The Great Return?

August 24, 2021. At this point in much of North America, we are seemingly resetting for the umpteenth time as we continue to navigate the ongoing saga and impact of COVID-19. The desire and longing for a return to normalcy - the pre-COVID times - is heavy on all of us. Levels of exhaustion, frustration, anxiety, and anger ebb and flow with the fall and rise again of COVID cases. Businesses in all shapes and sizes and in every sector have been similarly been trying to pivot, reconfigure, respond, and stay afloat through all of this.  

At the beginning of this saga back in early 2020, many of us probably operated under an assumption that we could batten down the hatches, stiff upper lip, and ramp up our reserves for a few days, weeks, and maybe even a month or two. But as each successive wave has come and gone and come again, we are increasingly pushing our personal and organizational resilience beyond all reasonable expectation. And maybe that is the key word after all to explain some of our more challenging behaviors and responses since this all started - expectation.  

Regardless of who we are - pro or anti-vax, pro or anti-mask, pro or anti-lockdown - our expectations of what should or should not happen have continuously been confounded.  

Earlier this summer, as I worked with a number of my clients, there were a variety of plans in place to resume on-site operations, meaning that there were expectations that staff were going to return to their normal places of business, offices, or workstations. Some of this was going to coincide with the start of the school year or the start of the next business quarter, all around or about September 1, 2021. Even before the fourth wave of COVID was starting to ramp up in Alberta and Canada, staff in some businesses were pushing back on coming back to their former work environments. A variety of reasons were offered to justify the hesitancy (or even outright refusal) to return to the office - immuno-compromised, child care issues, fear of public transit and potential to acquire COVID, cramped office space, cramped common areas including elevators, etc. Some client organizations have since allowed for voluntary or graduated returns as of September 1. Others have postponed re-launch to October 1 or even into the new year.  Others have been adamant that the return plans remain on schedule. 

Certainly some of the motivation behind a drive to get back to the "office" comes from a desire to return to normal. For some, there almost seems to be a perspective that we shall just force normal back on COVID; we will compel normalcy through force of will and determined leadership. If we think positive thoughts, positive things will happen. In other circumstances, there is a strong belief that those who work at home are really not working.  

What I believe is missing from these assessments, plans, and actions is a much more thoughtful, purposeful, and considered evaluation of the organization's strategy, goals, and culture. There are too many organizations that seem to have a blind belief that bums in seats = success or productivity. Against what metrics? I will certainly grant that the challenge of maintaining organizational culture and team cohesion are manifold in a virtual, Zoom-based environment. Beyond that, some leaders seem to be operating from a standpoint that if I cannot lay eyes on my people at any point in time, I can't TRUST them to be giving me their all.

I would suggest that, as a leader, if you can't trust your staff in their remote work environments, you probably did not have trust in them when they were around the corner from you in the office. I would suggest that, as a leader, using presence in the office as a proxy for productivity was a failure to measure such adequately (if at all) in the past.

I'm not suggesting that a return of an office or work environment is wrong. Rather, I am suggesting that there should be a much more thoughtful, considered, and intelligent evaluation of that option as it relates to the overall strategy of the organization. What will the presence - or absence - from the workplace gain or lose the business? Do we need all or some staff back? Do we need all of our work space as it was in pre-COVID times? If we don't really understand productivity of staff at this point, how do we get a better handle on it now? If you really want to be so bold, ask these leadership questions of yourself - how important are our staff to the achievement of our goals and what am I doing to support their ability to deliver on those goals?

True leadership is not simply about ensuring control over other people. True leadership, in my estimation, is generating and responding to change (planned and unplanned), understanding all the forces at play, having a big picture view, playing the long game, and supporting/influencing others to contribute their best efforts to understandable and shared goals.  

Physical presence in an office cannot and should not be confused with commitment and productivity on the part of your people. I have worked with far too many people who simply put in time at the office while dutifully maintaining a 9-to-5 schedule. In too many other ways they had already retired on the job.  

My recommendation for this present time and moving forward through the continued challenge of COVID is to then get well-grounded in your organizational strategy and objectives, truly understand what it is going to take to succeed despite COVID, and perhaps engage your valued staff as allies in getting there - regardless of or despite where they work.  

A productive return to work is not going to come from simply calling out the troops (or prisoners?) on to the parade ground on September 1. A productive return to work - COVID or no COVID - is going to come from understanding your strategy, understanding productivity and effectiveness, and creating an organizational environment that supports your valued staff committing their time and energy to the cause. 

It's not simply about eyeballing your staff across the hall.  It's About Leadership!

_________________________________________________________

Greg Hadubiak, MHSA, FACHE, CEC, PCC

President & Founder - BreakPoint Solutions

gregh@breakpoint.solutions 

www.breakpoint.solutions 

780-250-2543

Helping leaders realize their strengths and enabling organizations to achieve their potential through the application of my leadership experience and coaching skills. I act as a point of leverage for my clients. I AM their Force Multiplier.

Resurrecting Deming - Again!

Over the life of my career - 25+ years as a public sector leader followed by another 9 years (so far) of executive coaching and management consulting - I have had the privilege to work with a multitude of organizations and leaders in a variety of sectors.  What is somewhat surprising in that leadership journey is how many lessons stand the test of time despite how much we believe the world has changed.  What is far more disappointing, however, is that too many of us continue to make the same wrong assumptions, arrive at the wrong conclusions, look to the same tired "solutions", and experience the same level of frustration that things don't magically get better.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again... 

- and expecting a different result

I'm certain the quote above is one that you have heard many times before and perhaps even used yourself when trying to make your own compelling point.  And it's been around for as many years as I can remember in this or altered version.  So why doesn't remain true and compelling?  What are we failing to learn from our mistakes or more importantly why are we failing to learn from our mistakes as leaders and as organizations?

One of the things that I have come to believe is that you cannot discover these "lessons", learn from those experiences and do different if you lack some form of humility and courage.  

As leaders, it can be far easier on our personal or egos to blame others around us or for a mistake, failure or even disaster than admit that we missed the signs, signals and harbingers of doom.  

Beyond that, we have to recognize and own our larger responsibility as owners, creators and keepers of the systems and processes that our staff have to work with (more on that below). 

And finally we have to demonstrate a commitment to ongoing learning and model a sincere  willingness to really hear what others have to say about what is and what is not happening as it should or we expect for the organization. An unwillingness to be that open or honest can at best reflect naivety, maybe insecurity, and at worst pure arrogance.   

In 1991 to 1993 I had a formative experience and experience through my master's degree.  Through my studies and an internship I had the opportunity to learn from two organizations implementing total quality management.  Through that I became exposed to the work of Dr. W. E. Deming and I further explored his teachings through my thesis on total quality management.  It was eye-opening and his principles really struck a chord with me at the time.  Over the succeeding years I have come back to his basic principles more than once.  I have learned from other leadership guru's as well, but Deming's perspective has had continued value for me.  I want to touch on only a few of his 14 Points with the belief that these have much to inspire those in leadership positions - or those looking for good leadership.

Point Seven - Institute Leadership. 

Dr. Deming calls upon management to lead rather than manage.  Simple statement but what does it really mean for us as leaders?  Well I'm pretty confident that if you were to talk to many of frontline staff and management personnel outside of the executive suite they would provide you with countless examples of where they felt they were being "managed", not "led".  This bias towards "management" is without doubt enhanced by the pressure on organizations to perform and achieve better results.  A typical management response is to exercise greater control and oversight to make sure results get better.  More often than not efforts of this nature only seem to put more barriers in the way of getting good work done - more reports to generate, more signatures to get, more unreasonable timelines to meet, multiple and conflicting demands, and failure to hear and act upon input and recommendations from staff. 

Point Eight - Drive Out Fear.

My past leadership experience is certainly laced with a belief that fear might be an effective tool of leadership.  And maybe it can be in the short-term but not if you are trying to create a high-performing organization for the long-term.  With fear in an organization there cannot be open communication, innovation, and teamwork - and these are all required for an organization to achieve the full measure of its potential.  To my now evolved mind (😀), leadership of any organization - and at all levels of the organization - must actively model open communication, encourage appropriate risk taking and innovation, and promote teamwork from the executive suite through to the front lines of operations.  With fear in place an organization shall continue to squander the full potential of its people and the organization to the detriment of those it purports to serve.

Point Ten - Eliminate Slogans, Exhortations and Targets for the Workforce.

Everybody needs to measure performance.  Deming did not intend, nor do I suggest, that system performance not be evaluated on an ongoing basis.  Rather, what Point Ten addresses is the notion of trying to assess an individual's  performance without reference to an understanding of the system in which that individual works.  If an individual is prevented from achieving higher levels of performance by a system (that management has created or allowed to be created) then performance managing an employee, setting new targets for them to achieve, and giving them "motivational" speeches will have little impact on performance.  It is far more likely that such efforts will actually cause frustration, demoralization and reduced performance.  

Deming's red bead experiment is a great illustration of this principle - given an equal number of red and white beads, an employee is tasked with collecting only white beads with an employer-provided scoop or paddle.  Inevitably, the employee collects some red beads in their assigned task.  As a result of "failing" in their assigned task, the employee may be given further direction by their supervisor, there may be encouragement to do better, they may be applauded if their red bead count has gone down, or they may be chastised if their red bead count goes up.  Regardless, their individual effort and various interventions at the personal level will have no impact on actual outcome.  It's like expecting employee engagement scores in an organization to go up simply by saying that the target should be 10 out of 10 on the next engagement survey.  Only by leadership changing the system and the organizational environment will better, more consistent results be achieved.  I see a strong correlation between Point Ten and the need to Drive Out Fear from an organization as noted earlier.  In fact, I believe that what leaders often create by exhortations to do better is an environment in which results and information are hidden through fear rather than discovered.  And only by discovery can we improve.

Point Twelve - Remove Barriers to Pride of Workmanship.

In this Point, Deming was referring to unclear expectations, lack of timely feedback (or any feedback), lack of training and support, and systems that focused on short-term results rather than long-term goals.  Staff and front-line managers are often frustrated by multiple tasks or changing priorities (see Point Seven) as leaders change focus or react to external stimuli without, it seems, giving due regard to long-term objectives or stated core values.  And unfortunately, more than one of us can relate to the fear that the performance evaluation process creates in us - either as provider or receiver of the experience.  Too often this is because we establish the evaluation process as a one-time event, not as a continual process of discussion, engagement and opportunity.  There is a need too to ensure that the evaluation process becomes an opportunity for leaders and staff alike to identify and invest in skills and intellect.  It is also a great opportunity for leaders to model desired behaviours and reinforce common goals.  On this latter point, I firmly believe that there must be a high degree of visibility and sincere engagement with internal audiences on par with leadership visibility and engagement with external audiences.  Without the kind of internal alignment that comes from such effort the ability to deliver on commitments to external audiences and customers stands on shaky ground.

There certainly is more gold in Deming than I have covered here.  In addition, what this hopefully reinforces, is that we don't need to go looking for "new ideas" on leadership.  There already exists a lot of knowledge - and common sense - upon which to enhance our leadership.  Make it so!

_________________________________________________________

Greg Hadubiak, MHSA, FACHE, CEC, PCC

President & Founder - BreakPoint Solutions

gregh@breakpoint.solutions 

www.breakpoint.solutions 

780-250-2543

Helping leaders realize their strengths and enabling organizations to achieve their potential through the application of my leadership experience and coaching skills. I act as a point of leverage for my clients. I AM their Force Multiplier.

Don't Drink the Sand

In much of my leadership career - and maybe my life in general - no small part of me hoped and dreamed about achieving formal recognition for the quality of my work. And along the way I did, in fact, achieve awards in my chosen profession. In that regard, I'm probably not that different from many of you. In reality, this desire for recognition is probably a function of our upbringing and our educational system.  We were all graded. We all knew where we stood in our class academically or athletically. If we excelled we were given ribbons, medals, and even money in the form of bursaries and scholarships. And that recognition felt good.

As a society we continue to translate this award function into our leadership and business environments in the form of our nation's or province's top employers, most ethical companies, top leaders in [pick the profession] and almost any other category that you can think up. These awards are often pursued with incredible vigor by individual leaders and companies. I've even since seen individual leaders suggest, cajole, and coerce their staff or colleagues for that coveted nomination. If and once achieved, those accolades are then heavily marketed as a competitive advantage or even simply as a point of pride.  

And because we are busy people, we place heavy emphasis on the validity and credibility of these ratings or rewards and make decisions as potential customers or staff of these organizations. If such and such experts say he/she/they are best in class, that should be good enough for me should it not?  

Unfortunately this pursuit of awards and accolades comes with its own problems and opportunity to twist our personal behavior and organizational culture. Based on personal experience, I will suggest that in far too many cases, the emperor is, in fact, wearing no clothes.  

I would encourage all of us to dig a bit deeper into what goes into these "achievements".  I for one have had the misfortune of peeking behind the proverbial curtain and have come away more than a bit disillusioned with what I have discovered. In personal scenarios impacting me, I have discovered that competitors in my profession were not necessarily identified as best in class for their professional skill but rather on the quality of their website! Form over substance! In some cases, my so-called competitors were no longer in practice! 

That's one small example, but there are even more egregious examples. This goes as far as something as prestigious as the Order of Canada. Aside from those who have been officially stripped of such recognition (e.g., Alan Eagleson, Steven Fonyo), I have my own impressions of others who have been so honored. In at least one case I joked - facetiously at the time - that I'd have to be rescinding my Canadian citizenship because of who had obtained this honour.

These examples of personal leadership failures also operate at an organizational level and we simply cannot place blind faith in the view of experts and awards achieved. We have seen far too many examples of spectacular corporate failures that followed on years of being media and business darlings. Example?  In 2001, an American company achieved $90 billion in market capitalization making it the seventh largest company in the USA at the time. For six years running, this same company was ranked by Fortune magazine as America's most innovative company.  

In December 3, 2001, this same company - Enron - filed for bankruptcy.  

Of the many reasons cited for Enron's demise, two stand out for me within the context of my blog topic:  (1) stakeholders/watchdogs overlooked bad behavior as long as they were profiting, and (2) looking to others believing that those others had done their due diligence. Clearly, these reasons were abetted by willful fraud, but for me, the long story short is don't believe everything you see or read on the internet, in newspaper clippings or promotional materials.  

Unfortunately, too many award programs are based on an application process alone. There is limited to no on-site visitation or verification in play. There is no deeper dive into evaluating the veracity of claims made. In some cases, an organization or leader can present documentation on the existence of a policy or program but it is not required to provide information as to the quality of its implementation or effectiveness. In addition, staff, customers, and other key stakeholders may, or may not, be part of validating the leader's or organization's claims. The application might, in fact, only be as good as the paper it is written on.   

And the motivations of the applicant to win are enormous - prestige, business opportunity, ego. Marketing acumen and writing skill then become more important to success then fact. Form runs the risk of trumping substance. Many of us are already familiar with this reality in other circumstances, most notably the recruitment and selection process. How many times have you seen others - or yourself - won over by a glorious CV and a charismatic presence in an interview, only to have buyers remorse later? Presentation and pizzazz can only cover up so many sins for so long.  

As I penned this blog I was reminded of an exchange between two characters from the 1995 movie "The American President", which for me encapsulates the challenges we face in sorting the wheat from the chaff and seeing beyond formal awards and what might actually lie beneath:

People want leadership, Mr. President, and in the absence of genuine leadership, they'll listen to anyone who steps up to the microphone. They want leadership. They're so thirsty for it they'll crawl through the desert toward a mirage, and when they discover there's no water, they'll drink the sand. 

Lewis, we've had presidents who were beloved, who couldn't find a coherent sentence with two hands and a flashlight. People don't drink the sand because they're thirsty. They drink the sand because they don't know the difference. 

My request of you? Dig deeper.  Don't be fooled by the pleasant mirage that might be before you. Put in the effort to find out if there really is a glass of water or a glass of sand before you.

Don't drink the sand.

______________________________

Greg Hadubiak, MHSA, FACHE, CEC, PCC

President & Founder - BreakPoint Solutions

gregh@breakpoint.solutions 

www.breakpoint.solutions 

780-250-2543

Helping leaders realize their strengths and enabling organizations to achieve their potential through the application of my leadership experience and coaching skills. I act as a point of leverage for my clients. I AM their Force Multiplier.

The Power of Vision, Commitment, and Legacy

Several years ago I found myself in Warsaw, Poland, representing the Edmonton Charter Chapter of the International Coach Federation at the annual Global Leadership Forum. Coaching leadership from over 68 countries were there to collaborate to support the growth of the coaching profession, our chapters, and our clients.  

What the trip also afforded me, albeit in a very limited fashion, was the ability to get to know the history of Warsaw and Poland to a greater degree than what I previously possessed. Most particularly, I had a chance to visit the Warsaw Uprising Museum and the Royal Castle. In both cases, I had the opportunity to fully appreciate the utter and complete devastation that Warsaw experienced as a result of World War II and the challenges it faced under Nazi, Soviet, and Communist rule. Warsaw – a thriving and artistic metropolis of over one million people – was reduced to a pile of rubble occupied by no more than a few thousand at the war’s end.

The journey back for Warsaw actually started at the commencement of hostilities in September 1939 and, in some respects, continues to this day. When Nazi planes started bombing the city, many of its cultural icons and buildings were immediately put at risk with the Royal Palace being severely damaged at the outset. Many brave Poles began the effort to save the artifacts within the building even to the point of losing their lives in doing so. Throughout those early days of desperation and ultimate defeat, they continued the effort to preserve as much of the art and the architecture of their buildings. They showed as much determination in the process of preserving their heritage as the Nazi’s did in destroying and looting it. 

No reprieve came to the residents of Warsaw and Poland as the war drew to a close. Quite the contrary.  As Nazi Germany went through its death throes, Hitler and his cronies were more determined than ever to destroy what they could not own or control, while at the same time making Warsaw a devastating battleground with the Soviet war machine. The result was that literally all of Warsaw was laid waste and the Royal Castle was purposely destroyed by the Nazis before withdrawing from the area.

As you might imagine, the Soviet Union and its Communist-installed regime were in no rush to support the reconstruction of glories of the past or anything that might detract from unswerving allegiance to a new world order. As a result, reconstruction of the Royal Castle was not started until 1971 – fully 25 years after the end of World War II – and was not fully restored until 1988.

What does any of have this to with my usual focus on leadership? Simply this: consider the vision and the commitment to preserving a cultural heritage taken up by a few key leaders and likely hundreds if not thousands of other ordinary citizens from 1939 through to 1988. As I noted earlier, those who took steps to preserve the arts and architecture of the Royal Castle at the start, and for the duration of World War II, often paid for that effort with their lives. This meant not only removing art and furnishings from the Royal Castle, but it also sometimes meant removing pieces of the building itself – frescoes, statues, decorative paneling – all to be carried away and hidden until the war was over. 

Regardless of whether these same individuals survived the war or not, many of them must have realized that they weren't likely going to be around for the restoration of the Royal Palace or any other edifice in Warsaw. And yet they not only undertook the immediate effort and risk, but they persevered in their commitment for the two plus decades that followed. They had to have known that their vision would not be realized in their lifetime. They faced a multitude of challenges, including barriers put in place by authorities of the day and the very real issues facing a rebuilding nation and economy. But they persevered and sacrificed in support of their vision anyway.

Just as importantly, these visionaries were able to convince the populace of Warsaw, Poland and others to contribute to the rebuilding and restoration of the Royal Castle. By 1975, over $500 million zloty had been raised through voluntary contribution, including from Polish citizens, who in many ways had so little to give at the time, as they continued to work to restore the basic necessities of life. Art and artifacts hidden during the war were recovered and returned for inclusion in the new structure. And new significant pieces of art were donated from other countries around the world. 

How many of us struggle to create a vision for ourselves or for the businesses we lead that goes much beyond two to three years?

How many of us aspire to create and sustain a vision with the power to impact well beyond ourselves, operating with the realization that its achievement will be beyond our physical ability to see it realized?

In today’s world, how many of us would even entertain such prospects if there were not something of immediate gain in such a venture for us?

I hope you can take from this short post a sense of the inspiration and awe I felt for those with the commitment to build for more than just themselves. To be inspired by the selfless sacrifices that others were prepared to make for future generations and that we have seen in other similar circumstances - in business, in charitable causes, and in nation-building - and to challenge ourselves to a higher level of performance and goal setting. 

______________________________

Greg Hadubiak, MHSA, FACHE, CEC, PCC

President & Founder - BreakPoint Solutions

gregh@breakpoint.solutions 

www.breakpoint.solutions 

780-250-2543

Helping leaders realize their strengths and enabling organizations to achieve their potential through the application of my leadership experience and coaching skills. I act as a point of leverage for my clients. I AM their Force Multiplier.

Ebbs and Flows - Chapter II?

In my last post I talked about some challenging news my wife and family received about her health: a breast cancer diagnosis. This came just in advance of our 12th wedding anniversary and, of course, in the throes of my latest and continuing Ironman preparations.

So the latest? After celebrating our anniversary with a stay in an Edmonton hotel - as adventurous as celebrations can get in the middle of a pandemic - we met with her oncoplastic surgeon to get further interpretation of what her diagnosis, treatment plan and prognosis was likely to be.  I have to say it is sobering to be in a room - staying largely silent - as a physician and your wife discuss surgical options ranging from lumpectomy to mastectomy, survival and satisfaction rates post-surgical intervention, how radiation and/or chemotherapy come into play and so on. It's more than surreal.  

However, what we arrived at was the intervention required was not only not life-threatening, but it was also (at this point) not life-altering either. It seems strange to say this given the short but challenging journey we were on up to that point, but the surgical and medical intervention required is quite limited and contained. That being said, we are still months away from conclusion, with surgery taking place in late May, followed by recovery, followed by a course of radiation. So still much for my wife to endure and still more worry for the family to navigate. Regardless, these are far better outcomes than could have occurred. And certainly a far better reality than that facing so many others who have faced - and lost - a battle with cancer.  

So much more different than the reality that faced Ronan Smyth and his family.  

For several weeks I could start to feel the real powerlessness and fear that Ronan's family must have faced when they got his cancer diagnosis. For them it was clear relatively soon that there was no potential for a positive outcome.  Rather, they knew from the outset that time was limited. I held on to that fear for only a few weeks. It was enough.  

My wife and I have had some pretty deep discussions in the past several weeks. All the what-if scenarios.  How long this journey to health might take her. What that might mean for the whole family during that time. What we would do to prepare if, should it happen, that she wouldn't be in our lives sometime in the future.  How would I manage as a single parent - again. A lot of future surfing and most of it not of the positive kind.

Ronan and his family faced the same situation.  While Ronan got the cancer diagnosis, his family carried the hit, the burden, the worry, and the anxiety of losing a son and a brother. And there was to be no miracle cure.  There was every reason to ponder the future to come after Ronan's passing.  

Ronan didn't give into despair - or at least not entirely. I am absolutely certain that denial, anger, sadness, anxiety, and a host of other emotions turned up for Ronan and his family on a regular basis.  But he also adopted a mantra of Why Not? After being told of his diagnosis, he started - as his parents would call it - a crazy list. He was intent on living life to the fullest during the time left to him and pursued the completion of his list with vengeance. In that he was supported not only by his family, but also by a larger community, including people he had never met. This commitment to living led him to meet his hockey hero Carey Price, flip the coin at the beginning of an Eskimos game, and leap out of plane for not one but two skydiving adventures! More courage and bravado than I!  

On Ronan's first jump, I was told he feared nothing. He asked his tandem partner for barrel rolls and anything that could be thrown at him. On the next jump he wanted to take the leap going backward! And he was accommodated!  

Ronan's mother tells me he rarely complained about his fate.  Make no mistake, there were discussions about why me, but this perspective was significantly overshadowed by his determination to see what he could accomplish in the time remaining to him. He decided to challenge his food with all kinds of different foods. He spent his savings enjoying the life left to him and looking to experience all that he could. He became a fearless adrenaline junky, riding in fast cars and motorcycles. And not only did he do this for himself, he was also able to convince other family and friends to join him in his adventures. He convinced them to share in his Why Not adventures! Ronan's journey served as a reminder that life is precious and needs to be cherished every day.  

Ronan's journey continues to inspire my own Why Not and What If fundraising and Ironman challenge.  As does my wife's more hopeful and optimistic cancer journey.  

Ironman Canada is now four months away.  My fundraising goal is $90,000 away from completion.  

F#ck cancer.  

Home - Greg Hadubiak Cops for Cancer Ironteam (akaraisin.com)

Are you with me?

______________________________

Greg Hadubiak, MHSA, FACHE, CEC, PCC

President & Founder - BreakPoint Solutions

gregh@breakpoint.solutions 

www.breakpoint.solutions 

780-250-2543

Helping leaders realize their strengths and enabling organizations to achieve their potential through the application of my leadership experience and coaching skills. I act as a point of leverage for my clients. I AM their Force Multiplier.