Trust

Is Style 1 the Same as Micromanaging?

/ Ken Blanchard

We all know that when someone describes their boss as a micromanager, it’s not a compliment. The word conjures up a vision of a person feverishly working at their desk with a scowling supervisor standing over them, breathing down their neck.

Even though I just painted an unappealing picture of micromanagement, there are times when learners really do need both clear direction and close supervision on a task or goal. As part of our company’s SLII® training, we teach that people who are new to a task or goal need specific direction from their leader.

Think about a time when you wanted to learn how to do something new, like ride a bike or drive a car. You had never done it before, so you needed to learn everything. Someone had to show you and tell you what to do, how to do it, and when and where to do it. They also needed to observe your progress and give necessary feedback to develop your confidence and competence.

When someone has just begun to learn a task, in SLII® language we say they are at Development Level 1 (D1)—a stage we call Enthusiastic Beginner. They are excited about learning but they are completely inexperienced—they don’t know what they don’t know. An effective SLII® leader provides a matching Directing Leadership Style 1 (S1)—clear, specific direction. They tell the learner what the specific goal is and show them what a good job looks like by laying out a step-by-step plan on how the task is to be accomplished. The leader makes most of the decisions and the person they are leading is responsible for following their direction or plan. The leader provides close supervision and constructive feedback throughout this early stage of development. It’s easy to see how an Enthusiastic Beginner can really benefit from a “micromanager” on this task.

Do you know who doesn’t need to be micromanaged? A person working on a task they have done successfully before. A Directing leadership style would be a complete mismatch. Depending on their development level with that task, the person could benefit from a style that is more supportive or collaborative, or even a Delegating leadership style. An SLII® leader would work with the person to diagnose their development level on the task and then use a matching leadership style for the best results.

In the book Leadership and the One Minute Manager, which I wrote with Pat Zigarmi and Drea Zigarmi, we go into detail about the four development levels (D1-D4) and the four leadership styles (S1-S4) of SLII®. We highlight several directive and supportive behaviors leaders should use in different combinations to develop people’s competence and commitment and help them become self-directed achievers on each of their goals.

Keep in mind that we all are at different levels of development regarding each specific task we are working on. Because people’s development levels vary on different tasks, the best leaders know they must use “different strokes for different folks” depending on their competence and commitment on a task. They also use different strokes for the same folks on different tasks.

Leaders must learn how to flex their style to fit every situation. Too much direction is just as bad as too little direction, as these examples demonstrate:

  • An experienced and competent accountant is not happy with her Style 1 (Directing) boss, who squanders time trying to teach her how to create a spreadsheet the “right way.” Providing too much direction on tasks where a person is already competent feels like micromanagement.
  • An administrative assistant who has never spoken in front of a group is asked to give a presentation to the leadership team by his Style 4 (Delegating) boss, who then leaves him alone to figure out what to do. Providing too little direction on tasks where questions or problems may come up feels like abandonment or being set up to fail.

A leader who over-supervises or under-supervises by giving too much or too little direction can have a detrimental effect on their people’s development. That’s why it is so important for leaders to match their leadership style to each person’s development level on a task.

The best leaders know how to continually adjust their leadership style to fit each situation, helping to develop individuals who will ultimately achieve each goal and perform well on each task with little direction or support. Lao-tzu said it well:

“When the best leader’s work is done, the people say ‘We did it ourselves!’”

Leaders Must Extend Trust First

/ Ken Blanchard

Trust is essential for any healthy relationship. Warren Buffet once likened trust to the air we breathe. “When it is present,” he said, “nobody really notices. But when it’s absent, everybody notices.”

In a working relationship, it’s up to you as a leader to make the first move to extend trust. This often comes as a surprise to many leaders, who assume they are automatically trusted by others because of their position or title. In fact, the opposite may be true. Because you have more position power, people may be wary of you. That’s why it’s so important that leaders extend trust first.

What It Looks Like to Extend Trust to Your People

One of my favorite stories about extending trust to your people comes from Horst Schultze, one of the founders of the Ritz-Carlton Hotels. After extensive training, Horst’s employees were given a $2,000 discretionary fund that they could use to solve a problem without checking with anyone. Now that’s extending trust!

One day, a businessman who was staying at one of the Ritz-Carlton properties in Atlanta had to fly to Hawaii, because the next day at 1:00 p.m. he was making a major speech to his international company. He was a little disorganized as he was leaving. On his way to the airport, he discovered that he’d left behind his laptop computer, which contained all the PowerPoints he needed for his presentation. He tried to change his flights, but he couldn’t. So he called the Ritz-Carlton and said, “This is the room  I  was  in,  and  this  is  where  my  computer  was.  Have Housekeeping get it and overnight it to me. They have to guarantee delivery by ten tomorrow morning, because I need it for my one o’clock speech.”

The next day Horst was wandering around the hotel, as he often did. When he got to Housekeeping he said, “Where’s Mary?” Her coworkers said, “She’s in Hawaii.” He said, “Hawaii? What’s she doing there?”

He was told, “A guest left his computer in his room that he needed for a speech today at one o’clock—and Mary doesn’t trust overnight carrier services.” Now you might think that Mary went for a vacation, but she came back on the next plane. And what do you think was waiting for her? A letter of commendation from Horst and high fives around the hotel.

Use Discretion, Then Take a Risk

I don’t mean to suggest that leaders should blindly trust everyone. That would be foolish. Leaders need to assess an individual’s trustworthiness before they extend trust. For example, Mary, the Ritz-Carlton employee, was trustworthy because she had completed her training and orientation and was known to be reliable.

Think of a risky situation you are facing where you may be hesitant to trust someone.

  • What about the person or situation gives you confidence to extend trust?
  • What gives you cause for concern?
  • How you can extend trust while also addressing your areas of concern?

The next step is to take the risk to extend trust. You don’t need trust if there’s nothing at risk. That’s called certainty, a sure thing, a guarantee. But if there is risk—if there is a chance you might get burned extending your faith in someone else—that’s when you need to extend trust.

Trust doesn’t happen by accident. For trust to develop in a relationship, one party has to make the decision to extend trust in the hope it will be reciprocated. Ernest Hemingway summed this up simply yet eloquently when he said, “The way to make people trustworthy is to trust them.” In other words, while you can use discretion, you won’t really know whether you can trust someone until you make the first move.

At some point you, as a leader, must take a risk by extending trust and turning over responsibility to your followers. First, be certain they are clear on the goal. Make sure they have the right resources, skills, and training to do a good job—and then let them do it.

By extending trust first, you demonstrate respect and create goodwill. Soon your people will begin emulating your behavior by extending trust and respect to others. In a workplace where trust is the norm, people collaborate more, produce better results, and have more fun.

To learn more about building trust and other powerful leadership practices, pick up a copy of my new book with trust expert Randy Conley, The Simple Truths of Leadership Playbook. And please join us for a free webinar, Simple Truths of Leadership: From Intention to Action on Wednesday, February 21, 7:00 AM PST. Register now at https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/4444232/962C05294BC6C39A0C1D43B595A0D7AB.

Are You Merely Interested in Being a Trusted Servant Leader—or Are You Committed?

/ Ken Blanchard

Most of us can remember a time when we had every intention of accomplishing a specific goal, but didn’t follow through. Perhaps we were beginning to get serious about joining a group, learning a skill, or improving ourselves in some way—but when it came time to act on the idea, for some reason we lost interest.

My good friend Art Turock taught me that this behavior usually is the result of not knowing the difference between interest and commitment. We were very interested in the idea, but not committed enough to put it into action. We didn’t keep our commitment to our commitment.

Through the years I’ve had all kinds of people tell me they have learned a lot from my books. Of course, I am always grateful to hear that. But when I ask leaders how they have applied some of the Simple Truths they’ve learned from me, many can’t come up with an example. It surprises me how some people can read a book, and another book, and then another without actually using anything they are learning from those books. They are interested in learning about leadership, but not committed to putting their learning into action. I think that’s a shame. After all, effective leadership is about employing commonsense leadership principles that will help your people and your organization thrive.

So how can commonsense leadership become common practice?

In an effort to resolve this age-old question, in 2022 my coauthor Randy Conley and I published Simple Truths of Leadership: 52 Ways to Be a Servant Leader and Build Trust. We wanted to show leaders how to incorporate simple but essential principles into their leadership styles. We were delighted when we started hearing stories from readers telling us about the positive differences the book was making in their leadership. What a joy to realize that leaders everywhere were beginning to not only commit to our Simple Truths of servant leadership and trust in principle, but also put them into action at work.

Feeling the need to help leaders embed the information even more deeply, Randy and I decided to take the next step. The result is Simple Truths of Leadership Playbook: A 52-Week Game Plan for Becoming a Trusted Servant Leader. It’s a structured workbook that allows leaders to craft their approach to leadership one week at a time. When a leader reflects on each of the 52 Simple Truths, responds to the prompts in their own words, and does the activities, that’s half the work. The other half is the call to action—the “Try it This Week” section—which is all about the leader implementing the lessons into their leadership.

Effective leaders are committed to learning—and the best leaders apply what they learn to their leadership. Any leader who reads Simple Truths of Leadership Playbook can acquire the practical skills and experience they need to put commonsense leadership into practice and reach their goal of becoming a trusted servant leader. Now that’s what I call keeping your commitment to your commitment!

Processing Gratitude During Difficult Times

/ Ken Blanchard

Hard to believe, but it’s already November. Where has the year gone? Every year in November I write about the importance of having an attitude of gratitude. But I certainly understand how wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, mass shootings in the US, and other tragedies dominating the news can make it a lot more difficult for folks to focus on feeling grateful. What can we do to keep our thoughts from sinking downward?

I’m going to offer up a few ideas in the hope they will help motivate you to move toward feelings of gratitude for the simple things you have to be thankful for.

  • Margie once created a simple model she calls PACT—Perspective, Autonomy, Connectedness, and Tone—that addresses both life balance and stress reduction. In teaching this model, Margie and I found focusing on the four elements of the PACT model helped people not only manage the demands of a busy life but also deal with unexpected stress.
    • Be grateful for perspective. Perspective is a picture of where you’ve been and where you’re going that sets the context for your day. When you watch “Breaking News,” it can seem like nothing good is happening anywhere. Sometimes the best thing you can do for your own well-being is to turn off the news and find a good book. Go outside and play with the dog or watch the wind blow through the trees. Put on some uplifting music. Have a meal with a friend. You have the option to change your perspective. Once you ground yourself and reclaim your own real life, it is easier to find things that make you feel grateful.
    • Be grateful for autonomy. Autonomy is the feeling that you have some control over what happens to you—the freedom to make your own choices and steer yourself toward your goals. When current events cause you to feel anything but in control of things, remember that you have the ability to control where your thoughts go, and you can choose how you react to current situations. Start by being more intentional about the messages you pay attention to. Look for the good—it’s out there! Mr. Rogers said he was taught by his mother to “look for the helpers” in tragic situations. Be grateful for the helpers—people who are helping others and working to make a positive difference in the world. Be grateful for who you are—a person with autonomy—and for being alive.
    • Be grateful for connectedness. Connectedness is generally about your relationships with others. Be grateful for how many ways you can connect with your family, friends, and colleagues. We’ve all learned that connectedness can happen even when we aren’t face to face with another person. I’ve said often how grateful I am for Zoom. I became a true Raving Fan of Zoom the first time I attended an all-company meeting and saw everyone from the office that I had missed seeing since the shutdown. It was fabulous! I soon learned that I could see and talk with clients around the world without getting on a plane! It changed my life. Even when you can’t connect with someone in person, you can still let them know you are grateful that they are in your life.
    • Be grateful for tone. Tone is how you feel about yourself physically, your energy level, and how you present yourself. This is the most important element in the PACT model because high or low tone can affect the other three elements. When you feel good and have a positive perspective, your tone is high. You make good choices for yourself and want to stay connected to others. But you can tell if your tone starts slipping into a lower state—you may feel like staying home more, staying up later or sleeping in, or not caring if you wear sweats every day. When you feel your tone sliding down, work on the other three elements of the PACT model—your perspective, autonomy, and connectedness with others. You’ll soon feel less stressed and more balanced.
  • Here’s a wonderful perspective: a poem of gratitude from the late Thich Nhat Hanh, who was one of the most beloved Buddhist teachers in the West. This was his morning prayer, which can be practiced by anyone of any faith or no faith:

               Waking up this morning, I see the blue sky.

               I join my hands in thanks

               for the many wonders of life;

               for having twenty-four brand-new hours before me.

  • Every night, Margie writes down three positive things that happened in her day. These could be as simple as hearing from an old friend, or finishing a great book, or the joy she gets from teaching her career planning class at work. It’s her way of ending each day with positive thoughts and a peaceful mind.
  • As the holiday season approaches, think about giving your loved ones, friends, and colleagues the gift of your presence. We all get busy with work, shopping, and other tasks and sometimes forget to simply make time to be present with people we care about. Let them know you love them and are thankful they are in your life.

Finally, we need to keep our hearts open to the innocent victims of war—the citizens and families of the Middle East and Ukraine. However you wish others well, be it through caring thoughts, meditation, prayer, or another type of reflection, let’s send safety, peace, and love to those who are suffering.

This November, I hope we can all find a way to feel and express gratitude for everything we have and everyone we love, including each other—and ourselves.

Leading Others to Find Meaningful Work and Satisfying Careers

/ Ken Blanchard

Nobody wants to stay in a dead-end job. To retain and attract top talent, organizations must provide growth opportunities. My wife, Margie, is passionate about this subject. To promote professional growth in our own company, Margie offers a three-day, two-hour course called Career Discovery that invites people to explore their career development.

It Doesn’t Have To Be Awkward

Many leaders feel awkward about discussing career development with their people. They worry that they will lose the person just when they’ve gotten them trained.

Because she knows that leaders might feel uncomfortable about their direct reports exploring career growth, Margie has a video meeting with each participant’s manager to educate them about the course. She prepares each manager for the discussions that might come and assures them that just because their direct report is asking questions doesn’t mean they are unhappy or uncommitted. It means they want to grow and develop—and that’s a good thing! In fact, Margie encourages managers to take the course, too.

Helping People with Career Development Is Part of Every Leader’s Job

Margie explains that every manager has three responsibilities: 1) doing their own work; 2) developing their direct reports for today’s work, and 3) developing their direct reports for long-term careers. In most cases, the third responsibility gets short shrift.

At least twice a year, managers should have one-on-one conversations with each direct report about their long-term career plans and goals.

“You can be sure that your direct report is thinking about their career, so you need to have what I call Courageous Conversations,” says Margie. “It’s important to understand that it’s just a conversation. You don’t have to have an immediate answer or a job ready for the person to go into. The answers and opportunities will come over time.”

To get the conversation started, Margie recommends asking some exploratory questions, such as:

  • What makes you want to stay in this job/company?
  • What challenges you?
  • What would lure you away?

Managers should assure their people that it’s healthy to look at their career path and congratulate them for thinking about it. “Let people know that they don’t have to wait until they’re unhappy with their job to talk about it,” Margie says.

People appreciate managers who care enough to have career conversations. Showing people you’re interested in them as a whole person—not just in what they can do for you—builds trust.

Four Steps Along the Course of Career Discovery

During the course, Margie takes people through several steps to discover more about themselves and the kind of work they will find meaningful and satisfying.

Sharing Success Stories: To begin, she asks people to talk about the most satisfying times in their life. What have been their peak experiences and successes? After people share their success stories, others comment on the skills they saw being used. For example, “When you won that basketball championship, I saw you using leadership skills to encourage your team members.”

Reflecting skills back to them not only gives people a sense of what they enjoy and are good at, but it also shows them that everyone has a different stengths and that each person is unique.

Taking assessments: The course offers people the opportunity to take career assessments, such as Harrison Assessments. Designed to help match people with the right jobs, the assessments can also identify areas that may be less suitable.

“These assessments help people zero in on what they enjoy, what they’ll be good at, and where they will thrive,” says Margie. “If you enjoy something, you’ll get better at it—and vice versa. Assessments can help people clarify their interest areas and shorten the research phase. They cut down on trial and error—which is expensive for everyone.”

Information interviewing: The course encourages people to reach out to others who are working in jobs they may be interested in, to find out what that job entails. This can also cut down on trail and error.

“Information interviewing would have helped my mother,” Margie says. “She went to all the trouble to get a real estate license, only to find out that the job required her to work on weekends, which she was unwilling to do. An information interview with a realtor would have saved her a lot of time and trouble.”

Coaching: Finally, people in the course are encouraged to get coaching to help them explore career ideas. At our company, we offer everyone six coaching sessions, which can be used for career development.

It Pays to Have Career Conversations with Your People

Margie’s Career Discovery course has been a big success in our organization. Twenty-five percent of the people who have gone through it have either been promoted or have moved into more suitable jobs. Many people have discovered that they are in the perfect job. Everyone who has been through the course has come away with more confidence and a greater awareness of their strengths.

Even if your organization cannot offer a career planning course, as a leader you need to talk regularly with your followers about their long-term goals and dreams. With open communication, you can often retain talent that would otherwise go elsewhere.

“You need to be proactive,” Margie explains. “Headhunters often know more about your people than you do. You want to earn the right to have the first conversation when someone is dissatisfied with their job.”