Agility: Develop Managers for a Complex World

Developing
Managers for a
Complex World:
Why Thinking Agility
is Critical to the
Success of Leaders

© Herrmann Global 2013

Today’s Agenda
• Introductions
• Today’s business
environment
• Implications on
Mark Barrett, COO organizations & leaders
Herrmann International
• How to navigate
• The missing element
• Next steps

Orin Salas, VP Sales
Herrmann International


How would you characterize
today’s business environment?


• Volatile
• Uncertain
• Complex
VUCA • Ambiguous
Coined by the US Army War
College


Complicated Complex


Why is this?

• Speed of innovation
• Expanding global
markets
• Digital revolution
• Efficiencies
• Ever increasing,
extensive knowledge
• Talent shortage –
talent diversity


What are the implications for your Leaders?
Leadership was defined as… Today leadership is defined…
A Position A Process
Functional orientation Boundary-less orientation
Happens at the top Throughout the organization
Rewarded for being a star Success of others
Independent decision making Interdependent decision making
Develop via individual competencies Develop via groups & networks
Power lies in position Collaborative
Competitive Feeling & emotional
Stay the course strategy Emergent/flexible strategy
Sells their opinion Inquires for buy-in

Source: Center for Creative Leadership


What are the implications for
the organization:
Survive & Prosper
or
Wither & Die?


In today’s world, what is the
core leadership capability
that is needed?


EXERCISE: In today’s complex world, what do you think
leaders need to be able to do? Check all that apply.

 Proficiently move, change, and  Enjoy getting through in deep
evolve with the organization end of problems
 Creative thinkers with a deep sense  Move quickly, remaining both,
of purpose nimble and responsive
 Propensity and ability to move into  Think and draw conclusions
action, make decisions, and quickly
implement, which results in greater  Run within shifting policies,
learning regulations, mandates, budgets,
priorities with changing missions
 Actively engage stakeholders
and charters
 Not average employee -“seek pain  Change tactics or direction
to learn” quickly –to anticipate, adapt to,
 Expand knowledge; question status and react decisively to events in
quo the business environment
 Migrates to challenges; thrive off of  Modify to circumstances
solving difficult problems

Source: Forbes.com article, June 2012, Agility: The Ingredient That Will Define The Next Generation of Leadership


So, how do you develop
leadership agility in your
managers?


The Typical Leadership Agility Assumption

Development
Improvement
of skills,
in Leadership
knowledge,
Agility
and behavior

Source: People & Strategy, 2010,“Leadership Agility: A Business Imperative for a VUCA World”


After all the actions you are taking,
why does agility still come up
short in your leaders?

Development
Improvement
of skills, Missing
in Leadership
knowledge, Element Agility
and behavior


The Development of
Leadership Agility Reality

Development
Improvement
of skills,
in Leadership
knowledge,
Agility
and behavior


Thinking is the Catalyst
for Leadership Agility.


And there is a lot to think about….


What the
leader is
thinking,
and their
focus, can
be different
from…

…what you
and the
organization
is thinking
and their
focus.


Whole Brain® ROI Scoreboard
Check the 8 items that receive the least
attention from your leaders.
 Efficiency  Innovation
 Financials  Environment
 Technology  Future Trends
 Past trends  New Concepts
 Performance Analysis  National – World Issues
 Critical Indicators  Vision – Purpose
 Goals – Objectives  Long-term Strategy
 Regulations – Legal  People Development
 Safety – Risk Reduction  Teams – Relationships
 Quality – Perfection  Community Relations
 Critical Resources  Customer Relations
 Control  Communications
 Timing  Culture – Values
 Policies  Recognition


Whole Brain® ROI Scoreboard
Circle the 8 items that receive the
most attention from your leaders.
 Efficiency  Innovation
 Financials  Environment
 Past trends  New Concepts
 Performance Analysis  National – World Issues
 Goals – Objectives  Long-term Strategy
 Safety – Risk Reduction  Teams – Relationships
 Policies  Recognition


Analysis of Leaders Least vs. Most Attention
Critical Scorecard Elements
 Efficiency – Speed  Innovation – Creativity
 Financials – Costs – ROI  Environment – Competition
 Past Trends  New Concepts & Products
 Performance Analysis  National – Global Issues
 Goals – Objectives  Long-Term Strategy
 Safety – Security – Risk Mgt.  Teams – Collaboration
 Execution  Recognition

Whole Brain® and the four color, 4 quadrant graphic is a trademark of Herrmann Global. © Herrmann Global 2013.


Agility is the ability to think about it all…..

D. Focused on
A. Focused on innovative,
numbers and creative solutions,
results, using considers long term
analysis, using needs, anticipates
logic, data and unrealized needs
technology

B. Focused on C. Focused on
following the steps effective
including effective collaboration and
planning, communication
execution, and with customers,
follow through leaders and
colleagues


Leadership Agility:
It’s all in the THINKING.

Development
Improvement
of skills,
in Leadership
knowledge,
Agility
and behavior



Case Study: Cirque du Soleil
Business Issues:
• Drive leadership development and
effectiveness
• Improve decision making
• Assemble high-performing teams

Results:
• A better understanding of
interdependencies
• A greater openness about different
thinking styles in the organization
• Increased team effectiveness
• Leaders benefit from a unique
understanding of the thinking style
each team member brings to the
fore.


“The approach was very appreciated from senior managers, it’s
very useful for this organization to understand where our thinking
preferences are in order to realign or understand our differences.”

“We will have different thinking
preferences in production vs. creative
vs. corporate. The Whole Brain® Thinking
concept is very powerful, and the trends
are very important to acknowledge and
accept.”

- France Dufresne, Director for Organizational
Development and Training at Cirque


Case Study: IBM
Business Issues:
• Drive leadership development and
effectiveness
• Accelerate global new leader
development
• Decrease costs while maintaining
learning quality and outcomes

Results:
• Reduced training delivery costs
• Improved entry- and exit-level
participant knowledge
• Increased time available for business-
focused application activities


“To be truly global requires
that all IBMers be culturally
adaptable in all its forms, this
extends beyond just
understanding our cultural
diversity to using this diversity
to extend that competitive
advantage. Whole brain®
Thinking allows us to
understand, appreciate, and
most importantly, leverage
the diversity of thought that
naturally exists in our
company.“

- Rich DeSerio, Manager of the IBM
Leadership Development Programs'
Global Design Team


Why is it so difficult to find and develop
agile leaders?
Organizational Level
• Lack of management practices
that foster collaboration due to
traditional focus on individuals to
the exclusion of groups
• Lack of time for coaching, training
and development, even when it is
planned and budgeted for
• Business imperatives that require
more risk taking and innovation
when a fear of failure still pervades
in the culture
• Managing and leading up to four
generations in the workplace,
each of which requires a
differentiated leadership style


Are you experiencing any of these?

Individual Level
• Workplace stress and information
overload
• Ever increasing workload with no
end in sight
• Role complexity and “bundling”
with no time to adjust definition or
expectations
• Challenges leading cognitively
diverse teams effectively in virtual
environments
• Change fatigue creating an
attitude of “why bother—it’ll just
change again anyway”
• __________________
• __________________
• __________________


Is it impossible to find or grow agile leaders?

Forbes estimates that only about 10 %
of today’s employees having the
appropriate levels of “leadership agility”
that is needed.


What are you most focused on?

D. Focused on
technology

steps including effective
effective planning, collaboration and
execution, and communication
follow through with customers,
leaders and
colleagues


What are your leaders most focused on?
• A clear common purpose, goals and • Vision of a successful future
performance objectives • An idea of how the work fits into the
• An understanding of finance and larger organizational strategy
budget • A willingness to take risks
• All the data and research that is needed • New ideas and solutions that challenge
• Technology that can support goals the status quo
• Clear measurements and analysis • An idea on how the organization fits into
the big picture and global perspective

• Guidelines, agendas and ground rules •• Uses intuition to build each interpersonal
An understanding of relationships and
to help use time together effectively manage emotional issues
dynamics
• Resources needed •• Demonstrates empathy and good
Making facilitation skills available
• Agreed upon processes • communication skills with customers of
An understanding and appreciation
• Clear priorities, a plan and a timeline and colleagues
customers, associates and stakeholders
• Clear responsibilities and •• Possesses refined listeningeffective
Clear design of roles and and
accountabilities observation skills that build stronger
interaction
• relationships with customers
Agreements on how to communicate
• Genuine interest in all types of people
internally and externally
• Collaboration and ability to manage
complex interpersonal situations
Whole Brain®
• Team oriented with customers and peers
and the four color, 4 quadrant graphic is a trademark of Herrmann Global. © Herrmann Global 2013.


What do you want your leaders to be most focused on?

dynamics
interaction
Whole Brain®


What is your organization most focused on?

D. Focused on
technology

following the steps effective
including effective collaboration and
planning, communication
execution, and with customers,
follow through leaders and
colleagues


What do you want your organization to be most focused on?

dynamics
interaction
Whole Brain®


How do you and your leaders get in alignment?


Whole Brain® Thinking Model



So, you may be asking, what
are the next steps?


Develop Whole Brain® Managers as part of your
Leadership Development Strategy
Learn how to:
• Apply Whole Brain® Thinking to a
business challenge
• Leverage your thinking preferences at
work
• Use Whole Brain® Thinking in coaching
• Communicate in a Whole Brain®
approach
• Use Whole Brain Decision Making
Model ™
• Become a Whole Brain Problem
Solver™
• Develop a Whole Brain® Team
Whole Brain® and the four color, 4 quadrant
• Think like your client
graphic is a trademark of Herrmann Global.
© Herrmann Global 2013.
• Handle difficult interactions with Whole
Brain® Thinking


Whole Brain Decision Making Model ™



The ROI of a Whole Brain® Manager
A D

Return on Return on
Investment Leadership Ideas
Return on Agility Return on
Implementation Interaction

B C


Any Leader, in any type of organization and industry, can
improve their agility and become a
Whole Brain® Manager.

better results through better thinking
Originators of Whole Brain® Technology and
Creators of the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument® (HBDI®)
www.HerrmannSolutions.com

Agility: Develop Managers for a Complex World

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