| Are You Pushing Your People Hard Enough? The | | | | executive to increase your expectations (as well |
| Potential of Personnel Productivity from the | | | | as the productivity of your team)? The following |
| Perspective of Einstein. | | | | five expectation enhancers should be considered: |
| As executive coaches, we're often asked about | | | | 1. Multiple Tasks Require Multiple Thoughts - |
| expectations from the leaders we coach. | | | | Einstein was a master at being presented with |
| Specifically, are the expectations that leader's | | | | several tasks, but deriving a single outcome. While |
| possess realistic, accurate, and relevant for | | | | his thoughts might have been scattered, he had |
| today's workplace and workforce? Furthermore, | | | | the ability to simultaneously focus on several |
| what's the best way to manage those | | | | items in order to produce solutions. Executive |
| expectations? Consider the work of Einstein and | | | | Coach Question - Are you able to focus |
| several expectation solutions reveal themselves. | | | | simultaneously with intensity on several tasks? |
| Einstein was arguably the greatest "thinker" of the | | | | 2. Distraction Yourself - Einstein was known to |
| twentieth century, and one could/should argue | | | | escape from his current reality when he could not |
| that he was the greatest of all time. His work in | | | | derive a solution by playing the violin. He often |
| physics has been the basis for much of the | | | | said that the answers to his dilemmas would |
| progress of mankind. Even more impressive than | | | | come to him while playing Mozart. Executive |
| the outputs from his thoughts is the process | | | | Coach Question - What activity do you engage in |
| from which these outputs were generated. The | | | | when you need to have your best thoughts? |
| productivity of Einstein's thoughts was truly | | | | 3. Visualize the Elements - Thinking spaciously was |
| amazing! For example, from the fall of 1915 to the | | | | the key to Einstein's abilities to see what was |
| spring of 1917, he generalized relativity, found the | | | | possible. He was able to break down the complex |
| field equations for gravity, found a physical | | | | into simple "real world" analogies. It was in this |
| explanation for light quanta, hinted as how the | | | | ability to visualize that he would then set out for |
| quanta involved probability rather than certainty, | | | | solution. For example, his theory of relativity was |
| and came up with a concept for the structure of | | | | partially constructed when he was a boy by a |
| the universe as a whole. All the while battling | | | | vision he had of a speeding train and the actions |
| stomach ailments that had him bedridden at | | | | of the participants on it. Executive Coach Question |
| times, going through a difficult divorce, and being | | | | - Can you see what is possible in your |
| separated from his kids. Dennis Overbye, noted | | | | organization? |
| science expert of the New York Times called this | | | | 4. Seek Support - Einstein, while a steadfast loner |
| period "arguably the most prodigious effort of | | | | spending countless hours by himself while |
| sustained brilliance on the part of one man in the | | | | developing his theories, would in the end present |
| history of physics." | | | | them to family, friends and trusted colleagues for |
| So often in our Executive Coaching we are | | | | verification. While you might not have the ability to |
| presented with the leader's challenges when it | | | | contact a Nobel Peace Prize winner such as |
| comes to expectations, a few of which are worth | | | | Madame Currie to help manage your |
| mentioning: | | | | expectations, there needs to be a "sounding |
| · How to deal with difficult conversations | | | | board" to which you can get perspective from. |
| (or the more popular "crucial conversations" and | | | | This board should be external to your situation. |
| "crucial confrontations") | | | | Executive Coach Question - Who will you verify |
| · Establishing the proper success | | | | your expectations with? |
| measurement criteria | | | | 5. Challenge the Norm - There are many lessons |
| · Having members of the staff take | | | | that can be learned from Einstein, but perhaps the |
| initiative, both at the leader and non-leader | | | | greatest was his ability to not take what was |
| organization level | | | | known or thought of as a given. He continued to |
| · What to do when you realize the people | | | | almost rebel against the current norms of the |
| that "got you here" won't be able to "get you | | | | time and push towards elevated accomplishments. |
| there" | | | | Often criticized, ridiculed and labeled, he was |
| It is in these moments of expectations, and the | | | | Teflon-like in that he did not let the thoughts of |
| time period after, where as an executive coach | | | | others regarding the accepted influence his |
| we work with the leader to establish the | | | | thoughts of expectation. Executive Coach |
| potentials regarding what could be. In other | | | | Question - What are the norms in your |
| words, what is it that they really want and how | | | | environment that you will challenge? |
| will they go about getting it. Far too often, a | | | | The leaders who can successfully manage their |
| leader is limited in their thoughts of what can be | | | | expectations and follow-through on them typically |
| accomplished by self-imposed barriers to progress. | | | | achieve much more than was previously thought |
| The leader simply can not remove themselves | | | | possible. The five tips presented are not an |
| from their current reality in order to effectively | | | | exhaustive list of the many characteristics that |
| assess the future potential possibilities. | | | | made Einstein successful. Instead, they are |
| So how was Einstein able to complete such a | | | | intended to offer a glimpse at the possibilities |
| range of activities, and what can you do as an | | | | available for leaders to set expectations beyond |
| executive to increase your expectations (as well | | | | where they normally otherwise would. After all, |
| as the productivity of your team)? The following | | | | the one sure method for accomplishing less than |
| five expectation enhancers should be considered: | | | | full potential is to establish expectations within a |
| So how was Einstein able to complete such a | | | | "comfort zone" or far below what is possible. |
| range of activities, and what can you do as an | | | | |