Transcript Leading Change Overcoming the Ideology of Comfort and the

Leading
Change
Jim Lightfoot (TJG)
Jim Engelkes (TJG)
Lloyd Hasche (MTC)
How do you respond to
change?
An Exercise about change based on a
Ken Blanchard /seminar
The Seven Dynamics of Change
 Feeling awkward
 Thinking about what they have to give up
 Feeling alone
 Can handle only so much change
 Different levels of readiness
 Concern over resources
 Reverting back to old behavior
Value-Based Leadership
From the Book
Leading Change
Overcoming the Ideology of Comfort and the Tyranny of
Custom
by James O'Toole
Jossey-Bass Publishers
The Challenge:
Can anyone lead from the
middle of an inattentive
crowd of individualists, each
a political and social equal,
and every last one bent on
demonstrating that fact?
Christ’s Entry Into Brussels in 1889
by James Ensore
Where and How Can We Begin to
Lead Effectively?
 Three possible answers
– Command
– Manipulate
– Paternalize
Can Change Be Commanded?
 No
 Imposing will on another heightens resistance
to change
Can Leaders Achieve Change by
Manipulating Followers?
 No
 It often succeeds in the short term, but
ultimately fails.
 Expediency cannot be concealed forever
Can Change Be Shepherded?
 No
 Leaders are not shepherds because followers
don’t respond like sheep
– Herding cats maybe easier
– Few people tolerate being paternalized
Is Contingency or Situational
Leadership Effective?
 “It all depends” is used in many businesses
today
 Leaders assume that chaos requires toughness
 Perception of “Men on White Horses” who
promise to bring order out of chaos
 Ineffective in the long term
– Acting tough even once will be seen as
inconsistent, destroying the trust that is essential
The Fallacy of Tough Leadership
 The tough-guy actions of most leaders are
often signs of:
– Their own past failures
– The failures of their predecessors
– Their current leadership shortcomings
 Tough guys don’t lighten up when the crisis
has passed
 In the long run, strongmen are ineffective
A Values-based Alternative
 Ask questions to the people closest to you
about themselves
 Listen carefully to what potential followers
say they need and want
 Respond thoughtfully
 As followers become engaged in the process
they receive what they all crave: Respect
The Rushmoreans
Four leaders who practiced value-based leadership
George
Washington
Theodore
Roosevelt
Thomas
Jefferson
Abraham
Lincoln
The Rushmoreans Differences
 Social origin
 Educational and professional backgrounds
 Personal interests and style
 Different challenges met varying success
The Rushmoreans Similarities
 Flawed (like ourselves)
 Similar styles of leadership
– Dedicated to democratic change through valuesbased leadership
 Described as having: courage, authenticity,
integrity, vision, passion, conviction and
persistence
Rushmorean Leadership
 Listened
 Encouraged dissenting opinion
 Granted ample authority to subordinates
 Led by example--rather than by power,
manipulation or coercion.
 Masterful teachers who inspired trust and hope
 Followers became encouraged to serve, to
sacrifice, to persevere and to lead change
The Rushmoreans
 Not always popular
– Lengthy periods out of power, out of favor, and
out of the public eye.
 Responded humanly: depressed
 The morality of their leadership was rooted in:
– Goals they pursed
– Nature of their relationship with those they served
 Built a vision that followers were able to adopt
as their own because it is their own
Rushmorean Leaders
 Avoid crisis
 Keep unavoidable crisis to manageable
proportions
 Deal with crisis in a constructive way laying
the groundwork for future healthy growth
 Involve affected parties at all stages, getting
them to find ways to the items above
Integrity
 Never lose sight of your goals or compromise
your principles
– Be both principled and pragmatic.
 Give people hope
– People who do not think well of themselves do not
act to change their condition
– That is why it is important to remind the followers
of all that is good in them, and the tremendous
power latent within them
Trust
 Leadership means responsibilities, not privileges.
 Lead to achieve the ends of the people you lead.
 You earn trust by serving them.
 Constantly attempt to expand their tolerance for
change.
 Challenge the prevailing ideology of comfort
– Get them to think in terms of their long-term selfinterest.
Listening
 Listen to the people you serve
– But, do not become prisoners of public opinion
 Refine and enlarge the public view
 Listen to followers and encourage dissenting
opinion
 Listening to their petitions, complaints,
grievances, and ideas will help keep your
finger on the pulse of the public
Listening (Con’t.)
 Surround yourself with people who are more
brilliant than yourself and loyal to your causes
and values
 Keep from meddling with them while they do
the work
Respect for Followers
 Set your ambition in the cause of idealism
 Bring forth change by pursuing moral ends
that your followers will ultimately adopt as
their own,
– Ends that derive from the real needs of the
followers
Why Amoral Leadership Doesn’t
Work
 Slavery is never justifiable
 Torture is never justifiable
 Any violation of natural rights is wrong
Chinese Philosopher Lao-tzu
A leader is best
When people barely know that he exists,
Not so good when people obey and acclaim him.
Worst when they despise him.
“Fail to honor people, They fail to honor you;”
But of a good leader, who talks little,
When his work is done, his aim fulfilled,
They will all say, “We did this ourselves.”
600 B.C.
The Lesson
Without despotic power--which no one has these
days--no leader can command or compel change.
Change comes about when followers themselves
desire it and seek it.
The role of the leader is to enlist the participation of
others as leaders of the effort.
That is the sum and essence not only of leading
change but also of good management in general.
The Challenge
 Can anyone lead from the middle of an
inattentive crowd of individualists, each a
political and social equal, and every last one
bent on demonstrating that fact?
 The answer is yes
based leadership
we can--through values
How would you apply to
 Balance internet security “restrictions/protections”
without lengthy and detailed rules
 Modify behavior to get employees to enthusiastically
employ internet security practices and processes
 Apply social “re-engineering” to overcome the
social engineering of the hacker mentality
 Get staff members to employ professional codes of
conduct
 Create and deploy policies that are empowering and
enable employees to make good decisions regarding
personal security practices
Questions?