The Motivational Power of Confident Problem Management

Executives take on big initiatives and big projects with the expectation of big results. These efforts are typically cross-functional with a lot of different perspectives and mindsets at play, not to mention all of the personalities involved.

When implementation leaders accept the responsibility for guiding this kind of journey to a safe and successful conclusion, they know there are going to be bumps in the road. When an organization develops the capability for skillful management of these types of problems, they gain access to positive employee behaviors that drive competitiveness.

To keep the obstacles and issues that crop-up along the way from demoralizing their teams, expert leaders do the following:

• Investigate: by conducting an objective investigation to collect both the facts and the various perspectives on the problem.
• Measure: by taking a read on the scale and scope of the issue.
• Futurize*: by using their experience to come up with a complete picture of the potential damage the problem could cause and the speed at which it could spread.
• Communicate: by selecting what each group needs to know in order to feel as confident as possible that the right people are applying the right approach to the problem.
• Solve: by applying problem solving resources and methods with the power to deal with the magnitude and level of difficulty of the problem. And for the biggest problems, with the capability on board right from the start, to squash the problem quickly, even if the worst case scenario is realized.
• Update: by keeping those closest to the problem and those who will be most impacted by it the most fully informed. And then selectively managing other communications to:
  • minimize wasteful “fretting” behaviors – worrying, speculating, gossiping, spinning
  • maximize the image of factual sincerity and clarity
• Validate: by verifying the success of the problem resolution from the perspectives of all the groups involved in and impacted by the change effort.

It’s not easy to do all of the above in a way that truly inspires confidence throughout the organization, yet it’s certainly worth the energy and time it takes to develop the right people for the job. When the people within your organization are confident major undertakings can be managed from start to finish, you’ll recognize a fresh willingness to take on accountability and a new level of creativity among the troops.

* “Yes, of course I made that word up. That’s what I love about the English language; people just make up the words they need as they go along.”

Natural Team Motivations

A VP of a company enjoying a high level of success may find its senior leadership isn’t motivated to aggressively pursue process improvement. Even so, most businesses have a budget for improvement initiatives, even if they’re not particularly forceful about it. An inspired leader can make significant improvement happen by tapping into the natural motivations that drive people within the organization.

For example, a VP can assemble a business process improvement team to cut costs associated with a particular process by 50 percent or more. This kind of breakthrough process improvement doesn’t have to be difficult, and the motivation doesn’t have to come from a forceful push made at the very top.

This can be done by tapping into the motivations team members bring to work every day. These motivations include:

• the desire to eliminate hassle from the job
• the pressure to learn and gain knowledge to accomplish other objectives – advancement, job security, etc.
• the fulfillment gained by making a difference
• the good feeling that comes from improving quality for customers
• the satisfaction enjoyed by earning increased respect from peers

Tapping into the team's natural motivations generates energy for success and enables significant improvements take place.

Next week: keep motivations high even when problems crop up along the way.

Persuasive Arguments Flow Uphill

In a healthy working environment, natural behaviors that we all recognize drive how people behave when they interact with each other. Take the  case where people of differing perspectives come together to generate ideas, develop plans, and make decisions.

Natural human behaviors that we all recognize drive the dynamics.  The energy of the people in the group drives the idea, plan or decision uphill.

Here’s how it works:

A persuasive argument flows uphill, resolving the concerns of slightly dissimilar individuals first. Then, it moves around the room like a circular game of catchball.

Imagine yourself in a circle where players to the left have different perspectives from you and players to the right have a perspective most like your point of view. Now, imagine you are convinced the group should come to a particular decision and you want to persuade them to agree. Your energy will set the persuasive argument in motion. But it is the energy of the other people, some who don’t share your perspective on the decision, who will close the deal for you.

It’s the restatement of the reasons for agreement that persuades the next person in the room along the chain. As the energy progresses around the circle, different perspectives create agreement. Your persuasive argument flows uphill.