Category: Leadership

Dear Consultant,
I have what I’m told is a great idea to improve some software that our company sells to a number of very large clients.  My colleagues and I believe that by making some fairly extensive changes, we will make our product most marketable and usable and thereby more profitable.  I’m the only champion of this change, and I’m not sure how to try to gain acceptance of my idea or to drum up support.  Persuasion has never been my thing; do you have any suggestions about how to sell my idea with my company?

The issue of persuasion is a complex one.  There are a number of situation specific variables that will come into play, but there has been some very interesting research that describes what seems to be effective in the general case. 

The act of “selling an idea” or “convincing others” to support your initiative has been called “proactive influence tactics” in the leadership literature.

Below I’ve paraphrased the 11 tactics that are used to influence people in organizations described by Yukl, Seifert and Chavez (2008).

1)      Use logical arguments and evidence to show what you’re suggesting is feasible and desirable.

2)      Show how your idea is directly beneficial to the person that you’re trying to convince. Perhaps for their career or to lower their workload or increase their commission.

3)      Highlight the emotional appeal of your position, focus on their values and ideals.

4)      Include the person you’re trying to convince in the formation of the idea.  Ask for their feedback and make sure that their feedback is included into the proposal.

5)      Put some skin in the game.  Offer to help if the idea is accepted.

6)      Do your best to express your confidence in the person you’re trying to convince, do some favours for them, make them feel good about you.  Do it authentically though, people may see through false flattery.

7)      Pull in personal favours.  Ask people to support your idea because of your friendship on a personal level.

8)      Offer to do something for the person.  Make it transaction, if they support your idea, you’ll help them in some other way.

9)      Get the help of other people who support your idea.  Coordinate with them to strategically show support for your proposal.

10)   If there are any rules, procedures or precedent that supports your idea, make sure that you highlight those to people you’re trying to influence.

11)   In some cases and as a last resort, you can try persistent reminders, demands or even threats. 

Although the long-term repercussion of these types of actions will damage your relationship with the person you’re trying to influence. Depending on your situation, some or all of these influence tactics may help you to convince the necessary decision makers to support your idea. 

It is important to use each one in a thoughtful way that is appropriate for the target you’re trying to influence and that is commensurate with the importance of the idea you’re trying to convince others of.

References: Yukl, G., Seifert, C., & Chavez, C. (2008). Validation of the extended Influence Behavior Questionnaire. Leadership Quarterly, 19(5) 609-621. 

http://www.amazon.ca/Leadership-Organizations-Edition-Gary-Yukl/dp/0132771861 

Dear Consultant, 

I am a small business owner with four full-time and three part-time employees.  As the boss, I’ve always been approachable and we all have a great relationship.  Lately though I think that my employees have been taking advantage of me by showing up to work late unapologetically, and not cleaning up their trucks after a service call, which they are very clearly supposed to do.  When I approach the team about these issues, should I threaten punishment or offer rewards?

 Using a carrot or a stick depends on the situation as well as the number of times that you’ve tried to correct this behaviour.  The problem may simply be a lack of communication or a lack of managerial follow-up to ensure compliance of your rules.  If this is a repeated problem that occurs even after you’ve all talked about it and are on the same page about work expectations, then you’ll want to think about institute a reward or punishment scheme to encourage compliance.

The general rule of thumb is to avoid punishment where possible.  Punishment may encourage your employees to want to leave your company, or to subvert you and your company in other, more subtle ways.  It is fear-based and utilizes coercive power which can create stress and a negative organizational culture.  While it may be necessary, it should be used as a last resort. Rewards may initially be considered more costly than punitive measures, but in the long run I’d suggest that the opposite is true. 

Losing an employee and hiring a new one is a very expensive process, similarly lack of productivity due to low moral/motivation, which is frequently associated with punishment can also affect your bottom line.

Here are some tips for using rewards as a motivator to promote certain behaviours, these are based partially on industry best practices and on Yukl (2013).

1)      Make sure that the rewards you offer are ones that they actually want.  Ask them!

2)      Whatever rewards you offer, make sure that they are fair and equal between employees and that the rewards are ethical in nature.

3)      Don’t offer a reward if you’re not able to fully deliver on what you’ve offered.

4)      Make very clear and simple rules for when rewards are given and when they aren’t.  Make sure that everyone understands.

5)      It is up to you to give out the rewards if the rules are met. Don’t expect the employee to come asking for the rewards.

6)      Try not to be manipulative with rewards, these should be an expression of gratitude for good behaviour.

If on the other hand you feel the need provide punishment for poor behaviour, here are some suggestions, based partially on industry best practices and also on Yukl (2013).

1)      Make sure everyone understands the rules and that punishment is the consequence of not following the rules.

2)      Always provide the same punishment for everyone consistently when rules are broken.

3)      Take your time before using punishment, get all of the facts and make sure that you’re being quick to judge.  Don’t make emotional decisions.

4)      Offer warnings before punishment, but be clear about when warnings will turn into punishment.  Put the warnings into writing.

5)      Making an example of employees may be tempting, but it is a bad idea for employee morale. Always offer warnings/reprimands and punishments in private.

6)      Always be calm, don’t let the employee perceive a personal attack.

7)      Make sure that you’re supportive and it is clear that you want to help them avoid this next time.

8)      Ask the person how to avoid this in the future, make a plan together and follow it.

9)      Do what you say.  If you warn of punishment, make sure that you follow through.

10)   Make sure that the punishment is equal to the bad behaviour.  Don’t over or under do it.

Dear Consultant,

I’ve recently been told that I have the opportunity to lead a team of five people within my company.  I would like to progress my career in this direction but I’ve never done it before and I wonder if I have what it takes to be a leader?

Leadership is something that we think we understand, until someone asks us to define it.  Usually we think it has something to do with power over others, whether that is the ability influence a team based on positional authority or simply because the team wants to make you happy. 

There is also leadership that is unrelated to positional power within an organization; it can emerge within teams either as an individual who takes control, or as an idea that takes off within a group or organization.  I once wrote a paper and found over 212 different definitions of the word.

I think though, in your circumstance it is helpful to think about leadership in terms of power and influence.  Those aren’t dirty words by the way, in many cases it is your ability to influence others that differentiates “leadership” from “management”.

Let’s think about the different ways that you may be able to influence team members and then you can do a self-check to see how you feel like they may apply to you in your situation.  There are five “power relationships” that are commonly agreed to exist, based on a seminal leadership paper by French and Ravens (1959).  Those power relationships are: 

1)      Referent Power – describes leaders who have the potential to influence followers because followers identify with, and like the leader.  They do things for the leader because they want to help you. 

2)      Expert Power – increases as followers perceive a leader to be competent at a particular task, so they believe that the leader knows what they are talking about and will take their advice. 

3)      Legitimate power – refers to the influence associated with a formal position within an organization.  This is also frequently known as positional power and can be given to anyone who is promoted to a position of leadership.  You’re the boss, so people do what you say. 

4)      Reward power – comes from the ability to provide rewards for followers.  Pay raises, bonuses, time-off, etc. 

5)      Coercive power – is the ability to influence by punishing or penalizing followers in the form of reprimands, demotions, firing, etc. 

Organizations are not democracies, but people vote with their actions.

Simply by being in a position of authority within a team in a traditional organization, you’ll gain the last three power relationships, the tricky ones are the first two.  Remember that organizations are not typically democracies, so followers may say that they will do what you ask of them, but they may “vote” with their actions by dragging their feet or actively defying your wishes. It is for that reason that it is important to convince, rather than order followers to do tasks.  With respect to expert power, you may ask yourself; do I have the subject matter knowledge to lead the team?  If not, do you need it or can you rely on your team for that subject matter knowledge?

 

Followers are going to want to logically understand the rationale for doing a particular action so that will frequently require subject matter knowledge to justify these actions.  Referent power is the aspect of leadership that most interests leadership researchers and practitioners. To assess your potential for referent power, think about whether or not you already have a working relationship with this team?  If not, how can you create a strong personal relationship to encourage a connection that may help team members have an intrinsic desire to do good work and to help you on a personal level.  Sometimes this is a matter of building mutual respect and friendship.

Leadership is a deeply complex issue, but in a traditional team context, if you’re able to call on all of the types of influence listed above at appropriate times during the work day, then you have the basic recipe for providing good leadership.

Dear Consultant, 

I’ve been working in summer camp for the last five years as a camp counselor.  This year I’ve been asked to coordinate the activities of over 30 of my former colleagues.  Up until now, I’ve always been on the same level as them, how can I change the way I act at work to be seen as an authority figure?

Moving roles into a position of authority can be a mental shift for the leader and also for the followers.  People tend to expect certain things from a person in a role of authority, and frequently it is easiest to just give them what they expect, professional leadership which includes fulfilling your role. 

Below are some tips to help you professionally fulfill your role as an authority figure.  These are based on industry best practices as well as from information Yukl (2013).

1)      Make your requests very clear and concise while still being thoughtful and polite to those you are addressing.  Be respectful when you make your requests, but not apologetic unless there is a reason to be.

2)      Always explain the rationale for the tasks you are asking people to perform.  Especially if the tasks are out of the ordinary.  People always want to know “why” and be convinced what they are doing is worthwhile.

3)      If there is ever a question about whether you’re overstepping your authority, check with your superior about the issue.  Have a clear idea of what you can and cannot do, make sure that everyone understands the boundaries of your role.

4)      Make sure that you do things “by the book.”  If you’re new to a role, and if there is ambiguity around a decision, try to follow what has been done before.  Follow processes if they exist, if not then your good judgement should be followed, while keeping the best interest of the organization in mind.

5)      Remember to follow up on tasks you’ve asked people to do.  A lack of follow-up can frequently be interpreted by followers as a lack of priority, leading to things not getting done.  Follow-up politely but consistently.

6)      If things aren’t getting done, it is your job to insist that it they are completed.  Do it in way that is fair and do it in a way that is consistent between employees.

For someone who has never been in a position of authority before, these six tips may help you to effectively perform your role and hopefully will help you to be perceived as an authority figure to your employees.

References: http://www.amazon.ca/Leadership-Organizations-Edition-Gary-Yukl/dp/0132771861

Dear Consultant,

I’m a new manager in a large, well established financial institution.  I’ve worked in this industry for a long time for two of my current company’s competitors, and I have a good sense that we need to change the way we do a number of things internally.  I hit resistance every time I bring this up, both with my colleagues and with my director.  I believe this is an important issue, how can I tactfully yet forcefully advocate for change?

Organizational change is challenging within any institutional setting, especially when others in your organization don’t perceive the need for change.  This is compounded within organizations that have shown a track record of success that they can point to for reasons not to change.  The old adage “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is frequently cited as an excuse to maintain the status quo.  

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is frequently cited as an excuse to maintain the status quo

Unfortunately, this is not a proactive approach to recognizing changes in consumer desires, competitive landscape or any other part of the complex system that surround organizations.  Change for the sake of change is not typically a good idea, but constant critical-reflection on current business practices based on the ever-changing business landscape can help keep an organization ahead of problems before they become apparent.

 

Having worked for three different companies in your industry, you may have insight into the financial sector that some of your colleagues lack.  If you’re sure about this organizational improvement and are serious about instituting change within your organization then there are three approaches that on their own or combined can help to institute change.

First, have sound technical reasons supporting your change

1)      Expert Advice –  Any change to what your organization is doing needs to be based on sound, technical reasoning.  The technical reasoning that justifies the status quo needs to be squarely questioned based on changes in the business environment.  You’ll need to quantify the need for change through measurable outcomes such as financial and sales projections.  One of the key issues here is that whomever is offering the expert/technical advice needs to be perceived as an expert.  If you’re new, and you’re not known enough in the new organization, then recruit someone else who agrees with your approach and cite them as the technical expert.  Pitt et al. (2002) call these technical experts “upward-facing advocates” when leading organizational change.

Second, connect with people on an emotional level

2)      Emotional Resonance – Remember that you’re dealing with humans, who whether they like to admit it or not, react to emotions.  Positive or negative, strong emotions will elicit a reaction from your target audience.  Stirring up people with an anecdote based on success or fear may contribute to encouraging people into action.  This isn’t always easy to do, and people who can successfully perform this upward-facing emotive championing (Pitt et al., 2002) frequently show true passion for an issue.

Third, network your idea throughout the organization

3)      Network the Idea – Brokering the need for change as well as the solution throughout the organization is also important.  You or someone supportive of your idea needs to be the “symbol” or representative for the change initiative who can act as a hub for advocacy.  Lateral persuasion (other colleagues and teams) is just as important as vertical persuasion (your boss and bosses bosses) to institute change within an organization.  Organizations are not traditionally democratic, but people vote with their actions so having a posse supporting your change initiative will help your cause.  Pitt et al. (2002) call people who engage in activities such as this “democratic brokers.”

Including these three activities into your approach to make changes in your organization may improve your likelihood of success.  The intrapreneurs who advocate for change within an organization are almost always noticed; whether this is a good or a bad thing for you will depend on your organization’s culture, your approach to instituting change and the outcome of your change initiative.

References:

Pitt, M., McAulay, L. & Sims, D. (2002) Promoting strategic change: ‘playmaker’ roles in organizational agenda formulation, Strategic Change, 11: 155-172

Dear Consultant,

I’ve been the general manager of a successful auto-parts supplier for the last twelve years.  I’m known to be a pragmatic boss, but sometimes my management style, or leadership approach or whatever you want to call it, rubs people the wrong way.  I’ve had issues with logistics partners not wanting to work with our team and it has been suggested that we’re not upfront in our negotiations.  Our parent organization has asked me to look into implementing an Authentic Leadership approach when dealing with my team and other stakeholders.  How can I do that?

The issue of perceived honesty and trustworthiness among followers cannot be underestimated when trying to be an effective leader.  When people talk about which characteristics they most value in a leader, honesty and trustworthiness are consistently at the very top, above effectiveness, above competence, above likability, etc. (Kouzes & Posner, 2007).  

Those who are seen as dishonest immediately lose credibility in almost all aspects of their leadership

 Those who are seen as dishonest immediately lose credibility in almost all aspects of their leadership (O’Keefe, 2002).  For there to be enough discussion in your organization about a perception of a lack of trustworthiness in your team, especially as it related to your own leadership then you need to act now to reverse this perception.

 

One leadership approach that is inherently linked to characteristics of honestly and authenticity is the concept of Authentic Leadership, which is an active area of the Leadership literature.  It is also frequently associated with ethical leadership and a way to help leaders develop with a framework to inform their own leadership actions.  In your own situation, you may ask yourself whether or not your leadership actions, as they relate to your team and to your partners, would adhere to the following four aspects of Authentic Leadership as described by Walumbwa et al. (2008).

1)      Self-Awareness –

Do you have significant amount of insight about yourself?  The trouble with this one is that you don’t know, what you don’t know about yourself.  Sometimes we’re aware of our own personal biases, or we’re aware of when we tend to be overly aggressive or overly passive.  When we act irrationally or when we are overly analytic.  These behaviours exist in all of us, but Authentic Leaders are aware of these behaviours and they are aware of when they tend to manifest themselves in our leadership practices.  We cannot effectively interact with others without a strong understanding of ourselves and our own modes of communicating, assumptions about the world, and biases towards relevant topics.  Sometimes this self-awareness is important to provide a rationale for your actions, showing you and others what you stand for.  Sometimes this self-awareness is necessary to temper the aspects of yourself that are not beneficial to the situations that present themselves in a leadership context.  Some questions that you can ask yourself, or have others assess,  to help you understand this factor:

We cannot effectively interact with others without a strong understanding of ourselves

 

  • Do you seek feedback to improve interactions with others?
  • Can you accurately describe how others view your capabilities?

2)      Internalized Moral Perspective –

This is about having your own set of morals and values that guide your behaviour, rather than being strongly influenced by others.  This is not common, most of us cave to pressure from those around us and from society, having your own set of morals and values that guide our actions in the face of pressure from others is an important aspect of Authentic Leadership because it provides a consistent message to followers around a set of values, despite situations that make the moral-route forward, the more difficult route forward.  A key thing about this is that the internalized moral perspective must not only exist within you, but it must also come out in your actions.  You cannot simply think or say these morals and value, you also need to action on these morals and values. Some questions that you can ask yourself, or have others assess,  to help you understand this factor:

Act based on your own beliefs, not based on influence from others

 

  • Do you demonstrate beliefs that are consistent with actions?
  • Do you make decisions that are based on your core beliefs?

3)      Balanced Processing –

Authentic Leaders need to be able to analyze information in a way that is not biased and is as impartial as possible.  Theoretically, someone who had absolutely no stake in the decision regardless of the outcome with no preconceived ideas or biases should have balanced processing when making decisions.  This is difficult to do when you’re known for supporting a particular decision; ideally you’d want to gather the opinions of all stakeholders and impartially weigh the pros and cons of all viewpoints before making a balanced decision based on all the facts at hand.  You may not agree with all of the stakeholders, and your decision may not be supported by everyone, but you’re perceived to be authentic because you’ve genuinely balanced their opinion against that of others. Some questions that you can ask yourself, or have others assess,  to help you understand this factor:

Make decisions in a way that is unbiased and takes into account the opinions of others

  • Do you solicit views that challenge your deeply held positions?
  • Do you listen carefully to different points of view before coming to conclusions?

4)      Relational Transparency –

This aspect of Authentic Leadership relates to your ability consistently communicate your motives and inclinations as well as your emotions.  Hiding your emotions or your underlying motives in a relational situation can hurt your credibility when it is determined that you haven’t been forthright.  Discussing emotions can be difficult and even inappropriate in some industries, but situational awareness of what is appropriate and what isn’t appropriate is needed to understand how far to go.  Being clear about your motives and inclinations is almost always a good idea if you intend on being perceived as an Authentic Leader.  Setting the tone of a social interaction by being transparent right from the beginning frequently creates a more consequence-free environment to encourage others to act in a similar fashion.  Some questions that you can ask yourself, or have others assess,  to help you understand this factor:

Consistently show your motives, inclinations and emotional state with others

 

  • Do you say exactly what you mean?
  • Are you willing to admit mistakes when they are made?

These four factors comprise the current thinking on Authentic Leadership.  Authentic Leadership isn’t associated with a set of quick and easy steps to follow to become a good leader; it is more about deep introspection and personal development.  Authentic Leaders are not simply born with innate characteristics, but they are purposefully developed through acting with intent in all of our behaviours.  Start by relating each of the above four factors to your own behaviours; your own understanding of your ability to act with self-awareness, an internalized moral perspective, balanced processing and relational transparency may or may not be clear to you, but the act of putting thought into each of these is a positive start.  The next step is to ask others to honestly assess these four factors and how they relate to you and your leadership.  Depending on how far you’d like to take this, there is a scale that you can use to measure your current ability to be an Authentic Leader called the ALQ that can be used to show progress as you develop as a leader.

References:

Kouzes, J. M. & Posner, B. Z., (2002) The Leadership Challenge, San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass

O’Keefe, D. J., (2002) Persuasion: Theory and Research, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage

Walumbwa, F., Avolio, B., Gardner, W., Wernsing, T., & Peterson, S. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89-126.