"Productive insight; clear (often sudden) understanding of a complex situation." Free Dictionary
Pop the bubble of conditioned thinking and emerge into the creative realm of "no absolutes," continuous change, uncertainty and unlimited possibilities.
Then, there can be innovation, adaptation and optimal performance.
The Arrogance of Power and Its Impact
By George Pitagorsky
What is the impact of arrogance on the performance of individuals, projects and organizations? Arrogance has been in the news lately. Bernie Madoff, John Thain and his office renovation, automotive executives coming for bailout without a minimal plan (and by executive jet) are examples. AIG paying bonuses using government money to the people who all but destroyed the firm is another.
The same thing is true at all levels of the power hierarchy. The project or program manager becomes autocratic and rude to his staff and outsourced resources. Middle managers act like petty tyrants. People with the power to make purchasing decisions treat suppliers (potential business partners) like slaves.
Here is an example. There was a brief encounter between an independent consultant and a successful entrepreneur, CEO of a global consultancy. The CEO set two appointments and not only failed to show up at either but didn't have the courtesy to call, text or email, or have someone else do it. When confronted he just cut off communication. Of course he's much busier and more successful than the consultant and he's probably used to acceptance from those who work for him, even when he shows his disrespect for them by blowing off meetings without so much as a call or email. If the consultant was a client or in a position perceived by him as more powerful, no doubt, he shows up or calls.
Some years back, I was in the office of a prospective client who thought nothing of interrupting our meeting to seriously yell at one of her subordinates for some infraction. She carried on as if I wasn't there and as if the subordinate was a naughty child. Yet another leader had her staff take a DISC character assessment instrument but refused to expose her own results, or maybe didn't even take the assessment.
Now, of course, power has its perquisites; but also its obligations. In their study, ("Impact of leadership style and emotions on subordinate performance", Leadership Quarterly, 13 5:545-559) McColl-Kennedy, J. R. Anderson, R. D. conclude that there is a significant impact on morale and performance from leadership style. But we don't need studies to tell us that the leader who is perceived as being rude and disrespectful de-motivates and drives away potential performers.
Stephen Covey in his book The Eighth Habit identifies being treated kindly as one of three predominant motivators. The other two are being paid fairly and being used creatively. He identifies six choices based on the motivation of employees - Rebel or quit, malicious obedience, willing compliance, cheerful cooperation, heartfelt commitment and creative excitement. We can extrapolate these to apply to business partners, consultants, etc. as well as to employees. Clearly it is in the leader's best interest to promote the latter of these choices. But, for a variety of reasons, many leaders do not seem to have the capacity to choose their behavior. They are prey to overly intrusive egos, perhaps based on some deep sense of inadequacy, and to mental models that promote or justify any kind of behavior. Or maybe they are just so emotionally unintelligent that they don't even regard the other person as anything other than a "thing".
So what is the message here? As a leader, cultivate the emotional intelligence and kindness to treat subordinates and peers with respect and promote creative excitement. Where leaders behave like servants, followers tend to be happy to exert their full power to met common goals. Begin to eliminate unnecessary, unproductive hierarchies. Minimize the negative impact of those that are needed.
As a follower, choose to rebel or quit over malicious obedience or even willing compliance. Cultivate the patience and acceptance to manage the situation and the relationship so that there is a win-win outcome - optimal performance on the individual, team and organizational level. In other words, become a leader.
One might ask, "How does one cultivate emotional intelligence, kindness, patience and acceptance?" Practice mindfulness and question the source of anything that gets in the way.
Is Optimal Performance Achievable?
Of course it is. Once we understand that optimal performance does not mean completely flawless performance we see that optimal performance is achievable if we are willing to apply our energy to achieve it. "Forget your perfect offering. There is a crack, a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in." Leonard Cohen
Managing the Flow:
Responsiveness NotReactivity
By George Pitagorsky
Are you in the flow? Is the current you are in the one you want to be in? This article is about managing change in any context personal, work process or global. We are in currents. We are often faced with the choice to go with the flow or not.
"Mihaly Csikszentmihaly uses the term "flow" for the state of consciousness experienced by people when they are deeply engaged, genuinely enjoying the moment, and performing optimally." The Zen Approach, p. 216.
There is another meaning for "flow" - it is the current of changing events and conditions happening in and around us. Being in this current is inevitable. It is our natural condition. This current has force. It has breadth and depth.
Depending on the force of the current we may be able to steer and choose direction within the flow; we can use the current's force to enhance our own. Other times we don't have the capacity to do anything but let the current carry us. Hopefully, at these times we are mindful enough to watch for opportunities to take some semblance of conscious control. Either that or we give up and accept and become part of the flow. Sometimes we can go against the current; redirect it or stop it when we wish.
The Taoists give us the image of one who is in the flow but is not affected by it.
Depending on the current's breadth and depth we can get out of it completely; maybe find a new current. Our currents are flowing within broader and deeper currents so it is unlikely that we will be able to be free of all currents. For example, there is a current associated with a particular job or company. That current strongly affects the employees, business partners, customers and others related to these. That current is flowing within far broader and deeper currents - regional or national, economy, social and political evolution, human history, etc.
So we are in a current of some sort. No matter the current, we always have our perceptions and attitude. These make all the difference.
Take the story of the man chased by a hungry ferocious tiger. He does his best to avoid the tiger and escape and ends up at the edge of a sheer cliff. Below is an abyss. He climbs down over the edge and hangs onto a root, just out of reach of the tiger. His strategy is to wait the tiger out and then climb back up and escape. As he waits he notices a rodent gnawing away at the root. The rodent is too far away to be deterred by the man's efforts to make it go away. Inevitably, the root will give way.
Next to him in a tiny niche on the cliff face he notices a strawberry growing. He plucks the strawberry and eats it. Ah! Perfect explosion of juice and texture and flavor.
In those times, when we acknowledge our situation and give up our preferences we open to another level at which the things happening around us have lost their power to cause us to react.
We respond in the way that most effectively addresses the situation. We accept the paradox of having preferences and acting to achieve them while at the same time seeing the danger of being attached to our preferences, particularly when the flow is bringing us things we may not have chosen and taking away things we would rather keep.
How does this work in your life?
Some may think accepting the current situation, whatever it is, is a last resort. Actually it a skillful first step towards choosing what to do, or not do. When things are not going well we might freak out or react in ways that tend to make things worse. We operate so as to reduce our ability to optimally handle the situation. The attitude that accepts change and the ability to not identify with the feelings, thoughts and events around us provide a foundation for being able to objectively access and address the needs of the moment in the context of the big picture.
Of course, there are times when reactive behavior is fine - withdrawing your hand from a fire, for example. Some responses seem like reactions, for example, catching the glass the person next to you at dinner tips over without a drop being spilled. The response here happens quickly and seamlessly but there was some complex decision making at speeds we cannot consciously perceive as opposed to the non-thinking reaction to the fire that is wired into our physiology.
When it comes to less immediate issues, like being without a job or being in a job you hate or being in a challenging project, we want considered responsiveness based on clear thinking. Reactivity is dangerous and unskillful. Responsiveness considers objective and subjective perspectives. It evaluates the situation intellectually and with the body and emotions.
