Copyright © PMA 2002 Polarity Map ™ 0 Leadership: An Important Role for Today’s Economic Development Professional APPA Community & Economic Development Conference Margaret Seidler July 30, 2007 This material is based on work by Barry Johnson and Polarity Management Associates

Copyright © PMA 2002 Polarity Map ™ 1 Session Objectives  Understand differences in leadership styles  See how people get in conflict over points of view  Expand your viewpoint to facilitate consensus  Predict and deal with resistance to change

Copyright © PMA 2002 Polarity Map ™ 2 Meet AND Connect 1.Find the person at your table that you know the least who you would like to work with as your partner today 2.Switch seats to sit together, if needed 3.Conduct your best 5 minute interview 4.Switch roles 5.At your table, share one item of interest about your new partner

Copyright © PMA 2002 Polarity Map ™ 3 Leadership Alternatives Instructions: In your handout, notice that the two columns are related. The items in the left column are related to the corresponding item in the right column. For example, activity and rest are related. Please indicate which of these two items you prefer. So, in general, do you prefer rest or activity? Circle the alternative you prefer. Left or right.

Copyright © PMA 2002 Polarity Map ™ 4 Who is right? How many preferred Task? How many preferred Relationships? Is the right answer Task or Relationship?

Copyright © PMA 2002 Polarity Map ™ 5 What does this mean? Effective leaders are focused on BOTH productivity, results and accomplishment of the mission AND are concerned with the needs and interests of the people doing the work. It is a BALANCE!

Copyright © PMA 2002 Polarity Map ™ 6 Leader Complexities Task AND Relationship Candor AND Tact Feet on Ground AND Visionary Guidance & Emergence Confidence & Humility Critical (Objective) Analysis & Encouragement Control & Empowerment Structure AND Flexibility Logic AND Creativity Individual Work AND Team Work Planning AND Implementation Swift AND Mindful Decision Making

Copyright © PMA 2002 Polarity Map ™ 7 Polarities Polarities are interdependent opposites that need each other over time to create synergy. They are connected to each other by the natural pressure and flow of energy from one to the other.

Copyright © PMA 2002 Polarity Map ™ 8 Genius of the AND In Built to Last and Good to Great, a key element in understanding the messages of the author is learning about the “Genius of the AND” as a way of creating, managing and sustaining greatness.

Copyright © PMA 2002 Polarity Map ™ 9 Advantage of AND Thinking Allows leaders to embrace both extremes on a number of dimensions at the same time and consider more possibilities Raises your capacity to think more strategically

Copyright © PMA 2002 Polarity Map ™ 10 Polarity Maps Provide the context for effectively addressing "unsolvable problems". They provide leaders with the insight and methodology to influence many important issues in organizations and communities today.

Copyright © PMA 2002 Polarity Map ™ 11 Life Death Too much Carbon Dioxide Too little Oxygen Clean out Carbon Dioxide Get Oxygen ExhaleInhale and

Copyright © PMA 2002 Polarity Map ™ Negative Results of Over-focusing on this pole to the Neglect of the right pole Neutral Name of Left Pole Positive Results of Focusing on this pole Why? Guide to Polarity Map Content Negative Results of Over-focusing on this pole to the Neglect of the left pole Neutral Name of Right Pole Positive Results of Focusing on this pole Higher Purpose Deeper Concern * * Thanks to John Scherer, Center for Work and the Human Spirit and Neutral Pole

Copyright © PMA 2002 Polarity Map ™ 13 RelationshipTask Positive Results of Relationship Negative Results of neglecting Relationship Negative Results of neglecting Task Positive Results of Task Effective Leader Failure as a Leader

Copyright © PMA 2002 Polarity Map ™ 14 Effective Leader Failure as a Leader RelationshipTask FEARS Low productivity – little work is done Staff lacks sense of accomplishment Customers don’t get needs met VALUES Staff feel appreciated and important Staff feel competent and capable Atmosphere is upbeat and positive FEARS Staff feel unappreciated, unimportant Staff are intimidated and pressured Atmosphere is tense and negative VALUES High Productivity Staff has a sense of accomplishment Needs of customers met and

Copyright © PMA 2002 Polarity Map ™ 15 Higher Purpose = Why Balance This Polarity? Deeper Fear from Lack of Balance? Basic Action Steps to Manage a Polarity Well Over Time * Thanks to John Scherer, Center for Work and the Human Spirit ** Thanks to The Strategy Academy, Rotterdam, The Netherlands *** Thanks to Todd Johnson, Rivertown Consultants * ** Action Steps How will we gain or maintain the positive results from focusing on this right pole? What? Who? By When? Measures? 1. Action Steps How will we gain or maintain the positive results from focusing on this left pole? What? Who? By When? Measures? 1. Early Warning s *** Measurable indicators (something you can count) that you are getting the downsides of this left pole. Who will know? Early Warning s Measurable indicators (something you can count) that you are getting the downsides of this right pole. Who will know? and How will we gain or maintain the positive results from focusing on each pole? What Action Steps will be taken? Who will be accountable? When? by date or frequency Measures of improvement? What will be observable / measurable Early Warning indicators that will let you know you are in the downside of each pole? Who will know?

Copyright © PMA 2002 Polarity Map ™ 16 Effective Leader Failure as a Leader RelationshipTask * Thanks to John Scherer, Center for Work and the Human Spirit ** Thanks to The Strategy Academy, Rotterdam, The Netherlands *** Thanks to Todd Johnson, Rivertown Consultants * ** Positive Results of Task focus Positive Results of Relationship focus Negative results of over-focus on Task to neglect of Relationship Negative results of over-focus on Relationship to neglect of Task Actions Steps Action steps to gain or maintain the positive results of Relationship Action Steps Action steps to gain or maintain the positive results of Task Early Warnings *** Indicators that will let you know that you are getting into the downside of Task Early Warnings Indicators that will let you know that you are getting into the downside of Relationship

Copyright © PMA 2002 Polarity Map ™ 17 Leadership Preferences On your Leadership list, pick two VERY important preferences you circled that really define you as a leader. You deeply value this in your leadership style. 1.___________________ 2.___________________

Copyright © PMA 2002 Polarity Map ™ 18 Concerns related to Preferences Find the negative opposite for those two preferences: Words that would likely throw you off-center when either you or others act this way or are presumed to be acting this way

Copyright © PMA 2002 Polarity Map ™ 19 Negatives to your Preferences Leadership Preferences _____________ Negatives to Avoid 1.____________ 2.____________

Copyright © PMA 2002 Polarity Map ™ 20 Effective Leader Failure as a Leader Close-minded FlexibilityStructure and Chaos

Copyright © PMA 2002 Polarity Map ™ 21 Your Leadership Preferences Answer these with your Partner: Think of people you work with inside your organization or in the community  Have you been or seen conflict over this different point of view?  What was the situation?  How could you gain effectiveness by using the Polarity Map™?

Copyright © PMA 2002 Polarity Map ™ Important Organizational Polarities From Polarity Management Associates Centralized Coordination AND Decentralized Initiatives Recognize the Individual AND Recognize the Team Reduce Cost AND Improve Quality Competing with Others AND Collaborating with Others Stability AND Change Celebrating Our Differences AND Celebrating Our Commonalities Care for My Part of the Organization AND Care for the Whole Organization Showing Respect for Every Person AND Showing Respect Based on Performance Getting the Job Done (task) AND Building Relationships Taking Care of the Organization AND Taking Care of the Customer Work AND Home

Copyright © PMA 2002 Polarity Map ™ 23 Effective City Government Failed City Government Integrated Departments Autonomous Departments Problem 1 2 Solution Integration of units Collaboration and mutual support Equality and mutuality Efficiencies of coordination Silos – isolation of the units Excess competition Inequality between the units Redundancies FEARS Bureaucracy and red tape Lack of creativity Excess conformity Lack of unit recognition VALUES Entrepreneurial Initiative Creativity Freedom Unit recognition Strategy Gap 3

Copyright © PMA 2002 Polarity Map ™ 24 Effective City Government Failed City Government Integrated Departments Autonomous Departments FEARS Bureaucracy and red tape Lack of creativity Excess conformity Lack of unit recognition VALUES Integration of units Collaboration and mutual support Equality and mutuality Efficiencies of coordination FEARS Silos – isolation of the units Excess competition Inequality between the units Redundancies VALUES Entrepreneurial Initiative Creativity Freedom Unit recognition and

Copyright © PMA 2002 Polarity Map ™ 25 Things that keep you up at night With your partner, create a list of 2-3 work issues:  That seem to go on and on and on; never seem really get solved  Or, maybe one solution creates another problem over- time  These are issues that really get your “goat!”

Copyright © PMA 2002 Polarity Map ™ 26 Commiserate With your table group: Share your issues 1.Select the top two (2)  In common  Most significant

Copyright © PMA 2002 Polarity Map ™ 27 Your Issues  Take top 2 Issues  Divide into 2 Groups  Place problem in lower left hand quadrant  Place your solution in upper right hand quadrant  Fill in other 2 quadrants  Name the 2 poles of the polarity

Copyright © PMA 2002 Polarity Map ™ 28 Problem Solution Higher Purpose Deeper Concern Pole: Neutral name

Copyright © PMA 2002 Polarity Map ™ 29 Sustainable Change Unsustainable Change

Copyright © PMA 2002 Polarity Map ™ 30 All change efforts are more effectively seen as part of a polarity map and process. Tying your change effort to a polarity increases sustainability because polarities are indestructible. Because polarities are unavoidable, unsolvable and indestructible, any polarity that you identify will be relevant for the rest of the organization’s life and will have been managed in some form since the organization began.

Copyright © PMA 2002 Polarity Map ™ 31 Competitive Advantage Can’t Compete ChangeStability Well Managed Polarity Stagnation Loss of energy Missed opportunities New energy and direction Creativity Tap new wisdom Lose continuity Lose core values Foolish risk Continuity Core Values Tap past and present wisdom and

Copyright © PMA 2002 Polarity Map ™ 32 Competitive Advantage Can’t Compete ChangeStability Overemphasis on Stability Stagnation Loss of energy Missed opportunities New energy and direction Creativity Tap new wisdom Lose continuity Lose core values Foolish risk Continuity Core Values Tap past and present wisdom and

Copyright © PMA 2002 Polarity Map ™ 33 Competitive Advantage Can’t Compete ChangeStability Overemphasis on Change Stagnation Loss of energy Missed opportunities New energy and direction Creativity Tap new wisdom Lose continuity Lose core values Foolish risk Continuity Core Values Tap past and present wisdom and

Copyright © PMA 2002 Polarity Map ™ 34 Resistance! Problem Higher Purpose Deeper Fear ChangeStability Solution

Copyright © PMA 2002 Polarity Map ™ 35 Resistance What are some typical things that people resist in your work world?

Copyright © PMA 2002 Polarity Map ™ 36 Getting Unstuck Lose continuity Lose core values Foolish risk Continuity Core Values Tap past and present wisdom Stagnation Loss of energy Missed opportunities New energy and direction Creativity Tap new wisdom Competitive Advantage Can’t Compete ChangeStability

Copyright © PMA 2002 Polarity Map ™ 37 Higher Purpose Deeper Concern * Thanks to John Scherer, Center for Work and the Human Spirit ** Thanks to The Strategy Academy, Rotterdam, The Netherlands *** Thanks to Todd Johnson, Rivertown Consultants * ** Positive Results Negative results of over-focus Negative results of over-focus Actions Steps Action steps to gain or maintain the positive results of this pole Action Steps Action steps to gain or maintain the positive results of this pole Early Warnings *** Indicators that will let you know that you are into the downside of this pole Early Warnings Indicators that will let you know that you are getting into the downside of this pole