Earning trust: Five building blocks for cultivating trust

By Nicola Field

As human beings our default position is to trust others. Research noted in the Harvard Business Review (HBR) shows that human beings are naturally predisposed to trust – it’s in our genes and our childhood learning.. And most of the time it is a survival mechanism that has served our species well.

It’s only when we find evidence to the contrary that we stop trusting. And judging by the 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer, this is exactly what’s happening.

“The past decade has seen a loss of faith in traditional authority figures and institutions,” said Richard Edelman, president and CEO of Edelman.

He explains that there is a growing feeling of pessimism about the future, with only one in three mass population respondents in the developed world believing his or her family will be better off in the next five years. Just one in five believe ‘the system’ is working for them, and 70% desire change.

Tony Beaven CMgr FIML, General Manager of Elders Financial Planning, believes the erosion of trust within institutions has a lot to do with the environment we live in today. The pace of globalisation, disruption, and technological advancement are all making trust an increasingly scarce commodity for the majority of business leaders. As Beaven explains, “This can often see the needs of the organisation take priority over the relational aspects of building and maintaining the trust relationship throughout the organisation.”

And the erosion of our natural predisposition to trust goes even deeper than that.

Darren Fleming, behavioural scientist and author of Don’t Be A D!ck, says, “We tend to regard people who don’t trust as paranoid. But in many ways our sense of trust has been abused, and a lack of trust is the outcome. “If we look around the world, leaders haven’t been doing what we want them to do. This has led to a disconnect from leaders who are supposed to be pursuing our interests. The banking royal commission highlighted that we can’t always trust leaders in our business community – again because they weren’t doing what we believe they should be doing.”

Gabrielle Dolan, speaker and author on business storytelling and real communication, offers this perspective: “In these days of ‘fake news’ and ‘alternative facts’ we are moving away from that default position of trust, and becoming inherently more suspicious. The result is that leaders have to work harder to gain trust.”

A NEW TREND IS EMERGING

While the 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer signifies that people are generally less trustful, we haven’t entirely given up on trust.

Edelman says, “People have lost confidence in the social platforms that fostered peer-to-peer trust. These forces have led people to shift their trust to the relationships within their control, most notably their employers.”

Intriguingly, Edelman found 75% of people globally trust their employer to do what is right. Moreover, 76% are looking to business leaders to create positive change.

This suggests leaders and managers have some solid responsibilities to live up to. But why does trust even matter? And how can it be nurtured?

TRUST IS VITAL ON MANY FRONTS

Beaven says trust is important “because if you don’t allocate enough time to get the right balance of relational factors versus the business needs of the organisation, your business is potentially subject to turnover issues and a diminishing culture that can ultimately impact the survival of the organisation.”

For Fleming, the issue is clear cut. “Without trust nothing happens. We only get in our cars because we trust that people will drive on the correct side of the road. We turn up to our jobs because we trust that we’ll get paid.”

Fleming adds, “Trust is what allows us to contribute. If we don’t have trust, we have to second guess everything going on.”

As Beaven points out, trust can deliver real advantages to organisations. Dolan expands on that point, saying, “When employees have trust, decisions can be made more quickly, and workplace teams are more likely to buy into those decisions.”

She adds, “Trust also makes change easier because employees are confident that leaders will look after them and do the ‘right thing’ by them. Trust is especially critical in peak periods as staff can be sure that leaders ‘have their back’, and consequently they are likely to give more.”

FIVE BUILDING BLOCKS OF TRUST

The big question is how managers and leaders can go about building trust. It’s not always an easy task, especially as Australians and Kiwis have what Dolan diplomatically refers to as “a tremendous capacity to detect the inauthentic.”

As Fleming notes, “Developing trust calls for a far more proactive approach than a simple open door policy – after all, the trap door spider also has an open door policy.” Here are five proactive steps that leaders can take.

1. TRANSPARENCY

A key starting point in developing trust is transparency. “If you say you are going to do something, then do it,” advises Fleming. “Explain why you are acting in a particular way.”

He adds, “This is where politicians often get things so wrong. People are big enough to handle the truth but politicians don’t give it to us. Instead they try to secure the popular vote by not being truthful.”

Dolan agrees that transparency is essential. She adds, “It is very important to have transparent communication. Even if you have nothing to communicate, let your team know this.”

2. STRONG PERSONAL CONVICTIONS

“Good leaders with strong personal convictions explain what they are doing,” says Fleming.

“A lot of the time people in the workforce don’t know why they’re doing something. If someone on your team questions why they have been asked to complete a task, explain why. It’s not good enough to just say ‘because I’m in charge’.”

3. DON’T AIM TO BE PERFECT

Be prepared to show a vulnerable side. Dolan explains, “The leadership style of never showing weakness, never making mistakes and having all the answers is outdated. The ability to show a vulnerable side calls for courage and self-assurance.”

According to Dolan, being able to show vulnerability is a sign of strength. Conversely, refusing to demonstrate vulnerability is a sign of weakness.

“The maxim that ‘perfect leaders aren’t real, and real leaders are imperfect’ is very true,” says Dolan. “When someone is trying to be too perfect they don’t come across as approachable, and we aren’t comfortable with them.”

This view is confirmed by the HBR study, which found we’re far more likely to trust people who are similar to us in some dimension.

4. INVITE, LISTEN, OBSERVE

Fleming has developed his own mantra for building trust, “Don’t turn your back on people, don’t cover your ears, and don’t close your heart”.

He explains this saying, “Invite people into conversations. We are social creatures and we don’t like to be excluded. When you include people, they feel protected because they are part of the tribe.”

Be prepared to listen to others. “We all have a voice and we all want to share and contribute,” adds Fleming. “When you shut people down they become resentful.”

Keeping your heart open matters too. As Fleming notes, “It can be difficult to find a balance between leading and building trust. It’s about knowing your people, reading the environment and having social awareness.

“Observe your team, ask if everything is okay, and adopt an empathetic person-to-person approach. We’re all people trying to get through life. A lot of leaders lose sight of this amid the ‘we’re here to make money’ attitude.”

5. SHARE PERSONAL STORIES

Dolan recommends sharing personal stories to build trust. “It can be very powerful as long as you’re sending a business message to demonstrate personal values,” she explains. However, this calls for leaders to truly know their own values, such as integrity, respect and teamwork.

“Do things that demonstrate your values,” says Dolan. “For example, you may believe in the value of feedback but this means you need to be able to accept feedback yourself.”

Storytelling can be used at team meetings, presentations, or even in a one-on-one situation. Dolan offers an example of how very public storytelling can deepen relationships.

“A client of mine was speaking at an event, and she openly described how the amount of time she was spending at work was starting to threaten her marriage,” notes Dolan. “It was a deeply personal anecdote. But by sharing it she was acknowledging ‘I haven’t got this right’.

“The response from the audience was exceptional,” adds Dolan. “Many people thanked the speaker – it just hadn’t occurred to those she worked with that this person would be having these sorts of issues. It gave others permission to share their story.”

This article originally appeared in the December 2019 print edition of Leadership Matters, IML ANZ’s exclusive Member’s magazine. For editorial suggestions and enquiries, please contact karyl.estrella@managersandleaders.com.au.

Learning new ways: Education keeps pace with a changing business landscape

Political tension. Technology disruption. Regulatory change. Economic tremors. The list goes on. Every aspect of modern life seems clouded by uncertainty right now. For managers and leaders, it can feel like the only certainty is that more change is coming.

That presents an enormous challenge for those institutions charged with educating the managers and leaders of the future. How can universities prepare graduates for a business landscape that could be unrecognisable in years to come? Or, to put it another way, how is it possible to prepare someone for tomorrow, when you don’t know what tomorrow even looks like

 

Keeping up with business and education

One man who may have the answer is Professor Tony Travaglione. The University of Newcastle’s Pro Vice-Chancellor of Business and Law has his finger on the pulse of business education in Australia and worldwide. Until recently, he was President of the Australian Business Deans Council, providing leadership to 39 business schools, nationwide. And he is currently on the International Advisory Board at the Institute of Management Technology in Dubai.

Prior to his role at the University of Newcastle, Professor Travaglione held senior positions at the Curtin Business School, the University of Adelaide and the University of Sydney. He has also held the position of Visiting Professor at Stanford University where he taught MBA students at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Throughout his career, Professor Travaglione has maintained close links between the education sector and the business community. He has delivered research and other projects for an enviable collection of organisations including ANZ bank, BHP, Qantas, Nespresso, Main Roads Western Australia, Westrail, Hunter Area Health, and Centrelink. He has also conducted projects for international organisations including Norwich Union, Royal Sun Alliance, Guinness Brewing and the London Underground.

IML ANZ chief executive David Pich CMgr FIML caught up with Professor Travaglione to discuss how the education sector is evolving to meet the changing needs of aspiring managers and leaders.

 

Addressing the issue of graduate employability

DAVID PICH: Employers sometimes lament that university students, upon graduating, are not ‘work ready’ for the business world. How would you respond to that?

TONY TRAVAGLIONE: Traditionally, graduates who undertook business courses such as MBAs found it relatively easy to find employment. However, more recently, we’ve seen a shift where some institutions’ curricula have struggled to keep pace with the speed of change in the world of work. Of course, the flipside is that there’s been huge success for the universities and courses that have reacted positively and quickly.

 

Connecting with industry and staying relevant

David Pich and Tony TravaglioneDP: How can educators adapt to stay relevant?

TT: Working closely with the business sector is a big part of it. One way we’ve done this at the University of Newcastle is in relation to our EMBA, where we’ve consulted with industry. This has resulted in students working on organisational projects. We’re keeping the curriculum up to date by having organisations and employees working on real-life projects, and bringing their learning back to the classroom, and vice versa. So instead of completing textbook assignments, they’re rolling up their sleeves and doing workplace projects.

DP: The University of Newcastle’s links to the business sector now extend to IML ANZ too. We’re delighted to have the University of Newcastle on board as a Pathway Partner for your Executive MBA (EMBA). What excites you about that partnership?

TT: It’s a wonderful opportunity to work with a really professional body like IML ANZ and it helps to address what is missing in MBA programs right now in Australia. To enrol in this program, you need support from an employer. The curriculum supports you in the attainment of a range of skills and competencies, allowing you to graduate as a Chartered Manager in one year if you complete all the eight courses. And, during that journey, students are entitled to IML ANZ Member benefits.

DP: I can’t help but think that’s how education, and particularly tertiary education, has to go: building more of these kinds of partnerships with industry.

TT: Oh absolutely. That’s how to ensure university courses adapt at the same speed that industry does. And equally, if a university is leading the way in terms of research, then that also feeds its way back into the organisations. Everyone benefits from the knowledge that everyone brings to the table.

 

The shifting education landscape

DP: When I think back to my own university degree, it was essentially sitting in an old dusty, draughty lecture theatre. It was really no preparation for the world of work at all. Back then, the gap between work and academia was huge. Has much changed?

Tony TravaglioneTT: If you were to come and attend classes at the University of Newcastle now, your experience would be unrecognisable from what you just described. The analogy I would use is that the old form of learning – hour-long university lectures – was like sitting down and reading a newspaper for 60 minutes. But instead, we now use blended learning.

Blended learning is more like sitting down with three or four friends, and discussing what you’ve learned having already read the newspaper. Then, at a certain point, a subject matter expert (a university academic and/or industry expert) joins you for the discussion to add their insights. All of a sudden, someone jumps in saying, “Well, I found this online yesterday”. Someone else points out something they read in a magazine. And by the time that 60 minutes is up, you’ve covered numerous sources from around the globe and participated in a sophisticated debate.

Given the choice, what would you do: Stick to reading the newspaper for an hour? Or engage in all those interactions with people using all of those sources of information? I think it’s obvious which approach would enrich your learning most.

 

DP: In the past, people would study a tertiary degree then work in a single profession or industry for the rest of their lives. Now, as people live longer and markets are increasingly disrupted, individuals are likely to switch careers several times in their lifespan. That means reskilling and learning will be required throughout people’s lives, not just when they’re in their teens or early 20s. What advice would you have for managers and leaders who want to thrive in such an environment?

TT: The skillset that will be transferable across industries may not necessarily be a technical one. It is more about soft skills which centre around leadership: teamwork, negotiation, understanding culture, harnessing diversity, and so on.

My advice to anyone is that the days of a single qualification are indeed gone.

 

DP: That echoes what we’ve been saying at IML ANZ. If you want to lead people, then technical skills alone are not enough. However, I was interested when you used the phrase ‘soft skills’. I use it too – but I have a problem with it because ‘soft’ sounds easy. Whereas soft skills are actually hard to master!

TT: I agree – we do need to change that phrase. Perhaps we should simply talk about leadership skills? Because to be a successful leader, you’ve obviously got to understand what it takes to recruit, develop and manage a successful team. You’re only able to do that if you’ve got effective leadership skills. You can be the best in the world in a technical area, but if you don’t have those leadership skills, your career will stall. You’re not going to make your organisation as effective as it should be.

 

DP: Are you optimistic about the future of business education in Australia?

TT: I’m an optimist simply because I believe in competition. There is currently competition in the marketplace and that is only going to grow and grow. Yes, we all offer pretty much the same products, but how the products are delivered is what matters. At the University of Newcastle we use blended learning, as I described before.

There are other business schools who would expect their students to turn up to a big lecture room packed with hundreds of students.

You can simply record that lecture and play it over and over again year in, year out. And the students know that. So why would they bother going to classes? When we hear that perhaps students are not attending classes in the same numbers as they might have done 10 or 15 years ago, it’s easy to see why.

Today, some educators are trying to teach students the same way that they did 10 or 15 years ago. And students today are not interested in those outdated forms of delivery.

But I’m optimistic for business educators and institutions who follow a different path – the path of blended learning.

The full version of this article appeared in the December 2019 print edition of Leadership Matters, IML ANZ’s exclusive Member’s magazine. For editorial suggestions and enquiries, please contact karyl.estrella@managersandleaders.com.au.

How intentional leadership prepares leaders for the future

Our world is rapidly changing. A growing and increasingly diverse population, climate change, technological advancement and cyber risks – these are just some of the factors leaders must face now and increasingly in the future.

Leaders’ success will rest in the plans they have put in place to respond to factors, both known and unknown. More than ever, leaders need intent. You cannot rely on the off chance that the solutions will land in front of you. Sound leadership doesn’t happen by accident.

In response to the many leadership challenges that we anticipate the future will bring, IML ANZ introduced the Intentional Leadership Series. It featured three thought-provoking events held across New Zealand that provided leadership insights into future-focused topics.

Discussions ranged from how to overcome future challenges, how to adapt, thrive and lead in a rapidly changing world, to top tips for inclusive leadership. Three experts spoke about their experiences, insights and advice on intentional leadership with a future focus.

 

Here are some of the highlights:

 

Change, more change and climate change

Rob CampbellIn Auckland, we invited thought-leader and advocate for diversity, equality and sustainability, Rob Campbell, for a glimpse of what the future could look like for leaders in New Zealand. Importantly, Campbell took us on a journey through some of his personal leadership experiences and how these can help all leaders face the challenges to come.

Campbell pointed out that the old principles which underpin the way we do business are shifting. Short-term profits and shareholder interests no longer come first. Governments, social organisations, business communities and even investors are shifting their focus and responsibility to a wider range of interests.

However, he warned, that while our current legal, hierarchical and incentive structures remain intact, we cannot rely on leaders to drive change. This, Campbell declared, was utopian.

Finally, Campbell emphasised that the greatest challenge to leaders, not just in New Zealand but globally, is climate change. Speaking in advance of the historic passing of the Zero Carbon Bill, Campbell directed focus to the following issues:

 

  • Will the transition to a zero net emissions economy happen fast enough to avoid the worst projected negative effects?
  • Is the cost of the transition manageable without destroying social cohesion?
  • Can we adapt to the new physical living standards that the transition will require?

 

All are vital questions that leaders must address.

Campbell ends with optimism and believes that the solutions rest within the business community. He roused listeners not to stand aside or resist. Rather, be engaged and positive about their leadership roles.

 

Courage in the face of change

Kaila ColbinOpening with some amazing facts about how technology is changing the way we live and lead, Kaila Colbin, CEO of Boma New Zealand provided an inspiring and eye-opening session in Christchurch.

For Colbin, the positive social impact made possible by the massive technological changes we are witnessing today – including the ability to mass-produce essential goods such as food and power affordably – is not a given. It is a choice.

Leaders, therefore, need the courage to keep making choices that improve our world in the face of widespread change. Colbin cautioned that a lack of courage among leaders can result in:

  • An inability to tackle tough conversations
  • An erosion of trust
  • A lack of diversity, inclusivity and equality
  • A culture of shame and blame

 

Informed by the research of best-selling author Dr Brené Brown, Colbin highlighted how courage is the most important attribute for leaders facing change. In part, because change brings about the need to have incredibly uncomfortable conversations. Those might include conversations around:

  • Technological unemployment – the loss of jobs due to technological advancements
  • Increased inequality – those who own the technology get richer but as productivity increases, salaries remain stagnant
  • Rise in cyber risks – when everything is connected, everything is at risk
  • Algorithm bias – exponential technology is governed by algorithms that may have inherited their creator’s biases and prejudices
  • Undermining of trust – technology such as ‘deepfakes’ make it easy to put words (or even actions) into another person’s mouth, in extremely realistic ways.

 

When considering the optimisation of technological advancements, Colbin advised leaders not to first ask “can we”, but rather “should we”. This takes courage. Indeed, because leaders who make values-based decisions initially appear as ones who fly in the face of business norms. Later, once momentum gathers, these same mavericks are often heralded as game-changers.

In closing, Colbin reminded leaders that the world we desire requires courage – and she asked, “What are you going to do?”

 

 

Inclusive is not elusive

Dr Jo CribbWhen it comes to inclusive leadership, we went direct to the authority on the matter Dr Jo Cribb, former Chief Executive of the Ministry for Women.

Cribb challenged listeners, at her session in Wellington, to step out of their comfort zones. She emphasised how vital it is to not only invite different voices to the table – but to make them feel welcome and comfortable in order to truly harness their value. According to Cribb, leaders must embrace conflict and tough conversations instead of seeking support and affirmation.

She also admits that creating truly inclusive teams is not easy. It takes time and effort, something not all leaders may have the commitment or determination to accommodate. However, Cribb points out that inclusive is not elusive. She listed ten tips for leaders:

 

  1. Conduct inclusive meetings: give everyone a say and implement a no interruption rule
  2. Seek out those you don’t agree with: pick people who are open to engaging, not arguing
  3. Widen your network: at networking events, chat to someone who doesn’t look like you
  4. Create small ripples: don’t underestimate the power of small actions, smile at people
  5. Recommend a variety of people: avoid only putting forward names of people within your ‘tribe’
  6. Be authentic: be honest and open both in your personal and professional life
  7. Check your actions: if you must work out of hours, avoid setting the expectation that your staff or colleagues must do the same
  8. Listen: open your mind and try to understand what people are telling you
  9. Listen again: if you ask a question, listen for the actual answer
  10. Listen some more

 

The session concluded with a thoughtful discussion with the audience. Cribb provided further advice on how to succeed in creating an inclusive team and workforce. She also cautioned that the aim to become inclusive must be hard-wired into your organisation’s DNA. If there is no business rationale to do it, your efforts are likely to fail.

Ultimately, Cribb reminded everyone present that inclusiveness comes down to your own behaviour – and it need not cost a lot.

It was a truly insightful and engaging series of events. Stay tuned for more events from IML ANZ.

 

3 Points of View: How can leaders pause to focus on long-term strategy?

In a busy world, how can leaders ensure they are setting aside time to focus on creating their strategy? Three Chartered Managers share their thoughts.

 

Jillian Ritherdon CMgr FIMLJillian Cable CMgr FIML

CEO and Company Secretary, Venture Housing Company

 

As someone who survived a close encounter with terrorists; lost a step-son in a preventable incident; and whose mother died of cancer at a young age; I know that life can be both very short and extremely arbitrary. So, above all, do what inspires you. As a very wise mentor once said to me: “If you lead a life of purpose, your job will be an inspirational journey”.

My practical tips are:

  • Delegate day-to-day tasks. This frees up your time for strategic thinking, helps develop your people, and assists succession planning.
  • Slowly handwriting my ‘to do’ lists on paper and prioritising tasks embeds them in my mind and stimulates thoughts in a way that typing does not. I then set up alerts in my electronic diary. Freed from the fear of forgetting an important deadline, my mind can relax and contemplate the ‘helicopter view’.
  • Self-care is important. Some of my best ideas have come during a massage, riding a horse or whilst mowing the lawn! Sometimes the mind needs to be in a non-work zone for the strategy to emerge.

 

Carol Sutton CMgr FIMLCarol Sutton CMgr FIML

Director, On The Business

 

It all starts with preparation and intention. Make sure you understand what your long-term vision and goals are – and be crystal clear on how you will know when you have achieved them. Then be bold and begin. Just as you would never dream of waiting to start a journey until every traffic light en route was green, you should accept that there will never be a time when all the business conditions are perfect. So get started! (See CE Lindblom’s papers on Muddling Through and Still Muddling, Not Yet Through for a useful and enjoyable read on this subject.)

Periodically schedule time to check in on your progress and be smart about when you schedule that. I’m a big advocate for active procrastination. Accept that you won’t always be in the right frame of mind to tackle strategy – and don’t feel bad about that. If you struggle to focus on the written word during the afternoon, try and organise meetings or schedule phone calls during that time. (Eisenhower’s decision matrix offers a great rule of thumb for how to spend your time effectively.)

 

Michael Coe CMgr FIMLMichael Coe CMgr FIML

Support Services Manager, Maritime Saab Australia

 

Taking time for reflection can easily be pushed aside due to day-to-day demands. In my experience timing is the key. Ideas can sometimes come from the most unlikely sources and at random times. Capturing these ideas, whether relevant or not at the time, is key to successful planning. This includes process/organisational changes, business opportunities or any other puzzle pieces that contribute to strategic planning. In this way, the time spent on reflection for strategy has more meaning and content.

It is easy to set high-level plans that remain dormant afterwards because they are prepared for representation rather than genuine change. It is pointless attending planning meetings with a blank sheet because that’s unlikely to achieve productive outcomes.

Big picture planning is easier with content. It can sometimes be more effective using a ‘bottom up’ approach rather than ‘top down’. Laying out the opportunities and ideas can make the strategic pathways more apparent. This makes the eff ort spent on reflection and planning worthwhile – delivering real outcomes – and therefore encouraging us to commit our time to it, either individually or collectively.

This article originally appeared in the June 2019 print edition of Leadership Matters, IML ANZ’s quarterly magazine. For editorial suggestions and enquiries, please contact karyl.estrella@managersandleaders.com.au.

Beyond fulfilment: How to keep teams motivated

When employees reach a peak of self-fulfilment and growth, how do you help them to stay motivated? Could there be more to fulfilment than simply achieving personal bests? More importantly for managers and leaders, how does keeping your employees impact your business?

Motivated employees are undeniably valuable. Findings from IML ANZ’s latest National Salary Survey (NSS), show that keeping engagement and motivation levels up is vital. NSS respondents revealed that the single most important human capital challenge they believe would add the most value to their organisation is motivating employees (53%).

Compound that with the fact that the NSS shows a slightly upward trend in voluntary staff turnover. Moreover, what’s the top reason for leaving a job? Employees are looking for a new challenge (72%). So, keeping your teams motivated is not just about getting them to be their best; it is also best for your business.

However, when an employee has achieved much on their own, is it still possible to keep them challenged, excited about the work and motivated to do their best?

Here are some ways to achieve this:

 

Maslow’s sixth level of motivation

Most of us are familiar with Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. At the apex of the five-stage peak is self-actualisation or the realisation of self-fulfilment and peak personal achievements. What is not as widely known is that later in his life, Maslow added a sixth level to his hierarchy of needs – intrinsic values. This involves supporting a cause beyond individual success.

How to harness it: Leaders must help all employees, including high-achievers, to understand how they play a part in the greater purpose of the organisation. Who does your organisation help? How does it contribute to society? Keep them focused beyond self-actualisation to help them stay motivated.

 

The value of teamwork

Staying motivated after achieving much as an individual doesn’t mean high-performing employees won’t appreciate team-led wins. Never underestimate the power of collaboration and great working relationships between colleagues. As social beings, humans always enjoy the sense of working together to overcome an obstacle, reach a goal or even assisting each other when times are tough.

How to harness it: Encourage open communication between teams and within teams. Use technology to open up lines of communication by starting a team chat group. Help your employees get to know each other not just as colleagues but as people – develop real connections by organising social activities. Celebrate successes as a team too.

 

Empowering others

A sense of motivation can be sapped if one feels that they are held back from making decisions. To help keep good performers engaged, display trust in their abilities.

How to harness it: Let your team members make the call on decisions that they know best. Avoid crushing their motivation by making them feel they are powerless when it comes to their own projects.

By emphasising how they contribute to the organisation’s purpose, fostering a healthy team environment and empowering your team members, you’ll keep even the highest achievers motivated to give their best.

Sources:

IML ANZ Members can access these articles via Leadership Direct.

The need for greater trust in recruitment

By Kara Atkinson

 

In the digital era, fast-paced, competitive business environments reward those who are quick to respond to new opportunities and market challenges. Trust plays a vital role in the success of these initiatives, providing a cornerstone for building strategic partnerships, establishing a reputation, embracing digital transformation, and more.

Today, this once-stable foundation is crumbling under the pressure of royal commissions, and large-scale data breaches faced en-masse by organisations in every industry, and we’re quickly losing our footing. This sobering trend is made apparent in a new survey conducted by Harvard Business Review, in which nearly two-thirds (63%) of senior executives at large enterprises throughout the world stated that trust among people, businesses, and institutions has declined over the past two years. Further, after 20 years of research, the Great Places to Work Institute found that experiencing a high level of trust, between leaders and employees, is the primary defining characteristic of the very best workplaces.

 

The challenges

When looking at recruitment, if the process for joining a workplace is engineered through a broken vehicle, then trust is difficult to establish.

Leaders deal with subjective candidate vetting; their recruitment firm only shortlists the people on the market at that time rather than a shortlist of the best people.

On the other side, the candidate deals with unreturned calls, the black hole of resume submissions, and last-minute internal candidate competition and an emotional minefield of career guidance from short term relationships with inexperienced recruitment consultants.

The recruiter deals with outdated, generic job descriptions, usually supplied by their clients. The market is corrupted by over promotion of the same roles. Also, everyone competes in a time-stamped environment where speed wins over quality.

 

The environment

Hiring is never easy. According to a study by Leadership IQ, 46% of newly-hired employees will fail within 18 months, while only 19% will achieve unequivocal success. This lack of vision keeps companies from achieving the holy grail of business outcomes: Trust. This is what keeps teams drowning in a sea of mediocrity and what derails once-promising leadership careers. And this stops trust from developing.

Career ladders are long gone – where once a person signed onto an organisation at 21, followed the rules, were incrementally promoted along the way and retired with a gold watch. As companies have thinned out, leadership positions have disappeared, not to be seen again.

Career pyramids have replaced the ladders. The further up the pyramid people move, the hotter the competition for the top spot and the failure rates are staggering. Harvard Business Review puts the failure rate among management hires at 60% and the consequences of failure derail a once-promising career and cost the organisation time, money and trust.

 

The way forward

It is time for the recruitment industry to rewrite the rules of recruitment. Not just improve it, but, just as Uber did to the taxi industry, they need to transform and disrupt it. Every recruiter is an ‘expert non-transactional specialist with a proprietary search methodology who has access to deep global networks.’ Where is the recruiter who builds their business, and yours, on a foundation of competence, bespoke communication and trust?

Leaders must understand that a true employee value proposition is not only written in the first line of a job ad but is permeated through every touchpoint their prospective employee has.

Kara Atkinson is an executive recruitment expert with 18 years’ experience in helping people continue to build and transform themselves throughout their careers.

Why connection is the key to talent retention

By Michelle Sales

 

Think of the last time you had to deal with some kind of performance issue. Maybe an individual had stopped working cooperatively or seems less engaged in their work.

We think these individuals are being uncooperative or unreasonable, which leads to performance management to try and fix the issue.

This then spirals out of control: employee engagement continues to decline, performance issues become more challenging and the divide gets even larger, often leading to employee resignation or, worse, firing of potential talent.

The real issue here is not the individual themselves. It is the lack of connection that individual feels.

Studies show there is a connection deficit in workplaces today. For example, employee research completed by the Pew Research Center and the Ken Blanchard Companies reports 81% of people say their leaders don’t listen, and 36% rarely or never receive performance feedback, while 67% wish they did.

Most people, however, would rather leave a job than have a conversation to address a workplace issue. That’s a real shame – not to mention a real problem!

So what to do?

 

Digital detox

The ability to connect in our selfie-obsessed society has never been easier – at least online – so often organisations see the solution to strengthening connection as a technology issue.

Online tools like Yammer are implemented to try to make people converse and share more. Online conferences and ‘catch-up’ meetings are held across different time zones. Sure, many technology enablers are helping us to collaborate more effectively and connect differently.

In reality, though, these one-on-one meetings with people are really just a mechanism for managing work performance rather than getting to really know each other. For example, we prefer to use email to communicate rather than talking face-to-face or even by phone.

Technology is an enabler, but it is never the solution to a human issue. We must learn the art of cultivating real connections in our organisation to truly thrive.

 

Cultivate connection

Prolific author and researcher Brené Brown describes connection as ‘the energy that is created between people when they feel seen, heard and valued – when they can give and receive without judgment’.

When we feel a real sense of connection we trigger neurochemicals that make us feel good. Dopamine, oxytocin and endorphins give us a sense of wellbeing; they make us want to engage and work with others; collaboration happens and performance thrives.

On the flipside, when we experience disconnection, the reaction is as real as physical pain. Cortisol and adrenaline increase in our body, triggering the ‘fight’ stress response. This makes us respond to our environment as if it is hostile, like we’re out of place – which results in the behaviours and impact previously mentioned.

It’s a fact that companies that are voted ‘best place to work’ or an ‘employer of choice’ value and foster connection among their teams and organisations. As Sylvia Vorhauser-Smith, senior vice president of research at PageUp People, puts it, these companies are ‘meeting the more altruistic and basic human needs of feeling connected and being an important part in something bigger’.

 

Trust us

Hence, feeling connected and trusted to be and do our best is the ultimate human condition.

Employees are able to be their best possible self and feel valued and rewarded for this. They feel understood at an individual level and they are clear on the contribution they are making to the performance of the organisation. They love what they do and they connect to each other, their customers, leaders and the organisation in a very human way.

This is when you start to bring out the very best in people. This feeling of connection builds a critical foundation of trust in which your employees feel they can have a voice and can make a difference.

When employees are encouraged to connect, communicate and collaborate better, this leads to an increase in productivity, not to mention happiness. This, in turn, has a positive impact on performance, company loyalty, and of course, retention.

Michelle Sales is a highly sought-after speaker, trainer, coach and author who helps senior leaders and their teams to build confidence and maximise their leadership and performance by consciously connecting with others. She is the author of the new whitepaper The Connection Deficit: Why leaders must bring both head and heart to work to build trust, lift engagement and accelerate organisational results.

How to tackle unconscious bias in recruitment

By Clare Edwards FIML

 

When it comes to making decisions about people, we all like to think that we’re objective, fair and impartial. The reality though is very different because, if we have a brain, we are biased.

Unconscious bias (UB), also known as implicit bias, happens automatically, is outside of our control and is triggered by our brain making quick assessments of people and situations, influenced by our background, culture and personal experiences. The clue is in the word ‘unconscious’. When we are being biased, we aren’t aware of it as the brain can’t reflect at the same time as it’s making a mental shortcut decision.

UB impacts every area of decision-making in organisations including who gets hired, fired, promoted and demoted. It impacts leadership and team effectiveness, the treatment of stakeholders and ultimately, culture.

One of the most common unconscious biases in recruitment is affinity or similarity bias.  This leads us to gravitate towards people who are like ourselves in appearance, beliefs, and background.  We have an unconscious belief – “I prefer people like me over those who are different”.  

When we were roaming the African savannah plains, out looking for lunch (or becoming lunch if we weren’t vigilant), different equalled dangerous, so we are programmed to consider people who are different to us as ‘foe’ before friend.

Unconsciously, when we first meet someone who appears different, (even for microseconds), our brain’s master error detector fires off subtle signals checking for safety, while consciously we are openly welcoming, curious and respectful.

Because most of our biases are unconscious, putting systems and processes in place can help to mitigate them.  Awareness training can also work, but it is most effective when supported by a conscious effort to have a culture of diversity and inclusion where bias is challenged.

Here are four practical strategies for mitigating unconscious bias:

 

1. Challenge existing processes

 

When crafting job advertisements, apps like Textio can help managers avoid gender-biased language and ensure the vocabulary they use is inclusive, gender-neutral and not influencing candidates subjectively.

Software company Atlassian put Textio’s software to the test by reworking the way in which it worded its job advertisements. In just one year, the company increased the number of women being hired for technical positions by 80 per cent!

 

2. Minimise our ability to revert to affinity bias

In first-round selections, consider removing a candidate’s name, tertiary education experience and all other factors that don’t directly relate to the attributes you are seeking in a successful applicant.

In auditions for symphony orchestras, screens were put in place between the musicians and the interviewing panel (and female candidates were asked to remove noisy heels). This increased the likelihood that a female musician would advance to the next round by 11 percentage points. During the final round, ‘blind’ auditions increased the likelihood of female musicians being selected by 30%.

 

3. Re-think decision making

When we make a conscious effort to slow down and reflect on the drivers behind our decisions, we can uncover hidden biases. This is even more effective when executed in a group environment because we don’t challenge our own biases because we’re not aware of them!

Actively welcome differing perspectives in recruitment decisions; the people don’t have to be from the same department to help shine a light you might not see.

Being open to having our decisions respectfully challenged requires a culture of psychological safety.  This supports us in becoming more open-minded, less judgemental and more flexible to changing our decisions based on the feedback we get.

 

4. Proactively drive inclusion

Having a diverse workforce brings benefits – and investing in, and focusing on, inclusion brings even greater success. It makes sense to want your employee base to culturally, racially and ethnically reflect that of your customers/ stakeholders and to have these people feel fully included.

 

  • Encourage people to interact more with those traditionally outside of their ‘in-group’ to expand their awareness and appreciation of difference
  • Team-based psychometric profiling tools such as Team Management Systems (TMS) and DiSC are extremely helpful. These provide an objective insight into preferences of self and others, our key differences and how we can harness differing strengths to make the whole greater than the sum of the parts.

 

Recruiting people is the most important and potentially costly decision that organisations will make. It makes sense therefore to invest energy, focus and time in ensuring that the people we hire feel valued and included members of our community from the outset and for the duration of their career with us.

 

Clare Edwards is the Principal of BrainSmart Consulting. She is also a speaker, facilitator and author. She studied the Neuroscience of Leadership – how knowledge of our brains can help us to be more emotionally intelligent and effective leaders and managers. Clare now helps people effectively manage and lead themselves and others in complex and uncertain business environments. 

Doing more to beat unconscious bias
Keep an eye out for the next edition of IML ANZ’s quarterly print magazine, Leadership Matters, where Clare Edwards joins a panel of experts to delve deeper into unconscious bias and how to overcome it.

Smart play is a serious team-building strategy

By Lisa Calautti

 

Richard Shrapnel is amongst only a small handful of Lego® Serious Play® Facilitators in Australia. Lego® Serious Play® involves using Lego bricks to bring together leaders and their staff to unite them in problem-solving to help create a cohesive business approach.

 

Building blocks of better business

Shrapnel strongly believes this is an effective tool to help develop better business strategy. He came across Lego® Serious Play® in 2002 via an article in AFR Boss reviewing CUB’s use of the method. He completed the facilitator’s course in Enfield, Connecticut, USA in 2003 and again in 2011, this time in Singapore, learning about the program’s methodology and science.

Shrapnel says the method is particularly popular in Asia, the USA and Europe. “In Australia the typical response I get is, ‘But this is a toy and it’s play and therefore it’s not serious!’”

It is a statement which Shrapnel can easily counter. He is passionate about this Lego method as a valuable learning technique and its power in getting people to use their left and right brains to bring creative logic together and their imagination to create stories around an image they build. “It actually allows you to tap into thoughts which you would otherwise not consider and to be far more creative,” he explains.

 

Serious play in action

Lego® Serious Play® workshops last from a half day up to three days and have been popular amongst medium-to-large corporations, not-for-profit organisations as well as religious groups. A typical workshop begins by proposing an individual activity, for example, ‘build your dream job’.

“It’s getting people used to expressing themselves through building a model and once they are comfortable with that you then come back to the business side,” Shrapnel says. “The tool and methodology allow people to communicate at a level that they otherwise would not be able to reach, and to build an outcome that they can then take away as a combined group. That is the power of it.”

As the workshop progresses and attendees are comfortable with using the specially selected Lego bricks, they come together to form a single model as a team to begin a narrative of their business. It is at this stage participants can see environmental factors around the model and their impact.

“Here’s your part of the business, here’s my part of the business and that is the market. These are the competitors, the technology … all impacting what we do. And because it is now a 3D model, it’s very rich and you walk around it and look at it from a different angle.”

As it is built, each person not only tells their story, but everyone tells a new combined story. “Every person speaks to the model explaining this is our story, our business, and how we will be effective and achieve the outcomes we seek.”

This article originally appeared in the September 2019 print edition of Leadership Matters, IML ANZ’s quarterly magazine. For editorial suggestions and enquiries, please contact karyl.estrella@managersandleaders.com.au.