Her hand dropped from the door handle. Had she gone in with that attitude, Sandy realized, it wouldn't have mattered what she had said or asked, the result would have been sealed: employees who would have relied more on her in the future for direction, fewer ideas (because the team would have been conditioned to her having all the answers), and poorer results long-term, among other things. Ultimately, by having such a 'come from,' she would have been communicating, "You're not capable."
This team is bright and capable, Sandy said to herself. They don't need me telling them that they have to execute better. They can see the results as well as I can. My job is to lead them, to assist them in their ability to deliver better results. Sandy took a deep breath and reached for the door again. As she did so, she shook her head. My job certainly isn't to insult and embarrass them.
The meeting didn't start until Karen made it in the door, then John covered the numbers (which were not good) with an emphasis of where they had moved since the team had last been together. Then it was Sandy's turn. She had spent time preparing for this meeting, and had decided to use the Pathways Net Approach, asking broad open-ended questions to gather their ideas on where improvements could be made. Her reasons were simple: this was the first time the team had discussed the new numbers. She didn't want to create a sense of panic, and she certainly didn't want to tell them exactly what to do; that would only guarantee a group of robots that would require constant programming by her. She wanted to use this opportunity to build within the team a greater confidence in their ability to deliver. And, Sandy wanted them to know how much she trusted them.
Seated at the corner of the table, she cleared her throat, looked at the numbers on the Power Point one more time, then dove in. "I know none of us are pleased with the results we just posted, especially given they're from the last three weeks of Q2 - typically are strongest weeks." She took a deep breath. "Let's be honest: it's not good enough. Our efforts weren't what they need to be. Frankly-" Sandy stopped. She was just about to say if we keep this up, we're doomed. While this was true, Sandy knew they knew that. And she wasn't about to take their focus backward and jeopardize the potential to tap into the ideas that could turn things around for them.
She started again. "And certainly some things aren't working." Sandy stood up and prompted the machine in front of her to the next slide. This one showed the goals they had set 6 months ago. "Looking at our goals," she moved to the next slide, this one with the title "Plan,' "and analyzing our plan, one thing is certain: we didn't execute."
She sat back down, and readied herself to use the Pathways Message tool. "I'm dedicating this meeting to identifying what we can do to improve our ability to execute, both more effectively and efficiently. When we do that, I believe we will deliver the results we know we can deliver."
It was time for the Teach Tool. Sandy paused again, reminded herself that she wasn't going to "teach" in the old sense of the word. Instead, she truly wanted to co-discover some answers to some very important - and challenging - questions.
She looked down at the list of questions she had written on the pad before her. Most of the questions were under the category of Execution, but there was also one under each of the other three categories (vision, motivation, accountability) as well. She didn't want to risk leaving anything out.
Sandy started by creating a Platform for her first question. "I want to start by taking a close look at where we did execute well. I have a hunch there might be some things there we can apply else where."
Hardly a breath could be taken before Mike jumped in. "Sandy, I don't think people have a clue what it takes to execute. It's the same problem, quarter after quarter. Besides, every single one of us knows it's a supplier issue, and personally, I'm done worrying about something I can't control."
The room fell silent. Sandy smiled, knowing that precious focus and energy that she had just invested in moving forward, was now headed in a negative direction. But before she responded, Sandy took a Magic Moment, and realized, Mike's got a reason to feel that way. There's a lot of pressure on him - and all of us. He doesn't mean to harm this process - he's just frustrated.
Sandy let her thoughts guide her response. "Mike, I hear you. It's frustrating, especially the supplier issue. But, we've been hired to deliver. That's what they're paying us to do. In order to do that, it's going to require us to do things so that we can impact those things we can control." She looked directly at her oldest colleague. "Can I have your help with that?"
She interpreted Mike's silence as a 'yes,' then looked at the rest of the team. "It is frustrating when we can't deliver. Your frustration is valid, and testament to your will to succeed. I want to tap into where that will has been successful, so let me ask again, 'Where were we successful in executing during Q2?"
After a slight pause, the room began to fill with chatter - and energy. Kay helped board, and within five minutes the entire flip chart was full of specific examples of where the team had executed effectively. When Kay sat down, Sandy knew the team felt better, but this was no time for any rah-rah celebrating; the forward-focused energy was delicate at best.
"Okay, let's build on that. I'd like each of us to write down their answers to this question: looking back at Q2, what are two things you've learned that, when applied, you know will allow you and the team to execute more effectively, both in Q3 and beyond?"
The team stared at her blankly. And Sandy smiled right back at them. Yes, I want you to think, and I want you to write your answers down. She held firm, and didn't bail them out with a follow-up question; she was determined this team become better leaders and more effective at thinking for themselves without my babysitting in the future, she thought to herself.
Sandy grabbed a pen and wrote down her two ideas. Not coincidently, they both were related to her leadership. Then, as she observed her team preparing their results, it occurred to her that this question also would address accountability. More than ever, she wanted this team to realize that their individual actions would determine the team's success.
When everyone was finished writing, Sandy gave them instructions. "For now, please share what you feel is the most valuable idea from your list, and when you do so, provide us with an example of what that idea looks like in action. Then, if someone sees further applications for your idea, let's make sure we explore it." She put her pen down. "I've got one to add, too, but I have a hunch someone in here has already thought of it. Who'll start?"
With that, the heart of the meeting was launched. For the next two and a half hours, with the exception of a couple of breaks, Sandy stayed perched on the edge of her chair, deeply listening to their ideas. And the rest of the meeting, she held to a promise she had made to herself: Every time she wanted to slip and tell, every time she wanted to interrupt their thoughts and their flow, she took a deep breath and stretched her shoulders. This deliberate movement effectively reminded her to keep her mouth shut so that she could accomplish what she desperately needed to accomplish: build a team that could deliver.
Yet, she wasn't about to step back and not lead. So occasionally, she used additional Teach Tool questions to explore further, especially around those ideas that she knew from experience might be more effective than others.
She had prepared herself to ask simple questions she knew would tap further into the ideas being shared. They included: "I need some more clarity. Why are you so fired up about this idea, and how does your idea impact the CPU's?" "How would that (idea) impact our quality target?" "Where else can we take that action?" (Execution)
The group was rocking. Sandy hated to conclude this portion of the meeting, but once the team had come to a consensus on the three ideas they would employ (with the possibility of a fourth), she knew she had to move.
At that very moment, it occurred to her how tempting it was to fall back to the "tell" mode! She knew they needed to create an action plan for the ideas they wanted to move on, and she knew that the plan needed to have accountability built into it. But they know the same things! She said to herself. And if they don't, I'm going to assume they do, because I know they want to be great.
Sandy was delivering on her desire to communicate some powerful, unspoken messages to her team. She wanted them to know how much she trusted their ability to carry through. "I'm psyched about what we've created. There's no doubt in my mind we can execute twice as effectively this quarter, and that will have a huge impact on company results."
Then she zeroed in on the questions she felt were "musts" in every meeting: "Please take the remaining 15 minutes and answer these two questions on your own: 1) What is your plan to implement the three action steps we gained today, and 2) How will you monitor the effectiveness of your ideas and plan?
Because there were only a few minutes remaining, Sandy could only ask four of her team members to share their action plan and accountability measures. While she was thinking of it, she made a note to herself to see the others individually over the next week to hear first-hand the steps they had outlined for themselves.
With one minute to spare, she looked at her team. They were exhausted! But she also sensed a determination and eagerness to put their plans into action. She wanted to tell them about the confidence she had in them, but chuckled as she realized that a'rah-rah' speech at this point might hurt more than it could help. Besides, she wanted to learn one more thing about her team before they plunged into the new quarter.
Leaning forward, she said a Meeting Closer question, "Thank you for a most productive meeting. Before you go, I'd like for a couple of you to answer a question that I think might identify the most critical thing we can discover today. What qualities does this team possess that provides you with the confidence that we will execute more effectively in Q3 and beyond?"
It didn't take long and the answers began to pop around the room. And they were power answers. At the end, as people stood up, their confidence seemed to rise with them.
***
Through the above case study, you've seen many Pathways to Leadership tools in action. Pathways graduates will be able to immediately identify them, and for those of you who have not attended a program, we hope that you will still be able to use some of the ideas above to improve your own team. Please let us know how we can help to an even greater degree.
