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Tag: Leadership

Treat Your Career Like Weight Watchers

Written by Kupe Kupersmith on . Posted in Articles.

This week I caught the Joy Behar Show on Headline News. Joy is one funny lady. This segment of her show was about weight loss/maintenance. One of her guests was the CEO of Weight Watchers, David Kirchhoff. The one thing that has always impressed me with Weight Watchers over the years is their philosophy. Mr. Kirchhoff explained it in three words, education, support, and behavior change. As I was watching the show I kept thinking, that philosophy is what needs to be a part of our daily lives as business analysts.

Education

As we have discussed before, many business analysts are moved or hired in from other areas. Many come from the technical side of the house and others come from the business side of the house. Not until recently have you seen universities teaching students some of the skills needed to be a business analyst. Actually I am starting to see elementary schools breeding future analysts. My daughter’s third grade class was learning about process flows. I almost cried when I reviewed my daughter’s homework. Her teacher thought I was a freak when I ran into the classroom the next day and would not stop thanking her for teaching the kids about process flows. But I digress.

What this means is many of us got into a BA career without any kind of formal training. It is critical for newcomers to get foundational training on the techniques available to business analysts. The projects we work on are critical to the success of our companies. How can we expect consistent positive outcomes from those that have not been trained properly? Why is this tolerated in our field?

Education is on-going and not a one-time event. You don’t go to a class and check off a box saying you did the education piece. I hope blogs like mine and others are educational. There are more advanced classes, books, conferences, online forums dedicated to business analysis and, of course, your local IIBA chapter. My advice is never stop learning.

Before we move on, I want to make sure everyone knows my background/bio. I do work for a business analysis training provider, B2T Training.

Support

In the United States, January is National Mentoring Month (NMM). Created by the Harvard School of Public Health and MENTOR, NMM is marking its ninth year in 2010. By focusing national attention on the need for mentors, as well as how each of us-individuals, businesses, government agencies, schools, faith communities and nonprofits-can work together to increase the number of mentors, we assure brighter futures for our young people. I think it is wonderful that these organizations are promoting mentorship for children. Learning at an early age the value of having a mentor or mentors will help these children succeed in life.

Now more than ever it is so important for us as business analysts to find a mentor. At the same time, we should open ourselves up to become mentors for someone else. It is very enriching to be a mentor. Without mentors, BAs will continually be set-up to fail.

A mentor is someone with experience in a field or subject that helps a less experienced person advance in their career. In the past, companies had a layer of management that moved up the ranks. Part of their role as a manager was to guide and mentor the less experienced team members. Although I am seeing a shift in that BAs are growing up to manage BAs, there is still a large gap. Many BAs are managed by people who have never played the role of a business analyst. This presents the situation where many BAs cannot look to their manager for guidance around the BA activities they do day in and day out. We need the support because we can’t do this alone. Even the greatest Jedi to ever live, Luke Skywalker, had a mentor in Obi-wan Kenobi. Find a mentor that can help you grow as a business analyst.

Behavior Change

It is not enough to get the education you need and find a mentor. You have to make the commitment to change. At times, I am just as guilty as the next person when I come out of a training class/seminar. I am fired up and excited just thinking about how I am going to implement all these new things I learned. I wake the next day, bounce out of bed, and I rush to the office. I sit in my chair day-dreaming about all the new skills I have, and then do the same thing as I did prior to training. This is natural. Sometimes it is hard to determine which of the new skills you should try out and when.

My suggestion is start small and keep building. Brad Childress, the Minnesota Vikings head coach, said he starts his rookies off with a small menu, but with deep knowledge. In other words, he gives his rookies a few plays to focus on instead of the entire playbook. As the rookie gets comfortable with the few plays, he adds more to their plate. Use this philosophy as you learn new things. Don’t try to make a complete change all at once.

Take a few minutes to think about where you may need some education and look for avenues to acquire what is necessary. If you don’t have a mentor, please begin your search to find at least one. Lastly, begin changing your behavior now in small chunks. I think we all know Albert Einstein’s definition of Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Together let’s stop the insanity.

All the best,

Kupe

Don’t forget to leave your comments below

Jonathan “Kupe” Kupersmith is Director of Client Solutions, B2T Training and has over 12 years of business analysis experience. He has served as the lead Business Analyst and Project Manager on projects in various industries. He serves as a mentor for business analysis professionals and is a Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP) through the IIBA and is BA Certified through B2T Training. Kupe is a connector and has a goal in life to meet everyone! Contact Kupe at [email protected].

Creating Compelling Executive Summaries in Seven Easy Steps

Written by Peter Dillon-Parkin on . Posted in Articles. 1 Comment on Creating Compelling Executive Summaries in Seven Easy Steps

Today’s fast-paced business environment is rife with quick digital communication in the form of e-mails, texts, tweets and sound bites. Unfortunately, this has had a negative effect on traditional reading, resulting in a great deal of frustration for anyone trying to get a document-any document-read by individuals in their organization or by prospective clients. However, the executive summary is the one part of any business document that is guaranteed to be read and is therefore your most effective tool for communicating your message. Whenever you have anything at stake, it’s critical that your executive summary delivers the goods.

Let me illustrate my point as to how crucial a well-prepared executive summary can be: Pat was asked to investigate a new replacement program for her company’s PCs. Pat researched the topic thoroughly, wrote and rewrote her report until she was happy with it and presented it to management. And then…nothing, even though she had pointed out there was only a small window of opportunity to take advantage of the initiative.

Curious to know what happened, Pat sought feedback. The comments she heard suggested that none of the managers who had received the report had actually read much of it. Furthermore, even those who seemed to have some idea of what the report was trying to convey didn’t have a complete understanding of the actions required or the benefits. That’s because Pat hadn’t gotten the most critical part of her report right-the executive summary.

At the root of the problem was Pat’s misunderstanding of the purpose of the executive summary. She thought it was simply meant to be an “overview” of the document. It’s not, and this is a common error. Think of it this way: the executive summary is a one-page proposal for the rest of your document-the section of the document that gives your readers all the information they need to understand both your point and your recommended course of action. Sadly, few executive summaries ever deliver the value that both readers and writers want.

Fortunately, Pat was able to resubmit the report. This time, she did her research and identified a seven-step method that would help her create an effective, persuasive executive summary.

The executive summary of your report or proposal isn’t just a summary-it’s your one chance to quickly and concisely get your message across to your readers. It should get their attention, let them know why the document is important to them so they keep reading, act as a guide so they can discern which parts of the report or proposal are relevant to them and, most importantly, it should sell your conclusions. Applying these seven steps to your next executive summary will help you achieve precisely those results:

Step 1: Give Your Summary a Meaningful Title

Don’t call your summary “Executive Summary”. With any proposal or report you would write, let the title indicate what the content is. Pat’s new title was: “Two-Year Computer Replacement Programme”.

Step 2: Give It a Benefit-Oriented Subtitle

Add a subtitle that gives your readers a reason to care about this proposal. They’re more likely to read more of what you wrote if they believe you’re going to deliver something of value. Just the same, if they can identify that they aren’t interested, or aren’t impacted, they can stop reading. Pat used “Saving Money and Increasing Workplace Morale”.

Step 3: Identify Your Objective

Now bring out the key pain point or opportunity that your document addresses and back it up with two or three other points. Don’t worry if you can’t explain everything in just a few bullet points-this is a summary, after all. For the PC replacement program, Pat described the primary change in the company’s purchasing program and two features of the plan:

  • Buy “last year’s model” to save money with no loss of functionality
  • Give 90% of our workers a new PC every two years

  • Limit PC functionality to what’s required by our business

Step 4: Give Recommendations

Now it’s time to provide the casual reader with enough information to understand what you’re recommending or documenting. Pat described how the new process would work: “We currently replace a low percentage of PCs each year with the standard model of our supplier. It would be cheaper to replace half of our PCs each year by buying low-end models in bulk. The software we use runs on the lowest specification PC available, so buying a higher specification is pointless and expensive. Our staff will be happier with the increased stability offered by a more frequent replacement program. After two years, the PCs can be donated to the ‘Computers For Schools’ program for a tax deduction higher than the PCs’ depreciation”.

Step 5: Financial Details and Downsides

After those details, summarise the associated costs or saving. Don’t try to hide them. No one is going to purchase an unpriced item and readers will not appreciate having to dissect your report to find your costs. Pat summed up the financials in one sentence: “Because we are buying low-end PCs that suppliers want to dispose of, replacement costs will drop by $5K in the first year”. If there is a downside to the issue, this is also the time to tell your reader. Telling your reader any bad news up front makes your readers more likely to trust you. Pat had recognised one potential problem: “We will have to buy when stock is available, not whenever we want to”.

Step 6: Status

If there is an urgency associated with the situation, you should address it at this step. Pat made it clear that management needed to act immediately: “We have negotiated agreements with several potential suppliers to take on their end-of-cycle surplus. The new program can be started as soon as a budget is available”.

Step 7: Action

Finally, tell readers what to do next. If you don’t tell your readers what must be done, they may do nothing, which is what happened to Pat the first time through. This time Pat finished the summary with specific direction: “A budget needs to be set for the IT department to purchase the first job lot of PCs if we are to maximise value for this financial year”.

After reading the new summary, management knew:

  • What Pat proposed
  • What the benefits to the business were
  • What the cost or saving was
  • What the urgency level was
  • What to do next

And this time, Pat’s report was acted upon.

Don’t forget to leave your comments below

Peter Dillon-Parkin is a business analyst/consultant working with clients in Europe, the U.S. and the Middle East. Peter has written Learning Tree Course 212, “Building an Effective Business Case”, Course 901, “Introduction to Business Intelligence”, Course 219, “Business and Report Writing”, and Course 221, “Writing for the Web”. He also teaches courses in Learning Tree’s business analysis curriculum. Learning Tree International is a leading global provider of truly effective training to management, business and information technology professionals. Since 1974, over 13,000 public and private organizations have trusted Learning Tree to enhance the professional skills of more than 1.9 million employees. For more information, call 1-800-843-8733 or visit www.learningtree.ca.

Gather Trust then Requirements

Written by Elizabeth Larson on . Posted in Articles. 1 Comment on Gather Trust then Requirements

Co-authored by Richard Larson

One of the most difficult phases in project management is gathering business requirements from stakeholders. Requirements are often vague because it is difficult for customers to articulate their needs before they see the end product. When business customers and the project team have a relationship built on trust, they can work together more quickly to produce a product of value to the organization.

This article explores various ways to build trust in order to gather business requirements more quickly and accurately.

Solving Business Problems with Requirements

Before the requirements can be gathered, either formally or informally, it is important to discuss the business context of the project with the sponsor. Requirements need to be aligned with the organization’s overall vision and strategic direction. They must link to business goals and objectives. Keeping the vision in mind helps focus the team and helps reduce decisions based on personal agendas.

Initial meetings with the sponsor to discuss the business and project vision, as well as the business problem(s) can be a helpful way to establish rapport and begin to build trust. Focusing on the business need and vision demonstrates business acumen, which in turn builds respect, and leads to trust.

Elicitation Techniques that Can Help Build Trust

 

There are a variety of techniques that are typically used in requirements elicitation. Below are two:

 

Facilitated Requirements Workshops.

One of the most common is the facilitated requirements workshop, in which a facilitator enables key business stakeholders with differing needs and expectations to articulate their requirements. Part of this process encourages conflict by purposefully getting different opinions and perceptions out on the table before bringing the group to consensus. When a trained facilitator creates a safe environment, participants can provide their input without fear of rejection. When they start to feel that their input is valuable and valued, they can build relationships and trust with each other. The safer participants feel, the more likely we are to get complete requirements.

One-on-Ones.

Another common elicitation technique is the one-on-one interview. This technique is a way for business analysts and project managers to meet individually with stakeholders. Through these individual meetings trust can be built in several ways:

Assess Commitment. Some stakeholders do not like to make decisions or agree to decisions in meetings. One-on-one meetings provide a safer venue to discuss real needs behind the stated-and unstated-needs.

Address individual Concerns. Some individuals are more inclined to reveal their true concerns about the project and the other project stakeholders in one-on-ones rather than in large groups. When elicitation is limited to facilitated workshops, these concerns can go largely unaddressed.

 

Address Negative Behavior. Sometimes stakeholders either dominate meetings or demonstrate various types of disruptive behavior that negatively impact the group. By meeting individually, analysts and project managers can focus on the behavior and, together with the individual, determine ways to reduce its impact.

Each individual meeting is a chance to establish rapport and ultimately build relationships and trust.

Barriers to Elicitation

 

Distance of Stakeholders. In the ideal world all key stakeholders would be based in the same room or section on the same floor in the same building. The further removed the business experts and sponsors are from the business analyst and project manager, the more effort it requires to build and maintain good relationships, and the more difficult it is to collect requirements. Teleconferencing, video conferencing, and net meetings can be used for elicitation, but each presents significant challenges that make the process cumbersome. Scott Ambler, in his Agile Adoption Survey, found that dispersed agile teams while still highly successful, were less so than co-located teams.1 If we can be co-located with a full-time key business subject matter expert (SME), we can build trust far more easily.

 

Cumbersome Process for Collecting Requirements. Those of us who have built a house know that our requirements change. In the beginning we have a vision of the kind of house we want to build, but rarely can we articulate all our detailed requirements at the first meeting with the architect and builder. This is true for all business requirements, regardless of the project size. Complexities arise when different stakeholders have different requirements that must be reconciled and finalized. If we expect to collect all our requirements before designing and building our end product, we will probably not be successful. However, if we expect that the business will change and that requirements will change, and if we collect our requirements iteratively, we have a greater chance of meeting expectations, thus building solid relationships with the business stakeholders.

Project Misalignment with Corporate Objectives and Goals. When this happens, executive support and stakeholder availability tend to evaporate. Poor or late attendance at meetings, coming to meetings unprepared, and unanswered voicemails and emails are all symptoms.

Lack of Understanding of the Political Landscape. Business analysts and project managers who begin projects without having a clear picture of the political landscape will struggle, and the project is likely to take longer than expected. We may think that SMEs are providing their requirements, but the “Oh, by-the-ways,” or “Did I tell you that-that’s not right,” or “what I really meant was…” creep into the discussions.

Distrust. The most common reason for stakeholder caution and concern is distrust, caused by one or more of the following:

  • Fear that the end product, such as a new system, will dramatically change or eliminate their jobs
  • Fear that the end product will impede or slow their workflow in the name of trying to improve it
  • Fear that familiar software (ex. existing system or Excel spreadsheets) will be replaced by a system or process that is incomplete, inaccurate, or difficult to learn

Without an established relationship and trust, it will be very difficult for business analysts and project managers to elicit the necessary requirements.

Building Trust

Trust usually takes time to develop. The further away people are from each other, the harder it is. We may initially trust or not trust those involved on our projects, based on past experience, personal filters, culture (organizational, geographical, and otherwise), and a wide variety of factors that can influence our judgment. Business analysts and project managers don’t always have time to let relationships develop, so here are some things that can be done to build trust quickly:

Communicate Bad News. When the project is behind schedule, when it needs more resources or when lack of stakeholder participation is slowing the project, it is important for project managers and business analysts to address these issues with the sponsor and other appropriate team members.

 

Encourage Laughter. There is a strong relationship between laughter and trust. Having fun in meetings and laughing appropriately (not hurtfully) even under pressure builds a sense of team solidarity and a desire to work together towards the desired project outcome.

 

Define Clear Roles and Responsibilities. When not defined, not only do tasks overlap, but they more commonly fall through the cracks, which invariably leads to finger-pointing, blame, and lowered morale. Clear definition helps prevent territorial squabbling and decreases the chance of misunderstanding and subsequent project delays.

Be Competent and Credible. We lose trust quickly if we shoot from the proverbial hip, if we continually provide incorrect information, if we don’t communicate effectively, or if we set our own self-interest above the organization’s and the team’s.

Be Courageous. As project professionals, project managers and business analysts need to be trusted advisors. We need to point out risks, even when the organization typically shoots the messenger. We need to make recommendations. We need to ensure that the business takes ownership. These are not easy to do, but they are necessary to building trust.

Maintaining Trust over Time

Once trust is established, it can lead the team members through project difficulties. However, once broken, it cannot easily be regained. Some common trust breakers include:

Disclosing Confidential Information. While we do want to encourage open communications, we cannot disclose confidential information given to us. It is acceptable to tell the inquirer that the information is confidential. It is also acceptable to set up initial communications guidelines.

Creating a Competitive Environment. Competition by its very nature produces winners and losers. While some stakeholders can be positively charged by competition, others may view competition with resentment and even anger, leading to a weaker relationship. Collaboration has proven a key to many successful projects.

Communicating within a Hierarchy. When we keep the entire team informed, we reduce the likelihood of gossip, speculation, and low morale.

Micromanaging. Hovering in its various forms can give the impression that the micromanager does not trust the person being micromanaged. In turn the person being micromanaged will also develop a mistrust of the micromanager.

Failure to Make Decisions. Being indecisive can be destructive for a team looking for leadership. Being decisive does not mean making all the decisions or being authoritarian. It does mean taking appropriate action to resolve real issues, remove project barriers, and move the project forward.

Gathering Requirements = Relationship Building

Requirements elicitation requires building relationships and trust among the project stakeholders. When trust is absent, the requirements elicitation process will take longer, be incomplete, and will generally become an unpleasant experience for all concerned. Although building relationships takes time and effort, it can actually shorten project time and result in improved project performance.

1 http://www.modernanalyst.com/Resources/Articles/tabid/115/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/536/Agile-Business-Analysis-Interview-with-Scott-Ambler.aspx

Don’t forget to leave your comments below

Elizabeth Larson, PMP, CBAP and Richard Larson, PMP, CBAP are Co-Principals of Watermark Learning, a globally recognized business analysis and project management training company. With over 30 years of industry experience each, they have used their expertise to help thousands of BA and PM practitioners develop new skills. Both Elizabeth and Richard are among the world’s first Certified Business Analysis Professionals (CBAP) through the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) and are contributors to the IIBA Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK). They are also certified Project Management Professionals (PMP) and are contributors to the section on collecting requirements in the 4th edition of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK).

Watermark Learning helps improve project success with outstanding project management and business analysis training and mentoring. With academic partner, Auburn University, Watermark Learning provides Masters Certificate Programs to help organizations be more productive, and assist individuals in their professional growth. Watermark is a PMI Global Registered Education Provider, and an IIBA Endorsed Education Provider. They can be contacted at 800-646-9362 or at www.watermarklearning.com.

Mr. Business Analyst, You’re Not a Good Fit!

Written by Kupe Kupersmith on . Posted in Articles.

Last week I read an eNewsletter from author Frances Cole Jones and she shared some ways to find great employees.  There was one tip that stood out to me that I wanted to share with you.  Whether you are looking for a new business analyst for your team, in transition and in the midst of job interviews or looking for another way to differentiate yourself from the pack, this is a must read post.

The tip was a simple statement to determine the level of passion of a candidate interviewing for a job.  At some point in an interview you should look at the interviewee and say, “I just don’t think you’ll be a good fit for the role.”  Based on their body language and response you’ll know if they are a good fit or not.   End the interview if the candidate slumps down, looks uneasy, or even says something like, “you’re probably right.  I knew I was not qualified, but I thought I would give it a shot.” If the candidate looks at you like you are crazy, sits up straight, and responds by saying you have it all wrong and explains at length why they are qualified, you may just have your new team member. I know this works because my colleague Angie Perris did get a job earlier in her career by responding this way when she was initially declined for a position.

This statement will reveal the level of passion each candidate has for business analysis and their career.  It is not a secret that there are more people looking for BA roles than there are open positions.  I recently looked over 10 resumes a client had for one open position.  On the surface, each resume looked great.  On paper everyone was qualified (had relevant experience), and I could not help narrow down the list based on the resumes. I told him to find the one in this list that has the drive and passion for business analysis.

The passionate ones come to the table with a three-point attack. The combination of this three-point attack is how I rate business analysts.  The ones you want on your team come to the table with these three qualities; the ability to do the job, the desire to mentor, and the flair to be a cheerleader.

Ability to Do the Job

The first cut needs to be the candidate’s ability to do the job. You have to keep the lights on and meet an immediate need. You want someone with the foundational business analysis skills necessary for the job. You can see this in a resume than validate in an interview.

This is only a piece of the puzzle. The most experienced one should not always get the job. Many people were moved into business analysis positions from other positions in their company.  Examples include developers whose jobs were outsourced and became BAs over night. Subject matter experts on the business side became BAs as IT functions were centralized. These candidates will have experience, but do they really want to be a BA?  You need to know if they are applying for a BA role because that is what they have been doing for years or if they have been doing it for years because they love it! Dig deeper to see if they have the passion.

Desire to Mentor

The successes of organizations rely on the success of everyone, not just a few individuals.  Make sure the candidate wants to be a mentor and will seek out mentors.  Everyone can be a mentor and needs a mentor. Ask candidates about their working relationship with other BAs.  Did they provide guidance to BAs their junior?  Do they seek the advice of others? This is a big indicator of the candidate’s want and need to continually improve themselves and the collective group.

Flair to Be a Cheerleader

It should be no shock to you that the role of business analysis is not widely accepted in all companies.  There are still many organizations of all sizes that are not “bought-in” to giving business analysis the necessary attention during a project.  Everyone that gets hired as a BA in your organization needs to be promoting the role and the value of business analysis.  People with this cheerleading skill will not come into the interview with pom-poms, but they will be able to tell stories and be comfortable speaking about business analysis to everyone they meet. In an interview ask them to tell you a story about something they are proud of.  Get a sense for their excitement.  If they can get excited about something they are proud of, they will be able to draw people in at the water cooler and get excited about business analysis.

So, Mr. BA, are you a good fit? If you are looking for a job use the interview to show you have the right three-point attack.

Passionately yours,

Kupe

Don’t forget to leave your comments below

Jonathan “Kupe” Kupersmith is Director of Client Solutions, B2T Training and has over 12 years of business analysis experience. He has served as the lead Business Analyst and Project Manager on projects in various industries. He serves as a mentor for business analysis professionals and is a Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP) through the IIBA and is BA Certified through B2T Training. Kupe is a connector and has a goal in life to meet everyone! Contact Kupe at [email protected]

The Five Commitments of Leadership

Written by Cynthia Low on . Posted in Articles.

What are great leaders truly committed to? This is a central issue for organizations looking to thrive or just survive in the years to come. It’s also a key issue for companies that are actively building a leadership pipeline, or for leaders who are expected to accomplish many different things each day.

Some leadership models feature dozens of specific techniques a leader is expected to master; however the essential question is: what core commitments underlie all those techniques and actions? The five commitments outlined in this article can be considered the “source code” for the behaviors and actions of effective leaders. They are the foundation of powerful leadership.

A distinction between what is said about commitments and what is actually done is important here. The concept of a commitment means it shows up in action, not just words. This can be the difference between the “talk” and the “walk.”

These commitments are also vital in our rapidly changing times. Tectonic developments in the world of work, including technology, globalization, the emergence of Generation Y and new work values have transformed the relationship between leaders and those whom they hope to lead.

So how is leadership defined in today’s world? Consider this definition: “a catalyst for new ways of thinking, being and acting.” Leaders may have positional authority or none at all, but exercise leadership through their actions. Old mental models around leadership are fading, and new ideas about what it takes to lead in the world today are taking hold. The commitments reflect this reality.

In this new reality, leaders exist at all levels, including where you sit. Instead of leadership thought of as reserved for the few at the top, today anyone can lead from anywhere. Look at what you actually do each day and ask what kinds of commitments your actions reveal.

Any job applicant today can expect questions about passion. What is he or she truly passionate about and therefore committed to? The same is true for leadership. What are the real commitments? They are:

  • To the self – how much you work on developing yourself as a human being, to be the best leader you can be. In fact, it is self awareness that is the first major step toward becoming truly committed.
  • To people – how much you really focus on connecting with those around you in order to work effectively with them.
  • To the organization – how much you are devoted to the intentions and performance of the place where you work so that you show up with maximum energy and conviction.
  • To the truth – how much you tell and invite the truth, even when it is hard, in order to keep yourself, others and the organization on a right course.
  • To leadership – how much you answer a call to lead and choose to engage in proven, effective leadership behaviors.

These commitments operate in an atmosphere of invite and enroll, not command and control. There may be some who wonder what this type of business environment has to do with commitment. Here is the point: by embodying these commitments, the leader opens the door to a greater flow of information, ideas and creativity that can more powerfully motivate others.

Here is how each of the five commitments works:

Self: “Know thyself,” said Socrates to the ancient Greeks and his advice is every bit as important today as it was thousands of years ago. Leaders need to learn about themselves first and with this knowledge, commitment follows. One example: instead of simply dictating a plan or strategy, the leader explains his thought process and requests feedback. Learning about the self can happen this way. Blind spots, oversights and faulty assumptions can all be surfaced. This tells the organization that the leader, though believing in the approach under consideration, does not think he always has all of the answers, and is interested in other opinions.

It also tells associates that a leader with positional authority will not always invoke it to render decisions or preclude potential contributions from others. The leader has checked ego at the door and is humble enough to learn from others – a commitment certain to be appreciated by the organization.

People: The late Rodney Dangerfield’s comic riffs on getting no respect reveal an essential truth that should be understood by committed leaders – people want to be appreciated. When associates see leaders only focusing on a task, output or goal, they can feel as though they are no more respected than machines in a factory. People want to know their contribution is valued; no one ever thanks a machine.

The committed leader responds by doing more than just saying thank you. One way is to build followers’ capacity by helping them develop skills to further their importance to the organization along with their careers. Another means is for leaders to always recognize their people’s willingness to help and acknowledge their role in making a difference. Recognition is a huge motivator.

One such action illustrative of commitment is unfortunately shunned by too many leaders – empathy. This is the capacity to see things as others see them, and is a key skill needed to influence others. “Oh no,” is a common response from some leaders, who view empathy or any people-centric approach as a sign of weakness. Leaders unsympathetic to a people-centric commitment would do well to study Daniel Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence, in particular his thoughts on leading by dominating: “Leadership is not domination, but the art of persuading people to work toward a common goal… (T)here may be nothing more essential than recognizing our deepest feeling about what we do and what changes might make us more truly satisfied with our work.”

Committed leaders have no problem letting go of the notion that the only function of people is to get in line and do their jobs. A display of empathy is a welcome outreach to those looking for signs that a leader respects their work.

Organization: The basis of this commitment is the company or organization’s mission statement – its reason for existing – and the leader’s willingness to sacrifice personal interests or agendas to support it. A committed leader finds meaning, value and purpose in the organization and then shares that commitment with everyone else. One way is to align the corporate mission statement with a personal one that covers why the leader is here, the vision of accomplishment for the organization and how this commitment gives power, meaning and fulfillment. Anything less than a total commitment here is likely to be picked up by sensitive associate antennae, which could easily lessen the leader’s effectiveness.

Truth: Jim Collins in his book Good to Great says “Confront the brutal facts, but never lose faith.” This is perhaps the most difficult of all the commitments because it requires up-front honesty. Any attempt to sanitize reality regardless of the situation through spin or less than forthright assessments could permanently damage the leader’s credibility and erode any possibility of trust. Anything less than the truth from leadership is unsustainable.

Herb Kelleher, head of then fledgling Southwest Airlines, recognized its importance when he met with his employees to discuss the airline’s tenuous status – at the time it only had four planes and its future was far from assured. He told the truth and his people responded. Working as a team, the employees decided to study pit crews at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to see if the workers’ quick-time maintenance could apply to improving airplane turnaround time. It did. Since then, Southwest has been a leader in customer satisfaction surveys and its financial picture is much brighter than many of its much older and more established competitors.

Kelleher’s approach provides two lessons about the role of truth in commitment: (1) When facts are confronted and reality is shared, people are more likely to offer suggestions to help fix the problem; (2) If you don’t tell people the truth, you can’t lead them.

Leadership: Collins examined commitment in the top tier of leadership that he referred to as “Level 5” and determined that such leaders are “incredibly ambitious, but their ambition is first and foremost for the institution, not themselves.” At the same time, Collins found Level 5 leaders displayed surprising humility, meaning they did not let their egos get in the way.

Their approach is illustrative of a cycle of leadership that is intuitive to committed leaders. The cycle operates as follows:

  • Clear seeing or perception
  • Imagining possibilities
  • Aligning those possibilities with the needs of those whom they lead and the organization
  • Working to achieve those goals
  • Adapting by remaining flexible as situations change
  • Achieving the goals
  • Celebrating the achievement.

These are transformational leaders who create early successes to build momentum and acknowledge each of them. They are willing to admit there is no perfect leader. And because of their candor, they are recognized for being realists and are recognized as committed.

Command and Control vs. Commitment

Of course, there are times when top-down command and control is necessary, such as during an emergency or crisis, but these are usually short-term situations. What happens when the crisis passes and production, output and other metrics eventually meet or exceed goals? The leader may feel that his or her style worked and needs no examination or reflection.

The lost opportunity in such cases is not thinking about what other ways of leading would generate greater results and commitment in others; for example, asking questions versus telling, or spending more time listening and less time talking. These other possibilities result in
more long-term, sustainable success. They are not possible in every situation, but when they are implemented they have a powerful impact on both people and results.

Commitments as Benefits

There may be those who disparage this approach because they view the five commitments as intangibles and therefore extraneous or irrelevant to the company’s mission and bottom line. That view misses the point. As Goleman put it, “Imagine the benefits for work of being skilled in the basic emotional competencies – being attuned to the feelings of those we deal with…having the ability to get into flow states while doing our work.”

In fact, the five commitments are benefits. Consider them the tools to motivate anyone who is more than willing to display the same commitment in exchange for being valued and appreciated by leadership. Calls for motivation are most likely to achieve results when they emanate from a leader whose actions make commitment a two-way street

Mark Leheney is senior consultant for Management Concepts, Vienna, Virginia, a professional services company with training, consulting and publishing expertise. Management Concepts partners with individuals and organizations to improve performance through consulting, training programs and certificate courses. For more information, please call (703) 790-9595 or visit www.managementconcepts.com.

Bibliography
Good to Great, Jim Collins. HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. New York. 2001
Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman. Bantam Books. New York. 1995