This may seem a strange question to ask of people working in the non-profit sector where common mythology would have us believe people work in this sector due to their passion. There is a difference between being passionate about a cause and having passion for your work.
If you have no passion for your work you are simply working for wages. This can lead to disillusion and you may eventually become negative about your work. You can eventually become trapped in a vicious cycle of dislike and negative thinking; unable to be fully effective yet unable to find a way to do something different.
Check out your values. What are the things that excite you? What turns you on each morning and drives you out of bed with a spring in your step, raring to go?
Everyone has the option of choosing the work they do. In today's environment the opportunities to create your own work are limitless. By that I don't mean you must run out and start your own business, though that is an option. You might consider looking at areas of need in your organisation that you have an interest in. You might combine paid work with study and volunteer work or with part time self employment.
How can you become passionate about your work? Firstly, follow your heart. What excites you? What dominates your thoughts and conversations? Ask yourself, if you had a choice what would you love to do? Well you do have a choice and you can do what you love. Think outside the square. Today there are countless opportunities for employment. Avoid being corralled by past experience or by qualifications. Instead look to your strengths and ask yourself what you would bring to this new experience?
Shivani Gupta, author, Passion @ Work refer to this as flying like a butterfly; learning to grow beyond your own boundaries and being in charge of your own destiny. This journey begins when you do something different to what you are currently doing and you realise the world hasn't collapsed around you. You create an environment where you can learn and live and be excited.
Change isn't easy. Taking a risk is scary. So don't go it alone. Seek ideas from others. Note I said ideas rather than advice. The majority of people will advise you to stay where you are. Change is just as fearful to those that don't want to change as it is to those making the change. This means you should surround yourself with people who will be positive, will be mentors and will encourage you. People who will feed you with ideas.
Write down your goals. Establish an action plan and time frame. Face your fears and accept that you will always be fearful. Convert negative thoughts to positive alternatives. Remember you will make mistakes. These are not a sign of failure, rather they are a sign that you are experimenting and learning.
Put a little bit of 'me' into your thinking and ask yourself will what I am about to do make me happy. If not then don't do it or change something. Being wealthy is a bonus; it is not the reason for living. You and the people you help are the reason for living.
Let The Journey Continue
John Coxon
Taking You From Frontline Manager to CEO
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Saturday, December 19, 2009
Monday, December 14, 2009
It's time for non-profits to bounce back
A recent report into not for profit remuneration in Australia (http://bit.ly/4LGiJw)found that in 2009 executive remuneration fell almost 2% on that of 2008. Anecdotally, well not really anecdotally, as we have emails from clients that confirm this, not for profits, over the past twelve months have battened down their hatches in other areas including professional development, bonuses and hiring of staff.
It's time to bounce back. Let's acknowledge that we have emerged from a global financial crisis in better shape than some other nations but not without cost! Let's acknowledge that there remains still some downside risk, in particular uncertainty of ongoing funding from the Commonwealth as it moves to reduce stimulus spending debt in coming years. Let's also acknowledge that continuing to operate with the battens firmly in place could allow the ship to drift onto dangerous rocks.
There comes a time when Boards of Governance, Chief Executive Officers and management teams need to stand up and be counted. That time is now. Yes you are trustees of community organisations however continuing to duck for cover will serve noone in the long term, not the community, not staff and not Government funding bodies. Every management team needs to be able to manage its way through turbulent times and it also needs to be able to identify creative ways of moving out of turbulence and into calmer waters. It is time for the Captain of the ship and the entire team of ships officers to emerge from below, take a place on the bridge and look out over the bow of the ship into the future rather than out over the stern at the past.
Many not for profits will emerge from the current financial crisis seeking a different and better way of doing business. They will seek a model that is more sustainable and less at risk of funding issues. I am prepared to project that over the next 5-8 years many will be forced to reexamine their business model and to look at alternatives forms of revenue. As the movement towards social enterprises continues to grow Government funders will also reexamine how they distribute funds. Any shortfall in Government funding in the foreseeable future will increase the demand for greater accountability by the sector. This in turn will place pressure on management teams to perform to higher standards and become more creative.
The for-profit sector will emerge from the current crisis at full tilt. The demand for employees in the for-profit sector will be insatiable over the next two decades. Not for profits will have difficulties retaining and recruiting staff. Many, many key staff will be enticed away from the sector.
How do non profits minimise the impact of these emerging events? For a start give your current management team something to get their teeth into, something that stretches and develops their potential. In other words give them a reason to stay in the sector, with your organisation. Encourage them to reinvent the future of non profit service delivery rather than asking them to maintain the past.
Encourage your managers to join the Boards of Governance of other non-profits. The sector needs collaborative alliances to move forward into the future. Your organsiation needs managers with a broad perspective of the emerging environment. Every Board of Governance needs a shake up. Too many Boards are sitting on an age old belief that they are there to be trustees of some ideal or a pot-full of old money. Communities need to learn that not for profit organsations must be operated in a business-like manner and that this requires people on the Boards able to look to the future while being mindful off, but not beholden to the past. Even centuries-old, bluestone charities will need a tsunami every couple of years if they are to maintain their level of donations.
Finally, bring your Board members, management team and staff together, frequently to talk about the future. Don't leave this discussion to the board only. The future will not be dependent upon one person, it will happen because of such collaborative activities.
Well that's my opinion. This is my final blog for 2009 for the not for profit sector. I have a parting request. If you disagree with me, or take issue then say something, respond to the blog, send me an email. Let's have some healthy and robust debate about the future.
For those that have followed this blog throughout the year, I thank you, I wish you well for the festive season, however you celebrate, and you should know that I will return in 2010. May each of you mention the word 'peace' at least once in your New Year wishes.
Let The Journey Continue
John Coxon
Taking You From Frontline Manager To CEO
Follow john_coxon on Twitter
Share with johncoxon1 on Facebook
Email: john@johncoxon.com.au
It's time to bounce back. Let's acknowledge that we have emerged from a global financial crisis in better shape than some other nations but not without cost! Let's acknowledge that there remains still some downside risk, in particular uncertainty of ongoing funding from the Commonwealth as it moves to reduce stimulus spending debt in coming years. Let's also acknowledge that continuing to operate with the battens firmly in place could allow the ship to drift onto dangerous rocks.
There comes a time when Boards of Governance, Chief Executive Officers and management teams need to stand up and be counted. That time is now. Yes you are trustees of community organisations however continuing to duck for cover will serve noone in the long term, not the community, not staff and not Government funding bodies. Every management team needs to be able to manage its way through turbulent times and it also needs to be able to identify creative ways of moving out of turbulence and into calmer waters. It is time for the Captain of the ship and the entire team of ships officers to emerge from below, take a place on the bridge and look out over the bow of the ship into the future rather than out over the stern at the past.
Many not for profits will emerge from the current financial crisis seeking a different and better way of doing business. They will seek a model that is more sustainable and less at risk of funding issues. I am prepared to project that over the next 5-8 years many will be forced to reexamine their business model and to look at alternatives forms of revenue. As the movement towards social enterprises continues to grow Government funders will also reexamine how they distribute funds. Any shortfall in Government funding in the foreseeable future will increase the demand for greater accountability by the sector. This in turn will place pressure on management teams to perform to higher standards and become more creative.
The for-profit sector will emerge from the current crisis at full tilt. The demand for employees in the for-profit sector will be insatiable over the next two decades. Not for profits will have difficulties retaining and recruiting staff. Many, many key staff will be enticed away from the sector.
How do non profits minimise the impact of these emerging events? For a start give your current management team something to get their teeth into, something that stretches and develops their potential. In other words give them a reason to stay in the sector, with your organisation. Encourage them to reinvent the future of non profit service delivery rather than asking them to maintain the past.
Encourage your managers to join the Boards of Governance of other non-profits. The sector needs collaborative alliances to move forward into the future. Your organsiation needs managers with a broad perspective of the emerging environment. Every Board of Governance needs a shake up. Too many Boards are sitting on an age old belief that they are there to be trustees of some ideal or a pot-full of old money. Communities need to learn that not for profit organsations must be operated in a business-like manner and that this requires people on the Boards able to look to the future while being mindful off, but not beholden to the past. Even centuries-old, bluestone charities will need a tsunami every couple of years if they are to maintain their level of donations.
Finally, bring your Board members, management team and staff together, frequently to talk about the future. Don't leave this discussion to the board only. The future will not be dependent upon one person, it will happen because of such collaborative activities.
Well that's my opinion. This is my final blog for 2009 for the not for profit sector. I have a parting request. If you disagree with me, or take issue then say something, respond to the blog, send me an email. Let's have some healthy and robust debate about the future.
For those that have followed this blog throughout the year, I thank you, I wish you well for the festive season, however you celebrate, and you should know that I will return in 2010. May each of you mention the word 'peace' at least once in your New Year wishes.
Let The Journey Continue
John Coxon
Taking You From Frontline Manager To CEO
Follow john_coxon on Twitter
Share with johncoxon1 on Facebook
Email: john@johncoxon.com.au
Monday, November 2, 2009
Managing Conflicts
At a recent workshop with hospital supervisors a question was posed along the lines of why is conflict management so difficult? And by inference, often so unsuccessful.
I put forward a perspective that as managers we focus primarily on the term 'management' - in other words having a solution. The risk here is that we move to the solution phase to quickly, before we have spent time actually determining the facts of the conflict.
Conflicts are emotionally driven events. People relate their experiences as interpretation of what took place. They don't always intend to mislead; though they do intend to present their perspective in a manner that reflects their desired outcome. They also use emotions to bully their manager towards making a quick decision. Conflicts rarely arise from an instantaneous set of circumstances; they often build up over a prolonged period of time. This can add to the complexity of the situation. The more complex the situation the more difficult it can be to resolve.
Take a step back. Ask questions. Facilitate conversations. It is unlikely you will have the answer yourself, instead you need to enable the outcome to emerge through skillful questioning and conversation. Instead of setting yourself up to be the fall person, be seen as the one that facilitates an outcome. In this way you shift the responsibility for the outcome back to those directly engaged in the conflict.
Yes this takes time. You have plenty of time. Believe me an unresolves, or poorly resolved conflict will take far more of you time and energy that all the time you spend establishing the truth before moving towards a decision. Suspend judgment and seek to establish the facts - when the evidence is on the table it is much, much easier for all parties to move towards a self selected resolution.
Let The Journey Continue
John Coxon
Taking You From Frontline Manager to CEO
Skype john_coxon
Twitter john_coxon
Facebook john.coxon1
http://nfp-management.blogspot.com
http://healthsector.blogspot.com
I put forward a perspective that as managers we focus primarily on the term 'management' - in other words having a solution. The risk here is that we move to the solution phase to quickly, before we have spent time actually determining the facts of the conflict.
Conflicts are emotionally driven events. People relate their experiences as interpretation of what took place. They don't always intend to mislead; though they do intend to present their perspective in a manner that reflects their desired outcome. They also use emotions to bully their manager towards making a quick decision. Conflicts rarely arise from an instantaneous set of circumstances; they often build up over a prolonged period of time. This can add to the complexity of the situation. The more complex the situation the more difficult it can be to resolve.
Take a step back. Ask questions. Facilitate conversations. It is unlikely you will have the answer yourself, instead you need to enable the outcome to emerge through skillful questioning and conversation. Instead of setting yourself up to be the fall person, be seen as the one that facilitates an outcome. In this way you shift the responsibility for the outcome back to those directly engaged in the conflict.
Yes this takes time. You have plenty of time. Believe me an unresolves, or poorly resolved conflict will take far more of you time and energy that all the time you spend establishing the truth before moving towards a decision. Suspend judgment and seek to establish the facts - when the evidence is on the table it is much, much easier for all parties to move towards a self selected resolution.
Let The Journey Continue
John Coxon
Taking You From Frontline Manager to CEO
Skype john_coxon
Twitter john_coxon
Facebook john.coxon1
http://nfp-management.blogspot.com
http://healthsector.blogspot.com
Monday, October 19, 2009
Virtuous Intent and Ingrained Beliefs
I recently spent some time with the Chairperson of a small non profit organisation. This organisation has been experiencing problems between the committee of management and a paid employee. At our meeting I suggested to the Chairperson that nothing was changing because everyone kept doing the same ol things, that if she wanted a different outcome then she needed to do something different to achieve it.
The Chairperson nodded and agreed with everything I suggested yet it was clear to both of us that nothing was likely to change. Why not? My belief is that the Chairperson is conflicted between her desire to be consultative and conciliatory and the need to be decisive and provide leadership. The next day I watched a television doco showing how religous belief in India was preventing those people reliant upon the Ganges river from taking steps to minimise pollution or even avoid harming themselves through bathing or drinking from the Ganges.
These two experiences caused me to reflect upon how our ingrained beliefs can become barriers to our own wellbeing or success. How often have you observed someone in a management position defy reason and maintain practices that have passed their use by date? Our fear of change can also be a barrier. Change is hard work, it requires new practices which in turn mean we must challenge our own beliefs and assumptions, we must accept the possibility that we are no longer right. This is not something any of us find easy to do. It is much easier to maintain the status quo.
The issue here is not that we cannot change. The real issue is the impact our reluctance to change has upon other people - the very people we want to help. The more reluctant someone is to change the more energy and time they must invest in maintaining the status quo or avoiding change. This is so wasteful. While this is taking place more positive and productive outcomes are being missed. People who once respected you cease to do so. People who once supported you start finding reasons to support others. People who once wanted to work with you now prefer to work elsewhere.
The irony is that change is inevitable. You become blinded from reality by the sheer investment you have to make to maintain the status quo. You not only fail to see the opportunities; you also fail to see the forces marshalling against you. The inevitablity is created by you as you provide those forces with a reason to seek your replacement.
The challenge is to avoid remaining stuck in the past. While you have one eye on the present the other eye should be on the future. You should be constantly asking yourself what more can I do for our stakeholders, or what can I do better?
Are you stuck in the past? Are you still doing the same thing as you always have? How relevant is what you do and how you do it to current stakeholder needs? Are you failing to achieve a desired outcome? If so, then now is the time to do something different before someone else forces you to change against your will.
Let The Journey Continue
John Coxon
Taking You From Frontline Manager to CEO
Skype john_coxon
Twitter john_coxon
Facebook john.coxon1
http://nfp-management.blogspot.com
http://healthsector.blogspot.com
The Chairperson nodded and agreed with everything I suggested yet it was clear to both of us that nothing was likely to change. Why not? My belief is that the Chairperson is conflicted between her desire to be consultative and conciliatory and the need to be decisive and provide leadership. The next day I watched a television doco showing how religous belief in India was preventing those people reliant upon the Ganges river from taking steps to minimise pollution or even avoid harming themselves through bathing or drinking from the Ganges.
These two experiences caused me to reflect upon how our ingrained beliefs can become barriers to our own wellbeing or success. How often have you observed someone in a management position defy reason and maintain practices that have passed their use by date? Our fear of change can also be a barrier. Change is hard work, it requires new practices which in turn mean we must challenge our own beliefs and assumptions, we must accept the possibility that we are no longer right. This is not something any of us find easy to do. It is much easier to maintain the status quo.
The issue here is not that we cannot change. The real issue is the impact our reluctance to change has upon other people - the very people we want to help. The more reluctant someone is to change the more energy and time they must invest in maintaining the status quo or avoiding change. This is so wasteful. While this is taking place more positive and productive outcomes are being missed. People who once respected you cease to do so. People who once supported you start finding reasons to support others. People who once wanted to work with you now prefer to work elsewhere.
The irony is that change is inevitable. You become blinded from reality by the sheer investment you have to make to maintain the status quo. You not only fail to see the opportunities; you also fail to see the forces marshalling against you. The inevitablity is created by you as you provide those forces with a reason to seek your replacement.
The challenge is to avoid remaining stuck in the past. While you have one eye on the present the other eye should be on the future. You should be constantly asking yourself what more can I do for our stakeholders, or what can I do better?
Are you stuck in the past? Are you still doing the same thing as you always have? How relevant is what you do and how you do it to current stakeholder needs? Are you failing to achieve a desired outcome? If so, then now is the time to do something different before someone else forces you to change against your will.
Let The Journey Continue
John Coxon
Taking You From Frontline Manager to CEO
Skype john_coxon
Twitter john_coxon
Facebook john.coxon1
http://nfp-management.blogspot.com
http://healthsector.blogspot.com
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Some Managers Never Learn
In the news today, a manager of an IT/Telephony company in Australia pretending to be a 'Gordon Gecko' with harassment emails to an employee saying 'lunches are for wimps'. The case is now headed for the Federal employment court. Should the employment court find the situation to be as reported in the news then I hope they jump on this manager from the greatest height of the law. Had that employee sent a similar email he could have been lawfully dismissed and the dismissal upheld by the employment court. What's more I hope the media continue to highlight these poor management practices so that good people will not waste their time and talent propping up inadequate managers.
The manager of this company just doesn't get it. He may have a successful business; but not for long if he continues to lose good people. It is possible there is more to this story. It is possible the employee involved is a liability. Even if that were the case, a manager does not have a right to mistreat someone in the workplace - even those managers that manage their own business.The sooner people stop working for managers without a clue the sooner these managers are forced out and replaced by people able to treat others with dignity and respect.
No organisation, whether it be a top 500 corporation, a private company, a not for profit or a government organisation is successful due to the efforts of only its managers. They are successful due to the combined efforts of effective managers and good people working together in a collaborative (not compliant) manner. A truly effective organisation would continue to function without its management team!
This is not suggest that managers are useless, though some have shown themselves to be of little usefulness. Effective managers are very important. They are an asset. They are the ones that understand their own strengths and weaknesses, that understand they cannot possibly know all the answers, that foster collaboration and cooperation not only within their team but between teams, functions and organisations. They are the ones that provide clear, unambiguous and non-conflicting direction as to expected outcomes and provide constructive feedback supported by data and evidence. They are they ones that coach and nurture potential of their people and guide them through their mistakes and back towards productivity. These managers do this with dignity and with respect. In turn they are treated with dignity and respect. The result is high productivity.
Of course if you manage a business and your focus is on short term financial gain then you can afford to employ short term management strategies. From my perspective, the sooner these managers make their fortunes and retire to a Queensland beach house the better - for the rest of the world, we have to live together and work together in a more sustainable manner and that requires vastly different management strategies and skills. As a management consultant I know which of the two managers I want to work with. As for those people employed by our friend on the news tonight - I know what advice I would give them.
Let The Journey Continue
John Coxon
Taking You From Frontline Manager to CEO
Skype john_coxon
Twitter john_coxon
Facebook john.coxon1
The manager of this company just doesn't get it. He may have a successful business; but not for long if he continues to lose good people. It is possible there is more to this story. It is possible the employee involved is a liability. Even if that were the case, a manager does not have a right to mistreat someone in the workplace - even those managers that manage their own business.The sooner people stop working for managers without a clue the sooner these managers are forced out and replaced by people able to treat others with dignity and respect.
No organisation, whether it be a top 500 corporation, a private company, a not for profit or a government organisation is successful due to the efforts of only its managers. They are successful due to the combined efforts of effective managers and good people working together in a collaborative (not compliant) manner. A truly effective organisation would continue to function without its management team!
This is not suggest that managers are useless, though some have shown themselves to be of little usefulness. Effective managers are very important. They are an asset. They are the ones that understand their own strengths and weaknesses, that understand they cannot possibly know all the answers, that foster collaboration and cooperation not only within their team but between teams, functions and organisations. They are the ones that provide clear, unambiguous and non-conflicting direction as to expected outcomes and provide constructive feedback supported by data and evidence. They are they ones that coach and nurture potential of their people and guide them through their mistakes and back towards productivity. These managers do this with dignity and with respect. In turn they are treated with dignity and respect. The result is high productivity.
Of course if you manage a business and your focus is on short term financial gain then you can afford to employ short term management strategies. From my perspective, the sooner these managers make their fortunes and retire to a Queensland beach house the better - for the rest of the world, we have to live together and work together in a more sustainable manner and that requires vastly different management strategies and skills. As a management consultant I know which of the two managers I want to work with. As for those people employed by our friend on the news tonight - I know what advice I would give them.
Let The Journey Continue
John Coxon
Taking You From Frontline Manager to CEO
Skype john_coxon
Twitter john_coxon
Facebook john.coxon1
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
You Are Missing Out
Not for profit organisations are failing to take advantage of one of the most important sources of information and feedback available today. Increasing numbers of employees are engaged, overtly and covertly, in social media. They are blogging, Twittering and exchanging ideas and info on the likes of Facebook. These spaces contain an extraordinary amount of information.
To date the focus of many CEO's has been on how to prevent or limit the use of this technology, with some of the less enlightened ones seeking to use the information available to penalise employees. A more enlightened perspective would be to learn how to benefit from the technology. Those that do so will have a distinct advantage over those that do not.
Instead of trying to stop the flood by putting our fingers into the proverbial dyke, consider enabling your employees to use social media as a workplace tool; to communicate with each other, to share ideas and information, to communicate with stakeholders. They are doing it now, just not in a way that is of a benefit to your organisation.
By all means put some boundaries in place. Some online behaviour is unacceptable and can be harmful to the reputation of an organisation. Instead of trying (and failing) to impose a blanket ban instead be clear in your expectations and consequences. Be sensible. The greater the barriers you impose the less info you will have available and the less you will benefit. Encourage employees to share ideas and info on programs, benefits, customer needs, community needs, what other orgs are doing, what they see and what they hear, research, concepts, models, frameworks, other perspectives.
Why not encourage your employees to be active in the social media space, ask them to declare where they live online, and then gather together a couple of volunteers and charge them with the task of scanning social media. Identify some key themes and key words that are off interest. Be positive and pro active. Make it a collaborative activity between management and employees and volunteers and stakeholders. With experience I predict you will be amazed at the info, the linkages, the warnings, the new ideas that will emerge - not to mention an entirely new level of communication taking place in your organisation.
Let The Journey Continue
John Coxon
John Coxon & Associates
Taking You from Frontline Manager to CEO
Email john@johncoxon.com.au
Skype: john_coxon
Blog: http://healthsector.blogspot.com
Blog: http://nfp-management.blogspot.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/johncoxon
Follow john_coxon on Twitter
Join John Coxon on Facebook
To date the focus of many CEO's has been on how to prevent or limit the use of this technology, with some of the less enlightened ones seeking to use the information available to penalise employees. A more enlightened perspective would be to learn how to benefit from the technology. Those that do so will have a distinct advantage over those that do not.
Instead of trying to stop the flood by putting our fingers into the proverbial dyke, consider enabling your employees to use social media as a workplace tool; to communicate with each other, to share ideas and information, to communicate with stakeholders. They are doing it now, just not in a way that is of a benefit to your organisation.
By all means put some boundaries in place. Some online behaviour is unacceptable and can be harmful to the reputation of an organisation. Instead of trying (and failing) to impose a blanket ban instead be clear in your expectations and consequences. Be sensible. The greater the barriers you impose the less info you will have available and the less you will benefit. Encourage employees to share ideas and info on programs, benefits, customer needs, community needs, what other orgs are doing, what they see and what they hear, research, concepts, models, frameworks, other perspectives.
Why not encourage your employees to be active in the social media space, ask them to declare where they live online, and then gather together a couple of volunteers and charge them with the task of scanning social media. Identify some key themes and key words that are off interest. Be positive and pro active. Make it a collaborative activity between management and employees and volunteers and stakeholders. With experience I predict you will be amazed at the info, the linkages, the warnings, the new ideas that will emerge - not to mention an entirely new level of communication taking place in your organisation.
Let The Journey Continue
John Coxon
John Coxon & Associates
Taking You from Frontline Manager to CEO
Email john@johncoxon.com.au
Skype: john_coxon
Blog: http://healthsector.blogspot.com
Blog: http://nfp-management.blogspot.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/johncoxon
Follow john_coxon on Twitter
Join John Coxon on Facebook
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Habits of Mind
Huh, its 5.46am. I should be asleep however I am not, I am awake, the brain is active, I've enjoyed my first cuppa and have been reviewing material from Costa's Habits of Mind in preparation for working with a client. As I read through this material I was reminded of how easy it is to become stuck in how we go about doing things.
As a management coach I spend a good part of each day in discussion with individuals, asking a lot of questions and I believe I'm reasonably good at it - at least feedback indicates I am - yet as I reviewed the Habits of Mind material I realised how we create our own habits. Some of them are good, some not so. I realised also how we have a tendency to complicate situations.
Take asking questions for example. Costa talks about Questioning with Intention. To engage with plurals, What are some of your goals? rather thanWhat goal have you set? To explore tentatively using words such as might, could and may. To invite further exploration with questions that include an invitation to envisage, evaluate and to probe.
As I think through this process I am reminded that our 'toolkit of questions' doesn't need to be extensive. A handful of well designed questions, asked when relevant, will be more productive than a list. I recall that when I first engaged in coaching, some 7-8 years ago, I would go into a meeting with a bullet point list of questions to ask. I soon learned that coaching conversations are a journey, without a preset destination. They are not an interview. I learned how to replace my fear that I would forget to ask something with the ability to ask just one or two relevant questions and then to focus upon listening to the response. Further questions would derive from how well I listened to what the other person was saying.
We create our own habits. The challenge we face is to recognise this and to put aside time to reflect, to review our practices and to ask ourselves how we could achieve the same outcome without making the process complicated? I didn't conciousely set out to review my habits as I read through this material. I was seeking to adapt it for the adult audience of my client. I discovered that though Habits of Mind material is aimed at the school market, it is relevant to all, young and old.
All this suggests the key to a good life may well be to never stop learning, to constantly be trying to connect the dots and rediscover new ways of looking at old problems. Now that is getting a little to philosophical and probably reflects the time of the day and lack of caffine.
To those reading this blog, I hope your day has started as well as mine has.
As a management coach I spend a good part of each day in discussion with individuals, asking a lot of questions and I believe I'm reasonably good at it - at least feedback indicates I am - yet as I reviewed the Habits of Mind material I realised how we create our own habits. Some of them are good, some not so. I realised also how we have a tendency to complicate situations.
Take asking questions for example. Costa talks about Questioning with Intention. To engage with plurals, What are some of your goals? rather thanWhat goal have you set? To explore tentatively using words such as might, could and may. To invite further exploration with questions that include an invitation to envisage, evaluate and to probe.
As I think through this process I am reminded that our 'toolkit of questions' doesn't need to be extensive. A handful of well designed questions, asked when relevant, will be more productive than a list. I recall that when I first engaged in coaching, some 7-8 years ago, I would go into a meeting with a bullet point list of questions to ask. I soon learned that coaching conversations are a journey, without a preset destination. They are not an interview. I learned how to replace my fear that I would forget to ask something with the ability to ask just one or two relevant questions and then to focus upon listening to the response. Further questions would derive from how well I listened to what the other person was saying.
We create our own habits. The challenge we face is to recognise this and to put aside time to reflect, to review our practices and to ask ourselves how we could achieve the same outcome without making the process complicated? I didn't conciousely set out to review my habits as I read through this material. I was seeking to adapt it for the adult audience of my client. I discovered that though Habits of Mind material is aimed at the school market, it is relevant to all, young and old.
All this suggests the key to a good life may well be to never stop learning, to constantly be trying to connect the dots and rediscover new ways of looking at old problems. Now that is getting a little to philosophical and probably reflects the time of the day and lack of caffine.
To those reading this blog, I hope your day has started as well as mine has.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Why Would You Want To Be A Manager?
In an bemusing manner this is a question I am sure every existing manager has asked, usually following some particularly frustrating experience.
As far as I am concerned there is only one reason why anyone would want to become involved in management. That is because they actually enjoy working with people, they actually want to help other people to develop and to perform to the fullest potential. Now, I don't actually believe that is why the majority of do become involved in management. My experience is that the majority of manager get there by default; they become managers because they were the last person standing, they were the best performer, they wish to massage their ego, they like giving orders or wearing a cap that says 'The Boss'. Very few actually sit down and make a concious career decision to become a manager because they want to help others people achieve their full potential.
Imagine the difference it would make it that were the reason. To begin with your entire perspective about management would change. Instead of seeing management as a potential conflict situation, a negative, a them versus us situation, you would view management as a positive, a great place to be, as you would be going there to help others. It would cease to be a job and would become a calling. Your passion for helping others would drive you out of bed each day. Imagine being able to view each issue or problem as an opportunity to develop and improve rather than a potential source of conflict. For a start every consultant advising on conflict resolution would be out of work and you would never have to attend another workshop on conflict management!
Imagine the difference there would be in our conversations. No more snide comments about generational gaps, glass ceilings, male versus female, Islam versus Christianity, conservatives versus democrats etc etc. None of these would be our focus, our focus would be on developing the potential of the people around you so that they are able to do the things you need done.
Try this tomorrow when you return to work. Over the next few days go to each person you are responsible for and ask them two questions. The first question is, I would like to hear about your work, can you please tell me how you are doing with your work, program, project? Second question, is there something I can do to help you achieve the desired outcome?
Let The Journey Continue
John Coxon
John Coxon & Associates
Taking You from Frontline Manager to CEO
Email john@johncoxon.com.au
Skype: john_coxon
Blog: http://healthsector.blogspot.com
Blog: http://nfp-management.blogspot.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/johncoxon
Follow john_coxon on Twitter
Join John Coxon on Facebook
As far as I am concerned there is only one reason why anyone would want to become involved in management. That is because they actually enjoy working with people, they actually want to help other people to develop and to perform to the fullest potential. Now, I don't actually believe that is why the majority of do become involved in management. My experience is that the majority of manager get there by default; they become managers because they were the last person standing, they were the best performer, they wish to massage their ego, they like giving orders or wearing a cap that says 'The Boss'. Very few actually sit down and make a concious career decision to become a manager because they want to help others people achieve their full potential.
Imagine the difference it would make it that were the reason. To begin with your entire perspective about management would change. Instead of seeing management as a potential conflict situation, a negative, a them versus us situation, you would view management as a positive, a great place to be, as you would be going there to help others. It would cease to be a job and would become a calling. Your passion for helping others would drive you out of bed each day. Imagine being able to view each issue or problem as an opportunity to develop and improve rather than a potential source of conflict. For a start every consultant advising on conflict resolution would be out of work and you would never have to attend another workshop on conflict management!
Imagine the difference there would be in our conversations. No more snide comments about generational gaps, glass ceilings, male versus female, Islam versus Christianity, conservatives versus democrats etc etc. None of these would be our focus, our focus would be on developing the potential of the people around you so that they are able to do the things you need done.
Try this tomorrow when you return to work. Over the next few days go to each person you are responsible for and ask them two questions. The first question is, I would like to hear about your work, can you please tell me how you are doing with your work, program, project? Second question, is there something I can do to help you achieve the desired outcome?
Let The Journey Continue
John Coxon
John Coxon & Associates
Taking You from Frontline Manager to CEO
Email john@johncoxon.com.au
Skype: john_coxon
Blog: http://healthsector.blogspot.com
Blog: http://nfp-management.blogspot.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/johncoxon
Follow john_coxon on Twitter
Join John Coxon on Facebook
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Innovative leadership
It may be tempting for funded non profit organisations to feel a tad complacent. Afterall, many will be in the middle of current funding rounds and service agreements. Their funding is in place. The economic downturn will likely have very little impact upon current operations. You might want to think again.
I would warn against complacency. Economic downturns impact in many different ways. Those non profits with business enterprise units may be subject to a drop in revenue as consumers feel the pinch - even those with second hand stores are not immune to consumers tightening the purse strings. Those entirely reliant upon Government funding have little options open to them should future Governments decide to maintain current levels of funding or worse still, cut back on funding.
In good times organisations can carry a little excess weight, they can indulge in activities that carry a cost without having to worry much about accounting for that cost. In times of economic downturn, it is imperative to identify and trim unneccesary costs - those that are not directly associated with service delivery aligned to the mission of the organisation - this requires innovative management.
When things begin to go wrong, continuing to do the same as has been done in the past is not an option - when the structure breaks down it is time to do something different.
It begins with effective governance - let me reword that - effective leadership. Boards need to be extra diligent. They must not assume anything. They must question everything. They must know what is happening now and what the impact of the emerging environment may be. Boards of governance need to be proactive in troubled times. Now is a good time to look at board composition. Does your board have the experience and skills to be effective when change is needed?
The key is sustainability. Governments worldwide are giving away their nation's savings in the name of 'economic stimulation'. Admirable as this policy may be in the short term, we will have to pay for it in the future. Those organisations dependent upon future government funding need to consider the risk of reduced funding. Philanthropic trusts, amongst others, have taken hits from investments in the markets. It will take many years to recover from this. In the meantime the level of philanthropy may drop. What impact might this have on your agency?
Interest rates are falling at present. That simply means they must rise again in the future. Will they rise quickly or slowly? How would you answer that if you were manager of a bank? Will consumers continue to give to charitable causes in 12 months or 18 months or will the level of giving actually reduce? If you don't know, try talking to some of the old hands around during the last economic downturn - see what they can recall.
And in case you are thinking, no worries we will get through this okay, have a look down the track a little. In Australia and NZ, 25% of the population is moving into retirement at present and will continue to do so for the next 20 years. There will be a global labour shortage for the next 20-30 years. Historically the not for profit sector is underfunded for paying salaries and wages - how will you compete for staff in the future? Where will the money come from to enable you to compete? You can talk about job satisfaction after someone starts work with you - getting them to work for you requires access to money.
These thoughts were part of a discussion I had with a not for profit manager yesterday during a coaching session. Are you a not for profit manager? Have you been thinking about these issues? If not, why not? In tough times you need to be thinking differently than you have in the past. Your organisation needs to be doing things differently than it has in the past. This requires innovative leadership.
Let The Journey Continue
John Coxon
John Coxon & Associates
Taking You from Frontline Manager to CEO
www.johncoxon.com.au
Email john@johncoxon.com.au
Skype: john_coxon
Blog: http://healthsector.blogspot.com
Blog: http://nfp-management.blogspot.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/johncoxon
Follow john_coxon on Twitter
Join John Coxon on Facebook
I would warn against complacency. Economic downturns impact in many different ways. Those non profits with business enterprise units may be subject to a drop in revenue as consumers feel the pinch - even those with second hand stores are not immune to consumers tightening the purse strings. Those entirely reliant upon Government funding have little options open to them should future Governments decide to maintain current levels of funding or worse still, cut back on funding.
In good times organisations can carry a little excess weight, they can indulge in activities that carry a cost without having to worry much about accounting for that cost. In times of economic downturn, it is imperative to identify and trim unneccesary costs - those that are not directly associated with service delivery aligned to the mission of the organisation - this requires innovative management.
When things begin to go wrong, continuing to do the same as has been done in the past is not an option - when the structure breaks down it is time to do something different.
It begins with effective governance - let me reword that - effective leadership. Boards need to be extra diligent. They must not assume anything. They must question everything. They must know what is happening now and what the impact of the emerging environment may be. Boards of governance need to be proactive in troubled times. Now is a good time to look at board composition. Does your board have the experience and skills to be effective when change is needed?
The key is sustainability. Governments worldwide are giving away their nation's savings in the name of 'economic stimulation'. Admirable as this policy may be in the short term, we will have to pay for it in the future. Those organisations dependent upon future government funding need to consider the risk of reduced funding. Philanthropic trusts, amongst others, have taken hits from investments in the markets. It will take many years to recover from this. In the meantime the level of philanthropy may drop. What impact might this have on your agency?
Interest rates are falling at present. That simply means they must rise again in the future. Will they rise quickly or slowly? How would you answer that if you were manager of a bank? Will consumers continue to give to charitable causes in 12 months or 18 months or will the level of giving actually reduce? If you don't know, try talking to some of the old hands around during the last economic downturn - see what they can recall.
And in case you are thinking, no worries we will get through this okay, have a look down the track a little. In Australia and NZ, 25% of the population is moving into retirement at present and will continue to do so for the next 20 years. There will be a global labour shortage for the next 20-30 years. Historically the not for profit sector is underfunded for paying salaries and wages - how will you compete for staff in the future? Where will the money come from to enable you to compete? You can talk about job satisfaction after someone starts work with you - getting them to work for you requires access to money.
These thoughts were part of a discussion I had with a not for profit manager yesterday during a coaching session. Are you a not for profit manager? Have you been thinking about these issues? If not, why not? In tough times you need to be thinking differently than you have in the past. Your organisation needs to be doing things differently than it has in the past. This requires innovative leadership.
Let The Journey Continue
John Coxon
John Coxon & Associates
Taking You from Frontline Manager to CEO
www.johncoxon.com.au
Email john@johncoxon.com.au
Skype: john_coxon
Blog: http://healthsector.blogspot.com
Blog: http://nfp-management.blogspot.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/johncoxon
Follow john_coxon on Twitter
Join John Coxon on Facebook
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Defining Leadership
There are as many definitions of leadership as there are writers on the topic, which simply serves to confirm that leadership is not something that can be placed into a 'how-to' list or a process matrix.
In my role as management consultant and coach I meet a lot of managers. Some would refer to themselves as leaders; others would simply be kidding themselves and everyone round them if they were to make such a claim. Just making such a statement myself implies I have my own thoughts on what leadership is! And I do.
When I look back over the past 35 years and I attempt to identify those managers I have met or worked with that have displayed leadership, I see the following -
I see the leader who took the time to listen to a young apprentice, to hear his views on some of the issues the apprentices faced in the workplace, then encouraged and assisted this young apprentice to do things differently.
I see a leader, who when the chips were down, instead of condemning his young employee for his actions, instead provided support and advice, while at the same time ensuring his young charge understood he was responsible for his own behaviour.
I see a leader who recognised the desire in one of his employees to develop new skills and proactively created opportunities for that to occur and also for those skills to be used for the benefit of the organisation.
I see several leaders who put aside any preoccupation with formal qualifications and said, instead, let's look at potential.
These are only a handful of people I have worked for or with over the years. Some have been employers, some have been peers and many have been clients. The group that i would refer to as leaders are in the minority. There are many, many, more who simply did not understand the concept of leadership. Do you? Consider these examples I have provided here. Think about the people you have worked with over the years. Think about yourself and how others may percieve your leadership ability.
I can help you develop your leadership capacity, be it through one of our leadership workshops or through one-to-one coaching. It costs nothing to discuss the options. Call me now, I am happy to help you prepare a business case to your manager which will show the benefit to your organisation in developing your potential.
Let The Journey Continue
John Coxon
John Coxon & Associates
Taking You from Frontline Manager to CEO
www.johncoxon.com.au
Email john@johncoxon.com.au
Skype: john_coxon
Blog: http://healthsector.blogspot.com
Blog: http://nfp-management.blogspot.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/johncoxon
Follow john_coxon on Twitter
Join John Coxon on Facebook
In my role as management consultant and coach I meet a lot of managers. Some would refer to themselves as leaders; others would simply be kidding themselves and everyone round them if they were to make such a claim. Just making such a statement myself implies I have my own thoughts on what leadership is! And I do.
When I look back over the past 35 years and I attempt to identify those managers I have met or worked with that have displayed leadership, I see the following -
I see the leader who took the time to listen to a young apprentice, to hear his views on some of the issues the apprentices faced in the workplace, then encouraged and assisted this young apprentice to do things differently.
I see a leader, who when the chips were down, instead of condemning his young employee for his actions, instead provided support and advice, while at the same time ensuring his young charge understood he was responsible for his own behaviour.
I see a leader who recognised the desire in one of his employees to develop new skills and proactively created opportunities for that to occur and also for those skills to be used for the benefit of the organisation.
I see several leaders who put aside any preoccupation with formal qualifications and said, instead, let's look at potential.
These are only a handful of people I have worked for or with over the years. Some have been employers, some have been peers and many have been clients. The group that i would refer to as leaders are in the minority. There are many, many, more who simply did not understand the concept of leadership. Do you? Consider these examples I have provided here. Think about the people you have worked with over the years. Think about yourself and how others may percieve your leadership ability.
I can help you develop your leadership capacity, be it through one of our leadership workshops or through one-to-one coaching. It costs nothing to discuss the options. Call me now, I am happy to help you prepare a business case to your manager which will show the benefit to your organisation in developing your potential.
Let The Journey Continue
John Coxon
John Coxon & Associates
Taking You from Frontline Manager to CEO
www.johncoxon.com.au
Email john@johncoxon.com.au
Skype: john_coxon
Blog: http://healthsector.blogspot.com
Blog: http://nfp-management.blogspot.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/johncoxon
Follow john_coxon on Twitter
Join John Coxon on Facebook
Sunday, February 22, 2009
40 'dumb' questions
I follow the ‘projectshrink’ Bas de Baar, from the Netherlands, on Twitter. Bas writes stuff on project management. As you know, John Coxon & Associates has a workshop, ready for your team, titled Practical Project Management for Non Profits. (Give John a call on +61 3 5561 2228 to organise). Anyway back to Bas. He pointed me to a squidoo lens titled Not So Dumb Project Management Questions, hosted by Hal Macomber.
Even if you don’t have any interest in project management you gotta read this list of so-called dumb questions. They are not really that dumb – what is so dumb is that many people fail to ask them in the first instance. While written in the context of project management, every one of these questions applies to every other aspect of organisational management. I will even bet there are few in this list that you have failed to ask from time to time and wish afterwards that you, or someone, had done so. How dumb did you feel after not asking?
Let the Journey Continue
John Coxon
John Coxon & Associates
Taking You from Frontline Manager to CEO
Email john@johncoxon.com.au
Skype: john_coxon
Blog: http://healthsector.blogspot.com
Blog: http://nfp-management.blogspot.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/johncoxon
Follow john_coxon on Twitter
Join John Coxon on Facebook
Even if you don’t have any interest in project management you gotta read this list of so-called dumb questions. They are not really that dumb – what is so dumb is that many people fail to ask them in the first instance. While written in the context of project management, every one of these questions applies to every other aspect of organisational management. I will even bet there are few in this list that you have failed to ask from time to time and wish afterwards that you, or someone, had done so. How dumb did you feel after not asking?
Let the Journey Continue
John Coxon
John Coxon & Associates
Taking You from Frontline Manager to CEO
Email john@johncoxon.com.au
Skype: john_coxon
Blog: http://healthsector.blogspot.com
Blog: http://nfp-management.blogspot.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/johncoxon
Follow john_coxon on Twitter
Join John Coxon on Facebook
Succession Planning
Marshall Goldsmith, Harvard Business School, renown executive coach and author, writes in the January 09 issue of the Harvard Business Review, on succession planning and why it is many 'nominated' successors fail to gain the promotion into the top job.
Goldsmith points to the inability of potential successors to build relationships with stakeholder groups prior to promotion. Many executive managers are tapped on the shoulder by an existing CEO and assured they will transition into the top job - only to find that when the time comes, the board appoints someone else.
Appointing someone into the top job is as much about confidence in their abilities as it is in their prior experience. On the surface it appears logical to suggest an insider should recieve the promotion. Afterall they know the ropes, they know how things are done. All of that may be true. Do they have the confidence of the board?
Being known as an excellent employee is not sufficient. Being 2IC often means you operate in the shadow of the current CEO or Director. It is not safe to assume that person is promoting your talents to the board - afterall not all CEO's feel that sure of their own abilities. The CEO might want you to succeed him or or her, on the other hand they may be trying to keep you on board, avoiding conflict between potential successors or simply trying to be friends with everyone. You have to do the work.
Goldsmith suggests six stakeholder groups a potential CEO should be working with - in advance of a potential promotion. These include, the current CEO, peers, direct reports, customers, analysts (substitute funding bodies) and the board. Most potential CEO's focus only on building relationships with the current CEO.
This is not about currying favours or building up markers for future leverage. Relationship building is a long-term exercise. It takes time and patience. Building relationships requires diplomacy and a desire to give back as much as you get - often more - with the certainty of not knowing whether all this work will be any help in the future.
What is know for sure is this. If you aspire to the CEO's role in your current organisation and you fail to build long-term, sustainable relationships with all stakeholder groups then you increase the chance of failing to achieve the top job.
Let The Journey Continue
John Coxon
John Coxon & Associates
Taking You from Frontline Manager to CEO
Email john@johncoxon.com.au
Skype: john_coxon
Blog: http://healthsector.blogspot.com
Blog: http://nfp-management.blogspot.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/johncoxon
Follow john_coxon on Twitter
Join John Coxon on Facebook
Goldsmith points to the inability of potential successors to build relationships with stakeholder groups prior to promotion. Many executive managers are tapped on the shoulder by an existing CEO and assured they will transition into the top job - only to find that when the time comes, the board appoints someone else.
Appointing someone into the top job is as much about confidence in their abilities as it is in their prior experience. On the surface it appears logical to suggest an insider should recieve the promotion. Afterall they know the ropes, they know how things are done. All of that may be true. Do they have the confidence of the board?
Being known as an excellent employee is not sufficient. Being 2IC often means you operate in the shadow of the current CEO or Director. It is not safe to assume that person is promoting your talents to the board - afterall not all CEO's feel that sure of their own abilities. The CEO might want you to succeed him or or her, on the other hand they may be trying to keep you on board, avoiding conflict between potential successors or simply trying to be friends with everyone. You have to do the work.
Goldsmith suggests six stakeholder groups a potential CEO should be working with - in advance of a potential promotion. These include, the current CEO, peers, direct reports, customers, analysts (substitute funding bodies) and the board. Most potential CEO's focus only on building relationships with the current CEO.
This is not about currying favours or building up markers for future leverage. Relationship building is a long-term exercise. It takes time and patience. Building relationships requires diplomacy and a desire to give back as much as you get - often more - with the certainty of not knowing whether all this work will be any help in the future.
What is know for sure is this. If you aspire to the CEO's role in your current organisation and you fail to build long-term, sustainable relationships with all stakeholder groups then you increase the chance of failing to achieve the top job.
Let The Journey Continue
John Coxon
John Coxon & Associates
Taking You from Frontline Manager to CEO
Email john@johncoxon.com.au
Skype: john_coxon
Blog: http://healthsector.blogspot.com
Blog: http://nfp-management.blogspot.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/johncoxon
Follow john_coxon on Twitter
Join John Coxon on Facebook
Monday, February 2, 2009
Are you warming your management seat?
While facilitating a recent workshop on Managers as Coaches I made a statement, where I suggested that those in front line management roles without ambition to be involved in executive management were simply warming a seat and preventing those with real ambition from gaining appropriate experience.
As I expected my comment generated a lot of discussion both during and following the workshop. Excellent, objective achieved. As Socrates has been quoted, I cannot teach you anything, I can only cause you to think. If, as a result of my workshops I cause people to think then I believe it is an outcome worth achieving.
Let's look at this in more depth. Over the next decade every current CEO or EO or Director, aged over 50 years, in both Australia and New Zealand will retire. These people form the bulk of leadership roles in the not for profit sector. I calculate this to represent a turnover of around 30,000 leaders.
Who will replace our current leadership group? Those warming a front line manager seat or those young, ambitious 30-somethings chomping at the bit? If you are currently in a front line management role or middle management role, do you have the ambition to lead an organisation? If not, someone younger, more energetic and more ambitious than you will do so. Maybe they will want you to remain warming your seat or maybe they will not. I will leave you to think about that!
Let The Journey Continue
John Coxon
John Coxon & Associates
Taking You from Frontline Manager to CEO
www.johncoxon.com.au
Email john@johncoxon.com.au
Skype: john_coxon
Blog: http://healthsector.blogspot.com
Blog: http://nfp-management.blogspot.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/johncoxon
Follow john_coxon on Twitter
Join John Coxon on Facebook
As I expected my comment generated a lot of discussion both during and following the workshop. Excellent, objective achieved. As Socrates has been quoted, I cannot teach you anything, I can only cause you to think. If, as a result of my workshops I cause people to think then I believe it is an outcome worth achieving.
Let's look at this in more depth. Over the next decade every current CEO or EO or Director, aged over 50 years, in both Australia and New Zealand will retire. These people form the bulk of leadership roles in the not for profit sector. I calculate this to represent a turnover of around 30,000 leaders.
Who will replace our current leadership group? Those warming a front line manager seat or those young, ambitious 30-somethings chomping at the bit? If you are currently in a front line management role or middle management role, do you have the ambition to lead an organisation? If not, someone younger, more energetic and more ambitious than you will do so. Maybe they will want you to remain warming your seat or maybe they will not. I will leave you to think about that!
Let The Journey Continue
John Coxon
John Coxon & Associates
Taking You from Frontline Manager to CEO
www.johncoxon.com.au
Email john@johncoxon.com.au
Skype: john_coxon
Blog: http://healthsector.blogspot.com
Blog: http://nfp-management.blogspot.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/johncoxon
Follow john_coxon on Twitter
Join John Coxon on Facebook
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Succession Planning Time
Look around you. Estimate the average age of those in leadership roles in your non profit organisation. Where would you calculate the average age to be? 40 years. 50 years. 60 years. If you calculated the average age to be between 50 and 60 then sometime in the next decade your organisation is going to require a new CEO. Even if you were to calculate the age younger than 50 there is a good chance your current CEO will leave during the next few years.
Does you organisation have in place a succession plan? Or do you leave it to chance when the time comes? Does your organisation develop the a corp of internal leaders or do you leave that also to chance with the time comes.
If your organisation hires an external person to fill a key leadership role what message does that send to your management team? The message it sends is that they are not good enough. Or it may tell them they they shouldn't have been in that management role in the first place. If a top position becomes available in your organisation and none of your current managers apply for that position, what message does that send? It tells you they should never have been placed in that role to begin with. There is no point in having senior managers unable, or unwilling, to step into the leadership role if and when it becomes available.
Have a look around your organisation. Who are the people on your leadership team, do they have the competencies to lead as well as manage, are they able to step into the CEO role if called upon?
Identify the key leadership competencies needed by your organisation. Conduct an audit of current managers and identify the gap between their current skill level and the desired skill level. Prepare them in advance. This creates loyalty when they can see an investment being made in their professional development. Provide them with opportunities to lead the organisation, to make decisions and to learn to live with the consequences. Test them, find out those that have both the desire and the ability and nurture those people by providing them with increasing levels of responsibility. In this way the transition will be smooth and painless. In this way even if you do hire an external appointment you will have confidence in the internal team in holding the ship on course. Should one of your existing managers put their hand up for the leadership role then you will have confidence in them because you invested in their development and you will have saved the recruitment fee.
Let The Journey Continue
John Coxon & Associates
Taking You from Frontline Manager to CEO
www.johncoxon.com.au
Email john@johncoxon.com.au
Skype: john_coxon
Blog: http://healthsector.blogspot.com
Blog: http://nfp-management.blogspot.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/johncoxon
Follow john_coxon on Twitter
Join John Coxon on Facebook
Does you organisation have in place a succession plan? Or do you leave it to chance when the time comes? Does your organisation develop the a corp of internal leaders or do you leave that also to chance with the time comes.
If your organisation hires an external person to fill a key leadership role what message does that send to your management team? The message it sends is that they are not good enough. Or it may tell them they they shouldn't have been in that management role in the first place. If a top position becomes available in your organisation and none of your current managers apply for that position, what message does that send? It tells you they should never have been placed in that role to begin with. There is no point in having senior managers unable, or unwilling, to step into the leadership role if and when it becomes available.
Have a look around your organisation. Who are the people on your leadership team, do they have the competencies to lead as well as manage, are they able to step into the CEO role if called upon?
Identify the key leadership competencies needed by your organisation. Conduct an audit of current managers and identify the gap between their current skill level and the desired skill level. Prepare them in advance. This creates loyalty when they can see an investment being made in their professional development. Provide them with opportunities to lead the organisation, to make decisions and to learn to live with the consequences. Test them, find out those that have both the desire and the ability and nurture those people by providing them with increasing levels of responsibility. In this way the transition will be smooth and painless. In this way even if you do hire an external appointment you will have confidence in the internal team in holding the ship on course. Should one of your existing managers put their hand up for the leadership role then you will have confidence in them because you invested in their development and you will have saved the recruitment fee.
Let The Journey Continue
John Coxon & Associates
Taking You from Frontline Manager to CEO
www.johncoxon.com.au
Email john@johncoxon.com.au
Skype: john_coxon
Blog: http://healthsector.blogspot.com
Blog: http://nfp-management.blogspot.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/johncoxon
Follow john_coxon on Twitter
Join John Coxon on Facebook
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