The Era of the Right Brain Thinker

Creativity and innovation will guide tomorrow’s leaders.

Tomorrow’s leaders can’t know for sure what the world will look like when their time to lead arises. No one can. But as we all strive to manage the economic, technological, and social shifts revolutionizing every facet of business, we must take tangible steps to prepare the new crop of leaders for the reality that awaits them.

Where do we start? We must first identify the challenges they will face, starting with the magnification of a burden today’s leaders know too well: increasing complexity. There are more forces affecting every decision than ever before, and infinitely more decisions to make—from social media strategy to the implications of new global power centers. According to IBM’s 2010 Global CEO Study, not only do today’s CEOs expect this complexity to continue to grow, but they feel ill-equipped to handle it.

Another tough issue will be attracting and retaining talent. Workers know they can’t depend on a company for lifelong salary and stability. The best talent wants more than that, anyway—they want to be fulfilled and inspired by their work. It’s no longer enough to say, “I work at a big-name company.” Smart, driven professionals want to say, “I’m working on this incredibly interesting project, and it’s going to change the world.”

It becomes evident that creativity and innovation are critical capabilities for leaders in a future characterized by constant change, created and sustained by employees who seek inspiration and meaning. In fact, IBM’s study found that today’s CEOs are already identifying creativity as the most important leadership characteristic.

To those of us who practice and teach the art of innovation, this makes perfect sense. Creative leaders are more agile, open to change, and highly adaptable. They are better at finding new ways to approach and solve problems. Creative leaders depend less on “the way things were,” and instead are excited to imagine entirely new realities.

These findings dovetail nicely with the case Daniel Pink made in his book, A Whole New Mind. He suggests that the era of the “left-brain” thinker is over. Logical, linear thinking—while still necessary—is no longer a differentiator. “Right-brain” skills such as synthesis, the ability to tell a story, and big-picture thinking will be the hallmarks of success in what Pink calls the new “Conceptual Age.” These capabilities retain value in an era where technological and economic factors can quickly commoditize even the best rule-based thought processes.

To harness and develop right-brain skills in the workforce, tomorrow’s creative leaders will need to be visionaries. The idea of visionary leadership is not new, but a heightened emphasis is necessary to invoke the passion and dedication of future workers. A captivating leader who embodies the best aspects of an organization’s purpose is a uniquely attractive motivator. The new generation of professionals wants this kind of leadership, as they seek inspiration and fulfillment from work in ways that earlier generations did not always demand.

Power “Steering”

Tomorrow’s leaders will be responsible for “steering” more than anything. Whether it’s steering organizations through the never-ending swirl of complexity, or steering employees toward inspirational work that adds value to the company and their own lives, the leaders of tomorrow must leverage creativity and innovation to move forward.

By Lisa Bodell - CEO of futurethink (futurethink.com), an innovation research and training firm.

Debunking the talent retention myth

This article appeared on www.skillsportal.co.za on Thursday, 26 May 2011

South African companies should no longer assume that career path planning, brand loyalty and rewards for high-flyers will retain their valued employees. Instead, they need to recognise that financial rewards and organisational attachment are not a catch-all for retention and that employees in the new world of work have developed an open, flexible attitude to their relationship with employers.

That’s the critical learning to emerge from second National Employee Engagement Survey, which will be presented on Thursday, 09 June 2011 in Johannesburg by its authors, Ruwayne Kock and Dr Kent McNamara.

A registered industrial psychologist, Kock is a shareholder at The Human Resource Practice where he is the head of the consulting service line. His associate there, Dr McNamara is an industrial anthropologist.

According to the pair, their research has debunked several key myths surrounding the retention of employees in South African organisations. For example, in addition to the diminished appeal of the ‘traditional rewards’ (financial, career and leisure incentives), the research found that corporate organisations should place less emphasis on the indefinite retention of employees, and more emphasis on ensuring that while people are in their employ, they are provided with the resources to enable them to perform to a high level and deliver quality results.

This shift of focus involves two strategic steps, namely, moving away from monitoring the ‘exit’ process to placing more emphasis on the ‘arrival’ process, by attracting, screening and on-boarding candidates with the appropriate personal engagement attributes and potential for performance; and creating the environmental conditions for rapidly enhancing employee engagement and performance.

“Our first national survey of engagement, conducted in 2009, showed a phenomenal 64% of South African employees were looking for new horizons within and outside their companies,” said Kock. “It therefore suggested that one way of improving the bottom line without decreasing overheads and expenses was to strengthen employees’ sense of engagement1 to their jobs and their organisations, and as a result, improve their performance.

“The second South African National Employee Engagement Survey examined the relationship between intent to stay, or leave, with those factors that are historically associated with boosting engagement levels, such as career progression, job satisfaction and financial rewards.

“A sample of 406 respondents was electronically surveyed across all nine provinces and across most industry sectors, job levels, population groups and disciplines. The 2010 survey found that respondents’ personal effort that is, the decision to work hard or put in extra effort, is related to their personal identification with their jobs or occupations.

“This finding points to the importance of the content and challenge of the job which can improve organisational identification or association. The study also found that the high risk retention categories were people under 30, with degrees, with 4-10 years experience, managers, African and Indian respondents, people in administration, human resources, utilities and government,” said Kock.

The following retention myths in the management of talent in local organisations were challenged by the survey:

1. Satisfaction with career progress is not a reliable indicator of intent to stay or leave. It is clear that many employees will fulfil career aspirations in different organisations.

2. Professional people in South Africa operate in a ‘new world of work’, characterised by more open and flexible relationships with organisations, where company loyalty and lifelong affiliation is less important than previously.

3. Satisfaction with financial rewards does not always predict intent to stay and does not offer a ‘catch-all’ strategy for retention. Although many younger people were unhappy with pay and thought of quitting, this was not true for other employees.

4. Supervisors’ are not the ‘front line’ of engagement; instead, the supervisors’ own personal sense of engagement was found to be consistently low across different sectors and must be raised if they are to play a greater role in engaging their subordinates.

5. The Human Resources discipline should be the champion of employee engagement, yet the HR practitioners who took part in the survey revealed a low level of personal engagement, which poses a challenge for any talent retention strategy

Dr McNamara summarised: “Given these findings, the managers of tomorrow need to provide conditions to enhance employee engagement. They need to be self aware; conduct critical performance conversations; conduct realistic career dialogues and coach subordinates to optimal performance.

“Employees of tomorrow will need to be resourceful, demonstrate a positive attitude, be inspired, manage their jobs efficiently and be a team player, if they are to perform under the current economic conditions. This requires a transformation of the employee value proposition to include challenging and meaningful work that will enhance organisational commitment and in turn, retention,” he said.

Three simple tips to Strategize in times of uncertainty

It is no secret that the past few years have been tough on many businesses. During our recent political in-fighting and economic uncertainty, businesses leaders had their nose to the grindstone striving to do more with less.

But as the economy slowly begins to improve and the dust starts to clear, many in management are starting to realize a key problem with the old strategy. Everyone was so focused on surviving and cutting that they have no strategic initiatives…no clear next steps, vision or, in many cases, energy. Leaders are suffering from their own business hangovers.

As a manager, how can you get back to the business of strategizing and leading again? Here are three quick and easy tips that any business leader can practice to immediately improve his/her leadership performance:

1. Focus on energy, not time.
Energy, not time, is an essential element of productivity and growth. Have you ever noticed when you have endless high-energy and excitement you are more alert, focused, positive and productive? In fact, energy is what makes time more valuable. Time is a constant; energy is a manageable, renewable resource. What's burning your energy and what refuels it? Physically? Mentally? Emotionally? Spiritually?

This question applies to your company as well. What's burning the energy of the company and what refuels it with respect to your strategy, operations, financial and people resources? Your answers will influence your strategy for energy management within the constraints of time and how you maximize the year ahead.

2. Focus on each conversation.
Leadership happens one conversation at a time. You are responsible for the quality of each and every conversation. Slow down and brainstorm what you want to say and how you want to express it prior to speaking or typing. Ask yourself, What is the ideal outcome of this conversation? and then focus on two to three thought-provoking questions that you can ask to create your ideal outcome.

The brain is triggered by starts and stops. Create a positive filter when you begin a conversation by having an opening declaration or question that frames your ideal outcome, i.e. How might we best increase our sales 10%? is a much better way to start a meeting than Our sales are down and we better figure out how to turn them around! When you bring a conversation to a close, your last words linger. Utilize action statements to close conversations where you need increased accountability, or use persuasive, emotion laden comments when you need engagement and buy-in. For example, I look forward to seeing your first marketing draft on Tuesday at 4pm or I'm really excited to hear your creative ideas for this exciting new product launch next Thursday at 9am are ideal closers.

For meeting prep, devote at least five minutes to think of three to five questions that will serve as your agenda and foster more critical and creative thinking. These five minutes will save you hours down the road.

3. Focus on creating internal alignment.
Only when your values and passions match your actions will you find peace. Step back and ask yourself: What am I resisting? What am I judging? What am I attached to? When people resist it means they are stuck. Stuck from fear. Uncover the specific fear so you can address it and decrease resistance. Uncovering internal judgments and attachments allows you to uncover tension. Where there's tension, there's no clarity and acceptance. When you gain clarity and compassion you reduce tension and risk and are more willing to try a new approach. Last but not least, what three rules do you live by that you wouldn't change anytime for anyone? Answer these questions and you’ll gain clarity, insight and a foundation for momentous success.

AmyK Hutchens, Founder and Intelligence Activist, AmyK International, Inc., is a speaker, trainer and business strategist. Having made over 800 presentations around the globe and worked with more than 20,000 executives on leadership and sales, AmyK and her team teach executives how to lead and sales teams how to sell…successfully. Follow AmyK on Twitter @AmyKinc or visit www.amyk.com.

101 Common Sense Tips (final)

In the final blog of our series on Common Sense Tips for Leadership, we learn to...

Go Above and Beyond

Managing people isn't just about getting the job done. To truly be a great leader, sometimes you need to go above and beyond what the job calls for.

93. Lead by example. You can talk until you're blue in the face, but the best way to get a point across is to be the model to emulate. Let employees follow your lead.
94. Get your hands dirty. Sometimes you need to show your employees that no one's above doing unattractive tasks.
95. Make a difference to your employees. Don't just be a generic manager — stand out as a leader and role model for your employees.
96. Gain your employees' trust and respect. You'll have a much easier time managing employees when they respect your rules and boundaries and trust your leadership.
97. Be empathetic to personal problems. Whether it should or not, what happens outside of work can have a big affect on the quality of work produced. Be sensitive if employees have personal issues that keep them from concentrating on work.
98. Be unique as a manager. Every position demands something different and you should be proud to be adept at your particular role rather than trying to emulate other managers.
99. Remember that ethics matter above all. Be honest and reliable in all of your business and personal relationships.
100. Be on the lookout for new ideas. You never know where your next great inspiration will come from.
101. Get to know your employees. Learn more than just their names. Get to know your employees' family backgrounds, likes and dislikes. Doing so will make you more personable.


Recognition to www.focus.com for this 101 Tips on Leadership.

101 Common Sense Tips (continued)

Resolving Problems

Whether problems are internal or external, they can make your management duties a nightmare if you don't handle them correctly. Here's how to stay on top of them.

84. Stand up for employees. If other departments or managers are bearing down hard on your employees, stand up for them.
85. Fix what's broken. Don't waste time placing blame. Take care of fixing the problem before dealing with any possible repercussions.
86. Manage and control your emotions. Don't let anger or frustration affect your problem resolution. If you are emotionally invested in a situation, cool down before discussing it or bring in an outside mediator.
87. Learn when to step in. Some problems might resolve themselves if you just let them be, but you need to be aware of times where you'll need to step in and take control of a situation.
88. Take the blame. If you've made a mistake, fess up. It'll give you more time to work on fixing the problem instead of talking your way out of taking the rap.
89. Get the facts first. Before you pass judgment on a situation, make sure you have the whole story. Listen to employees and refrain from questioning anyone's integrity without first ensuring that you've gathered all the data.
90. Rise above the crisis. Learn to separate yourself from the problem and rise above the fray. You'll be able to think more clearly and make a better decision on how to rectify the issue.
91. Don't ignore problems. A small problem can easily snowball and become something much more difficult to fix.
92. Try to depersonalize problems. Let employees know that the problem isn't with them but with their actions. Don't make it personal.

...to be continued...

101 Common Sense Tips (continued)

Keep Up with Change

There is no way to stop the world from changing, so follow these tips to keep up and ahead of the game.

76. Don't fight change. You can't stop markets, trends and technology from changing, so learn to go with the flow.
77. Adopt a predictive managerial style. Don't wait for things to happen to make a move. Anticipate problems and provide contingency plans.
78. Test your contingency plans. Waiting for disaster to strike is a dangerous way to find out if your emergency plans will hold. Test them out from time to time to fine-tune them and make sure they're still relevant.
79. Identify the positives. Even the most negative changes can have positive aspects to them. Being able to identify and maximize them can help make adapting less painful.
80. Be quick to adapt. Learn to adapt to changing situations quickly and be able to change plans on the spur of the moment if the situation requires it.
81. Stay tuned to external factors. Your business is affected in many ways by outside factors. Keep abreast of these so you can anticipate any sudden market changes that would affect how you need to manage.
82. Put in place a Research and Development plan. Encourage innovation and creativity to stay ahead of the demand for newer and better products and services.
83. Keep an eye on the competition. Don't let the competition get the best of you. Keep up-to-date with what they're doing and use it to your advantage in managing your business.


...to be continued...

101 Common Sense Tips (continued)

Communicating with Clients

Whether you're a business owner or a manager carrying out a project, one thing is always the same: The client is dominant voice in decision-making. Learn to communicate with them effectively and you'll set a good example for the people you supervise.

67. Remember that the customer is the boss. At the end of the day, your job is to make the customer happy. Act accordingly.
68. Differentiate your products. Don't get lost in a sea of products and services like yours. Make sure you stand out from your competitors.
69. Retain customers as much as you recruit new ones. While you always want to bring in new business, it's very important to maintain relationships with loyal customers.
70. Provide effective channels of communication. Make sure your clients can contact you easily and quickly if they have a problem, concern or question. They can also provide a valuable source of feedback.
71. Maintain customer data. Use this data to make your customers feel special by remembering occasions like birthdays and anniversaries. It's also helpful for keeping track of purchasing preferences.
72. Segment your customers. Not all customers are alike. Divide your customers into groups that allow you to provide attention and services that meet each customer's unique needs.
73. Provide effective after-sales services. Don't let contact fall off after the work is complete. Make sure your client stays happy.
74. Listen attentively. Pay attention to exactly what clients are asking for to help you better meet their needs.
75. Don't be afraid to say you don't know. It's OK not to know the answer to every question. It's better to say you don't know and get back to a customer than to try to bluff your way through a conversation and have to backtrack later.


...to be continued...

101 Common Sense Tips (continued)

Managing Finances and Resources


Whether you're a business owner or a manager, staying on top of tangible items is vital to success. These tips can help you keep track.

56. Set up a realistic budget. While it's good to be optimistic, don't plan for more spending than you know you can afford. Make sure you plan for emergencies and contingencies as well.
57. Save costs where they matter the most. Don't just pinch pennies for the present. Make sure your savings will pay off in the long run. Compromising on quality might cost you later on in repairs and replacements.
58. Spend only when it's necessary. Don't spend if you don't need to. Every bit you save goes toward your profit.
59. Find alternative sources of finance. Sometimes even successful businesses need a little help. Business loans and investors can help you through leaner times.
60. Stay true to your contracts. Not only will you gain the respect of your clients, you'll also avoid legal battles that can be a serious financial drain.
61. Make sure employees are well compensated. Employees deserve to be rewarded for hard work. Make sure yours are well compensated for their time and they'll be more productive and happier to come to work.
62. Learn to do more with less. Quality is much more important than quantity, so make what you have count.
63. Assign equipment wisely. While it might be nice for every employee to have a PDA, budgets often don't allow for such conveniences. Make sure the employees that need tools the most have access to them.
64. Invest in solid technology. This doesn't always mean the latest technology, but what your office needs to do work effectively.
65. Update when necessary. Using obsolete equipment and programs can really slow you down. Update when it makes sense so you won't get left behind by competitors.
66. Don't be wasteful. Every sheet of paper, paper clip and pen is a cost on your budget. Use materials wisely and don't waste them out of haste or carelessness.

...to be continued...

101 Common Sense Tips (continued)

Boosting Productivity

Getting the most out of your day can be difficult with a busy schedule, but you can use these tips to help you maximize your time in order to be better available to employees.

44. Get the most out of meetings. Be organized and prepared for meetings to increase effectiveness and time savings.
45. Focus your energy on things that matter. Don't let trivial tasks take time away from things that are really important.
46. Identify your time-stealers. Everyone has little things that detract their attention and make them lose focus. Figure out what these are and work to eliminate them, if only for a few hours a day.
47. Be punctual. Being on time is a big deal. Never keep people waiting for appointments or meetings if you can help it.
48. Respond to your correspondence within a reasonable amount of time. You don't have to be chained to your inbox, but make sure you respond to emails within a few hours whenever possible.
49. Do only what is necessary. There are times when going above and beyond works, but doing so on a daily basis can derail your progress on more important issues. Get the key things done first, then see if you have time for additional things.
50. Stick to schedules and routines. While they may not be the most exciting things, schedules and routines can help streamline and improve your productivity.
51. Organize and manage your schedule. Use any tools and utilities you have at your disposal to prioritize your day and keep track of what you need to get done.
52. Plan more than you think you can do. While this may sound stressful, it can actually be a great motivator. If you manage to get everything done, you'll enjoy a great sense of achievement.
53. Get to work early on occasion. Sometimes an uninterrupted half hour in an unoccupied office can help you get key things done or allow you to plan your day before there are any distractions to slow you down.
54. Know that sometimes stress is good. While too much of anything, especially stress, can be bad, sometimes a little stress can be the motivation to get you moving, allowing you to get more done.
55. Do your least favorite tasks first. Get your most tedious and least desirable tasks out of the way earlier in the day. After that, everything else will be a breeze.

...to be continued...

(from www.focus.com)