach to the issue can help to apply the right stuff.

For example, someone used "Breathing" as "Easy". However, if you have Asthma, it is very "Hard". Another person said "Walking" was "Easy". But it is not so for someone who is in a wheelchair.

So do we conclude that everything is "Hard"?

Consider this. A new task may have a high degree of complexity. It may require years of technical training to get good at it. The tradesperson goes about performing the task and he makes it seem effortless. In reality, a great tradesperson has developed habits that allow it to appear "Easy". We are simply observing the process that has been established through repetition and now appears to be "Simple". The right stuff enables the tradesperson to make it look easy. In other words, nothing is "Easy", but developing and aiming to perfect a process to allow the execution of the task will make it "Simpler".

My equation is now: "Hard" Task + Process = Simpler.

Although this may seem very obvious when we are dealing with high performance, definition is of paramount importance. Of course, as "simpler" takes root, it becomes easier to apply the right amount. The effort can be measured and minimized so that the process is efficient and produces the desired result.

In business, the two rarest commodities are Money and Time. Without money you have no time and if you waste time you will have no money.

Superior use of time is the complete opposite of wasting time. Again, I am stating the obvious. However, think of all the time that is wasted on trying to understand what the other person meant when they said this is "easy" and should take but a few minutes. How many times have we heard "do you have a quick minute to spare?"

In reality there is no such thing as a "quick minute". Every minute has sixty seconds and most of these interruptions take more than 60 seconds to complete. Actually, when someone asks for a quick minute, it not only takes you away from your present task for several minutes, but it will take you several more minutes and sometimes hours or days to get back to your original state.

I like to use the term "timely". The term "timely" triggers my mind to be aware that it may or may not be the right time to do or say something. Timing is everything.

Think of a funny comedian. The delivery of the material at the right time makes the comedian funny. We have all encountered the comment: "the joke is funnier when my brother tells it". Chances are the brother's timing is better.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from 10 Discussions For Effective Leadershipby Raymond Perras Marcel Bellefeuille Bruno Lindia Copyright © 2012 by Raymond Perras, Marcel Bellefeuille, Bruno Lindia. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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