Canadian HR Strategy

25 work together as a whole continued to be reinforced. ese processes don't work in isolation. Closing out, Edmond Mellina of Orchango presented with Mi- chael Beard, CEO of Ontario's Technical Standards and Safety Au- thority (TSSA), a clear picture of how approaches like these made a dramatic diff erence over three years at TSSA. is illustrated a change challenge with unique aspects (as all organizations face), but one that was achieved without the usual fi ring of resistors, and achieved with goodwill, ahead of schedule despite the initial appear- ance of being impossible. All these stories leave hope that organizations — and more par- ticularly those who lead them — can and do learn if they set out to do so, and such learning dramatically improves results as well as producing far better work environments for all of us. great leaders choose to grow (Strategic capability) By Karen Gorsline T ypically, organizations use the term "growth" in terms of specifi c results and outcomes that are o en incremental and predictable. ere may be periods of growth spurts, stable progress and even setbacks, but growth is not associated with choice, especially uncomfortable choices. Organizations need leaders who challenge themselves outside their comfort zone to add to their capa- bilities and broaden choices for organizations. Liz Monroe-Cook provided some thoughts on how to manage thinking more eff ectively: pay attention to sleep, exercise and nu- trition; put more focus on being present in the moment; choose to prioritize when fresh; be aware of thinking and self-talk and how to change it through disruption and new thinking; understand the interplay between rational thinking and emotional impacts; practise to build strength and confi dence but not be lulled into overconfi dence. Helen Kerr's starting point for managing change in turbulent times is infusing more information into the process to broaden per- spectives, challenge assumptions and to begin to sense what the fu- ture may hold. Peter Jensen's coaching model begins with a foundation of man- aging one's self. is includes understanding your impact on others and taking conscious, self-management action. He also challenges assumptions around a coach's role. While coaches obviously want to support overall success, success requires a coach to help others learn from loss, mistakes and adversity. e coach also needs to help others use imagery for positive ac- tion and to uncover and work through barriers to attain a desired goal. To support this, the coach needs to challenge his own assump- tions about what is occurring by asking questions, listening, chal- lenging the learner's assumptions and providing specifi c, relevant feedback. expanding the tool kit rough a series of group exercises, Monroe-Cook demon- strated that the belief we can multitask effi ciently and eff ectively is highly overrated. Even with focused eff ort, participants were not successful at performing competing activities. It was clear that making choices and priorities are needed to focus successful task performance. Kerr compared reactive, strategic and purpose-based responses. One response is to simply react. ere may be times when an imme- diate relief or solution is required but organizations in reactive mode leave themselves open to ad hoc, inconsistent action. A strategic re- sponse focuses on what the organization is trying to achieve but runs the risk of being overly rigid or irrelevant in rapidly changing envi- ronments, creating confusion as the response becomes misaligned with the emerging realities. A purposeful response focuses on: What am I here for? How can I help? More information on the environment and constant monitoring of trends are needed to signal changes. is information can then be incorporated into an evolving understanding of the world and its impacts. e guiding principles can be translated into action plans and applied to the outcomes that matter most. In turbulent times, a purposeful approach to change was seen as the most successful option where there are high degrees of uncer- tainty. Understanding the potential scenarios, the needed invest- ment and application of various responses gives leaders a broader tool kit of understanding around how and when to apply various responses. Jensen described a process where athletes confronted challenges and blockages they faced. By working through a series of scenarios and responses, they were better prepared — physically, mentally and tactically — to respond to challenging situations. O en scenario planning is viewed as theoretical, time-consuming and somewhat academic but his basic, applied-scenario envisioning, response identifi cation and related preparation pave the way for optimum performance. Michael Beard of TSSA faced another challenge. e not-for- profi t was very stable in terms of legislation, its mandate and its workforce. But becoming complacent in some of its key responsibili- ties and relying on its monopolistic position, TSSA was not taking full advantage of available skills and resources and faced resistance to fees and any increases. It refocused from being primarily compli- ance- and enforcement-oriented to being a valued advocate and rec- ognized authority. is was a conscious response to leverage the high skill set, level of resources and passion and motivation of employees with regard to safety. e response to internally motivate and achieve the goals required a commitment to a culture change, a change man- agement infrastructure and approach, and new and diff erent systems and processes. Leaders who are self-confi dent and rely on their past experience, trade on their charisma or position, don't examine their assumptions or ignore what is happening around them do a disservice to their organizations. Leaders need to continue to grow by managing them- selves and expanding their tool kit of responses.

• Cover