Chartered Management Institute Eastern Regional Convention May 12 th 2006 “Why people don’t think and managers can’t lead!” Presented by Stephen Walker

Workshop Overview Why people don’t think about what you say Communication as the barrier to motivation Poor motivation blocks leadership

The Leadership Concept Leadership training Leadership skills are situation contingent Leadership is an abstract label

Leadership Leadership / performance is as attitude / behaviour Performance is caused by behaviours The Leader exhibits high performance behaviours

High performance behaviours Leadership is a set of tools not a single skill Apply the right tool in the situation Understand “performing” to choose the best tool

Creating high performance behaviour Tailoring individual behaviour Creating the motivation – the willingness to act Communicating new facts

Communication processes Formal – spoken or written Informal – corporate or personal body language Content: Formal – 20%; Informal – 80%

Communication

Thinking processes Brain models billion neurons, 10,000 synapses Digital computer model Analogue computer model

How do you make a decision? GuessGo with your intuition Get all the facts firstConsult with your team

Experiential input Intuition The model of the world Evolutionary value

Survival

Is perception reality?

Cats

Four legged animals

Four legged animals that bark?

Your Risk profile Would you toss a coin to win or lose 5p? Would you toss a coin to win or lose £5? Would you toss a coin to win or lose £500?

Your internal voice Paediatricians Hoodies Economic migrants

Ageing effects The internal voice gets louder Thought processes become more deeply ingrained 90% of communication is from the internal voice

The communication barrier The internal voice drowns out other communication It creates a barrier to dissonant input I know what I know and nobody can tell me different

“Why people don’t think and managers can’t lead!” The internal voice drowns out new input The manager’s communication is ignored You can’t lead someone who isn’t listening!

How do you make people follow you?

Overcoming the barrier The brain is designed to learn The brain is not digital The brain gives more than one answer!

Learning We learn from experience Experience reinforces resonant brain pathways Reinforcement through positive outcomes

Reinforcement Say, and particularly act, in keeping with your desired behaviour model Be consistent and coherent with your desired behaviour model Timescale for the internal model to change

Negative behavioural reinforcement Manager threatens dire consequences if X happens Employee focuses on avoiding the dire consequences The actions that are required are not important!

Positive behavioural reinforcement Manager promises good things for good performance Good things follow good performance Employee learns the link between good performance and good things happening

The communication barrier (again) The internal voice drowns out other communication It creates a barrier to dissonant input I know what I know and nobody can tell me different

How do you make a decision revisited? GuessGo with your intuition Get all the facts firstConsult with your team

Creating good performance Make people believe you are worth following Communicate why and where you are going Be right most of the time!

“Followship” not Leadership People follow a good leader’s path, even when she is no longer there Leadership is making possible the achievement of others Good leadership is when people say they did it by themselves

To do tomorrow…. Communicate a positive behaviour model Expect positive behaviour Be consistent and coherent in your communication

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