Resistance is Futile?

Whether you are new to your leadership role or are a seasoned leadership veteran you are bound to experience or have experienced resistance to a project, initiative or strategy you have taken on in your role.  While it is often said that change is the one true constant I'm sure that if you flipped that particular metaphorical coin over you would find a reference to resistance to change being inevitable.

There's a risk in simply taking for granted and dismissing resistance as unavoidable.  On the one hand, simply accepting resistance as inevitable can lull some leaders into a complacent or even fatalistic view of their efforts to implement a strategy, project or other initiative.  They approach the pending effort from a standpoint of "why bother" working through all the possible contingencies or details required for any significant plan.  At the end of the day, they simply believe that the effort expended is futile given that there will be resistance even if the form and intensity is unpredictable.  This view may even be borne out of historical experience and frustration with past change efforts.  Past reality - and skill in previous efforts - however, does not necessarily make this conclusion the correct one.

On the opposite end of the scale, other leaders can also acknowledge that resistance to change is inevitable but rather than be apathetic or fatalistic about it they adopt a far more aggressive - even arrogant - approach to moving a strategy forward.   In the most extreme scenario, the leader assumes that the basis and rationale for their strategy is impeccably sound, that the benefits of implementation are significant and blatantly self-evident, and that the timeline in which the initiative is to be completed is imminently doable.  Resistance to any aspect of the initiative - either in substance or form - is dismissed as irrelevant.  In effect, the (arrogant) leader presumes a level of omnipotence that supersedes the knowledge and skill possessed by his team.  In short, resistance is futile.  You will be assimilated (reference Start Trek The Next Generation, Borg philosophy).

Both extremes are incorrect.  Both can take leaders down a path of personal frustration.  In the first circumstance, an individual leader can find themselves in a constant firefighting role as they try to manage almost daily challenges trying to move forward their project through to successful conclusion.  No easy feat and oftentimes leading to a series of compromises and an end product that bears little resemblance to initial plans.  In the second case, given the arrogance of the leader that is sometimes in play, an initiative may be taken through to "successful" conclusion but at a significant cost to the well-being of the rest of the team.  If the initiative fails to progress or achieve all of its projected benefits, the leader who dismissed the potential for resistance often lays the blame at the feet of subordinates for improper execution or commitment.  And sometimes, there are true casualties - terminations - along the way.  Fear and success go hand-in-hand.

But rather than presume and accept resistance without planning for such effective management of resistance comes in recognizing reasons and sources for such and establishing responses and contingencies ahead of time.  The reality is that you either spend the time up front mitigating resistance or you will be dealing with it later on.  Pay now or pay later and paying later usually means greater cost, effort, and frustration with diminished results.

So a few lessons in moving forward any initiative, especially one of any significance. First, truly understand the initiative you are proposing for implementation.  As the leader, you need to be more familiar with the initiative than anyone else, you need to be able to effectively and clearly articulate the benefits - and risks - in moving forward, and you have to be capable of surfacing and dealing with questions and possible objections.  I believe that unless and until you put such a plan to paper you are likely in no position to effectively carry the day with others.

Second, you need to have a true and objective understanding of your team and key stakeholders as you consider implementing a new initiative.  Do they in fact have the required skill sets and abilities to move your initiative forward?  Might your team already be overtaxed with other initiatives and responsibilities that would prevent them from effectively moving forward on something new?

For both you and your team, presuming that you don't have excess organizational capacity, how does this new initiative fit into your overall plan?  If your organization has already fully committed its organizational resources are you prepared to acquire additional resources to take on this new priority? Are you prepared to establish this new initiative as your top priority?  As one of your top three organizational priorities?  What sacrifices are you and your team prepared to make?  Keep in mind - from my perspective - if you have more than five "top" priorities my assumption is that you have no priorities whatsoever.

Finally, rather than attempting to overwhelm potential resistance with the force of your leadership position or to simply persevere despite the odds through personal effort, perhaps you should consider something else when faced with resistance.  Perhaps you could learn something from those who are resisting your efforts.  Perhaps you are wrong and perhaps those putting up barriers are doing so for legitimate reasons.  They may in fact be better informed than you on some aspect of your initiative, may be more objective around its benefits and risks, and their resistance may be focused on what is best for the organization and your own success.  Just because they are resistant to your ideas doesn't mean they are opposed to you.

Maybe after all is said and done resistance is only not futile but in may in fact be the best thing that could happen for your success.  And perhaps a great leader can be strong enough and humble enough to listen and learn from their team.
______________________________

Greg Hadubiak, MHSA, FACHE, CEC, PCC
TEC Canada Chair/Executive Coach/Senior Consultant
hadubiak@wmc.ca

Helping leaders realize their strengths and enabling organizations to achieve their potential through the application of my leadership experience and coaching skills. I act as a point of leverage for my clients. I AM their Force Multiplier.

Transformational Leader - Is it in You?

The concept of transformational leadership, perhaps like many ideas and frameworks, is not new.  In fact, it dates back as early as the late 1970's and the work of James MacGregor Burns.  It certainly has gained a lot more play and traction since then from other academics and leadership practitioners.  Moreover, leadership development programs, whether developed internally by larger organizations or contracted for by many others, focus in significant measure on developing more effective leaders at all levels of organization based on the key elements of transformational leadership.

As with many of my blog posts, the intersection of somewhat unrelated events caused me to reflect on the tenets of transformational leadership and how those are being translated into the reality of our organizations.  On the one hand, as I was in the throes of completing my certification in a leadership tool I had the opportunity to get a high level refresher on what the elements of transformational leadership are.  In that same week, I had opportunity to reflect on the practical challenges facing organizations and "enlightened" leaders as they attempt to live to the guidelines of transformational leadership outside of the classroom and back into their workplace.

Simply and basically put, their are four elements that comprise or summarize transformational leadership:

1. Individualized Consideration – essentially the degree to which the leader is aware of and supports each of his team members needs and aspirations, acts as a mentor or coach to his individual team members, and listen to their concerns and needs.  This calls upon a leader to be empathetic and supportive, communicative and concerned about development of each team member.  A healthy dose of respect and recognition goes hand-in-hand here too.
2. Intellectual Stimulation – in this regard, leaders encourage innovation, experimentation, creativity and risk-taking by their team.  Mistakes are expected and used as learning opportunities.  Public support is prominent relative to successes.  Individualized support undertaken as required to work through mistakes.  More importantly, leaders are prepared to break from the status quo, implement new ideas and discard old practices based on team member success and learning.  
3. Inspirational Motivation – in this regard, a leader is able to clearly articulate and energize a vision that appeals and inspires the team.  Leaders are prepared to challenge themselves and their teams to slay the "sacred cows", remove barriers, overcome challenges and stay optimistic in pursuit of a common set of goals.  The team is infused with a strong sense of purpose.  The leader communicates the vision clearly, effectively and powerfully resulting in a team that is fully invested and engaged in the effort to achieve the vision.  
4. Idealized Influence – the leader acts as THE role model for the team.  There is no doubt as to what the values of the team or organization should be - the team need only watch the actions of the leader to see the core values at work.  Leaders demonstrate the values every day even to the point of personal sacrifice.  Nobody ever said leadership was easy.  Doing the right thing is often not the easy thing.  

Each element is connected and comprises the whole picture of a leader.  There has to be an internal consistency as all the elements come together and leadership actions over the long haul will be evaluated by our teams on the basis of what a leader says and - more importantly - does.  Our leadership authenticity - our "line of credit" - is constantly under scrutiny.  Failure to live by our proclaimed standards will degrade trust and ultimately our ability to lead.

I hope what comes out of this summary of transformational leadership is a realization of how potentially daunting the task of becoming an effective - and true - leader is.  Beyond the differences with what we might identify as transactional leadership and management in many of our organizations the reality of how we can feasibly or effectively develop transformational leaders in our organizations seems even more challenging.

I have previously posted on my support for in-house leadership development programs.  Without a doubt there is certainly a case to be made to obtaining support from external experts and resources.  Critically, however, I believe that an effective leadership development program - particularly one that desires to arm current and future leaders in the elements of transformational leadership - must be grounded in the mission, vision and values of their particular organization.

More importantly, there must be a recognition of the impact that other systems and structures of the organization have in either supporting or hindering the development of transformational leadership.  In particular, I believe that unless the President, CEO and other senior leaders are in fact true exemplars of transformational leadership any effort to successfully develop and sustain leaders at other levels of the organization is doomed to limited impact if not outright failure.

Harsh judgement to be sure.  However, how much faith can we place in the power of any leadership development program to deliver on its promise, no matter how well conceived or executed, if we do not support these newly minted and energized leaders once they fully return to their workplace teams?  Are the senior leaders and/or the organization as a whole truly prepared to support creative, innovative - and risky - options for new program or service delivery?  Are the existing senior leaders prepared for the inevitable mistakes that will occur?  Will existing leaders bend to pressures - whether from shareholders, government officials or via media scrutiny - to reverse course and hold people accountable for transgressions?  Do we have enough leaders in our organizations with the "right stuff" to effectively support and mentor those leaders we have invested in?  Are the existing leaders themselves prepared to make their own transformational changes, upholding stated organizational values, even to the challenge of their own historical prerogatives and perks?

I am left to wonder at what the "success rate" of our leaders will be months or a year from their last leadership development session.  Will they have sustained the enthusiasm and momentum they demonstrated upon "graduation" or will they have been worn down by the sheer size, immensity and inertia of the system and culture they know needs to change.

So is it in you, as someone who may have just finished an inspiring and insightful leadership development program, to hold true to your evolution as a leader, to sustain the personal journey, and become a more authentic leader for your team?

Is it in you, as a President, CEO, or other senior leader to take the practical day-to-day actions to create, develop and sustain the working environment that will allow your aspiring leaders to be creative, innovative, risk takers and reach their full potential?  Are you prepared to support their transformation, remove barriers to that effect, and perhaps exemplify what it is to be a transformational leader?

Do we all have the courage to transform our organizations, to remake them in service of our clients and customers, to truly excel at what we do, and to reach our full potential?

Is it in you to become a Transformational Leader?
______________________________

Greg Hadubiak, MHSA, FACHE, CEC, PCC
TEC Canada Chair/Executive Coach/Senior Consultant
hadubiak@wmc.ca

Helping leaders realize their strengths and enabling organizations to achieve their potential through the application of my leadership experience and coaching skills. I act as a point of leverage for my clients. I AM their Force Multiplier.

It is Time to Remember...and Respect our Soldiers

So right off the bat I'll put a caveat on this blog post.  It's not what I've traditionally focused on related to leadership.  Rather, based on events of the past week and my own personal feelings on the matter, I felt compelled to write on the subject of Remembrance Day and how we respect - or don't respect - our veterans and armed forces.

This past week Saskatchewan-born entrepreneur Brett Wilson called on businesses to hold off putting up Christmas decorations until after Remembrance Day.  In doing so he said that early Christmas displays and sales showed a lack of respect for veterans.  Later in the week, as he responded to some of the "controversy" generated by his comments, he further suggested that his primary intent was to raise the level of discussion on Remembrance Day and how we recognize and respect our veterans and armed forces.  And there was heated debated generated without a doubt.  If you need any evidence of that they just check out the back and forth on his official twitter account @WBrettWilson. 

I first became aware of Mr. Wilson's perspective and the heat subsequently generated through my early morning drive as I listened to one of my favorite radio stations.  And quite frankly I was dismayed by the level of discourse on this subject.  One of the radio personalities was solidly behind a perspective that putting up Christmas decorations - at home or at a place of business - was in no way disrespectful of veterans or currently serving members.  In fact he - perversely in my view - suggested that by putting up Christmas decorations that he was paying the highest tribute to those who had or were prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice for our country and the values it stood for.  My take on his comments were that by putting up Christmas decorations prior to November 11th and shopping on that day that people were being supremely patriotic by enjoying the freedoms bought for us by the sacrifice of others.

Perhaps most shocking was the reference made to the murder of Corporal Nathan Cirillo.  My beloved radio personality suggested that the events of October 22nd actually provided Canada with an early Remembrance Day.

I wish I could say that the rationalization ended there.  Unfortunately not.  During the course of my drive in to work a spouse of currently serving member of our Canadian armed forces called in to express her dismay at how ignored and forgotten she and her family felt during Remembrance Day.  While she might have been worried about a spouse or friends deployed overseas, others in her community were busily putting up Christmas trees or enjoying a day off of work to shop or enjoy other recreational opportunities.  The response from our local radio personality?  Well her husband made a choice to join the armed forces.  Why should his choice impact our enjoyment or commitment to Christmas?  From his standpoint, putting up Christmas decorations at his home, or a business putting up Christmas decorations before November 11th, had nothing to do with respect or disrespect for our armed forces.

I can't disagree more and unlike Brett Wilson, I believe that we should do more than just raise the level of discussion on this matter.  It's not that I'm a grinch or anti-Christmas.  On the contrary, I have a local reputation for being the 2nd coming of Griswald and if you need a guidepost for driving in Edmonton just look for the glow coming off the multitude of lights on my house.  Ditto for going over the top at Halloween.  But my Halloween lights and decorations come off immediately after the big candy fix and my Christmas lights don't go up nor get lighted until the weekend after Remembrance Day.  I do not see that as any grave sacrifice on my part - even if it might mean putting up lights and decorations in colder or snowier weather.  It's a small sacrifice to make on my part and is a small demonstration of respect - FOR ONE DAY - of the sacrifice made on my behalf by others.

And lets be honest about Christmas as well.  For most of us, Christmas has lost much of its spiritual significance.  The reaction that I have seen from retailers is either that they need the extra time to get their retail displays in order to start taking full advantage of a prime sales window for them or they simply can't afford the loss of a single day of sales if we were to declare November 11th a statutory holiday.  Even that wouldn't even necessarily mean no shopping hours.  While I appreciate that the Christmas season makes or breaks many a retailer's profits for the year, if one day makes that much of a difference I suggest you are not going to make it in the long haul regardless.

Maybe there are some of you who are anti-military on principle.  I can accept that.  However, most of us would also realize that the vast majority of our military personnel don't themselves make the decisions to deploy to Iraq or Afghanistan on military missions, nor do they deploy to places like Cyprus and Rwanda on peacekeeping missions out of their direct choice.  They go where and when we tell them leaving behind family and friends at the risk of life and limb.  And let's remember Mr. Radio Personality it is your taxes and your elected officials that have both created this opportunity for a military career and that ultimately then directs these people into harm's way.

And it's not like this choice is loaded with perks like great housing, great pay, or great opportunities after the end of their military careers.  As a country we have decided, through our elected leaders, to maintain a military force that allows us to participate in world affairs to the best of our abilities, in support of like-minded allies, and to uphold a set of values as a country that we say we hold dear.  I can't accept that whether you are pro- or anti-military that you would not find some place in your life to recognize the efforts and sacrifices of our fellow citizens on missions WE have sent them to complete.

So Mr. Radio Personality I certainly can't control whether you put up Christmas decorations in your house the day after Halloween.  I can't control whether your business decides its time to put up a Christmas tree in your lobby.  I can't control whether our local retailers decide its in their best business interests to get that head start on their profit margin by getting all decked out in holly.  Nor can I control whether buyers and sellers decide to do business on November 11th.  At least not yet.

I can, however, express my dismay at all of those choices as I do believe it displays a fundamental lack of respect for our armed forces - both living and dead.  In the end, it is more about all of us being entirely self-centred and selfish and materialistic.

This year, like every year, I'm waiting until the weekend after November 11th to put up my Christmas decorations.  This year, like every year I'm wearing a poppy on my jacket.  This year, like every year I'm going to do what I can to reflect on the efforts exerted on my behalf by our armed forces.  It's certainly the very least I can do.  Christmas can wait one more day.  And I can give one day to remember.
______________________________

Greg Hadubiak, MHSA, FACHE, CEC, PCC
TEC Canada Chair/Executive Coach/Senior Consultant
hadubiak@wmc.ca

Helping leaders realize their strengths and enabling organizations to achieve their potential through the application of my leadership experience and coaching skills. I act as a point of leverage for my clients. I AM their Force Multiplier.