MELONJAKKAN KECEMERLANGAN KELANGSUNGAN PROSES

PENDIDIKAN DI SEKOLAH-SEKOLAH MELALUI PENJANAAN

PASUKAN KERJA BERKESAN (HIGH IMPACT TEAM)

Oleh

Arbain Bin Pinni

Pegawai Pendidikan Daerah
Pejabat Pendidikan Daerah Hulu Langat

Untuk

Majlis Pengetua Sekolah Malaysia (MPSM)

Daerah Hulu Langat
 buka bicara

Umpama intan,
HIT adalah sebuah pasukan yang mapan menguruskan
tekanan persekitaran dan melonjakkan kualiti diri dan
kecemerlangan berpasukan pada kemuncak yang
tertinggi.

Umpama intan,
HIT adalah pasukan yang ampuh menguruskan
perubahan dan peningkatan tekanan persekitaran dan
tekanan dalaman yang memberi kesan hebat kepada
pasukan dan persekitaran.

Justeru itu, mengalaminya

HIT akan membawa anda meneroka, menghayati dan
menikmati pengalaman pembelajaran yang akan
melonjakkan kecemerlangan peribadi melalui
kecemerlangan berpasukan.

Selamat meneroka pengalaman baru berpasukan

Arbain Pinni
KERANGKA MODUL

FOKUS

KOMPAS Realiti Perubahan

Kepesatan dan kepelbagaian perubahan
Kesan perubahan kepada perkembangan diri
Keperluan berpasukan dan berorganisasi
Wawasan Diri dan Wawasan Organisasi
Memperkasakan wawasan diri
Saling kaitan wawasan diri dan wawasan organisasi
Menyempurnakan wawasan diri melalui pasukan

KIMIA Realiti Keperibadian

Keperibadian unik dan tersendiri
Ujian personaliti
Personaliti emas, biru, hijau dan jingga
Menguruskan Perbezaan dan Kepelbagaian Pasukan
Profil personaliti pasukan
Memperkasakan kepelbagaian dalam pasukan
Serasi dan sebati

KEPIMPINAN Realiti Kepimpinan

Kepimpinan dan kepengikutan
Wibawa kepimpinan
Kematangan dan perkembangan pasukan
Hikmah Kepimpinan
Analisis perkembangan pasukan
Hubungan tinggi dan produktiviti tinggi
Level 4 Leadership

KOMUNIKASI Realiti Komunikasi

Tahap ego komunikator
Analisis transaksi
Kesan komunikasi terhadap perkembangan pasukan
Meningkatkan Komunikasi Konstruktif
Asertif
Komunikasi interpersonal
Komunikasi di tempat kerja

KERJASAMA Realiti Pasukan

Tingkah laku dalam pasukan
Hak, peranan dan tanggung jawab
Meningkatkan Kerjasama Berkesan
Keberanian tinggi dan timbang rasa tinggi
Perkongsian pintar
KOMITMEN Realiti Komitmen Ahli Pasukan
Komitmen kepada peranan dan tanggung jawab
Komitmen kepada ahli pasukan
Meningkatkan Komitmen
3D
KREATIVITI Realiti Perkembangan Pasukan
Fasa Perkembangan
Asas lonjakan
Menyuburkan Perkembangan
Aktiviti bersinergi

2
TERAS HIT
Realiti Perubahan
Kita sentiasa tercabar dan akan terus tercabar oleh realiti perubahan persekitaran semasa
dan perubahan persekitaran akan datang. Perubahan persekitaran ini berlaku dalam keadaan
yang semakin pesat, semakin pelbagai dan semakin tidak menentu.

Kepesatan, kepelbagaian dan ketidaktentuan perubahan ini seringkali berlangsung pada

kadar yang lebih cepat dan lebih pantas daripada kadar perkembangan diri kita. Mana-mana
individu yang berjaya untuk menguruskan perubahan dengan berkesan akan menikmati
kesejahteraan diri dan pengiktirafan oleh rakan dan masyarakat. Sebaliknya, individu yang gagal
akan menghadapi masalah untuk menguasai dan menyempurnakan tugas-tugas perkembangan
pada peringkat yang lebih tinggi.

Asas kepada pengurusan perubahan yang berkesan adalah berlandaskan peningkatan

berterusan kualiti diri melalui kemahiran dan kecekapan berpasukan dan berorganisasi. Pasukan
yang mampu mendokong pencapaian wawasan ini adalah High Impact Team (HIT) yang
berteraskan task oriented dan kematangan berpasukan. Rumus penting kearah penjanaan dan
penyuburan HIT adalah
a. Kompas
b. Kimia
c. Kepimpinan
d. Komunikasi
e. Kerjasama
f. Komitmen
g. Kreativiti

Kompas
Peningkatan kualiti diri dijanakan melalui pemantapan wawasan diri yang disokong oleh
tingkah laku berkesan individu tersebut. Penyempurnaan wawasan diri akan dapat dinikmati
dengan lebih cepat apabila tingkah laku berkesan individu tersebut digabungjalin dengan
wawasan organisasi.

Cabaran kepada penggabungjalinan berkesan ini adalah kecekapan dan kemahiran

mengimbangi keperluan tindakan berkesan untuk menyempurnakan wawasan diri dengan
keperluan tindakan untuk menyempurnakan wawasan organisasi. Penggabungjalinan wawasan
diri dengan wawasan organisasi ini akan dapat menjanakan tingkah laku berkesan di kalangan
ahli-ahli HIT yang saling berkait (interrelated) dan saling melengkapi (intergrated).

Kimia
Fitrah jadi dan fitrah fungsi setiap individu manusia adalah unik dan tersendiri. Di dalam
HIT, perbezaan dan kepelbagaian di antara ahli-ahli pasukan ini di kenal pasti, difahami,
diterima dan dieksploitasi secara lebih berkesan. Profil ahli-ahli dalam pasukan dihayati dan HIT
dijadikan asas mantap untuk eksploitasi potensi pasukan secara yang lebih optimum.

Cabaran kepada dimensi kimia dalam HIT adalah kebijaksanaan untuk menyempurnakan
titik sebati dan serasi daripada keutamaan diri peribadi berbanding dengan keutamaan pasukan
yang lain. Titik sebati dan serasi ini meningkatkan kejelekitan (cohesiveness) pada ahli-ahli
pasukan. Melalui titik kesebatian dan keserasian ini, aspek perhubungan dalam pasukan serta
pembahagian tugas dapat dilaksanakan secara lebih berkesan.

3
Kepimpinan
Kompas memberikan halatuju dan fokus kepada aktiviti HIT manakala kimia berfungsi
untuk memantapkan kejelekitan personaliti ahli-ahli. Aktiviti berorganisasi HIT amat
memerlukan kepimpinan yang berhikmah bagi menentukan halatuju, fokus dan kejelekitan ahli
tidak mencair.

Cabaran kepada kepimpinan berkesan adalah kebijaksanaan untuk mengimbangi peranan

dalam continuum kepimpinan-kepengikutan berdasarkan tahap kematangan pasukan. Peranan
pemimpin dan ahli berubah mengikut fasa kematangan pasukan.
KEPIMPINAN-KEPENGIKUTAN

Pemimpin
Pengikut

rendah sederhana tinggi

FASA KEMATANGAN PASUKAN

Pada fasa kematangan rendah, peranan pemimpin perlu lebih besar berbanding dengan
peranan ahli-ahli dalam pasukan. Sebaliknya pada fasa kematangan tinggi, peranan ahli-ahli
pasukan perlu lebih dominan daripada peranan pemimpin. Peranan utama kepimpinan-
kepengikutan dalam HIT adalah untuk menikmati kualiti produktiviti dan kualiti perhubungan
yang tinggi (Kuadran IV).
tinggi

KUADRAN KUADRAN
PERHUBUNGAN

III IV

KUADRAN KUADRAN
rendah

I II

rendah tinggi
PRODUKTIVITI
Komunikasi
Penekanan kepada kualiti produktiviti dan kualiti perhubungan yang tinggi (Kuadran IV)
dalam HIT memerlukan amalan komunikasi yang konstruktif. Komunikasi konstruktif menjadi
titik asas kepada persefahaman dan penyatuan interpretasi serta tindakan dalam pasukan.
Komunikasi sebegini diasaskan kepada kemahiran tinggi untuk menguruskan mesej-mesej yang
di terima melalui pelbagai bentuk dan saluran komunikasi.

4
 OK
KUADRAN KUADRAN
III IV
(PASIF) (ASERTIF)

SAYA

KUADRAN KUADRAN
TAK OK

I II
(NEGATIF) (AGRESIF)

TAK OKrendah OK
ORANG LAIN

Mesej-mesej ini kemudian dienkod secara bijaksana dan difahami sepenuhnya kemudian
menjanakan tindakan yang berkesan. Tindakan berkesan ini akan menyuburkan perkembangan
peribadi setiap ahli pasukan sekaligus turut menyuburkan perkembangan pasukan. Tindakan
berkesan ini dikenali sebagai tingkahlaku asertif (Kuadran IV). Justeru itu melalui komunikasi,
setiap ahli HIT berupaya untuk menyempurnakan keperluan peribadi dan keperluan pasukan
dalam setiap aktiviti berorganisasi.

Kerjasama
Ahli-ahli HIT sentiasa sedar dan insaf akan hubungan yang saling melengkapi dan saling
bergantung di antara setiap individu ahli dengan individu ahli yang lain serta di antara setiap
individu ahli dengan pasukan. Justeru itu mereka beriltizam dengan kesedaran tinggi terhadap
hak, peranan dan tanggung jawab mereka. Dalam setiap transaksi kelangsungan berorganisasi
mereka menghayati perkongsian pintar dengan memberi penekanan terhadap timbang rasa
tinggi dan keberanian tinggi (Kuadran IV).
TINGGI

KUADRAN KUADRAN
TIMBANG RASA

III IV
(LOSE-WIN) (WIN-WIN)

KUADRAN KUADRAN
RENDAH

I II
(LOSE-LOSE) (WIN-LOSE)

RENDAH TINGGI
KEBERANIAN

Ahli-ahli HIT mengaplikasi situasi win-win secara bijaksana apabila bekerjasama di dalam
pasukan serta kerjasama antara pasukan.

5
Komitmen
Di dalam pelaksanaan aktiviti-aktiviti berorganisasi, ahli-ahli HIT menzahirkan komitmen
tinggi kepada tugas dan hubungan dengan ahli-ahli pasukan yang lain. Komitmen tinggi ini
adalah berteraskan kepada penghayatan tingkah laku berkesan tekal melonjakkan
perkembangan diri dan perkembangan pasukan secara berterusan.

Komitmen kepada tugas tersirat di dalam penterjemahan disiplin, dedikasi dan determinasi
terhadap peraturan-peraturan asas serta wawasan organisasi. Komitmen kepada ahli-ahli pula
tersirat didalam bentuk sokongan berkesan dalam bentuk bantuan, galakan, pengiktirafan dan
sebagainya.

Kreativiti
Perkembangan pasukan berlaku pada kadar yang berubah-ubah mengikut fasa. Pada fasa
awal perkembangan positif berlaku pada kadar yang paling tinggi. Kadar perkembangan
semakin rendah dalam fasa kedua sehingga mencapai titik optimum. Selepas titik ini
perkembangan berlaku pada kadar negatif.
Justeru itu, kreativiti ahli-ahli sangat diperlukan untuk menjanakan tindakan bersinergi
pada aktiviti berorganisasi yang akhirnya membawa kepada kesan berganda kepada pasukan.

Selling efficiency
Market efficiency

Decline
Internal efficiency
Perkembangan

I II III IV

Fasa
Rumusan
Penghayatan 7K dalam HIT akan memperkasakan setiap ahli HIT dengan pengetahuan,
kemahiran dan kecekapan yang diperlukan untuk menyumbang secara lebih berkesan kepada
perkembangan diri melalui perkembangan berpasukan. Mereka bukan sahaja diupayakan
untuk menjadi ahli pasukan yang cemerlang di dalam organisasi kerja, malah turut berupaya
untuk menjadi penggerak kepada organisasi tidak formal yang lain terutamanya keluarga,
kejiranan dan sebagainya.
Dengan kata-kata lain, melalui penghayatan berkesan 7K dalam HIT, mereka juga menjadi
lebih bersedia untuk memahami, menerima lantas mengambil tindakan berkesan menyuburkan
kesesuaian dan keserasian dengan sumbangan

DIMENSI STRATEGI
KOMPAS Peribadi - Organisasi Wawasan
KIMIA Persamaan - Kepelbagaian Serasi / Sebati
KEPIMPINAN Hubungan - Produktiviti Hikmah

KOMUNIKASI Ego Emosi - Ego Realiti Konstruktif

KERJASAMA Keberanian - Timbang rasa Win-win
KOMITMEN Zalim - Ehsan 3D
KREATIVITI Zon selesa - Cabaran Bersinergi

6
 artikel

A Template for Greatness by Arnold M. Ludwig,

M.D. 8
Why Most Teams are “Dumb by William Lundin,
Ph.D. and Kathleen Lundin 11
Is Your Organization Mission-Driven? by Tom
Asacker 13
Understanding People for Enhanced Team
Performance by Sandra Seagal, Ph.D. and David
Horne, M.A. 15
101 Secrets Of Leadership by Gary A. Crow,
Ph.D. 19
There's No Future In Saying It Can't be Done by
Charles "Chic" Thompson 23
A Process Model for Continuous Innovation by
Rolf Smith, Jr. 26
#200 from R&D Innovator Volume 5, Number 2 , February 1996

A Template for Greatness

by Arnold M. Ludwig, M.D.

What personal qualities are needed to make original discoveries, create great works of
art, achieve superstar status, or achieve what no one has achieved before? What special
circumstances are necessary for the nurturance of genius? What personal price, if any, do
people have to pay to arrive at the upper rungs of eminence?

Over the course of ten years, I studied a representative sample of over 1,000
deceased, 20th century men and women who were prominent in the arts, the sciences,
public life, business, the military, exploration, and social activism. Extensive information
was gathered on their childhoods, families, education, careers, physical health, and mental
health. To measure professional eminence, I used a creative achievement scale that
correlated highly with the number of lines allotted to a person in the Encyclopedia
Americana and Encyclopedia Britannica. The standards included lifetime fame, reputation
after death, innovation, foresight, productivity, and influence on colleagues and on the
public.

To find out which personal attributes and circumstances predicted great achievement, I
used a logistic regression model to compare 250 of the most eminent and 249 of the least
eminent members of my sample on the basis of 30 promising variables. The results
revealed that this model fit the data most exactly, correctly classifying over 90% of the
cases. Rather than any single attribute being identified with greatness, the findings
revealed that a special combination of elements comprised a “template” for exceptional
achievement. This combination of elements includes a special talent or ability, the “right”
kind of parents, being a loner, physical vulnerability, a “personal seal,” the drive for
supremacy, and psychological “unease.” Under proper social conditions, fortune favors
those who possess this template over those who do not, and adversity doesn’t deter them
as much.

Special Ability
As children, truly great achievers usually show extraordinary abilities, such as
photographic memory, perfect pitch, an ear for languages, a mathematical facility, or a
keen, active intelligence. With a need to hone their skills, high percentages of these people
get college degrees or doctorates or attend special schools, such as music conservatories
or art academies. As youths, they are self-learners and do more than their formal training
requires them to do. They read widely, practice incessantly, study under top tutors, attend
the best schools, study under the masters, and become increasingly adept in their preferred
media of expression. In a sense, they have become servants to their own talent.

Special Parenting and Mentoring

Parents of the truly great seem to recognize the exceptional qualities of their children
and provide them with the necessary tutors, educational opportunities, and other resources.
These parents often have creative talents of their own and are more likely to suffer from
emotional problems as well. During their professional careers, members of the upper elite
also are more apt to find influential mentors who recognize their special abilities and aid
them in their career.

Contrariness People destined for greatness tend to have difficulty working within the
framework of existing paradigms in their fields. To create new schools of thought, blaze
new trails, make major discoveries, or promote new products, they must show irreverence
8
toward established authority and readiness to discard prevalent views. They have an
attitude set that is oppositional in nature. This antagonism to traditional beliefs and
practices assumes many forms. They are most likely to be irreligious and to resent
authority, including the authority of their parents.

Capacity for Solitude

As children, members of the upper elite are more likely to be loners and regarded as a
bit strange. As adults, they engage in solitary pursuits and avoid social affiliations.
Reluctant to collaborate, they don’t work well in groups or committees, unless they are in
charge. Their work represents an extension of them, and they resist outside demands that
detract from it. This attitude is often advantageous in the arts and certain scientific pursuits
in which it is necessary for individuals to spend long periods of time alone. In fields where
teamwork or group effort is required, such as business, politics, or the military, exceptional
people may find it more difficult to gain lasting fame when they can’t take full credit for their
achievements.

Physical Vulnerability
The truly great individuals are more likely than those less eminent to suffer from
physical ailments during their lifetimes. As children, they are more likely to be sickly or frail,
to experience a life-threatening illness, or to have physical disability. Because of this,
they’re more apt to have disruptions in their schooling and spend more time at home in the
company of often solicitous parents. Separated from their peers, they tend to develop
solitary interests, like reading, and perhaps begin to feel different from others. Then, as
adults, they are more likely to have serious chronic physical disorders. Though others may
find these illnesses to be daunting and professionally detrimental, these individuals don’t
seem to let them get in their way. Rather, they learn to work around them or find ways to
turn them to their advantage. Their fragile health may also contribute to a sense of urgency
in pursuing their creative goals.

A Personal Seal
Almost all creators at the highest level of achievement, especially in the arts and
sciences, characterize their works with a personal seal or professional signature. Whatever
they do, their accomplishments have to become specifically identified with them. History
doesn’t accord greatness to people whose personal identities are part of a group or
organization. Like tombstones, the works and products of people tend to serve as ways of
personally identifying them.

Drive for Dominance

People at the upper rung of creative eminence have a drive for dominance, supremacy
or power that goes beyond professional ambition and influences the scope and nature of
their goals. They act as though they have the need to be the leader, pioneer, master,
founder, or originator. When they meet social resistance, they try to shape and bend their
environments to suit them, rather than adapting to their environments. Naturally, this great
drive isn’t likely to be found in people who doubt their abilities or have modest goals. This
drive tends to be found in those with supreme self-confidence and expansive aspirations.

Psychological “Unease”
Extraordinary achievements don’t arise from emotional contentment, nor do they
necessarily confer peace of mind. Members of the upper elite tend to be restless,
discontent, driven, and impatient. Their successes don’t satisfy them for long. This feeling
of being on edge often serves as a source of creative tension, which only becomes relieved
when they are busily at work or in the midst of problem solving. People with great curiosity
and intelligence need to keep their brains active solving problems. Once they seize on a
problem, the problem takes possession of them and begins to dominate all aspects of their
lives. When no solution is forthcoming, they may have trouble sleeping, eating, or relaxing
9
and are likely to become irritable and short-tempered. Often, the source of the creative
tension may come from emotional problems, but it need not. What’s impressive about these
individuals is their ability to “turn the power on” in their brains when they’re engaged in
problem-solving and to keep the power on for as long as it takes to do the task.

These appear to be the main elements of the template. All represent integral parts of a
whole. No single element takes on special significance without reference to the other.
Because of this, there’s no simple formula for great achievement. Precociousness or the
right kind of parenting means little without the drive for supremacy. Contrariness or the
capacity for solitude means little without special skills and originality. Or a chronic sense of
psychological unease may mean little without the opportunity, skill, and desire to emblazon
one’s work with a personal seal or signature. Few outstanding individuals have all the
elements of this template. But with the right combination of most elements and under the
appropriate circumstances, many individuals manage to make their mark on society and
achieve some measure of personal immortality.
Dr. Ludwig is the E. A. Edwards professor of psychiatry at the University of Kentucky Medical School. His book,
The Price of Greatness: Resolving the Creativity and Madness Controversy (Guilford Press, New York)
was published in 1995.

10
#289 from Innovative Leader Volume 6, Number 8, August 1997

Why Most Teams are “Dumb”

by William Lundin, Ph.D. and Kathleen Lundin

Teams can be collectively dumb—something you don’t hear too much about—even
though their members may be individually smart. Dumb teams are seldom described in
the literature. And the smart teams aren’t smart for very long.

Mandates are given to form teams, everybody tries, some succeed, most fail. A
self-directed or leader-directed group that is struggling to cooperate with one another is
far from a team. Their attempts are painful to watch, and even worse to be trapped in.

And, as with previous management fads, we hear anger in telling the truth of it.
“What went wrong?” we ask. We’re told,
“We weren’t sure what to do.”
“We didn’t like the leader given to us.”
“There was no trust.”
“All the teams began to compete.”
“Some weren’t on speaking terms.”
“It was the same old system with a new name.”
“Management didn’t ask us, so what do they expect?”
“All it did was save money for the company; everybody soon caught onto that.”
“Blame it on the big-name consulting firms.”

Can teams be saved? The answer is “yes;” but it requires a better understanding of
what’s really being asked for when management opts for teams. Let’s unravel the
confusion. It might have been more productive for industry if employees had been given
mandates which forbid them to congregate together to solve problems within a team
context. Tell someone not to do something—not to eat the apple—and they won’t be able
to resist doing it. The phrase “self directed” has a decided democratic ring. The
concept, however, is an imposed one, and presumes to wipe away generations of other-
directed management behavior. Managers aren’t as aware of human nature as they should
be. Surely they must remember how it was when their parents insisted on something as
being “good for you.”

Leaders read management books, some of which they’ve helped write, which support
their own illusions. It’s one of the problems with having overplayed one’s hand in public
and then being too embarrassed to admit a mistake. The wonderment of teams is not why
they fail, but why some succeed. Most team leaders can’t get it to happen. It’s not their
fault: they’re fighting the psychology of ambivalent and mixed feelings about others, and
the sociology of fast-shifting group expectations, all at the same time. They’re bound to
lose. There are hidden agendas on the one hand: “I must protect my job,” and a sincere
desire to help their organization on the other. Then the nagging doubts and memories:
“Should I update my résumé?”

The following three factors are important in understanding the life cycle of teams.
(1) The values with which most of us have been raised. (2) The true nature of the
society in which we live, and (3) The global marketing strategies of today’s corporations.
Take a fast walk with us as we put those three factors together and you’ll see why many
of today’s teams are doomed, and have been doomed from the very beginning.

11
From the Family to School to Society and Back Again
There you are entering kindergarten with your parent’s words in your head, “Be nice
to others, be cooperative, share things,” or values very close to those. You soon discover
that the other children, most of whom have probably heard the same kind of right-
sounding words, aren’t behaving they way they were “supposed” to. The average teacher
tries to create harmony and sharing, but usually fails. The kids just don’t want to
cooperate.

A few years pass into the early grades, and you discover that competition—what you
see every night on TV in sports, cowboy movies, etc.—is the way to go. If a survey asks
you how students should act toward one another, you might mouth, what by now, has
become a platitude. In a group (team), the opposite values come out. If you win at the
expense of a friend, tough luck. Small-scale athletic and scholastic stars are born in
front of your eyes.

Later you see and read about large-scale super-stars in athletics and in business.
Heroes of the marketplace are seldom depicted as altruistic. A few are bigger than life,
and proud of it, as in the person of “Chainsaw Al,” and among the corporate leaders who
are often vilified for demanding and getting huge salaries and bonuses.

Finally, you’re out in the workplace and geared up for success, as you’ve understood
and rehearsed it for the past 20 to 25 years. Then what happens? You hear your parent’s
words again: cooperate, work together, find solutions through common effort. It’s
management telling you to get into the team-building mode, to help your colleagues, and
not to worry about individual glory. It will all work out, and rewards will be shared.

What? Were your parents right? It’s a culture conflict. The psychology doesn’t fit;
first one identity, then another. It’s nightmare time. Mother said cooperate, society said
compete, and your organization says cooperate. Where do you put your faith? There’s no
place for your faith or trust, so welcome to the world of cynicism, where little can touch
or hurt you. Where very little matters because no one has given you the context.

Becoming “Smart”
You don’t become smart by reading about it, attending a lecture or wishing for it.
The definition of smart is an operational one: it’s what you do within the team context.
What can be done when hormones cry “slam-dunk” and frontal lobes caution patience,
trust and cooperation? Emotion and reason, early memories and newer behaviors—can
they be reconciled? Yes. It takes new learning and the modifying perceptions before the
first team project session is ever held.
Participating, caring and trusting have to be experienced first with other team
members. Think about it as a pre-team warm-up or rehearsal. Three workshops—caring,
trust and participation—will do it for you and will prepare team members for a more
efficient way. Only then will you be able to lead, or be part of, a truly smart—and
productive—team.

The Lundins, psychologists, are principals of Worklife Productions (Whitewater, Wisconsin. They teach and
train. Their books include The Healing Manager (Berrett-Koehler, San Francisco, 1993), Building Positive
Relationships at Work (CRM Films, Carlsbad, CA, 1996), Working With Difficult People (Amacom, NY,
1995) and Three Values of Leadership (Worklife Productions, Whitewater, WI, 1997).

12
# 607 Innovative Leader, Volume 13, Number 8 , August 2004

Is Your Organization Mission-Driven?

by Tom Asacker

Is your organization mission-driven? If so, you’re probably experiencing some serious

“topline” challenges because being mission-driven is a guaranteed way to inhibit your
organization’s growth. Now don’t get me wrong. I’m all for having a clear and compelling
mission: one that inspires employees and volunteers and engages customers and donors.
But being driven by one’s mission—whether it’s to safe-guard the planet; protect the
inherent rights of animals; educate our youth; or build health of spirit, mind and body—is
an inside-out strategy that is designed to fail.

Ask yourself (and really think about it): “Is my organization producing the growth in
customers, members, revenues, donations, etc. that it is designed to produce? Like it or
not your answer has to be “yes,” because the design determines the results. So, instead
of blaming the economy or the competition, or trying to change your people’s behavior,
change the design. And you must start by accepting the realities of the marketplace and
transforming your organization’s mindset and activities from inside-out and mission-
driven to outside-in and purpose-driven.

Management guru Peter Drucker put it best when he said that the purpose of an
enterprise is to “create a satisfied customer and deliver all of the parts of the enterprise
in the service of the customer.” It’s not about fulfilling a mission, making sales,
garnering donations, or even making profits. Those will come naturally when you create
customers and keep them motivated to return and to bring their friends. It’s about being
other-focused and making the discovery and fulfillment of your customers’ desires part of
everyone’s daily work routine: from conversations and meetings, to presentations and
quality improvement activities.

Years ago when I was running my own mission-inspired business I visited with Gary
Hirshberg, president and CEO of Stonyfield Farm’s, today’s fastest growing yogurt
company and one which oozes its mission of advocating for organic food and more
sustainable agriculture. I’ll never forget what Gary told me when I asked if he ever
donated his company’s money to help support other people’s causes: “Of course,” he
replied. “When they can show me how donating money to their cause will help me sell
more yogurt.”

Gary’s answer was both pragmatic and purpose-driven. He was intimately aware
that to advance his mission, he must make strategic and tactical decisions that appeal to
the desires of his customers and help his company sell more yogurt. It works like this:
Purpose (on-going stimulation of customer demand) drives decisions and activity, which in
turn drives growth and fuels mission attainment.

Picasso had it right when he wrote: “Success is a very important thing! It has often
been said that an artist should work for himself, out of love for art, so to speak, and hold
success in contempt. But that is wrong! An artist needs success. Not only to live but to be
able to create his art.”

What mission-inspired organizations need in today’s hypercompetitive marketplace is

strong leadership to redirect the organization and keep people constantly focused on

13
success: continued growth of passionately engaged customers, members, volunteers and
donors. Without a strategic obsession on the external needs of your audience, your
mission will slowly bleed to death as more successful purpose-driven organizations attract
away your means of support

Tom Asacker is a corporate advisor and public speaker specializing in advancing business relationships by
helping companies transition from “economically driven” to “emotionally driven.” He has written Sandbox
Wisdom and The Four Sides of Sandbox Wisdom

14
#416 from Innovative Leader Volume 8, Number 8, August 1999

Understanding People for Enhanced Team Performance

by Sandra Seagal, Ph.D. and David Horne, M.A.

A fundamental key to enhanced team functioning lies not only in recognizing that
people are different, but also in understanding how they are different. Awareness of
these differences provides the opportunity for group members to recognize, appreciate
and utilize the gifts that each naturally embodies, and to use their diversity to create
synergism. The result is not only enhanced productivity, but also more joy at work.

Through two decades of studies, we have identified nine “personality dynamics.”

Five of them are by far the most numerous. They are termed 1) mental-physical, 2)
emotional-mental, 3) emotional-physical, 4) physical-emotional and 5) physical-mental.
The terminology is not so important as the understanding that people who represent
these distinct “ways of being” are totally different in the ways they process information,
solve problems, learn, communicate, become stressed, maintain health, move along their
path of development and function on teams. Below are sketches of these personality
dynamics.

Mental-Physical
Mental-physical people think and plan in an orderly, logical and sequential way. They
are, by nature, consistently detached. Even in emotional situations they typically remain
calm and objective. They maintain a bird’s-eye perspective on events, and usually bring
gifts for formulating and articulating a long-range vision, and for strategic planning to
achieve long-term goals. They don’t usually involve themselves in creating complex,
detailed plans, however. They tend to deal more in essentials: essential points, values,
and principles. In whatever they personally engage or communicate, clarity and precision
are key values.
Mental-physical people may often be silent in a group. They typically feel no need
to articulate a point if someone else is making it. Also, because they think logically and
like to express their point of view precisely, they may have difficulty finding space to
contribute in a less-than-orderly group process. Because of their detachment and
because they are comfortable working alone, mental-physical people may be
misinterpreted as being aloof and not caring. In fact their caring is expressed in their
offering of objectivity, which typically enables them to be good listeners and helpful in
situations of conflict. They are often able to voice principles or overarching
considerations that unify apparently disparate views. If you want to know what a quiet
mental-physical person is thinking or feeling, ask him or her!
Phrases commonly used by mental-physical people include: “What exactly is the
purpose?” “What are the long-term implications?” “What exactly do you mean by...?”
“Why...?”

Emotional-Mental
The thinking and planning of emotional-mental people is much less linear than that
of the mental-physical. Emotional-mental people very much enjoy an interactive
brainstorming kind of process, in which one idea triggers another, and new possibilities
and lines of inquiry are explored. Their ideas are directed towards short-term problem
solving.

One of the main gifts of this group is to initiate--to light the fires of new endeavors.
They are drawn to the new and unknown. Movement is their inner directive. If they
15
don’t feel a sense of movement and new challenge, their spirit dies. Rather than plan
ahead in detail, they prefer to establish the direction of a task, its purpose and value,
and then move into action as soon as possible, learning as they go. This experimental
movement leads to a new situation, reassessment, another movement, and so on until the
goal is reached. In team meetings, people of this personality dynamic frequently begin
the discussion, facilitate the interplay of ideas, and want to keep the process moving
forward.

Because of their characteristic enthusiasm and intensity of focus, members of this

group can be misinterpreted as needing to take charge and “direct the show.” In fact,
they welcome their ideas being challenged, because new and better ideas might emerge.

Typical phrases you may hear from emotional-mental people include: “Let’s put all
the ideas on the board and prioritize.” “The details can wait -- first let’s create a
general structure.” “It’s good enough.” “Let’s go!”

Emotional-Physical
Like the emotional-mental group, emotional-physical people also think and plan in a
non-linear, associative kind of way. They, too, like to think and plan with others; but
preferably in a more personal process in which their feelings play a role and they feel a
sense of personal relationship with the other team members. For them, not only can one
idea lead to another, but a feeling may trigger a line of thought, or surface a personal
recollection that may suggest other avenues for exploration. In teamwork, emotional-
physical people are engaged not only in an exchange of ideas, but a process of personal
connection.

Emotional-physical people are highly sensitive to both their own feelings and the
feelings of others. They can often pick up the feelings of other people, even if those
feelings are not being overtly expressed. On teams, therefore, they are always aware
both of addressing purposes and also of tracking the quality of the team’s process and
fostering harmony. They are usually highly effective in providing insight into “people
issues,” and are sensitive to personal implications of decisions, both for themselves and
for others. They typically need time to engage in extensive discussion in order to
explore, understand and feel comfortable with these implications before they are ready
to move on. They also require dialogue with others to clarify both their thinking and
feeling.

Emotional-physical people tend to be multi-focused and able to handle many things

at once. They are also highly intuitive, both about people, and also with regard to the
viability of proposed courses of action. Since they often cannot give a rational
explanation for what they sense in the moment, their “knowing” may not be taken
seriously. But given time, the emotional-physical person will usually come to a rational
understanding of his/her intuition, and both the individual and the team may learn by
experience that it is a signal to be trusted. Emotional-physical people are often also
extremely creative. The intuitive and creative capacities of these people are natural
resources that groups and organizations often neglect.

Emotional-physical people can be misinterpreted as being too personal, unclear and

over-sensitive. In fact, their sensitivity and their capacity for making personal
connections should be valued for its potential to help people live and work together in
greater harmony. Communication is their lifeline. Through it they gain clarity and can
contribute their gifts to others. In a supportive atmosphere, where they feel understood
and comfortable, their capacity for creative input will bloom.

16
 Some phrases characteristic of emotional-physical people are: “Is that comfortable
for you?” “I feel that....” “My gut feeling is.....” “Can we talk more about that?” “If
we do (or say) that, I think the effect on ______ would be.......”

Physical-Emotional
Physical-emotional people are by nature “systems thinkers.” They think naturally in
terms of how all of the parts interact to form whole systems of operation. In any new
undertaking, they spend the greatest amount of time in gathering large amounts of data,
which they then assimilate and synthesize through a rather mysterious internal process
which isn’t consciously planned. If sufficient time is allowed for this process to complete
itself, all of the data will at some point come together in the person’s mind, and the
result will be a plan or product that’s detailed, comprehensive, highly practical, and with
all of the parts linked.

They are often of few words, preferring communication that’s factual, down to earth
and pragmatic. They need time to assimilate the vast amounts of information they take
in. These characteristics, as well as their difficulty in articulating their thinking until it is
complete, often cause them to be misinterpreted as being “slow.” In fact, they move
very quickly into action in situations that are familiar. In new situations, they will
produce the most comprehensive plans and detailed work, provided their process is
respected and given sufficient time. Their capacity to remember detail is prodigious.
They are natural historians, and their memory for the past can ensure that a group
doesn’t waste time re-inventing the wheel.

If a physical-emotional person is silent during a meeting, it may be because the pace

isn’t sufficiently deliberate, or the group process is too disconnected, or because a great
deal of new information is being given. The team will benefit by remembering to ask
such a person, especially towards the end of any meeting, if he or she has anything to
say. The members may be surprised by how much the individual has observed and
absorbed and is able to comment on. It is often helpful to such people to be provided
with relevant data before a meeting, to allow more time for absorption, without the
distraction of the group’s interactions.
Because they tend to be conscious of themselves more as members of a group than as
individuals within a group, physical-emotional people often need to learn to make known
their own personal wishes, feelings and needs.
S
Some typical phrases of physical-emotional people are: “Can we have more
information?” “How will that work practically?” “Can you give me an example?” “How
much time do we have?” “We need to have a real experience, not just talk."

Physical-Mental
Physical-mental people also naturally think in terms of systems of operation, but
they are highly systematic. Like the physical-emotional group, they take in large
amounts of information, but they are more selective of what they take in. They work
with their data through step-by-step plans for achieving a given purpose. Because they
think in such a systematic way, it’s important for them that the purpose of any meeting
or endeavor be clearly defined, and then they like the group to create a structured
process for achieving that purpose. Without a clear purpose and a structured process for
achieving it, they feel frustrated and unable to function.

Like the mental-physical group, they have natural gifts for objectivity and strategic
planning; but they typically deal with much more information and create plans that are
much more detailed. They switch easily between a macro- and micro-perspective.
Physical-mental people typically value efficiency, and constantly create systems to make
things work well. They then refine the systems to make them work even better. These
17
people often carry their remarkable capacity for planning into every aspect of their lives,
usually creating additional contingency plans in anticipation of unforeseen events. They
can become frustrated by other people’s less organized way of going about things, and
when others’ personal whims and feelings disrupt or interfere with their plans. Others
can therefore see them as being rigid and over-mechanical, and interpret them as not
caring about other people. In fact, their gift for planning is their offering to others.
Typical phrases of physical-mental people are; “What’s our purpose?” “What’s the
current situation?” “Where do we want to go?” “Let’s work out the steps to get there.”
“Suppose _____ happens, then what will we do?”
By paying attention to these personality dynamics, you should gain insights into the
behavior of some of the people with whom you interact. As a result, your teamwork will
be more harmonious and effective.

Dr. Seagal is president and Mr. Horne is partner of Human Dynamics International in Topanga, CA (phone
310-455-1149; email admin@humandynamics.com; http://www.humandynamics.com/). They are authors of
Human Dynamics: A New Framework for Understanding People and Realizing the Potential in Our
Organizations (Pegasus, Waltham, MA, 1997).

18
366 from Innovative Leader Volume 7, Number 10, October 1998

101 Secrets Of Leadership

by Gary A. Crow, Ph.D.

Moving to the head of the line comes through hard work, good luck, and the
careful application of intuition and well-developed political horse sense. How can you
move into a leadership position on your own initiative, understanding that being the
boss and being a leader are not necessarily the same, and often are not?
Start your journey by thinking about people you know who stand out from the
crowd, people who are certifiable class acts, people who everyone sees as leaders.
What makes them different? First, they are originals. Their style and approach with
people and situations are their trademarks. Second, they are not on-again, off-again.
They are always uniquely themselves. Third, they usually make it seem easy and
natural. Take a closer look and you’ll appreciate how hard they work at it. They
consciously and purposely do everything they do, with style, all the time, on time,
one situation at a time, one relationship at a time, one person at a time.
Genuine leadership isn’t grounded in flashy clothes, gestures of affection,
superficial interest, staged behavior, or anything else that serves only to call
attention to you. It’s grounded in commitment, sincerity, and personal integrity. It’s
the stuff from which admiration flows, the special ingredient that sets the
interpersonal standard that others aspire to follow. It’s the brand of interpersonal
excellence exemplified by those who have carefully cultivated their skills and
techniques over time. They may not be born leaders but have certainly learned to
lead.
The leadership bottom line is integrity; and following the lead of people who
have it is your best path toward the head of the line. If your bottom line is integrity
and you’re committed to sticking to the high road with everyone, every time, you’re
ready to learn these 101 secrets of leadership (below). What's more, you’re ready to
join those at the head of the line in your company or organization.
Since 101 of anything is a lot to remember, use this strategy to develop your personal
leadership enhancement guide. Beside each of the numbers, put a 3, 2, or 1. "3"
means that this secret is one you know well and follow consistently. "2" means that
this secret is one you understand but apply on an on-again, off-again basis. "1" means
that this secret isn’t a strong area for you and is one where you need to get better at
practicing what you preach.
"But these aren't secrets," you say? "I already knew all of this stuff." Well, good
for you.
I thought that since I seldom see people who apply most of these techniques and
strategies conscientiously and consistently on a day-to-day basis, they must be well-
kept secrets. At the same time, I do have the pleasure of seeing the elite few who
apply the secrets every day, every time, and with everyone. Those are, of course,
also the people who rise to the upper limits of leadership. While most people know
better than they do, the leadership superstars are busy doing as well as they know,
conscientiously and consistently.
I will now leave you alone to ponder these 101 secrets but will offer a small
suggestion before I go. You may be tempted to concentrate your efforts mostly on
those secrets where you rate yourself with a "1." You’ll strengthen your weaknesses.
That would be a mistake. Instead, put most of your energy into keeping the "3's"
consistently at the "3" level and some energy into raising the "2's" to "3's." You’ll be
surprised to see that the "1's" begin to improve with little or no specific attention.

19
That's another secret about leaders. They know what they do well and spend virtually all of
their time doing it. They gradually find that they have followers to show them how to do the
things they don't do well or do them for them. Their followers don’t expect them to be
perfect. They only expect their leader to do what he or she does well and to do it every time,
in every situation, with everyone, no excuses, no exceptions. Sure, it's a heavy responsibility;
but you’ll see that it is well worth the effort when one day you unexpectedly find yourself at
the head of the line.
------------------------------------------------------------
101 SECRETS
__ 1. Understand and champion your company's mission.
__ 2. Value your company's customers and products.
__ 3. See company goals as personal action steps.
__ 4. Be responsive to the needs and interests of customers.
__ 5. Understand your roles with others, where and how you fit in.
__ 6. Work within the scope of your responsibilities and authority.
__ 7. Follow company policies and procedures.
__ 8. See how your duties/responsibilities relate to other areas of your company.
__ 9. Understand your company's budget, financial reports, and other management data.
__ 10. Question the decisions or actions of others you think may cause problems
or jeopardize operations.

__ 11. Respect the confidentiality of team discussions and problem-solving activities.

__ 12. Support management when you or your co-workers are unhappy with policies and
decisions.
__ 13. Do not pass your frustrations and negative opinions down-the-line to others.
__ 14. Bring the same energy and commitment to your responsibilities when things aren’t
going well as you do when they are.
__ 15. Learn and grow as a participant in your organization from week-to-week.
__ 16. Accurately understand and value your skills and limitations.
__ 17. Be well organized and prepared when handling any responsibility.
__ 18. Handle every task in a timely manner.
__ 19. Take personal responsibility when you see something that needs done and no one is
doing it.
__ 20. Pitch in and work a little harder, do a little more whenever the opportunity
presents itself.

__ 21. Invest most of your time and energy in taking care of business.
__ 22. Keep your focus primarily on what’s working, on what’s going well in your company.
__ 23. Focus most of your attention and energy on how to get ideas to work and away
from why they won’t work.
__ 24. Don’t hold yourself out as the standard for how others should think, feel, and
behave.
__ 25. Assume people believe what they say, and don’t intentionally misrepresent
anything.
__ 26. Understand and remember that people seldom complain when there isn’t a real
problem.
__ 27. Stay open to ideas and suggestions of others.
__ 28. See and understand problems and ideas from the other person's point of view.
__ 29. Make sure a job needs doing and is worth doing before expecting others to do it.
__ 30. Make sure a job can be done before holding anyone accountable for it.

20
__ 31. Provide clear instructions and directions for your customers and co-workers.
__ 32. Develop incremental steps, procedures, and checkpoints for tasks and goals for
which you’re responsible.
__ 33. Help your co-workers understand how their jobs fit in with company goals and
activities.
__ 34. Keep your focus on people's abilities and strengths instead of emphasizing their
limitations and weaknesses.
__ 35. Tell them, show them, and then tell them what you showed them.
__ 36. Give people reasons and explanations, when requested for your behavior and
actions.
__ 37. Clearly define and communicate your goals and motivations.
__ 38. Be clear about what you want and expect from others.
__ 39. Be sure people know why whatever you do needs doing, why it’s important.
__ 40. Make sure people know how to do what you expect before holding them
responsible.

__ 41. Remember that you cannot pass on your responsibility just because you’ve
delegated tasks and activities.
__ 42. Don’t delegate duties that require your direct involvement.
__ 43. Don’t delegate a task and then try to manage it.
__ 44. When delegating, delegate both activities and related functional authority.
__ 45. Delegate as much scope of authority as necessary to get the job done.
__ 46. Be familiar with, and know how to use, outside resources to benefit your company
and its customers.
__ 47. Be familiar with, and use, all the internal resources of your company.
__ 48. Understand, and use, the informal procedures and processes within your company.
__ 49. Know about and tap the knowledge, skills, and abilities of others.
__ 50. Make sure that whenever you assign work to others, it’s distributed fairly.

__ 51. Distribute work and responsibilities based on people's strengths, preferred areas,
and away from weaknesses.
__ 52. Don’t take advantage of people who cannot refuse.
__ 53. Don’t take advantage of people who are especially good-natured or cooperative.
__ 54. Don’t hold yourself out as necessarily the best judge of how the company
environment is for others.
__ 55. Advocate for your needs and interests within the context of the needs and interests
of your company.
__ 56. Trust your co-workers to act in the best interest of your company and its
customers.
__ 57. Exercise as much personal control as you appropriately can over your work
environment.
__ 58. Spend part of your company time socializing and hanging around.
__ 59. Don’t take credit for the ideas and work of others.

__ 60. Give credit where and when it’s due.

__ 61. Be sensitive to the motivations and interests of others.
__ 62. Be open to the feelings and opinions of others.
__ 63. Value the varying styles and personalities of people.
__ 64. Be patient and tolerant with others.
__ 65. Anticipate problems and opportunities.

21
 __ 66. Deal with problems and conflicts as soon as you become aware of them.
__ 67. Don’t let your sense of responsibility get in the way of your sense of humor.
__ 68. Be slow to confront or argue.
__ 69. Fit the intensity and forcefulness of your reactions and criticisms to the seriousness
or importance of the problem or incident.
__ 70. Be assertive but tactful.

__ 71. Ask people to help solve your problems instead of simply trying to get them to
accept your solutions.
__ 72. Be hard on problems and soft on people.
__ 73. Deal more with the problem and less with the people when people are upset or
unhappy.
__ 74. Be flexible and willing to compromise.
__ 75. Do not deal with people in win/lose terms.
__ 76. Accept shared responsibility for assuring others get their interests met, that they
get a good deal.
__ 77. Remember and own what you’ve said, agreed to, and what you’ve done.
__ 78. Work to decrease use of power and control and to increase your influence.
__ 79. See each of your decisions as an opportunity to improve conditions for customers
or co-workers.
__ 80. Try to understand the what/why of problems before taking action.
__ 81. Evaluate the cost/benefit of actions before taking them.

__ 82. Make the difficult or unpopular decisions and accept responsibility for them when
you believe it’s necessary.
__ 83. Be prepared to handle people's being upset or unhappy with you at times.
__ 84. Understand there are usually several ways to get the job done and not a best way.
__ 85. Do not over-manage or over-control activities or people.
__ 86. Attend to details without getting bogged down in them.
__ 87. Understand the 80% rule: not until 80% of the people involved in an activity are
doing it right 80% of the time should you expect 100% performance.
__ 88. Give people clear, frequent, and accurate feedback.
__ 89. Spend more time telling people what they’re doing right than what they’re doing
wrong.
__ 90. Assume people are trying to do well, are trying to succeed.

__ 91. If people are not succeeding, assume they don’t know how, don’t think it matters,
or are being prevented from succeeding.
__ 92. Teach others to work smarter instead of pressuring them to work harder.
__ 93. Be quick to praise and slow to criticize.
__ 94. Don’t praise people for a job done less well than you expected.
__ 95. Hold others responsible only for what they can do and can control.
__ 96. Handle it as a training opportunity when people cannot do what you expect.
__ 97. Handle it as a leadership opportunity when people won’t do what you expect; but
be sure not to confuse will not and cannot.
__ 98. See attitude problems in others as leadership opportunities, and intransigent
attitude problems as leadership failures.
__ 99. Compliment publicly, criticize privately.
__ 100. Before criticizing others, make sure they knew what behavior was expected, knew
how to do what was expected, could have done what was expected, and actually
didn’t behave reasonably and responsibly.
__ 101. When criticizing anyone, keep it short, limited to your immediate point, and end
by affirming the person's value and abilities.

Dr. Crow is Executive Director at Lorain County Children Services in Elyria, OH (phone 440-329-5340; email
gcrow@ohio.net.
22
#65 from R&D Innovator Volume 2, Number 11, November 1993

There's No Future In Saying It Can't be Done

by Charles "Chic" Thompson

"We tried that before."

"The competition will eat you alive."
"You're too young."
"Yes, BUT..."
These Killer Phrases were nominated as "America's Most Dangerous Export" by World
Trade magazine. If you’re thinking that they’re not your problem, think again: When
was the last time you had a great idea, but a voice in your head persuaded you to drop it
by simply saying, It'll never work? Have you ever offered a suggestion and your boss
barked, "That's not your responsibility!"? I call these "Killer Phrases.

" Killer Phrase (Kil'er frāz) - n. 1. a knee-jerk response that squelches new ideas; most
commonly uttered by a boss, parent or government official. 2. a threat to innovation.

Killer Phrases are the uniquely negative responses that make us feel, "Gee, I wish I'd
never said that." Even worse, they make us think twice before offering the next
suggestion. Killer Phrases help explain why the average employee at a U.S. corporation
now submits one written suggestion every 10 years. The average Toyota worker submits
24 every year.

Without question, Killer Phrases are effective. They stifle ideas, short-circuit
creativity, and undercut the very notion of innovation. Even worse, they talk us out of
our hopes and dreams. Sadly, most people are bombarded by them every day.

Famous Last Words

Killer Phrases have been around since the dawn of time:

When Robert Fulton proposed his steam engine, Napoleon responded, "What? You
would make a ship sail against the wind by lighting a bonfire under her decks? I have no
time to listen to such nonsense!"

The president of Remington Arms Company uttered a classic while rejecting patent
rights for the typewriter in 1897: "No mere machine will replace a reliable and honest
clerk."

In 1899, the Director of the U.S. Patent Office declared, "Everything has been
invented"—and tried to eliminate the Office, which has since issued more than 5 million
patents.

In 1946, Daryl Zanuck, the head of 20th Century Fox studio, exclaimed, "Television
won't be able to hold on to any market it captures after the first six months. People will
soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night."

And, in 1977, Ken Olsen, President of Digital Equipment, announced that "There is no
reason for any individual to have a computer in their home."

If this seems like history, check out today's hottest topics and you'll find today's latest
Killer Phrases: for example, "Tom Peters wouldn't approve of it." Unfortunately, many
23
"quality" slogans are unfriendly to risk-taking and idea-generation, so you may also hear,
"It doesn't meet our quality criteria." "Do it right the first time."..."Zero defects." These
can be expectations, but as motivating slogans I think they often create an inner desire to
hide minor mistakes and play it safe.

Remember the last time you installed software in your computer? Did you read the
entire manual first, or did you immediately stick in the disk and only pick up the manual
when you encountered trouble? I firmly believe that we "Do it right the second or third
time," and that failure shows us the way.

Of course, we need warnings. I'd be grateful to anyone who legitimately shouts, "No,
don't do that!" before I figuratively step before a speeding train. When I'm trying out a
new idea, I appreciate constructive feedback. While this kind of feedback is rooted in
helpfulness, in adaptive creativity, Killer Phrases spring from a natural resistance to
change. And we know the naysayer's goal is to stop ideas dead in their tracks, before
they have a chance to disrupt the status quo.

Now, more than ever, organizations need new ideas to succeed and empower their
employees. If we want to give great ideas a chance to survive, we must understand
whence Killer Phrases come and how they can be defused.

Where Do Killer Phrases Originate?

To work on teams, we must be able to borrow, to pass notes, to share ideas early in
the process. We don't want to act like a relay team passing the baton among
departments, but more like a jazz group continually improvising and improving.

Early childhood is a time of enormous creativity. Between five and seven years of
age, people score higher on creativity tests than they will at any other age. At age 44,
they score the lowest. Rather depressing. It's also interesting that, according to
research, you laughed about 113 times per day as a young child and you get down to only
11 times per day during middle age. Many students of creativity have linked creativity to
humor, or vice versa. How many times a day do you laugh?

If you want to know why school is so detrimental to creativity, ask everyone in your
next meeting to write down the school rules they remember. If those rules indeed stifle
creative thinking, you must challenge the offending rules and create new guidelines that
promote interaction.

Archaic School Rules Guidelines for Creativity

The teacher is always right. Solicit opinions from those actually doing the
work.
There's one right answer. There are several right answers.
Keep eyes on your own paper. Collaborate and share ideas.
Raise your hand. Ask introverts "What do you think."
Evaluate by grades. Don't measure everything.
Stay on the subject. Allow for divergent thinking.
Work alone. Form self-directed teams.
Stop daydreaming. Envision problems as solved and work
backwards.
No spitballs. Throw chalk at naysayer.

Eliminate Killer Phrases

Research shows that 91 percent of all responses to requests at work are negative,
usually followed by, "We've never done it that way," or "It's not in the budget." According
to motivational speaker Les Brown, 87 percent of our "self talk" is negative: "I can't... I
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would, but... They'll laugh at me."

Unfortunately, we as managers sometimes forget the positive lessons of failure and

emphasize the negative instead. So what can we do? For starters, write up your own list
of Killer Phrases, or post our free "Killer Phrase" poster (fax request to 804/979-4879).
Use either list as a tool to transform "Yes, but" into "Yes and" and "It'll never work" into
"Let's try a test" or "What could we learn from it if we failed?"

When you eliminate Killer Phrases, and the inhibiting rules they reinforce, great things
start to happen. Self-esteem grows. Creativity blossoms and innovation flourishes. New
solutions suddenly appear to old problems. Conversations turn into collaboration and
work becomes truly enjoyable.

Some Common Killer Phrases

Do you realize the paperwork it will create?

What will people say?
Don't fight city hall!
It's too far ahead of the times.
I have a better idea.
People don't want to change.
You can't teach an old dog new tricks.
It will be more trouble than it's worth.
No!

...laughter...

Ideas are a dime a dozen.

The boss will NEVER go for it.
It isn't your responsibility.
Don't waste time thinking.
It's not in the budget.
That sounds like something my kids would suggest.
Great idea, but not for us.
Put it in writing.

...silence...

Get a committee to look into that.

I'll get back to you.
Don't rock the boat.
Let me play devil's advocate.
It doesn't have any sizzle.

The last person who said that isn't here anymore.

Mr. Thompson is president of the Creative Management Group in Charlottesville, Virginia. He has been
involved with quality improvement and re-engineering efforts in major organizations. He wrote What a Great
Idea! (HarperCollins, New York, NY, 1992), and is completing "Yes, But..." (HarperCollins, New York, NY,
1993).

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#54 from R&D Innovator Volume 2, Number 9, September 1993

A Process Model for Continuous Innovation

by Rolf Smith, Jr.

These days, managers need to accelerate change, since organizations can rarely
change as fast as necessary. The rate at which organizations accept new ideas,
viewpoints and methods is frustrating at best, giving rise to cynicism and resignation
in otherwise highly motivated employees.

But change is not uniform. It can vary from minor adjustments, trimming around
the edges, to revolution, a wholesale replacement of systems, products, or processes.
And managers who don't understand the gradations of change—and use such
understanding to implement change—are at a serious disadvantage as they try to
adapt to the future. If you understand the nature of change, you can institutionalize
comprehensive process innovation (that is, innovation that is continuous rather than a
series of unrelated, crisis-driven events).

Creativity, innovation, and continuous improvement involve ideas, and ideas are
about change: When someone has an idea, thinking changes; when an idea is
implemented, things change. Some changes are easy; others seem virtually
impossible. Leaving home 10 minutes early to beat the rush hour traffic is a small
change. But ideas that will improve overall quality in an organization require people,
processes, and groups to change in fundamental ways.

The Seven Levels of Change Model

Consider looking at change as seven increasing levels of difficulty—from easy to
virtually impossible. Each level is more radical, complex, and challenging than the
one preceding it. This Levels of Change model can be superimposed on the visions of
any department, division or organization, and then imbedded within its goals, culture,
and day-to-day environment. When a group moves from learning to doing, the model
quickly becomes an integral component of organizational behavior.

Level 1: Efficiency—Doing Things Right

At Level 1, the theme is Efficiency. The easiest change to make is learning to do
things right. This is often done with the help of an expert who understands an
operation and explains standard procedures in the hope of improving efficiency.
Changes at Level 1 are largely personal adjustments to new standards and procedures;
they incur low risk and require little effort.

Level 2: Effectiveness—Doing The Right Things

At Level 2, the theme is Effectiveness. We develop an overall picture by first
gaining a thorough understanding of all aspects of an activity, then focusing on
actions that will give the largest contribution. According to the Pareto Principle, 20
percent of all the things being done, generally speaking, yield 80 percent of the
payoff. To maximize effectiveness, shift energy to that 20 percent (the right things),
and apply Level 1 thinking to Level 2 priorities to do the right things right.

Continuous improvement is often defined as simultaneously doing the right things

and doing them right. Someone who has made enough Level 1 and Level 2 changes to
become comfortable in a new situation is now competent. Thus moving through Level
1 and Level 2—efficiency and effectiveness—involves change primarily at a personal
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Level 3: Cutting—Doing Away With Things
At Level 3, the theme is Cutting. We use the Pareto Principle to cut out the 80
percent of actions that yield only 20 percent of the value, and redirect those freed-up
resources to higher levels of change. In the simplest case, Level 3 change focuses on
eliminating waste. If this can be done systemically—keeping all organizational
relationships, processes, and subsystems in perspective—major results can be
achieved. At this level, we take the initiative to correct processes quickly, easily and
inexpensively, without asking for upper management approval. Level 3 changes
involve low risk and low effort, but they can directly improve an organization's
efficiency and be highly visible, both internally and externally.

Level 4: Enhancing—Doing Things Better

At Level 4, the theme is Better. Here we analyze an organization’s core activities
(the fruitful 20 percent remaining after Level 3) and figure out how to improve them.
Perhaps we find methods to speed up testing, move up deadlines, increase function,
or cut downtime. Work process redesigns are large-scale efforts to bring about Level
4 changes in combination with Level 3. Level 4 changes make things more effective,
more efficient, more productive, or more valuable.

Level 5: Copying—Doing Things Other People are Doing

At Level 5, the theme is Copying. We see here the first clear transition from
incremental thinking to fundamental change. Copying, learning from others, and
“reverse engineering” can dramatically boost innovation, quickly and more cheaply
than starting from scratch. Benchmarking how other laboratories operate (regardless
of their industry) and then enhancing their discoveries and achievements (using Level
4 change) is the hallmark of the adaptable innovator.
Many managers are still uncomfortable at this level, partly because they are
inwardly focused and therefore remain unaware that others are doing things worth
copying. In many organizations, a "Not Invented Here" mentality resists imitation,
forcing continual reinvention of the wheel.

Level 6: Different—Doing Things No One Else is Doing

At Level 6, the theme is Different. We take a fork in the road—by doing
something very different or very differently. Such trailblazing and risk-taking can
bring about genuinely new things, often by synthesizing seemingly unconnected
concepts, technologies, or components—or by totally shifting perspective about
possible uses of a product. In process-oriented operations, Level 6 at the extreme
combines Levels 3,4 and 5—cutting, enhancing, copying, and adapting—into
reengineering: revolutionizing processes and procedures so they become
unrecognizable.

Level 7: Impossible—Doing What Can't be Done

At Level 7, the theme is Breakthrough. Technology, market constraints, resource
limitations, or company culture too often pose seemingly insurmountable barriers.
Discoveries at this level frequently build on paradigm shifts or audacious visions.
They produce bold, brilliant, significant and long-term forays into the unknown.
Change at this level reflects the highest degree of imaginative thinking and is almost
invariably seen by others as a revolutionary or shocking departure from convention.

Albert Einstein pointed out the importance of such thinking: "The significant
problems we face today cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at
when we created them."

Very few Level 7 changes are implemented as they were first conceived; instead,
they are quickly barraged with Level 4 criticisms aimed at eliminating their
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weaknesses. Those that survive often produce innovative spikes of new thinking,
performance, or technology.

Level 7 changes can alter an existing industry or create a new one. Lockheed
Corporation's famous Skunk Works, for example, has continuously produced quantum
leaps in aircraft and space technologies. The radical design of the F-117 "stealth"
fighter is a good example of doing the impossible—change so different that it cannot
be compared to anything known at the time.

Lower levels of change imply evolutionary, or incremental, improvements, while

higher levels result in revolutionary advances. Either can be helpful, but a
combination offers the greatest potential to improve an organization. First, however,
the model must be utilized—ideas must be transformed into action at some level.

Dr. Smith is president of the Office of Strategic Innovation, Houston, Texas, which organizes workshops to
release innovative possibilities. He created the first Air Force Office of Innovation, and developed a
worldwide network of Innovation Centers.

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