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Hofstede’s findings in full can be found on the web and I recommend them as a great way to start thinking about the differences you may encounter in a multicultural or international workplace.

In a particular it can explain why many around us (that come from high uncertainty avoidance societies) show anxiety about an uncertain future particularly in times of change and how change induces stress (and often aggressiveness) and why for some formal rules and structures are protected to reduce risk. New ideas on ways of doing things for some can be seen as little more than, not to be tolerated ‘deviant’ behavior. Uncertainty avoidance individuals who feel relatively threatened will strive to believe in a common set of absolute truths (“the way we did it in the past”), with time focus being the now and the past and the traditional hierarchy seen as determining their wellbeing. These individuals will constantly seek direction from a trusted leader in the hierarchy and avoid personal responsibility because mistakes are seen as ‘sins’ that will exact punishment.

Although here again I have been discussing societies in general some families I believe produce these types of individuals in all societies so when looking to influence others around us we must be conscious of these traits. Again it is best to ask (tactfully) to understand another’s motivation rather than assuming.

If we add to a work situation a “masculine society”, assertive, materialistic, quantity of life individual who is trying to lead/manage and associate with a; sensitive, relationship oriented, group-welfare valuing, ‘quality of life’ driven flock of people, you can see why difficulties occur. A great example; many hotel GM’s are Austrian, who rank as no 2 in the world in masculine orientation. Imagine an Austrian GM trying to deal with a Thai workforce that rank at no 44, i.e. have a more “feminine” or relationship approach to life.

Part 6 final and back to main orglearn blog

The collective intelligence we looked at in part 3 is also found in other ants. Experiments with one group, ‘lepticthorax’, effectively demonstrate how one individual’s behavior can influence those around it. By including each individual in the decision making process they enable or cause the simple actions by one to generate more sophisticated actions by the group. This building of collective intelligence is in some ways similar to attempting to create synergy in teams. A state of synergy in a team is reached when the team outcome is better then the best result that could have been achieved by any one individual in the group. Perhaps the best example of this behavior is the way these tiny ants set up a new home. One ant on finding the ideal location will head back to the group and physically collect and carry back a colleague, then both will inspect the location, both will go back and collect another colleague each… and the four will inspect… and then eight and so on exponentially (snowballing effect) until the new location is fully occupied and work begins.

Participants in many of the leadership and team building courses I conduct often complain that although they, after training, attempt to adopt a more enlightened approach to management and leadership, their bosses are still locked in their old, power and position driven, hierarchical practices. How to break this nasty vicious cycle… train the bosses first, after all leadership comes from the top… doesn’t it?

By the way if you want to see how humans get involved in such leader / follower behavior (not too sure about the collective intelligence aspect) take a look at this video: http://sivers.org/ff

Point: if you are never given an opportunity to lead and you believe you have earned the right and have the skills perhaps you need to use the free blank resume form and to start a process to lead yourself elsewhere!

Tip: USUALLY THE EXPERT IN ANY JOB IS THE ONE ACTUALLY DOING IT however IT DOESN’T MEAN THEY CAN LEAD OTHERS TO DO IT AS WELL!

“Collective intelligence”, how about that as a concept for getting things done…

The legendary Army Ants gain their fearful reputation and devastating power because they are driven by an obsessional purpose combined with an extremely high level of determination and use what is known as their collective intelligence. The amazing thing is that this all happens with no one individual taking control. Instead they all act as individuals and control (or lead) themselves. “Collective intelligence is a shared or group intelligence that emerges from the collaboration and competition of many individuals. Collective intelligence appears in a wide variety of forms of consensus decision making in bacteria, animals, humans, and computer networks” (ref: Wikipedia). In other words Army Ants really do practice management from the bottom up where each individual is empowered to act.

If we as managers and leaders are to implement effective empowerment and invert the corporate pyramid to put the customer at the top, as current business realities demand, (as does proper thinking), we must ensure that staff develop the right attributes. If those at the customer interface don’t have (or develop) their own sense of being powerful, are unwilling to be obsessed with the customers needs and wants, (as against stroking the boss), are not effectively inspired to use their own positive levels of motivation and don’t feel free to inform enthusiastically what the customers are saying, (good or bad), no collective intelligence will occur.

We often talk about staff empowerment in modern business however ants have achieved this state naturally. If simple ants use it so effectively, why can’t the intelligent top of the food chain… us… do it so well? Because we humans are totally driven by our need for self-satisfaction or gratification… we are basically selfish! So what can we as leaders do to at least move a little further along the evolutionary path (remember ants have been around 100 million years) and thus achieve at least some of the team sophistication levels of ants? Here are a few suggestions… never discipline in public, encourage the free flow of ideas, destroy inter-staff rivalry, reward teams rather than individuals, encourage those who encourage others, revere those who act in the common good, beware of creating states of ‘group think’ and never implement a ‘staff member of the month’ program or a competitive sales incentive scheme and always…

VIEW MISTAKES AS LEARNING, NOT AS A REASON (OR EXCUSE) TO WHACK SOME FOOL!

Ants management and moving (scurrying on) update the resume resume time?

One of the most underutilized communication skills during the influencing process seems to me to be the valuable skill of painting a verbal picture. The idea for the influencer with this technique is to engender enthusiasm for a course of action or point of view by ‘painting a picture’ of a desired future state.

This skill is particularly handy for influencing where a common purpose, vision or another’s enthusiasm is missing, poor commitment levels are evident, “ho hum” attitudes exist or desired behaviors (required for success in a task) are not being demonstrated.

So how can we use this skill to influence others and what are the behaviors we need to adopt to use it effectively?

Firstly we must show appropriate enthusiasm

Share your own enthusiasm through your voice, intonation and body language when selling the benefits of the desired course of action for the individual you are trying to involve. If you just stand up and factually state what you want things to look like or outcomes you are seeking in a formal boring tone you satisfactory or inspiring picture will be created.

Paint a verbal picture of the future using descriptive language

Much as you would develop a corporate or private ‘vision’ you need to paint a picture of how where you and the other person will be or what things would look like and how much better they would be, especially for the individual involved if he/she (or they) comply, or better still commit, to what you are proposing.

Be brief or “broad brush” about your vision and don’t get bogged down in the details

Exactly how things will be done or the details can come once commitment has been obtained. Others are more likely to be enthusiastic about a ‘broad brush’ or ‘big picture’ ideas about a more satisfying future. I have seen this proven many times when conducting company vision sessions, great enthusiasm until the detailed WORK has to be done. So details should only be approached when “buy-in” is truly achieved.

Include the person you are trying to influence in the picture

Find out what benefits or situations are of interest to the other person by asking questions and carefully listening to the answers. Find out how you can align your desired future state with their aspirations and desires. Focus specifically on how they could contribute or become involved. Ask questions such as, what interests or excites them about the future and how they can see it contributes to their future.

If you would like to read other blog articles by Ric and you came direct to this page you can go to main blog by clicking on the white “orglearn.org” in the header panel above!

While you’re here if you can’t align your vision of the future with your current employer take a look at the free blank resume form and perhaps to paint a new future for yourself by following the link!

I recently read a great quote that I feel is appropriate here:

“The empires of the future are empires of the mind.” – Winston Churchill

Finally according to Marty Latz of the Negotiator Magazine: “Our tendency to be unduly influenced by such visual, emotional and flashy language (essentially verbal pictures) and to be less influenced by dull, statistical evidence, is called vividness bias.” So want to be influential and have people buy into you propositions? Perhaps this summary will help:

Enthusiastically communicating using descriptive language to paint a verbal picture of a desired future and placing the other person in the picture will help you to influence others to your vision.

Expert power

Expert power is based on the specialized knowledge or skills that an individual has which can be contributed or withheld. Generally, individuals are positive about being lead, or at least influenced, by those whom they regard as ‘an expert’. This form of power is “comparative” and the holder of this type of power is always under threat from other “experts”. Expert power is often based around a very narrow bank of knowledge, skills or competence and can be short lived as time passes and technology or techniques evolve. It is a reality that someone will always come along who knows more than you do in a particular area.

Connection or as I was taught it “referent” power:

Referent power comes about as a result of an individuals ability to control or use access to influential people through formal networks or associations. Additionally as people/employees increasingly extend their circle of influence or information sources through involvement in informal networks their power can increase. Networks and hierarchies that operate independently of more formal organizational structures can often compete with, or even be more influential than the official company structure.

Personal power or personal attractiveness

This type of power results from an individual’s own personal qualities or ‘charisma’.  People will often undertake a particular action or behave in particulars ways because they admire and like the individual holding the power. Some believe that this type o power is built up through “being reliable, trustworthy, honest and likeable”. This view is obviously limited in its explanation as charisma and what it is is not something that automatically comes with behavior alone. The personal attractiveness part of this equation can also obviously be lost as we age or as our ability to attract others through ‘positive’ personality may be diminished. Suffice to say if you want to develop this type of power in yourself you will need to do the best you can with how you look, present yourself, personal confidence levels, how well you communicate and your natural personal traits.

So what is power about and what are the benefits and pitfalls

According to Richard Petty, professor of psychology at Ohio State University and co-author of a study on power:  “Powerful people have confidence in what they are thinking. Whether their thoughts are positive or negative toward an idea, that position is going to be hard to change,” This of course can be both a benefit and a shortcoming and you, if you hold power, can risk missing opportunities to grow and develop through the arrogance of total self-belief.

Abraham Lincoln said, “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” So if you seek power, beware of the almost inevitable personal consequences to your thought processes and even your very existence.

Amy Tan “You see what power is – holding someone else’s fear in your hand and showing it to them!” Reality succinctly put perhaps!

I was once told that: ‘for power to exist you must have control over something that is limited in supply and that considered valuable by those over whom you want hold power’. This as we have seen above can be technical skills, information or even a willingness to have an ongoing relationship.

So if you are seeking power be advised you must develop all five areas otherwise your time in control will be but a fleeting moment and the process of losing power can be a terminal event.

One of the few things I consciously remember from my “school days learning” is a ‘law’ pertaining to human existence.

If my memory serves me well Malthusian Law went something like this:

‘The world will never be overpopulated as population growth is limited by war, pestilence, famine and natural disasters.’

From a personal or individual perspective this means that if you are to survive you need to protect yourself from all these natural forces by astutely being somewhere where these occurrences are not likely to happen.

Now for many this is not possible, however if you are by chance lucky enough to have some control over your existence you should consider these factors carefully.

From a work-life point of view lets see what you can do to give yourself the best chance of surviving or even thriving.

WAR: Often times in your career you will come across a war at work. Interdepartmental rivalries, battles for limited resources, personality clashes and straightforward power struggles. It is human nature for us in conflict situations to seek allies or to be sought out as supporters for one side of an argument or another. Can I suggest if you are put in a situation where you are being recruited on a position, where others are in conflict, at all costs stay out of the fray and remain neutral. Keep away from the combatants and focus on your own job role and performance.

PESTILENCE: The major disease I have witnessed in organizations is that of “poor cultural attitudes”. Every organization has cultural norms that have grown over time based on the personalities within the company and or the legacy that others have left. Often the cultural norms of a company can limit or even destroy its competitiveness in ever changing markets. Our fear of change, reliance on how things have been done in the past, power groups with vested interests in maintaining the status quo and being blinded victims of our own past successes can all create very sick organizations. If you find yourself in a company that is maintaining traditions that are out of step with current market realities don’t hang around, go out and find a more healthy place to work.

FAMINE: Old style companies, working in ever shrinking markets, trying to survive on outmoded products or services will over time starve to death and if you stay on working for one of them you may well suffer the same fate. I have had personal experience with this when in Australia the government deregulated the banking industry and finance companies as a result were starved of funds and business opportunities. I hung on for a few years however those that updated their skill set and changed industries early did best over the years that ensued. There are virtually no ‘real’ finance companies left in Australia today. Much of America’s traditional manufacturing is of course suffering, or has already suffered, the same fate.

*Link for direct page viewers return to main career success blog to check out other posts!

By the way if any of the Malthusian issues are currently impacting on your career you may like to take a look at the free blank resume form and take the law into your own hands by using the document to move on to less dangerous places of existence!

Finally…

NATURAL DISASTERS: Perhaps one of the greatest natural disasters that can befall  most of us from a work perspective is a takeover or merger. In this type of scenario there will be all sorts of misinformation, false promises and spin floating around and you will have two choices, stay and be part of the rescue process to rebuild the new radically changed organization or head out on the first evacuation flight you can get. In the merger I was involved in I chose the former however after two years, even though I had a more senior and better paid position, I didn’t like the culture and business practices of the new organization and resigned. Some of my former colleagues from day one of the merger process resisted the change and were offered a handsome golden handshake. In retrospect I should have taken the same approach. Now you might find this to be counter intuitive however when you are part of a takeover/merger you should consider your future and your options very carefully and remember no matter how smart you are no one is indispensable. I guess if you can maneuver yourself into a position of getting enough money to live and study enough to gain new and more sought after skills in a new company, or perhaps even different career, you may well be better off over time.

With sound and effective leadership in today’s economic climate more important than ever I am astounded that I still read survey results such as the one below.

‘Jan. 26 2010 PRNewswire/ — According to a recent national survey by Lee Hecht Harrison, the majority of workers in the U.S. find their bosses likeable, but feel the management within their companies have room for improvement.’

Well that’s a “no brainer” of course and I guess it will always be the case however their next statement gives a little more insight.

“When asked to rank which qualities their boss best exhibited, likability took the top spot among U.S. workers, followed by leadership, honesty, fairness, patience and loyalty. Although leadership ranked second, just less than half of workers polled (49%) thought their managers exhibited strong leadership skills – a sobering data point reinforcing the need for renewed focus on leadership development.”

I have seen in many countries the problem of bosses wanting to be liked. To be honest if you are an individual that needs to be liked can I suggest you don’t take on a leadership role. You don’t want to be hated either however you must be respected if you are wanting to be an effective leader.

There are many aspects of to gaining respect however here is a short checklist.

Openness: let people know what you want from them and how you feel about their efforts

Competence: if you can’t demonstrate that you are a competent person you will never gain committed followers

Consistency: a measured and stable attitude to work and followers is essential if you are to reduce unwarranted levels tension and promote excellence

According to the website Bizcovering [and I agree] you also need to ‘Show courage in facing difficult issues even admitting own mistakes, maintain your vision consistently and involve everyone positively’. They go on to say a “most importantly. you need some mechanism for sustaining hope when things otherwise look sour.”

Another key survey finding uncovered: “Motivation & Mentorship Lagging: Only 24% of employees polled felt that their manager displayed motivational skills [I think they mean inspirational skill as I have explained in another blog post] and the same number noted that their supervisor failed to mentor and explain the choices made from an organizational perspective.”

**Link for direct page viewers return to main blog if you would like to read other blog posts on career and leadership success!

If you are looking to work for a more effective leader and need a change of jobs/employers take a look at the free blank resume form!

Finally can I suggest that again the central problem is poor communication skills. I have written many posts on the need to communicate well as a manger, the difficulties most of us have and some of the solutions available. Can I also strongly suggest that if you are a manger and not currently reading (or have never read) a book on leadership and/or leadership communication, best visit your local bookstore as soon as possible.

Six central personality characteristics of transformational leaders seem to emerge from the prolific literature on this topic.

Creative

Hackman and Johnson (1991) state that creativity is “challenging the status quo by seeking out new ideas…” Managers typically concern themselves with status quo maintenance, but leaders move beyond status quo to face and deal with the future. Transformation requires innovation and fresh perspectives to enduring questions. Many managers I deal with think that they will never become leaders because they don’t see themselves as being creative. Remember creative thinking can be taught and creative thinkers can hired and good leaders can effectively use the creativity of those around them… if the have the wisdom to listen.

Interactive

Hackman and Johnson (1991) also suggest that an interactive leader provides better direction than a non-interactive leader. In order to meet the needs of the follower, the leader must take a posture of open participation with follower. They also contend ‘that interaction is central to putting leadership into motion’. Many other theories (and practical experiences) of leadership emphasize the need for (effective) communication in order to attain success. Remember though communication is not interaction its merely the conduit between individuals. The important issues are found in dictionary definitions… “acting in close relation with each other” or “affecting each others behaviour”.

ARE WE CREATING TOMORROW OR BANKING ON THE PAST?

Empowering

Empowerment is fourth aspect that Hackman and Johnson (1991) suggest is important. Empowerment is the ability to “translate intention into reality and sustain it [for the followers]” (Bennis & Nanus, 1985). B & N further explain that ‘empowerment is the reciprocal of power and that empowerment puts duality into motion’. In other words, power translates into empowerment and empowerment, in turn, creates more power. Without leaders promoting responsibility and displacing power, followers cannot fully achieve their potential. This as we know is a big challenge in some Asian cultures. The key is if you want to have a modern successful organization, you as a leader must address this issue.

Visionary

Perhaps the most elemental characteristic of the transformational leader, “more than anything else, transformational leaders communicate a vision to their followers” (Hackman & Johnson, 1991). Zorn (1991) notes that vision helps to rally action toward achievement of the goal. Leaders must not only speak the vision, they must also enact the vision for individuals and the organization. Vision sets the direction and it is impossible to get where you want to be without direction. Can you or you staff quote your company’s vision, (or your own for that matter). So much has been said about vision and its central role in business and success, any more here would be superfluous.

A VISION WITH POWER CAN CHANGE MEDIOCRITY INTO EXCELLENCE

Passionate

‘Transformational leaders are passionate in their commitment to task and people alike’ (H & J, 1991). Bennis and Nanus (1985) again elaborate, “like explorer and artists, [leaders] seem to focus their attention on a limited field – their task – to forget personal problems, to loose their sense of time, to feel competent and in control”. To transform leaders must have a strong commitment to their vision. Passion is essential for this strong commitment, without passion there is no real direction and vision is short-lived.

Ethical

One final notable characteristic is that of high ethical standards. Any discussion of transformational leadership must include ethics. Burns (1978) comments, “Leaders must effectively ‘connect with’ followers from a level of morality only one stage higher than that of the followers, but moral leaders who act at much higher levels relate to followers at all levels…” Blanchard and Peale (1989) suggest that a manager with strong ethical standards is armed with the ability to do the right thing all of the time. They further conclude that ethics must not only be the result, but ethics must be involved in the process of decision making. An effective leader must be committed to ethical responses to any situation.

ETHICAL BANKERS, ACCOUNTANTS, LAWYERS, CORPORATE EXECUTIVES AND POLITICIANS… NOW THERE’S AN IDEA!

Refs: Hackman, M. & Johnson, C. (1991) Leadership. Waveland Press.
Zorn T E (1991). Construct system development, transformational leadership and leadership messages. Sthn Communication Jrnl, 56 (3), 178-193. Journal of Leadership Studies in 1995

Ric (orglearn) **Link for direct page viewers return to main career success blog to check out other posts!

While you’re here take a look at the free blank resume form!

SUMMARY

Transformational leadership assumes that people will energetically follow an individual who has the ability to inspire them and who can use others natural motivation to strive towards a shared vision. A person to be a true motivational leader must in addition to having worthwhile vision show a willingness to excel and the competence do great things in a creative new way. Transformational leadership to be successful assumes that agreed tasks can be accomplished by injecting commitment and enthusiasm among the followers.

Transformational leadership adjectives: articulate, uplifting, passionate, caring, trustworthy, integrity listening, committed, serving, influencing, encouraging, charismatic, creative, innovative, empowering and confident.

Transformational leaders set an example and become a role model for their followers. Transformational leaders see their followers as individuals and treat them as such.

In light of recent events transformational leadership’s capacity to reshape social and physical relationships is more needed than ever. Perhaps it is time to destroy old way of living and make way for new one. Finally transformational leadership encourages people to surpass their current levels of achievement and embrace a dynamic and innovative way to approach our future at a personal, organizational and political level. The world currently seems to be crying out for true leadership, transformational leadership, at all levels of society.

One more time:

INSPIRING AND ETHICAL BANKERS, ACCOUNTANTS, LAWYERS, CORPORATE EXECUTIVES, BUSINESS LEADERS AND POLITICIANS… NOW THERE REALLY IS A TRANSFORMATIONAL IDEA!

To better understand why transformational leadership is a concept we should consider, a look at more traditional approaches is at first appropriate. Autocratic, army or public service style ‘instructional’ leadership encompasses hierarchies and the top-down use of power. This type of leader is supposed to know the best way to administer the business, conveys instructions to the subordinates then gets busy monitoring the work. The main problem with this form of leadership is that good administrators aren’t always great operators, nor can they keep up with real-world business trends, technological advances or more importantly the current rapid rate of changing customer preferences, (or social trends) and loyalties.

Another major difficulty with this style of leadership occurs as it concentrates on the growth and safety of business processes, with the development of followers, often becoming a secondary or even a non-priority. Modern business requires ‘the team’ to be “the servants of a collective vision”, thus leaders must fulfil the role of coach, cheerleader, supporter, problem solver and resource finder. Autocratic ‘instructional’ leadership, has therefore, as many correctly argue, outlived its usefulness.

Another form of traditional leadership is ‘transactional’ leadership. Transactional leadership (or bartering) is based on an exchange of services from staff for various kinds of rewards such as a salary & benefits. ‘Leithwood’ (1992) says this type of leadership “doesn’t stimulate improvement”. Mitchell and Tucker (Leadership Way of Thinking) add that ‘transactional leadership works only when both leaders and followers understand and are in agreement about which tasks are important’. Experience suggests that it is not often that staff and management, (even departments, sales vs. production, R&D vs. financial control etc.), truly agree on what is, or is not, important. It is arguable therefore that this form of leadership is also ready for the waste bin.

Ref and Adapted in part from ED347636 Aug 92 Transformational Leadership. ERIC Digest, Number 72. Author: Liontos, Lynn Balster

By the way if you want to see some other articles follow the link for direct page viewers return to main career success blog to check out other posts! While you’re here take a look at the free blank resume form!

Back to the topic…

WHAT IS TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP?

The idea of transformational leadership was first developed by James McGregor Burns in 1978 and later extended by Bernard Bass as well as others. Burns and Bass studied political leaders, army officers and business executives. An article in a 1995 issue of the Journal of Leadership Studies states, “Perhaps the most central notion of the transformational leader is the explicit purpose behind leading others. A transforming leader ACTS TO MAXIMISE THE NEEDS OF THE FOLLOWER. Leadership must also stimulate the needs of the entire organization of people constantly moving them to higher order needs. The term ‘transformational’ stems from the leaders ability to develop people as resources (should be potentials) and move them to a more satisfactory state of existence. Burns contrasts the transforming leader with a power wielder (transactional leader) suggesting that the transformational leader has an interest in the personal development of the follower, “leaders can also shape and alter and elevate the motives and values and goals of followers…” To Burns, transactional leadership is immature because it is based on the needs of the leader rather than the follower, “The object [in transactional leadership] is not a joint effort for persons with common aims acting for the collective interests of followers but a bargain to aid the individual interests of persons or groups going their separate ways”. Bass and Avolio (1989) argue that the transformational leader motivates followers (should be uses followers motivation) to act in the interest of the organization rather than to maximize self-interest.

Ric (orglearn – transformational leadership)

A great leadership video that is also wonderful to watch.

If you can’t learn a lot from this, best not consider leadership as your role.

Ric (orglearn) **Link for direct page viewers return to main career success blog to check out other posts!

While you’re here take a look at the free blank resume form and perhaps you should, if seeking a leadership position, include the word conductor in your resume!