A Case for Balance
At one point in my career I served in the telecommunications sector as an internal performance consultant. I had a team of people reporting to me in support of learning and development initiatives, performance quality and analysis, and program design and development. Specifically, I supported business units in the Mobility sector in the ’90’s and early 2000’s when it was a quickly developing and shifting market.
Leaders really suffered with the balance between Openness and Diligence. On the surface Openness as a strength fit perfectly and there were leaders who were initially valued for their receptive, agile and almost hyper-alert approach. Frankly these were fun leaders to be around when things were good. I was recruited initially by a leader who delivered more of a diligent style in this crazy world. She (we’ll call her Dawn) was productive and focused – her questions were pointed and her meetings were incredibly productive and consultative. She reported to the President of the Business Unit (we’ll call him Luke) who was more the former which made it interesting. In fact Luke sometimes flowed into over-use of Openness so far that he created chaos.
I will admit I enjoyed it more than not. Luke saw a unique opportunity to leverage what my team did for the department and he started to ‘go around’ Dawn and talk with me about some of his ideas directly. In the command and control leadership style of the corporate world – and I know it is changing a bit – this is not acceptable. I loved it though. I loved his creative almost “maverick” way of getting ahead of the curve and I was willing to do the ‘extra’ work to support his ideas. This did mean I stretched my team a bit too much though.
It was great for many months. I was having fun, feeling valued and challenged and creative. One day Luke’s boss, the President of the Division (we’ll call her Kate) and my boss came to visit the regional office where I was based. They actually came to town for a few days and spent most of it with the Directors of Operations, as usual. It wasn’t a big surprise though when I was asked to join them all for a breakfast on the final day of their visit. Only after I arrived did I learn I was the only one joining that early. I had a lovely visit with Dawn and Kate who were supported of my efforts and the impact my team was having on the results delivered by the Business Unit. Suddenly I felt the energy change slightly and after sharing a bit more about her specific observations of how we were contributing, Kate looked at me pointedly and said, “You need to be more discerning. You will do well to beware of people who are aspiring.” Long pause….”don’t get caught in it.” A few months later Luke was gone – I can’t say for sure who made that decision. I continue to consider the comment and I suppose the two are related.
Whether it was a clash between a corporate style that may value diligence over openness I don’t know for sure – it seems likely.
Luke, similar to my character Marley demonstrates a high level of receptivity, even curiosity about possibilities and a comfort with chaotic situations that allowed for more options. Interestingly this kind of openness is often perceived as flighty or unstable – possibly more when demonstrated in women. Dawn, like Alan, is described as more deliberate even disciplined which commanded more respect and even adherence. In the Tilt Model Luke’s openness would suggest he leads mainly from his intuition (with resilience and heart) and with a willingness to embrace, maybe even seek, change. Dawn’s diligence on the other had would suggest she leads mainly from her head (with courage and firmly grounded).
Taking it one step further – Marley (and, in my experience, Luke) exuded a spirited energetic presence (maverick) making people feel the thrill of creativity and innovation that almost made them want change. Alan (and possibly Dawn) would leave people feeling safe and challenged – a much needed feeling of stability in rocky times.
So what can you expect from Marley when she goes into over-use? In my observations, when threatened, she would double down on the chaos – rocking the boat at every turn becoming almost erratic and impulsive.
When Marley had had enough and felt unappreciated her reaction was to just let go and abandon her drive (under-use) and she would ignore us all and begrudgingly go along with the group or sometimes almost fall into a ‘work to rule’ approach.
Alan on the other had, when over-using his diligence would become rigid and even obsessive and meticulous about things. He would be described in these moments as nit-picky even and members of his team would sometimes come to me to complain that he was working them too hard and expecting far too much from them. It is important to note that his team really liked him and they performed well most of the time because of the structure he offered them.)
When confronted by the impact he was having Alan some times reacted all the way into an under-use of diligence. While it didn’t last long, when it happened Alan would throw his hands up and let things slide. It was in these times when he would call in sick or leave early or members of his team would complain that the didn’t see him much either because he was lost somewhere around the building OR he was shut up in his office.
Mastering Leadership Podcast Series
If you haven’t listened to Part 1 in this series Episode 28 I recommend you do that. In this episode I introduce the foundational story for this series and the characters I reference in every episode – Marley, Pete, Alan and Cynthia. They are actual people but these are not their real names. In the related Blog Post I describe them in more detail and I offer a 2-part assignment to help you get more out of the series.
In Episodes 29 and 30 we discuss 4 of the character traits that influence your leadership style – to get the most out of this series listen to those when you get a chance.
A couple of helpful points to remember:
- You do not fit neatly into one style. I hope my reflections in the podcasts and accompany posts make this abundantly clear. In this post I share how I moved between inspiration and focus in the way I designed and conducted interviews–while the transformation didn’t happen immediately, it is an example of how we are not stuck in one trait as a FIXED strength. In my earlier examples I also make the case that change for change sake is not the answer to improving performance. Both my over-use of Inspiration and Focus, while years apart, failed to serve me or anyone else well.
- Don’t fall into the trap of a label. Frequently when talking with clients I hear complaints about how many of the typologies or assessments seem to attach labels. I am intentionally not focusing on labels in this series but rather on behaviours, patterns, tendencies and preferences. Yes tilt has language to help us understand these and I will share more about those in time. Labels are helpful and even necessary for understanding, however when we trap ourselves in labels we lose sight of our free will to grow and shift as wanted and needed. REMEMBER THIS.
The Learning
I struggled with a comparison of these traits most of all. The concept of trust just seemed so basic and desirable in every human being that to explore it in contrast to self-confidence was uncomfortable. I suppose in part because I know I have been received in some ways much like Cynthia (and even Hillary) forced to face the fact that people don’t always trust me hurts.
As a character strength, trust isn’t measuring how trustworthy you are BUT rather, how easily you garner trust from others. The character strength of confidence doesn’t measure how confident you are BUT instead, how people experience your presence.
A few things you can do to join me in learning more about yourself and your influence:
- Reflect on your own behaviors and follow along today to see where you lean and whether it is in service of your ultimate goals and supports the kind of influence you desire.
- Observe the impact others have. When you see someone who resembles Cynthia and Alan or Marley and Pete pay attention and consider the impact and kind of influence they have as a result. Some times it’s easier to first learn from observing what works and doesn’t work in the performance of others.
- Monitor yourself. While you may need to do some Monday-morning-quarterbacking initially, in time, you will be able to notice your impact as it happens AND eventually you may even be in a position to anticipate the play and adjust on the fly. Be patient with yourself because you can’t become the Peyton Manning or Wayne Gretzky of leadership over night.
- Identify an area of focus and develop yourself in this character strength. You will be delighted to see how with focus on one trait you will improve your balance in ALL traits.
To recap:
Diligence – A leader with a well balanced character strength of diligence
Openness – In contrast a leader with a well balanced character strength of openness
Diligence…how would you be if you were leaning into Diligence? .you may define it by how disciplined and steady you are….maybe by your conscientious approach to your work (these are often the folks who arrive first and leave last in the day or send emails at all times of the day and night…..your level of productivity and consistent almost methodical approach. In my observation, Alan was the character who most exemplified Diligence. You’ll remember he did his homework and arrived at meetings ready with an action plan ready to hand out assignments.
So then there is the leader who leans into Openness…what would you notice when being open? Well you would see someone who is chronically curious and interested in people & ideas and receptive to change at any time….this is someone who is almost hyper alert and sees connections opening them up to those big ideas that others miss…In my observation this was most exemplified by Marley..you’ll remember how she was attentive to how people were feeling and what they needed which opened her up to understanding the needs and desires that drove people…o and it also helped that people wanted to tell her things…and her genuine curiosity ensured they felt appreciated and valued in the process.
Alan preferred a very methodical and plan-ful approach when he was passionate about solving a big puzzle or situation that had stumped everyone he discovered when he got curious and examined the situation using diligence and openness together he was able to generate ideas that ultimately improved performance.….remember both openness and diligence are admirable traits and desired in AND valued by a well-balanced leader AND when you learn to recognize when each is needed or warranted you will be in leading from a balanced place.
Are you over or under-using these traits? What would that look like…. well..
I may have already hinted at how Alan’s behaviour appeared when he was over-using the trait of diligence…he would worked excessive hours and overwhelm people with details almost as though he needed to prove his worth by being on top of things….his team would actually complain about the overwhelming communication even describing him as obsessive and inflexible or severe in his thinking and interactions…. I noticed how it exhausted him and often before I could even intervene he would swing to a under-using the strength when he would be all over the place and unreliable…never on time for a meeting, leaving people feeling unsure and disappointed.
When Marley was over-using the trait of Openness she unpredictable in her behavior…people couldn’t follow her train of thought as she cycle in and out of topics almost frenetically….there were times people complained she was intrusive almost demanding although in a caring way (if that’s possible)…people sometimes felt like their privacy wasn’t respected. NOW because of Marley’s very sensitive nature in time she would notice the impact she was having…long before I had an opportunity to talk and I dn’t think its an over statement to say she was horrified…this we result in the pendulum swing we’ve talked about…and Marley would under use Openness and become totally inflexible, even to my surprise obstinate…it was her way or the highway…she was just going to push through an idea…she was unwilling to listen to reason and yet at the same time, when pushed, she would throw up her hands and storm out…..
NEXT TIME…. A new series….I’m not sure I can do justice to it in 3 parts but will do my best…we’ll be looking at diversity…it offers a competitive advantage to organizations who embrace the concept…we’ll be talking values, attitudes and beliefs…. Join me on the journey….
Background on the Building of this Series
While the observations are mine alone and they are coloured by my own journey and many of the tools I have learned along the way including MBTI, Enneagram, Kersey-Bates, DISC, Colours, StrengthsFinder and more… this series was inspired largely by a new tool and my own very specific reflection exercise or case study. To increase my comfort with and ability to apply the tool with clients I created a case study for myself in 2013 to further my own learning.
The Tool
A number of years ago I was introduced to a progressive model called Tilt 365–a positive influence predictor. It combines a 360 degree assessment with a framework for leadership development. It uses the 21st Century language of strengths with a focus on interests or as the founder and research scientist behind it, Dr Pam Boney would say, interests or preferences.
In a recent mastery call with her, Dr Boney reminded us that leaders can be really intelligent, competent and driven but if they don’t attend to their character strengths, no one will follow them…at least not when it matters. Dr. Boney talked about how when a leader over or under uses their strengths or preferences, they steal energy, making your teams and organizations less creative and productive.
Not being a proponent of the typical 360 experience I wasn’t immediately interested in Tilt 365. Based on advice from a mentor I trust, I decided to invest in learning more and I earned my Certification as a Tilt 365 Practitioner and Coach.
My Case Study
The next step for me was to do my own case study, based on my own experience to see how I could and would have used the learning as a leader AND to develop leaders reporting to me. One day in 2015 I realized how much my reflections during the completion of the case study had strengthened my ability to apply Tilt 365 AND how often I saw its application to the leadership experience of my clients.
Interestingly, as much as I learned from the exercise of the case study, creating this series has only enhanced my comfort in and belief about the tool.
The story, that forms the foundation of my case study, and the people do exist (not their real names of course) and are part of my leadership journey.
If you are interested in learning more about Tilt 365 or would like to explore how I can help you in your leadership journey using Tilt 365, please contact me for a complementary conversation.