Lessons from 'The Iron Duke' - give more praise!

Having recently completed a Myers-Briggs survey, I discovered that I am an Extroverted / Sensing / Thinking / Judging type of person (ESTJ). Looking more closely at the Thinking element, M-B states that these people "look at the logical consequences of a choice or action... energized by critiquing and analyzing to identify what's wrong with something so they can solve the problem". The flip side of Thinking is Feeling, of which M-B states that these people "are energized by appreciating and supporting others and look for qualities to praise". Now I will say that I only had a small preference to the Thinking side (23%), so I think I can balance these opposing fields - but it's interesting to understand that praise is a skill that comes more/less naturally to some.

We need to show more recognition and praise in the workplace for a job well done. Everyone deserves to feel proud and respected for their contributions.

From HOMEdigest 'The Sixty-Five Per Cent - Why is it so hard to give praise?' - "a survey in 2011 reported that 65% of Americans received no recognition in the workplace". No recognition? Zero, nothing? How sad.
The article ties in a reference to the Duke of Wellington ("the Iron Duke") who was famous for defeating Napoleon in the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. On his deathbed, he was asked if he had any regrets. "He replied, 'Yes, I should have given more praise'. More praise to the officers and men who slugged it out face-to-face with the enemy while (the Duke) received an abundance of honours and adulation".

So if you're a Feeling type of person (according to M-B), keep up the strong praise and acknowledgements. Your leadership may help set a good example and spread positive feedback. And if you're a Thinking type of person (according to M-B), remember to show more recognition and praise in the workplace for a job well done. Everyone deserves to feel proud and respected for their contributions.

Not just change, but LEAN change!

We've all experienced change in the workplace... some good and some not so good - although it seems like we have more experience with the bad & ugly. What makes change management so difficult? Oh right - there's the people factor. People are unique and will react differently.

Jeff Anderson and Alexis Hui from Deloitte presented their thoughts on 'Lean Change' to the KW Limited WIP Society yesterday. Their methodology is a combination of Kotter's 8 Steps, Lean Kanban, and Ash Maurya's 'Running Lean' principles.

Lean Canvas

I was introduced to a new concept called a 'Lean Canvas'. It's a one page business model that is produced on a large scale (whiteboard, empty wall) to ensure visibility. It reminded me of an A3, only blown up from its 11x17 piece of paper. In Kanban style, post-it notes are used on the Canvas to capture key points.
The Canvas presented by Jeff and Alexis captured key points on Urgency, Vision, Success Criteria, Target State, Action, Change Recipients, and Wins/Benefits.
At the bottom of the Canvas, Action Post-It Notes were moved Kanban style from a 'to-do' pile, to a 'work-in-progress' pile in the middle, and finally to 'done' once fully completed.

 

Change Risk

Three types of change were addressed in the presentation:

1. Change risk: will the business problem be fixed or do we have the wrong change?
2. Resistance risk: will people adopt the change or is it a bad "fit" (i.e. cultural barriers)?
3. Sustainability risk: will people continue with the change?

Organisations need the ability to continually transform their people, processes and technology. Lean Change is a relatively new concept. It was interesting to learn a new application for Kanban methods. Having stakeholders involved in building a Canvas and Action Plan using visual Kanban should increase buy-in and enhance chances of a successful change adoption. And if not, the team can work together on another change option (using an iterative approach) to find the best solution to address the problem.

For more from the experts... check out http://agileconsulting.blogspot.ca/

Work "rules" to break

We've all heard these before - the workplace demands certain behaviors with rigid rules to follow... 1. Stay away from emotional topics 2. Climb the career ladder 3. Do what you were hired to do 4. Live at the office 5. Network 24/7 In '5 Work Rules You Should Break', Patrick Doyle argues against all of the above. Here are some of my own thoughts... Stay away from emotional topics Highly recommend this quick You Tube clip of an interview with Anne Kreamer on 'Emotions in the Workplace'. Humans are emotional beings and it's ridiculous to think that we can fully check our emotions at the door when coming to work. Emotions bring out the passion in people and allow us confront real issues rather than becoming complacent. When we share feelings with our coworkers we develop deeper relationships and learn to emphasise with others. Climb the career ladder The myth out there is that you have to pursue a management job to build a career path that is progressing and rewarding appropriately. Our own OD department has developed two distinct paths: People Managers and Individual Contributors. I believe that both paths offer opportunities for promotion. In our current business environment, I think a resume is valued for the value a person realised - rather than the number of people managed. Lateral movements can develop new skills and open doors to new career paths. Do what you were hired to do We all know someone who "only does their job"... but does anyone like working with that person? It's frustrating when people don't accept personal ownership and accountability under a false shield of it being "outside their job responsibility". Going above and beyond to get the job done right is appreciated and recognised. Live at the office Developing interests and hobbies outside work boosts creativity and productivity at work. There may be times when work is crazy and long hours are absolutely necessary to meet a due date - but you should have peaks and valleys (not all peaks). Avoid burn-out by taking your vacation days (you've earned them!) and not working through your lunch hour. Working effectively and staying focused throughout the day should avoid consistent over-time hours. Network 24/7 Connect with people in a real, personal way to help your career. From the article previously mentioned: "It’s inefficient to... start mingling with random people.  ...Work social-media connections instead. You can get in touch with important people who interest you, whether they’re in your industry or not. Retweet messages of theirs, ask them questions, and strike up online relationships. From there, it can be easy to get them to meet you for lunch or coffee".