The Work of Leadership By Heifetz and Laurie

Leadership is like a doctor that tells a heart attack patient to change his lifestyle.

Companies face adaptive challenges that require overall change.

Leaders cannot just take responsibility and provide solutions, because these solutions must come from the collective intelligence of employees at all levels.

Adaptive change is distressing for the people going through it.

Six Principles for leading adaptive work:

 

Get on the Balcony

Magic Johnson and Bobby Orr in hockey play hard while keeping the whole game situation in mind, as if on a balcony above the field of play. See the larger patterns of play, make observations.

Leaders should see a context for change or create one. Give employees perspective of past and current market forces, identify struggles over values and power, and recognize patterns of work avoidance and dysfunctional reactions to change.

Prerequisite for the next five principles.

 

Identify the adaptive challenge

Chimpanzees know how to react to a predatory leopard, but not to a hunter or poacher.

British Airways changed from "Bloody Awful" to "the world's favorite airline" by reorienting on serving people, acting on trust, respecting the individual, and making teamwork happen across boundaries. Values had to change.

CEO Colin Marshall looked:

1) at the organization, meeting crews, employees, and passengers

2) at conflicts as symptoms of adaptive challenges – procedures, schedules and lines of authority

3) Mirror up to themselves – executive management would lead in adaptive work.

 

Regulate distress

Realize that people can learn only so much so fast. Strike delicate balance – people should feel the need to change without feeling overwhelmed.

1) Create Holding Environment – a "place" to frame and debate issues, clarify assumptions

2) Use Authority – responsible for direction, protection, orientation, managing conflict, and shaping norms.

3) Have presence and poise

Pressure Cooker Analogy – maintain pressure, but release steam

 

Maintain disciplined attention

Value diversity, invite competing perspectives, but maintain focus

Reign in work avoidance tactics. Encourage dialogue, prevent sterile conflict.

 

Giving the work back to people

Your people will recognize their own problems and often supply the solutions

Protecting voices of leadership from below