Collaborative

A Call to Action

by

This mother’s day was very poignant in that I got to talk with my son and daughter-in-law, received a delightful gift, and got to share time with some little ones who live near me. The happiness of the day was tempered, however, and I ask you all to please bear with me.

A little over 15 or so months ago I became involved in the lives of three little boys who were rescued from a very abusive and deadly situation. Unfortunately, their three-year old sister did not survive her last abusive episode and her voice has been forever silenced. The physical and emotional scars suffered by her brothers, in particular the two older boys (ages 5 and 4 when they were rescued) continue to pose challenges to them. As we learn more and more about what they needed to do to survive, I marvel at their strength – knowing what I know now I cannot begin to imagine the depth of courage it took for them to take the abuse and continue to survive.  Thrive is a whole different story and all three are struggling to thrive.

A few days prior to Mother’s Day I learned that a dear friend’s extended “family” was enduring an unimaginable, devastating challenge as their two-year old toddler now struggles to survive the abuse he suffered at the hands of a trusted caregiver.

Unfortunately, stories such as these are all too familiar. But they need not be. As leaders within our organizations, our communities, our religious communities, and elsewhere, we have a moral and ethical obligation to stop this madness. Simply shaking our heads as we read or hear about such stories is no longer enough. We have a very effective tool available to us that was signed into law in 2006 – a national registry for convicted child abusers, along the same lines as the sex offender registry. It is codified at 42 United States Code, Section 16990. We have community organizers who do marvelous and wonderful things such as fundraisers and bake sales. Would it be too much to ask that we consider our children, especially those at risk, to be just as important as fundraisers and bake sales? MADD has been such a tremendous organization and a catalyst in getting important legislation passed which has focused the spotlight on drunk drivers. What if we created Mothers Against Child Abuse – MACA or whatever acronym we can come up that is legal and available for use? What if we use this new organization to help focus the spotlight on this issue and bring about even more effective state and federal legislation which is actually enforced?

What if we join forces with all the victim advocates and human services workers who deal with this tragedy daily and tell prosecutors and judges that it is no longer acceptable to hand out slaps on the wrist for child abusers who not only abuse their victim(s) but also cause their death? I certainly know that prosecuting such cases can be difficult for all concerned. But don’t we owe it to the children in our society the same thing we adults cherish – the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? If you don’t agree with me, tell me how you’ll explain to that abused child in the ER suffering from life threatening injuries that he/she isn’t entitled to a future. Someone please tell me how to shut out the sounds of a toddler screaming as the ER staff is working on them. Tell me how to tell a 3-year old little girl that she has no voice simply because an adult tired of having her around.

If you truly want to make a difference in the life of a child, especially those already identified as being at-risk, please join with me to end this tragedy once and for all. Our children deserve better from us.

Another Teachable Moment

by

What sort of teachable moment can we take away from the last few months and how do we apply it to our organizations and people?   The key I think is to renew our efforts to eliminate political correctness from our organizational cultures and vocabularies.  You all know that I cannot recall any other social movement which has done more to stifle collaborative discussion and problem solving than the intellectual tyranny foisted on us by a very vocal minority.  Nor can I recall a recent social movement which has done more to marginalize individuals.  So how do we move forward?

As leaders within our organizations we owe it to ourselves, our staffs, and our organizations to return respect and compassion to our way of interacting with others.  Obviously, the election results were going to bring about significant change, no matter which candidate won.  Implementing the various changes which will now result will more than likely bring about increased levels of stress and anxiety.  What can we do to reduce the stress and help insure that our staffs know that they are respected and valued members of our organizations?

If we have to practice some form of social movement, let us all think about ways in which we can implement, model, and practice emotional correctness.  Treating others with respect and courtesy tends to lead to something rather amazing.  Getting to know the people we think we do not like, learning that we usually have more things in common than things which are different, makes it a bit more difficult to treat one another with disrespect and hatred.  As the leaders, we can show our staffs that we value each individual, respect the differences which make us unique, and work together to find the best ways of achieving our goals.

A Paradigm Shift

by

In a recent chat, Jay Block (author of the bestselling, “5 Steps to Rapid Employment”) made the observation that a near record number of job openings had been reported in March.  The problem is finding qualified individuals to fill those positions.  He noted that companies and colleges need to take a more collaborative approach to insure that a skilled workforce is available to fill positions as they open.  Job coaches have to know exactly what skills are needed so they can do a better job of coaching and advising their clients in identifying and mastering the skill sets needed.  That’s where the new paradigm shift needs to come in.  In my assessment, communities, companies, and colleges need to enter into effective partnerships. Companies can use the colleges to help insure that individuals are taught the necessary skills to be productive employees.  Colleges can use the companies as sources of information on what skills are needed, and to help their students land well paying jobs.  Communities need to support such collaborations because as companies relocate, communities need to be able to provide quality neighborhoods, public schools, and community services.

This partnership cannot be in name only, just because it looks good in a press release.  The partnership has to be an active, collaborative one. Communities that fail to support such partnerships will lose out on having companies relocate to their area, thereby losing out on the revenue income as a result of new people moving into the community.  Colleges will lose out on the chance to increase enrollments, and companies will lose out on having qualified workers readily available.

Now the challenge is to find community leaders, business leaders, and leaders within higher education willing to let go of the past and implement effective new approaches.

New Year’s Resolutions – New or Recycled?

by

It’s that time of year when we all tend to make resolutions for ourselves, personally and professionally.  With respect to your organization – are you recycling previous resolutions?  You are if you’re still dealing with problems which have been addressed before but never successfully resolved.  How do you get out of the recycling habit and actually develop and implement new resolutions?

It’s not easy and I’ll be the first one to tell you this.  Been there, done that.  The key to making new resolutions is to be as honest and objective as possible.  If something didn’t go as planned, own up.  Being able to complete a fair and honest assessment of your organization’s performance is a good place to start.  How well did your solutions for difficult or under-achieving employees improve the organization’s performance? If your solutions haven’t made a significant positive impact, it’s time to go back to the drawing board.  Why?  Do you really want to deal with that difficult employee for yet another year?  Do you really want to try to explain the anemic performance level to your stockholders, much less explain it to Aunt Nell?

Let’s try a different approach.  Call in a professional problem solver to help you with the assessment.  This person can be very helpful in identifying the root of the problems and then helping you develop realistic and achievable solutions.  Maybe that should be your one New Year’s resolution and it will certainly be a new one.

So what will it be – new resolution with a realistic chance of working or old recycled resolution known for its failure?  Happy New Year.

Technology is my friend!

by

For the past three days I have participated in a faculty meeting via the Internet which enabled us to connect with faculty from all over with the University of Phoenix.  It brought out a whole lot of good conversation and ideas on how to resolve common issues.  What was so exciting about the meeting was that we could jump in and out as our schedules allowed and stay up with the conversations and dialog.

Here’s another challenge – how well are you using technology to advance your leadership and effective management of your organization?  We all know that smartphones and tablets are all the rage and Lord help us all if those devices are lost, quit working, or just go haywire.  But can we all say that we’re effectively using the technology to promote an effective and dynamic communication channel for our employees?  Have you thought of using such a forum to begin the process of problem solving?  What would you think of using an Internet forum to let your employees voice their concerns over the implementation of a new program?  The postings won’t be anonymous – everyone has to join the group and names are tied to each posting.  Think of it like this – can technology be helpful in promoting the all important first step of effective brainstorming in a time and manner that allows your employees to engage in the process more fully?  How much more willing will they be to engage in this forum rather than a formal staff meeting with management reps that really don’t want to listen and line staff that really don’t want to talk.  Is there something about posting on a group forum that seems to free us from these constraints?  Is it worth the try?  After all, technology really is our friend.  Let me know how it goes!

Emotional Correctness

by

Effective problem solving is an essential tool to help insure the success of any organization.  In the past decade or so many organizations have surrendered to the social pressure of implementing political correctness into the organizational culture.  I suggest that rather than help solve problems PC has stifled constructive dialog and collaborative problem solving.  PC advocates have basically shut down any differing viewpoint. This has eliminated any real chance to find common ground where the parties can begin to work toward finding long term solutions.

I propose that leaders implement a new approach – emotional correctness.  What is emotional correctness?  We all have learned it by another name – the Golden Rule.  Treat others as you would like to be treated.  No fancy titles, no fancy outcomes.  By providing your employees with opportunities to get to know one another and modeling the same behavior, you set the stage where dialog and collaboration are valued.  It’s very difficult to be a negative influence when all around you are showing respect and decency to one another.  Emotional correctness (“EC”) encourages collaborative problem solving because we start from a point of common ground and a point where manners and respect are valued.  Treating one another with respect encourages brainstorming and realistic evaluation of the various selected alternatives.  Why?  Because it encourages people to treat others as if they have value.  With EC in place, the focus remains on the issue, situation or behavior, not the individual.

So, by whatever name we call it – EC, the Golden Rule, mutual respect, or whatever, let’s give this approach another try.  Let’s see if we can return to an atmosphere of problem solving which focuses on the issues rather than allowing PC attacks on those who dare to have an original thought or idea.

 

A surprising finding

by

(Thought I would share a recent posting to our Facebook page  – Check us out on Facebook under Problem Solving Consultants.)

I was recently asked to serve as a subject matter expert in the development of a course on critical and creative thinking in criminal justice.  At first I had a doubt about whether I could complete my end of the bargain on time.  I’m finding a couple of things – the most important is that I’m working with two very gifted and professional curriculum developers (I don’t think that’s their real title but it does describe what they do) who work very nicely with me as my mind takes some strange turns, especially when it comes to the creative thinking!  The second is a bit of a surprise – I’m actually enjoying the pressure of a quick deadline.  Why is that?  I think it’s because it’s pressure of my own choosing.  I could have turned down the request, citing time management issues involving the course I was teaching and various projects I have going on right now.  But I chose not to and I’m having a really good time with this.  Best of all – I’m refreshing some learning and gaining new insights and information on topics I’ve known for quite some time.

The purpose of sharing this is to open your thinking to the concept that not all pressure is bad and stretching yourself by not staying in a professional rut can be enlightening and refreshing.  Is it time for you to get out of your office and take on a new project that challenges your thinking, your skills and your creativity?

Calm in the Storm

by

Does it seem like every day brings with it new uncertainty and chaos to business rules and regulations? How can any leader feel like they have total control over what the future brings for their organization? I can well imagine how the confusion coming out of Washington these days is adding to the anxiety and concern. How do you stay calm in the midst of all this chaos? Do you get the feeling that you’re a very small rowboat in an unsettled ocean and the storm clouds continue to build?
One way to try to stay calm is literally take a deep breath or a short walk. Then take the time to sit with your senior staff and go over all the new things that you are or will be required to handle. Divide them into two categories – the things over which you have control, and the things over which you have no control and which are mandatory. Making that move starts the calming process because it helps define what you can do. If you have absolutely no control over whether a form is submitted or not, why waste time and effort fighting the requirement?
An area of concern lately is how organizations have been changing their employment practices due to the new regulations. Most of the attention has been on the large national and international organizations. But what if you’re a small “mom and pop” organization in a small community? Obviously some very difficult decisions lie ahead for you. The same thing also applies to the larger corporations. It may seem like an impersonal approach but decisions affecting human beings are never easy. In this climate, effective leaders will insure that they communicate honestly and fairly with the entire staff. Even bad news is accepted a little easier when the communication channels are used effectively. Hopefully your organization has effective lines of communication in place and ready to go. It doesn’t make the decision making any easier but it does ease the anxiety just a bit.

A Video Game May Help?

by

Have you ever watched kids playing a video game as a team?  Even if they have to communicate through IM, headsets or whatever, they work together as a team.  The usual result is that the game level is mastered and they continue the positive progress.  Now, have you ever watched kids play an online video game where they have to join a group, most often not composed of players of their own choosing?  What do you think the difference is?  Are you starting to ask yourself what does such a silly topic have to do with the problems in your organization?  After all, your problems are far more serious than mastering some stupid video game, right?  Maybe it’s not the problem which is so serious but your lack of understanding which is the obstacle to a lasting solution to the problem

An effective leader – one who is confident in his or her skills – will be open to learning new skills and insights into how to get the organization functioning at peak performance.  Knowing the basics of group dynamics can give you the insight and knowledge that will help you work in tandem with a professional problem solver.

So let’s get back to what playing a video game might teach us.  Looking at the two scenarios of teams we can see a difference almost immediately.  A group that is given time to come together and function as a group will have a greater likelihood of success than a group that is thrown together and directed to achieve some goal in a short amount of time.

Yup, we can all learn something from playing video games.

Ostrich or Effective Leader?

by

How have your conversations with Aunt Nell been going?  Are you giving her honest answers?  Or are you simply trying to buy yourself some time?  We both know the last approach will only work in the short term.  So what are you going to do to solve these nagging and seemingly endless problems?

One thing to recognize is that you will probably make some mistakes but make them because you’re trying, not because you refuse to take affirmative steps to solve the problems.  A positive affirmative step you can take even as you read this is to acknowledge that group dynamics play an important role in the effectiveness of any organization, including yours.  A deeper understanding of how groups function may give you some insight into how a professional problem solver will work to identify the problem and then work with all the parties to develop and implement long term effective solutions.  The groups will exist whether you like it or not.  Why not learn how to use those groups and their communication channels to your advantage and in the best interests of the people in your organization?  It has to be better than burying your head in the sand as you try to avoid yet another conversation with Aunt Nell.