Have you ever played the board game Pictionary? It is a derivative of charades but with drawing skills instead of re-enactments. The team is responsible for stating a phrase or word based on the clues the drawer provides. As the game starts, you may have noticed that before any recognizable image is drawn, the participants start screaming out answers. Most if not all answers are shots in the dark that often don’t even have a similarity to the correct answer. As the image becomes more detailed and clear, the answers start to consolidate and the team starts converging on the correct response until they arrive at the answer. This has a lot to do with the next Leadership Condition, Vision.
Change! The word itself sends shivers down the spine of most people. It is often seen as a nemesis, an adversary. Finding those ready to do battle with change is far easier than finding those who embrace it. I am sure we all can agree change is good (well some change). Then why do so many react as if defending their very soul when confronted by it. It can be a concrete barrier to progress. Even the slightest change can ignite the wick of an emotional explosion. Sometimes that explosion even comes with limited knowledge of the facts and reasons for the change. It’s different and often that is enough to clear a room. The next Leadership Condition we’ll discuss is Change.
The next Leadership Condition, Assembly is common and the role of the emerging leader may be overt or covert. Assembly can be formal and informal. It could be long term, periodic or even for an instant. As groups form and gather, the need for Leadership emerges. Like many of the other conditions, Assembly can also present itself as a hybrid of one or more of the other Leadership Conditions.
Previously we discussed Adversity and Malaise. Those conditions are not scheduled. Rather, they act as forces of nature that surface the postured Leader. Not every Leadership condition is this force of nature, blowing into the organization like a tornado. Not every Leadership Condition stimulates reactive Leadership approaches. Often members of an organization or team appoint someone to grab the reign of opportunity and Lead to success. This condition is Selection.
In the previous post, we discussed the condition of Adversity. The emergence of Leadership during this condition is perhaps the most obvious and the most expected. When Adversity is present, people have a tendency to act. It is probably tied directly to our fight or flight response. Leadership is typically positioned quickly upon the presence of Adversity. Stronger Leadership anticipates Adversity by the markers that lead up to it. Sometimes one of those markers could be the next condition. This Leadership Condition is Malaise.
In the lasts post, I defined the six Leadership Conditions. Each of these conditions exists as an opportunity for Leadership to emerge. As you think of events in your life, you’ll find that most fit into one or possible multiple conditions. Perhaps a new software application was being introduced on your team. Possible or most likely someone stepped up whether appointed or simply as a response to hearing the call for Leadership. Maybe they were appointed because of their subject matter expertise. Whatever the reason, a Leadership Condition existed and someone stepped into the role. This post is about the first Leadership Condition, Adversity.
Almost everyone has a different definition or at least opinion of what Leadership looks like. The truth of the matter is they are all 100% right. Leadership is a personal opinion. As you survey your organization, each employee, customer, or any stakeholder for that matter will have an opinion about the level of leadership (or qualification) of its members or managers. In many cases, those opinions may vary. Even tyrants have advocates who would praise their leadership ability.
In the first part of this series on Performance Appraisals, I discussed how we as managers should approach this process. It is a valuable tool when used appropriately. When it is viewed as a “paper drill”, then it is of no value to anyone. My attempt in this post is to provide you with steps to manage the Performance Appraisal Process.
Relevance, as defined by Wikipedia is a term used to describe how pertinent, connected, or applicable something or someone is to a given matter. It may be the most important word on your path to leadership. Think of the people whom you follow. Are they relevant? Is she or he someone who is pertinent and connected to your matter (your goals)? Would you hit at least a speed bump if their relevancy shifted? The stronger their relevance the bigger the speed bump. In some case it could be a brick wall. Relevance is a tool or state you must establish to lead.
One of the most routine and (in my opinion) abused management tools is the Performance Appraisal. Now I know my readers won’t let me get away with giving an opinionated statement without clarification. Therefore, why I feel it is abused is because it can be an amazing tool yet so many managers see it as a tedious task that occupies their time when they could be doing more important things. What could be more important than improving your employees’ performance? Now generalities can be destructive so I will not say this applies to all managers but it does too many. As a result, it presents me with a great opportunity to help surface the value of the Performance Appraisal and provide some helpful tips to navigate the obstacles that may be in the way.
Have you ever played the board game Pictionary? It is a derivative of charades but with drawing skills instead of re-enactments. The team is responsible for stating a phrase or word based on the clues the drawer provides. As the game starts, you may have noticed that before any recognizable image is drawn, the participants start screaming out answers. Most if not all answers are shots in the dark that often don’t even have a similarity to the correct answer. As the image becomes more detailed and clear, the answers start to consolidate and the team starts converging on the correct response until they arrive at the answer. This has a lot to do with the next Leadership Condition, Vision.
