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Published by Do it Best Corp., 2018-08-17 15:18:24

Emerging Leaders

Emerging Leaders

ABOUT EMERGING LEADERS

Table of Contents Leadership and Management
Skills Development
Servant Leadership..................3
Feedback.................................. 10 Congratulations and welcome to the Emerging Leaders group.
Problem Solving and We’re excited to learn with you and from you in the coming
Conflict..................................... 19 months.
Execution................................. 35
Change Leadership............... 42 Your participation in the preparation assignments, exercises,
Notes......................................... 50 group discussions, application assignments, and capstone
project will impact your overall experience.
You’re encouraged to fully engage with the content and
fellow participants as we grow together. Here’s some helpful
guidance from the HR team to begin:

• Listen thoughtfully and critically

• Speak your mind freely

• Avoid monopolizing the discussion

• Don’t let the discussion get away from you

• Don’t engage in side conversations

• Take part in friendly disagreement

• Strike while the idea is hot

• Be action minded

• Avoid unnecessary distractions

• Come prepared for each session
We are here to serve you as you embark on this exciting
personal development journey.

Sincerely,

Your Human Resources Team

SERVANT LEADERSHIP

Foundation: Servant Leadership

Preparation

Review Guidelines for Servant Leadership, James Autry

1 Manage for the best and not the worst

2 Don’t engage in police work

3 Be honest

4 Let your first response be a caring response



5

Care about yourself too

Watch Why Good Leaders Make You Feel Safe, a TED Talk by Simon Sinek
Record your key takeaways
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Complete Influential Leaders Worksheet

3

SERVANT LEADERSHIP

Influential Leaders Worksheet

Instructions:

This exercise is an internal reflection on your influencers, the people that have developed you into the person
you are today. Using the spaces provided, write the names of your influencers followed by a list of their words or
actions that have impacted your development. There is only one ground rule for this exercise: You must have a
personal or professional relationship with the people you list. There is an example provided to guide your efforts.

Name: Harold Tusler - High School Teacher Name:

Actions/words that influenced my behaviors Actions/words that influenced my behaviors

• Encouraged me to take calculated risks Name:
• Gave me candid feedback
• Did the right thing...always Actions/words that influenced my behaviors
• Great listener

Name:

Actions/words that influenced my behaviors

Name: Name:

Actions/words that influenced my behaviors Actions/words that influenced my behaviors

Name: Name:

Actions/words that influenced my behaviors Actions/words that influenced my behaviors

4

SERVANT LEADERSHIP

Learning Objectives

• Recognize the attributes of servant leadership
• Compare and contrast leadership styles with a natural desire to serve
• Set two personal development goals

Servant Leadership Attributes

1. Listening
2. Empathy
3. Healing
4. Awareness
5. Persuasion
6. Conceptualization
7. Foresight
8. Building community
9. Commitment to the growth of people
10. Stewardship

Learning in Action Part I

Instructions:

1 STEP Work in groups of 3-4 (4 maximum). Reference your Influential Leaers Worksheet.

Share your key findings with your groups.

2 ST EP Identify the common characteristics of your individual influencers. Record them
on the sticky notes provided. What three traits were most common in your
group’s influencers? (Record in the space provided.)



3STEP Sort the characteristics according to the attributes of servant leadership.
Post them on the corresponding posters.



5

SERVANT LEADERSHIP

Learning in Action Part II

Servant Leadership is intentional. There are many routes that take us away from servant leadership.

We’ll call these routes “servant leadership detours.”



Instructions:

1STEP Work together to identify servant leadership detours. Record them on the
sticky notes provided.

Sort the detours according to the corresponding servant leadership attribute.

2STEP



3STEP Post the detours on the corresponding posters.



Group Discussion: Bringing it together

Instructions:

Let’s connect our findings to Simon Sinek’s messages on trust and collaboration as presented in his
TED Talk Why Good Leaders Make You Feel Safe.

1. Think about Sinek’s telling of the Captain William Swenson’s story. What attributes of servant
leadership did he portray?

2. Sinek talked about great leaders: “They want to provide their people opportunity, education,
discipline when necessary, build their self-confidence, give them the opportunity to try
and fail, all so that they could achieve more than we could ever imagine for ourselves.”
What else makes a leader great?

3. Did you see any other connections between Sinek’s message and our servant-led culture? Have
you witnessed examples of servant leadership at Do it Best?

6

SERVANT LEADERSHIP

Collaborative
Goal Setting

Instructions:

Split into pairs/groups for this collaborative goal
setting exercise. Using the results of your
self-assessment and the self-ranking exercise,
set two personal development goals following
the examples provided below.

Goal 1: Develop your strength

Strongest S MA R T
Attribute
Aligned with Next 30 days
Listening Demonstrate Reduction in Ask for peer team goals
active listening distractions (i.e. feedback
when people glances at phone,
pop-in with laptop, etc.)
requests

7

SERVANT LEADERSHIP

Collaborative Goal Setting

Goal 2: Opportunity for Improvement

Weakest SMA R T
Attribute
Thank teammates Avoid using Relatively small Aligned with Next two weeks
Empathy for sharing their phrase “at least” investment performance
of time – 30 review goal
challenges with – i.e. “at least minutes to improve/
burnout you are good at deepen peer
your job” relationships

8

SERVANT LEADERSHIP

Recommended Reading

The Servant Leader Leaders Eat Last Daring Greatly
by James Autry by Simon Sinek by Dr. Brene Brown

Application Exercises

• Meet with accountability partner to discuss progress made toward your two personal development goals

• Complete preparation assignments for next session on Feedback (pages 10 - 13)

A little inspiration for your perspiration

“The foundation of servant leadership is courage and shame breeds
fear. Shame crushes our tolerance for vulnerability, thereby killing
engagement, innovation, creativity, productivity, and trust.”

- Dr. Brene Brown, best-selling author and sociological researcher

9

FEEDBACK

Development: Feedback

Preparation

• Read Responding to Feedback You Disagree With by Sheila Heen and Debbie Goldstein
• Watch Focusing on Feedback by Lean In

10

FEEDBACK

11

FEEDBACK

12

FEEDBACK

13

FEEDBACK

Responding to Feedback You Disagree With

Learning Objectives

• Understand your responses to feedback
• Discover new ways to encourage candid feedback
• Help others get better at delivering and receiving feedback

Icebreaker

How do you interpret feedback?
Is your interpretation different if you agree with the feedback? What if you disagree?

Natural Tension

Case Study

While watching the video clip, record your thoughts on Leslie’s natural tension. How did she balance her need
to grow with her need to be accepted?

14

FEEDBACK

Truth Triggers


1. Think of a couple of pieces of feedback in the recent past that you have found tough to receive.
What were the most immediate thoughts to go through your mind as you received this feedback?


2. How would you describe your experience in relation to the three triggers?
What has helped you manage these triggers?

15

FEEDBACK

Labels vs. Substance: Time to Get Curious

1. Consider a label you have received from someone. What was your reaction?
What did you assume they meant?

2. Thinking about it from their point of view, where might it be coming from? Where might it be going to?
What kinds of follow up questions might you now want to ask the person who gave you the feedback,
if you were able to do the conversation over again?

16

FEEDBACK

Learning in Action

Instructions:

Split into pairs/groups for this collaborative exercise. In the space provided below, record five different ways
you can use what we’ve learned to help others better receive feedback. Then, record three methods for
assisting others as they deliver feedback more effectively. Chose a spokesperson to share your ideas with the
large group.

Help others better receive feedback:

Help others deliver feedback more effectively (think substance not labels):

Recommended Reading

Thanks for the Feedback

by Sheila Heen and Douglas Stone

17

FEEDBACK

Application Exercises

• Between this session and the next session, record one experience receiving feedback and answer
the following questions.
o Description of experience.
o Who gave you the feedback?
o Did you agree with the feedback?
o Did they use a label?
o How well did you receive the feedback?
• Describe how you helped one person either
a) better receive feedback or
b) deliver feedback more effectively.

• Complete preparation assignments for Problem Solving and Conflict session (pages 19 - 27)

A little inspiration for your perspiration

“Feedback is the breakfast of champions.”

- Ken Blanchard, Author and Situational Leadership Theorist

18

PROBLEM SOLVING AND CONFLICT

Engagement: Problem Solving and Conflict

Preparation

• C omplete and score How Do I Respond to Conflict? Self-Assessment (pages 19 - 22)
• R eview Patrick Lencioni’s Five Dysfunctions of a Team Model (page 23)
• Review 7 Ways Amazing Leaders Encourage Healthy Debate (pages 24 - 27)

19

PROBLEM SOLVING AND CONFLICT

15. A In order to preserve our relationship, I might soothe the other person's feelings.
B I usually do what is needed to avoid unnecessary tensions.

16. A I try to avoid hurting the other person's feelings.
B I try to persuade the other person to see the advantages of my idea.

17. A l am often firm in seeking what I want.
B I usually do what is needed to avoid unnecessary tensions.

18. A To keep the other person content, I might relinquish my position.
B I will let the other person win on some issues if I can also win on some of mine.

19. A I try to get all the issues on the table right away.
B I try to postpone dealing with an issue until I have time to think about it.

20. A I would rather work through differences immediately.
B I look for a fair settlement in which both of us have some gains and losses.

21. A In dealing with a disagreement, I try to consider the other's wishes.
B I generally prefer a direct discussion of the problem.

22. A I try to find a middle ground between our different positions.
B I try to see that my interests prevail.

23. A I usually try to see that both of us get what we are seeking.
B Sometimes I let the other person be responsible for solving the problem

24. A If the other person seems very intent on his/her position, I would look for a way
to accommodate him/her.

B I try to get the other to agree on a middle ground solution.
25. A I try to get the other person to see the advantages of my point of view.

B In dealing with differences, I try to consider the other person's wishes.
26. A I suggest a middle ground solution.

B I usually try to see that the other person's needs are met as well as my own.
27. A I sometimes avoid taking a position which might cause disagreement.

B To keep the other person content, I might relinquish my position.
28. A I am often firm in seeking what I want.

B I usually try to enlist the other's help in finding a solution.
29. A I suggest a middle ground solution.

B I believe that not all differences are worth working out.
30. A I try to avoid hurting the other person's feelings.

B I generally share the problem with the other person so we can work it out
together.

20

PROBLEM SOLVING AND CONFLICT

How Do I Respond to Conflict?

Scoring Sheet

On each line, circle the letter you circled for that number on the questionnaire.

1. B AB
2.
3. A A A
4.
5. B B
6. B AB
7. A
8. A B
9. B A A
10. A BA
11. A
12. A A
13. B B B
14. B A
15. B
16. B B BA
17. A B A
18. B
19. BA
20. A
21.
22. B B
23. BA
24.
25. A B
26. B
27.
28. A A
29.
30. A
B

BA
B

A
AB

AB
A

Forcing Collaborating Compromising Avoiding Accommodating

Total the number of letters circled in each column. The totals will reflect your most natural responses to
conflict in the situations you had in mind as you completed the questionnaire.

21

PROBLEM SOLVING AND CONFLICT

22

PROBLEM SOLVING AND CONFLICT

Five
Dysfunctions
Model

• Dysfunction #1: Absence of Trust
The fear of being vulnerable with team members prevents the building of trust within the team.
• Dysfunction #2: Fear of Conflict
The desire to preserve artificial harmony stifles the occurrence of productive ideological conflict.
• Dysfunction #3: Lack of Commitment
The lack of clarity or buy-in prevents team members from making decisions they will stick to.
• D ysfunction #4: Avoidance of Accountability
The need to avoid interpersonal discomfort prevents team members from holding one another accountable.
• Dysfunction #5: Inattention to Results
T he pursuit of individual goals and personal status erodes the focus on collective success.
Five Dysfunctions of a Team Model
Credit: Patrick Lencioni

23

PROBLEM SOLVING AND CONFLICT

7 Ways Amazing Leaders
Encourage Healthy Debate

There is no shortage of arguments in the workplace.
Use these tips to make sure value comes from conflict.

By Kevin Daum Inc.

Some people just love to argue. They will use any opportunity to debate or challenge. Constant debate
is not a problem in itself; most brilliance comes from healthy and passionate conflict. The challenge
occurs when people argue or create conflict without a positive purpose.
Differing styles of debate can also create difficult issues in the workplace. Aggressive personalities tend
to be overly antagonistic when dealing with any conflict, unintentionally inflating minor issues into
major problems that can demotivate everyone involved. It would be helpful if people were actually
aware of their style, but unfortunately, few are so self-aware.
Whichever side of the argument you are on, you can keep the debate professional and the dangerous
emotions to a minimum by following these simple habits that really successful leaders employ.

24

PROBLEM SOLVING AND CONFLICT

1. They start in the spirit of inquiry.

Most people start debating with a specific agenda. Often that agenda is to be right. This is a recipe for
disaster. The other party can sense right away that they are under attack and will go immediately into
defensive mode. The inner voices on both sides will grow loud and block good information from reaching
the brain.
Amazing leaders are not interested in winning for their own ego. They understand that finding the truth
benefits the whole team so everyone can win. It’s possible that someone has discovered patterns and
effects that were beyond your thinking. Open your mind and look for answers, not victory.

2. They don’t assume anything from email.

Email and text are great communication tools that often bring convenience and clarity to the work
place — except when they don’t. Without a face or a voice to convey emotion, written text can easily
be misconstrued as being terse, sarcastic, snarky, or even mean. Most often these emotions come from
the person reading it who projects their own approach onto the text. If the reader is having a bad day
or lacks respect for the sender, they are likely to read that message with that affecting tone in his or her
head. Readers who may be particularly sarcastic or aggressive in nature will automatically apply their
own style to the message, as well.
Amazing leaders are interested in truth. Before they fully react to something they read in a powerful or
negative manner, they will consider all the possibilities of meaning and then approach the discussion
verbally in an open and considerate way. Additionally, they carefully consider their tone when writing
emails as well. Always assume you don’t know the tone of any written communication you receive and
openly inquire as to the emotions of your debate partner.

3. They state, up front, the desired outcome.

Many people enter into a debate ready to battle with only one side knowing the rules and purpose of
engagement. This does give them great advantage, but usually at the expense of any productivity and
congeniality. They aren’t intentionally strategic with this approach. They just assume that all people
engage in conflict the same way and give little consideration for the person on the other side of the
conversation.
Amazing leaders want a clear agenda with purposeful debate. They want to keep the spirit uplifting and
obtain positive results for the company no matter how deep the discourse. Before beginning any debate
or argument, discuss with the other party a purposeful outcome and define clear rules of engagement.

25

PROBLEM SOLVING AND CONFLICT

4. They give others the benefit of the doubt.

When people are busy their emotions and behavioral patterns can get the best of them. Intelligent
debaters often get ahead of themselves, making assumptions about what the other person thinks or
feels. If the emotions are high, debaters might assume that the other parties are against them. And
maybe they are . . . but maybe they are not.
Amazing leaders counter-intuitively accept that moments of debate and argument are actually the time
to dial things back and be reflective. That way, cooler heads can prevail and usefulness can come from
the conflict. Unless it’s a life or death situation or your job is at stake, keep the emotion low and believe
what the other party is communicating about their emotion and perspective. No need to exacerbate a
stressful situation with accusations of dishonesty or disingenuousness. Keep the attacks to the facts.

5. They want to learn more than they want to win.

Unfortunately, most companies foster politics better than they do productivity. People use conversation
as a way to manage problems rather than support discovery. Often, when someone brings up an issue
that may be conflictive with current policy or belief, management looks to tamp things down or avoid
the conflict so it doesn’t get in the way of their perceived productivity.
Amazing leaders know that this keep-it-moving approach results in long term mediocrity. They see any
small conflict like a cockroach in a slum wall — if one shows up, there must be many more behind the
surface. They can’t wait to learn what really exists beneath the outer layer and why. When conflict arises
unexpectedly, seize the opportunity to examine the circumstances and the underlying issues. You may
find solutions that prevent huge systemic breakdowns or open you to massive new opportunities.

6. They treat others as comrades not adversaries.

An office or business is a fascinating ecosystem that often combines unlikely people in high-pressure
ways without concern for personality, style, or methodology. Everyone just assumes that people will find
a way to get along. In reality, it takes effort on everyone’s part.
Amazing leaders know that fostering a positive work environment with healthy conflict cannot happen
by accident even with the smartest people. In fact, the smarter the people are, the more effort it takes to
get them to work together happily and productively. Start every debate thinking of the other person as
your best friend. Seek to help them understand and feel good about the engagement at the beginning,
middle, and end. Remember, you don’t know yet how important this person is to your future. No need to
create enemies early.

26

PROBLEM SOLVING AND CONFLICT

7. They make sure everyone is comfortable with the process.

Debate can raise tempers and emotions even when the topic is academic in nature. Passionate people
will communicate in passionate ways. It’s okay to let things heat up, but you have to release the pressure
after the battle or resentment will occur and build in an aggregated matter.
Amazing leaders value their people and commit the time to promote good morale. They make sure
to check in and resolve any existing conflict so everyone can move on to the next project as a healthy
team. If you are engaging in a high conflict environment, make sure you devote energy to building
rapport amongst the team, especially when the debate has concluded. Don’t just assume that everyone
is comfortable, especially if you won. You have the responsibility to make sure everyone is whole, even
if it means you have to apologize for taking things too far for the circumstances. The higher the trust,
the better the output from healthy and hot debate. Otherwise you’ll never get past the low hanging
assumptions and uncover the productive truths that will ensure success.

PUBLISHED ON: SEP 8, 2015

Notes:

















27

PROBLEM SOLVING AND CONFLICT

Learning Objectives

• Develop problem solving skills
• Understand your default response to conflict
• Learn to differentiate between healthy and unhealthy conflict
• Discover ways to mine for healthy conflict

Problem Solving

We’re all equipped to spot problems we encounter in our daily work. Leaders learn how to find solutions using
the following critical thinking skills:
1. Identification

2. Research

3. Identifying biases

4. Inference

5. Determining relevance

6. Curiosity

28

PROBLEM SOLVING AND CONFLICT

Learning in Action

Instructions:

1STEP Pair up.



2 STEP

Each pair will initially be assigned a critical thinking skill.

3 STEP

Referencing the example provided, brainstorm development opportunities for the skill
you’ve been assigned. Work together to brainstorm and record as many
development opportunities for your assigned skill in the time allotted (3 minutes).

4STEP When time is up, pass the poster with your skill to the right. Continue to brainstorm and
record development opportunities for all six critical thinking skills.



My Default Style

My preferred style for managing conflict is (select one):

___ Forcing
___ Avoiding
___ Collaborating
___ Accommodating
___ Compromising

Were you surprised by your assessment results? Did you learn anything new about yourself?

Were the results confirming? In what way?

29

PROBLEM SOLVING AND CONFLICT

Danger in Defaults

Your preferred style may not be the most appropriate style for managing conflict in all situations. Learning to
adjust your style based on the needs of the situation will help you more effectively manage conflict.
You can consider:

• Relationship

o Has trust been established?
o Do we (all parties) have a good working relationship?
o How do the roles of the parties influence the relationship (i.e. power dynamics)?

• Urgency

o How quickly does the problem need to be solved?

• Interests

o What are the shared interests of the conflicting parties?

• Positions

o Are the parties taking opposing positions?

Unhealthy Conflict

Not all conflict is healthy. Unhealthy conflict:

• Creates division

• Fuels animosity

• Low performance/productivity

• Increased absenteeism

• Ignites fear

30

PROBLEM SOLVING AND CONFLICT

Learning in Action:
Listening to Identify Unhealthy Conflict

Instructions:

1STEP Pair up. Try to work with someone different than you did during the first learning in
action exercise.



2 STEP

Using the space provided below, record context clues you can use to identify
unhealthy conflict. Be ready to share your ideas with the larger group.

Healthy Conflict

Conflict is necessary, and if it’s healthy it:

• Maintains relationship(s)

• Fosters cooperation

• Creates new ideas

• Encourages growth

• Builds trust

31

PROBLEM SOLVING AND CONFLICT

Learning in Action: Observing Healthy Conflict

1STEP Pair up.


2 STEP

Using the space provided below, record your answers to the following question.
What does healthy conflict look like?

Conflict Analysis: Six Factors

Not all conflict is healthy. Unhealthy conflict:
1. Parties

2. Issues

3. Interests

4. Feelings

5. Power

6. Common Ground

32

PROBLEM SOLVING AND CONFLICT

Four Basic Steps to Conflict Resolution

1. Clarify issues

2. Build understanding

3. Explore solutions

4. Commit to a plan

Positions vs. Interests

Positions are what a party ____________ Interests are the underlying ___________
or _______ or _______ related to positions
_________ do you want that?
What do you __________?
33
Recommended Reading

Getting to Yes by Fisher, Ury, and Patton

PROBLEM SOLVING AND CONFLICT

Application Exercises

• Between this session and the next session, record one experience managing conflict.
o Description of conflict:

o Was the conflict healthy or unhealthy?

o Did you adapt your response to the needs of the situation?

o Did you help the parties recognize their common ground (shared interests)?

o How well did you receive the feedback?

• Describe how you helped one person either
a) better receive feedback or b) deliver feedback more effectively.

• Complete preparation assignments for Problem Solving and Conflict session (pages 35 - 37)

A little inspiration for your perspiration

“Conflict is always the right thing to do when it matters.”

– Patrick Lencioni, author and CEO of The Table Group

34

EXECUTION

Drive: Execution

Preparation

• Listen to the Stop Wasting Your Time and Take Back Control podcast

• Read How Being Busy Can Make You Less Productive by Dr. Travis Bradberry

• Collect data:

Instructions

Set up 15-20 minute interviews with people who have positively influenced you. Try to select influencers in your
360˚ scope (peer, manager, someone more junior than you). Let your influencers know you’re preparing for a
training and development session on execution (getting things done). You can also share that you’ll only ask
them two questions (but don’t share them in advance).



Record the data:

Influencer What felt costs has busyness What felt costs has busyness
had on your personal life? had on your team at work?


When we meet, you’ll share the data you collected. You are encouraged to protect the anonymity of your
influencers while sharing your findings.

35

EXECUTION

How Being Busy Can Make
You Less Productive

Travis Bradberry
GUEST WRITER
Co-author of Emotional Intelligence 2.0 and President at TalentSmart


January 14, 2016
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Being busy has somehow become a badge of honor. The prevailing notion is that if you aren’t super busy, you

aren’t important or hard working. The truth is, busyness makes you less productive.
When we think of a super busy person, we think of a ringing phone, a flood of e-mails, and a schedule that’s
bursting at the seams with major projects and side-projects hitting simultaneously. Such a situation inevitably
leads to multi-tasking and interruptions, which are both deadly to productivity.

“Beware the barrenness of a busy life.” –Socrates

David Meyer from the University of Michigan published a study recently that showed that switching what you’re
doing mid-task increases the time it takes you to finish both tasks by 25%.

“Multitasking is going to slow you down, increasing the chances of mistakes,”
Meyer said. “Disruptions and interruptions are a bad deal from the standpoint
of our ability to process information.”

Microsoft decided to study this phenomenon in their workers and found that it took people an average of 15
minutes to return to their important projects (such as writing reports or computer code) every time they were
interrupted by e-mails, phone calls, or other messages. They didn’t spend the 15 minutes on the interrupting
messages, either; the interruptions led them to stray to other activities, such as surfing the web for pleasure.
“I was surprised by how easily people were distracted and how long it took them to get back to the task,” said Eric
Horvitz, the Microsoft research scientist behind the study. “If it’s this bad at Microsoft, it has to be bad at other
companies, too.”
Beyond interruptions, busyness reduces productivity because there’s a bottleneck in the brain that prevents us
from concentrating on two things at once. When you try to do two things at once, your brain lacks the capacity to
perform both tasks successfully. In a breakthrough study, René Marois and his colleagues at Vanderbuilt University
used MRIs to successfully pinpoint a physical source for this bottleneck.
“We are under the impression that we have this brain that can do more than it can,” Marois explained.

36

EXECUTION

We’re so enamored with multitasking that we think we’re getting more done, even though our brains aren’t
physically capable of this. Regardless of what we might think, we are most productive when we manage our
schedules enough to ensure that we can focus effectively on the task at hand.
If you read my recent article on mindfulness, you’ll recall that practicing mindfulness increases your ability to
focus and concentrate because it increases brain density in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). As it turns out,
multitasking has the opposite effect on this critical brain area. Researchers from the University of Sussex compared
the amount of time people spend on multiple devices (such as texting while watching TV) to MRI scans of their
brains. They found that high multitaskers had less brain density in the ACC. It’s as if being busy all the time (via
multitasking) trains your brain to be mindless and unproductive.
I doubt these findings completely surprise you as we’ve all felt the distracting pull of competing tasks when we’re
busy. So why do we keep doing it?
Researchers from the University of Chicago have the answer. They found that the belief that busyness is a sign of
success and hard work is so prevalent that we actually fear inactivity. A recent study there coined the term idleness
aversion to describe how people are drawn to being busy regardless of how busyness harms their productivity.
The researchers also found that we use busyness to hide from our laziness and fear of failure. We burn valuable
time doing things that aren’t necessary or important because this busyness makes us feel productive. For instance,
responding to non-urgent e-mails when you know you have a big project that you need to finish. It’s tough, but
you need to recognize when you’re using trivial activities to shield yourself from sloth or fear.
Bringing it all together
We are naturally drawn to being busy despite the fact that this hinders our productivity. As it turns out, you really
do have to slow down to do your best. When you don’t, the consequences can be severe.

Notes

37

EXECUTION

Learning Objectives

• Identify your productivity “thieves”
• Learn the Four Disciplines of Execution Model
• Practice effective prioritization

Learning in Action: Your Findings

We just shared the common costs of busyness in our professional and personal lives. Now, you’ll work together
in small groups (no more than 4) to answer and discuss the following questions:

1. Are you willing to pay the costs we identified?

2. What steps can you take to guard against burnout?

3. What lessons from the Stop Wasting Your Time and Take Back Control podcast can you apply to your
professional and personal life?

Productivity Thieves

Credit: Juliet Funt, Whitespace

Drive... ...Hyper Drive
Excellence ... ...Perfection
Information... ...Information Overload
Activity... ...Frenzy

38

EXECUTION

Which Thief Robs You?

Check the description that is most like you.

___ Drive: I enjoy what I do so much that I sometimes can’t unplug. My family and friends tell me that I

struggle to be present during meaningful moments. I don’t take time to celebrate achievements before I look
to “what’s next.”

___ Excellence: I strive to be the best. I am detail-oriented. I sometimes struggle to complete a

project because I can always find ways to make it better before it’s delivered. I shrink when I don’t receive a
perfect score or an exceeds expectations performance review.

___ Information: I love data. Information informs my decisions. Some of my teammates tell me that I

have “analysis paralysis.” Others tell me that I ignore others’ feelings in favor of information.

___Activity: Lists? Yes please! I love making and checking off lists. I’m the first one to create “action

items” following a meeting. Some days, I’ve accomplished a lot but still have the biting feeling I didn’t get
much done.

Defeat the Thieves

Drive: Is there anything I can let go of?
Excellence: Where is “good enough”, good enough?
Information: What do I truly need to know?
Activity: What deserves my attention?

39

EXECUTION

Four Disciplines of Execution

Credit: Chris McChesney, Franklin Covey

Learning in Action: Effective Prioritization

Instructions

1STEP Organize into small groups (maximum 4).



2 STEP

Open your group’s folder. In it, you’ll find:
• A division’s one-page plan

• The company’s one-page plan

• A list of tasks/activities that you’ll need to prioritize into quadrants –

quadrant 1 will be the “wildly important” tasks/activities

• A blank meeting agenda

• Supplies to create a compelling scoreboard

40

EXECUTION

3STEP You’ll work together to effectively prioritize the wildly important tasks/activities.
Acting as a leadership team, you’ll prepare an agenda for a team meeting sharing the
priorities you’ve identified. You’ll also create a compelling scoreboard to help the team
keep score as they execute on the priorities you’ve shared with them.

Choose one team member to present your agenda and scoreboard to the
larger group.
4STEP




Recommended Reading

The Four Disciplines of Execution

by Chris McChesney, Sean Covey,
and Jim Huling

Application Exercises

• Set up a meeting with your mentor or a past accountability partner. Tell them about what you’ve learned
about effectively prioritizing your work load and executing on your goals. Explain which productivity thief
attempted to rob you, and what you did to defeat him. Ask your mentor/partner to give you feedback about
your ability to execute.

• Complete the preparation assignments for the Change Leadership Session on (pages 42 - 43).

A little inspiration for your perspiration

“A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat,
determination, and hard work.”

- Colin Powell

41

CHANGE LEADERSHIP

Continuous Improvement: Change Leadership

Preparation

• Complete the personal investment exercise
• Reflect on a change you struggled to embrace
• Find and share one article, blog post, podcast, or TED Talk that speaks to change management. Come

prepared to share your key takeaways with the group.

Personal Investment Exercise

Instructions:

Before you learn about ways you can effectively lead others through change at Do it Best, it’s important to
consider what should never change. Complete the following Personal Investment Exercise.
Please take a few minutes to answer the following questions individually:
• What is it about Do it Best that keeps you coming here day-in and day-out?

• What is the role of an emerging leader in protecting our culture?

• As an emerging leader, how do you nurture and own our philosophy, mission, and goal?

• What specific action can you take to reinforce servant leadership?

42

CHANGE LEADERSHIP

Struggling with Change

We’ve all struggled with change in our personal and professional lives. Reflect on a change that was difficult for
you. Come prepared to share your responses to the following questions:
Please take a few minutes to answer the following questions individually:
• Describe a change that caused you to struggle.

• Did you agree with the change?

• Was there information you needed but didn’t have that would have made the change easier for you?

• What did you take from the experience that has made you more adaptable to change?

Change Leadership Research

Name or title of the article, blog post, podcast, or TED Talk: _________________________

Presenter or author: _____________________________

My key takeaways:
• _________________________________
• _________________________________
• _________________________________

43

CHANGE LEADERSHIP

Learning Objectives

• Identify the aspects of our organization and culture that should never change
• Explain why change is critical to our shared success
• Discover three steps to effectively lead yourself and others through change
• Learn about the ADKAR model for change management

Learning in Action

Instructions

1STEP Break up into small groups (no more than 4).
Take turns sharing the resources you discovered while preparing for this session.
Review the key takeaways from your resource (stick to three main points).

2STEP Work together to create a visual depiction of your key takeaways. Be creative!
Examples include: word clusters, drawings, and thought clouds.


3STEP



4STEP




5 STEP Select one group member to share your visual with the rest of the group.

Leading Yourself Through Change

1STEP Take a few minutes to answer the following questions on your own.

• What is your first response when a change is introduced?


• Does that response evolve as the change progresses?

• What tools or methods can you use to become more adaptable?

2STEP Pair up. Share your answers with your partner.



3 STEP Answer the following questions together:

• Is your initial response to the introduction of change similar? Is it different?

• How can you partner with others to adapt to change?

44

CHANGE LEADERSHIP

Leading Others Through Change

Source: Mike Myatt

1. Identifying the Need for Change
2. Leading Change
3. Managing Change

Roles people play during change:

Victim: ___________________________________________________________
Neutral Bystander: ________________________________________________
The Critic: ________________________________________________________
The Advocate: ___________________________________________________

10 points to validate before launching a change:

1. Alignment and buy-in

2. Advantage

3. Value Add

4. Due Diligence

45

CHANGE LEADERSHIP

5. Ease of Use
6. Identify the Risks
7. Measurement
8. The Project
9. Accountability
10. Actionable

Additional Notes:







46

CHANGE LEADERSHIP

Change Leadership Steps

Source: Prosci Inc.

High Level Overview

© Prosci Inc. All Rights Reserved

A Closer Look: People and Phases

THE PEOPLE SIDE OF CHANGE

Awareness Desire Knowledge Ability Reinforcement

Business Concept Implementation Post -
need & design implementation

PHASES OF A CHANGE PROJECT



47

CHANGE LEADERSHIP

FOCUS ON CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

Our Philosophy:
Serving others as we
would like to be served

Our Mission:
Making the best

even better®
Our Goal:
Helping our
members grow
and achieve their dreams™

CHANGE Making the best even better® CULTURE

THE THREE GUARANTEES THREE TYPES OF BEHAVIOR
OF CHANGE ASSOCIATED WITH CHANGE
• Change is here to stay • Design – promotes change
• It won’t be trouble-free • Default – accepts status quo
• You are accountable • Defiance – resists change

TRUST = THE TRUTH
AS I KNOW IT TODAY

48

CHANGE LEADERSHIP

IDENTIFY PLAN

Opportunities in the How can the current
process or workflow process be improved

THE
CONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT

CYCLE

REVIEW EXECUTE

How are changes Implement changes
working for the team?

Identify an opportunity for process improvement:

Application Exercises

• Preview materials for upcoming Business Acumen sessions

49

NOTES

Notes:



























50


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