Leading Positive Change – a focus on culture

Posted on February 17, 2016 by Myles

This month’s collection of thought leadership on the subject of positive change. Our curated content follows our key theme of leadership of change and this month also highlights one of our key areas of focus – culture.

This is a big topic so feel free to dip in and identify the specific ideas that might be relevant to your organisation. Remember PCA colleagues are always on hand to discuss these issues further.

Use the subject tabs on the right to access more headlights or the link to the full online magazine LEADING POSITIVE CHANGE

Glass half full?

Posted on November 14, 2015 by Myles

Glass half fullAs I begin to prepare for yet another learning experience (a new Facilitators Accreditation programme), I find myself reflecting on the old adage and exactly why I am about to embark upon another classroom commitment followed by one more exam.

Am I really fortunate to be extended this massive opportunity or am I just going to have to grind it out one more time?  [Trick question – it’s the former, of course!]

All this reflection leads me to make the comparison between the capacity of the glass and my remaining memory capacity which is precariously housed in the few brain cells I have remaining!

Indeed, I wonder whether my memory will have any capacity available to take on board all this new learning or whether I will receive the dreaded “Insufficient Storage Available” error message halfway through the program download.

Wouldn’t it be great if I could just push an SD card up my nose? Either to expand the greatly reduced existing capacity, or even better just to insert to requisite knowledge to be accessed, Android fashion, at a moment’s notice?

“Ok, get a grip!” – my internal dialogue is interrupted.

So why do I continue to put myself though these educational challenges? Pretty simple really …..

  1. to continue to “sharpen the saw” – to grow,  renew myself and forward my personal development
  2. to serve our clients better, to widen our offering so as to be able to add more value
  3. to be able to support my fellow directors in some great new product development
  4. to develop the relationship we have with a new and committed Partner

So, as they say, it’s all good! I’m feeling very positive about this next assignment and if you want to know what all the fuss was about, check out our new The Five Behaviours of a Cohesive Team™ webpage for more information.

One final reflection ….. “Don’t worry whether that glass is half full or half empty. If it is half anything it’s time to get the next round in” Darrel Bristow-Bovey

Andy Willmore
PCA Director

Top reasons companies are unable to scale

Posted on September 24, 2015 by Myles

Companies with the potential to grow rapidly are termed Scalable Companies in the independent report to Government, The Scale-up Report on UK Economic Growth, presented by Sherry Coutu CBE.

the scale-up reportHer findings identified just five key factors that businesses need to address to enable them to grow. The first of these concerned hiring the right talent.

The next two factors are central to how we at PCA help our clients, building leadership capability and business growth focused on improving performance in terms of client development or new sales.

“The following factors, in order of importance, are the key reasons why companies are unable to scale in the UK. companies have issues: • Finding employees to hire who have the skills they need
•Building their leadership capability 
 • Accessing customers in other markets / home market 
• Accessing the right combination of finance
• Navigating infrastructure”

Coutu also highlighted two of the key initiatives which PCA associates have been involved over many years, GrowthAccelerator and Mentoring where we have been associated with the Institute of Enterprise and Entrepreneurship. These programmes can make access to a suitable expert more affordable

For more information on leadership development or growing your business please call your nearest PCA contact.

 

The scale-up report on UK economic growth by Sherry Coutu CBE is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noDerivatives 4.0 international license

5 Steps to Building High Functioning Cohesive Teams

Posted on September 24, 2015 by Myles

Winning L&D Combination

When Patrick Lencioni published his book on the Five Dysfunctions of a Team, he set out a framework to deal with the common problems that hold back organisations from achieving what they are capable of doing.

team_pyramid_042414a_largeIn the years since the book was published it has remained at or near the top of the lists of best selling management and leadership books.

The world has certainly changed in this period, may be even the way in which people interact with each other has altered. This has not in any way undermined effectiveness of the model Lencioni proposed but advances in technology and our understanding of how people think and act has changed.

Combining this latest thinking on behaviours with the Lencioni model offers Learning and Development professionals a fantastic opportunity to improve leadership team performance in a more effective way.

Everything Disc®  behavioural profiling is now used to support the Five Behaviours of a Cohesive Team™ in an integrated learning and development programme.

PCA are Authorised Partners in the UK for delivering this ground breaking programme. More information.

We will be on stand D70 at the 2015 World of Learning Exhibition taking place at the NEC Birmingham. We would be very happy to discuss how this programme might work for you.

Leadership in relation to opportunity

Posted on September 2, 2014 by Myles

 

Positive change leader

Change is the only constant   (however inconsistent this statement might sound).

Hand in hand with organisational change come the inevitable challenges. Traditionally we focus most effort and resource in an attempt to overcome these challenges.

Yet all too often we do not recognise that the negative connotations associated with challenge are potentially outweighed by the positive outcomes that can result from the successful management of opportunities.

Change Focus

So why do we continue to focus on the challenge rather than the opportunity? The reason is to be found in the way we learn from experience and in particular from our experience of failure. Our natural preference is to find ways to mitigate the challenges offered by change to maintain the status quo, the known, the certain and familiar.

If all leaders followed this mitigation strategy, progress in organisations would be very limited.

Some individuals and companies manage change more effectively than others? What differentiates these from others?

A recent panel discussion lead by PCA in Bristol, produced a list of  six key character components that might help identify who might be best suited to lead positive change. These component characteristics include

  • attitude to change,
  • personality and behavioural style,
  • risk tolerance,
  • personal success drivers,
  • perspective including the ability to create an inspiring future vision, and
  • trust (in self and in others).

An individual’s score in each trait, and the weighting of each trait given the context for change, suggests who would be most effective given a particular circumstance.

Just as the context for change alters the balance between these scalable assessments, the person who successfully manages one period of change is not necessarily the right person to lead on the next opportunity.  This assessment methodology raises one key question for leaders in today’s rapidly changing business environment.

If the most appropriate person to lead positive change is not the leader of the organisation, how do they avoid becoming more of a hindrance to the process than an asset?

This demands an advanced set of leadership skills including the ability to develop, guide and trust others. Leaders need to create space and resource necessary for investment in an opportunity to have maximum chance of success. Having delegated responsibility they need to manage the risks, be accountable and ultimately responsible for the results. This is a challenge in itself as the change management strategy might seem counter to their own assessment of the situation and opportunities outside their comfort zone.

For a leader, ceding this level of control and risk is uncomfortable. This discomfort increases when the individual doesn’t fit the mould of those employees most suited to maintaining the status quo.

To find out more about positive change leadership contact your nearest PCA office one of our directors will arrange a no strings exploratory meeting.

 

Moral Leadership

Posted on August 6, 2014 by Myles

Is resignation from a “morally indefensible” position the right or brave strategy for someone with leadership responsibilities?

Moral leadershipBaroness Warsi’s resignation from Government on the grounds set out in her letter http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-28657623 raises questions on ethics and morals  relating to leaders and leadership. Those who hold leadership positions should take the opportunity to explore the issues.

When, for example, is doing the right thing not necessarily the right thing to do?

A Leader’s role is to imagine and shape a better future for those who they lead. In resigning her position, the opportunity to influence decisions or future actions is lost. In resigning, without thought to succession, a vacuum is created and followers left without direction.

When does the responsibility to walk away from a morally challenging problem outweight the responsibility of a leader to strive to effect positive change and protect those who look up to them?

Baronness Warsi cited that Government policy was counter to our national interest, values and the rule of law. Was it braver to walk away or, knowing the contrary position this Government (of which she was a part) holds, use her influence and moral indignation to fight for change in policy?

Is leadership in politics or for that matter leadership in business, public service or any other role ever truly black and white? Are decisions always right or wrong?

Making a loyal employee redundant might be the right decision for the business but may not be the right decsion for the employee. This might be a matter of perspective but how does a leader know that they have the right perspective on any decsion? How do you as a leader balance perspective on a moral stand point with pragmatism over a situation that we cannot have ultimate control?

Governance is a topic now covered in many management courses and is debated in many board meetings. It encompasses morals, ethics, risk and best practice. Yet there are no hard and fast rules against which leaders can weigh up the pros and cons of moral and ethical challenging choices. We must look instead to our internal moral compass the directionality of which is established by our life experiences, our upbringing and cultural context.

To be a better leader how do you hone this moral compass?

Leaders should seek out and socialise with those leaders they respect and who carry the largest moral burden, study strong and powerful decisions that have had meaningful outcomes at a level of influence greater than the organisation within which it was formulated.

Top tips

  1. Consider moral and ethical issues early and often
  2. Share your thoughts and views with peers and guage their response
  3. Seek alternative perspectives
  4. Ask “what is the brave choice to make”
  5. Consider the balance of your responsibilities
  6. Hone your moral compass
  7. Establish a moral code
  8. Live by your code – always – it is who you are
  9. Associate and learn from leaders you respect
  10. Taking on the mantle of leadership is an honour you grow into

To get ahead… you don’t need to be struggling

Posted on December 1, 2013 by Myles

It is so refreshing to meet a potential client who is coming to coaching for the all the right reasons.

To understand why this is such a rewarding experience for me as a coach you need the title statement and introductory sentence put into context to understand the type of person who typically comes to coaching and the reasons for them seeking out coaching or having someone else send them to a coach.

CoachingFirst though some background.

Business or executive coaching is a relatively new management intervention, one that is still evolving.

Like any new, powerful and influential area of business thinking, coaching is being interpreted and used in a myriad of different ways by different users.

In time we expect the most effective use of coaching will become obvious to all users.

In the meantime coaching clients bring their preconceptions, misconceptions and expectations coloured by past experience, prejudice and culture.

So in the UK we still see CEOs and HR send

  • individuals to coaching who are struggling to meet their perfomance targets
  • dysfunctional teams to be transformed into highly effective teams
  • sales managers who are failing to hit target
  • managers who are not effectively communicating  or engaging with direct reports

And coaching can certainly unlock significant improvements in this type of individual or team.  Generally however significant progress only comes with additional training, mentoring and/or activities designed to support behavioural change.

If, as is usually the case, a positive outcome is expected solely from the coaching offered, the results often prove to be not as dramatic as might be hoped.

This is in part due to the way in which coaching is employed, part due to the expectations built by the keen coach but also in part the level of engagement of both the coachee and the sponsor with the coaching process.  The incredible potential possibilities of coaching will only be realised when the purpose and process of coaching is better understood by those who seek or commission coaching.

The biggest impact on an organisation’s future success is to have the most influential individuals perform at a significantly inceased rate.

These individuals will be senior, will already be exceeding targets, be recognised by others in the organisation as star performers. Their ability to influence and motivate others, to be aware of and share what works is a key indicator and predictor of broad future organisational success.

They are in fact more likely to be the CEO or a senior leader than someone requiring remedial support.

It is these high flying successful people who will benefit most from coaching support. The level of return on investment in coaching is likely to be significantly greater. Their developing a coaching mindset will propel learning and development within the organisation.

It is for this reason that I rejoice when a prospective client comes to me saying

“My business is doing really well… but I want it to do even better”

“I am very happy with the job I am doing… but would like to check in with a coach to ensure I am not missing anything”

“I have blasted my targets and want to explore what might be possible”

“My team are fantastic. I wonder if there is something else I might be doing to help them  become really exceptional”

If you find yourself thinking these sort of thoughts… have you ever considered coaching. To get ahead you don’t need to be struggling.

Business Coaching on a big scale

Posted on February 21, 2013 by Myles

 

 

 

 

PCA Bristol Business Coach Myles Mayne yesterday lead a very successful staff away day for a large Bath based charity .  Together with two PCA associate facilitators, over sixty members of staff came together from different locations and every department, for a full day together at the Bath Assembly Rooms.

The focal issues were values and communication.

Communication in even the best of organisations can become strained.  Sometimes however, it is easy to think that internal communication is worse than it appears.  An externally run and facilitated day away from the office allows issues to be raised in a safe environment and provides the opportunity to identify any concerns.

The result in this case was a significant shift from a general feeling of negativity to one where there was a 100% commitment by all staff to improving communication in an organisation of which they are collectively extremely proud.

The senior management team gained a useful insight into how groups within the organisation were thinking and what was important to them.  The use of a mapping process gave quick and accurate snapshots and allowed testing of different interpretations of what might otherwise have been contentious issues.

As a business coach it is not often that you get to see the canvas upon which the executives we coach need to paint the future of that organisation. That canvas is the entirety of the people within an organisation.  This event reminded me that in working with leaders we have a huge responsibility that extends way beyond the one to one coaching.

 

Confidence is fragile

Posted on January 18, 2013 by Myles

It really makes no difference if you are an extrovert or an introvert, confidence can be a big issue for anyone.

An extrovert can use their behaviours to cover a lack of confidence while an introvert can be very confident in their abilities but it may not be obvious.

Overconfidence in an extrovert can be seen as brash and ill advised. A lack in confidence by someone considered an introvert may go unnoticed.

Confidence is a key component in being able to make progress. As entrepreneurs or business people in a recession the well from which we draw confidence can seem very empty. when plans fail, targets are not met, when every obstacle overcome uncovers two challenges yet to be faced our reserve of confidence ebbs ever faster.

For many the source of confidence comes from praise and positive feedback or the trust placed in them by others.

Who have you given positive feedback to this week? Who feels trusted by you even though things are tough?

As circumstances change the ability to adapt and explore different ways of doing things takes confidence in ones self and those around you.

Confidence builds in an organisation when the leaders role model confidence and deliver results. Even better when the management team as a whole show common commitment to a positive vision for the organisation.

It is hard to be positive when you are not confident. Having a positive mindset builds your  confidence.

To start building your confidence right away download our free 7 step guide, learn about our confidence boosting coaching packages or build confidence in a team or organisation with our leadership development programme.  Drop us an email at info@pcacoach.com and give us an idea what it is you are looking to achieve.

 

It takes all sorts to make a world …

Posted on December 13, 2012 by Andy

If we could shrink the earth’s population to a village of precisely 100 people, with all the existing human ratios remaining the same, it would look something like the following:

There would be:

57 Asians
21 Europeans
14 from the Western Hemisphere, both north and south
8 Africans

52 would be female
48 would be male

70 would be nonwhite
30 would be white

70 would be non-Christian
30 would be Christian

89 would be heterosexual
11 would be homosexual

6 people would possess 59% of the entire world’s wealth and all 6 would be from the U.S.A.

80 would live in substandard housing
70 would be unable to read
50 would suffer from malnutrition
1 would be near death; 1 would be near birth
1 (yes, only 1) would have a college education
and 1 would own a computer

Of course, hitting this months targets is important, but it makes you think doesn’t it?