Networking

If you are like me, one simple way to separate work and home is to get dressed, walk out the front door and work from somewhere else – in an office, a coffee shop, library, a park - anywhere really, as long as it isn’t at home. This is my way of setting boundaries. 

Studies by Ashforth, et al (2000) and the University of Zurich (Wepfer et al, 2018) have illustrated the importance of boundary management and wellbeing recovery strategies to achieve better general wellbeing and productivity in life. 

These studies show the importance of setting both:

• physical and
• psychological boundaries

for effectively achieving a level of work and life wellbeing. 

Physical space

1. Separate work-space 
2. Number of people in home (less = easier to set boundaries)       

Psychological space

1. Say no    

Time space

1. Scheduled work hours – willpower/discipline to stick with them
2. Set guidelines e.g. no work on Saturday (no matter what). Lunch times, break times (With activities other than work)                                                  
3. Diarise pleasure activities – gaming, walking, reading, brain puzzles, cooking, eating, learning, shopping, swimming, golf, exercise.

All these suggestions are great practical tips…..and they all mirror the neuro science evidence based knowledge relating to boundary management & maximising the brains level of attention…which is

1. Physical space – Separate areas for work in the home environment.
2. Mind space  – your ability to concentrate, self-regulate, control impulses and be mindful.
3. Time space – time limits and time structure between  work, family, and personal wellbeing.

We have 5 more tips that will help you focus, concentrate effectively and maintain high levels of attention.

The Neuro science based knowledge 

5 tips for maintaining high levels of attention: 

This episode provides tips for presenting virtually. It is presented in three segments:

• Organising your virtual presentation
• Conducting your best virtual presentation
• Engaging the audience throughout the virtual presentation

Unlike face to face presentations where you have direct feedback from audience reaction, a large visual area to move in and inclusion in the energy within the room, virtual presentations require heightened use of tone & sound, minimal visual body cues and increased use of targeted images...and a dose of technology knowhow.

Organising:

Choose roles - Roles – speaker, producer, moderator, timekeeper.

Speaker sequence

Create opening/closing statements

Anticipate FAQ’s (prepare your responses)

Rehearse online (check tone/slide sequence/image quality/sound/pace)

Rehearse online (check tone/slide sequence/image quality/sound/pace)

Conducting:

Secure internet connection (prepare for worst and copy slides to one other computer (producer)

Positioning & background

Lighting

Know technology – spotlighting, share screen, troubleshoot with audience, breakout, chat, reactions

Look into computer camera

Be yourself -relaxed (turn your view of yourself off to stop looking at yourself and playing with your glasses/hair/clothing).

Engaging the audience

Every 8-10 mins is the rule of thumb

Engage at the very beginning – find out something about the audience by asking :what they know about the topic, how they feel about the topic or how high their energy levels are (Slido poll, ask for comments,)

Use your voice (not body) to project energy

Use images (sight major sense)

• Use some of the 161 interactive tools available (Break out rooms, chat, annotate, polls/Slido QR codes, short videos (Less than 2.5 mins)
• Use presentation producer for – chat, break out rooms, time. Presentation speaker/s for – slides and presenting. Presentation moderator for Q&A - directs questions to specific team member/s, time-keeper.

Leading in a hybrid work environment

Over the course of the past 18 months organisational leaders have been implementing changes to the way we work.

Firstly, they adapted to the working from home situation by providing employees with access to equipment, data, files, security, images, information, and documents. They also created systems guidelines and protocols for communications and IT security.

Secondly, leaders were active in providing well-being activities to maintain employee mental health. They offered virtual team events, apps and online training webinars and sessions.

Currently, in our business of developing future leaders and coaching executives, we are noticing a rise in requests for how to sustain team engagement, development, and productivity in the hybrid work environment.

Australian research has shown 78% of workers say they are more productive or just as productive when they work from home. 

Recruitment agencies have reported that organisations that advertise flexible workdays are attracting the most talent in today’s recruitment market.

A Price Waterhouse Coopers employee engagement survey determined most workers did not want to return to the office 5 days a week – employees are seeking a 3:2 or 4:1 model, this is what we call the hybrid work environment.

What does this hybrid workplace model mean for the leadership role?

A leader’s role is still to create shared meaning around organisational purpose and to be able to express it clearly and concisely. Without meaning (purpose) employees will flounder – not flourish.

They still need to create and maintain psychological safety for the team and part of that is implementing routine and consistency.

There are currently 161 collaboration software tools on the market. Find ones that work for your organisation and embrace them.

Here are some points of focus a leader of a hybrid work environment will need to consider.

• Increasing virtual touch points that create and reinforce meaning and employee engagement.
• Revise work into projects with SMART goals. Use measures that include quality, team involvement, deadlines, and development opportunities.
• Increase engagement for motivation and wellbeing.
• Increase relationship communications.
• Do more personal scheduling (planning).

Examples of what successful leaders are doing.

Create rules of engagement with the team – e.g., communications to be fair, honest, open, virtual meetings attendees must turn video function to ON, etc

Hold 8-minute meetings – this leader and their team hold an 8 o’clock meeting (for 8 minutes every workday morning. The meeting is where tasks are delegated, questions are answered, and progress status is reported.

45 minute weekly virtual meeting – all team members attend (video must be ON), 30 seconds allocated to all for the giving of ‘High 5’ to another team member. (Someone is given time keeping duties to keep this on track. The whole meeting s dedicated to team member wellbeing – no WIP talks.

On a scale of 1-10 rate – how you are feeling today (this week) or status of project (1 is going no where and 10 is completed), access to resources, timeliness of communication responses, how you feel about being a member of this team, how your communications with your buddy are going etc.

Meetings are designated for specific purposes e.g., virtual meetings cover routine catch ups and f2f is for creative work.

A leader freed up their time on Zoom by allocating buddies within the team so they could check in n each other daily.

One leader opens zoom for 2 hours in the middle of the day for any of their team to ‘drop in’ (it’s the virtual equivalent of the open-door policy in the office.

One organisation gave leaders access to an app for recording coaching and development meetings.

What skills do I need as a leader in a hybrid workplace?

Mostly communication skills are required (your technical skills specific to your job are of course still relevant).

• Relationship building & maintenance
• Coaching
• Facilitating
• Setting goals
• Influencing
• Digital
• Planning/scheduling

The first 3 are particularly relevant at present. If you have the skills to build and maintain relationships (think rapport, trust, feedback, empathy) coach others and facilitate an engaging meeting you have the means to express purpose and meaning, engage individuals and groups around a common goal, monitor and measure progress and quality and sustain a productive team environment.

Despite figures suggesting CEO’s who have diverse networks create higher firm value up to $81 million for a medium sized firm on the stock exchange (Harvard Business Review, April 2018), a study of MBA students (2007) at a specially organise networking event found that 95% of attendees wanted to meet new contacts, yet they spent 50% of their time with people they already knew. 

This holds true for young leaders ‘Leadership on the Run’ have personally spoken to about their experiences in networking during 2020. Many of the graduates we spoke to said they ‘hated’ going to network meeting/events because of the pressures to: ‘get new contacts’ ‘speak to people face to face’ and ‘socialise with people they do not know’.

In this episode of Leadership on the Run our hosts, Jeanine Browne and Paul Saunders, Directors at LN Consulting Australia Pty Ltd are joined by Susan Franzen and Herb Dyer, Co-Founders and Directors at Pattern Shifts a performance Improvement Firm in based in the USA. 

They are discussing a networking framework – learners | seekers | conduits which Jeanine adapted from a colleague’s categorisation of networking styles they have encountered.

What is your networking style?

Learners – want to know how to do something and ask questions to uncover the ‘how to’ knowledge in the room.

Seekers – want to know where to find something and ask questions specific to that task e.g. has anyone found a good conferencing centre with Wi-Fi included?

Conduits – have something to help others and are happy to share they knowledge, contacts, skills, or products. 

How do I to build a network?

You can use a network for different purposes – not just getting clients or getting a new job recommendation. Networking can be for operational, personal, or strategic purposes i.e. getting work done efficiently, enhancing personal and professional development, and figuring out priorities and challenges, respectively.

Herb and Susan recommend when building your network to focus on gathering a diverse bunch of people, maintaining genuine respect for others, and fostering trust within your network. 

Herb adds, a personal relaxed approach and patience are also required. Building a network takes time. You want to avoid becoming intimidating and keep initial conversations of a general nature -social chat about topical issues before moving into a more intimate level of conversation about the individuals likes/dislikes in their work life. 

Taking this gradual (patient) approach will lead to a more relaxing & positive interaction and lays the foundation for more meaningful conversations in the future.

Only after exhausting the individual conversation is it appropriate to move onto the more strategic questions e.g. what impact has Ai (insert any industry trend) had on you/your role/your business?” However, this is unlikely to come up in a first encounter or during a 1-hour networking event.

Virtual networking

These days much time is spent communicating virtually. Thankfully, the same rules apply for building networks in the virtual world as those in the physical space – respect, diversity, being curious and interacting with a mindset for genuine connection, learning & discovery. 

Susan has a seemingly foolproof way of building her network in this arena. Susan uses LinkedIn to connect with people she sees are working in industries or roles that fascinate her. She messages them, stating her interest, in the format of several questions, and invites them to connect with her via phone to discuss these areas of interest. 

Preparation steps

Prior to any networking occasion there are a few steps you can take to prepare to enhance the opportunities.

1. Remember you are building a relationship – not conducting a transaction.
2. Set yourself an achievable  goal – make 1 solid contact.
3. Determine if you will be seeking, learning or a conduit.
4. Prepare a couple of questions so you do not have to ad-lib when faced with an opportunity to interact.
5. Determine an action strategy – I’ll look for people standing by themselves and approach them or I’ll invite 3 people to the event and invite others into our conversation/make their night special or I’ll seek out the speaker and introduce myself to them.
6. Develop a curious, growth mindset.
7. Relax – everyone is nervous at these events… people will be pleased you have chosen to listen to their story.

Power questions to ask to nail your next networking event?

Paul highlights the mindset you take into networking impacts your outcome. He and Susan both favour mindsets of curiosity and learning. Asking questions of the individual, get them to talk about what interests them.

1. “How did get to be where you are?”
2. “What are you working on at present that is (insert an adjective e.g. exciting you/challenging you)?”
3. “What do you enjoy about being in your role?”

All the best with your networking.

Herb Dyer is a renowned speaker in the states and Susan Franzen actively organises and collaborates with a network of professional associates making them eminently qualified to share their experiences and tips about networking in this podcast.

The Circle of Conflict was originally theorized to support mediations. This makes it a flexible tool to utilize in conflict resolution. The circle, divided into five components, illustrates the potential sources of conflict in negotiations. Understanding the impact of imbalances within the circle forces all parties to first identify and diagnose the source(s) of conflict, and then parley for resolution. Listed below are the characteristics of each component within Moore’s circle of conflict.

Interest Conflicts

In any negotiation, people will voice what they want; or what we call their ‘position’. Interests are their motivations, or the why. They are what drives one’s position and they will often be challenged. Understanding party interests and proposing solutions to their issues and fears will play a vital role in conflict resolution.

Structural Conflicts

Perceived power inequality, competition over limited resources, and divergent interests amongst groups are the fundamental factors that contribute to structural conflicts. External factors make one or all parties perceive the other to be in a stronger, more privileged position. For example, meetings between an employer and their workers union see each other as having the upper hand in negotiations when in reality, both need each other to survive.

Intervention Strategies:
Refine and/or change roles,
Eliminate and replace destructive patterns of behavior,
Redistribute ownership and control of goods,
Introduce a fair decision-making process,
Transition from position based to interest based negotiation (focus more on the problem, not the person),
Change the way how parties influence each other (less extortion, more permission)
Redefine external pressures.

Data Conflicts

This conflict is based on the possession of information, or lack thereof. Inaccurate information and the different interpretations of data are grounds for conflict. Examples of data conflict are legal disputes arising from ambiguous interpretation of the law, conflicts based on contradictory research results, or on false information, such as hearsay. Interventions are necessary to avoid a conflict evolving into a destructive one.

Intervention Strategies:
Unify data,
Select relevant information to the specific conflict,
Consent on one data collection process,
Form a common criteria for the evaluation of the data,
Seek expert opinions in the case of stagnation.

Relationship Conflicts

Parties with previous negative experiences with each other are most prone to relationship conflicts. Fueled by emotion, stereotyping the opposing side, personal animosities, and poor communication contribute to these conflicts. Relationship conflicts do not give much leeway for parties to consent; interventions are needed.

Intervention Strategies:
Create procedures for when parties become too emotionally invested,
Encourage parties to verbalize their emotions (rather than acting out),
Change how parties perceive each other,
Build a positive image,
Eliminate repetitive negative behavior by changing the structure,
Inspire a positive approach to the problem.

Value Conflict

Much like interest conflicts, value conflicts arise because parties have different values and principles. Unlike interests however, values are nonnegotiable and unwavering because they are the foundation of personal identity. Individuals, let alone parties, will swiftly defend their values when challenged. Value conflicts do not give parties an opportunity to come to an agreement making interventions, necessary.

Intervention Strategies:
Avoid defining the issue by value,
Allow the parties to agree and disagree,
Create a sphere of influence in which one kind of value dominates,
Seek a superior goal for both parties

In this episode, Jeanine and Paul unravel the model, tasks and competencies change leaders require to lead an organisational change. Research from: Anderson & Ackerman Anderson (2009) is featured along with the well known models and frameworks from: Bridges, Kotter, Lewis, Lewin & Demming.

There are three types of change occurring in organizations, each requiring different change strategies. 

1. Developmental
2. Transitional
3. Transformational

Developmental change requires an improvement of the status quo. E.g. get better at customer service but still providing the same product.

Transitional change requires a change of goal. E.g. customers no longer want your current product, so you need a different one.

The models of Kurt Lewin, William Bridges, John Kotter and Demmings’ continuous improvement model provide suitable frameworks for managing these types of changes. i.e. developmental & transitional change.

The third - transformational change, is more prevalent in organisations these days and requires more than change management, it requires change leadership. 

The major difference is the status of the end goal at the beginning of the change i.e. The end goal in transformational change is unknown at the start. 

The conditions and situation of the change are also more VUCA (US Army Education Centre, 2018) (Bennis & Nanus, 1987) i.e. volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous. 

In transformational change, (Anderson & Ackerman Anderson, 2020), the change leader is required to:

• Build an integrated strategy including:
• Content (business strategy)
• People (overcoming resistance and building growth mindsets)
• Process
• Transform mindsets
• Design, implement & course correct the process change

The 4 competencies required of transformational change leaders (Anderson, 2020) are:

1. Facilitation (of groups – all levels of stakeholders)
2. Designing (structures, scenarios & processes)
3. Role modelling (walk the talk and show others how to act in the new world being created)
4. Learning (expanding your mind to be open to new/different ideas & to let go of the old).

According to Human Capital Management, 2018, during the transformational change process these critical competencies will shine at different stages and can broadly be categorised as:

1. The Broadcaster – facilitator and communications expert
2. The Architect- designer of scenarios, structures, and processes
3. The Coach – overcoming resistance and developing growth mindsets.

NB For change leaders: Employing your own leadership coach is beneficial as they can help you reflect, acknowledge, accept, innovate, practise and mould successful behaviours, develop skills and ways of thinking to lead transformational change.

References:

Anderson, D.  Ackerman Anderson, L. (2009). Awake at the wheel: moving beyond change management to conscious change leadership. Available: https://beingfirst.com/resources/beyond-change-management-ebook/ Last accessed 22 June 2020.

Anderson, D.  Ackerman Anderson, L. (2001). Beyond Change Management: Advanced Strategies for Today’s Transformational Leaders 

Anderson, D.  Ackerman Anderson, L. (2001). The Change Leader’s Roadmap: How to Navigate Your Organization’s Transformation. 

 Bennis, W. Nanus, B (1985). Leaders: Strategies for taking charge

Bridges, W. (1991). Managing transitions: making the most of change. Reading, Mass, Addison-Wesley

Demming, W.E. Managing Change in Organizations: A Practice Guide ... [online] Available: https://deming.org/management-system/pdsacycle. Last accessed  1 February 2017. 

Kotter, J. P. (1996). Leading Change. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 1996.

Parker, C. Lewis, R. (1981). Beyond the Peter Principle, Managing Successful Transitions. Available: http://www.ralphlewis.co.uk/Change_files/Beyond%20the%20Peter%20Principle.pdf. Last accessed August 2020.

U.S. Army Heritage and Education Centre (February 16, 2018). "Who first originated the term VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity)?". USAHEC Ask Us a Question. The United States Army War College. Retrieved July 10, 2018.

According to medical and mental health experts, people really do have the ability to change. 

Three types of changes:

1. A change of process -e.g. 2 stage authentications on phone apps, covid-19 restrictions
2. A change of mind – e.g. different location, different relationship, different career
3. A change of circumstances – e.g. home ownership, adopt a puppy, promotion to leader, reduced salary, reduced headcount, isolation from peers, marriage, loss of family member. 

A popular framework used by psychologists to explain how humans experience change is the Kubler-Ross 5 stages of grief. 

E.g. Facebook announces they are going to make location marking on images mandatory...we could experience the following:

Stage 1: Denial. “They won’t do that, it’s fake news.”

Stage 2: Anger. “How dare they, that’s an invasion of privacy.”

Stage 3: Bargaining. “Check the fine print for opt out/out in options.”

Stage 4. Depression. “I’m over Facebook, I hate it.”

Stage 5. Acceptance. “I’ve opted out so I’m OK with it all really.”

The feelings experienced in each of the Kubler-Ross stages may be fleeting or drawn out…there is no hard and fast rule here – just an acknowledgment that they do exist. The Kubler-Ross model has traditionally been associated with unplanned changes.

Ralph Lewis and Chris Parker, in their article ‘Beyond the Peter Principle – managing successful transitions’ describe a 7-stage evolutionary process that can help explain what happens to us during planned or unplanned changes, negative or positive changes.

Using the example of the feelings experienced when a person gets promoted into a leadership role above their peers, Lewis and Parkers’ research concluded the following 7 stages:

1. Immobilisation – pleased yet shocked that they got the job. A sense of overwhelm.
2. Denial of change – minimising or trivialising the size of the change or the effort put in to obtain the change
3. Incompetence – flat performance, frustration, difficulty in coping
4. Acceptance of reality – letting go of the past (skills) and accepting the situation
5. Testing – trying new approaches, mostly new ways of communicating, reshaping self-image
6. Search from meaning, internalisation – a reflective period with an attempt to understand all that has happened. Accepting your new self-image
7. Integration – incorporating new meanings into new and enhance behaviours. Consolidating your new self-image.

Individuals can move more easily through a change if they are:

1. Self-aware – which phase of the change process am I in
2. Accepting of the change and the change process.

Employing a coach is beneficial as they can help you reflect, acknowledge, accept, innovate, practise and mould successful behaviours and ways of thinking.

What happens if I find myself in an untenable situation…how do I make the change?

Four options model (with examples of someone who isn’t satisfied with the role they find themselves in following after an organisational restructure).

1. Leave the organisation.
2. Change the situation. Take on extra responsibilities (of interest to you).
3. Put up with the situation. Stay in the job and continue to feel dissatisfied.
4. Change yourself or how you feel about the temporary situation. Acknowledge this is a temporary role and you will do as good a job as you can whilst looking for the next step in your career -this may help dispel feelings of dissatisfaction.

NB. Changing yourself is different from merely putting up with the situation since your thoughts, feelings and behaviour are different in the two cases.

References:

Bridges, W. (1991). Managing transitions: making the most of change. Reading, Mass, Addison-Wesley

Hyde, Peter. (2014). Personal transitions. Available: http://peterhyde.co.uk/wpcontent/uploads/2013/09/Personal-transitions.pdf. Last accessed February 2016.

Kubler-Ross, E. (1969). On death and dying. New York: Macmillan.

Parker, Chris Lewis, Ralph. (1981). Beyond the Peter Principle, Managing Successful Transitions. Available: http://www.ralphlewis.co.uk/Change_files/Beyond%20the%20Peter%20Principle.pdf. Last accessed August 2020.

STOP worrying  -

Today just for fun, we are running along St Kilda Rd in Melbourne, Australia.

In this episode Jeanine Browne Director LN Consulting Australia  and Paul Saunders, Senior  Psychologist provide answers for that universal question….how do I stop worrying about work?

Listen as they explain the neurological mechanisms involved in worrying and how to change the worry pathways in your brain so you can become worry free.

They draw inspiration from articles by Psychologists (Trevnor,2003) ( Ottaviani 2013) and (Joormann 2006) HR practitioners, Psychology magazine journalists and provide work examples from their own experiences working with corporations, government bodies and private businesses. 

This episode commences with Jeanine relaying inspiration she received from an article on her LinkedIn feed. 

In that LinkedIn article titled “An open letter to HR Managers” (17/7/2020) it was recognised that HR Managers often carry the weight of an organisations worries. The author of that article was empathising with people in these type of roles as the world piles on even more pressure with covid-19 restrictions.

It seems HR managers stay awake at night stressing over the accuracy of figures in reports or whether or not organisational processes are compliant. They allegedly experience feelings of anxiety and guilt over their lack of parenting quality and quantity and feel pressured over hiring decisions. HR managers, it reported, were feeling doubtful about their influencing abilities, unsure about where to access expert resources or how to finalise budget conversations on time and whether the senior leadership team would complete the transformation projects as required.

These HR manager thoughts, it inferred, were on a continuous loop in their brains, repeating like a hamster on a wheel, or embedding them in a ‘Groundhog Day’ experience.

“It strikes me that many people experience these types of ponderings about their work, family or life in general” is Jeanine’s response.

Self-reflection, worrying, thinking, and pondering all suggest a purposeful inward focus aimed at cognitive problem solving. (Treynor W, Gonzalez R, Nolen-Hoeksema S. 2003).

Worry, anxious thoughts or preoccupation with anticipated events e.g. Presentations/public speaking, writing a report, interviews, influencing ‘old way thinkers’, completing a training program or meeting a deadline all fall within the range of ‘normal’. (Ottaviani C, Couyoumdjian A. 2013).

Who is susceptible?

People who problem solve as a large part of their job description e.g. engineers, managers, diagnostic technicians, consultants, builders, repairers, parents, HS&E workers, scientists, project managers etc – are all susceptible to worrying as this is the first part of the process of finding solutions by focusing and concentrating on the problem. 

Over time, problem solvers may become wired to focus only on problems and find it increasingly more difficult to stop their focus when they are not on the job. This is evident especially when: a solution cannot be found, or they will not accept a solution cannot be found or a solution remains unclear.

If you find yourself in this situation you may find these two actions helpful:

1. Write the problem down on a piece of paper. This gets it out of your brain and helps stop the continuous problem-solving loop as the brain has taken an action (the writing) and can focus on something else again.
2. Distract/redirect attention to other content e.g. count tiles, describe the view or recite lyrics etc.
3. Yelling STOP…telling yourself to STOP…being aware of the self-talk that is encouraging the worrying is the first step to stopping it. 
4. Snapping yourself with a rubber band as a physical deterrent or to trigger a shock may also work.

When pondering moves towards brooding or obsessing the actions listed above will just not work. 

What can you do if you have already moved into brooding or ruminating?

There is a DARK SIDE to pondering:

Psychologically speaking: Obsessive thoughts are a neurological dysfunction, of unknown causes, forcing your thoughts into a repetitive loop. (Cognitive Health Magazine, 2020).

If the pondering becomes incessant you move to the dark side of worrying, it’s called rumination.

Rumination is characterised in terms of persistent and recurring self-reflective thoughts about an issue that takes attention away from relevant or current tasks.

Rumination is usually focused on past events that have had unsatisfactory results or unachieved standards. (Treynor W, Gonzalez R, Nolen-Hoeksema S. 2003).

Rumination can be divided into two major subcategories, namely, reflective pondering and brooding.

Reflective pondering, self-reflection, suggests a purposeful inward focus aimed at cognitive problem solving. 

Brooding, rumination, on the other hand involves a comparison of one’s current situation with some unachieved standard. Often, rumination is associated with a decreased controllability of thoughts, a sense of being overwhelmed and a feeling of helplessness. 

Such maladaptive rumination has been found to be associated with the generation of excessive and elaborate negative thoughts, information, and actions. (Treynor W, Gonzalez R, Nolen-Hoeksema S.2003).

When your ponderings have turned into ruminations, they may become a risk factor to your health and wellbeing. (Ottaviani C, Couyoumdjian A. 2013) and (Joormann J. 2006).

Some common topics people develop preoccupation with: mistakes made, losses experienced, slights taken, actions taken/not taken and/or opportunities lost.

The feelings associated with ruminations are almost always negative and include guilt, regret, anger, and envy.

Internal self-talk can be harsh and when in a ruminating loop our Inner critic often piles on with some harsh judgements, criticism, grudges, and connecting our belief system to our worries e.g. “everything would have been “better” if you had only “x”.

What can you do?

1. Mindfulness can be delivered via different models: psychological cognitive therapy, yoga, breathing techniques, meditation etc. The objective is to help ruminators gain insights into how their own brain functions and allows individuals to focus on their present state. All these techniques, when practised routinely help individuals suppress the impulse of obsessively focusing on past events.
2. Question and/or change our beliefs – make new ones. Having a professional, Psychologist, assist you work through this process is advised as changing or questioning your belief systems and values may bring up past issues associated with negative feelings.
3. Clarify our assumptions & change our feelings about the ‘worry’. Once you are aware of how a situation makes you feel you can choose to adopt a different feeling to the situation at will. If your situation is dangerous to your physical/mental health than having a professional, Psychologist, assist you work through this process is recommended. 
4. Practice acceptance by acknowledging the things you can control and those you cannot.
5. Practise self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is described by psychologist Albert Bandura as “a personal judgement of how well one can execute courses of action required to deal with prospective situations”. Being confident, comfortable, and realistic about what you can control or influence and what you cannot is key to stopping the continuous worry loop of ruminations.

References:

Joormann J. Differential effects of rumination and dysphoria on the inhibition of irrelevant emotional material: Evidence from a negative priming task. Cognitive Therapy and Research. 2006;30(2):149–160.

Ottaviani C, Couyoumdjian A. Pros and cons of a wandering mind: A prospective study. Frontiers in Psychology. 2013;4(AUG):1–9. 

Treynor W, Gonzalez R, Nolen-Hoeksema S. Rumination Reconsidered: A Psychometric Analysis. Cognitive Therapy and Research. 2003;27(3):247–259.

APS Psychology Journal - InPsych August 2019

Leaders have a need to influence people at work when they:

• Join a project.
• Put forward ideas for a solution to a problem.
• Share knowledge.
• Are being interviewed for a position.
• Are guiding others through a change process.
• Making group decisions on the best way forward.

Paul and Jeanine discuss the work of Terry Bacon, (Elements of Influence, 2011) and how his three categories of influencing people: rational, social and emotional can be most effectively used in the workplace.

Within his ‘rational’ category, Bacon includes the sub categories of legitimating, stating and explaining. (Yukl and Tracey, Consequences of Influence Tactics Used with Subordinates, Peers, and the Boss. Journal of Applied Psychology, 1992, Vol 77, No 4, 525-535)

RATIONAL (Legitimating, Stating, Explaining)

Logic: Using logic to explain what you believe or what you want. The number one influence power tool throughout the world. The most frequently used and effective influence technique in nearly every culture, but it does not work with everyone and in some circumstances will not work at all.

Legitimating: Appealing to authority. On average, the least-effective influence technique in the world, but it will work with some people most of the time and most people some of the time and can result in quick compliance.

Engaging: Negotiating or trading for cooperation. Most effective when it is implicit rather than explicit. Used less often globally than any other influence technique, but it is sometimes the only way to gain agreement or cooperation.

Stating: Asserting what you believe or want. One of the influence power tools. Most effective when you are self-confident and state ideas with a compelling tone of voice. Can cause resistance, however, if overused or used heavy-handedly.

SOCIAL (Socialising, Alliance building, Consulting)

Socialising: Getting to know the other person, being open and friendly, finding common ground. Includes complimenting people and making them feel good about themselves. One of the influence power tools. Second in frequency and effectiveness globally. A critical technique in many cultures and situations.

Alliance building: Finding supporters or building alliances to help influence someone else; using peer or group pressure to gain cooperation or agreement. Not used often and not always effective but in the right circumstances may be the only way to gain consent.

Consulting: Engaging or stimulating people by asking questions; involving them in the problem or solution. One of the influence power tools. Fourth globally in frequency and effectiveness. Works well with smart, self-confident people who have a strong need to contribute ideas.

EMOTIONAL (Appealing to values, appealing to relationship, Role modelling)

Appealing to values: This is where my request would be tied to your values, ideals and aspirations, or where it builds your confidence that you can make a contribution. Making an inspirational appeal helps create meaning and purpose for those you lead. Rather than trying to build behavioural compliance, inspirational appeal acts on someone’s attitudes, and that means it works while you’re not there - the person is self-motivated to take action.

Appealing to relationship: Gaining agreement or cooperation with people you already know well. Based on the length and strength of your existing relationships. One of the influence power tools. Third highest in effectiveness globally.

Modelling: Behaving in ways you want others to behave; being a role model; teaching, coaching, counseling, and mentoring. Fifth globally in effectiveness. Can influence people without you being aware that you are influencing. Parents, leaders, managers, and public figures influence others through modeling all the time - positively or negatively - whether they choose to or not.

Research by Yukl and Tracey (1992) found that inspirational appeal was a particularly positive influencing tactic. But effective influencing isn’t just about a compelling speech. Yukl and Tracey found rational persuasion was also very effective as an influencing tactic. As the name suggests, rational persuasion uses logical arguments and facts to persuade others. It provides the evidence many people need to be comfortable with a particular approach.

They also found that consultation was an effective tactic when influencing others. Consultation involves others in the initial decision making and implementation. By gathering and responding to ideas, people have far more of a vested interest in the change and implementation.

Again, the three most effective influencing tactics all involved the internalisation of favourable attitudes. Whether it’s inspirational appeal, rational persuasion or consultation, something is passed from the leader to the other person which means they want to make a change, rather than the leader having to stand around all day telling people what to do.

So some questions for you: 

Of the three most effective influencing tactics, which do you tend to default to? 

Is it inspirational appeal, rational persuasion or consultation? 

In my experience, many people default to rational persuasion - a reliance on the facts and data to persuade others - and that’s fine. But it’s worth practicing the other approaches to increase your influence. Perhaps you might include a story, or some additional data, or involve others more in idea generation - these can all help to increase your influence. You can also combine these three approaches.

Avoiding the dark side

There are also four negative influence techniques: avoiding, manipulating, intimidating, and threatening. These are negative because they take away the other person's legitimate right to say no. They force them to comply with something contrary to their wishes or best interests, they mislead them, or they force them to act when they would otherwise choose not to.

Avoiding: Forcing others to act, sometimes against their best interests, by avoiding responsibility or conflict or behaving passive-aggressively. The most common dark side technique. In some cultures, trying to preserve harmony can look like avoiding.

Manipulating: Influencing through lies, deceit, hoaxes, swindles, and cons or disguising one's real intentions or intentionally withholding information others need to make the right decision.

Intimidating: Imposing oneself on others; forcing people to comply by being loud, overbearing, abrasive, arrogant, aloof, or insensitive. The preferred technique of bullies.

Threatening: Harming others or threatening to harm them if they do not comply; making examples of some people so others know that the threats are real. The preferred technique of dictators and despots.

The crisis management framework and practical leadership steps we discuss in this episode, ‘positive leadership in a crisis,’ are our own. They have been developed from business experience, team leadership and several evidence-based models of: crisis management, organisational psychology and positive psychology research.

The crisis management framework has two planning topics and 3 management areas: 

1. Continuity planning
2. Contingency planning
3. Risk management
4. Resilience management
5. Communication management.

Two planning topics

To provide positive leadership in a crisis there are two main topics you need to address, plan & action immediately: continuity for the business and contingency plans.

1. Business continuity planning

Brainstorming a list of ways to ensure business continuity is quick, simple and easy to organise at short notice. You may choose to involve your team. If your team are not involved in the brainstorm, advice when it is occurring, ask for any ideas they would like you to put forward and report back to them as soon as the list is produced.

The continuity list is divided into keep doing, start doing and stop doing so everyone knows what to do and what not to do during the crisis. E.g. start working from home, stop Friday lunch BBQ or keep taking client phone calls.

2. Contingency planning

Drawn from the brainstorm list above, the list of contingency actions lets the team members know what actions are being considered, if what they are currently doing doesn’t work. 

Having the contingency items visually displayed allows team members to become familiar with possible future actions and makes actioning the contingency plans (if needed) much quicker and less hassle as team members have already prepared for the possibility of actioning them. A great way I have seen this is in crisis planning rooms where there are dynamic data screens showing the objective, decisions and actions and the statistics and data. These types of visual tools also help people stay rational when planning and deciding.

The research suggests you make a list of pros and cons to help with your decision making and some also suggest you add consequences and place risk weightings on them. 

In a crisis there is an 80% rule, you will only ever have 80% of the information you need. 

During a crisis things change quickly and leaders need to  accept they will be making daily decisions and changing the decisions often - as new or more reliable information becomes available. 

3 areas to manage

1. Risk

Focusing on solutions is a key feature of positive leadership, however, a defense strategy is as equally as important as focusing on solutions and opportunities during a crisis.

List and assign people to manage the risks.

2. Resilience 

Leaders are tasked with producing results and ensuring their teams, the people in them, are coping. 

During a crisis this remains true. To ensure your people are remaining calm and not being overwhelmed by the crisis is to create an environment where positive practical thinking is encouraged. Leaders need to role model rational conversation, logical, innovative and creative thinking and demonstrate how to positively respond to ‘fear mongering and ‘fake news’.

 Positive steps a leader can take to create an environment conducive to psychological safety and business survival during a crisis include:

• Have or create a culture of open mindedness and focus (reward) the team energies on what they can do and minimise talk on what they cannot control.
• Ramp up frequency of communications. There is a plethora of technology available and in use for teams to use in communications. Mix it up, use different mediums and tailor messages for individuals, small teams, divisions and the whole company. It is your job to help people critically assess information and move through the crisis within a net of psychological safety.
• Listen for and to their concerns. Observe signs of distress/anxiety and address these privately.
• Address individual concerns by setting up daily and weekly team meetings with updates, facts and actions to do, role model by showing how you plan, stay focused and be open. E.g. scheduling regular crisis status meetings.
• Maintain a focus on purposeful projects - resourcing, monitoring and completing them. I.e. don’t lose sight of your team objectives and goals. The crisis is temporary – your team is not.
• Proactively inject ‘fun’ and also monitor/create team member recharge time and downtime. E.g: competitions, funny quote of the day, Dad jokes, wooden leader videos, buddy challenges, sharing stories of ‘what I did last night/weekend/on day off’.
• Keep the focus on the teams ‘purposeful work’ assignments (especially if they change to remote working during a crisis):
• Revisit how you do things – prepare for better times e.g. clean equipment, make repairs, reskilling/upskilling, improve efficiencies, take opportunities, do the things that you’ve been too busy to do.

3. Communications

• Use technology for visuals and team communication applications.
• Address the whole team on the crisis, the impact on the business, current thoughts from the leadership team and the plan moving forward.
• Give factual, concise yet thorough information.
• Dispel false information with list of FAQ’s and myth busting points, this will help stop the spread of fake news. Speak calmly, factually and advise the big picture plan.
• Provide ways and means for people to ask questions, have their concerns addressed and get the current ‘state of impact’ and business direction.
• Schedule some meetings specifically for crisis discussion AND continue to hold your regular team meetings – no crisis discussion at these regular meetings, this will keep the team focused on the purposeful projects and help clam anxieties.
• Consider buddies so social contact is required during any periods of forced isolation – encourage team members to contact each other. Make it a positive experience for them, give it a name. Maybe call it “You’ve got a friend in me.” If teams are working remotely or from home – ensure they are checking in with each other – run the ‘I’m Ok campaign’ across your business.
• Leaders to check in regularly with your team members/direct reports (via facetime, skype, zoom) make it visual.
• Follow up any points – this is not minutes of a meeting – with email or internal social media.
• Send video messages to the team to acknowledge your appreciation of their efforts, results, ideas, cooperative and collaborative behaviours. Ask them if they believe any of these behaviours could be useful for the team to adopt on a more permanent basis moving forward.

For leaders to step up to the mike and lead people through a crisis they will also need to keep an open and flexible mind, be optimistic and rational and maintain their own sense of confidence and calm. 

The best leaders among us develop their people to take responsibility and make solutions happen……pre, during and post crisis.