PLAY WORKS

We talk about the value of play at work.
Mostly we don't believe it.
Actually I do. Not theoretically but because I've seen it work.

My most vivid example is of a project group in total gridlock with a presentation looming. They had gotten grim and dull and defeated.  It was hard to watch.
I intervened and set up a kind of game.  I asked them to make a headpiece that showed the atmosphere of the group. (They soooo knew they were going down) They moaned and groaned and I stuck to my guns.  Told them the misery would be over in 15 minutes and if they couldn't switch gears and take a challenge they sure as hell couldn't make their deadline with a decent product.

Well, so pissed at me, they began.  Their anger and frustration took shape with construction paper and glue.  A timid start got wild fast. There were no "selfies" but we could have taken an outrageous photo.  I timed the activity and they had to stop at 15 minutes. 

Back to work.  Ideas flowed. Structure emerged. Cooperation was easy.
The presentation was great. They saved their sorry asses.

All through a little play that:
-Relaxed the fixation of one way to get something down
-Reduced the performance anxiety by being ridiculous
-Literally created good humor
-Made everyone equally willing to be foolish and therefore able to loosen up
-Took their minds off the work totally so that fresh eyes could emerge  

Play works.

LET YOUR PEOPLE GROW!!

I wrote the need to allow people to change in my personal blog/column this week, www.truthburp.blogspot.com  The phrase "truth burp" actually  came from my work as an EC member in a global company. Sometimes organizational indigestion needed a good truth burp!!

We always put the onus for change on the person we are developing (or 
coercing).  We give feedback, we write development plans, we pay money for a coach AND then we have a hard time seeing any real progress.  So we tolerate.

There are two sides to the coin for personal and professional growth.
One is the individual's effort.  The other side is allowing and supporting the change.  

Try changing when the label you carry is wide spread.
Not Strategic. Poor Execution.  Lacks Vision. Too Hard on People
Too Soft on People.  Need Leadership Voice.  Failed Project.

Professional change in business is public.
It can be embarrassing.
People will make fun of the efforts and criticize it--saying it's only ambition is at play
Or it will be seen as political placating --a  spitting in the wind exercise.

But the hardest task  for you as a top leader is to:
Let the label go.
See the person with new eyes.
Notice small steps of progress
Give enough time for new behavior to emerge
Not wait too long to demand the change
Be sincere, not cynical
Create an atmosphere where change can happen.

You have to change as well.

THIS MAY BE THE BIGGEST BLIND SPOT EVER

Here it is: 
You don't know your impact on the people who do the real work of your company and touch your customers, your clients, your patients.
And you probably think you do.
Or worse, you don't care because you care about:
Cash flow
Productivity per----
Board perceptions
Analyst calls
Head count
Turnover (in both US and European meanings)

All of these things are important.
AND all of them get better IF you have the experience of your front line people in your DNA.

In this last week I had front line people crazy with frustration share:

--They had ridden the ups and downs of a health care re-structure with grace for two years but when they had to put their snacks on a designated shelf to meet corporate standard of hygiene, they were furious. They are so busy helping meet unreasonable service standards for patients that they can't make it to the kitchen and back fast enough. Break times are an imaginary joke.

--"I can't can't seem to order this part. I don't know how to get to the next screen." (A repairman in my kitchen working on the refrigerator carrying a hand held device that weighed 10 pounds and looked like a museum piece)
"Let me TRY to get tech support." He couldn't do it. His outsourced role couldn't connect with another outsourced role and he only had so many minutes in my home for a "productive" call. Then he took ten unwarranted minutes griping about the major retail company that wouldn't let him do the work he actually likes doing and I need. Yes, it sure does dent my loyalty.

There are all kinds of reality TV shows now showing shocked bosses what really goes on in their businesses.  
And I bet your good intention is to "get out and about" and touch your company.  And I know how a calendar magnetizes you to your office.

The best solution I know is to bring the company to you.
It would be a rare person who would turn you down
Invite only people who touch your customers daily.
Do 9 at at time.  Group them differently. All one role.  All new to the job.
All long term people.  Random.
Make it someones job to make it happen AND to make you hold to it.
Every other week for a year.  You'll get new ideas and a closer view of the reality show you are running

NOBODY KNOWS WHAT THEY ARE DOING! GOOD OR BAD?

A colleague of mine, Bob Stapleton and our colleague (and my daughter)
Megan Wilson run an Intensive New Model Leadership Retreat of 3 days.  "Intense" is the apt word in that title.  So is "new".  We keep our hands to the fire of wrestling with what a new leadership model needs to be in today's world.

As always, we demand that the theoretical thinking be linked to an important result needed by the leaders.  That's just good learning design.  

The interesting dynamic is that all participants agree that the present leadership  models stink.  They no longer fit for organizations, government, churches, public sector, you name it. Strong agreement about that. Easy to say"no".

But not so easy to come up with what to say "yes" to. Here's the problem with that. The DNA or memory yarn of the old leadership behavior will be the default position if you don't have a new model to guide your company.

We are in a time of immense transition in many dimensions at this time in history. Not that we haven't always been, but not with the velocity, and the extreme elements and fragility of our world today.

So don't be blind to the fact that the leadership model that you learned and succeeded with is NOT the one needed to go forward. Most leadership models describe what is, not what needs to be.  

I'll share some models for the next several weeks to let you cherry pick what you think is needed to include for your own unique leadership model.
The good part of mega transitions and nobody knowing what to do is you are very free to create. Have to create. The bad part is if you don't.

YOUR BUSINESS HAS CONSTRAINTS. YOU DON'T!

I ran a workshop for a large company that was in a tight time.  Tighter than usual.  And it bucked and kicked and complained about that new reality.
"If only" was the daily mantra.  If only we weren't publicly owned!  If only my budget hasn't held at last year's level!  If only we were a small start-up company that didn't have constraints like we do!

So I brought in a panel of start-up CEO's to meet with the top fifty people of the older larger company to test the premise of constraints.

WELL, If you want to "get" constraints, try being a start-up.
Constantly out with your beggar bowl to investors
Constantly having to put your best put forward
Constantly having to think and adjust on the run
Constantly wondering when payroll won't be there
Constantly knowing most start-ups don't grow to be sold or established
Constantly being vigilant about everything all the time
Constantly juggling resources--no slack time--the adjustment hurts immediately
Constantly having every action defining the culture in real time
Constantly having to do any and every job if needed

Both parties (the large old company and the new start-ups) were stunned at the constraints that both faced.  Neither had it easier than the other.
BUT the lesson learned was that for good or bad the leaders of the start-up could not allow themselves to be constrained by the constraints.
They couldn't afford it.  It was life or death.

They had to:
Think clearly and act quickly
Keep focused on growth
Stay lean
Be willing to step into any role
Have everyone's back
Jump over fear on a daily basis
Keep in mind the goal that energizes them through exhaustion
Enjoy the challenge of it all or dwindle to a slow death
Sniff and churn and scrounge for opportunity
Never rest on achievement of the previous day
Celebrate wildly in order to keep on going on
Cast off anyone who can't do the above
Remember that forward movement is the only option

SO--There will always be constraints.  As a C-level leader, don't become on of them.  Stay start-up.