| Huge sums are spent each year assessing and | | | | The organization was structured in a very "siloed" |
| trying to improve organizational performance, yet | | | | manner. Rarely did people from one division |
| the least expensive, easiest, and most impactful | | | | connect with someone outside and when they did, |
| diagnostic and intervention point is right under our | | | | permission was generally needed from above. |
| noses and rarely recognized. | | | | Employees jokingly called the leaders the "czars" |
| The patterns of interaction that occur at your | | | | and treated colleagues from other divisions with |
| leadership team meetings are the patterns of | | | | suspicion. |
| interaction that replicate throughout the | | | | As an organizational consultant, I like to start |
| organization. Leadership meetings are a | | | | working with a new client by observing the |
| microcosm of the whole. A scary thought for | | | | leadership team in action. I know that if I identify |
| some of us, and especially in those quarters | | | | the significant interaction patterns of the team, I |
| where the "M" word (Meeting) is an unspeakable. | | | | will have the key to coaching the boss on his/her |
| That's not good news. | | | | own patterns that are being broadcast across the |
| Of course, it starts with the boss. What does s | | | | organization. As well I will have the most |
| he expect, model and tolerate in behaviors at | | | | significant intervention points with the leadership |
| leadership team meetings? Subordinates often | | | | team. |
| don't discuss these implicit directives but are | | | | Some of the questions I ask while observing the |
| acutely aware of them. It's much like my small | | | | leadership team are:o How do the boss and team |
| child memory of Grandma saying, "We don't say | | | | members express themselves during meetings?o |
| that word in this house!" I still cringe when I hear | | | | Where does the real conversation happen? In the |
| one of "those" words. In much the same way, | | | | team meetings? Between members outside the |
| the leader conveys "Do this and don't do that or | | | | meetings?o How do team members listen to each |
| else!" There's an edge of danger when one of | | | | other? What do they seem to be listening for? |
| "those" issues or topics come up in the leadership | | | | Data for refutation? Data for understanding?o |
| team meetings, and we all form our ideas about | | | | What are the hot buttons for the leader and the |
| how to interact around avoiding or enticing them. | | | | team? What happens when the leader the or |
| And then, those do's and don'ts fan out through | | | | team hits one of these hot buttons?o How much |
| us into the behavior patterns of the whole | | | | tension can the team tolerate?o How do the |
| organization. | | | | leader and the team tend to deal with difficult |
| A former client of mine used to ask me to | | | | issues? Do they tiptoe around the difficulty? Are |
| organize his leadership team agendas and then | | | | they willing to delve into touchy territory?o What |
| facilitate so that the meetings would be efficient | | | | level of the organization do team members tend |
| and productive. That was a great idea, but in | | | | to lobby for? The whole organization, their |
| truth, he was a random thinker who didn't like | | | | departments, other?o How does the team know |
| structure. Many times I came to his leadership | | | | when it has enough information to make a |
| team meetings having spent a considerable | | | | decision?o How does the team evaluate its own |
| amount of time preparing, only for him to throw | | | | process and does it learn from its |
| out the agenda and wing it on his own. | | | | self-observation?o Is something accomplished by |
| As a result, his leadership team meetings were | | | | the group together that couldn't have been |
| often chaotic and meandering on and on without a | | | | accomplished by a simpler means? |
| coherent track. Frequently no records were kept | | | | By observing several meetings I start noticing |
| of decisions made, if there were any, so no basis | | | | similar types of interactions showing up time after |
| was laid for accountability. Sometimes follow-up | | | | time. Noticing an interaction repeat itself several |
| happened, more often not. | | | | times means I'm starting to get at a pattern. |
| How did that randomness fan out into the | | | | Often, I'll then have individual conversations with |
| organization? Managers down the line assumed | | | | the members of the leadership team, checking to |
| that the occasional directives issued from the | | | | see if my hypothesis about a pattern fits with |
| leader or the leadership team represented | | | | theirs. I want to know how the pattern replicates |
| "advice." Because the managers weren't held | | | | throughout the organization and what the |
| accountable, they thought that the leaders "didn't | | | | implications are of the replication. |
| really mean it!" On the outside, customers | | | | Bringing those patterns back to the leader and |
| complained that the overall organization didn't | | | | then to the leadership team usually results in a |
| deliver. | | | | sigh of "ahhhhhhh." That's it, you just hit the |
| Another leader I worked with had a very | | | | nerve! Recognition is a significant part of what |
| compartmentalized way in which he structured his | | | | allows a shift in the pattern. Once the leader and |
| life. He never took work issues home or talked | | | | the team are conscious of the pattern and have |
| about them with his wife, and he rarely included | | | | named it, they begin intervening with each other |
| his wife or family in company social activities. His | | | | when the pattern pops up. Of course, some |
| private life was also very compartmentalized....this | | | | patterns are more entrenched and need a |
| morning of the week for golf, this morning for | | | | stronger intervention, but not usually. Naming and |
| church, this time to help kids with homework, etc. | | | | keeping the pattern conscious with the intention |
| The people and the activities rarely overlapped. | | | | to shift to a higher form of interaction are most |
| His leadership team meetings were very | | | | often the precise prescription needed. |
| structured and non-interactive. Each of his direct | | | | These interaction patterns vary for specific |
| reports had a period of time to provide an | | | | leaders and teams, but the meta-pattern I have |
| update, with little time or expectation to interact, | | | | observed describing the high performing leadership |
| respond, offer suggestions, or collaborate. He ran | | | | teams is this: The leader sets the tone for open |
| his leadership team as a federation of divisions, | | | | consideration of these significant interaction |
| not as a union of interactive, interdependent | | | | patterns. With that focus and permission, the |
| groups seeking to optimize their joint operation. | | | | team actively reviews its own patterns and how |
| Because of his extreme focus on | | | | they are replicating throughout the organization |
| compartmentalizing, he missed the awareness | | | | and impacting business results. They openly |
| that performance could have been greatly | | | | discuss and intervene upon themselves - including |
| enhanced by leveraging the points of | | | | the boss - to consciously select and institutionalize |
| interdependence. | | | | the desired patterns. |