Tag Archives: openness

Curiosity: A leadership superpower

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We are hard-wired to be critical of new ideas. Maybe it’s our Stone-Age brains in the forefront, avoiding risk in order to survive. Sometimes the urge to appear intelligent and decisive can result in too-swift judgment of something novel.

Art Markman’s blog on promoting a culture of smart thinking includes a tip on staying open to ideas. He recommends that you allow fresh information some “soak” time and try them out before you pass judgment.

Staying open to different viewpoints can only happen when we are willing to be wrong sometimes. We may also need to wrestle with some powerful emotions, such as anger or hurt. In these moments of vulnerability, curiosity is both difficult and much-needed.

If you’re like me, you may be programmed to quickly ask, “What’s her problem?” or “Is he nuts?”

To boost curiosity, try some new questions: “I wonder why he said that?” “What would that look like?” “How would that work?” “What do I like best about it?”

You may find that these questions will not only open your mind…it will unblock those of the people around you as well.

Need some help staying open-minded? Contact Humanergy.

Photo from istockphoto.


I’m always right

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I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty much always right. I may be able to put on a face of openness, but I am at heart a very opinionated person. Ask me about almost any subject, and I most likely will have a strong (and well-reasoned) opinion on it.

The difference between me and the folks I find downright scary? I am willing to admit that I don’t know everything, and there are whole areas about which I am clueless (e.g., opera and poetry). I am also willing to change my mind based on a compelling set of facts, personal experience or the counsel of wise people. In other words, I know I’m right AND I’m not so rigid that I am unwilling to listen, learn and change my mind.

Leaders are supposed to be open to new ideas and shift strategies when circumstances dictate. Not all do that effectively. It seems to come from a deep need to be right, which is really just masking a deep fear that they aren’t as competent as they should be.

Since it’s unlikely that you’d identify yourself as a person who must be right all the time, how can you work with someone else who is sure they’ve cornered the market on brains?

Know thy know-it-all. You’ll work more effectively with the alleged wiz if you understand what makes him or her tick. How does this person like to receive information? Do they need to know the details, or would they be more impacted by the big picture view? Would it be better to provide a visual, a bullet point list or a detailed report? Align your interactions to meet their needs, and you’ll eliminate some of the roadblocks to working together.

Appeal to their (fragile) egos. I’m not a big fan of sucking up in any form. When dealing with people who are insecure and can never be wrong, it is sometimes necessary to employ the “you-said-something-the-other-day” strategy. If you have a compelling argument for a certain decision, start from something the know-it-all said (and feel free to take a little license from there). For example, “You mentioned the budget for the ABC acquisition yesterday, and I figured you were wondering about the numbers. I took a look at them, and you’re right. We are 20% over budget! Here’s a strategy for coming in on target.” The most important part of this strategy was the “you’re right” part, which is music to their ears.

Combat their unrealistic optimism. Leaders who must be right find it difficult to appropriately gauge risk. They are overly optimistic that everything they touch will turn into gold. Proceed with caution, but do bring the facts to light. Portray it as the way to “maximize their brilliant innovation” and it will be an easier pill to swallow.

Here’s one of the most frustrating things about people who think they’re always right. Even when they do switch sides on an issue based on more information, know-it-alls find it hard to view themselves as being wrong in the first place. As Ashleigh Brilliant said, “My opinions may have changed, but not the fact that I am right.”

Want to find out more about working with your (un)friendly neighborhood know-it-all? Contact Humanergy.

Photo purchased from istockphoto.com.


Do you have leadership blind spots? (You do!)

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see-no-evil1Ever read something and cringe? The Business Week article titled Discover Your Leadership Blind Spots struck a nerve because some of the examples sounded awfully familiar. While we’d like to think that folks at Humanergy are way too enlightened to have blind spots, it simply isn’t true.

Great leaders are fallible human beings who may not be entirely self-aware. In fact, the higher up the leadership ladder you climb, the harder it is to get the direct, targeted feedback you need to avoid blind spots.

You may be thinking, “I’ve made it this far and am pretty successful. Why do I need to delve into these blind spots anyway?” Leadership and self-deception: Getting out of the box, a phenomenal book, outlines the compelling “why.” The authors point out that if you don’t explore the ways that you currently think and act, you risk:

  • Never uncovering the real reasons why problems occur
  • Never finding the right solutions to the issues you face
  • Never achieving the results you want
  • Placing blame elsewhere (other people, the situation, a bad company, etc.) without grounds to do so

How do you uncover your blind spots and eradicate them?

Realize it’s you that needs to change. You aren’t going to expose your blind spots by focusing on what others need to do differently. Don’t let others’ shortcomings be a distraction.

Seek open, complete feedback. We all need regular doses of in-your-face feedback. Seek a reality check from people whose opinion you value, but be cautious about choosing people simply because they’ll affirm you. Look for at least one “devil’s advocate” – someone you respect, but not one of your biggest fans.

Examine how you see yourself and others. We spend most of our time on auto pilot, not thinking about the assumptions and perceptions behind our behaviors. Think about a recent situation that did not go well. How did you perceive yourself in the situation? What beliefs and assumptions did you have about the other people involved? Read Leadership and self-deception to help you figure out how your unconscious judgments impact your behavior.

Make a plan and enlist others to hold you accountable. Once you know what needs to change, don’t take on the whole enchilada at once. Isolate one or two behaviors to focus on. Be specific and realistic in your action plan. Get others involved. Tell them what you’re working on, how they can support you and how they can help hold you accountable.

Leadership requires self-awareness and a commitment to continuous improvement. Thankfully, perfection isn’t a prerequisite, but trying to do better certainly is.

Have a question or want some input from Humanergy about this topic? Contact us and we’ll get right back to you!


Want innovation? Maximize employee engagement

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team-with-keyAn article by Krisztina Holly and Jim Clifton in Business Week recently postulated that the answer to our economic woes is to inspire and empower employees to innovate. They  challenged leaders  to stop focusing on layoffs and unemployment and start paying attention to the people who are still there – to boost employee engagement.

There’s no one way to nurture people’s investment and engagement in your organization. There are a set of best practices that keep people growing, thriving and bringing their best ideas forward.

Invest in people. Encourage employees to be curious, take ownership for their work, gain new skills and fulfill their purposes in life. You don’t have to spend lots of money to do this. You do have to open the lines of communication, share responsibility and actively nurture your people.

Build relationships. Foster respectful relationships among employees at all levels. First, get real about the quantity and quality of your relationships, and take steps to connect with people. If you don’t have positive relationships with others, those you lead probably won’t either. Create an environment that values the big things, like honesty and integrity, and the small things, like manners and kindness.

Communicate well and often. Practice being a sponge – focusing more on listening and really understanding what others have to say. Communicate in ways that help others understand: Use plain language, share all that they need to know and check to be sure that you both “see the picture” in the same way.

Be open to feedback and willing to change. We all love feedback when it’s positive. Work on soliciting feedback regularly and encouraging people to tell the whole truth. Manage your emotional reaction to feedback, but don’t stuff those feelings under the rug. Most importantly, be humble enough to know that everyone has stuff that needs to improve. Take action to build on your strengths and manage your weaknesses.

These four bullet points are stuffed with best practices. Here are 3 simple steps to zero in on one area and make meaningful change:

1. Pick a focus. Make it practical and tangible, such as I will ask 3 open-ended questions each day or I will ask for feedback 2 times per week.

2. Post it where you will see it (e.g., post hard copy near your desk,  use electronic reminder, etc.).

3. Track how often you do it.

After a few weeks,  evaluate your progress and its impact on your performance. Repeat the process, so that you’re continuous improvement.

Innovation is the fuel that will keep your organization running. Create the right conditions for employees to maximize their brilliance and originality, and you’ll have enough energy to power you through any crisis.

Have a question or want some input from Humanergy about this topic? Contact us and we’ll get right back to you!


Is your organization a great place to work?

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happysunWhat response would you get if you asked employees how it feels to work at your organization? “Not bad” or “depends on the day” might be among the answers. Humanergy recently asked its employees what they thought, and their unanimous response was, “This is a great place to work!”

Okay, we are a very small business. We don’t have hundreds of employees. Maybe you’re thinking, the more employees, the more likely you’ll have disgruntled ones. Maybe.

We think that building and nurturing a great place to work can be a reality, no matter what the size of the organization. We cultivate our positive work environment through four fundamentals:

Be transparent. We say this a lot, and it bears repeating. We value and practice open communication. As a team, we share everything from financial data to vacation stories. We share personal struggles and work challenges. When good things happen, we celebrate together. One employee noted in our recent survey, “I know I can speak frankly with my team and they can speak frankly with me.” Another said, “[Open and honest communication] takes work and is a conscious choice.”

Share the same big picture. We have a set of goals called our TrueSuccess. One of these goals is to make a real difference in the world. Rather than being lofty and unrealistic, the aspiration to make a difference keeps us grounded on what is really important. We approach each phone call, coaching session, email and meeting with the right attitude. We walk away from each encounter asking, “Did I do my best to make a positive impact on that person? What could I do better next time?”

Think and act like owners. We’ve evolved from a two-person partnership to a group of people who make decisions that are in the best interests of our clients and the company. The owners consistently encourage all employees to “think and act like owners.”  They’re not just saying the words. They know that each person’s actions do impact the organization’s outcomes. All employees are empowered to seek input as needed and make decisions that are supportive of the greater good. Goodbye, bureaucratic minutia! Hello, great decisions!

Make good stuff better. Feedback, feedback, feedback. Our success is built on improving as individuals and as an organization. We give immediate feedback and resolve conflicts right away. We use a “24-hour” rule, which means that issues need to be communicated directly to the person within 24 hours. This minimizes distraction, resolves issues and allows everyone to move forward. We regularly acknowledge successes, growth and performance gaps. One Humanergy employee noted in the survey, “We have high standards of performance because our clients have high expectations.”

Oddly enough, we don’t talk a lot about issues of morale and organizational climate. Maybe Dwight Eisenhower was right when he said, “The best morale exists when you never hear the word mentioned.” We focus on the fundamentals, and periodically seek formal feedback on how we’re doing.

Ready to make your organization a great place to work? Start by finding out what your people think now. One low-cost resource is surveymonkey.com, but there are lots of user-friendly options for surveying staff. Want tips for where to begin? Just email Humanergy at info@humanergy.com.

Have a question or want some input from Humanergy about this topic? Contact us and we’ll get right back to you!