WE-Centric Leadership (Part 2 of 2): The DNA of Leadership

[email protected] http://salhir.wordpress.comCopyright (c) 2011 Sinan Si Alhir. All rights reserved.

The DNA of Leadership1

WE-Centric LeadershipPart 2: The DNA of Leadership

Si [email protected]

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www.CultureSync.net www.CreatingWEInstitute.com

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Si Alhir (Sinan Si Alhir)Practitioner and Coach

~ Over two decades of proven experience in Solutioning: ~ Organizational Health (Performance & Well-being) and DNA (Transformation)~ Enterprise (Business and Technology) Transformation (Adopt, Scale, Sustain)~ Technology product/services management (planning, marketing, and sales)

and Engineering (development)~ Lean, Agile, Scrum, XP, Kanban, and other proven approaches~ Consultant, Coach/Mentor, Trainer/Educator, and Conference Speaker

~ Author (3 books, 2 articles in the Encyclopedia of SE, and other publications)

~ CultureSync Approved Tribal Leader,Certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt (MBB),Certified Scrum Master (CSM), Certified Proj Mg Prof (PMP),IT Proj Mgt Certified Prof (IT Project+) and e-Business Certified Prof (e-Biz+)

~ Information~ Email: [email protected] / [email protected]~ Phone: 202.596.8202~ LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/salhir~ Blog: http://salhir.wordpress.com~ Twitter: http://twitter.com/SAlhir

[email protected]://www.redpointtech.com



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Thriving on Chaos* in an Age of Discontinuity**

~ Past~ Incoherence & Inconsistency

~ Present~ Chaos and Ambiguity

~ Future~ Unpredictability & Uncertainty

~ Organizational Health (Performance and Well-being)~ High performance culture and thriving organization

* Tom Peters** Peter Drucker



What is Tribal Leadership?

~ A proven transformational process and leadership modelfor fostering organizational health~ Leverages natural groups to build thriving organizations~ Focuses on language and relationship structures within a

culture

~ Dave Logan, John King, and Halee Fischer-Wright~ "Tribal Leadership: Leveraging Natural Groups to Build a

Thriving Organization" (2008)~ Ten-year, 24,000 person, organizational research study~ How leaders leverage natural groups to build thriving

organizations



What is WE-centric Leadership?

~ A proven transformational process and leadership model for fostering organizational health~ Changes I-thinking to WE-thinking~ Shifts the power dynamics toward partnering (I to We)

~ Judith Glaser~ "Creating We: Change I-Thinking to WE-Thinking and Build a

Healthy, Thriving Organization" (2005)~ "The DNA Of Leadership: Leverage Your Instincts To

Communicate, Differentiate, Innovate" (2006)~ Twenty-year experience with hundreds of executives from

dozens of well-known companies around the globe



Why

~ Approximately 70% of all change initiatives fail*

~ Approximately 75% of all change efforts do not yield the promised results*

~ Culture is approximately 8 times more influential than strategy in determining performance outcomes**

~ Stronger cultures — founded upon shared values, aligned with a strategy, and interconnected people which emphasizes key stakeholders (customers, stockholders, and employees) and leadership — outperform weaker cultures with approximately***~ 4 times higher revenue (682 percent versus 166 percent increase),~ 7 times more expanded work force (282 percent versus 36 percent),~ 12 times higher stock prices (901 percent versus 74 percent), and~ 756% higher net income (756 percent versus 1 percent)

* Harvard Business** Michael Henderson, Cultures AT Work*** John P. Kotter and James L. Heskett, Corporate Culture and Performance



Tribal Leadership:Birds Flock, Fish School, and People Tribe

~ Tribes and Culture~ Tribes are naturally forming groups (basic sociological units)~ Tribes move one cultural stage at a time on a scale one-to-five~ Culture emerges from language (theme), behavior (mood), and

relationship structures

~ Tribal Leaders and Tribal Leadership~ Tribal leaders upgrade tribes through cultural stages using leverage

points~ Tribal leadership involves nudging language and fostering relationships~ Tribal leaders synchronize culture & strategy to produce superior results ~ Tribal leaders consistently stabilize and effectively develop other people

who lead from their role and expertise~ Tribal leaders foster leveraging commitment to resonant core values,

aligning on a noble cause, establishing triadic relationships, and building a history-making strategy



Tribal Leadership:Cultural Stages and The Epiphany

~ Cultural Stages~ Stage 1: “Life sucks ”~ Stage 2: “My life sucks ”~ Stage 3: “I’m great (and you’re not) ”~ Stage 4: “We’re great (and they’re not) ”~ Stage 5: “Life is great”

~ The Epiphany ("I Am Because We Are")~ Journey from Stage 3 to Stage 4~ At Stage 3, there is a Point of Diminishing Returns~ First Reflection: “What have I achieved?”~ Second Reflection: “How can I fix this?”~ Third Reflection: “What’s the real goal?”~ Realization: “I Am Because We Are”



Tribal Leadership:Triads & Triading and Tribal Strategy

~ Triads and Triading~ Three-part relationships based on core values & mutual self-

interest~ Each leg of the structure is responsible for the quality of the

relationship between the other two parts

~ Tribal Strategy~ Three separate and interlocking conversations that flow from

core values and noble cause~ Three questions, which the tribe must answer “yes” to before

the strategy can be successfully implemented~ Core Values and Noble Cause~ Outcomes (“What do we want?”)~ Assets (“What do we have?”)~ Behaviors (“What we will do?”)



WE-centric Leadership: I-Thinking to WE-Thinking

~ Unhealthy/toxic cultures (I-centric fingerprint) foster failure~ People fail to communicate about challenges~ People lack sensitivity toward others~ People turn inward, and create positive beliefs about themselves and

negative beliefs about others

~ Healthy cultures (WE-centric fingerprint) foster success~ People signal when in trouble, and gain help from others~ People have incredible sensitivity toward others, and support one

another~ People don’t allow themselves to turn inward, and focus on the future

~ Creating WE: Transforming from a less-healthy to a more-healthy culture~ Believing WE: Changing attitudes or beliefs~ Learning WE: Adopting new habits of mind and behaviors~ Being WE: Expressing WE-consciousness



WE-centric Leadership: Creating WE - Believing, Learning, and Being WE

~ Creating WE~ From Power-over / Followership (servitude to an authority)

to Power-with / Fellowship (community of leaders)through engagement (collaborate and co-create)and partnering (interdependence)

~ Believing WE: Changing attitudes or beliefs~ I’m Giving Orders -- and You’re Not Listening! -- The Challenge of Authority~ My Turf, Your Turf -- The Challenge of Territoriality~ It Must Be Your Fault ... -- The Challenge of Self-Interest

~ Learning WE: Adopting new habits of mind and behaviors~ Hello, Can You Hear Me? -- Understanding the Culture~ But That’s How It’s Always Been Done! -- Embracing the Possibilities~ Are We Really on the Same Team? -- Opening the Space~ Get Over It! -- Shaping the Conversations~ Fried or Foe? -- Transforming the Culture

~ Being WE: Facing stressful situations and expressing WE-consciousness~ If They Don’t Care, I Don’t Care! -- Working in Concert~ They Said It Couldn’t Be Done! -- Sustaining We



WE-centric Leadership:The DNA of LeadershipThe Human Spirit Realized

Everything happens through conversation. Language is the link that creates community, culture, and the future. Language is a large part of what makes us different from other living species. Language enables us to develop and handle complexity and ambiguity, to evolve and grow, and to teach others what we know. Colleagues who share a common language, common definitions, and common meanings are a community.Language is not neutral. Language triggers reactions, not only those we can see but those we can’t see as well. Words communicate more than information. They are triggers that create ripple effects on those around us. When we communicate, the meanings of words reside in the listener as well as in the speaker. Sometimes we forget that and think that just because I told you, you get it. Communicating is a WE-centric process.

The DNA of Leadership (Pg. 19)



WE-centric Leadership:The DNA of Leadership

~ Leadership is a journey not a destination~ Everything happens through conversation (collaboration and co-creation) which

trigger instincts~ Fearful conversations suppress our DNA~ Vital conversations express our DNA~ Leaders influence culture, foster an environment and nurture people, so that

leadership greatness emerges

~ Set of dimensions that dramatically influence how leadership is expressed in organizations~ Regressive I-Centric/Protect (Dictate-Imitate-Stagnate)~ Progressive WE-Centric/Partner (Communicate-Differentiate-Innovate)

Gene Progressive RegressiveCommunity Including ExcludingHumanity Appreciating BlamingAspirations Striving FearingNavigation Sharing WithholdingGenerativity Wondering KnowingExpression Developing DictatingSpirit Celebrating Conforming



WE-centric Leadership:The DNA of Leadership – C-H-A-N-G-E-S

~ Community/Co-Creating (The Context We Set)-- Breaking down walls and inviting others in, rather than erecting and enforcing boundaries to keep others out

~ Exclusive (Power-over)~Directionless~Lack of shared vision and purpose

~ Inclusive (Power-with)~Strong sense of direction~Clarity of goals and strategies~Shared vision

~ To feel included, people need to have authority for making decisions, and to work co-creatively with others




~ Humanity/Humanizing (The Relationships We Build)-- Empathy for the feelings everyone has, rather than pointing fingers to preserve your own

~ Judging (Criticizing)~Focus on weaknesses~Lack of respect and appreciation~Blaming culture

~ Appreciating~Focus on strengths~High level of trust, respect, and mutuality

~ To feel appreciated, people need to be valued, based on healthy conversations




~ Aspiration/Aspiring (The Dreams We Hold)-- Allowing others to dream freely, rather than waking them up to “how things get done”

~ Limiting (Fear Based)~ Lack of organizational ambition~ Lowering of the bar~Underperforming

~ Expanding~Organizational ambition~Raising the bar~ Learn from the past

~ To be unafraid, people need to have dreams about their future




~ Navigation/Navigating (The Actions We Take)-- Letting others set the course and share the wheel, rather than jealously guarding the compass and the helm

~ Territorial and Scarcity (Silo-mentality)~ Lack of cohesion and teamwork~ Lack of sharing~ Inner focus~Failure to connect

~ Share and Abundance~Sharing best practices~Create centers of excellence

~ To grow, people need to explore, learn from others, and be exposed to diverse ways of thinking




~ Generativity/Generating (The Ideas We Evolve)-- Pushing the boundaries of the status quo, allowing new wisdom to emerge, rather than reverting to what has worked before

~ Persuading and Knowing (Punish Risk-taking)~Failure to tap resources and creativity~Group-think~Falls behind

~ Generative and Wondering (Risk-taking)~Continually creates and innovates~Competition

~ To be alive with wonder, people need to be genuinely challenged




~ Expression/Expressing (The Words We Choose)-- Allowing individual greatness to emerge and benefit all, rather than shouting the voice of authority

~ Autocratic and Controlling (Dictates)~Failure to develop leadership, accountability~Loss of voice

~ Developing and Encouraging~Leaders developing and mentoring leaders~Accountably~A strong voice

~ To build confidence and develop professionally, people need to voice their ideas and opinions, and be heard




~ Spirit/Synchronizing (The Purpose and Passion We Live)-- Attaching everyone to a larger purpose and acknowledging group achievement with enthusiasm and joy, rather than pursuing self-aggrandizement

~ Compliance~ Lack of spirit~ Leadership and employees not pulling together

~ Commitment~ Spirit, purpose, and communication~Pulling in the same direction, toward the future

~ To be excited and joyous, people need to know they are part of something bigger than themselves, something important and purposeful and evolving, and to experience celebrations of individual and group accomplishments



Conclusion

~ Tribal Leadership: Birds Flock, Fish School, and People Tribe~ Cultural Stages~ The Epiphany ("I Am Because We Are")~ Triads and Triading~ Tribal Strategy

~ WE-centric Leadership: I-Thinking to WE-Thinking~ Believing WE- Changing attitudes or beliefs~ Learning WE- Adopting new habits of mind and behaviors~ Being WE- Expressing WE-consciousness

~ WE-centric Leadership: Leverage your Instincts~ Leadership is not about the “I” alone~ Leadership is about the “I inside the WE” that must come alive~ In healthy organizations, the “I” can differentiate its uniqueness

inside of the “WE”



Thank You

Si [email protected]

salhir.wordpress.com

www.CultureSync.net www.CreatingWEInstitute.com


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