We previously explored the human knowledge base and its importance to building effective human systems. Unfortunately, knowing something isn’t the same as acting on that knowledge. Any roomful of leaders can rattle off a long list of characteristics that define outstanding organizations. The systems headed by those leaders, however, will often fail to manifest the very principles they have articulated. …
We previously explored the idea that leadership is a knowledge-based profession. We suggested that, to excel, leaders must develop expertise not only in technical areas, but also in the human knowledge base, that body of learning about how human beings act, react and interact. When presenting these ideas in our consulting work, the question of leadership “style” often arises. How …
Thinking impacts behavior. This is true in all aspects of life, but its effects are particularly pronounced in leadership thinking about employees, where expectations and assumptions can create self-fulfilling prophesies — for both the better and the worse. Douglas McGregor, former professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management, was one of the first business authorities to explore the impact …
Much of what we think of as the business of business takes place externally. Tangible activities like striking deals, formulating plans and launching initiatives fill our days and constitute the prism through which we view and understand our work life. But business authorities, academics, and thinkers have long suggested that the most fertile field for leadership attention is the inner …
In our consulting work, we regularly tell leaders that organizational improvement begins with them, individually and personally. Don’t look down at your employees, we tell them. Don’t look up at your supervisors. It’s all about you. Is this an ego boost? A pretext for self-importance? Actually it’s the exact opposite. For pointing the finger at others becomes impossible when we …
Easy solutions and quick fixes are commonplace in contemporary society. Results are promised within days and progress guaranteed through a few simple steps. Time and again we are assured that not only can we eat more and still lose weight, but that we should. Swimming in these waters day after day, we all come to expect some degree of immediacy …
Consider the word “discipline” for a moment. In one sense it refers to a subject or a course of study. Within the context of the discipline of reflective leadership, the material to be mastered includes the principles of the human knowledge base and our ability to reflect on how our choices and behaviors, as perceived by those with whom we …
All of us are attached to particular views of the world and given ways of approaching it. We know that a project is pointless and we have no time for those who think otherwise. We know that a favored employee is a gem, regardless of performance reviews suggesting the contrary. We have our positions and, regardless of circumstances, we are …
How many times have you been in the car, wrapped in thoughts of the day, and found yourself driving somewhere other than where you intended? Defaulting to familiar routines in the absence of conscious thought has uses in life, not the least enabling us to navigate a highly multitasking world. But “auto piloting” in the human sphere ensures that our …
We once worked with a manufacturing company that was trying to move from a top-down leadership approach to a more participation-focused system. Brian, a manager of one of the larger plants, readily accepted the challenge building a new concept of leadership and was doing an excellent job of making unfamiliar and sometimes difficult choices. One day we commend him on …