The Problem Of The Uncomfortable!

The problem of the uncomfortable!

The problem of the uncomfortable, is not the goal, it is the journey. Even in project management, there is a lot of energy put towards identifying risks and mitigating them. Another metaphor for this same journey is a Dungeons and Dragons quest.

The Man Kind Project looks at the uncomfortable through many processes, but one identified in the article is "Stretches". Stretches, or SMART Goals, are the steps in the project plan to walking the journey and achieve the goal.

Specific Measurable Attainable Realistic Time Bound

While these steps, ask you to look at the best case scenario outcome, we often forget to examine the worst case scenario outcomes, that most project managers look at on a daily basis.

Dependencies Risks Issues Assumptions Unknowns

For many people, the only worst case scenario they consider is, "Being hit by a train!" They never consider that they might be hit by a body part of someone else's worst case scenario. Or even worse, someone's best case scenario being to push someone into their worst case scenario. (- Sorry, it's a little gruesome for role playing effect! -)

"No strategy survives contact with the enemy.", Helmuth von Moltke the Elder. It is only in recognizing patterns that we find the path of least resistance to the goal. Many Jujitsu students study how to navigate their partners counters to eventually submit them. Chess students also study chess patterns to build strategies.

Like Jujitsu students, members of the Man Kind Project, study processes that help men explore their worst case scenarios. Processes for looking at risks. Holding men accountable to agreements. Ways to cleanly express upset and wants, while acknowledging why those things are important. Seeing judgement and beliefs for what they are .. walls. Understanding that sometimes we have to give up something to get something. and more ...

A process I use and can share from Directed Dreaming, is this: What is the issue? What is causing the issue? What are solutions for this issue? How do I feel about this issue? What do I do when this issue comes up? Can I live with this issue? What am I getting now with things unchanged? What would I get if things changed? What would I have to give up if things changed? What do I want?

The Journey. Not the goal is where the uncomfortable lies. Crossing the mountain through mud and snow. Over treacherous bridges and glide lines. Climbing sheer faces with 1000 foot drops, or being chased by a bear. These are all possibilities on a journey through a mountain pass. Until you meet a troll under a bridge. Or come a cross a home that smells of candied cakes. Or maybe a something else from the Grimm Fairy Tales.

Face your fears and you will conquer the world.

What should you talk about with a Leader?

When you think about the question, "What should I talk about with my leader?", how do you plan the time you've arranged with them? Do you talk about stuff they already know? Do you provide them with information about what they don't know? Do you ask them to fill in information gaps?

Seven Ways to (Really) Engage People

This article is in response to:

http://bnetworking.info/?p=2369

Interesting article on Seven (7) Engagement Motivators. Question: What brought this group together in the first place? It's a generic question, but usually points to the issue that people are passionate about working on and trying to solve. The more that people care about the problem they are trying to solve, the more energy, effort and fighting spirit that they will put into the project. As you pointed out, a project that has personal meaning and SMART goals remains tangible to the whole group. Relationships are formed as people discuss various aspects of the problem, ways towards the solution, and fight over the best course of action. Commitment becomes a self motivator that prevents apathy from setting in. Belief is a tricky issue though, yes I would want people to believe in my abilities, but I think belief goes much deeper than that. I suggest that you take more time to delve into how belief affects individual members, the group as a whole, observers, peers no in the group, and people who don't care about this issue. I think there is a lot that will affect the human psyche from each of these perspectives. Freedom arrives as, you mentioned, managers learn to stop micro managing the process, and rely on subordinates to follow the ISO documents that describe the step by step process. However, as long as managers are tasked with gathering metrics against the ISO documents, their ability to provide freedom may not be permissible. And, subordinates may have to rely on other venues to provide feedback into the system. As described through "The Toyota Way." Work Ethic and Integrity. The Social Contract. Whether written or verbal is an agreement and understanding about the quality of the work that needs to be performed, what each person is responsible for, and why they are there - usually their expertise. These points, in turn, point back to each individuals intentions for being part of the project. Only 10 percent of the each persons intentions will ever be exposed to the group. As a leader, following the definition of leadership, "Guiding Intent with Integrity" towards a goal, these categories plus the additional 600+ out there, need to be thoroughly understood to properly master leadership. I look forward to reading your thoughts on how the rest affect leadership, followers, non-followers, outsiders, and observers. For example, a topic you touched on, and could discuss further is, how facilitation affects a leaders ability to build stronger relationships with everyone.

Tuesday's Workout

Weight 214 With the help of my personal trainer, I worked on ... Batter ropes .. 3 sets Lat pulldowns while sitting on a bolsa ball Cable Row press Crunches on a bolsa call with weights Pass the bolsa ball Lunges Seated wall squats with a bolsa ball and military press with weights Standing to seated wall squats Thigh stretches

Hunting for the equation of a Tribal Leader

Michael Fuhrman

Sr. Software Developer

Hunting for the equation of a Tribal Leader by looking at existing and past tribes, to see how / where organizations are falling off the path, and getting lost.  Terence McKenna, says, "If the truth can be told so as to be understood, it will be believed."  Dave Logan's book on Tribal Leadership mixes many equations together. Two equations that I am looking at lately are:  1) Business - to solve a personal or business problem  2) Leadership - is guiding intent with integrity  An old day Tribe Leader was charged with taking care of his or her group: collecting resources, studying the problems, preparing, solving arguments and so forth. Whole cultures are built around this annual life cycle - Spring, Summer, Winter, Fall. Planting, cultivating, reaping, and resting.  Today's organizations, still follow the same cycle and still deal with the same humanistic life issues. We see product life cycles follow the same life cycle. We see people who go to school. We see farmers cultivating crops during the summer. We see young being born. We see elderly retiring, resting, and passing away.  Leadership is a hot topic because Dr. Deming clearly destroyed the old model of top down leadership that many US companies preferred. When asked to rebuild Japan, Dr. Deming demonstrated that self directed groups, tasked with a looking at a particular problem, could improve the production quality of any system. Expand these groups throughout the whole business, which P&G did, and suddenly it becomes a trade secret.  Right now in America, there is a fight being waged between the worker and the titled, "Leaders", of businesses. These leaders don't like letting go of their wealth, which for them translates into power. But in Japan, a CEO of an airline is being paid less than his pilots and decries what US CEO's are doing as bad business. What problem for a tribe does this cause when the Tribal Leader believes he is more important than his tribe, and therefore all the resources should belong to him?

Leadership Questions

So, I've been reading a lot of books on leadership and collecting questions on leadership.  Here are some of them:

How do leaders build relationships?

How do leaders coach followers to become leaders?

What methods are there when describing a vision to followers?

How do leaders ferret out the beliefs of their followers?

How do leaders empower their followers to make decisions?

Why do leaders praise their followers when they have succeeded at achieving a milestone and/or a goal?

How do leaders control the conversation? And why is this [ controlling the conversation ] important?

How do leaders respond to an observers comment a out their execution of a vision?

How does a leader respond when a follower's limiting beliefs affect their [ the followers] motivation and initiative?

How and Who should leaders solicit input from followers about their vision?

Does a leader need to be a planner or a do'er?

Does a leader need planners or do'ers as followers?

How should a leader respond when a mistake is discovered?

How should a leader discuss goals in order to come into alignment with their followers?

When should a leader step into a team dispute?

What sources should a leader take into account when building a vision?

Should a leader organize his followers based on guiding principles or the rule of law?

What should a leader keep from his followers?

When should a leader interact with other groups?

What habits should a highly effective leader have?

Should leaders reflect on their past leadership roles?

How does a leader determine who to reward when the vision is achieved?

How does Ego affect a leaders ability to lead followers?

How do leaders check in with followers on their progress, resources, and/or journey?

How does a leader think about his followers?

How does a leader build respect?

How does a leader delegate responsibility?

How does a leader take two opposing view points and create a third unifying view point?

Why does a leader face what he fears most?

How does a leader manage expectations?

How do leaders manage uncertainty?

How does a leader challenge the norm, and set the pace of change that followers can absorb?

How does a leader uncover deep seated and held beliefs by followers, non-followers, outsiders and observers?

How does a leader bring his followers to understand the benefits and trade offs associated with their desired outcome?

How does a leader start a conversation about a difficult subject?

How does a leader keep a conversation going until all the perspectives have been examined?

How does a leader deal with resistance to change from followers, non-followers and outsiders?

How does a leader deal with distractions from the vision?

How does a leader represent the followers issues to peers, non-followers, outsiders and observers?

What happens to a leader when he becomes the message, and no longer the messenger?

How can a leader help two groups change - his followers primarily, and the non-followers and observers. While, Outsiders are not affected by the issue initially, they may become affected through the proposed changes.

What questions should a leader ask his followers to determine how willing and able they are to change vs how much they require others to change?

How should a leader represent his followers issues to peers, followers, non-followers, outsiders and observers?

When should a leader step out of the drama he's playing in, and look at the play from an audience's perspective as well as a critics?

What should a leader do to monitor factions within his followers?

Should a leader monitor the factions in non-followers?

Should a leader build coalitions in peers, followers, non-followers, outsiders, and observers?

Should a leader empathize with the pain of change peers, followers, non-followers, outsiders and observers will feel as they strive for a goal?

What are followers willing sacrifice during periods of change?

Why, when and how do followers push back when they refuse to change?

What happens when a leader presents an issue before the followers are ready to deal with it?

Why is change necessary?

A leader is faced with two warring factions, usually over the separation of duties, he can side with one faction or the other, why would he choose not to?

Why would a leader choose to act like a facilitator and allow those working on a cultural problem to work it out among themselves?