The authors cited several experiments leading to the conclusion that powerful people run a higher risk of making flawed decisions because their power gives them a high confidence in their judgment; thus, they don’t feel a need to seek or listen to advice from others. And in fact, those defined as “powerful” made less accurate judgments than those in the control group or low-power group. In this context, power was defined as an individual’s “capacity to influence others, stemming in part from his or her control over resources, rewards, or punishments.”
I imagine most of us can recall a situation where someone in authority didn’t listen to what we could clearly see as the “right” path because they were so heavily vested in their own ideas. The question I have now is how do those in power temper their confidence to allow for external viewpoints and advice, while at the same time ultimately make decisions? We praise decisiveness in leaders and we also praise the humility required to seek and listen to counsel. It seems that this fine line is a tightrope leaders must walk every day. The closest I have come to an answer is summed up in the article subtitle, “Overflowing with confidence, many leaders turn away from good advice.”
Perhaps the key is to keep confidence in check. I think most leaders would self-evaluate to say they do a good job of this—so is that reality or just their perception fed by being overconfident? This makes my head spin.
I am so curious about your thoughts and ideas. How do leaders balance the humility to ask and listen with the need for decisive and quick action?
Jennifer Rufatto is a consultant at FlashPoint. She focuses her consulting in the areas of workplace learning and leadership development.
For many managers, end-of-the-year activities include completing employee reviews as part of a performance management system. Giving year-end feedback is something that some managers view as “checking one more thing off the list.” Some employees view the activity as a “necessary evil.” Often, this is a missed opportunity to start the new year with a bang—especially with high performers. In 2011, the high performers did most things very well; yet, managers often feel compelled to give “developmental” feedback. Managers feel they aren’t doing their job if they can’t find something that is less than awesome. As a result, high performers leave the review slightly miffed that the manager documented an obscure area of improvement just to ensure the review wasn’t too glowing.
I am going to suggest a very radical approach to performance reviews for high performers. Focus on all they did well and … end the review. Resist adding the developmental feedback—unless it is actually a critical success factor.
High performers are high performers because they self-analyze and independently seek to improve. Ask them what they would like to improve in 2012, identify how you can help them, and conclude the review without saying anything negative. Discuss personal growth and development in 2012, but frame it from a perspective of what they want to accomplish and not from the often misused perspective of “no one is perfect,” “we don’t want them too big for their britches,” “everyone has the ability to improve,” etc.
While some of those axioms are true for some people, I believe that high performers will appreciate managers identifying how they can help them move in the direction they want to go. Try ending the review with a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and keep up the great work in 2012.
Jennifer Rufatto is a consultant at FlashPoint. She focuses her consulting in the areas of workplace learning and leadership development.
I am often asked for guidance from clients, friends, and colleagues about how best to manage their increasingly heavy workloads. While I certainly don’t have “the answer” to this ongoing challenge, I do have one simple strategy and a mindset that has served me well over the last couple of years in managing all of the activities of my life.
First of all, my philosophy around time management is at the heart of this strategy; my belief is that it’s not the “stuff” of life that creates stress and frustration. It’s how you approach it that creates the feeling of challenge. The “stuff” of life is always neutral; it’s your attitude about it that makes it what it is.
This mindset is incredibly empowering, as it gives you a feeling of control over your life experiences. The reverse is that you allow your calendar and activities to have control which causes a feeling of perpetual frustration and spinning your wheels.
So, what can you do to create a feeling of control? Begin your day in a way that sets a positive tone. By starting the day in a rushed, hurried manner, focused on activities (the news, emails, packing lunches, etc.), you perpetuate the challenge of feeling out of control.
Consider this . . . upon waking, you make your way to a comfortable place in your home. In this comfortable place, you give yourself the gift of silence—allowing thoughts to rise and fall without judgment, paying attention to your breathing, basking in the quiet presence of the morning. In these few minutes (yes, just a few minutes) of quiet reflection, you are renewed and much more prepared to react to the events of your day in a positive way.
What if you did this for just a few minutes each morning before you jumped into the activities? I suspect your results would be similar to mine. By consciously starting my day in a reflective way, I have experienced the following results:
I have little to no stress in my life and much less worry
I feel prepared to handle whatever life has to offer
I am confident about my ability to act in a way that represents my values
I am less reactive and much more thoughtful about the choices I make
I step into the day with a clear mind and an open heart
I carry a relaxed, peaceful feeling with me
You are in the driver’s seat. Between sleep and action, give yourself time to transition and leverage the quiet of the morning as a time for renewal. You and those you influence throughout the day deserve it.
Andrea Moore is a Senior Consulting Manager at FlashPoint; Andrea focuses on leadership development, training and performance improvement solutions, and one-on-one coaching.
Winners want the ball. Winners can work through pressure. Winners believe they are going to hit the shot. Why are they winners? They prepare more than the others! I have read nearly every superstar athlete’s book and with only one exception (Lawrence Taylor) they all discussed their unordinary preparation. Larry Bird used to hit every shot on the court AFTER a game so that when the time came during the next game he was prepared. Now let’s translate this for the business world.
Speaking publicly is feared above death. Speaking effectively is 75 percent of getting a job. Speaking probably has a larger impact on your career than any other trait. Yet we participate in meetings and we “wing it.” We think that a 30-minute presentation is quick and so we don’t prepare. Why? Only you can answer that question. For me, I don’t take a chance on any length presentation. I am frequently asked how I speak to groups of any size as if I’m having a conversation with my best friend. The answer is simple—I practice, a lot. Here are a few tips:
Preparing content:
Focus on your first 30-seconds as the audience will use that time to determine if they are going to pay attention to you. Plus, avoid spending those valuable seconds talking about yourself (let your program bio sing your praises).
Find average words and say the opposite. Avoid saying “good morning” or “well, let’s get started.”
Use words that your audience will understand and avoid confusing them with difficult vocabulary and industry jargon.
End with a bang! Tie your closing remarks back to your key messages.
Preparing for the presentation:
Practice, practice, and practice some more. Practice in front of a mirror, in the car, while your kids are watching, or in front of a friend or co-worker.
Anticipate questions from the audience and rehearse your response.
Film yourself; as uncomfortable as it is, you will learn more from this exercise than any other practice method.
Learn to tell stories effectively.
Leverage your strengths by using your sense of humor, your wit, your charm, your ability to describe something effectively, or your story-telling ability.
Greet every person as they enter the room. Personal greetings will make you more comfortable and will make audience members less likely to judge you (as you’ve already made a solid first impression).
Athletic coaches always say that pressure comes from lack of preparation. FlashPoint teaches the same thing in our presentation skills training. You can fool people on some things but public speaking is not one of them. I have received many funny looks while practicing presentations on the drive to a meeting. Turn off the iPod and listen to yourself. . .your audience will thank you!
I sat in my kitchen watching the television intently as Lebron (James) stated that he was “taking his talents to South Beach” and joining the Miami Heat, arguably the most talented basketball team currently assembled in the NBA. Sports radio could not leave the topic alone and the debate was not if they would win a title, but how many they would win and could they break the record for most wins in a season.
Reminiscent of the 2004 Dream Team II basketball team that shocked the world by winning only a bronze medal in Athens, the Heat started the season with a dismal 7-9 record. What was going on? You had three of the best players in the league on one team and you couldn’t buy a win. Then it happened. . .eleven wins in a row and now the Heat sit near the top of the NBA food chain.
What do I mean by “it” happened? They started playing as a team. They started to work within the game strategy (offensive and defensive systems), and stopped trying to individually create opportunities. They checked egos. They leveraged talents instead of trying to trump everything with talent. They started listening.
When I take FlashPoint’s message on the road I often state that great systems are better than great people. I say it in part to get people’s attention, but FlashPoint definitely believes that without a great system you will underutilize superstars and eventually lose them. A great system will also maximize the potential of your average worker by clearly explaining expectations and accountabilities.
What systems am I talking about? Here are just a few:
Even if you don’t have Lebron on your team, if you have great systems in place you can acquire the right talent for your business, maximize their potential, and ultimately make your business more successful.
In the short film, What is That?, Greek film director and producer, Constantin Pilavios, brings to life the important leadership development lesson of leading from a place that represents your values. I have watched this film many times, and am moved to tears each time I do.
Watch the short film (5 minutes and 31 seconds—you’ll be glad you took the time) and then read on below. I don’t want to give away the story before you watch it!
For me, the father in the film teaches his son a valuable lesson in tolerance, patience and love. Notice the power in learning the lesson in this way. Imagine how different the son’s reaction would have been if the father would have simply told him the story about being in the park with him when he was three; instead, he created an opportunity for the son to experience the memory and learn from it in the process.
You can visibly see the son’s discomfort when his father continues to ask, “what is that?” After erupting in anger, you can see the son’s guilt and regret. When we respond from a place that is inconsistent with our values, we will always feel an internal tension. In the clarity of our personal values, we can ask, “what would integrity do right now?” or “what would ______ (fill in the blank with one of your values) do right now?”
What did you notice as you watched the film? How can you leverage your values in the tough moments?
Andrea Moore is a senior consulting manager at FlashPoint; Andrea focuses on leadership development, training and performance improvement solutions, and one-on-one coaching.
“On the other side of right thinking and wrong thinking there is a field. I’ll meet you there.”—Rumi
During a section of a recent leadership development training session which I facilitated, participants were exploring the impact of their personal style on the way in which they deliver feedback. Participants were tasked with reviewing their unique areas for improvement (based on their style) and identifying what they could do differently to be more effective. Suddenly, a participant raised his hand and asked, “How can the overuse of praise be ineffective when giving feedback?” After a brief group conversation, I suggested to the questioner that when the same type of praise, said in the same way, such as “thank you,” is used repeatedly, it may lose its significance and meaning. As the questioner nodded in agreement, I added that because of his natural style, he might want to be more specific in the feedback that he provides to employees. Nodding in agreement once again, he said, “So, I should say, ‘thank you, s—head.’”
Fortunately, his response was very funny to others in the group, and his colleagues erupted in laughter. In that moment, I was so glad to be laughing along with everyone else in the room, because I didn’t really know how else to respond to his sarcasm. When the laughter subsided, the questioner became much more serious and shared a couple of ideas for how he could be more specific in giving feedback. Being given the space to be sarcastic and funny, he quickly rebounded into what he could do to improve his effectiveness as a manager.
This experience reminded me of the important message in the Rumi quote above. In the facilitation of leadership development, there is no right and wrong. My role as the facilitator is to create a safe place for learning to occur. Who am I to say what will work for someone? I do not walk in the shoes of any participant; the participant must come to the perspective that works best for him or her. I can certainly share my personal experiences and what I have seen work for other leaders, but never can I credibly give the participant advice on what he or she should do.
As a facilitator, focused on development, I am meeting the participants on the field beyond right thinking and wrong thinking, for this is a safe place for growth to happen.
Andrea Moore is a senior consulting manager at FlashPoint; Andrea focuses on leadership development, training and performance improvement solutions, and one-on-one coaching.
When I started working for FlashPoint earlier this year, I got to sit in on one of our strategic HR peer groups. As the marketing manager, it was one of the best onboarding activities I could have done. I got to hear first-hand about the challenges that HR professionals face, witness peers suggest solutions based on personal experiences, and learn about best practice alternatives from Krista Skidmore, the facilitator. Ok, so maybe it’s not really akin to a play date. But I consider it fun to get like-minded people together and experience great outcomes.
In December, we’ll kick off our 7th year of facilitating the strategic HR peer group. From my co-workers, I sense great excitement of welcoming a new group of HR professionals who are ready and willing to commit to thinking strategically about their roles within their companies.
Have you ever wanted to be in a group like this but wondered if you have the time to commit to it? Perhaps you’ve felt anxious about opening up with your peers or admitting that you and your organization face challenges? Those are questions I would have. To get some perspective, I sat down with Krista and posed my questions. In this video, she shares about the vision for the group, answers questions that prospective participants might have, and provides an example of a success story.
If this sounds valuable to you, if you have questions, or if you would like to apply, contact us at info@flashpointhr.com or 317.229.3035. You can also get all the details on our website. You’ll learn things like how you can get strategic recertification credits toward SPHR, PHR, and GPHR recertification. You’ll also see where some of the other participants work and what they have to say about the program.
Is this a program that would benefit you and your organization?
I did it! I went one full week without using my cell phone/PDA. No texting, no calls, no voice mails, no tweeting. Okay, I had a little help because I was out of the country on vacation, but I purposefully chose not to get a data plan while away.
My iPhone hiatus caused me to consider a few things:
How much do we rely on technology to stay connected to friends, family, or customers?
Most of us carry a cell phone; should people expect us to answer each time they call?
How much pressure are we under to stay connected 24/7?
How much time do we waste in a given week letting people know when we’re at the doctor or how many days until our next vacation?
Are we going to eventually lose our ability to hold a conversation?
Think about it. . . . How many times do you see a group at a table and at least one person is doing something on his or her phone? I should rephrase that: How many times do you NOT see a group at a table with at least one person doing something on the phone? It’s amazing how pervasive technology has become in our lives.
Don’t get me wrong. I love technology and use my iPhone for everything from paying bills to managing vacations to controlling the music in my house. I even tease my friends who have year 2000 flip phones or blackberries. As a human resources professional, however, I don’t want technology to replace the human touch, and as a “talker” I don’t want it to replace conversation.
Of course it doesn’t really matter what I think—but it does matter what customers think. Here are some customer service tips with regard to using technology at work:
Honor your commitments. If you have a one-hour meeting with someone, don’t pick up your phone during that conversation. (Life-threatening emergencies are the exception.)
Be honest about your communication needs. It’s okay to tell someone that you will be unavailable at certain times. If you’re expecting an important call, mention it beforehand to the person you’re with so you don’t come across as rude.
If you can’t go one hour without answering your phone, consider hiring additional team members and/or empowering your team to make decisions without you. Remember, if you’re too busy working in the business, you don’t have time to work on the business.
Sending text messages has become a part of regular business communications, but know your audience before you fire off a text (especially with a bunch of abbreviations). Does the person you’re talking with appreciate texts, or is there a better way to communicate?
As a parting thought, I must admit that during my cell phone hiatus I was much more relaxed than I otherwise would have been. And I found that I really didn’t miss out on much, other than learning that the Colts lost to the Texans (which, for the sake of those on the trip, it was probably best that I missed).
I’m sure you’ve been there . . . in the midst of a busy Monday morning, preparing for a meeting that will begin in fifteen minutes; your final preparation is printing the color document that you’ll present in the meeting, and of course, the light on top of the printer is blinking, indicating that the ink cartridge is empty.
So, I got to work; after locating the replacement cartridge and removing it from its packaging, I attempted to remove the empty cartridge from the machine. I tried snapping and releasing it in every direction—up, down, left, right. “What in the world does one have to do to get this cartridge out?” I thought. I could feel my heart beating faster and faster and I worked and worked to get it out. “Breathe,” I repeated silently to myself; I glanced at my watch as the minutes ticked on. Even though I had tried multiple times, I continued to attempt to snap it out with more force each time (I’m not sure why I thought greater force would help).
Just when I was preparing to give up, my colleague, George, emerged asking if he could help. “It’s really tricky,” I said, ashamed that I wasn’t able to do it myself. Two seconds later, the cartridge was free. It was as simple as pulling the cartridge from its spot. “What? It can’t be that easy. There’s no magical button? What did you do?” I asked. He looked at me with one of those “are you serious” kinds of looks and said very simply, “I just pulled it out.”
In that moment, I was reminded of a very important leadership development lesson . . . life is not as hard as we make it out to be. There is no magical button or special technique. The situations that challenge us are frustrating because of our approach. We only need to change our attitude in order for the situation to shift. Similarly, when leading people becomes frustrating, it’s likely that what one needs is an attitude shift in order to view leadership development as a positive and rewarding opportunity. If something is not working within a company, it’s probably time to change the approach.
For many managers, end-of-the-year activities include completing employee reviews as part of a 
I am often asked for guidance from clients, friends, and colleagues about how best to manage their increasingly heavy workloads. While I certainly don’t have “the answer” to this ongoing challenge, I do have one simple strategy and a mindset that has served me well over the last couple of years in managing all of the activities of my life.
Speaking publicly is feared above death. Speaking effectively is 75 percent of getting a job. Speaking probably has a larger impact on your career than any other trait. Yet we participate in meetings and we “wing it.” We think that a 30-minute presentation is quick and so we don’t prepare. Why? Only you can answer that question. For me, I don’t take a chance on any length presentation. I am frequently asked how I speak to groups of any size as if I’m having a conversation with my best friend. The answer is simple—I practice, a lot. Here are a few tips:
In the short film, What is That?, Greek film director and producer, Constantin Pilavios, brings to life the important 
“On the other side of right thinking and wrong thinking there is a field. I’ll meet you there.”—Rumi
I did it! I went one full week without using my cell phone/PDA. No texting, no calls, no voice mails, no tweeting. Okay, I had a little help because I was out of the country on vacation, but I purposefully chose not to get a data plan while away.
