Canadian HR Strategy

24 executive Series digest hrreporter.com NEw CHapTEr leadership: The final frontier (leadership in action) By Dave Crisp F our excellent presentations highlighted Strategic Capability Network's all-day 35th anniversary event. Perhaps most sig- nifi cantly for the future of HR, they all dealt with aspects of leadership — the core issue that must be mastered for the greatest fi nancial boost, as well as benefi ts to all stakeholders as people. We can improve technical and policy aspects step by step, includ- ing analytics, organization structure, planning and understanding of globalization. With these, we can learn and implement increasingly better practices. ey are issues of fact that can be tested, set down clearly, followed and enhanced scientifi cally. But unless we can improve leadership — in other words, im- prove ourselves, our own human and therefore potentially variable and fl awed abilities to motivate, engage and encourage innovation — we will not be able to exceed the limits we impose on organiza- tions by demotivating, disengaging and limiting those who work for and with us. rough a highly entertaining stream of humorous, enlightening and entertaining revelations that I trust will come across in the video recordings (available through SCNetwork at www.scnetwork.ca), the presenters illustrated what we are up against in leading equally fl awed human beings in challenging situations — and trying to im- prove our own abilities to do so at the same time. is is where the best organizations are focusing much more widely today than at any other point in history. Older leadership and strategy models were based heavily on purely rational logic — me- chanical theories of what was supposed to work, without much refer- ence to those attempting to apply the "best fi ve skills" or "the seven steps to good strategy formation." What we're fi nally recognizing is we have to deal directly and honestly with ourselves and our own fl aws and limitations. One idea that kicked off the day is to look at brain function — when do our brain's thinking processes cause us to believe false myths or make decisions biased by our own limited perceptions, and how can we counter some of that? e best advice from the kickoff presenter, psychologist Liz Mon- roe-Cook, summarizes it easily — pay more attention, stay humble enough to recognize that some things that seem obvious to us are potentially imperfect, and maintain a more open mind, asking oth- ers to contribute their input and work with us instead of expecting them to simply follow orders. She points out that our understanding of these fundamentals is still in such infancy that it's best we remain vigilant, slow down, avoid multitasking when possible and practise healthy lifestyles and mindfulness — the latter in part to remain open to possible fl awed thinking and better ideas. More directly for business, Helen Kerr — co-president of Toron- to-based KerrSmith Design — led the group through practical dem- onstrations on better guides to dramatic uncertainties we simply do not have the ability to predict eff ectively. Given the vast number of mission statements and strategy binders that collect dust on shelves, her advice to broaden the process to set overall purpose — instead of specifi c corporate objectives — is help- ful. She said objectives are too specifi c, and can lock people's scope of thinking and action to goals even a er they've become outdated. ey can impede rather than support change. Another great point is that objectives are more diffi cult to com- municate since they have to be re-interpreted to be specifi c to each division and each level of staff — an exercise that almost never gets completed with suffi cient co-ordination. Purposes, by contrast, apply to all levels and areas, are easy to communicate and leave some fl exibility and room for each division and unit to adapt best solutions from those closest to actual custom- ers and action. Of course, the use of purpose rather than specifi c objectives for each team requires diff erent leadership — a style that allows for input and some autonomy, factors that are much prized by staff and there- fore boost engagement, but which are o en the exception in many command-and-control-oriented organizations. Kerr's hands-on engagement of the audience in trying to focus their own purposes was not only a great illustration of how the meth- ods would work organizationally, but it also le many with some in- teresting, followup intentions to spend serious time answering some of the questions the process posed for their own lives and applica- tions. In keeping with other presenters, the message is clear — today's approach to eff ective strategic planning is equally valuable for indi- viduals, teams and organizations, at every level. at fi ts exactly with the concept that leaders must fi rst change and grow themselves if they are to be eff ective at engaging change and growth in their orga- nizations and employees. Peter Jensen's presentation on coaching keys and best behaviours was engaging as always, again emphasizing that the best leaders and coaches work on the whole person, the whole situation and are not reticent about getting into details — large or small, personal or orga- nizational, emotional or technical — that aff ect performance. Keys of honesty, trust, caring are well-known — o en not easy to fi nd in today's average leader — but clearly needed for better success in future. e message that the concepts from the whole day must

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