manage to Celebrate?
Leadership books are always a hot topic with Coaches, and in a recent inquiry, many were bantering about this or that book that has some new insight or wisdom. For all the writing and focus on what makes great leaders, we seem to be missing so much these days. One of the themes circulated as if it is a fact is “Leaders do the right things, Managers do things right”… usually shared with an edge that one perspective is better than the other. As we end the year, it is worth thinking about both, and where you had sweet successes to celebrate, and missed opportunities to reframe… and you need to find a ratio of 3 to 1…
… in multiple courses with very different global cohorts, one management principle was repeated over and over this year: lasting change comes from rewiring your Brain… and to do that, positive perspectives need to be emphasized 3 to 6 times more often. It is so counter to our “analytical” and “command and control” culture that we often will find ourselves even thinking that this is “silly,” “too soft,” and “not pragmatic.” And… science says it is exactly so: MRI and other studies have repeatedly documented that the changes that last 1) start in the future and 2) are positive.
Can you do it Forever?
Chick Corea was the founder of Return To Forever, setting the tone for most of the management decisions. The early band morphed through a few iterations before the “classic” lineup we hear today got into a groove. While short-lived, the band produced several albums that managed to rewire jazz. This album, No Mystery, was the 1975 Grammy Award winner for Best Performance by a Group. Listen to how tight the band is with the interplay of perspectives between the keys, the bass, the drums, and the guitar. It is played out in 2 parts: listen for the themes between them, and then how they come back together in the end.
Management is a contact sport… from your first words, you are wiring or rewiring both your and your teammate’s brains. No pressure right? It starts with your perspective, of course – what state are you in? Again, watch out for judgment, which leads you into the analytical/closed part of your brain. For example, I returned from Christmas exhausted… just a thing – not a bad or good thing… to pay attention to…
…Return to manage
… and this morning, I managed to find a task that was best done with low energy – like listening to a lecture that I had to get through… and suspicious of the perspective going in. Perfect – with low energy, I didn’t waste energy fighting it… and I got a lot out of it. To change things like social justice and healing for all, it starts with positive future-focused voices. Guilt, past actions, etc – all take you back into the analytical closed mind… and I am not sure even the speaker appreciated that irony.
Often, my first question in a coaching call is a tossed-out, “How’s it going?”… which sets the foundation … for the WRONG conversation. It is a judgment waiting to happen... and typically leads to a focus on problem-solving… not helpful for change. At least not change that is lasting. Pushing way out there in the future – to Forever – what will today’s conversation help you be then? THAT is the type of question that prepares the Brain for change. Now you are not necessarily a coach, but that leadership style produces long-term benefits to organizational culture, so, you may want to learn a bit – particularly from my “mistakes” 😉
What perspective can you use Forever?
As you do your own Retrospective, I would look for the times that conversations made a real difference … and look for themes. Was it the time of day, the person, the topic… remember we are looking for GOOD things, so watch out for that negative wiring. For me, it is noticing that creativity is best very early… AND that preparing the night before when energy is low helps tremendously. Low energy can help as you realize that “well that is not going to happen”… and probably shouldn’t 😉
Management of self – that is one of the practices that can always pay off, but again, only with a perspective spirit of curiosity and support… and positivity. As you listen to this masterpiece, think about how you can construct a different pattern for yourself and others next year… it is No Mystery, you need a Celebration Suite.
