Polyarchy Reflections

Once again we have come to the end of another phenomenal opportunity to learn more about Leadership. These past 9 weeks we have covered a considerable amount of information relating to the strategic applications and concepts of leadership development.We have uncovered a historic path leadership and it's many forms have traveled in the transformation from traditional and oligarchical roots to the more complex and adaptive nature defining today's (and tomorrow's) organizations. The times are most definitely a'changing.

The main point to understanding history, of anything, is to understand the journey involved. Where we are today is a product of where we have been and the mistakes and triumphs of the past. Where we are today is the foundation for the direction we are going. The history of leadership is no different. This history of leadership is intertwined with the history of organizational structure in the developed world. However, I would be more apt to state that leadership development was more reactive to the evolution of organizations through industrial revolutions and innovation. Now... in a more complex world with advancements moving at break-neck speeds the two histories are a closer resemblance of a symbiotic relationship. What we now know of leadership and its many faces is reflective of a fluid and adaptive nature of business and social structures.

The genie can not go back in the bottle. We will see less and less of oligarchic, hierarchical organizations as they become obsolete. Polyarchic and flat organizations make more sense to be adaptable to rapidly changing environments. Communication and speed are married to advancement, and adaptability is the new norm. Be fluid or be stagnant, and this is true for so many different types of organizations.

For me, as I move forward  into the next phase of my life with my Navy career in my rear-view mirror I, like many, embrace the uncertain future ahead. Uncertainty is no longer to be feared, but welcomed. Uncertainty is the breeding ground for creativity and opportunity. My next adventure will be running a small business retail store with a variety of products designed to enhance the out-door lifestyles of suburban America. I have an opportunity to build upon an established market and find new ways to bring our products to people. We will also be creating jobs as we grow our business. I have a tremendous mentor and leader that has not only embodied the true nature of entrepreneurship, but has plans to take his business to a new level. He has a grand strategy and I will be a part of making his vision happen. We will create and build and grow. We will adapt and overcome... and we will bring many people with us.

The future is bright, and my journey into the complex adaptive nature of leadership has just begun.

JP signing off for Strategic Leadership

How do Coaches Help?

"To be an executive coach, it is necessary to know that clients are the first and best expert capable of solving their own problems and achieving their own ambitions, that is precisely the main reason why clients are motivated to call on a coach. When clients bring important issues to a coach, they already made a complete inventory of their personal or professional issues and of all possible options. Clients have already tried working out their issues alone, and have not succeeded."

 When in doubt ask the Coach. I learned this lesson as a child playing organized sports in South Texas. It was a valuable lesson for me to learn because it taught me to incorporate a student mentality when I just didn't know or understand whatever it was I was up against. It is a scary feeling to not know while people are depending on you to make a play (or decision)... so you ask someone who knows.

Now, there is a grand canyon sized difference in making a bad decision at the little league field and not being sure about a business decision that could cost you valuable time and money... or both. However, the need for a good coach to rely on is exactly the same.

Before I joined the Navy I sold cars for a living. Now, I am fully aware of the bad rap car guys have in the industry (and some of them rightly earned). Tricksters, liars, swindlers. Ironically, this is exactly the reason I decided to enter that industry. I was stuck in traffic in downtown San Antonio one afternoon looking around at all the cars contributing to a  five-lane parking lot and the thought entered my mind "Someone sold everyone of these cars to these people at some point and time... and a commission was paid in return." Why not me?

I never had to lie, cheat, or steal to sell a car. Instead I took an approach as a kind of coach to every new person I helped solve a problem. They needed a car, truck, or SUV and I had cars, trucks, and SUVs for sale. It was just a matter of asking a few discovery questions and leading them to what they want to buy.

Buying a car can be a highly stressful scenario. After all, there is usually tens of thousands (and sometimes hundreds of thousands when I sold Benzes in LA) at stake. A bad decision could land you in the wrong car for a long time. For me, I felt is was my responsibility to know as much as I could about the vehicles, financing options, and the entire sales process. Why? So I could help people make an informed decision and be happy parting ways with their hard earned money. In return I made a very nice living (until the economic crash of 2008... but that is a different story). After a few years selling cars I discovered the majority of my sells were from repeat and referral customers. They trusted me to take care of their needs and I treated them like family.

Being a good coach means providing those in need with tools they can use to find solutions they seek. It does not ever mean doing for others what they can't do for themselves. There is a student-teacher relationship between coach and coachee. Customers, or clients, or whomever is in need of help can help themselves out by seeking out someone who knows the answers. We all can understand that feeling of making the right decision based on knowledge we acquired from a really good coach. We earned something, and learned something that made us more informed, better prepared, and more capable than we were before we met Coach.

In relation to strategy and leadership coaching is a vital component. Both strategy and leadership can have certain unseen twists and turns that create barriers to the overall success of the mission, or goal. Having a good coach in an organization can make all the difference in the world to successful goal accomplishment and painful learning lessons. When we don't know... we ask Coach.

In my current organization, the Navy, we thrive on the coach/coachee cycle. Typically, we spend between 3 and 5 years at a particular duty station. This means we have 3 to 5 years to get as many qualifications as we can before we rotate to the next stop. Therefore, we Sailors are always somewhere in the coach/coachee cycle. Typically, but not always, we can't move on to the next qualification until we effectively train our replacement. This is how we have standardized our jobs. We can do the same qualifications in the Red Sea that we learned in San Diego. We have mastered this cycle and we have well trained coaches at every duty station in the reach of the US Navy.

So, to recap... whether you are learning to play organized sports, or run a mutli-billion dollar industry you need to have a good coach to rely on. There is always something to learn and always someone to learn it from. If you find yourself out of new things to learn then you have just graduated to the coveted position of Coach. Now pass it on!

Leader Follower Relationship

Throughout these past few weeks I have dug a little deeper in discovery of complex and adaptive leadership. At the beginning of this course I was probably a tad more focused on the aspects of leadership that I could improve upon to become more effective. However, I am understanding now how the leadership-follower dynamic is really the driving force in the give and take relationships of complex organizations. In other words,good leaders need good followers and great followers make great leaders.

My understanding of strategy in leadership has developed as well. Strategy is the long term vision of an organization which requires leadership and guidance. Tactics may change in the course of strategic accomplishment and so should leadership. It is an adaptive dance that ebbs and flows with the needs of the whole. Leadership is cultivation towards a desired end. It answers the question how do we get there? Leadership is bringing out the best in people through shared experiences and application, or showing the way to gain maximum results. A true leaders is a catalyst in the overall grand scheme of things.

My future aspirations as a leader is rooted deep in my desire to help others reach their potential. The one true, universal truth I encapsulate is that we can always be doing something to better ourselves, and in turn better those around us. Ultimately, we create a better environment for ourselves as we improve and grow.

In the next few months I will be traversing another major life change. I will be leaving my Naval Service and taking a job as a general manager of a flourishing retail store in south Texas. I have big plans to improve some processes that are not quite where they need to be, developing brand strategies and marketing concepts for amazing products, and cultivating a sales and installation force. For the first time in my professional career I will be solely responsible for uncovering the true worth of a market. The excitement is almost distracting to my current duties as I finish up my duties, and I will be using every bit of knowledge I have acquired as a leader to make the most of this opportunity. 

There is a lot of uncertainty in complex adaptive leadership. before immersing myself in this Master's in Leadership Degree I may have had some apprehension to such an uncertain future. Thankfully I have learned to embrace the unknown and use it to create. I have learned to humble myself and value the experiences of others. Most importantly, I believe that I can succeed. This burning desire to grow and prosper will be the very foundation I use to build my office, policies, and future endeavors with an amazing company. I will be a great follower. I will be a great leader.

JP

Circle of Leadership

Nick Obolensky describes a vicious circle of "followers and leaders" in chapter 9 of his book Complex Adaptive Leadership.  This cycle is dependent on the skill and will of the followers and the responses of leadership. Below is the diagram depicting a cycle most of us can relate to in the complex organizations we live in.

This vicious cycle is the result of failing to understand the four-square model between skill and will as depicted below. 

We as leaders depend on both skill and will of our people so we may live and work that utopia we so earnestly yearn for. This utopia consists of highly skilled people who are motivated to do their best work... all the time. Unfortunately, this is not always the case (hence the suggestions in the four-square above). 

We have all seen the new guy show up rip-roaring and ready to go. The problem... he has no idea what he is doing. High motivation (or will) with low skill will need a lot of guidance, teaching, and training. On the other side of the spectrum we have seen that person who has all the knowledge, skills, and experience, but is just not plugged in. Now, leadership needs to take that proactive approach and figure out what will motivate this person to reengage and continue to produce at their expected level, or train his replacement.

In the Navy I have seen all aspects of this circle. However, because of our highly fluctuating environment with people always coming and going we have developed a standardized training process. We are constantly working on our qualifications with Performance Qualifications Standards, or PQS's, that outline from start to finish a particular aspect of a job, watch, or process. Everyone uses the PQS system in the Navy, from SEALs to cooks. Once you have finished up and completed all the required signatures for a specific PQS you may be required to take a test or oral board to demonstrate your understanding of the subject matter. Pass that, and you are now officially qualified (with a few higher ranking signatures and approvals of course). 

We essentially have three levels of training. These are trainee, new qual, and experienced qual/trainer. You usually do not move on to the next qualification without training your replacement, and everyone should know a few different jobs incase someone goes down. The mission will continue. Depending on how technical, engaging, or interesting your job is, in the Navy you will have a high probability of finding the burned-out, highly experienced, but ultra-low motivated Sailor. Why does this happen? Usually he or she has trained enough people to move themselves into a supervisory role, or they are anxiously awaiting transfer orders in which case their training has stopped (no more qualifications). either way, once they reach their next destination they will begin the PQS process all over again.

Looking back on Obolensky's vicious circle of leadership I can see a few minor tweaks that a leader can use to avoid this trap. First of all, as a leader we need to know and understand the composition of those we lead. We should have a good working knowledge of the skills, and a solid grasp of the wills. These are what we are looking for to make the process run smoothly. Another thing that can help us from not spinning our wheels is open and honest communication. Our low skill folks need to feel comfortable asking questions and seeking information. Our low will folks need to feel comfortable discussing their lack of motivation. And leadership should actively listen!

Below is a more efficient circle of leadership. One where continuous confidence building and mutual trust spin the gears. 

This is the ultimate goal of an organization. Steady production with efficiency for all. A balance between the rule makers and advice givers, leaders and followers, and the yin and yang of an organization.

JP