Category: Leadership

Power Distance and Plane Crashes

Posted on by Carl Weber

I am a fan of Malcolm Gladwell.  I like his writing, his stories and his perspective.

In Chapter 7 of Outliers (The Ethic Theory of Plane Crashes) he discussed Power Distance, or the space that is created when authority, hierarchy and culture disrupts our ability to interact with or communicate with each other.  Beyond creating nervousness about flying anytime soon, this chapter challenges leaders to consider how closely tied communication is to your ability to lead. (See Leading and Communicating)  And how as a leader you may be completely unaware of the distance between you and those you lead.

I won’t spoil the chapter, but some of the reasons planes crash are surprising.  It was not the big stuff, the reasons were more a combination of minor mechanical issues, lots of errors, and most importantly a failure of teamwork and communication.  The Captain (the leader) is making decisions and the First Officer or others (the followers) cannot seem to break through the power distance and yell “stop” before it is too late.

The most alarming part of the chapter is an experiment where both Captains and First Officers are provided a scenario.  Each group is instructed to ensure that their planes do not pass through a stormy airspace.  Each group was provided communication options ranging from strong Command options (essentially turn the plane) to much weaker options such as Hinting (the weather up there looks mean).

The results startled me.  Captains picked the strongest communication option and the First Officers picked the weakest option.  This reminded me of my time in the Navy and how that command structure played out.  While in the presence of the Captain instructions were barked towards me.

“Weber, I want the ComSysLantOpt report with a focus on BoatShipAftBowStern!”  (or whatever it was) was barked then I was dismissed.

Yes Sir!  Consider it done! 

I turned to the person next to me and asked if they had any idea what that meant.  Nope, but “good luck.”  In the presence of that leader, “consider it done” was the only acceptable reply.  The Power Distance was huge.

The more organizations I work with, the more this Power Distance issue comes to light if the leaders are not tuned in to the distance their positions create.  Once identified, there are great ways to combat this in the workplace.  The airline industry had to teach junior crew members to speak up in a clear and assertive manner.

Listen to those around you.  Especially anyone who reports to you, or where your position creates some authority over someone else.  Listen for the “hints” that they use because a direct conversation is too risky for them.

While listening recently I found a surprising “hint” near me.  Two of our daughters are in college.  College kids spend money, and need money all the time.  And I replayed a few conversations and/or texts.

“Wow, these books this semester were really expensive.”

“I am not sure if I saved enough money during the summer.”

My first response to these was “Great” thanks for letting me know.  But that was not their real intention was it?  They needed money and didn’t want to come out and directly ask.  There is a Power Distance in my position as a parent, and I learned was how intimidating (Captain like) I can be, even with my own kids.

My challenge for you is this: Spend the next week listening to yourself and others. Identify who hints around you, where you hint, and why.  Once identified, find one area where you can actively and deliberately communicate to shorten the Power Distance.

Maybe this simple step will prevent our workplaces, relationships, or “planes” from crashing.

I got a text the other day.

Dad, can you put $10 on my flex card so I can print out my report?

Yes.

Now that is progress.

The View is Different from the Top

Posted on by Carl Weber

I was meeting with an executive the other day to discuss their behavioral style.  We talked at length about how this style may work in certain situations, but over the long-haul is the kind of style that may wear people out.

I could tell that it didn’t really sink in, so we covered it again.  That is when the real issue became clear.

“Well this is all well and good, but people who work for me need to deal with my style.  I get results, and I cannot be concerned about developing a relationship with any of them.”

The view is different from the top.  When you are in charge or in control, the temptation is to make everyone bend and conform to you.  As an employee you may see the need to change your behavior in order to be more successful, to fit in, to become part of the organization.  But as a leader, you may have one of the more prominent blind spots: You and your view from the top.

To compound the problem, if you are in charge, and have an intense style, no one around you has the guts to challenge you.  Well maybe once, but I bet they are no longer around, or learned right away to keep quiet.

Understanding that our views are different, also means understanding that the issues, strategy, and hard decisions may not be as apparent and understood by others who do not sit where we sit.  If you are somewhere else (besides the top) in an organization, your more limited view may not provide you with all the facts.  So be careful about drawing the wrong conclusions about those above you.

This clash of views can create real tension.  Soon we will talk about the power-distance created in our organizations, but for today, just realizing that our views are different and not necessarily wrong is the first step.

By the end of our session, the executive began to see the blind spot inherent in the top down view.

“So, what you are saying is my drive for results while intentionally distancing myself personally from my employees may give them the impression that I am kind of a jerk?”

“Yup.”

Progress.  One step at a time.

Three Lessons I Learned in the Navy

Posted on by Carl Weber

Today is Veteran’s Day.  At school this week, the kids were asked to bring in some photos and information on a veteran.  They picked me.  I believe proximity and availability of photos strongly influenced their decision.

I don’t think about my time in the Navy a lot, but their curiosity caused a little reflection.  Twenty years ago seems so far away, and such a different time that even looking at the photos is a strange experience for me.  I do get a kick out of how my daughters’ eyes light up when they see pictures of me doing crazy things.

“Is that really you jumping out of that helicopter Daddy?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

This went on for quite sometime.

As I reflected on that time, there were three lessons that I learned that are worth sharing.

Lesson 1:  The World is a Big Place

I grew up in New Hampshire in a small town and spent most of my childhood here. Spending more than half of my four years out at sea I witnessed the enormity of this planet.  When you steam across the ocean for days and there is no land in sight it puts things into perspective.

Seeing the Pyramids, the Colosseum, the Holy Land combined with visits to most of the European countries that border the Mediterranean Sea provided additional reinforcement.  A friend of mine once said that every place you go, every person you meet changes you in a small way.  Standing at the base of pyramid blocks that are larger than your car has a way of reminding you how large this world really is.

Lesson 2:  Education is Important

The funny thing is, I don’t think the Navy intended to teach this lesson…but they did.  I enlisted right out of high school, just a few days after graduation.  After training you are assigned to a ship, and one thing you notice right away is that you are wearing blue (kinda goofy) uniforms that consist of bell-bottom jeans and white hats.  Officers (those with an education) are in khaki uniforms that are almost “business casual” in appearance.

Early on in your ship-board experience all enlisted people have to spend three months working in the galley.  So essentially you get to experience first hand the behind the scenes way you feed 360 people everyday, four times per day, with the amazing honor of cleaning the dishes, pots and pans for 16 to 18 hours per day.

If you are good, you get picked for more honorable assignments.  After a week, I got to work in the officer’s galley.  Not only were their meals better, they ate in a dining room with cloth napkins and real silverware.  They also lived in staterooms (about the size of my current walk in closet) and not in summer camp like beds stacked three high.

It didn’t take a genius (thankfully) to learn this valuable lesson: if you have an education, the odds are you will live in a better place, wear better clothes, and eat better food.

Despite graduating in the top 10 percent of the bottom 1/4th of my high school class, I headed right to college after my four years of service and it was great.

Lesson 3:  Don’t Be So Afraid

Not being afraid seems harder to keep putting into practice, especially as the years pass. While looking at some of the photos, I realized that fear was not a large part of what drove me.  Yes, I was much younger, but the mission or the work seemed important enough to allow me to put that fear aside.

I used to jump out of helicopters…really.  Now I get nervous when standing on a ladder that is a few stories in the air.  What happened?  Age and time I guess, but for other less risky activities there are times that fear appears bent on halting my pursuits.  There are days that even this blog becomes fear’s next target.

The motto of rescue swimmers is this:

So Others May Live

That mission was enough to move me beyond fear and leap out of a perfectly good helicopter.  Today I encourage you to find your motto, your mission, your purpose, and remember that when the fear creeps in to try to stop you.  Remembering the larger purpose and reasons why will help you move past fear and take that first step.  (The rest was easy, gravity did all of the actual work.)  

And to the Navy, thanks for the lessons.

Starting a Movement

Posted on by Carl Weber

Have you ever wanted to start a movement?  How about being part of something new, crazy or different?  Ever wonder how to start?

Derek Sivers gives this great talk on TED.com on how to start a movement and I wanted to share this with you.  If you are new to TED.com you should check it out.  I typically go there about once a week to be inspired, learn, and to laugh.  If this is the first time hearing about TED.com, go check it out…you never know what is up there, but it is always worth it.

So get out there and try something crazy.  Dare to start something new.  Get your first follower and your idea may take off and become something great.

P.S.  If you really want to be freaked out, watch the one about the intelligence of crows. Scary.  I have never looked at crows the same way again.

What is Going Well?

Posted on by Carl Weber

I attended a conference recently.  No speaking role, just attending.  I had an opportunity to connect with others and talk to them.  And if you haven’t guessed by now, I love to ask questions.

I started out the day with the typical, “how are things?” and received the typical replies.

“Times are hard, people are stressed, and we may have to downsize.”

Throughout the day, everyone’s and I mean everyone’s answer was just about the same.  Everyone was doing more with less, trying to manage people who are stressed and working hard, and facing the hardship of decreasing revenues.  I began to see that I was asking the wrong question.  

So at lunch, I sat with some folks and began to ask a different question.

“What is going well?”

[A period of stunned awkward silence.]

“That is a good question…”and then the answers started to flow.

My conversations turned a corner and became something else.  Something great.  I learned about great new teams that formed where they never did before.  I learned about creative ideas that were developing, being heard, and were implemented.  I heard story after story about people banding together and doing great things.

To think I would have missed all of this by asking the wrong question.  It is amazing what a difference asking the right question can make.  

Today I ask you.  What is going well?  I am looking forward to hearing your answer.

I Hate That Guy

Posted on by Carl Weber

A few months back, I got to work with a fairly new leadership team.  All of the leaders had been in their positions less than two years, some only a few months.  The session focused on their behaviors (how they do the job) as well as their values/motivators (why they do the job).  The goal was to make sure that by understanding their own behaviors, they could work together as a team, and learn to manage well.

As the session kicked off, it was clear that individuals on this team had one thing in common: very extreme behavioral styles.  What I mean is that behaviors are typically measured on a 0 to 100 scale.  Extreme behaviors are when the scores are either in the 90 to 100 range, or 0 to 10 range.  To make this even more interesting, these leaders would have scores of 98 in one category, and 3 in another so the distance between behaviors was like a chasm.

More extreme styles make it hard to modify your behavior.  Modifying your behavior takes the energy and the conscious choice to behave differently.

How do you think you feel after a day of modifying your behavior? Mentally and physically exhausted.

If you get home and you are spent, think about what the day required.  Did you have to focus on the details of that report that was due?  Did you have to make those calls, go to those meetings, or make a presentation?  Gauging your energy helps you identify when you needed to modify your behaviors.

Reflecting on your style and what you may need to modify is a great way to improve your ability to do it.  If not, the exhaustion of one day will reduce your capacity to modify your behaviors the next.  Losing your ability to modify your behaviors can be disastrous for your career or relationships.

One of the leaders was significantly modifying their behavior (we can measure both natural styles and modified styles).  The change between the two styles was amazing. This leader was taking their foot off the gas for results (problems) and deliberately connecting with others (people).  I had to press in and ask about this change.

“Your change in style is pretty amazing, can you tell me how you feel after work?”

“Tired.”

“How are you able to do this, and why are you doing it?”

“When I look at my natural style, I Hate That Guy.  I make the choice to be a better leader than the leaders who formed me.”

“Can you continue to do it?”

“Yes, my people deserve better.”

I said it before, don’t wear your particular style as a badge of honor.  There are things that you do that impact others…in a negative way.  Pick one thing this week and work on modifying it.  In time, your natural style begins to shift towards that style, and it is less work to do it.  You will be tired at first.  It will be hard at first, but our people deserve better.