Flourishing People

Our company 3D HR is two years old.  So as on any birthday, it’s a time to look back and also to look forward.  I have just read through all my previous blogs and it’s interesting how often I come back to the subject of thinking and reflection.

There are several sayings in English about thinking: “on second thoughts”, “think again”, “think once, think twice”.  Apparently the biology or neurology behind it is that our first thoughts release the neuro-transmitter dopamine which can trigger an immediate or impatient response; the second thought starts a cognitive process with a longer term perspective.  Taking time to “think again” results in a qualitative improvement in decision-making or reflection.

Perhaps the most important time to have second thoughts is when sending e-mails.  A quick, one-thought reaction and hitting the send button can do immense damage to relationships and even businesses.  Save to draft gives time for reflection and perhaps redrafting or even deletion.

Thoughts on our second year:  it’s been a great variety of differing challenges, from developing HR policies and procedures to number-crunching salary reviews to facilitating meetings between employees and managers.  Working with large and small organisations, as a one-off or over several months.  Travelling to London, Swindon and southern Africa.  Being part of a larger consultancy, with a colleague and working on my own.  On second thoughts, would I do it again and start my own company?  Absolutely!

Looking to the future: it is worth reflecting on where my strengths lie and therefore where my focus should be for future work.  Developing and writing clear, consistent and concise HR policies and procedures and finding ways to improve accessibility – through an on-line Staff Handbook – is a strength.  So is facilitating and chairing one-to-one meetings between employees and their manager.  Up-front training is less of a strength and marketing the business is where I need external assistance.  And of course planning and making time for regular reflection, to deliberately think again about what I am doing and where I am spending my time, creating a good work-home balance, is crucial.

What do you need to take time to reflect on and think again?

Effective team-working is one of 3D HR’s dimensions – the other two being good people management and developing personal skills.  These three areas create a strong foundation for a successful organisation which we visualise as a tetrahedron.  Interestingly I’ve just come across Tetramap as a concept of discussing and appreciating difference between individuals in how we deal with the world – but more of that after my accreditation training in July…

What makes a good team?  What are the defining characteristics that you can identify in an effective team?  During my work experience I have been part of some great teams and some poor ones – what made the difference?

In a recent conference I was introduced to the book ‘The Five Dysfunctions of a Team’ by Patrick Lencioni.   Since then I’ve bought the book and read the Field Guide.   I think it’s well worth sharing and encouraging others to read this ‘leadership fable’.

A team must first be built on a foundation of trust – a willingness to be vulnerable with one another and admit mistakes and weaknesses.  Secondly, constructive conflict should not only be allowed but also encouraged – fear of conflict leads to avoidance of those ‘difficult’ discussions and making hard decisions. Commitment or buy-in follows trust and not avoiding conflict, because team members are able and willing to fully endorse team decisions even if contrary to their initial reservations.

Effective teams hold each other to account and are prepared to challenge each other if necessary when a team member does not deliver what’s required.  Lastly, at the top of the pyramid, functioning teams pay attention to collective results rather than individual needs.

Lencioni presents the concept as a negative model – in terms of dysfunctions – probably because it’s easier to describe how a non-functioning team can improve.  The best of teams can still improve and function better by paying attention to these critical issues.

Presented as a five-step pyramid, the Five Dysfunctions look simple and common sense.  Yet there is much to commend when a model can be so easily described even if a lot harder to implement.

Happy team-building!  The book is in the 3D HR Book Store.

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How do you enable people to flourish, especially in the workplace?  That’s the aim of 3D HR as an organisation so it’s an important question for me.  I was at the Centre for Applied Positive Psychology conference in April with the theme of flourishing communities and flourishing organisations so what follows are a few of the insights I took away from the conference and later reflections.

To flourish means:

to blossom; to grow vigorously, succeed, thrive, prosper;

to be at the peak of development, activity, influence, production etc;

to be in one’s prime

Three real company case studies were presented at the conference – from a large multinational, a medium-sized family firm and a small highly successful new technology company.  In each case, there has been a deliberate emphasis on recruiting and employing people to use their strengths.  If a workplace is filled with people who know what their strengths are and are using those strengths in their day-to-day work, they and the organisation will almost inevitably flourish.

The smaller company had devoted time to clarifying its direction and purpose – to provide 10/10 customer service, to have a happy workforce and to avoid waste.  That’s it.  Using three ‘pillars’ of freedom, support and feedback, workers are able to play to their strengths.  Stripping away a rules-based approach of control over overtime, expense claims and paper-chasing appraisals, the company has increased in profitability, size and achievement of customer and industry awards.

The multinational has dispensed with a complex competency framework and adopted strengths-based recruitment.  If you can identify applicant’s strengths and place them in a role where they can use those strengths, then they are likely to flourish.

In another workshop, ‘multiple scaling’ was introduced as a simple concept to be used in performance and coaching conversations.  On a scale of 0 to 10, where would you rate your overall competence?  Choose 2 or 3 specific competences required to do your job and rate those on a scale of 0 to 10.  Then discuss a scale of your choice and talk about why you think you perform at that level.  What has helped you perform at that level?  Comparing that to another scale, what’s the difference?  What are you doing differently at the higher level?  What would other people notice about you that was different?  And if you were at 10, how would you and other people know?

Having reflected with Jan after the conference, we realised life situations are not so simple.  It’s obvious that we all have weaknesses.   So just to talk about strengths can be misleading for people and for organisations.  However, can we use our strengths to combat our weaknesses?   If we assume that all required competences for a particular role to be performed well need to be at 5 or above, what about those we rate below 5?

For example, someone rates their IT skills at 3.  But they rate their strength to learn through someone else at 8, especially if that includes hands-on learning.   So they need to use their strength of rapport in identifying someone who is strong in IT skills, learning from a manual, summarising it and coaching them in a hands-on, encouraging way.  Their IT skills soar to 5!

If another person’s strength is high (say, 7) in talking through issues while it’s low (say, 4) in sitting down in a room on their own to write an essay, can they use their strength in vocal discussion to combat their relative weakness in written work through using a digital recorder, for example?

People succeed, thrive and prosper – we flourish – when we use our strengths, apply them to strengthen those weaknesses we cannot ignore, and when we are in an enabling environment.  Who will you strengthen and encourage today?

For more information on CAPP see www.cappeu.com and for more on scaling see The Solutions Focus

What do you think of when you hear the word ‘prudence’?  It tends not to be the most inspiring of virtues – a bit sour and dull perhaps?  But in its original meaning, prudence is great!

The essence of prudence is practical wisdom. Now that sounds more interesting.  To be wise in a down-to-earth way, to decide what to do and when – and what not to do and why – feels business-like.  Having the prudence to decide to go to that meeting or to plan how to chair it – well, that could make a significant difference in the workplace.

Jennifer Fox Eades in her book ‘Celebrating Strengths’ recalls Aristotle’s definition of prudence:

The prudent individual is neither reckless nor rigid, neither impulsive or compulsive, but balanced and flexible. A prudent person is one who considers what life is for and how this may be best achieved, one who balances short term pleasures against long term goals.

The idea of taking time to make reflective choices, to imagine a future and work towards its attainment – that does sound like practical wisdom.  Add the concept of synchronicity and life becomes full of possibilities.  Synchronicity is the sense of going with the flow.  Sensing opportunities and being prepared to risk their exploration.

Joseph Jaworski, with Peter Senge, refer in their book ‘Synchronicity’ as it being the ‘inner path of leadership’.  It combines skills and experience with creativity and vision – all earthed in the reality of business and home life.  To put it another way, it’s prudence dressed up in colour, psychedelic and exciting, full of ‘what if’ and ‘I wonder…’.

Here’s to prudence and synchronicity – useful attributes in difficult times.

Note: I’ve added the two references to the 3D HR Book Store

The UK is in a recession – that’s official.  We have had two consecutive quarters of negative economic growth which is the definition of an economic recession.  For months past, the British media have used headlines about the downturn, the melt-down, anything ‘down’.  I wonder how much the lack of consumer and producer confidence is a result of this negativity.  Have we created our own depression by talking about it so much, fearing it so much?

The same can be true within organisations.  Negative thinking is strong and contagious. Knocking each and every positive suggestion – we’ve done that before, it didn’t work then so why would it now? – can soon lead to a reluctance to try new things, an aversion to taking the risk of making radical proposals.

In January I took part in a workshop which merged the concepts of Appreciative Inquiry with Action Learning.  Using the structure of Action Learning in our groups, we each in turn talked about where we are in one part of our lives – Discovery.  Then we talked about our Dreams – what could be, without constraints.  Our Action Learning set, the other people in our small group, then helped us as individuals to hone down what we could do as first steps to Design and Deliver that Dream.  It was a powerful and uplifting experience, both as recipients to others’ questioning inquiry and as enquirers into the other person’s dreams.

The workshop was led by a trainer from New Zealand and he introduced the Maori proverb:

We walk into the future backwards, looking at the past

To me, that is a very liberating idea.  We can decide what of our past baggage we carry with us into the future.  And we can decide what dreams we will hold on to, deciding how to bring them a little closer with positive steps and actions.

President Barack Obama, with his book the “Audacity of Hope” and his campaign phrase “we can”, has brought a new positivity to America – at least from what our relatives in the USA tell us.  Obama does seem to be walking positively into the future, despite the obvious challenges his administration faces.  But he is also walking backwards into that future, looking at the USA’s and his own past, conscious of having to acknowledge and deal with historical wrongs.

Beware the power of negative thinking – it can be very depressing. Instead, looking at the past as you walk backwards into the future, hang on to those positive dreams and work to make them a closer reality.  Now that’s uplifting!

Positive, realistic thinking is a powerful tool to take with us on our walk into the future.

Just before Christmas I took part in a workshop on Strengths.  It was not part of some crisis to regain the muscles of my youth -  this was about realising strengths, in myself and in others.

So much of our work life and possibly our home life as well is about dealing with weaknesses.  The appraisal as an opportunity to point out someone’s short-falling or be given (yet again) the personal development plan to work on that weakness.

We tend to have a wide vocabulary relating to weakness – ‘could do better’, ‘room for improvement’, ‘rise to the challenge’, ‘opportunities for development’, etc.  But how big is our strengths vocabulary?  Can you readily define a strength?  How many strengths do you have?  How many do you regularly use in your work situation?

The Centre for Applied Positive Psychology or CAPP is headed up by Alex Linley.  In his book ‘Average to A+’, Linley defines a strength as follows:

A strength is a pre-existing capacity for a particular way of behaving, thinking or feeling that is authentic and energising to the user, and enables optimal functioning, development and performance.

So it’s something that is already there within our psyche, even if latent and/or underdeveloped.  It may be something we have inherited or developed very early in life.  We are predisposed to using that strength.  When we use a strength, it feels ‘real’ – that we are being true to ourselves rather than acting or showing learned behaviour.

Using our strengths is energising in that we have more vitality, less burnout and swifter recovery.  It recharges rather than exhausts us.  When we use our strengths, we perform and function better.  We tend to feel more in the flow, we learn and develop faster and we are most likely to excel – rather than be average. To be A+ or A star rather than C.

Linley points out that we need to realise our strengths in two ways: to identify those we have, to recognise and appreciate them; and to make use of them, to realise their potential.

CAPP is developing strengths-based interviewing to help organisations identify individuals whose strengths match the requirements of the role. So often organisations focus on the gap analysis – what is missing in the applicant and how it can be bridged.  Just asking interviewees:

• “when are you at your best?”
• “what can I count on you for the most?”
• “what are the things that most energise you?”

will quickly begin to identify strengths.  That is not saying ignore weaknesses.  But a focus on strengths makes many weaknesses irrelevant.  It gets away from the ‘curse of mediocrity’ where we can all do everything or be anything we want to be…

Strength spotting is a fun exercise, especially for anyone who wants people to flourish in the workplace.  Alex Linley’s book is available through the 3D HR Book Store or from CAPP.

There are times when life is very obviously a journey.  There is a sense of a starting point and a destination, of progress and movement, of change and new horizons.  Conversely, there are times of “stuckness”, of “being in a rut”, of not travelling or at least not as fast as we would like.

We were talking about this idea the other week in regard to work-home balance and how to maintain a sense of equilibrium in our lives.  If you imagine life as a journey along a motorway – we tend to think of the M4 from London to Bristol – then there are times when we are travelling in the outside fast lane.  It’s exhilarating and we’re making good progress.  But on the other hand, we don’t see much of the scenery while we concentrate on the vehicles around us and especially those coming up at speed behind us, flashing lights to get us out of their way.  We are using much more fuel and mental energy to keep our distance from the car in front and anticipate other drivers’ actions.

I have a self-imposed rule of taking a break from driving every two hours or so.  I know that thirty minutes at Reading services means I lose out on another 30 or 40 miles towards our destination.  But actually I feel better and I think drive better after a proper break – and of course caffeine!  What could seem a loss is actually an investment to keep me travelling along the road safely.

If we drive on regardless and at speed, we may end up on the hard shoulder, broken down and having to wait for some emergency service to “save” us.  Ignoring or forgetting to service the car can result in hours waiting on the side of the road for the AA or RAC to turn up.  That “service” of going on a short holiday, a weekend away without ‘work’ or even deciding to attend a learning/training course may ensure we travel with more surety and confidence once we’re back on the road.  Even the fastest drivers need to head for the pit-stop if they are to finish the race.

The safe slow option in the inside lane can be appropriate depending on what we’re driving and where.  I once drove a van with an over-loaded trailer of pipes and if I drove more than 30 miles an hour the trailer started weaving all over the road.  {I ended up off-loading the pipes in the middle of the night at a convenient storage yard.}  More usually, the problem I face driving in the inside lane of a motorway is getting stuck behind an even slower moving lorry or having to frequently move into the middle lane at each junction for joining traffic.  It can be frustrating and require more manoeuvring and switching lanes.  But the scenery is better enjoyed.

So I guess I’m a middle lane driver, without sticking there regardless of traffic conditions.  At times I do need to drive fast; at times I need to go off at the services; and at times I need to make sure I book in for maintenance and an MOT.

Enjoy the journey!

Sometimes we hide behind words.  Either we are worried about political correctness, concerned to be so PC that we don’t risk offending anyone, or that being too open may be viewed as weakness.

It is sometimes easier to refer to problems as issues, challenges or even opportunities.  If we do see a problem as an insurmountable obstacle, then it can defeat us before we even attempt to tackle it.  My initial reaction to some problems is often ‘no’ , it can’t be done.  But then the trouble-shooter in me looks again to identify possible flaws – ways over, round or through the problem.

This last week has been half-term and leaving the computer and office behind, we went to our son’s house to check out the new patio doors and design the patio area.  We had just two days to remove several tonnes of turf and earth.  And we needed a skip.  Amazingly a skip was delivered an hour after a phone call on Saturday morning and by Monday afternoon it was full, the patio area was levelled and the landscape gardeners had agreed the design and a quote to do the work.  While we could remove tonnes of soil, we didn’t have the experience and skill to build the walls and lay the stone slabs – certainly not before the winter frosts set in.

A problem, at least in Action Learning vocabulary, is a significant issue with no obvious solution.  Conversely a puzzle may be very complicated but has one unique solution.  Problems are worth clarifying, discussing and inviting others to inquire into, so that as the problem-holder, you can decide what you can do about it.  Sometimes that will mean action on your part, sometimes calling in other expertise and resources.

Moving the soil was a puzzle.  There was one solution and really only one way of doing it – by spade and wheelbarrow.  Laying the patio had various solutions, ranging from DIY to bringing in the experts.  Add the question of design and which stone to use and we had a problem to tackle.

So if something is a problem, let’s call it that by name.  Then look at the various options to tackle it – head on, or sideways; on our own or with others’ help; now or later.

The benefit of using a consultant in business is that they can focus on a specific problem and help you identify how it can be resolved.  External people are less distracted by all your other issues, often puzzles, and more removed from the organisational politics that may stifle resolution.

Happy problem-solving!

This last month I have been focusing on marketing. But my focus has been more fundamental than who to advertise to or through which medium.

The book ‘Get a Life’ tackles three questions.  Although its aim is individuals and especially our spiritual life, it seems to me that these equally apply to a business or organisation.  The first question is that of identity: who we are.  So in a business or workplace context – what business are we in?  What defines us as people and as organisations?  What are our values and principles as individuals and businesses?

The second question is that of purpose: what are we here for?  What are our organisational aims, our strategy, our objectives?

And the third question relates to choices: how are we going to be and do what we hope to?  There is very rarely just one way to approach a challenge, a goal, a problem.  We usually have to choose from a number of options.  The choice may be very obvious or complex – more compromise than consensus.

So who are we, what do we hope to do and how are we going to do it?  Who – what – how.

Paul Valler, the author of ‘Get a Life‘, suggests that when we get all three sections into harmony, then we achieve a sense of ’shalom’ or deep peace in our lives.  In organisational terms, I suggest this means there is a synergy and strength.  The three sides of the triangle creating the strongest shape.  As in life, so in business – this is a dynamic rather than static process.  Each of the 3 elements changes over time as we know and understand ourselves better, clarify our purpose and are faced with new choices for the journey.

And marketing?  For me, it’s meant a challenge to define what I and the business are all about – who we are, what we can and want to do, and how we can move forward.  One product result is the revised website.  Hopefully it makes our identity clearer, what we aim to do and how we can do it.  Has this been achieved?  Comments welcome!

I am a keen advocate of a good work-life balance – although I prefer the term work-home or work-leisure balance as so much of ‘work’ is part of ‘life’. When working within organisations I tried to model, talk about and even lecture colleagues on maintaining a healthy balance and not ‘over-work’. The tyranny of the urgent, or apparently urgent, meant people came in early, worked late and didn’t take proper lunch breaks away from the computer and the desk. The result was often stress, sickness and sometimes significant mistakes.

Rhythm is part of life which we disregard at our peril. We see in agriculture how the natural rhythm of the seasons produces a good crop whereas imposing an unnatural rhythm by forcing crops or animal rearing leads to inferior, bland produce. The rise in interest and value of organic produce is evidence of our appreciation of more natural, rhythmic agriculture.

In the workplace we need to recapture a healthy rhythm where it’s lost. To move away from intense deadlines and working all hours with consequent stress and burnout to a gentler rhythm. From back-to-back meetings to making time for planning and reflection between one meeting and the next. Research studies have proved that efficiency increases with a rhythmic work pattern of breaks and reasonable hours. Changes in work patterns to include more elements of a job from start to finish, whether on a factory production line or in an office environment, generate more employee satisfaction and engagement.

I’m reading Paul Valler’s book ‘Get a Life’ to help me appraise my own work-home rhythm and balance and recommend it to anyone feeling the pressure of our modern lifestyles – it’s in the 3D HR Bookstore.