Author: Rachel Burr

Control Freak in the Workplace

Posted on November 18, 2024 by Rachel Burr

A control freak often has a demanding personality who strains relationships and saps energy in the workplace. Explore ways to manage and redirect controlling behaviors.

We’ve all heard of “control freaks” – people who feel the need to direct, control, and even change the people around them. You may not be a control freak, but you’ve probably run into them. It could be the leader who constantly asks for updates or makes continuous changes throughout a project. Sometimes even changing changes they previously made. Or it could be the colleague who regularly offers unsolicited advice and criticism.

Being around control freaks can be exhausting and demoralizing. They strain relationships, whether with family, friends, or co-workers. There are better ways to relate to the world!

This article will examine what drives people to become control freaks, and what can be done to loosen their grip.

What is a control freak?

Managing and directing is a part of leadership. Leaders are expected to direct, inspire, and organize the efforts of others. Without healthy leadership, chaos can take over. But there comes a point at which the need to control outruns its usefulness. It crosses the line from conscientiousness into coercion.

There are two types of control freak, according to Psychology Today. Both types are rooted in the need to overcome fear, anxiety, and insecurity, but they manifest themselves in different ways.

The first type of control freak, according to the author, are people who have “intense and exact control over themselves.” They are hyper-focused perfectionists who expect themselves – and the people around them – to “perform perfectly and without error.”

The second type of control freak uses the opposite strategy. Instead of controlling themselves, “they are skilled at controlling other people.” They like to give orders but are “dependent on others to carry out their wishes and demands.”

Both types use control as a way to manage fear and anxiety. But no one can be another person’s “management agent,” in the author’s words, and trying to be one will just cause damage.

Signs of controlling behavior at work

Here are a few examples of controlling behavior at work, from an article in Forbes:

Being a poor team player. To be part of a team, people must give up some control. They can only work on part of the task at hand. For controlling personalities that can be a big challenge. They often prefer to work alone and, when forced to become part of a group, may try to dictate how others work and behave.

Failing to delegate tasks. For controlling personalities, delegating is just another way of losing control. That’s particularly true of the perfectionist who believes he or she is solely responsible for the success of any project. When forced to delegate, they tend to micromanage the work.

Strained relationships. Control freaks are prone to making demands and being hyper-critical of the people working around them. To the perfectionist type, any mistake or flaw – whether real or perceived – is intolerable. Working relationships suffer as a result.

Letting go of the need to control others

There are ways out of the “control freak paradigm”, and we’ll discuss two of them here: Emotional regulation and re-defining control.

Learning emotional regulation. The source of controlling behavior lies in uncomfortable emotions like fear and anxiety. “Rather than controlling their emotions, [control freaks are] always trying to control the environment,” according to Forbes. Change begins by learning emotional regulation.

The first step toward regulating emotions is to pay attention to them. Identify and name emotions as they arise. It’s an exercise that takes practice, and can benefit from working with a coach or a therapist.

When negative emotions arise, we can choose how we deal with them. A useful technique is reappraisal, which is a change in perspective. Fear and anxiety can make us feel threatened. Reappraising a threat as a challenge instead, can help us choose a more positive course of action.

Re-defining control. Another useful strategy is to re-define what control means, and what it looks like in practice. It’s a strategy that’s especially useful for leaders.

Most leaders reached their positions by being highly skilled in technical areas. But as leaders take on more responsibilities, they have less capacity to absorb technical details. They need to rely on others.

Re-defining control is a shift from completing every detail personally to having systems in place that allow others to complete them. The systems can include scheduling regular team check-ins and clearly defining project milestones.

We’ve all run into control freaks. Their overbearing demands can drain energy, productivity, and creativity from the workplace. But practical solutions are available. If you would like to learn more, please contact us.

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Rachel Burr is an executive and leadership coach with over 20 years of experience working with CEOs and the C-suite across all industries, in organizations of from 200 to 10,000 employees. Rachel holds dual master’s degrees in Organization Development and Clinical Psychology, and numerous certifications in the field of executive coaching. Rachel is a “people expert” who works with clients to unleash their leadership potential. If you would like to learn more about leadership development training, please contact us.

Leadership Development Training for Long-Term Success

Posted on October 17, 2024 by Rachel Burr

Clear planning, hands-on practice, and habit-building are the keys to Leadership development training with long term measurable results.

Leadership development training is at a turning point. Organizations are spending enormous sums on learning and development (L&D) programs but struggle to see lasting, measurable benefits. Success is often measured by “satisfaction surveys” and tests of short-term improvements. Additionally, the people skills leaders need, like interpersonal and communication skills, are much harder to evaluate than technical skills such as financial literacy.

Moreover, organizations’ L&D professionals often have little in the way of guidance when selecting professional instructors. How do we evaluate our instructors? Through the “look and feel” of a slick website? Personal charisma? –per an MIT report. The process has been compared to online dating, with L&D professionals “swiping left” or “swiping right” on potential L&D providers. But while you may know on the first date whether someone will be a good fit for you, it often takes time to understand whether an instructor’s approach, knowledge, and skills are a good fit with your leaders and organization.

There is a better way! This article will examine ways to design and execute a leadership development training program that delivers lasting, measurable results.

The “three legs” model for leadership development training

An excellent starting point is a model published in the MIT Sloan Management Review. The authors argue that successful programs need three core elements: vision, method, and impact.

Vision. A program’s vision defines the skills to be developed. For example, the program may aim to develop a leadership philosophy, or to promote emotional regulation, or to improve team dynamics. The vision statement should be able to explain why the program goals are important to the organization and offer supporting facts.

Method. The method consists of both the materials and teaching methods participants will encounter. For example, the program description might state that students will review case studies and participate in role playing exercises to improve team dynamics. The methods and materials should be chosen to complement program goals.

Impact. What success looks like for the program must be clearly defined up front. The impact of the program can then be evaluated based on desired results. According to MIT, “A program worth choosing can articulate how the participants will change.” The program should be able to describe the expected results and how those results will be evaluated.

Obstacles to success in leadership development training

The biggest obstacle to measurable L&D gains is that, in most cases, participants don’t apply their new skills in the workplace. Let’s look at some of the challenges before considering solutions.

The Motivation Gap: The “Motivation Gap” is the disconnect between organizational and individual goals, according to an article in the Harvard Business Review. While organizations tend to focus on long-term needs, participants usually want short-term benefits. The misalignment affects both program planning and participant enthusiasm.

The Skills Gap: The “Skills Gap” is a misalignment between the skills being offered and the skills organizations need for success. L&D providers have no problem teaching technical skills. But teaching the “people skills” that today’s leaders need is more challenging.

The Transfer Gap: The “Transfer Gap” is the failure to apply what’s learned in the classroom to the workplace. Few executives “take what they learn in the classroom and apply it to their jobs,” according to the authors. To bridge the gap, the materials should be useful immediately and the teaching methods should reflect workplace conditions.

How to bridge the three gaps

To achieve the goals of changing participants’ behaviors, with practice, coaching, and habit-building Forbes suggested these approaches:

The “three to one” learning model. The “three-to-one” model states that for every learning experience, there should be three on-the-job practice exercises. The same three-to-one ratio applies to L&D budgeting and time management: if one dollar is spent on learning, three dollars should be spent on practice. The goal is to build new behaviors, not simply to cultivate new knowledge.

The coaching model. “No one bridges the gap between knowledge and action better than an executive coach”, according to the authors. Coaches have a repertoire of proven exercises to build healthy new behaviors and habits. If an executive coach doesn’t fit every budget, online coaching may be an option. Organizations’ L&D professionals can also help by providing role playing exercises, feedback, and action plans.

Bringing L&D to work. Techniques may include “micro-learning” – short learning sessions of two to five minutes – designed to minimize disruption. Providing “nudges,” or reminders, to view content and apply lessons during the work day can be useful, too. Bringing L&D into the flow of work can help bridge both the Motivation Gap and the Transfer Gap through first-hand exposure to the benefits of training.

Leadership development training doesn’t have to be a voyage into dark, uncharted waters. There are solutions! A successful program starts with a clear, specific assessment of goals, methods, and expected outcomes. Making the leap to measurable, lasting results boils down to helping participants practice their skills and build new habits.

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Boost Psychological Safety for Healthier, More Creative Teams

Posted on September 20, 2024 by Rachel Burr

Psychological safety is a feeling shared among team members that it’s okay to admit mistakes, share concerns, and ask questions. Teams that achieve psychological safety are more productive, more creative, and better able to resolve conflict than those that don’t.

What is psychological safety?

Psychological safety refers to an environment where it’s okay to take risks, make mistakes, and where it’s accepted that people will voice differing opinions and ask difficult questions. It’s an important part of a healthy workplace, with benefits for organizations as well as employees.

The term psychological safety was coined by Amy Edmondson, a professor at the Harvard Business School and author of The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth. She developed the concept while studying teams of medical professionals for her Ph.D.

At first, Edmondson thought that the highest performing teams would be the ones reporting the fewest mistakes during their shifts, but she found the opposite. The teams that achieved the best outcomes reported a higher number of mistakes per shift than their lower performing peers.

She later realized that the high performing teams were more willing to admit mistakes – and learn from them – than the other teams. From that insight came a concept she called “team psychological safety,” which can help anyone who works with a team.

This article will discuss the basics of psychological safety and how to improve that quality in any team.

Make it safe for people to speak up in the workplace

Psychological safety has been called “the belief that one can express themselves freely without fear of negative consequences” in a Penn State University article. Amy Edmondson calls it “felt permission for candor.” However described, the level of psychological safety in any team has major impacts on productivity, innovation, conflict resolution, and more.

For example, Google’s Project Aristotle, a large, multi-year study of team dynamics and team building, found psychological safety to be the single most important factor in creating high performing teams.

The Google researchers began with the idea that the best teams would emerge naturally by putting the brightest high achievers together and turning them loose. But that wasn’t the case. They concluded that who is on a team matters much less than how the team members interact. According to the authors:

Our researchers found that the best teams created a climate of openness where team members admit to their errors and discuss them more often. In other words, they exhibited high levels of psychological safety[.]

Psychologically safe teams accelerate learning and innovation by acknowledging mistakes and exploring new ideas. And not only are they more adaptable, they can also impact the bottom line.

The study found that teams with high levels of psychological safety exceeded their sales targets by 17%, while teams with low levels of psychological safety missed their sales targets by 19%. According to Google, psychological safety was a much better predictor of team success than the number of top performers or the general intelligence of team members.

Developing psychological safety

Psychological safety is a team characteristic. It emerges from interactions among team members over time. Edmondson states, “This is a group level phenomenon – it shapes the learning of the group and in turn affects team performance and therefore organizational performance.” Team members who collaborate closely feel similar levels of psychological safety, according to the Harvard Business Review.

Building psychological safety is “more magic than science,” according to Edmondson, but there are simple steps any organization can take to improve teamwork.

Ensure good management. The first step to increasing psychological safety is the most basic: Establish good management practices, which include setting clear expectations and norms of behavior, ensuring fairness and equal treatment, encouraging open communication, and making sure people feel valued and supported.

Admit mistakes. Psychological safety begins when people are willing to admit their mistakes and learn from them. Leaders must be in the forefront of the effort by admitting their own mistakes, struggles, and challenges. In short, leaders need to become willing to appear vulnerable and less than perfect in the eyes of the people they lead. If they are not, the foundation for psychological safety will be missing.

Actively solicit input. Leaders need to do more than encourage team members to speak out, they should set the expectation that everyone on the team will share their ideas, opinions, and concerns. Some will naturally be more vocal than others, but creating a safe space to share ideas without being judged or criticized is key to developing psychological safety. It may feel awkward at first, but it will become easier with practice. As a bonus, regularly asking team members to express their concerns can help defuse workplace tensions and promote healthy conflict resolution.

In the words of Stanford professor and psychologist Robert Sutton, “When people talk about their own mistakes, rather than pointing out others’ missteps, that suggests your workplace is psychologically safe.” Rather than wasting time and energy blaming and shaming, psychological safety lets teams focus on learning and problem solving in a healthy learning environment, which is the key to unlocking resilience, creativity, and innovation.

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Rachel Burr is an executive and leadership coach with over 20 years of experience working with CEOs and the C-suite across all industries, in organizations of from 200 to 10,000 employees. Rachel holds dual master’s degrees in Organization Development and Clinical Psychology, and numerous certifications in the field of executive coaching. Rachel is a “people expert” who works with clients to unleash their leadership potential. If you would like to learn more about psychological safety and how it can improve teamwork, please contact us.

Develop a Leadership Philosophy to Guide Your Organization

Posted on August 15, 2024 by Rachel Burr

Developing a leadership philosophy leads to consistent decision making, teamwork, and results. Begin the process by identifying core values and principles to craft a clear statement of purpose.

What is a leadership philosophy?

What is your philosophy? We may have a philosophy about how to achieve professional success, find happiness, or discover the best hamburger in all of [insert favorite tourist destination here]. Since this blog is mostly about leadership, let’s talk about your leadership philosophy.

Every leader has a leadership philosophy, whether they know it or not, and they act on that philosophy, whether they realize it or not. Our leadership philosophy comes from our values, purpose, and principles, and that philosophy then fuels our behavior. When we understand and develop our leadership philosophy, we align our behavior with the leader we aspire to be and the impact we want to have on our team and business.

The benefits of identifying our leadership philosophy include–

Clear decision-making. A well-thought-out leadership philosophy reflects the leader’s belief and priorities based on core values. Leaders who have a clear understanding of what is most important create a foundation for making decisions that align with their goals and purposes.

Consistency and stability. A clear leadership philosophy provides a framework for consistent communication and decision-making. Team members know what’s expected and can work toward common goals, creating a sense of stability and cohesion.

Unity and alignment. Communicating a compelling vision brings teams together. Adopting and applying clear principles creates a shared understanding and purpose.

Resilience in challenging times. A strong leadership philosophy provides a foundation for navigating challenges and unfamiliar terrain with resilience in times of uncertainty. It drives decisions and actions.

Identifying and implementing your leadership philosophy

Here are suggestions for developing your leadership philosophy:

Identify Values. Start by thinking through your values and beliefs. What is most important to you? What values do you want to demonstrate as a leader to be authentic and true to who you are? Your values will be the foundation that guides your decisions and actions.

Define Purpose. The next step is to define your purpose. What do you want to achieve? Why does your organization exist? What makes it special? Is your personal purpose in alignment with your company’s? Once you’ve defined your purpose, both personal and organizational, think broadly about your goals to achieve that purpose.

Assess Strengths and Weaknesses. Identify your strengths and weaknesses, as well as those of your team. How will you develop your leadership? What does your team need to develop and thrive? Answering these questions will connect your philosophy to how you show up as a leader.

Write it Down. Put your leadership philosophy into action. Review your values, purpose, strengths, and weaknesses and look for themes. Use them as a guide to craft clear statements about who you are as a leader.

Stay flexible. Remember that your leadership philosophy will always be a work in progress. The core of who you are will not change, but the demands of your environment will. Revisit and revise your philosophy and actions as your experience grows and your perspectives evolve.

Different Ways of Implementing Leadership philosophy

Next, put your leadership philosophy into action.

Authentic leadership. Build trust and connection to empower a more engaged team. Authentic leaders value integrity and make principled decisions rather than expedient ones. They rely on both business goals and emotional intelligence to develop team cohesion.

Servant leadership. Servant leadership is often condensed into three simple practices: (1) Ask questions and pay close attention to the answers; (2) Focus on growth, development, and empowerment of people; and (3) develop new leaders.

Adaptive leadership. Meet the challenges of disruptive change. Adaptive leaders create an environment where novelty and “out of the box” thinking thrives. They exhibit self-awareness and confidence to admit they don’t have all the answers, and they leverage the wisdom and experience of the team.

Situational leadership. Adjust your approach based on the needs of the business, your team, and even individuals. Ensure people on your team first develop the fundamental, practical skills they need to succeed. Then, coach and motivate them to look at their work holistically and problem-solve in the context of the bigger picture. Situational leadership gives team members more responsibility and autonomy as they become ready.

When we clearly define our leadership philosophy, we connect our actions to the core of our leadership. We make better decisions, create higher performing teams, and, even in the most turbulent times, we stand on a firm foundation to navigate the unknown.

If you would like to learn more about developing your leadership philosophy, please contact us.

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Using Behavioral Psychology to Improve the Customer Experience

Posted on July 23, 2024 by Rachel Burr

When interacting with clients and customers, perception is reality! By using principles from behavioral psychology, leaders can emphasize the positive to improve customer satisfaction.

Customer satisfaction can be greatly improved with behavioral psychology by segmenting experience, giving customers a sense of control, or even becoming part of their routines, in order to highlight the positive.

Perception is reality

In every customer encounter, perception is reality. In fact, perception can be even more important than reality. We sometimes ignore reality, but we rarely ignore our perceptions. Whether your organization sells goods or provides professional services, the customer’s perceptions of your product or service matter. A lot. With a master’s degree in both psychology and in organizational development, I’d like to shed some light on the behavioral psychology aspect of customer perceptions.

In leadership coaching, I know many leaders invest time and effort to improve the quality, timeliness, and relevance of their offerings. But unless you focus on how customers perceive their experiences, your offerings may not generate the hoped for customer satisfaction. Of course, organizations should always pay attention to the quality of their products and services. But to drive better customer impressions and higher customer satisfaction, leaders need to consider how the customer journey appears from the customer’s point of view, applying principles of behavioral psychology to achieve the best results.

This article will focus on using behavioral psychology to improve customer journeys and experiences. Paying attention to the high and low points, or “pain points” of a customer’s journey, and how those experiences unfold in time, are keys to improving both perception and reality.

Pay attention to the sequence of events

People don’t remember all portions of an experience equally. Research in behavioral psychology shows that they tend to remember a few high and low points and gloss over the rest. The result is that just a fraction of the complete customer experience can have an outsized impact on perception.

People are also sensitive to trends – whether an experience is moving from negative to positive, or the reverse. Not surprisingly, people prefer that their experiences improve over time – and the ending is most important of all. Even if an experience has been positive until the last interaction, a bad ending tends to overwhelm the customer’s memory.

Knowing these quirks of behavioral psychology can help organizations maximize positive customer impressions. Avoiding a “last bad experience” is one reason some hotels have eliminated the need to check out. It’s also why cruise ships schedule the “captain’s dinner” at the end of the trip. Leaders should look at the customer journeys their organizations offer. How can they emphasize positive experiences? How can “pain points” be minimized or managed?

Segmenting experiences to emphasize the positive

Another useful tool from the behavioral psychology toolkit is managing the sequence of experiences to minimize the impact of negative experiences while highlighting positive ones. We’ve already seen that customers are sensitive to trends, such as whether the experience is improving or getting worse. When the customer journey involves several different interactions, it’s useful to get the “bad stuff” out of the way at the beginning and to spread the “good stuff.”

If you’re a hotel or cruise line, that can mean getting all the payment and personal information in a single transaction. Now the service provider is free to sprinkle perks and freebies into the rest of the journey. Memory of the “pain point” will fade in comparison to the perks and freebies.

If you offer professional services instead of hotel stays or cruises, think how segmenting might work for you.

For example, you probably need to gather background information about the client and the project – that’s a “pain point” and will count against the customer‘s experience unless managed. Try to gather all the information needed at one time and minimize having to ask follow up questions. The “perks” in this case will be rolling out with deliverables smoothly and predictably.

Giving customers control

A third way to improve customer satisfaction is to give customers control over their experience. People want to feel that they have agency, or the ability to change events and outcomes in their lives. There are many ways to make customers feel empowered, engaged, and informed.

For instance, offering a choice of service packages, B2B or B2C like airplane seats, or hotel rooms is a good way to start. Customers who have these feelings are less likely to blame the service provider when things go wrong.

Proactively updating clients also gives them a sense of control. Providing ways to engage with the organization and offering timely updates are good ways to boost engagement and information.

Another way to promote feelings of control is to avoid making changes that could frustrate your customers. If you have to change what customers or clients originally bought, you must apologize and explain.

Consistency in your offerings such as brand promises, messaging, even “look and feel” reassures customers of a predictable experience and a sense of control. People become comfortable with routines and if your organization is lucky enough to become part of someone’s routine, that’s a bonus! Take advantage of it!

Behavioral psychology can help organizations enhance the customer journey to maximize customer satisfaction. Strategic use of sequencing and segmenting will help accentuate the positive and ensure customers leave with a positive impression of their experience. And don’t underestimate the power of giving customers control or agency. Helping customers feel empowered, engaged, and informed is a pathway to success.

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Authentic Leadership – The Key to Sustainable Success

Posted on June 26, 2024 by Rachel Burr

Authentic leadership based on relationship-building, trust and integrity can sustain long-term success for leaders and their teams.

Leaders navigate constant change, including new technologies, dynamic markets, generational shifts, and an uncertain geopolitical landscape, just to name a few. People want strong, authentic leaders to set the vision and create a path to success. But what is authentic leadership?

“Authentic” is defined as “real, genuine, not false or copied.” Below you’ll see sources talk about how authentic leaders develop trust, demonstrate integrity, and build relationships. These are all important leadership behaviors that help to energize teams and organizations. However, I have a caveat for you to consider as you read this post. Do these qualities represent the authentic, real, genuine self of all leaders? The answer is, “No.” Some leaders are authentic jerks. In fact, most of us can act like jerks from time to time. We’re all a mix of good, bad, and ugly, and encouraging us to express our authentic selves does not give us license to inflict the worst of who we are on others in the name of authenticity. So, I believe it’s important to clarify the message. When leaders (and all people, really) tap into the best of their authentic core, that’s when they bring the true power of their leadership to the success of their teams, customers, and organizations. That is what we want from authentic leadership.

Now that we’ve got that straightened out, let’s dive in. This article will examine the best elements of leadership and how leaders can develop and improve their authentic leadership skills.

What is authentic leadership?

Authentic leadership has the power to create an environment where employees “flourish” in their roles, according to Frontiers in Psychology. Authentic leaders build connections, empower their teams, demonstrate emotional intelligence, and build trust. In fact, a study in the Leadership and Organization Development Journal found that the strongest predictor of job satisfaction is when people perceive their leaders to be authentic. This authenticity positively impacts work-related attitudes and happiness.

Integrity and ethics. Leaders who hold themselves to the same (or higher) standards than they expect of others inspire trust and show a commitment to integrity. By putting values, ethics, and people first, “purpose driven” organizations earn employee loyalty and engagement.

Self-awareness and connection. Beyond tasks and transactions, authentic leaders seek to build relationships, show empathy, and forge deeper connections with people. They demonstrate vulnerability, and show that they’re human. They don’t need to project an air of perfection, and they ask for help when they need it. To be authentic, leaders develop their skills to build self-awareness, and then consciously work to leverage their strengths and overcome or mitigate their weaknesses.

Empowering others. Authentic leaders know their success depends on supporting and developing their teams today, as well as developing emerging leaders for the future. Authentic leaders listen to others’ ideas, and they seek and integrate feedback to support a learning environment and collaboration. By focusing on growth, development, and empowerment, authentic leaders create the conditions for long-term success.

Developing Our Authentic Leadership

Developing our authentic leadership may feel daunting. We don’t all naturally bring our best authentic selves to work (or life) every day. We need to develop our skills and create an environment that will help bring out the best in us. Here are a few ideas to consider:

Establish your values and vision. First, decide what you stand for. What’s your purpose? What are the values that guide your choices? What are the boundaries you won’t cross? Each person will have their own set of guidelines. When we choose to work in an organization that’s aligned with our values, it’s far easier for us to be authentic in our leadership.

Next, inspire your team with a clear, compelling vision, and create a roadmap that lets people know where you want to go, and how you’ll work together to get there. Gaining people’s alignment is key. You’re only a leader if people want to follow you.

Develop your EQ. Authentic leadership requires emotional intelligence (EQ) – understanding ourselves, others, and how we work together. To develop our EQ, we have to develop our “soft skills,” or what I call the “critical intangibles,” like communication, teamwork, and managing our emotions (so they don’t manage us). These skills are essential for authentic leadership.

Empathy is a big EQ skill, and an essential part of authentic leadership according to Forbes. Like it or not, emotions play a huge role in our success. We may think we can leave our emotions at the door, but we don’t, we can’t, and we really wouldn’t want to. I could go into all the ins and outs of why that’s true, but let’s cut to the chase. Emotions are data, and empathy helps us decipher that data so we understand how people feel (whether that’s positive, negative, or something else), and how that might influence their reactions, alignment, and commitment to decisions and change.

Create an authentic culture. Authentic leaders create an authentic culture which in turn supports their authentic leadership. There’s a synergy between authenticities that reinforce one another. Together, they create an environment where teams and leaders operate at their best and thrive.

Psychological safety is necessary for authenticity. It has come to my attention lately that some people may not like the label “psychological safety.” Let’s not get caught up on labels. Instead, let’s talk about what we mean. People need to feel safe to speak up, share their opinions, disagree, try new things, and take risks. When people don’t feel safe, they shut down and stay quiet. As a result, everyone loses out on the wealth of knowledge, skills, expertise, and perspectives that are buried in the quiet. Without psychological safety and a sense of belonging, people avoid making waves, quit quietly, or quit not so quietly as they post scathing reviews on Glass Door.

Authentic leadership means tapping into the best of who we are to unleash the best in others. With all of us operating at our best, there’s no telling what we can achieve.

If you would like to learn more, please contact us.

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How to Recognize and Avoid Groupthink Psychology

Posted on May 24, 2024 by Rachel Burr

Groupthink psychology happens when close-knit groups ignore or suppress opposing views and inconvenient facts. It can lead to catastrophic failures in organizations large and small. Know the signs and adopt solutions to avoid groupthink psychology.

“How could we have been so stupid?” That striking John F. Kennedy’s quotation opens Irving Janis’ Psychology Today article entitled “Groupthink” which coined the phrase in 1971. Kennedy was reflecting on the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba, which Janis examined as an example of the newly named phenomenon. (A pdf version of Janis’ original article can be found at this link.)

Groupthink psychology happens when group members seek consensus while ignoring or suppressing opposing views and contrary facts. The results of groupthink can be found in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, the collapse of Enron, and the 2008 financial crisis, among many other examples.

Groupthink psychology robs group members of their judgment and independence, whether in the White House or the conference room down the hall. This article will examine the causes of groupthink and consider solutions for organizations large and small.

Causes of groupthink psychology

Groupthink psychology grows from the desire of individuals to conform and show loyalty to their group. It is more likely to take hold when a group becomes cohesive and the members feel accepted. In that situation, group members are less willing to challenge each other, or “rock the boat.”

These are some of the contributors to groupthink psychology:

Sense of invulnerability: Groups with an inflated sense of importance (like Enron’s “smartest guys in the room”) are willing to take exceptional risks while ignoring obvious dangers.

Rationalizing: Group members rationalize away objections, including their own, to justify the group’s course of action. The group avoids examining assumptions or taking criticism seriously.

Belief in the group: Group members believe in the “rightness” of the group and its mission. Belief in the group causes members to lose sight of their own ethics and morality.

Stereotyping: Group members see competitors in simplistic ways. The group sees itself as the best, the smartest, the most moral, while seeing the competition as weak, immoral, or untrustworthy.

Pressure to conform: Group members put pressure on those who express doubts about the group’s decision. Pressure adds personal cost to dissent and reinforces the need to support the group.

Self-censorship: Group members defer to what they believe is the group consensus. They keep silent about, or minimize, their own doubts.

Illusion of consensus: Group members feel an illusion of consensus – that everyone supports the decision. The illusion is the result of pressure to conform and the failure to consider consequences and alternatives.

Gatekeepers: Group members appoint themselves gatekeepers to “protect” others from receiving information that could cast doubt on the group’s decision.

The results of groupthink psychology are often disastrous – and yet the same mistakes happen again and again: Groups limit discussion to a few options – often just two, according to Irving Janis. They fail to re-examine decisions in light of new facts, or to consider ways of improving rejected options. They fall into confirmation bias – only seeking out information that supports their decision.

Strategies to avoid groupthink psychology

The most important takeaway is that groupthink psychology can happen to anyone, even the best and brightest. The desire to fit in is a powerful force. The best way to overcome it is to ensure there are safeguards in place. Here are a few suggestions.

Play devil’s advocate: Assign one or more group members to play “devil’s advocate” and critique the solutions proposed. Requiring objections will make it safer for members to speak up.

Challenge the status quo: Give every idea a hearing, even if it seems wrong or is ultimately rejected. A good way to hear different points of view is to include people of different ages and backgrounds. Rewarding risk-taking is another way to encourage thinking differently or “outside of the box.”

Divide into teams: Have members of the group work separately to analyze the issues. Teams can either propose competing solutions or work independently on different pieces of the puzzle.

Keep leadership impartial: Members are more likely to “go with the flow” when leaders express a preference for one solution. To avoid bias, make the leader a facilitator who encourages discussion.

Adopt placeholder solutions: An approach reported in the Harvard Business Review saw the team adopt a “placeholder” to revisit and examine. Agreeing to explore the idea relieved pressure to find the “best” solution prematurely. It also allowed members to agree on broad principles while disagreeing about details.

Groupthink psychology can derail the decision-making process. To make sure your organization doesn’t fall into its trap, be aware of the causes and make a plan of action. If you would like to learn more about groupthink psychology, leadership, and team dynamics, please contact us.

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Future Proof your Organization by Focusing on its Purpose

Posted on April 22, 2024 by Rachel Burr

To prepare your organization for the future, begin by finding your purpose and values. Then put your vision into practice by developing a purpose-driven culture. These are the building blocks that will connect the dots towards a future proof organization for the long term, beyond technological trends.

There is no way to “future proof” our organizations any more than we can “future proof” our lives. It can’t be done. “Future proof” sounds like we need to create an impenetrable force field, and then change will bounce right off. That’s not how it works, and if we think it does, we won’t be ready when change hits us. What we CAN do is to be clear about who we are and what’s important to us, and then build on that solid foundation. Then, when change happens, we’re ready, and even if it knocks us off balance, it won’t knock us down. And when it does knock us down, we’ll learn, get back up, and grow stronger. So, rather than delude ourselves about being “future proof,” let’s look at making ourselves “future-ready.”

The future isn’t coming, it’s happening now. Every moment is different. Every day. Every year. The question is, How do we prepare ourselves to meet those challenges head-on? It may be tempting to plunge into the latest trends in technology, management, or business development. There is always something new, and some of it is truly revolutionary. However, when we’re chasing the “next best thing,” how do we know it’s a thing that’s right for us? A better way to future-ready your organization is to start at your core and make meaningful decisions about what best serves your unique purpose and the culture that puts that purpose into practice.

Answering the question, “Why are we here?” is a good place to start. What is our purpose that will help us define a compelling vision? What are the values and motivations that make our organization unique? Those qualities are powerful tools to engage employees, inspire customers and stakeholders, and prepare us to be future-ready.

Find your purpose to unlock potential

Purpose “embodies everything the organization stands for from a historical, emotional, social, and practical point of view.” Finding purpose has the power to unlock “greater focus, more engaged employees, more loyal customers, and better financial performance,” according to a study published in the MIT Sloan Management Review.

“Why are we here?” leads to, “What do we stand for?” and “What makes us different?” These seem like straightforward questions on the surface, but to really answer them, we need to dig deep into our core. When answers come from generic words tossed around a conference room, a company will never be able to communicate what makes them truly unique. All companies want to be “nimble,” “customer-focused,” “collaborative,” etc. Duh! Dig deeper. What does “nimble” look like in your organization? What does it mean? Why is it important? For example, “We are [what nimble looks like in our organization], so that [how that benefits our customers, employees, the world, etc.]. A future-ready organization will be able to clearly state what it stands for and why it exists.

Do companies need to make money? Of course! But the P&L statement is not a compelling vision, and net revenue is not a lever we pull. Success metrics are the results of creating a compelling vision, aligning that with strategy, and executing on our goals. AND all of that is guided by a purpose and through a culture that either supports results or hinders them. So, do you want a compelling vision? You bet your sweet $$ you do.

To create a compelling vision, we need to inspire people. We need to inspire our employees (people), our customers (also people), and our shareholders (yup, more people). What is a compelling vision? A compelling vision paints the picture of who we are (purpose and meaning), where we’re going (future destination), why that’s important (values), the impact we’ll have (results), and what we (people) will do to get there. When we create that level of clarity from our core, our organization is not just “ready” for the future, we create it.

Future-ready your organization with a purpose-driven culture

When an organization puts its values into action, a purpose-driven culture is the result. While many organizations believe they act in accordance with their values and purpose, objective data shows a gap between the ideal and reality. For example:

Only 40% of employees feel strongly that their organization’s purpose makes their job important;
Just 39% of employees agree that actions are aligned with the organization’s values and direction; and,
A slim 20% of employees feel strongly connected to their organization’s culture.

When our organization’s actions and values are not aligned, people (employees, customers, shareholders) see it, feel it, smell it, taste it. This disconnect not only undermines a culture, it defines the culture, through which we drive our results. We may say we have values X, Y, and Z, but behaviors express our values far more than words. From our daily tasks to large scale change and everything in between. Our behaviors not only identify “how we do things” but “who we are,” and if our behaviors do not support who we want to be, we need to change those behaviors to change our culture.

Communicate vision. Aligning purpose and culture begins at the top. Leaders must define a purpose that will inspire employees, customers, and stakeholders. The vision should be the result of asking hard questions about what the organization values and what it stands for.

Set the tone. Leaders are advocates for the organization’s culture. They need to communicate the organization’s purpose and values to inspire others, and they must define behaviors that will make the vision a reality.

Prepare the people. The first step to future-ready an organization is to help people continually update their skills (e.g., upskilling and reskilling) to be not only “relevant” but ready for change. Upskilling refers to people keeping their skills up to date, while reskilling refers to moving people into positions that meet growth needs, both for the person and the organization. Developing future-ready skills goes beyond tangible technical skills to also building “critical intangible” people skills we need to successfully navigate change together.

Connect performance with purpose. We connect performance with purpose by showing people how their day-to-day work aligns with organizational purpose. Leaders (also people) must not only talk about these connections, but model the attitudes and behaviors they promote to fulfill the organization’s vision.

Empower people. A future-ready organization must provide employees with guidelines and context for making decisions in line with the values and purpose. Once in place, give people latitude to develop solutions. Empowering decision-making connects people and their work to the guiding purpose to achieve the best results.

In summary, when we identify our company’s unique purpose and clarify our values, we create a strong foundation on which to build a future-ready organization. From this foundation, we then create a compelling vision that aligns our purpose and values, and empowers the actions we all need to take to be ready for the changes to come and create the future we want to live.

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AI Fears and AI Opportunities

Posted on March 15, 2024 by Rachel Burr

The AI revolution will transform business and work in unforeseeable ways. Organizations can prepare for the coming changes, and address workers’ concerns, by emphasizing learning and development. Both technical skills and “human” skills will need to be updated to make the most of the coming opportunities.

Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) has been dominating tech industry headlines lately. Many commentators emphasize “doom and gloom,” but there is plenty of room for optimism. Change is inevitable, and the rate of change will continue to accelerate. We cannot know or control exactly how change will impact the future. The only thing we can control is how we choose to adapt today, and we can adapt.

While AI fears will need to be addressed, the coming technological revolution and AI transformation offers brand new opportunities for growth. AI can be a catalyst to inspire and motivate how and where we choose to invest in those opportunities. This article will review AI in the workplace and ways to alleviate AI fears and inspire growth.

The AI revolution, old and new

At first glance, AI seems to have burst on the scene fully formed with the release of ChatGPT in November, 2022. Its Large Language Models are able to generate text on a wide range of topics, even if not expertly. In the months since, the AI revolution has gathered pace, with AI generated art and AI generated video coming online.

Of course, this isn’t the first time AI has grabbed the headlines. In 1997, for example, IBM’s Deep Blue computer defeated chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov, to general dismay. And in 2011, IBM’s Watson computer won a Jeopardy quiz show tournament against human competitors. The victory prompted contestant Ken Jennings to welcome “our new computer overlords.” AI fears have been with us for some time now.

One big difference between earlier AI advances and the current ones is access. IBM’s computers, Deep Blue and Watson, were far removed from the general public. But ChatGPT and its rivals have opened the doors to mass adoption of AI technology. The AI future is here, bringing with it both AI fears and hopes.

The AI economy and AI fears

In the quarter century since Deep Blue, AI has developed from a technical curiosity to a major economic force. In a 2023 report, Goldman Sachs estimated that generative AI could drive a 7% increase in global GDP (worth $7 trillion) and a 1.5% boost in productivity over ten years. That’s good news, but there are challenges, too.

The report states that 300 million jobs will be “exposed” to AI, including two-thirds of jobs in the U.S. Workloads in those jobs could be reduced substantially. However, the report concludes that “most jobs and industries are . . . more likely to be complemented than substituted by AI.” (Emphasis added.)

As support, the Goldman report points out that 60% of occupations today did not exist in 1940. They were made possible by advances in technology. According to Goldman, that suggests 85% of all employment growth since 1940 has been due to technology. And most of the growth has come in new fields and new businesses that were not anticipated. While AI can be expected to “disrupt” the business world, it is likely to create new opportunities and industries that we can’t yet imagine.

Overcoming AI fears by emphasizing individual development

While the situation is far from gloomy, AI fears are real. They are reflected in a 2024 Gallup report finding that 22% of workers worry about their jobs becoming obsolete due to AI. That figure is up from 15% in 2021. There are silver linings, though.

Gallup points out that workers are eager for learning and development. Some 48% of workers said they would switch jobs for better training opportunities – while only 47% feel they have the skills to excel in their current positions.

In short, there is a large, unmet desire for training and development. At the same time, new AI technologies will require more training and development, with an AI strategy.

To make the most of the situation, leaders and organizations should prioritize upskilling, the process of updating job skills to meet new requirements, and reskilling, the process of moving employees from outdated positions into needed ones.

Leaders should consider two complementary paths.

Teach technical skills. The first path is to teach workers to use AI tools to improve their work product and increase productivity. AI is best suited to automate tasks that require less human judgment and interpretation. By giving employees the tools to use AI’s labor saving qualities, organizations will be able to maximize their human strengths.

Teach “human” skills. That brings us to the second development path: Going where AI cannot go by emphasizing so-called “Soft Skills” (or “Critical Intangibles”) like communication, leadership, problem solving, and teamwork. These are the human qualities AI does not have – and won’t develop for the foreseeable future.

By leveraging Critical Intangibles, organizations can maximize their “human assets” – the people who bring passion and creativity to their tasks. Unlike technical skills, these Critical Intangibles are durable, providing a long term boost to productivity. By showing employees that they will have the skills to adapt as their careers evolve, organizations can make great strides toward alleviating AI fears.

The path to adopting AI technologies won’t always be smooth. Change never is. But organizations can prepare by emphasizing learning, development, and growth to help people embrace change and adapt as the future unfurls.

If you would like to learn more about preparing your organization for technological change, please contact us.

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Simple Steps to Reduce Quiet Quitting

Posted on February 23, 2024 by Rachel Burr

To reduce quiet quitting at workplace, provide clear performance expectations, encourage autonomy, have fewer meetings, communicate, connect, and engage your workforce.

Quiet quitting is not new. It’s just gotten more press in the past few years. More than a decade ago, I recommended that a leader invest in the development of his team to improve engagement and collaboration to achieve better results.

“But what if I develop them and they leave?” he asked.

“What if you don’t develop them and they stay?” I replied. Which of course I said in my most supportive coaching voice. (I used my “inside-the-head” voice for the eye roll.)

Below, you’re going to read a number of statistics, causes, and ideas to reduce quiet quitting. All of it is good information, and all of it is stuff you already know. So, if we already know all this, why does quiet quitting continue to stay on our Top 10 list of people concerns? Really, I’m asking. Why?

If I had to guess, I’d say that we often look for tactical solutions but forget how to engage the “people” at the center of those concerns. We talk about employees, managers, and leaders, but all of them are people. What would it mean for each of us, every day, to engage with every individual we encounter as a person? This may sound fluffy, but it’s not. What does each person need to be their best and to do their best work?

Let’s flip the question on its head for a moment. Instead of a person, let’s talk about a car. (Humor me.) What does a car need to operate at its best and to do its best work? The car needs gas, oil, and regular maintenance. Unless it’s an electric car, then it has other needs (just like different people do). Let’s assume our car is gas-powered. It’s a great car with a great engine and great potential. Which is all great. But what if I decide I don’t have time to fill the car with gas or change the brake pads, and I don’t understand why I need to change the oil, so I don’t? I’ve also ignored the “Check Engine” light burning brightly on my dashboard for months. Who cares? It’s just light, right? But eventually, my lack of attention and investment in my car are going to cause problems. However, my car is not going to quit quietly. Instead, I run out of gas, my battery dies, my brakes fail, and my engine seizes. All of which leave me stranded on the side of the road in the middle of the desert with only vultures for company.

It’s much easier to pay attention when quitting is loud and obvious, rather than quiet. What does a person need to be their best and to do their best work? There’s no manual for how people operate, but we have some good ideas, many of which you’ll find below. So, let’s review what we already know.

The Stats

Did you know that only one in three workers is fully engaged at work today? Quiet quitters still make up half of the workforce, as they have for several years.

A pair of Gallup reports, released in 2022 and 2024, summarize the situation:

In its 2022 report, Gallup found that 32% of employees were “actively engaged” at work, while 18% were “actively disengaged,” (so-called “loud quitters”), and 50% were simply “not engaged” (the “quiet quitters”).

In the most recent report, released in January 2024, the results were very similar, with 33% of employees “actively engaged,” 16% “actively disengaged,” and at least 50% “not engaged.”

What is Quiet Quitting?

“Quiet quitting” refers to making the minimum effort to stay employed. Broadly speaking, “quiet quitters” are employees who aren’t engaged at work, but aren’t actively looking for a new job.

As a post-pandemic phenomenon rooted in lack of engagement, quiet quitting arose in tandem with the Great Resignation. It increased sharply in the second half of 2021, according to Gallup. It remains a challenge today, but organizations can take simple, practical steps to reduce it.

Causes of quiet quitting

Workplace disruptions

Quiet quitting can be broadly traced to the effects of the pandemic. Here are some contributing factors:

The Great Resignation was a major contributor to quiet quitting, according to a study reported in Forbes. The Great Resignation placed extra burdens on most of the employees who stayed. It caused organizations to restructure, breaking up teams and putting people in unfamiliar environments. Not surprisingly, engagement suffered and quiet quitting rose.

Another pandemic-related disruption has been the rise of remote and hybrid work. Many organizations have yet to adapt. According to Gallup, most managers reported having no formal training to lead a hybrid team.

Without adequate management, the “new normal” of hybrid work has led to lower levels of engagement and more quiet quitting.

Unclear workplace expectations

Many employees simply don’t know what they should be working on. They report a lack of guidance on priorities, deadlines, and organizational goals. Remote and hybrid workers are twice as likely as in-house workers to say they don’t receive enough guidance. Unclear expectations have been another cause of quiet quitting, according to both Gallup and Forbes.

Lack of personal connection

According to Gallup, employees are less likely than before the pandemic to say that “someone cares about them as a person” at work. This lack of personal connection to the workplace leads to quiet quitting.

Taking steps to reduce quiet quitting

The good news is that, although “quiet quitters” are not engaged, they are not beyond reach.

Here are a few simple steps organizations can take to motivate quiet quitters to be more engaged at work.

Have one conversation per week

This surprisingly simple suggestion comes from the 2024 Gallup report. It is cited as the single most important step leaders can take to combat quiet quitting. Spending 15 to 30 minutes per week speaking with each team member has several benefits:

Making sure employees know what is expected of them, including clear priorities, deadlines, and organizational goals.
Checking in with employees who may be struggling or showing signs of becoming disengaged.
Making personal connections to reduce the feeling that “no one cares.”

Avoid unnecessary meetings

This should be a no-brainer, but reporting in Forbes shows otherwise. Too many organizations are scheduling ever more meetings to cope with post-pandemic changes. The results have been predictably negative.

Employees feel micromanaged. They report lower productivity, with some losing one-quarter to one-half of the workday to meetings. And despite the time spent, employees feel no more informed about workplace expectations.

The simple solution is to schedule fewer meetings, with fewer participants. Avoid “all hands” meetings unless absolutely necessary. Have conversations instead!

Encourage Autonomy

Encouraging autonomy and showing flexibility is another way to reduce quiet quitting, according to Psychology Today. Increased autonomy promotes feelings of being trusted and valued, rather than being micromanaged.

Once the organization has made its expectations clear, let individuals decide how they will achieve their goals, as much as possible. Be flexible in accommodating different working styles so each individual can realize his or her full potential.

The above steps are simple on paper, but harder to implement, especially if we approach fixing our culture and engagement like we would a car, rather than interacting with people. We need to invest time and attention in our people to understand what will help them to be at their best to do their best work. Quiet quitting is our Check Engine light. It’s a good indication that something’s not working, and the light has been flashing on our dashboard for decades. So, what are we going to do about it?

If you would like more information about employee engagement and quiet quitting, please contact us.

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