Newsroom

Throughout February, we are sharing multiple great sources of insight that we collected in 2011.

Here is a great post from the i4cp TrendWatcher that we find useful in discussing employee engagement initiatives with clients:

The link to the post.

The short version is that honesty and transparency in unsettled times pays off in spades for organizations. I4cp completed a survey that assessed relative openness of communication for the companies that participated in the survey. You will see in the summary chart below that high-performing organizations communicate better.

Source: i4cp TrendWatcher Blog

To quote from the blog:

"It goes without saying that - especially in times of economic uncertainty - employees want honest, straightforward information from the top. Frequent, transparent communication such as updates about the financial status of the organization, M&A plans and the road ahead can help keep employees engaged rather than distracted by worrying about what is going on. Employee-generated rumors move faster and farther through an organization than any official communication could hope to, so preemptive messaging can help slow or stop misinformation altogether."

Companies that fear a "stampede to the exits," a drop in stock price or simply decreased productivity if they share anything but good news with their organization are on the wrong side of business history.

Indeed, if bad news is honestly shared, it is more likely to energize employees to help save the day, either by redoubling efforts, sharing fresh ideas they were afraid to share before, and other productivity enhancers.

"We are all in this together" is a trite phrase, but organizations that truly communicate with employees build trust and loyalty, and make that phrase ring true!

We recently found a great example of rigid mindsets preventing people from seeing the truth about a situation in a book excerpt posted on Strategy and Business, the Booz and Company blog.

“We have met the enemy, and he is us!”

-Walt Kelly

The column, Our Own Worst Enemies, focused on how blindered managers can be about situations that don’t match their preconceptions, even if they claim to be open-minded and ready to “hear the truth.”

Find the link in our recent blog post:

http://www.bovo-tighe.com/?p=542

We received an excellent article from  Strategy+Business this week. It summarized research that confirms that a leader's ability to listen is inversely related to the level of power that leader holds. Retaining a mindset that the truth does not rely in one place or person, and keeping true listening skills sharp, can mitigate this fault and keep the leader fully connected, enabling better decision-making. Another reminder that the Pursuit of Truth is a core principal of better leadership.

The Decision-Making Flaw in Powerful People (free registration required)

The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation recently won a Webby for their powerful promotional video. Their simple, straightforward presentation about their mission let the story tell itself, without amplification. The message stands by itself, with a force that carried them to victory.  Their story is so compelling it is hard to deny its effect on the viewer. Bravo to them for going straight to the message, sharing the truth and asking for help without frills or tricks.

We at Bovo-Tighe are proud to be able to work with the Glaser Foundation. We emphasize the "Pursuit of Truth" as part of our Foundations of Excellence model in our employee development work. This video is a great example of the power of both Pursuit of Truth and Excellence.

Click on the video below to view it. Click here to see the Foundation's press release.

Technoserve has involved Bovo-Tighe deeply in their effort to bring a more self-motivated, entrepreneurial spirit to communities that struggle to advance economically around the world. They have released an excellent video about their mission, which we share with our readers here. This is an engagement and empowerment philosophy we completely embrace, and are proud to be associated with!

TechnoServe - Innovation and Entrepreneurship from TechnoServe on Vimeo.

An old but gold survey from the Economist Intelligence Unit details Senior Executive attitudes towards talent development ("absolutely imperative!") and their actual commitment (only 20% stated they spent time on it.)

This is an area of great comparative (and competitive) advantage for companies that make it a priority.

The research summary

This article on how senior executives can better manage the collaborative decision-making processes that hold sway in most corporate executive suites points to how the Foundation of Excellence approach applies up, down and sideways in any organization. Simply switch the labels in this article to "unshakable trust," "pursuit of truth" and "communication that counts" and you have the Bovo-Tighe approach. We love it when we are right!

This article can provide excellent guidance on better using professional interpersonal skills at any level of management.

Enjoy the article. (Note: Free registration with the S+B business blog is required to view it.)

Corporate cultures have deep roots, and have been built and perpetuated over years. No leader can change a culture from the top-down by commanding change. A culture shift must be built from the bottom up, focusing on the thousand little actions, habits and traditions that sustain the culture, and shifting mindsets of the keepers of the culture one event at a time.

Here is a link to a great article from Booz and Company that supports our viewpoint.

It is hard work to stick to a true bottom-up cultural mindset change; it takes lots of “blocking and tackling,” too. To work best, it has to be the idea of those culture keepers to make the change themselves, with your gentle husbanding of the process.

Clearly corporations are catching on to this, because demand for Bovo-Tighe services jumped quite a bit during the recent recession, which we can only ascribe to our hard-earned reputation as excellent "process husbanders!"

That question is an acid test of your own leadership style, and it is one you have to ask constantly, because you don’t get “leadership” right once, or permanently. You must always “move, change, stop, assess, ask, check in” with those you lead to stay on top of your game. It helps to take the same approach to peers, too.

We recently received a great article on this “self-questioning” leadership style from a great client of ours, George Hendrix at Northrup Grumman. He gets what leadership is all about, and sent the article because he found it a great reminder to keep his leadership perspectives and skills sharp.

In the article, the author offers five basic questions that you can use to focus your attention on what it takes to create and lead a great team of people. We work through the answers to these types of questions all the time with clients who are trying to build effective, fully engaged teams that work well together:

1. Why should great people want to work with you?
2. Do you know a great person when you see one?
3. Can you find great people who aren’t looking for you?
4. Are you teaching great people how your company works and wins?
5. Are you as tough on yourself as you are on your people?

Questions 2 and 3 capture a key area of focus for leaders that is often neglected:

Great leaders build great teams not just by fully engaging the talent that they inherit, but by attracting great people to join the team. Really understanding what type of person you need, and being able to recognize that person, is a leadership skill that often needs a lot of work!

I hope you find it just an enlightening and helpful as we do. Let us know what you think!

McKinsey and Co. executive surveys confirm that focusing on "People Issues" does have a significant return-on-investment, especially when trying to transform culture and improve performance.

Click here to view