Trust is fragile. Once broken it’s hard to rebuild. What about the leader who claims to trust while every action suggests she does not?
It may seem counter intuitive but the more responsibility, the broader your scope of responsibility as a leader the more you need to learn to trust. That doesn’t mean you turn a blind eye or neglect to set clear expectations or stop your persistent follow up. It DOES mean you do all of these things while letting go of the means to achieve the desired result.
Step 1: Hire the right people. It is tougher than it sounds and yet it starts here.
Step 2: Set the expectations clearly and then let them do their best work rather than dictating the approach.
Step 3: Make it safe for them to consult with you and then ensure the conversations are productive.
Trust is fragile. Once broken it’s hard to rebuild. Being the safe and productive person with whom your direct reports can consult and test their ideas is a good place to start.
For five years I held the position of CEO for a boutique private post-secondary healthcare school. After spending the early years building quality processes and a reputation with the regulatory bodies in an effort to increase the freedom we had to be innovative, I recognized an interesting opportunity. Critical thinking skills and appreciation for evidence-based practice appeared to be extremely weak across the profession and beyond. I reflected on how we as a school could influence this and I identified an 18 month goal for the school with an emphasis on research. Our efforts were to be measured by whether we could develop students’ competence with critical thinking and research to the degree that one or two were published in a peer-reviewed professional journal by the end of the 18 months. The current members of faculty were already stretched and I knew the Director of Education was looking to fill a faculty position so I recognized this was an opportunity.
I got involved in the hiring and shared my vision with the Director and we developed a plan to fill the additional position with someone who could teach some of the first level courses like anatomy & physiology while taking over our current but inadequate research courses to make them more robust. I shared my desire to have student research published; I remember she was skeptical since it had never been done.
Step 1: Hiring the right person. We broadened our search now that we knew our goal. We hired…well let’s call her Heidi, not her real name. I plan to share the details of the hiring story in a future podcast because it’s an interesting one. For today let’s just say Heidi was definitely the right person. I was clear with her about why we were hiring her. She had a Masters Degree in Genetics, as I recall, from a highly regarded US-based University. She was a young, well-spoken and possessed a focused, even driven academic mind. I needed someone who, while teaching my mainly 20-something students, was relate-able and credible.
Step 2: Give Heidi the freedom to bring her best work. I took the time for long conversations where we discussed approaches and possible challenges that would come up. I ensured Heidi knew she had my full support and invited her to come talk through any issues or obstacles. She did approach the challenges differently than I would have and often surprised me. I was impressed with the focus and dedication she brought to making it work and how she engaged other faculty in helping her achieve her goal of preparing students to be published for their research.
Step 3: Be available for Consultation and Support. I was delighted every time Heidi came to my door seeking a listening ear or help to tackle a challenge. I noticed she always came with ideas and was open to exploring all angles of the problem and possible solutions. Interestingly, even though I had planned to use my standard “persistent follow-up” approach, there was never a need. She came to share both the challenges and the successes frequently without prompting. In fact, she would invite me to come to her classroom to comment on or adjudicate various debates, presentations or demonstrations by students. These experiences fueled our conversations while offering early indications of the progress she was making.
Seventeen months after hiring Heidi, a group of four students had a research paper published in the national journal. It was the first time students had ever been published in this journal. The journal set up a unique section identifying it as student research which I guess means they were trail blazers for others and sure enough 5 months later another group of students from the following cohort were also published.
It all started with hiring the right person. Because Heidi was the right person it was extremely easy for me to give her freedom to find the means to achieve my expectations and it was a joy for me to mentor her and support her efforts when called upon. This is one of my most treasured working relationships and a cherished accomplishment.
It all started with hiring the right person. Take good care & time hiring–it will be worth it for both you and the candidate.
In the podcast I revisit the story from Episode #3 when I was just getting my legs as a podcast host. In that episode I talk about cutting the grass with my Dad. Had my father trusted me to meet his expectations he would have simply outlined them to me: no uneven cuts; the edges and grass around the stone walkway must be neat; and, the grass needs to be cut no less than once per week. He would have had to teach me to start the lawn mower, thereby lessening his control AND I would have actually enjoyed meeting my responsibilities. I would have done it my way and on my schedule BUT because I wanted the freedom, I would have happily met his stated expectations…I guarantee it.
I have outlined what happens when the amygdala is hijacked in Episodes 20, 21 and 22 and don’t forget there is even more details in the related blog posts. If you have reviewed the impact you will commit to adjusting your style so that you bring out the best in your people.
In Episode 21 the key point was to ensure people know their value and importance to the team.
In Episode 22 it was to be clear in your expectations so your employees feel grounded.
This week in Episode 23 the key to not hijacking the amygdala is to let go of the means by which your employees achieve the required outcomes.
When I triggered Ted during the practical joke as told in Episode 20, in addition to singling him out for ridicule and embarrassment and then failing to support him, I left him feeling this project was being dumped on him. I even joined the group who was overwhelming him with all the things he would need to do. In the midst of the all the drama he wasn’t even being asked what he thought–OF COURSE he felt triggered.
This is the same way a person may feel if:
- Their job description is overhauled without their input.
- They’re transferred to a new business unit or their work space is moved or changed.
- They’re hired for their unique abilities and strengths and then every step of how to perform their duties is strictly dictated.
- They’re promoted and then told who they need to hire for their key positions.
In the story I share in Episode 19 about the importance of stopping the micro-managing behaviours you may remember I emphasize the use of questions. In that environment we had plenty of regulatory oversight so the last thing the team needed from me was more of the same. Instead I attempted to focus our conversations and energy on where we had choices and where our own creativity and innovation could set us apart and make our team more productive and successful.
Once again I want to reference the work of David Rock and The NeuroLeadership Institute and their model called SCARF ….this brain domain is the third element in their acronym…AUTONOMY. Ted, from Episode 20, felt like I just imposed a very difficult job on him without consultation and he wasn’t certain he wanted this and he didn’t feel he had a choice. His brain, like yours, craves choice.
focus conversations and energy on choices for creativity and innovation and make your team more productive and successful
Yes there are times in the workplace when choice is limited and yet I know, as leaders we can find ways to identify even subtle choices to mitigate the negative impact. It turns out that when we are clear about how the amygdala is triggered we as leaders can make minor shifts that can make a big difference. For example, had my dad not wanted to let me cut the grass without him there to start the lawn mower, he could have instead set the expectations as I described and invited me to choose the day of the week when I wanted to complete my chore. Had I experienced some choice I would have been much happier doing my job.
Interestingly, research has suggested that when, even before offering a choice, you signal that one is ahead, people will listen more intently to your message. Choice is inherently rewarding and when a leader trusts their direct reports to navigate choices and build agency (self-generated behaviour) self-efficacy will increase.
As a leader if you can develop self-efficacy in your employees you will realize significant performance gains.
Dr. Bandura from Stanford, defines self-efficacy as one’s belief in one’s ability to succeed in specific situations or accomplish a task. According to Bandura, employees with increased self-efficacy are more likely to view difficult tasks as something to be mastered rather than something to be avoided.
When reflecting on the experience I had with Heidi, I see how by trusting her to navigate the means to achieve our shared goal and supporting her efforts she was able to accomplish something that had never been done before.
I know you are serious about bringing out the best in your people. One way to do this is to offer them choice. Even subtle perceptions of choice will go a long way to enhancing performance. Here are a few ways to do this:
- Self directed learning portals. This may even result in a better return on your investment since the learning will be more sticky.
- Flexible work hours or self-directed workflow or the opportunity to work remotely.
- Consider how you approach a challenge. Seek to generate a variety of perspectives or points-of-view.
- From each of these “points-of-view” seek to develop many options for further thought and before taking action.
- Foster autonomy by inviting members of your team to play with the options—testing them out. When your direct reports feel they have permission to play with options they will take more risks, attempt more than they would otherwise and new and innovative solutions will be born.
Some of the benefits you will experience:
- Increased productivity and innovation.
- REAL collaboration. When the agency (self generated behaviour) of every member of the team is growing and the self-efficacy is compounded by this growth the collective output may be staggering
Employees with increased self-efficacy are more likely to view difficult tasks as something to be mastered rather than something to be avoided.
Once you are able to master this as a leader you will want to focus on acknowledging people for their efforts, ingenuity and willingness to take risks. And be sure to enjoy the journey.
NEXT TIME: the fourth brain domain that threatens your amygdala. The threat of the dreaded silo effect.
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