Second Crack — The Leadership Podcast

A 360 Degree Feedback may be the most powerful leadership development tool you will ever use — if you use it correctly.
Feedback holds the key to successful leadership development. Despite our well-intentioned endeavours, our actions may not always align with our intentions in the eyes of others. The most successful leaders understand how they are perceived by others and adjust their actions and manage perception accordingly.
Receiving candid feedback is not always pleasant, but it invariably provides you with an opportunity to improve and develop as a leader.
A 360 Degree Feedback is a multi-rater assessment that weaves together insights from diverse vantage points. These vantage points, ranging from superiors and peers to subordinates and self-assessment, converge to provide a well-rounded picture of how others see you in comparison to how you see yourself.
This powerful tool, however, often falls short of its potential due to oversight in key aspects. A successful 360 journey commences with meticulous pre-process preparation, continues with accurate result interpretation, and ultimately requires taking the right actions to help you grow as a leader and create the desired impact.
Before Embarking on the 360 Degree Feedback Journey:

• Define Your Purpose: Articulate why you are pursuing the 360 Degree Feedback and be clear on the context.
• Curate Your Raters: Enlist a diverse and representative array of raters, not just your best friends.
• Personal Invitations: Extend personalised invitations to your raters, and encourage them to provide ample text answers rather than mere ratings.

Receiving Your 360 Degree Feedback Results:

• Guided Interpretation: Ensure you have a debriefing session with an executive coach certified in the 360 Degree Feedback tool you are using. A professional coach can help you navigate through a complex report and put things into perspective, enabling you to interpret the results correctly and gain the most from your 360 for effective leadership development.
• Attitude is Key: Embrace an open mindset and resist the instinct to be defensive when confronting critiques. Approach feedback as a snapshot of external perception at a particular point in time.
• Explore Alignment an Discrepancies: Explore hidden strengths recognised by others and blind spots wehre your self-assessment overshoots. Look for consistencies and inconsistencies in the ratings and comments. Scrutinise congruences and divergences within and between rater groups.

Take Effective Actions for Your Personal Growth:

• Seek More Feedback: Paradoxically, often the 360 Degree Feedback is only the start for receiving more feedback: engage with selected raters, sharing insights from your report. Seek further clarification and request specific suggestions for improvement.
• Holistic Growth: Development involves more than overcoming weaknesses. Capitalising on your strengths while bridging gaps is the pathway toward exceptional leadership.
• A Coach's Guiding Hand: Collaborating with an executive coach can truly propel your personal growth. For most people, changing behavioural patters and unproductive habits is more difficult and time-consuming than they think. Busy executives tend to focus on their projects and day-to-day work, often neglecting their own development. “A coach really, really helps”, as Eric Schmidt, former Google CEO, famously noted.

Get in touch with us:
web: secondcrackleadership.com
email: [email protected]

In this episode, we share insights from a 12-month project where we involved all executives, managers and employees in shaping and implementing a new vision and strategy for growth. The project resulted in re-energizing and motivating 700 people at a large chemical manufacturing plant, fostering not only business expansion but also fortifying a sense of ownership and teamwork across the site.

Key takeaways

• Approach vision and strategy as a process, implementation included
• Involve people in co-creating the vision & strategy to cultivate a sense of ownership and use the collective intelligence of the organisation
• While the process requires more time upfront, the investment pays off rapidly during the implementation phase

Key moments

01:28 - Introduction to the case

A brief overview of the case company and the overall approach to the project.

05:02 - Phase 1: Gathering input

We delve into how we engaged numerous individuals right from the project's inception, seeking their perspectives on the future direction. Our emphasis was on understanding people, their ideas, motivations, hopes, and concerns. Unlike conventional strategy planning, there was minimal focus on data collection and SWOT analysis in this phase.

08:43 - Phase 2: Shaping the initial vision and strategy

We discuss how, through guided conversations, we transformed initially diverse opinions into a shared vision and strategy by the end of the process. Our focus was on creating opportunities for dialogue, ensuring a shared context, and facilitating co-creation.

16:18 - Phase 3: Defining a clear and concise vision & strategy

We address the most challenging phase of the project: transitioning from 'brainstorming' to making decisive choices to arrive at a clear and concise strategy ready for implementation. We share the four pillars of the strategy that were developed, highlighting how it was laser-focused on making the growth vision a reality.

28:02 - Phase 4: Supporting implementation

We explore the structure we established to facilitate follow-up, learning, and adaptation during the project's implementation phase. This included monthly leadership workshops, individual executive coaching, and effective communication and involvement of all employees.

Reflection Questions

• What would I need to consider when designing my strategy process?
• For instance, how long time do I have? Who needs to be involved? What role does my leadership team play in the process? Who owns the process and how are decisions made? How can I engage managers and employees? What role will they assume? How prepared are managers and employees to be involved? How prepared am I and the leadership team for increased involvement in the strategy process?
• Based on this, how can I create the conditions that everybody can be involved? How do I make sure everyone's voice is heard?
• Additionally, how can I, as a leader of a local entity or unit within a larger organization, approach the strategy process differently? How can I drive a growth vision and strategy that doesn't necessarily have to originate from the headquarters?

More info about us and our work is also on our website: secondcrackleadership.com.
Do you have any questions, feedback, or suggestions for us? Would you like to explore how we can help you to drive results in your organisations through a company-wide initiative or individual executive coaching? Then email us at [email protected].
To connect with us on LinkedIn:
Martin Aldergård
Gerrit Pelzer

From our experience in executive coaching and leadership development we see again and again that self-awareness is absolutely mission critical for self-development and personal growth. And of course, we can ask the question: Is there a link between a leader's self-awareness and his or her leadership effectiveness?

To help us answer this question, we have a great guest on the show, Dr. Nia Thomas.

Key moments

[05:19] Nia shares what triggered her curiosity about leadership and self-awareness

[08:04] Most important findings from Nia’s research. The “strategic level disconnect” between what people at the most senior levels of the organizations are setting in motion and what they seem to be thinking, compared to what others are thinking. One element of this is filtered feedback, and regardless of organisation, in a senior leadership position you will get filtered feedback, which means that you are disconnect to the rest of the organisation to a greater or lesser extent.

[16:14] Identified 3 layers of Leadership Self-awareness

1. Reflection or Internal self-awareness, which is about me looking inward, knowing myself.
2. Recognition or Internal social self-awareness, is about recognising that people are observing me and have opinions about me.
3. Regulation or External social self-awareness, which is about regulating my behavior based on knowing myself, and knowing how others see me.

[27:40] Is there a correlation between a leader's self-awareness and their effectiveness?

The answer is a resounding yes - but. Leaders with high degree of self-awareness is an essential component to generate success. However, many organisations say it’s their aspiration, however the reality is, it’s not happening everywhere.

[31:28] What are potential dilemmas or challenges leaders might encounter when developing, or sharpening, their self-awareness?

• Need to recognise that self-awareness is an ongoing journey that you need to invest your time and effort
• The risk of filtered feedback, especially as a more senior leader
• Situations of stress, when we can’t cope to regulate our behavior
• ‘Busyness’ and seen to always be doing something, with no space for reflection

Self-awareness is a journey - “Know thyself, but ensure you keep reacquainting yourself”.

Reflection Questions:

• Stop and ask: Can I describe how I think others see me?
  If I can't, how will I develop my antenna, my space, my opportunity to be able to answer that question?
• What are the situations where I need to be more self-aware of my own behavior and its impact on my effectiveness as a leader?
• What do I need to focus on to increase my self-awareness?
• What are certain circumstances, situations, or people that either enhance or deplete my self-awareness?

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Get in touch with Nia through LinkedIn Dr. Nia Thomas or email at [email protected]
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More info about us and our work on our website: secondcrackleadership.com
Do you have any questions, feedback, or suggestions for us? Would you like to explore how we can help you to drive results in your organisations through a company-wide initiative or individual executive coaching? Then email us at [email protected] or connect on LinkedIn.
Gerrit Pelzer
Martin Aldergård

Today, leadership takes place in a challenging context, e.g.,

• increasing complexity
• increasing speed of change
• information overload

Thus, decision-making processes become more difficult. Leaders are at risk of either delaying decisions (gathering more information) or over-simplifying and rushing to decisions.

In an increasingly complex world, single leaders or small groups of leaders can’t have all the answers. Instead, they need to involve the whole team in sense-making and decision-making processes.

Involving more people may seem counterintuitive, as if it delayed decisions further. However, utilising the collective intelligence of the people leads to better decisions and gets buy-in from the start. (See also “How to Speed-Up Corporate Transformation”)

The need to be competent may also keep leaders from involving more people. They associate competence with having all the answers and giving people clear directions and instructions.

Of course, leaders need to have professional knowledge and business acumen. But they do not have to be the smartest person in the room. Today, the leader's role is less of an expert. Instead, leaders must surround themselves with the best talent, align them around a common goal, and create the conditions under which they can be their best.

Ron Heifetz says that leaders must distinguish technical problems from adaptive challenges. For technical problems solutions exist already. A leader or an expert has the answer and can tell people what to do. In contrast, an adaptive challenge is totally new. No experts have the answer yet.

“The leader's job is not to provide the answer, but instead to frame the right questions for which answers are developed and discovered by the collective intelligence of the people.”

Being competent in today’s context is less about knowledge but instead about qualities we have covered in previous episodes such as being humble, understanding that human beings are driven by emotions , and that trust-based relationships are the foundation for performance.

According to Daniel H. Pink, leaders need to turn from bosses who tell others what to do into autonomy supporters. This can be done using coaching skills, including listening and asking powerful questions.

What might keep leaders from utilising the collective intelligence of the people:

• The perceived need to express competence by having all the answers and tell others what to do; the fear that asking questions equals looking incompetent.
• Past successes, such as frequent promotions, may make leaders think they do know better, they are smarter than others.
• They don’t belief in their teams and struggle with letting go of control, or removing themselves from the centre of decision-making.

Reflection Questions for Leaders

• How comfortable am I not knowing?
• Do I feel I need to have all the answers? Or do I still appear competent when I ask questions and say, “I don't know”?
• Do I feel a need to demonstrate I am the smartest person in the room?
  If yes: why? How can I let go of this?
• How open am I to ways of working that are different from mine?
• Do I believe in the potential of the people I'm working with?
• What role do I want to take in this process as a leader? Am I going to be the expert, or am I going to be more like a coach, a facilitator, an enabler, or might I be an observer?

More info about us and our work is on our website https://secondcrackleadership.com.

Leaders often ask us, “How can I motivate my team?” or “How do I enhance employee engagement?”. Unfortunately, there is no simple answer, as motivation is a highly individual and complex subject.

But the challenge of motivating people is also what makes life interesting as a leader. Wouldn’t it be boring if we were all like robots, needing three pushes of a button, to be motivated?

Nevertheless, there are common motivational “themes”, or guidelines, that every leader can benefit from.

Key moments

[04:37] A common misconception is that people are motivated by money. While it's certainly true that people have jobs in order to earn money, once individuals feel fairly compensated, other aspects take precedence.

[09:36] Daniel H. Pink emphasises three fundamental drivers:

Autonomy is about freedom how to do the work, when to do the work, and, ideally, who with. While there are of course limits to autonomy at work, it is crucial for leaders to act as autonomy supporters.

[17:42] Mastery entails the joy of honing skills and receiving recognition for expertise. Viewing people development as an investment rather than an expense is a testament to organisational wisdom.

[23:26] Purpose extends beyond monetary gains. People yearn to contribute to something meaningful, transcending the singular pursuit of increasing shareholder value.

[25:52] In addition to “finding meaning”, the “Socio-Analytic Model of Values, Interests, and Motives” identifies two additional “master motives”:

Getting along: Humans have always lived in groups. Getting along with others has been critical for our survival as a species. Furthermore, “at a deep and often unconscious level, people need attention and approval.”

Getting ahead: At the same time, every group or social unit always has a hierarchy with an unequal distribution of power. Individual strive for status differs, but from an evolutionary perspective, a higher status allows better choices in many areas of life.

[30:04] Björn Ekenvall said, "You can't motivate people to perform. It's actually the other way around". Helping people to be successful, will generate motivation and ignite a self-reinforcing cycle of performance and motivation.

[31:15] As motivation is so highly individual, leaders need to understand the individuals they are working with: What excites them? What do they like to learn? What are their aspirations?

[34:04] Recognition and feedback signify a leader's care, fostering involvement and a sense of importance among team members.

[38:00] A leader's attitude directly impacts motivation and performance: Leaders who look at their people as heroes increase the chances they become heroes. Leaders who treat people like children might find they behave like children.

[41:30] Reflection Questions.

Reflection Questions

• Autonomy: How can I give people more freedom regarding how they work, when they work, and who they work with?
• Mastery: How can I nurture individuals’ development?
• Purpose: Does our company have a compelling purpose and vision that goes beyond profit-making?
• Personal Motivation: What motivates me as a leader? And how might this differ from others?

More info about us and our work is also on our website secondcrackleadership.com
Do you have any questions, feedback, or suggestions for us? Would you like to explore how we can help you to drive results in your organisations through a company-wide initiative or individual executive coaching? Then email us at [email protected].
To connect with us on LinkedIn:
Martin Aldergård
Gerrit Pelzer