In today's issue
>> A note from Rand
>> Feature Article
>> Additional Thoughts
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Note from Rand
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I was overwhelmed by the response to our first online issue. Lots of e-mails and phone calls. Thank you. To repeat my earlier commercial message, please forward this publication to your colleagues and friends who might benefit from receiving it.
Our September issue led with a piece entitled “Strategy – the Seven Big Questions.” An e-mail from George, a CEO from Charlotte, included the following comments: “Thanks for the innovative way you presented a mature subject, Rand. Our chief marketing officer used this approach to introduce strategic planning to his staff. Your 'seven questions framework' removed the mystery.”
Thanks George! And, if you are a new reader and would like to read the Seven Big Questions, here's a link to last month's issue: http://www.randgolletz.com/newsletter.html
In this issue, I’ve led with some thoughts on what I believe is the most valuable attribute for an organizational leader. I hope you enjoy it. Send me your thoughts. I’ve also commented on the importance of aligning espoused priorities with how one spends her time. I think you’ll find it thought provoking.
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Feature Article - The Most Valuable and Undervalued Executive Attribute
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I work with executive officers of both large and small corporations, all with varied experiences and backgrounds. Some are marketers; others are financial people. Some come from human resources; others from sales. Invariably every one of them asks me the same question at some point in our relationship, “Rand, is there any single attribute that you believe is a precondition for success as a senior executive?” I pause unnecessarily as if to ponder all of the implications of the question, but I have only one answer:
Objectivity.
First, a bit of groundwork. I spend a lot of my time convincing people that the world exists in shades of gray. One example: between autocracy and abdication exist many, more legitimate degrees of decision-making. So, you might speculate that an appropriate, rational perspective exists between absolute subjectivity (guesswork) and absolute objectivity (a reasonable degree of scientific certainty). You’d be right, but here’s the problem:
Most people, in most situations, convince themselves that they are being objective when they’re not!
We are all burdened with a worldview based on our life experiences. Along the road, most people subconsciously conclude that their worldview represents objective reality. As they process information, they begin to edit out that which doesn’t conform to their preconceptions. They also aggressively seek out and consume information that affirms their perspectives.
Effective executives don’t do that!
What does objectivity look like?
Peter Senge from the Sloan School at MIT talks about the concept of openness. He says openness takes two forms: reflective and participative. The former is the ability to examine and question one’s own preconceptions, to subject them to relentless scrutiny and evaluation. It also requires an attitude that invites critical input from the outside – a trait that most executives think they embody, but don’t. The second is the ability to share one’s perspective with others in a way that encourages them to employ their own reflective openness.
Openness is a precondition for objectivity. The filters that edit out information for most people don’t exist for the most successful executives. For these few, ego boundaries are also extremely permeable. They don’t require validation. The right answer is more important than their having thought of it.
As my friend Mark Akerley often says, “This stuff is simple, but not easy.”
You have to ask great questions to get great answers
In a former life as a COO, my boss once admonished me, “Remember, you used to get paid to have great answers; now you get paid to ask great questions.” I didn’t fully appreciate the implications of that advice at the time.
Objectivity requires a relentless pursuit of the truth. While that requires judgment, which by definition is subjective, it must include the separation of one’s ego and emotional investment from that search – very difficult.
As an advisor to a Fortune 100 CEO, I regularly attended his results reviews with his executive team. He constantly asked questions, not to second-guess his people, but to:
• adjust his thinking on issues when required
• develop a comfort level with their thinking
• learn as much as possible about the competitive dynamics of their businesses
• serve as a role model for them as they lead their businesses and functions
• identify his areas of priority
As you lead your business, how objective are you?
Executive decision-making is a focus of our practice that results in sustainable improvement. Give us a call; we can help you.
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Additional Thoughts
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The chief human resources officer of a Fortune 200 company was complaining to me about her inability to achieve her personal priorities. I worked with her for the next year. After a lot of self-examination, clarification of intentions and new actions, her life improved dramatically. She had learned to accurately define and focus on her priorities.
I’ve worked with lots of senior executives who want to improve their use of time. Typically, they complain that they don’t sufficiently attend to their priorities. My response is always the same, “Of course you sufficiently attend to your priorities because your priorities are defined by how you spend your time.” That comment provokes either a quizzical, glossy-eyed stare or an agitated response, like: "That’s bull. My family is my number one priority, and I spend hardly any time with them.”
At this point, I try really hard to contain any response and let our respective comments sink in. After a few well-planned seconds of silence, I’ll add “Your real priorities are demonstrated by your actions, not by your words. If you say your family is your highest priority but they get none of your time, they simply are not a priority.” The discussion that follows is always robust and occasionally difficult.
What are your real priorities? What’s the payoff for how you spend your time now? You know, there is always a payoff. How would you like your life to be different? Has your self-talk about what is possible undermined personal change efforts? If, for example, you’d like to demonstrate the value you place on your family, have you had a meaningful discussion with them about the nature of your contribution versus their needs, wants and values?
Things can be different. Call us. Through our work together, we’ll help you create the life you deserve.
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About Rand Golletz
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Rand Golletz is a executive coach and consultant. With more than 25 years in leadership roles, including CEO, chief marketing officer of a Fortune 100 company and international strategy consultant, Rand brings an unparalleled level of business expertise to his profession.
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