IMAGINE IF MANAGERS BELIEVED THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS IN BUSINESS WERE PLENTIFUL

The stories we tell create our reality.

Managers need to change the story they tell from: “We live in a world of scarcity” to “The most important things are plentiful.”

We need a new business model: one that does not depend on continuing economic growth. Fortunately this model already exists: it’s one that’s based on things that make us happy rather than things that make us miserable. I’m thinking of ideas, relationships, trust, and communication; all things that are plentiful and become even more valuable as they are used.  I’m convinced we can future-proof our organisations for the next 50 years but only those who adopt this story.

BRUCE HOLLAND

IMAGINE IF MANAGER'S KNEW THE BEST WAY TO BE STRONGER WAS TO GROW THEIR SRENGTHS NOT THEIR WEAKNESSES

The stories managers tell create their reality.

They need to change their story from: “To become strong I need to improve my weaknesses” to “To become strong I need to grow my strengths”

Of all the business stories I’ve tried to change over the years this is the one that’s probably received the most “ahas.” It usually comes up when I’m introducing clients to Herrmann’s Brain Dominance Index. Our current story is really pervasive and quite stupid as I hoped the following story will show.

Steve Williams is talking to Tiger Woods: “Tiger I’m really pleased with the progress you’re making in your golf but your tennis is fairly weak. I want you to give up practicing golf for six months and concentrate on your tennis!”

BRUCE HOLLAND

IMAGINE IF MANAGERS BELIVED COLLABORATION WAS THE NATURAL ORDER RATHER THAN COMPETITION

The stories we tell create our reality.

Imagine if our managers knew the story biologists know: human beings evolved as small weak animals. To overcome this weakness we had the choice of two evolutionary tracks: either to grow bigger, or to multiple our size by collaborating with others. We chose the second track. It’s no wonder we are born to collaborate, it’s built into our DNA!

At the organisational level, many large mature workplaces suffer from cutthroat competition from within their organisation; knives in the back; dogs eating dogs; but, new research is showing that stepping on people isn't the best way to get ahead.

Because of our competition story, today we seem to sublimate much of our human nature in the workplace. What I find is power, ego, separation and fear dominating over care, love and cooperation. We need to listen, love, care and support each other. Today’s problems both in organisations and in the world are seldom technical, they are nearly all based on poor human relationships. It’s caused because our story is of competition whereas it should be collaboration.

The best story for competition is told when you are trying to improve yourself, not beat others.

Bruce Holland

IMAGINE IF MANAGERS BELIEVED THEY WERE CUSTODIANS OF A LIVING SYSTEM, RATHER THAN CONTROLLERS OF AN ECONOMIC MACHINE

Imagine if our managers believed they were custodians of a living system, rather than controllers of an economic machine. 

The stories we tell ourselves create our reality. Because of our machine story we put people into boxes (jobs), isolate them in silos (departments) and constrict them with policies and rules that sap humanity and creativity. We fail to realise that human beings require meaning in their lives as much as we require oxygen and nutrients in our bodies. Barry Oshry proved experimentally that the current ways of organising are bound to fail. They don’t work well even in the army or the church let alone business and society. We need to start thinking of work as a necessary part of a living system that helps provide our physical needs, our intellectual needs, our emotional needs and our spiritual needs.

If our story was about living systems we would stop restructuring every time a new CEO was appointed or a government changed. We would save ourselves from the endless cycle of centralising and decentralising; loosening and tightening structures; tinkering backwards and forwards like detailed mechanics. Rather we would start preparing the soil to plant and grow liberated people. We would allow the system to be more like beanbags and to move naturally towards its ‘sweet-spot’ that can only be interfered with by over-management. Instead of controls, regulation or manipulation, the way we control machines, we need to help people grow physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. 

Cheers

Bruce Holland

LOOK IN THE MIRROR TO SEE YOUR BIGGEST OPPORTUNITY

If you don't know who you are, how can anyone else?

Next time you look in the mirror think about the importance of knowing the person looking back at you. In my experience many managers have not thought deeply about who they are. This makes them weak, because, if they don't know who they are there's no way anyone else can know who they are.

Even those who have thought about it, often suppress their personalities between nine and five. They are afraid to show who they really are. They think people may not like them or accept them for who they are. They reason, "No one else shows their personality. It's too risky."

Ironically, this reasoning is exactly wrong. Think of anyone who is an irresistible leader and I bet they are vulnerable enough to show themselves to the world; warts and all.

A story

  It wasn't long after the Gods had created humankind that they began to realise their mistake. The creatures they had created were so adept, so skillful, so full of curiosity and the spirit of inquiry that it was only a matter of time before they would start to challenge the Gods themselves for supremacy.
  To ensure their pre-eminence the Gods held a large conference to discuss the issue. Gods were summoned from all over the known and unknown worlds. The debates were long, detailed, and soul-searching.
  All the Gods were very clear about one thing. The difference between them and mortals was the difference between the quality of the resources they had. While humans had their egos and were concerned with the external, material aspects of the world, the Gods had spirit, soul and an understanding of the workings of the inner self.
  The Gods decided to hide their precious resources. The question was: where? This was the reason for the length and passion of the debates at the Great Conference of the Gods.
  Finally they asked the God of Gods who said: "Lets hide spirit, soul and an understanding of the workings of the inner self inside each human. They will never think of looking there!"

The Gods were right

I'm sure the Gods were right. Our most precious resources are spirit, soul and an understanding of the workings of the inner self. Irresistible leaders know the hiding place. They work first to discover it within themselves and then within their people.

What I mean by 'know yourself'

When I say 'know yourself' I have several things in my mind:

1. Knowing body who you are, head, heart and soul
2. Knowing your Purpose and why it's important
3. Knowing your Genius Factor and how you can make a difference
4. Knowing the power of your subconscious mind and how to use it.

With this knowing, almost anything is possible.

Give me a call if I can help. In the meantime: Think BIG!

Warmest wishes,
Bruce. 

IRRESISTIBLE LEADERS ARE GOLD MINERS

Irresistible Leaders are gold miners. They know that everyone has an inner core of greatness somewhere inside, however, it's mostly covered with mud that people have flicked at them over the years, so it becomes part of the picture they have accepted of themselves. Irresistible Leaders help them dig through the mud to uncover untold wealth and use it within the organisation. 

I know a few leaders like this but they are rare and special. Who do you know who is like this?

GREAT MANAGERS PLAY A BIGGER GAME

All managers make use of individuals' talents, but great managers play a bigger game; they understand the potential of entire teams. Performance reviews typically look at individuals, but managers are responsible for the output of a team, not just the team's components. Find out how Great Managers Play a Bigger Game .

IRRESISTIBLE LEADERS NEVER DIE

Irresistible leaders are those rare people that others are drawn to and want to follow without knowing why.

Irresistible leaders never die.

When people talk about irresistible leaders they do it with warmth in their heart and in their voice even if the experience was years ago; sometimes well after they are dead (think of Gandhi, Ed Hillary and Peter Blake).

When people talk about irresistible leaders you can almost see them grow, their posture straightens and their eyes shine as they recall how these people made them feel.

Irresistible Leaders Change Lives and Change the World

Irresistible leaders change lives by helping others contribute far more than they thought they were capable of. Around Irresistible Leaders they feel like a god and in a snowball effect they in turn make their people into gods.

Turn enough people into gods and you change the world!

Unfortunately Not All Managers Are Irresistible

Some managers are vampires. Vampires are also rare. They suck energy out of the system and make people feel weak and hopeless.

Most managers are in the middle, some are very good, others are not so good.

The difference in behaviour between irresistible leaders and very good leaders is quite small. Irresistible leaders have developed habits of thinking and behaving that are slightly different. These habits, although only slight, lead to vastly improved results over time.

Secrets Of Irresistible Leaders

There are 12 secrets that Irresistible Leaders know that other managers don't.

How To Become An Irresistible Leader

If you want to become an Irresistible Leader, live forever and change the world, it's no good enough to just read about it, but there is a sure fire way and it only takes 4 days!

I hope this gives you some inspiration to get cracking.

Warmest wishes
Bruce.
0800 4 virtual or +644 570 0727 or Skype Bruce.Holland
www.virtual.co.nz
Go back to Index for Strategic Snippets

Is your life dominated with reports, coordination meetings and preparing for the Board (or Minister)?

Research in a recent Harvard Business Review (Sept/Oct 2011) showed that in the 20% of organisations that are most complicated, managers spend 40% of their time writing reports and 30% to 60% of it in coordination meetings; also, many of my clients complain to me about preparing for the Board (or Minister). As a result, there's not much time left to do the things that really add value to an organisation. Things like organisational strategy, culture, systems thinking and people development. Because there's no time left, leadership is limited and people feel abandoned and unappreciated. It's no wonder that, according to Gallup, only 17% of people in New Zealand are "engaged" - down from 23% in 2002!

Managers make their organisations complicated

It's managers who create these complicated organisations; and mostly it's due to their most basic management assumptions.

• They assume they are managing a machine rather than a self-organising living system. They jump to organisational structure solutions when they should be developing culture and individual beliefs. They add processes and layers when they should be simplifying processes and layers. They divide to conquer when they should be integrating to set-free. We spend unbelievable amounts of time and money restructuring when we should be destructuring or "silo-busting" as I call it.
• They assume tasks need to be assigned rather than chosen. As a result they take away the ownership and reduce individual genius that people will willingly give if they have the power to choose their own destiny. It's called freedom, but in many organisations it's more like dictatorship.
• They assume decisions need to be made close to the top whereas my experience shows that most decisions can be pushed right down to the person who has to do the work. Recently I was working in a highly successful and well-run butter manufacturer . Like many of my clients, it was a top-drawer outfit that had won several awards and had good managers; however, even here we found that managers made the great bulk of decisions. After reconsidering their base assumptions nearly all these decisions were transferred to front-line people in gum-boots and overalls.
• They assume processes should be centred within a department rather than organisation-wide and customer centred. As a result silos are reinforced, people are controlled in sub-systems and customers are shut out.
• They assume resources are scarce when today the most important resources are plentiful; things like ideas, information, relationships, trust and communication. They report on their land and building and fixed assets when all the research shows that most of the market value is associated with information, relationships, confidence, culture and time.
• They assume people are separate when science for the last 100 years has consistently shown we are far more connected than most managers believe. As a result they manage individuals rather than the "space" between individuals. Managers should be bringing people together, mixing people up, developing people and finding ways to connect; what they do is put people in boxes, divide them into divisions that create unnecessary separation.
• Finally we get to the father of all assumptions: they assume they need to be on top of everything. I have yet to find a manager who would own up to it, but their actions show they have not identified the three or four things (strategies) that really matter and must be managed, otherwise, no matter how hard they try, the organisation will not succeed. The best definition I know for strategy is "to be strongest at the decisive point." In other words to know what matters and to put your horsepower behind it. Why else would I so often see managers involved in urgent but unimportant things?

The way out

When managers think about it, nearly every one agrees that their assumptions are the cause of the problem. The trouble is they don't think about it. Partly it's because they are too close to it. Partly it's because they are too busy with meetings and reports and preparing for Boards.

One of the great joys of my work is to see the relief and happiness when managers start to see how to regain their lives while also adding far more value to their organisation and customers.

But don't be fooled into thinking that it's easy. The way out is a Program of silo-busting, strategy, culture, systems thinking and people development. It takes about 5 days over 5 months. This fourth dimension of time is essential because we need to fundamentally change the way managers think of their role and their organisation. This is a big issue. Gallup estimated that poor engagement is costing New Zealand $3.67 billion a year. What is it costing your organisation?

I hope this gives you some inspiration to get cracking.

Warmest wishes
Bruce.
0800 4 virtual or +644 570 0727 or Skype Bruce.Holland
www.virtual.co.nz 

WHAT MAKES A GREAT MANAGER?

I was discussing the question, "What makes a great manager?" with a group of my clients just last week. We all spoke about great leaders we have known; and we tried to identify what they actually did that made them great. The conclusion we came to was that they are all givers (not takers). Whereas many managers are refrigerators (who suck energy out of the organisation), these people are radiators (who pump energy into the organisation).

Great Managers Are Givers

Great managers do not place themselves at the centre, they place others there. They do not focus on satisfying their own needs and desires, they look for ways to satisfy the needs and desires of others.

Things they give include:

• Great managers know who they are, more deeply than other managers do, and are vulnerable enough to share this knowledge of themselves freely (beliefs, values, dreams, strengths and weaknesses)
• They search for the core of greatness they know exists within each of their people; and in the process, their belief gives people the confidence to manifest what I call it their Golden Buddha
• They share their dreams and give people hope for a better future
• They give their time generously
• They give their undivided attention and are great listeners
• They give their trust, have high expectations and believe in people
• They give their relationships and link their people up with others who can help.

Great leaders put other people's interests first. Their measure of success is whether other people grow; whether they become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more capable and become great managers in their own right - and create other people who feel that they, too can make a difference in others' lives.

Why This Is Important

When people are managed by less-than-great managers, they:

• Slow the whole organisation down
• Waste endless managerial time
• Cause relationship problems with others in the team
• Produce only if they are carefully watched
• Are motivated primarily by money
• Rubbish the organisation in private
• Leave as soon as they can.

Irresistible Leaders

There is no doubt that great managers are important, however, in my opinion, they are still a step away from Irresistible Leaders - irresistible in the sense that we feel drawn to them and want to help them without really knowing why.

All great managers make use of individuals' talents, but Irresistible Leaders play a bigger game; they understand the potential of entire teams.

Performance reviews typically look at individuals, but leaders are responsible for the output of a team, not just the team's components.

Irresistible Leaders need the skills and tools to manage 'combinations' more than 'people'; and the skills and tools to plan for the short-term and long-term development of these combinations.

How do you do it?

I know you understand the importance of creating great managers and Irresistible Leaders, but do you know how to do it?

It's about leadership development, but the old ways are not working. My benefit is that I have come to leadership development from a totally different background (strategy and organisational development) which is producing outstanding results. Give me a call. Lets make 2012 the year of Irresistible Leadership!

Warmest wishes,
Bruce.
Bruce Holland
Virtual Group Business Consultants
PO Box 6521, Wellington, New Zealand.
free phone: 0800 4 virtual or +644 570 0727 or Skype Bruce.Holland
www.virtual.co.nz