Organizational governance - Lead by Example: Week 2

‘It’s amazing what you can accomplish if you don’t care who gets the credit.’ (Harry S. Truman)

 Let's continue with the discussion on Leadership starting with Teamwork.

There is a concept called ‘Synergy’ which is defined as ‘a sum that is greater than the whole of its parts.’ If eight people each tried to pick up a boulder, individually they will fail… if they do it together, they will succeed. We can apply this concept to almost every aspect of our life and business.

 ‘None of us is as smart as all of us.’ (Kenneth H. Blanchard)

 Multi disciplinary teams are the key to an organization´s success and working together is paramount. Engineers design it, fabricators build it, marketers sell it, mechanics maintain it, and administrators keep us on track. Each of these people are links to a chain, and collectively they accomplish your goals. The key to all of this is to bring everyone and their skills together and have them work in unison to accomplish their common goal.

 How do we facilitate Teamwork?

 The first step is to ensure there is a clear and concise common goal, and that all parties understand and agree to that goal.

 The second step is to ensure everyone understands their role, their counterparts’ roles, how they rely on each other and what the effect is of a break in the chain.

 The third step is to ensure the team members work together, as this is paramount to integrating multi disciplinary teams.

 An important factor to consider is people are not all the same, and although a generalization, persons with certain character traits often migrate to certain professions. As an example, accountants and salespersons will almost always, with a few exceptions, have different personalities. There are many different programs and associated workshops available to assist with identifying and illustrating different personality traits, and I encourage organizations to research and consider such workshops for their teams.

 Other team building events to consider include: sports tournaments, family days, scavenger hunts, cook-offs, and improv workshops.  We have included a fun team building exercise as Annex A to this guide.

 To this point we have focused on multi disciplinary teams versus a single disciplinary team; however, what we have discussed can certainly apply to both.

 When it comes to team building activities, we do caution you to seek legal advice regarding certain types of events including dinner parties at owner or manager’s homes, or events where alcohol is made available. Although some will argue these are great for building morale and teams, there can be serious consequences depending on your jurisdiction; these include: 

·       Injuries at personal residences may be considered work related resulting in a struggle between home insurance companies and worker injury compensation authorities;

·       Inappropriate behaviours deemed work-related thus harassment leading to labour relations issues… even if the event was off work hours;

·       Criminal charges against host if guests leave the home under the influence of alcohol or drugs whether or not they are involved in an accident.

 As much as these types of activities were common in the past, this is a new era. Once again, please seek legal advice on what applies in the jurisdiction which you operate.

Let's discuss Forward Looking ability of Leaders:

 ‘You become strong by defying defeat and by turning loss and failure into success.’ (Napoleón Bonaparte)

 Leaders must be able to look forward, envision potential opportunities, anticipate challenges, and develop strategies to ensure goals are achieved.

 As leaders, entrepreneurs must not wait for opportunities to present themselves, they must seek them out on their own. They must be able to look into the future and envision these opportunities, and do so before others beat them too it. This does not only apply to entrepreneurs, leaders at all levels must posses this insight in order to effectively serve their organization. Being innovative in whatever you do, will distinguish the leader from the follower.

 Leaders must be able to look into the future and anticipate obstacles which may prevent them from accomplishing their goals. These hurdles vary from electricity or network failures, to major events such as fire, flood, accident, and even economic uncertainty and social unrest. Storms come in many forms, and being able to foresee these potential hazards and put preventative measures in place is paramount to Leadership. We call this contingency planning, often referred to as business continuity planning. This is not about impeding doom, it is about continuing to operate during unfavourable circumstances.

 Leaders must be able to envision the potential of their people; not at who they are today, but who they can become tomorrow. Where there are those who will fear the ones with potential, leaders will welcome and nourish them, as helping them grow shows you have grown. Those who fear replacement, question their own abilities, and there is no place for this in leadership.

 A leader is able to anticipate consequences to actions and take the appropriate preventive measures. This may include screening staff, training, security, personal protective equipment, and taking corrective measures when and where required.

 Another area of prevention is direction on network and social media use of the organization and staff; inappropriate behaviour can have a detrimental effect on an organization.

 Leaders will utilize preventive maintenance within their organization. Although the first thing to come to mind is equipment and vehicles, this includes our people; staying in touch with the health and welfare of team members is critical, especially during times of crisis and uncertainty.

 Forward Looking does not mean forgetting about the past; rather, we use the past to remind us of what did not work and provide insight of what we may do different the next time. Looking in the mirror also tells us what is about to pass us, which in its own way, is looking forward.

And now for problem solving and decision making.

´Your ability to solve problems and make good decisions is the true measure of your skill as a leader.’ (Brian Tracy)

 Whether the problem be an operational issue or ethical dilemma, leaders must be able to analyze the situation using all available reliable relevant information, and make a resolution. In some cases the advise of experts may be required, but in the end the leader must make the final decision and be accountable for the outcome.

 There are various models depicting how to solve a problem, and the following is one for you to consider:

 Steps to Solving a Problem: 

·       Identify the problem

o   This is where we first realize that we have a problem.

·       Define the problem

o   Further analysis provides us a clearer understanding of the problem, including the root cause.*

·       Assess the significance

o   At this point we decide how significant the problem is, and whether it requires our attention.

·       Acquire all available reliable relevant information

o   There is much information, but not all is reliable or relevant. Ensure the information you consider is complete and accurate.

·       Consider potential solutions

o   From here we look at what options are available to us to solve the problem.

·       Evaluate the potential solutions

o   Each solution has its pros and cons, and each need to be analyzed.

·       Choose the desired solution

o   An option must be selected.

·       Evaluate the outcome

o   We need to ensure the solution solved the problem, and if not, consider the other alternatives.

 *Although all of the steps are important, the one I feel requires additional discussion is the ‘root cause.’ We must clearly understand what caused the problem in the first place, otherwise the ‘fix’ may just be temporary, and we are soon faced with the same problem again. One of my favorite examples is a worn out front left tire on your car, where the others appear to be fine; simply replacing the tire is not adequate as there is a good possibility there is an issue in the car’s suspension causing a misalignment, and not repairing that part will not only result in the problem repeating itself, but may be catastrophic if the part fails all together. 

A reality of any organization is to one day be confronted with a workplace crisis. This could include a fire, earthquake, accident, physical assault, or death of an employee. In addition to these events occurring at the workplace, they may also occur within an employee’s home, or to their family… be assured, this will have an effect on the workplace!

 And finally, as a Leader we must be able to manage a crisis:

Being prepared for a crisis is critical for leaders and must be addressed in your Business Continuity Plan. In addition to this, leaders within the organization must be prepared to manage such events including appropriate training up front, and of course, possessing the required interpersonal skills. 

The interpersonal skills required to manage a crisis include: 

·       Proactiveness to be prepared ahead of time for such an event;

·       Levelheadedness to remain calm and composed during the crisis;

·       Empathy for the employee, their family, and the coworkers who will be affected.

 For proactiveness, organizations must include crisis as part of their Business Continuity Plan and include at least the following: 

·       A listing of potential events and a plan for managing such incidents;

·       Emergency procedures including meeting points;

·       Contact information for employees;

·       Contractors who specialize in programs such as Critical Incident Stress Management and victim services;

·       Appropriate facilities for incident debriefing meetings.

 All supervisory staff must be trained in crisis management and at very least, be aware of the programs the organization has in place, including contacts.

 Is crisis management only for formal leaders in your organization? Perhaps not, as many organizations train nonsupervisory staff on crisis intervention, and some will even bring these employees together to form a crisis management team.

 Other measures to consider for crisis prevention and management include: 

·       All staff receive training on crisis awareness including types of events that may occur and mitigation plans;

·       Suicide awareness and intervention strategies;

·       Family violence awareness and resources available;

·       A library of resources which could include a discrete physical or online location for accessing the literature;

·       Periodic messages to all staff reminding them of what resources are available.

 If you do have a crisis in your workplace, an important consideration is appropriately managing the aftermath. This includes having programs such as Critical Incident Stress Management in place, and facilitating these sessions in an appropriate, and preferably, neutral location.

 Such programs are important for the following reasons: 

·       It allows those affected to share their experience and how it affected them;

·       It provides an opportunity to assess what went wrong and what could be done differently should the event occur again;

·       It gives an opportunity to praise those who may have been instrumental in resolving the event;

·       It may create a greater bond between those who were affected providing them additional support from their piers.

 Much like insurance which we hope to never have to access, planning for crisis is essential in any organization.

This concludes our blog on this week's topic of Leadership.

For access to our Forward Looking Guide: Lead by Example, please visit our Amazon Kindle page as well as Kobo.

Amazon.com: Daniel W Elliot CPA CGA: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle