Winter

by Angela Gallogly
Vice President of USA Operations, Advanced Team Concepts
http://www.atctraining.com

Many of us have arrived at the time of spring fever. We’ve celebrated the holiday season and enjoyed a snowy day or two, and now we crave the warmth and newness of spring. What a great analogy for business these days!

Business, like life, moves in seasons. There are times of growth, change, and yes, even dormancy. It’s not a stretch to feel that we’re in an extended “winter” season right now. The economy has and continues to be tough, and many organizations are feeling the consequences.

I’m a Dallas area resident, and for the last few weeks, we’ve been experiencing some extraordinary winter weather. Less than two weeks ago, we had over a foot of snow – the most ever to fall in one day. The forecast today predicts a few more inches. I think many of us are enjoying the novelty, but it’s also created some real challenges for the city, including collapsed roofs, power outages, and damaged roadways. Although we were ready for winter, we were NOT ready for a winter like this!

The weather has made me a little reflective this morning. I’ve been thinking about my customers and the challenges they are facing. So many are experiencing a tough “winter” in the form of customer loss, profit loss, budget cut-backs and layoffs. But in spite of the circumstances, some have managed to continue achieving some amazing organizational goals. Even in adversity, a strong team can survive and even thrive.

I’m reminded of an example from Jim Collins’ book, Good to Great (HarperCollins, © 2001), a fantastic research-based book that provides insight into companies that have achieved success and longevity. Collins wrote that every great organization he studied had faced adversity at some point. In the book, he introduces the Stockdale Paradox:

The paradox refers to Admiral Jim Stockdale, an eight year prisoner-of-war during the Vietnam War. Collins interviewed him in the book to glean lessons from his tale of survival. Stockdale referenced a key to survival – Faith combined with facing reality. The hopeless may not survive, but neither will those that are unrealistic and unable to confront the facts in a challenging situation. It seems that it was hope, tempered with reality that helped enable Stockdale’s return to home and family.

Collins says it perfectly on page 86 of his book:

“The Stockdale Paradox
Retain faith that you will prevail in the end, regardless of the difficulties.

AND at the same time

Confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.”

We can implement this paradox during any extended “winter” that we experience. What does this mean for you and your organization?

Encouraging Information

by Angela Gallogly
Vice President of USA Operations, Advanced Team Concepts

http://www.atctraining.com

The last blog that I shared encouraged you to share information within your organization. Taking time to give complete instructions, tell someone what your thoughts and opinions are or sharing detailed information can really enable a team in terms of both morale and performance.

Unfortunately, there are many times when this sharing of information doesn't occur. There could be a variety of reasons: work demands and time constraints, a lack of trust, an assumption that "everyone knows that," etc. Regardless of the reason, it can be helpful to make an attempt to get the information flow going.

So what can you do? Here are a few ideas.

• Check your assumptions


• Validate information


• Build trust

Check your assumptions. In my last blog, I talked about the human tendency to fill in the blanks in terms of information. Our minds are very efficient at interpreting the information we are given. If that information is limited, we have a greater chance of making an incorrect interpretation or assumption. It's important that we check our assumptions and separate fact from fiction. An example: My manager asks me to delegate some of my current responsibilities to someone else. I might assume that this is a bad development. Am I not doing a good enough job? Am I being replaced? Don't react based on assumption alone. If you have concerns:

Validate information. Begin a dialogue. Ask questions. Make sure that what you think is true is actually true. Perhaps in further discussion with my manager, I might discover that she wants me to participate in a special project that will require a large amount of time. The request that I perceived as a threat or a negative might actually be an opportunity to grow my skills and career.

Build Trust. I've mentioned this in my blog before. It isn't only about how capable our team is at communication. Our team members might have skill, time and information, but if they don't trust who they are communicating with, they won't openly share information. Think about how you can build trust and make your team members feel safe when it comes to open dialogue and information sharing.

For one, always maintain confidentially as appropriate. If I am speaking with someone in the office with a reputation for gossiping, you can be sure I'll keep information to myself. Also, think about how you react to information. There have been a few times when I've shared my opinion or ideas with people and they've "beat me up" for it via criticism and disregard. In the future, I avoided sharing with those individuals.

Try to be a good listener and respectful of those that you communicate with. Remember that trust is the foundation for great information sharing.