Ultimately, it is more about the sorts of organisations we want to have going forward. What we expect of our leaders. What sort of culture we want to be known for. And whether we believe the evidence that the ways that we interact with each other impacts on how profitable, efficient and productive our organisations are.
Ultimately – it depends on what you are trying to achieve with the discipline system. If it’s about getting rid of an employee, it’s a long and painful way to achieve that. If it’s about effecting change – it rarely works, at least in the long term.
The first thing to say is that mankind has been behaving badly since time began. It’s now just more obvious because we’re exposed to other people’s stories through social and other sources of media. You know when you buy a yellow car, how suddenly all you’re seeing are yellow cars? We see what we focus on, so if you start looking for idiots, that’s what you’ll find.
Of course, these are often the conversations that we put off because we think they will be difficult, awkward or uncomfortable. And so things don’t get said when they need to be said. Feelings fester. Positions become entrenched. What was a smaller issue becomes bigger. What was fixable becomes less so.
A senior leader in a well known company gave me an example of how her leadership team aren’t communicating with their teams about forthcoming organisational changes. This
Plenty of studies examine this phenomenon. While listening is the core of most of our communications—the average adult listens nearly twice as much as he or she talks—most people stink at it.
Who does what, and how much is often a source of malcontent in teams. Being aware of this bias is a helpful first step. Researchers suggest that a first step to dealing with this conflict is to estimate the other person’s contribution BEFORE comparing it to your own or the rest of the team’s.
This can (and should) include the little triumphs as well as the huge accomplishments. And because life is more than just work, include life in its round. We get so caught up in life, and in moving forward, we forget to look back in our constant striving to move forward.
What are the elements of a high performing team? And how do you get there if you have a team which is not performing well? These are questions that get asked often as people struggle with how to maximise productivity and cohesion of a team (old or new)!
How do you begin to describe a career so rich, so varied and interesting? Fiona Kalaf’s route and growth as a leader has had many twists and turns; and yet when viewed in hindsight position her perfectly for her current role as CEO of Youth Focus.
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TTC acknowledges the traditional custodians throughout Western Australia and their continuing connection to the beautiful land, waters and community on which we work and live. We pay our respects to all members of Aboriginal communities and their cultures, and acknowledge the wisdom of Elders both past, present and emerging.
