Beeing a leader or a coworker is a constant cooperation / balancing act with others
In my experience one of the more important areas to address is the balance between feeling and logic,
in my vocabulary Heart and Mind
Heart and Mind Management provides Assessment, Coaching, Training, Workshops supporting in management and organisation effectiveness
I have recorded spoken presentations on the following subjects and launched them, and also updated the homepage
Leadersship 2024-03-05
Blog | Heart and Mind (heartandmindmanagement.com)
Leadership | Heart and Mind (heartandmindmanagement.com)
Leadership is the way you motivate a group of persons in order to achieve defined targets
- By the ability to inspire others
- By presenting ideas both own and others’
- By respecting and listening to the members of the group
- By giving directions
- By your and the coworkers mutual trust
- By creating an environment where everyone feels respected and trusted
Use both your feelings and your logic to decide the actions to take
Feel, Think and Act
- Leadership is not being the best, it is about making everyone better, to
create a climate where everyone can contribute in their best way all the
time, whether you are there or not
- Treat everyone with respect, courtesy, politeness and kindness.
- Listen to what others have to say before expressing your viewpoint. Never
interrupt. Use the coworkers’ ideas to create change and improvements.
- Treat people with respect, do not insult.
- Give positive feedback a lot more than negative feedback.
- Respect employee’s personal time. Avoid calling them after work hours or
constantly expecting them to work late.
- Show interest in their professional and personal development.
Promote an open discussion climate where everybody is encouraged to present their ideas (if you havent heard an idea how can you judge if it is a good one or not)
It is important to take good care of all ideas regardless of who presents them
Remember you have one brain and the group have several brains
Leadership a multifaceted occupation
High performing team
As a leader you need to work with your coworkers to create High performing team i.e. a group of people with specific roles and complementary talents and skills, aligned with and committed to common targets, who consistently show high levels of cooperation and innovation. All this produce superior results.
A group where everybody is:
Soft Steering with Targets and Values
Coworkers are humans so when steering them, there needs to be a balance between measurable targets and feelings. Especially when informing about theese targets, you need to make room for soft issues in the communiction when you try to get commitment
Ask:
1.Is the target probable to meet (what is hindering and what is promoting fulfilment)
2.Try to cover information of Way, What and How (to motivate and explain) why it is important that the targets are reached
3.What can I do to do the promote the possibility of target fullfilment
4.Can the coworker commit to the target
Dependence of alcohol, pills, drugs, gaming and mental ill-health
The following needs to be done:
- Create a policy regarding these problems
- Inform coworkers of the policy
- Depending on the problems you face, you might need:
- Define dangerous use
- Investigation and assessment
- Motivational treatment
- Motivational talks
- Addiction treatment
- Relapse prevention
Exhaustion/problems with the mental health, an increasing problem in society
Sometimes the this is caused by performance based self esteem
•You often compare yourself to others
•You value yourself according to your achievements.
•You don’t allow yourself not to achieve the best all the time
•You don’t rest even if you are tired
•You feel useless if you fail with a task
Performance based self esteem can lead to exhaustion
Solution focused conversations
is an approach to communication and problem-solving that focuses on identifying and implementing solutions rather than dwelling on problems.
1.Together create a preferred picture of how the coworker wants the future to look like.
2.Strengths and Resources: Discuss together things that the coworker does already today and works well.
3.Positive Language: What is working well today? Don’t focus on the problems
4.Goal Setting: Setting clear and achivable targets together so that individuals can work towards positive outcomes
5.Small Steps and Progress: Breaking down larger challenges into smaller, more manageable steps, celebrating and acknowledging even small progress is encouraged to build momentum.
6.Collaboration: Between the coaching person and the coach
7.Acceptance: Are you understanding and accepting the problem?
8.Brief and Time-Limited: The goal is to bring about positive change in a relatively short period.
When different kinds of dependencies occur, don’t be afraid to ask experts for advice. It is important that leaders are involved, but there might be someone that can support or assist you in your role as a leader.
To be a leader means that you need to live in a constant balancing act
Integrity
Confidence
Courage
Empathy
Drive
Discipline
Vision
Altruism
Adaptability
Humility
Thoughtfulness
Perspective
Appreciation
Flexibility
Realist
Self Care
Prioritise
As a leader there is often too much to do, then it is important to prioritise in a structured way
Depending on the importance and the hurry of an activity your responsive action needs to be different
Remember that the relation to coworkers and the your direct manager often fits in the action quadrant
Everyone needs to feel safe (physical, emotional or psychological safety).
Physical
A newly employed person needs to know and adapt to all safety information and instructions.
The new employee in the first line needs to understand and act according to existing rutines
The following things are important to start up with:
1. Compliance Assistance (information and instruction display)
2. Incident Reporting (how it is done)
3. Emergency Preparedness (eg. emergency exits, emergency meeting
place)
Emotional or psychological safety
It is created through building trust in a working group and it involves a combination of actions, behaviours and communication that demonstrate
- integrity
- sincerity
- reliability
- consistency
- commitment
- competence
Here are some ways to create trust:
- Be Honest and Transparent
- Follow Through on Commitments
- Demonstrate Competence
- Act with Integrity
- Listen Actively
- Respect Others
- Be Reliable
- Admit Mistakes
- Maintain Confidentiality
- Build Relationships
A happy and positive person feeling safe does a better job
Create and promote a positive climate where everyone feels safe, listened to, trusted and seen
– and positive feedback is used a lot
A happy and positive person feeling safe does a better job
Save the negative feedback to the improvement situation when you can look upon it as improvement possibilities
- Bring positive criticism in a group
- Negative criticism face-to-face
Building trust
Building trust builds on authenticity, logic, and empathy. A deficit in any of theese shakes the foundation
- Empathy - See, Listen, Respect, Concentrate and Focus on the person
in question
- Logic comes in two forms
- Quality
- Communication of the logic (start with your point in a crisp way
and then give supporting evidence)
- Authenticity - Be you
Micro management
If we manipulate or steer in detail people will give you only what you pay for
If we inspire, let people take responsibility and make them feel appreciated they will give us more than you ask for
They will give you the moon
Respect
Respect is a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities and achievements. The trust needs to be earned – it doesn’t come with the appointment
Respect is a big word. There needs to be mutual respect within the group but also mutual respect between the group and the leader
A succesful lead group will earn trust from other colleagues and customers
How to start a leadership
Visualisation and Communication
- To see, to be seen and listened to is needed – in detail it is described in
Visualisation and Communication
Process Review
- It is important to improve processes in a structured way - this is described in
Process Review
Self Leadership
Link to Development: Blog | Heart and Mind (heartandmindmanagement.com) /Systems Enginering 2023-12-05
- Everyone is a leader in his or her life. It is up to you and no one else to create the
working experience that you want to have. To have the entire responsibility gives you
the power in your life, it is entirely up to you
- You are responsible to be and keep being engaged
- Together we stand tall, alone we fall. Teach to ask for help when needed, and give help
to others when they ask
- Work with and improve your superpowers (the things you have defined as your
superpowers)
- Your achievements are important but how you treat your colleagues is as important
(it is the total output from your group that really counts)
To develop yourself into working with Self Leadership
You need to decide
•What to do
•Why do it
•How to do it
Develop yourself into the best person possible
Also means that you have a responsibility to develop yourself into the best person possible
1. The person identifies
- What are my strengths today
- What do I want to improve
2. Discuss with your superior
- What are the surrounding strengths
- Is there anyone that is skilled in what you want to learn ?
3. Decide together with your superior
- Interest and Ambition from the organisation and from you as a person
4. Decide yourself
- What area to improve
5. Develop a plan of how the improvement shall be performed
- Agree on the plan with your superior
- Can he /she help in any way
Areas to keep in mind perhaps to develop
Education and Learning
Pursue formal education, attend workshops, take courses or engage in self-directed learning. This can be through traditional institutions, online platforms or by reading books and articles.
Skill Development
Identify the skills you want to enhance or acquire and engage in activities or training programs that promote skill development. This could include technical skills, interpersonal skills, leadership skills and more.
Professional Development
Attend conferences, seminars and networking events in your field. Seek mentorship or coaching to receive guidance and insights from experienced professionals.
Goal Setting
Set goals for yourself remember they shall be SMART
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Relevant
- Time-bound
Break them down to smaller, manageable tasks and regularly evaluate your progress. This gives you feedback that you are moving in the right direction and increases your motivation.
Health and Well-being:
Physical and mental wellbeing through regular exercise
Things to ask yourself
- Is the diet you eat balanced?
- Do you get sufficient sleep?
- Do you do sufficient Physical Activity?
- Do you connect with people that stimulate you?
- Do you have the time to reflect and do you?
- Are you motivated and are you becoming better in motivating yourself?
- Establish a better balance between work and leisure
- Learn to handle worry and annoyances better
- Improve your self-esteem and your self-assurance
- Understand how your values steer you
- Take a bigger responsibility for your needs
- Improve your state of mind and achieve more
A healthy body and mind contribute significantly to personal development.
Networking and Relationship Building
- Build and maintain positive relationships with others. Networking can
expose you to new ideas, opportunities and perspectives. Interacting
with a diverse group of people can enhance your communication and
interpersonal skills, as well as understand other persons and their
behaviours better
Self-Reflection and Meditation:
- Regularly reflect on your strengths, weaknesses, values and
aspirations. Understanding yourself better allows you to make
informed decisions about your personal and professional development.
Challenges and Risk-Taking:
- Embrace challenges and be willing to take calculated risks. Stepping out
of your comfort zone can lead to personal growth and flexibility
Volunteering and Community Engagement:
- Contribute to your community through volunteer work. It provides a
sense of purpose, exposes you to new experiences and allows you to
develop empathy and social skills.
Time Management:
- Develop effective time management skills. Prioritize tasks, set
deadline and allocate time to efficiently accomplish your goals to
reduce stress
Continuous Feedback:
- Seek and receive feedback from others. Constructive criticism can
provide valuable insights and help you identify areas for improvement.
Financial Literacy:
- Develop a solid understanding of personal finance. Learn about
budgeting, investing and financial planning to secure your financial well-being.
Problem Solving Methodologies
When we see a problem we tend to look under the lamp and to jump into an early conclusion of how to solve it
It feels good to do something about it quickly
but give it a little time and thinking to really solve the problem with a suitable solution to ensure that the problem will not reoccur
Core Principles
- Concentrate on solving reoccurring root causes rather than solving just symptoms
- Do not ignore the importance of treating symptoms for short term relief
- There can be, and are, often more than one root cause
- Analyse using the 5 W and H method (Ask Who?, What?, Where?, When?, Why?
And How? Did the problem show up?)
- Be systematic and look for evidence to back up the found root cause
- Try to find a way to solve the root cause to prevent it from appearing again
When performing a Root cause analysis it is important to take a comprehensive and holistic approach and to use all the knowledge available in the entire organisation (Cross functional)
Root Cause
5 W + H
- Who does it concern?
- What happened?
- When did it happen?
- Where did it happen?
- Why did it happen?
- How did it happen?
Change analysis
-
Analyse the changes that has led up to the problem
- Looking on a longer period of time leading up to the problem
- This is effective when there are a number of root causes
Fish bone analysis
A way to analyse root causes is the Fish bone analysis (Ishikewa diagram analysis), where you start with the problem and work your way back through different possible causes of the problem
Categories to consider in the analysis
- Machine (equipment, technology)
- Method (process)
- Man/Mind(physical or knowledge)
- Measurement (inspections)
- Management /money power (leadership)
- Maintenance
- Product/Service
- Price
- Promotion(Marketing)
- Process (System)
- People (Personal)
- Physical evidence
- Performance
- Surroundings (Environment)
- Suppliers
- Skills
A3 method
A way to document
1.Define the problem
2.Current state
3.Wanted State
4.Analyse the root causes
5.Generate and test countermeasures
6.Implement and sustain improvements (implementation plan)
7.Follow up results
8.Standardization
9.Lessons learned
1.Define the problem
The first step in the A3 method is to define the problem clearly, consistently and objectivly using data and facts to support your definition. You need to describe why the problem is important.
What is the gap between current state and wanted state.
What, Where, When, How much and Why
2.Current state
How is the current situation or process related to the problem?
Can relevant data, observations and information of current situation or process be shown and illustrated
3.Wanted State (Goals or Target improvements)
What are the wanted state Target values when it works well, that the organization or individuals aim to achieve.
4.Analyse the root causes (Root cause analysis)
Next step is to investigate and identify the underlying reasons or factors contributing to the problem, the rootcause. Avoid symptoms and effects in the analysis.
You need to dig deep into underlying factors that contribute to the problem (e.g. by using 5 W + H, fishbone diagrams, Pareto charts)
You shall identify and prioritise the most critical causes needed to adress.
Avoid jumping into conclutions without having sufficient facts and evidence.
5.Generate and test a countermeasures
Generate possible solutions to the problem addressing the root causes identified during the analysis phase. The solution shall be specific actions that can be taken to mitigate the problem also covering who is responsable for implementing them.
Test the countermeasures and see if they have the intended effect.
6.Implement and sustain improvements (Implementation Plan)
Detail how you plan to implement the the proposed countermeasures including timelines, responsible parties and resources needed to establish processes to ensure the improvements are sustained over time.
7.Follow up results
Once the countermeasures are implemented, describe the result both quantitative and qualitative. Analyse whether the problem is solved and whether future adjustments are needed
8.Standardization
If the countermeasures are successful, discuss how processes or practices are updated and implemented to prevent them from reocurring.
Assure this becomes a part of the continuous improvement work.
9.Lessons Learned
Reflect on what you have learned by solving this problem.
Have you discovered key insightes in need of spreading?
The A3 method is a way to document a structured problem-solving or improvement methodology, guiding individuals or organizations through a systematic process of identifying, analyzing, and addressing issues to achieve positive change.
Trial and error
A problem-solving or learning method that involves experimenting with different approaches until the right one is found.
While trial and error can be effective, it may not be the most efficient or practical method in all situations, especially when the cost of errors is high or when there are alternative, more systematic problem-solving approaches available.
The ”God complex”
No matter how complicated the problem is, you have an overwhelming belief that you know the solution
This belief is widely spread in our society
The world is simply far too complicated to understand
We belive we understand the entire world – but we never do
If we accept the fact that we don’t know everything, a very powerful way to develop a solution is to use the evolution method (trial and error)
Variation and selection is a very powerful method
1.Select a solution
2.Create variation of this solution
3.Test what works and what does not
4.Throw the solutions not working away
5.Create variations around the solutions that work
6.Test what works and what does not
After 30 generations you have a stable solution!
Ref: Tim Harford: Trial, error and the God complex | TED Talk
A person coming back from a long sick leave
- People having been on a long sick leave need to be focused on when they come back
and start working again.
- Depending on the reason for the long sick leave, the Welcome Program needs to be
tailored-made to each individual.
- Everybody needs to feel safe, especially those who have been on a long sick leave.
The essential thing is that the person does not fall back into sick leave
Plan for a meeting with the person one-on-one prior to coming back (manager and person)
Discuss:
- What tasks will the person start working with
- What working hours are suitable to start up with
- Is a mentor wanted/needed ?
- Is the workspace he or she had suitable to come back to?
- Noice
- Desturbanses
Solution focused conversations
is an approach to communication and problem-solving that focuses on identifying and implementing solutions rather than dwelling on problems.
A way to communicate that I recommend:
1.Together create a preferred picture of how the coworker wants the future to look
like.
2.Strengths and Resources: Discuss together things that the coworker does already
today and works well.
3.Positive Language: What is working well today? Don’t focus on the problems
4.Goal Setting: Setting clear and achievable targets together so that individuals can
work towards positive outcomes
5.Small Steps and Progress: Breaking down larger challenges into smaller, more
manageable steps, celebrating and acknowledging even small progress is
encouraged to build momentum.
6.Collaboration: Between the coached person and the coach
7.Acceptance: Are you understanding and accepting the problem
8.Brief and Time-Limited: The goal is to bring about positive change in a relatively
short period.
Ref. The International Journal of Solution Focused Brief Practices an open source. link: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/journalsfp/
Create a Welcome Program
It Needs to cover safty
Physical safty
A newly employed person needs to know and adapt to all safety information and instructions.
The new employee in the first line needs to understand and act according to existing rutines
The following things are important to start up with:
1. Compliance Assistance (information and instruction display)
2. Incident Reporting (how it is done)
3. Emergency Preparedness (eg. emergency exits, emergency meeting
place)
Emotional or psychological safety
It is created through building trust in a working group and it involves a combination of actions, behaviours and communication that demonstrate
- integrity
- sincerity
- reliability
- consistency
- commitment
- competence
Here are some ways to create trust:
- Be Honest and Transparent
- Follow Through on Commitments
- Demonstrate Competence
- Act with Integrity
- Listen Actively
- Respect Others
- Be Reliable
- Admit Mistakes
- Maintain Confidentiality
- Build Relationships
- To Make sure that the person coming back from sick leave starts
making a difference quickly and doesn't fall back into sick leave is
demanding.
- It is important that you as a leader take an active role in the
process.
- But if needed, ask someone for help and assistance.
Planned are 4 workshops during Maj 2024
-
No cost for participating
-
No limit in numbers attending the meetings
Mulitidimential Feedback
9/5 2024
Kl 09.00-09.30
Kl 17.00-17.30
Coaching
16/5 2024
Kl 09.00-09.30
Kl 17.00-17.30