Be Accountable

Bill Gates and Feedback

201311 Jun
Comments
Posted inBe Accountable

Key Point: Receiving specific and genuine feedback from people who deeply care about you is one of the best gifts you can get in your career (or life). Even Bill Gates, (now reclaiming the richest man in the world status) still personally cares about receiving feedback. Note the following from a recent Inc.com article: Bill Gates: Good Feedback is the Key to Improvement.

“When Melinda (Bill Gate’s wife) and I learned how little useful feedback most teachers get, we were blown away. Until recently, over 98 percent of teachers just got one word of feedback: Satisfactory. If all my Bridge coach ever told me was that I was ‘satisfactory,’ I would have no hope of ever getting better. How would I know who was the best? How would I know what I was doing differently?”

The two basic elements regarding meaningful and effective feedback belong to the mindset of the giver and receiver. The giver has to sincerely care about the receiver, and the receiver has to want to learn from the feedback. Even better, the receiver has an almost insatiable thirst for getting feedback. They are ideally non-defensive and always searching for more insight, self-discovery and learning. And perhaps even better yet, the giver, or “coach,” has the exceptional gift for teaching, is very knowledgeable, a keen observer and translator able to connect the behavior of the receiver to a better way of doing or saying things.

Be able to apply an effective feedback model. The following process is an example:

Giver: “Would you like some feedback?” (Do not give feedback if the receiver is not ready to hear it).

Receiver: “Yes, I would.”

Giver: “Before I give you my feedback and insight, what do you think (regarding the subject matter) went well? What would you continue to do more of?”

[Receiver answers.]

Giver: “What do you think you might do less of or stop doing?”

[Receiver answers.]

Giver: “What are one or two very specific actions you might take (by a certain time)?”

[Receiver answers.]

Giver: Would you still like my feedback? If the receiver says “yes,” the Giver states… “This is what I would encourage you to continue to do more of,” “This is what I would encourage you to stop doing, or do less of,” “this is what I would encourage you start doing…” “I might enhance your action plan with… (If anything).”

Receiver: Ask lots of questions to get clarification and to REALLY understand the insight you have been given. Always end the discussion by THANKING the giver.

Character Moves:

By applying the above process, you allow the receiver to start from their own self-assessment and build from there. The self-assessment as the first phase allows the giver an opportunity to understand the gap between the receiver’s understanding and the giver’s assessment.
If you are a receiver, do not wait for feedback… Go to someone who genuinely cares about you, someone with knowledge, and proactively ASK for it. Use this process or a modified version from learning how to play Bridge better (as Bill Gates does) to more comprehensive performance reviews. By the way, when you get feedback, accept it and be open to it. Not every giver is accurate, but be genuinely interested in the value of their perspective.
The most effective learners and leaders are on a constant journey for self-development and want “tough love.” They enjoy positive feedback of course, but are totally open to recognizing the opportunity for serious improvement regardless of their level of competence.

Feedback and Bill Gates in The Triangle,

Lorne Rubis

10-4-1… A Code to Follow?

20134 Jun
Comments
Posted inBe Accountable

Key Point: A colleague and friend has built one of the leading wealth management companies in North America. It took 10 years to build a sustainable, profitable, leading company. Along the way he led with tenacity, vision and purpose. This involved adjusting the business model, changing processes and occasionally people. Now the company is creating incredible value for team members, clients and investors. When asked what the formula was for getting to this point, he described it as 10-4-1.

Ten years (10) ago the fundamental purpose, vision and differentiating value offering for the company was outlined. This stands out like an oak tree planted to give strength and definition to a stunning garden. That sapling needed 10 years to mature, but has always been the anchor; the core from which all else was planted. Four (4) years ago a mastery sales development program was implemented. It combines neuroscience, video feedback technology and breakthrough coaching; resulting in faster and better results for both clients and financial advisors. One (1) year ago, other more tactical and immediate result impactors were implemented. This 10-4-1 framework has provided another way of looking at continuous strategic improvement and planning for this company. But could this framework mean something similar to you and me?

Character Moves:

What did we plant for ourselves 10 years ago? You and I are planting things today that will likely take ten years to mature. Hopefully we are growing what we want, where we want it, and it will mature in fruitful ways. The most obvious “tree” we’re planting is defining our purpose, character, core skill and competence. What will we be (more) masterful at 10 years from now? What great “oak tree” are we growing? How will our character be more fully developed? This is a self-awareness journey.
What did we plant for ourselves 4 years ago? What can we sow today that will likely take about 4 years to root? How will be better for it?
What is on our tactical day to day, or 1 year list? The time between seed and flower is faster and gives us these short bursts forward.

At the risk of overdoing the metaphor, we can be much like that beautiful, ever growing, sustainably wonderful garden; an ever-blooming mixture of annuals, perennials, trees, and more. All planted at various times, with unique contribution to a purpose, vision and the master plan. All great gardens were once empty plots of dirt but with vision and essentially a continuous 10-4-1 type of framework, they can flourish. Perhaps your framework is 11-5-1? It is the thought and action put into multiple tracks of self-growth and maturity that builds our whole rich selves.

10-4-1 in The Triangle,

Lorne

You and the Creative Economy

201321 May
Comments1
Posted inBe Accountable

Key Point: We all need to think and act like inventors, creators and explorers. I was told a story that resonated with me the other day. It was about wild horses, stallions and mares that were penned up for years. They were born to run free through the meadows, but were corralled so they could be controlled. Eventually it was determined that they should be let loose to run and roam. The gate was opened for the horses to “escape.” But they chose to stay together huddled in the corral, waiting for directions what to do next. Fences defined their world. It took a long time to break the habit of command and control before they accepted and acted upon their freedom.

In many ways that feels to be the case with employees in slow-to-adapt, post industrial organizations. Command and control incrementalism is not a sustainable culture to participate in the new CREATIVE economy. What is this new economy like? How is it different?

The Creative Economy, as noted by Steve Denning in the Forbes article, Leadership in the Three-Speed Economy, is not just a new process, new system or technique. It involves a fundamental shift in how leaders think, speak and act in the workplace. The Traditional Economy flourished with an ethos of efficiency and control, but the Creative Economy thrives on the ethos of imagination, exploration, experiment, discovery and collaboration. It means:

A. A shift from a goal of making money to the goal of delighting customers profitably. Innovation is not an option: It’s an imperative. The only question is how?

B. A shift from controlling individuals to inspiring collaboration among self-organizing teams, networks and ecosystems.

C. A shift from coordinating work by hierarchical bureaucracy to dynamic linking, with iterative approaches to development with direct customer feedback and interaction with teams and networks.

D. A shift from a preoccupation with economic value to an embrace of values that will grow the firm and the accompanying ecosystems, particularly radical transparency, continuous improvement and sustainability.

E. A shift from top-down communications to horizontal conversations. Instead of telling people what to do, leaders inspire people across organizational boundaries to work together on common goals.

Character Moves:

Learn more about the creative economy and impact to you and your core competence as a contributor.
How are you investing in yourself to develop your attributes and skills as a collaborator, value creator, connector, and inventor?
How much do live and work in a command and control environment. Are you being coached for results or being treated like you need to stay in the corral? Get out and run, create, explore, discover and collaborate for a purpose that inspires you and others.

The CREATIVE YOU in the Triangle,

Lorne

Do You Play to Win or Not to Lose?

201314 May
Comments
Posted inBe Accountable

Key Point: I used to think that we all should always focus more on trying to win versus trying not to lose. In sports, I have seen teams that go into a defensive shell and end up blowing a lead to their opponents because they lose momentum. They get ahead but lose in the end by not playing to win. But I also have seen the opposite; where teams are ahead in the game, get reckless and end up blowing a lead because they are too aggressive. They lose because they didn’t get effectively preventative or defensive.

People are a reflection of these two orientations. Heidi Grant Halvorson and E. Tory Higgins, in a recent HBR article, point out that the latest psychology illustrates that we have a natural tendency to either be more promotion focused or prevention focused. This very personal motivation orientation affects how we approach life’s challenges and demands. Here is what the author’s have to say about describing both focus areas:

“Promotion-focused people see their goals as creating a path to gain or advancement and concentrate on the rewards that will accrue when they achieve them. They are eager and they play to win. You’ll recognize promotion-focused people as those who are comfortable taking chances, who like to work quickly, who dream big and think creatively. Unfortunately, all that chance taking, speedy working, and positive thinking makes these individuals more prone to error, less likely to think things through, and usually unprepared with a plan B if things go wrong. That’s a price they are willing to pay, because for the promotion-focused, the worst thing is a chance not taken, a reward unearned, a failure to advance.

Prevention-focused people, in contrast, see their goals as responsibilities, and they concentrate on staying safe. They worry about what might go wrong if they don’t work hard enough or aren’t careful enough. They are vigilant and play to not lose, to hang on to what they have, to maintain the status quo. They are often more risk-averse, but their work is also more thorough, accurate, and carefully considered. To succeed, they work slowly and meticulously. They aren’t usually the most creative thinkers, but they may have excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.

The promotion-focused are engaged by inspirational role models, the prevention-focused by cautionary tales. What I have learned is that we need to consciously embrace a balance of both motivation focuses. While the promotion-minded generate lots of ideas, good and bad, it often takes someone prevention-minded to tell the difference between the two. To win in a sustainable way needs BOTH.”

Character Moves:

Recognize which motivation focus you are. (You may already know this but you can take a focus check by self-assessing your orientation here). Are you more promotion or prevention based?
Balance yourself by connecting with people who have the opposite focus to you. I believe both people and teams need the dynamic tension of both. Surround yourself with some of the opposite and your decision-making will be better for it.
Learn how to connect both motivational orientations within yourself in as balanced way as possible. We have to be motivationally ambidextrous these days. This may be a paradox but we can do it. We have to learn how to PROMOTE and PREVENT at the same time: Playing to win AND not to lose.
The real trick is knowing which way to sway. Do you lean more forward and play aggressive offense or do you play prevent defense? The answer is to be aware of the benefit of both approaches and decide based on the situation you’re in. It is case by case NOT just one way or the other.

Promoting AND Preventing in The Triangle,

Lorne

Character Triangle

Our character is exclusively ours. We define it by how we think and what we do. I believe that acting with Character is driven by what I call the Character Triangle.

What, exactly, is the Character Triangle (CT)?

The CT describes and emphasizes three distinct but interdependent values:

Be Accountable: first person action to make things better, avoiding blame.
Be Respectful: being present, listening, looking again, focusing on the process.
Be Abundant: generous in spirit, moving forward, minimizing the lack of.