- People support what they help build. Engaging the participation of all stakeholders is essential to success.
- “People
don’t resist change. They resist
being changed.” –George
Land, Leadership 2000
- The more familiar an idea or
a process seems, the less likely
it is to trigger an immune
response. And vice versa.
Change in a culture doesn't happen without awareness, courage and effort. A painful status quo helps, too.
- Questioning our own assumptions
is one of the most difficult and
uncomfortable skills required to
achieve excellence, and there is
no substitute for it.
Let the best idea win.
-
We apply the principles of
systems thinking (boundaries, inputs,
processes, outputs, feedback) to
our work and to understanding
ourselves and our team dynamics.
-
Consensus
occurs when everyone on a
team understands a proposal and
expresses a willingness to
support it --
not that they necessarily agree
that it's the best possible
course of action. Operating by
consensus produces more
effective solutions than a
dominance-submission process as
long as there's an effective
culture for sharing information
openly, questioning assumptions,
discussing team processes,
honoring all participants, and
resolving conflicts. Without
consensus, team members are
operating out of alignment,
blind to the covert
disagreements that have not been
put on the table for discussion
and resolution.
(See the McCarthys' Decider Protocol.)
"Conflicts arise as the result
of conversations that are not
happening." –John Gottman,
PhD
A conflict that emerges from
expression of diverse points of
view is a natural, healthy
occurrence in the course of an
evolving relationship, not
something to be avoided.
Let the best idea win.
An effective team has an
agreed method of escalating
decisions when consensus has
stalled as a result of "the
tyranny of a minority" blocking
resolution.
- Every voice has a place in
the choir -- even the
disagreeable ones.
Being in a position of authority
does not bestow knowledge,
wisdom or leadership.
Those assets are purchased by
paying attention to others with genuine
curiosity and bringing out the
best in them.
Let the best idea win.
What gets measured gets
done. Measure twice and cut
once.
"Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts."
-- Albert Einstein
-
Being accountable for
our intentions as well as our
results demonstrates and builds
maturity. In fact, no
matter what we may like to
think, our colleagues can sense
our intentions, so we may as
well own them publicly.
-
Defensiveness is a business
cost. We enhance our awareness
of our own defenses and their
consequence to us, to our team,
and to the company. *
-
We're most effective when
we're self-aware. So I work to discover
my strengths and weaknesses.
I want to know the parts of me
that work well with others. I become aware of my defensive parts
and what
parts I am defending -- i.e.,
what feelings I'm resisting
feeling and
what parts of me I'm disowning. I am aware of
how my inner parts and personal
issues affect my behavior and my workplace. *
-
Decisions and agreements that affect the team are
accountable communications that
are important enough to be
captured and recorded in an
accessible journal of
significant events.
-
Communication occurs
when the message received is
equal to the message intended.
Without objective feedback
about what message was received,
one can not assume communication
has occurred.
-
When the receiver is off, any
effort to send a message is, at
best, wasted.
-
Expression of a diversity of
ideas, styles and preferences is
a powerful process
for raising capability maturity
and having more fun at work
when it's managed
effectively. This requires:
- treating all participants'
contributions, thoughts and
opinions as being worthy of
equal consideration and
listening for understanding
- embracing conflict when
it occurs
- addressing conflict as a
win-win opportunity for a
higher level of integration
of the team's energies
rather than as an
unpleasant win-lose battle
of wills or egos that must
be avoided
- providing facilitation and
coaching when
individuals are conflicting
without immediate resolution
We promote openness in our
communications. I can find out
how you feel about me, about my
work, and about what it's like
for you to work with me anytime
I want to know. We do not
withhold from one another. We
ask straight questions, and we
give straight answers. When I'm
doing something that reduces
your comfort or effectiveness,
you inform me at the time.
Resentment does not grow. *
-
When sending an
intended message does not result
in the reception of an
equivalent message, there's
probably a resonance problem in
the dynamic between the sender
and receiver or an absence of
appropriate attention to the
communication on one side or the
other or both. In any
case, when both parties bring
creative attention to the
matter, success is virtually assured.
-
We are self-determinant.
When we are involved in a
project, there is no question
about who is accountable for its
success. Everyone is 100%
responsible for their experience
and their contribution. Blame
does not exist. We deal
directly with our differences.
We see how each of us is
contributing to the problem or
situation, and we identify how
each of us will contribute to
the solution. *
-
Imposing accountability on an individual or a team without an agreement (as a
parent would assign a chore to a child) is an unbalanced dynamic that can
erode the effectiveness of the individual or the team or both. And when imposing a responsibility is necessary, the person in authority is most effective when they make an unqualified commitment to support the assignee's success.
-
We minimize rework by
planning ahead, adopting
standards, coordinating our
efforts, questioning
assumptions, and sharing
knowledge.
-
“Handle the difficult, while
it is still easy.” –Lao Tsu
-
Whirled
peas begins in each person's own
art. (We don't take ourselves
too seriously.)