Another Sunday Reflection (23-10-2011)

It has been a challenging week. Certain unexpected events unnecessarily drained away my energy that otherwise could have been put into better use. Well this is part of my occupational risk and every leader is to expect some disturbances and obstacles some how or rather, sooner or later.
Yet when it came to weekend, it was again a happy occasion when the whole family could gather together to have a sumptuous dinner. The restaurant was crowded and as usual, I was reading while waiting for food to be served. (Sorry to my family members who preferred me to talk and listen rather than reading quietly.) It was at that moment while I was reading the article 'Practices that Distinguish High-Performing Leaders' by Joan Bragar (from the magazine 'Management-Voice of Leadership Issue Volume 46, No. 4) that I found some answers to my present predicament from that article. The main point of this Sunday reflection is not to highlight my challenges but to share with you some valuable points about leadership just in case you have not read this article.
This article highlights the results of a research by Forum Corporation, a workplace consultancy based in Boston. Forum's effort includes study into the undeniable fact of new and more diverse workforce, diminished institutional loyalties and less reverence for authority. (So true and relevant.) Faced with such challenges, managers around the world began to push authority downward and experiment with empowerment management. Forum undertook an extensive research in various stages and came out with a number of important conclusions that I would like to share with you. However, with my limited knowledge and ability, I may not be able to interpret the message intended by the author to readers with 100% accuracy. Hence, it will be good for those who are interested to read the actual article. (Those sentences in brackets are my personal comments.)

The findings:

• Without leadership, organisations falter in times of change. Strong leaders see clearly and act decisively in times of turbulence. Continually seeking information from all levels of the organisation and from outside sources is critical to building the confidence needed to overcome organisational paralysis.
• During periods of rapid change in technologies, markets and competitive conditions, progress depends on personal initiative and leadership skills throughout the organisation. A few lone individuals at the top cannot implement strategies successfully. (See that?)
• Position and titles bear no relationship to leadership performance. (So true and so relevant. The most unfortunate and dangerous scenario is that of high position but low leadership performance.)
• Leadership involves interdependence more than individualism. Leadership has less to do with individualism than the ability to build and maintain relationship across the organisation. (Gone are the days when leaders think they know best and know all. Unfortunately such mentality still exists in the modern world.)
• Leaders inspire others to take on leadership tasks. A leader is not simply someone who can win followers but more to that, a leader can show others that they themselves can lead, by giving them power and support to do so. (We have to acknowledge that this effort takes time. Only short-sighted and narrow-minded people think this can be done quickly, and make faulty decisions based on unilateral self-deceiving thoughts. Or, perhaps sometimes it is intentional or even a conspiracy?)
• Outstanding management skills are an essential component of leadership. Corporations do not move from stability to change in a clearly delineated junctures. In reality, conditions swing back and forth from day to day, even hour to hour. Coping with the pendulum of change does not mean parcelling out the "leadership" work for leaders and "management" work for managers. Instead, the leadership and management skills should be fostered within each individual.
• Leadership is contextual. Effective leadership is grounded in an extensive knowledge of the business environment, the company, the workgroup, culture and values. (To think that a certain success can be quickly and easily replicated in another organisation is just wishful thinking.)
• Leadership can be learned. It is not just a question of native talent. The skills of effective leadership can be acquired. (Hence, transferring of a weak leader to another organisation will not solve the problem of that organisation. It may result in the downfall of yet another organisation. Neither is transferring of a strong leader to that organisation a solution because the fact that 'leadership is contextual'. Moreover it will send a wrong signal that the good leader is being punished and this can further be complicated due to the complex social and cultural factors. A better solution is to provide an opportunity for the training of weak leaders either through training, mentoring and consultancy as supported by the Forum research. A more direct means will be to require the weak leader to acquire necessary skills and perform, after all he or she is paid to do the job well, nothing less than that. So, why tolerate people who continue to go up without increasing competency and try to circumvent the situation by other means that may result in lose-lose situations in whatever way we may look at---if we are genuine and sincere about it.)    
• Leadership training can improve participants' abilities. It is statistically proven that almost everyone can develop and improve his or her leadership skills through training. (In this context, it is wise to recruit people who can help out in the training and provide a multiplier effect than to assign that person to a very narrow confine. A leader who can see the forest other than just the trees will want to optimise the conditions for improvement of leaderships through trainings, unless of course, he or she has other unspoken agendas.)
• Leadership is not style, it is action. Forum's data indicate that the roots of effective leadership are more practical, and that leadership is based upon a set of observable behaviours. Whatever a person's personalty or character, they can improve as a leader simply by mastering these behaviours. These behaviours include the ability to interpret external and internal conditions; shaping, communicating and creating a positive picture of the future; mobilising and inspiring people.

 The most powerful conclusion of Forum's research is that leadership is not magic. (So, do not expect magic.) Although outstanding leadership can effect miraculous change, it is not itself mysterious, inborn quality. It is linked to learnable behaviours. (So, please do not look for short cut.) Selective recruitment is not the answer. (Neither is discriminative recruitment.) To link leadership development to corporate strategy, employees must be helped to overcome deep-seated patterns of thought and actions. They must learn more than tactical leadership skills. To be effective leaders, they must know where the group is headed, understand that they have control over its direction, and feel that the direction is consistent with their own belief systems.

(Despite my effort to be as close as what is actually written in the article, I am afraid I may not provide a very thorough picture intended by Joan Bragar, the author. So do read that article. However, I find this article very inspiring and soothing while I recuperate from two simultaneous stabs on my back, one from the top and another from the bottom. If you do not quite comprehend this part, I am afraid I cannot elaborate further. Otherwise it will not be just a stab or two but a deep slash with a parang. (' : ') Thank you.)
 

Kelestarian Kepimpinan Pengetua Cemerlang

Berikut ialah ringkasan ceramah bertajuk 'Kelestarian Kepimpinan Pengetua Cemerlang' oleh Yang Berbahagia Tan Sri Dr. Wan Mohd Zahid bin Nordin pada 21 September 2011 di Institut Aminuddin Baki, Genting Highlands, sempena Persidangan Kebangsaan Pengurusan Pendidikan Pengetua Cemerlang Malaysia Kali Ke-4.

Yet another Sunday reflection

People who like books will frequent the book stores and comb the rows of racks. Occasionally we will find one or two good books. I got one that I liked two weeks ago but did not start reading until recently. This book with the title That Used To Be Us - What Went Wrong With America-And How It Can Come Back by Thomas L. Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum is an interesting book for those who like to keep themselves updated with the latest happening especially in the US which actually affects almost everybody in and out of the US. The content of the book is actually relevant to any country on the verge or even have fallen into the trap of complacency and self-deceiving good-feeling of greatness. As for this morning, I am just going to write a bit about the book because I have many more pages to go and I hope to be inspired to write more the next time. Let me start with three interesting quotes (all on the same page).
Under the title : Ignoring Our Problems, chapter two starts with the following two quotes:

• It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one most adaptable to change.-- Evolutionary theory
• We are going to do a terrible thing to you. We are going to deprive you of an enemy. -- Georgi Arbatov, Soviet expert on the US, speaking at the end of the Cold War.

In the first paragraph of the chapter we are reminded by Oscar Wilde's admonition : "In this world there are only two tragedies. One is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it."
While the focus is on the US, the timely reminder of the book on being complacent, arrogant, immersed in self-delusion and refuse to acknowledge the strong undercurrent of advancing events may eventually bring about a lot of sufferings. Also, it is also stressed that competition is an important drive towards excellency, hence the advice from Oscar Wilde that while we are threatened by having to struggle to get something, we are equally threatened when if have already got that something...and be happy about it.....Full stop.

Another Sunday reflection

It has been a very busy week with many decisions to be made and  plenty of things to be carried out. However, it was a difficult week full of confusion and frustration triggered by jobs that needed to be done yet could not be started, actions needed to be taken yet could not be carried out despite all the correct procedures being followed. Amidst this feeling of helplessness probably due to personal nature of taking things too seriously and too critically, as well as being unable to think of a proper cause of this miserable predicament, I turned to page 21 of today's Sunday Star to read the article 'Risky venture for promoters'  by Mr Wong Chun Wai. Unexpectedly, some words in the article popped out like the special effect of  a 3-D film to help me to answer my mystery of the week. Not that these words can make me happier but at least I can laugh to myself sadly. These words can be found in the following partial sentences. I guess it is not too difficult to guess which are the words I meant. However, it is more difficult to know what the real issues are that prompted me to write this article. I know I am not being too clear cut but then after so much of exposure to things that are not too clear cut, how can I possibly not being infected?  I am not going to write about the issues here (thousand of apologies) but if you were to ask me personally, I may tell you. So where are the words? Patient, the two partial sentences are:

1. ......when..... get carried away in imposing their prejudices and jaundiced view of things.
2. Flip-flop moves, indecisiveness, fickle-mindedness and incompetency.....

Thank you Mr Wong Chun Wai for helping me to solve this puzzle of finding the correct description. I hope next week you will be able to provide me with some more appropriate words to describe the week that will start tomorrow.

Sunday reflection

Just a little serious reflection over the weekend. No extra explanation required.

Resonant leadership

The Annual Leadership Conference just ended around noon on 17 June 2011. The delegates were leaving the exhibition hall carrying packed lunch provided by the organiser together with their bags, notes and perhaps business cards of their newly-made friends. As they were going towards the escalator leading to the ground floor of the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Birmingham they were met by a man standing just in front of the escalator, holding a plastic box to collect back the name tag holder for recycling. When it was my turn to hand over my plastic tag holder together with the lanyard attached to it, I was surprised that the collector was none other than Mr. Steve Munby. It struck me with a resonance that made my heart beat faster and stronger. That probably made me brave enough to request a photo of both of us standing together to be taken.

Just a day earlier, in his keynote address as the Chief Executive of the National College, the organiser of the conference, Steve Munby mentioned that in the modern era, the best leaders are not necessary those with great physical strength but more of those who draw on their character, passion and values and those who shape the environment around them for the greater good. According the Steve, successful leaders are those who see change not a threat but an opportunity betterment and what is needed most is the resonant leadership.

In physics, resonance is the tendency of a system to oscillate with larger amplitude at some frequencies than at others.....At these frequencies, even small periodic driving forces can produce large amplitude oscillations......                                (Wikipedia) 

Resonant leaders are those who are able to strike a pure note so that they, and their teams, resonate. They energise those around them during changing times when there is a greater risk of confusion and dissonance. Steve elaborated on the five key characteristics of resonant leaders.

1. They know themselves and strive to develop their own leadership style through a combination of skills, personality, context, and the core beliefs and values.

2. They motivate and energise others. They help those they lead to understand their connection to the bigger picture and the part they play in it. They are very good at prioritising their presence and demonstrating empathy at the right time and place. They strive to get the best out of people, to motivate them, reducing disharmony and creating a resonant culture.

3. They focus on improvement and achieving positive impact in the implementation of evidence-based policy development. Steve cautioned the possibility of being side tracked in the effort to improve the quality of teaching and learning in the classroom due to lack of focus on the correct details. Resonant leaders seek to build on the best practice and are also quick to challenge underperformance in a robust and rigorous way.

4. They collaborate to make organisations stronger and more resilient. Steve mentioned that an effective collaboration culture must be based on moral purpose and about doing the best for young people. Schools in colloboration should be able to identify and draw on great practice from across them to accelerate school improvement.

5. They develop a compelling narrative about the direction of their organisations and make it something to aspire to. They must be able to create resonance out of potential dissonance and react fast to a rapidly changing environment to develop new vision and narrative.

Music and leadership

The National College’s Annual Leadership Conference on 15-17 June 2011 at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Birmingham, UK has brought together a unique blend of world-class speakers to share their insights into modern leadership. One particular speaker who has left a very deep impression on me is Mr. Dominic Alldis. Dominic Alldis is an orchestral conductor, jazz musician and business speaker.

According to Mr. Dominic, a great conductor is a focal point and an inspirational leader. Even though in an orchestra, each individual musician can play equally well in the absence of a conductor, they will play their parts all on their own. It is the role of a respected and inspirational conductor that brings about the focus and the musicians respond to his direction, bringing together the music as a whole. It is not about control but to provide a beat, a pulse and feedback to people on how they sound. The conductor generates the necessary energy and inspires enthusiasm.

Through illustration and live performance, Mr. Dominic explained how a conductor conducts will set the dynamism of the orchestra and by this parallel, how a leader leads will determine the chemistry and dynamism of his organisation. He demonstrated three ways of conducting and explained each respectively in relation to leading and managing in an organisation.

1.      Micromanage – Lack of trust; try to control and at times disruptive.

2.      Indifference – Not interested; boring. 

3.      Passion – Confidence and trust; move together.

Mr. Dominic made a comparison between jazz and managing change. Just as in jazz, managing change is frequently about embracing uncertainty and being curious about what happens next. Jazz provides a structure through common understanding, but has plenty of space for improvisation and finding something new. Within the structure, there is a greater degree of freedom in jazz compared with classical music. Improvisation keeps the music vital, fresh, exciting and new. Occasionally, there will be mistake and Mr. Dominic reminded the audience the saying of Miles Davis: "If there's no mistake, it's a mistake" and stressed that a mistake that is being modified, improvised is not a mistake. He further added that the biggest failure is to have no failure.

During the live performance of a good jazz music, each of the musicians takes turn to play solo and backed-up by the rest of the team. This illustrates the fact that leadership should be rotational and not about one-man show. With proper set-up and environment, each can take turn to lead. Bad jazz is with players on their own, each trying to outdo each other. Good jazz happens when people listen to each other and knowing when to play and when not to play. Music is not just about noise, it is also about silence and listening. What the music teaches is not about competition but it is about collaboration.