Leading Change in Turbulent TimesExecutive Education Seminar

LEADERSHIP IS A CONVERSATION

Tim Reynolds, MBADirector, Walter Center for Strategic Leadership

October 2013

“It’s Like A Brastemp!”

Personal Introduction

• Academic – Ohio University & Ohio State• Work Experience – Twenty-Five Years in Human

Resources, Talent and Organizational Development• Companies Worked For - Whirlpool, Abbott Labs,

Marathon Oil & Johns-Mansville. • Passionate About – Leadership, Talent and

Snowboarding

Session Objectives:

1. To understand the impact our leadership conversation has on employee alignment and engagement.

2. To examine some simple tools for being intentional about our leadership conversation.

3. To consider a new model for organizational conversations.

Exercise One:

What leadership conversation are you most proud of?

Why?

What leadership conversation are you most ashamed of?

Why?

Employee Engagement

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• Does not mean employee happiness.

• Doesn’t mean employee satisfaction.

• Is the emotional commitment:– To Your Work– To Your Company– To Give Your

Discretionary Effort

Engagement Research

• Towers Watson 2012 Global Workforce Study — 32,000 employees across 30 countries — makes the most powerful, bottom line case to date!

• In 50 global companies, Towers Watson found:

o Low Engagement = Avg. Margin < 10%

o High Engagement = Avg. Margin > 14%

o Highest “Sustainable Engagement” had average one-year operating margin of 27%

o “Sustainable Engagement” is a focus on physical, emotional and social well-being.

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Major Factors That Impact Engagement

1. Being Part of a Winning Organization.

2. Working for Admired Leaders.3. Having Positive Working

Relationships.4. Doing Meaningful Work.5. Gaining Recognition and

Appreciation.6. Living a Balanced Life.

8Source: The Banff Centre

What Changes Are Impacting Your Ability To Lead?

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• Economic • Organizational • Global • Generational • Technological

Organizations have become flat, fast and adaptive to deal with change.

What Does That Mean For Leaders?

• According to Dr. Boris Groysberg, leaders must engage employees through “Organizational Conversation.”

• Leaders can create mental or emotional proximity.

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Dr. Boris Groysberg, Professor of Business Administration, Harvard University

Proximity

• The state, quality, sense, or fact of being near or next; closeness.

• Physical proximity is becoming a challenge for leaders and employees

• Mental or emotional proximity appear to be the leadership opportunity

Exercise Two:

• How do you personally connect with your employees?

• Do they trust you? Why or Why Not?

The Leadership Conversation Is Changing

Element Old Model New Model

Intimacy Information flow is top-down and formal.

Communication is personal and direct.

Leaders value trust

Interactivity Messages are broadcast communications.

Leaders talk to employees and foster interaction

Inclusion Top executives control the messaging.

Employees actively participate in the messaging

Intentionality Communication is fragmented.

Leaders explain strategy to employees.

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Intimacy: Relate To Employees

• Getting Close

• Gaining Trust

• Listening Well

• Getting Personal

Tool: Sharing Your Conversational Style

Buddy – Buddy

High RelationshipLow Results

Standing For Greatness

High RelationshipHigh Results

Off The Hook

Low RelationshipLow Results

Driver

Low RelationshipHigh Results

Source: Gap International

Where are you in the matrix?

Interactivity: Use Communication Channels

• Promoting Dialogue• Using Social

Technology

How Do You Message People?

Tool: Finding the Drift• Drift, The act or condition of being

carried along by the currents. • Drift is the background music in

organizations: “We are overworked.” “You can’t trust the management.” “Our objectives are unrealistic.”

• What is the drift in your organization? It is essential that you identify and shape it!

Inclusion: Develop Organizational Content

• Expanding Employees’ Roles

• Brand Ambassadors

• Thought Leaders

• Storytellers

Tool: Seven Conversations for Extraordinary Results

1. Conversation for being related – relevance to another.2. Conversation for possibility – standing for a future of

possibility. 3. Conversation for opportunity – tactical language for

achieving a possibility.4. Conversation for action – specific who, what, when. 5. Conversation for breakdown – dealing with resistance. 6. Conversation for acknowledgement – genuine expression of

appreciation. 7. Conversation for completeness –being whole.

Exercise Three

• Is your organization’s strategy being implemented?

• How are you intentionally conversing strategy into results?

Intentionality: Convey Strategy

• Pursuing an Agenda

• Taking a Stand for Possibility

• Driving Alignment

• Crafting the Agenda

Tool: Having Breakthrough Conversations

1. What is the conversation and for whom?2. Create the Context (Possible questions to consider):

1. What is the context you want to create from this conversation?2. What is your Stand for yourself? For them?3. What is the experience or result you want to cause?4. Are you thinking from “Something is Possible”?

3. What is Their World? What is Your World? In other words, think through the concerns, issues, challenges and worries of your audiences. How will you bridge their world with your conversation?

4. What is the intention you have for the conversation?5. What are the specific outcomes you are committed to producing?6. How do you wish to close your conversation?

When You Are the Conversation…

How Will You Show Up?

Going Forward

• Conversation Occurs in Every Organization.

• As a Leader, how will you impact the conversation?

Leadership Is Your Conversation!