Why Training Fails and How to Make it Work.

After working for than 35 years, I have witnessed my fair share of failures in training, wearing different hats as manager, HR, participant and trainer. Now, I know there are various reasons why training fails to deliver results. But, among the most glaring and overwhelming reason is because there is no authentic integration among the key stakeholders in deciding if, at all, training is the most appropriate and effective solution. The problem is not so much acute with “hard” technical skill trainings like MS Office, 7 QC tools, Forklift Driving, Machining, Wiring, etc. The biggest challenge lies those “soft” skill areas relating to attitudinal and behavioral change, which very much depends on applying it at the workplace, where the rubber meets the road. And, it is very convenient to make a scapegoat in putting the failure on the external training  provider or trainer. 
                   

I have personally gone through many trainings that have not served me nor the organisation much benefit, other than to meet the metric of completing the training hours per employee per year. I still can’t believe. We are into the 21st century and I still come across such metrics even amongst global MNCs! This goes to indicate how few organisations consider training, more precisely learning, seriously enough as a leadership functional responsibility in ensuring that the time and monies spend towards improving the competency of people yield returns.   

For years on now, training business and organisations have grappled with the difficult challenge of measuring training success. Many have used ROI as a means to measuring the benefits. Once again, this may be simplistically true in so far as hard skill areas where one can quantify the results in dollars value. But, when it comes to soft skills it is not so straight forward. How do you measure leadership or emotional intelligence in terms of dollars?. These skills are not the lone domain of individuals, rather requires the holistic support of the environment in which the individual interacts with. Training is a collaborated undertaking, not an isolated undermining!. There are no short cuts to tasting the fruits of labour. Training has a methodological structure  and process and if you .       

In 1998, unknowingly, I was roped at the eleventh hour into attending a leadership cum motivation training. The training was speared by the top leadership in consultation and collaboration with none other than Dr Paul Chan of HELP Institute. There were about twenty odd participants, mostly senior officers with many years of experience but who have been passed over for promotion. It was not until the opening address by the top gun that I realized this. By lunch time, my adrenalin was already peaking to ask why was I there. Shockingly, I was told that I was among the few ‘thrown’ in to inspire and motivate the others, into believing there is light at the end of the tunnel, to their career. To cut the story short, upon returning to base, I took the leadership to task, through a written report, questioning why had they blatantly departed from the fundamentals of the training cycle and had failed to engage the 'few' participants in letting them know in advance what was expected out of them before, during and after the training. And, this happened at the most unlikeliest of places – Army Training Command Headquarters, where I had served my last posting before retiring as a SO2 Doctrine & Evaluation.     

Herein, lies the problem - Leadership !. Many managers and bosses out there don’t think and act responsibly in treating their people with the same humility, maturity and respect. They have a “I know best” stance and don’t feel the need to listen to what their staff have to say with regards to matters involving their personal learning and development. These so called “leaders” are flawed in thinking that training is a unilateral decision and they are doing their staff a favour. These leaders know only of one style of approach - command and control. They communicate in one directional – to do to the staff, not with the staff.

We all know that soft skills are difficult to perceive and measure in a constant and consistent manner, hence why many leaders and participants alike, feel hesitant and pessimistic in investing in it. Because it is connected to psychology and character makeup of individual people, the returns may take a lot longer than what most leaders are willing to patiently wait. In addition, the training may even be a total waste, if the root cause lies elsewhere in the system. Training is not a panacea and to think it is the shiny silver bullet to all people problem is foolhardy.

The way in which I feel organisations can make training successful is to first make the connection with those who stand to benefit most – Participants or Trainees. After all, aren’t they the direct benefactor of the learning process and outcome. How does it help if they are not consulted and clearly informed of what they are expected to deliver or demonstrate upon returning from a training program?. Managers should sincerely and trustingly discover and communicate the agenda of closing employee performance gaps, be it in the current job or future growth plan. This will save the manager, staff and company a lot hassle and wasted resources. 

The other important area to improve would be to make measuring training outcome more realistically simple and plausible. When it comes to soft skills, instead ROI, managers should consider using what Donald Kirkpatrick calls ROE – Return on Expectations. Yes, what better way to measure that which training is required to close - the list of gaps and expectations of leaders, translated in competency and behavioural indicators. Meeting the expectations would cause to produce the desired effects.

Training is the single biggest change initiative that organisations invest in people with intent to help them improve their performance and their purposeful contribution. Yet, many do not see the benefits from it because of certain disconnect in the training cycle. Training or learning, is not taken to a conscious level of ownership and commitment by the stakeholders. What is meant to be a diagnostic, collaborative, integrative and synergistic undertaking, ends up being a annual calendar based intuitive wish-list activity, designed to offer employees breakaway time-off from work.

In my humble opinion, for training to succeed, the management must  step up to appreciate and understand the concept of training cycle and how it generates – learning, both formal and informal. It is highly recommended that managers attend training workshops on the 5 phases of training cycle – TNA, Design, Development , Execution and Evaluation. It is too elaborate and serious of a business to be left to HR Department,  who may not necessarily be best positioned to articulate the strategic and operational needs of people. Many organisations take the easy way out by outsourcing the training function and hoping the external trainer or provider knows best in offering the answers and solution. Whilst this may work for some, for sure no external party will know better the internal environment challenges and if the training is going to be applied at work. In worst case scenarios where there is a lack of expertise, managers should take ownership of the beginning and end of the training cycle – TNA and Evaluation. This way, they can keep sight of the identified learning objectives and how to effectively measure the outcomes.                

The Inconvenient Truth

 The other day, themalaysianinsider reported a study conducted by two public university researchers that showed “Malaysian employers practise racial bigotry”.

 The topic was indeed eye catchy because it touched on one of the most sensitive and controversial realities that Malaysians live with – race or ethnic discrimination. And, at the core of it is about favouring, whether outright openly or creatively disguised, one race over another. This time, the focus is on Malays and Chinese. Obviously, it got to my nerve that the 3rd largest ethnic group had been insignificantly ignored from the study. I had to restrain myself for several days, but the antagonist in me would not relent.

As I scanned through the comments column, the sound of criticism grew louder. Majority did not think the study had justifiably served it’s useful purpose. In summation, a fruitless piece of academic research gone waste!

Malaysia is a paradox of paradise. We are rated amongst the world’s most friendliest people, yet we can be among the worst racist bigots. What do you expect from a non-homogeneous set of people as diverse as Malaysians. They say, "one man’s meat is another’s poison" and so you will tend to find opposing views on racial discrimination – one denying and sweeping it under the carpet and another crying foul and resorting to vengeance. Then, there is that third group - the insignificant yet optimistic minority that yearns for a practical end to all forms of race, sex and age discrimination. That’s people like myself who, having tasted the short end of the stick on many instances, hope for a miracle!.

As much as Malaysians would prefer to deny or avoid discussing under the excuse of racial tolerance and peaceful coexistence, the fact remains that we have a build-in element of discrimination as part of our political structure and system of governance. The constitution accords preferential treatment of one ethnic group – the indigenous Malays and natives of Sabah and Sarawak. Let me ruffle some feathers.

The Malaysian constitution provides for the protection and assurance of economic prosperity of the indigenous group called “Bumiputra” (sons of soil) of which the majority form the Malay ethnic group. And, this assures that the Malays are accorded special focus and privileges in the government’s agenda of national economic progress. There is nothing uncommon about it because even developed countries, including the mighty USA have such constitutional reforms to protect the rights of indigenous natives. The only distinction is, in Malaysia, the protection covers not the “minority” rather the Malay majority. And, so we have specific Affirmative Action (AA) programs (AAP) in place to ensure that Malays are not neglected from the mainstream economic development and strata of society. And, one of the ways to advancing that goal is to ensure Malays form substantial numbers in areas like governance, business investments and employment. Hence, why you see more Malay employed in government and GLCs.

So how do the non Malays, especially the economically affluent Chinese who dominate the private sector businesses, feel and response?. The inconvenient truth is per what the research study revealed. Since 1969, the wedge had slowly edged deep into the fabric of Malaysian governance policies, including employment, at the expense diversity and meritocracy benefits. This cause and effect has now accumulated to a level where non-Malays shun government jobs whereas private sectors favour non-Malays. I can’t say if it’s a case of emotional tit-for-tat response or purely based on the merits of competency. One may not like or agree, but that’s the“real-ity”. It is pretty much a common knowledge. One can see it in media advertisements, asking for Bumiputra or Chinese speaking candidates. And, we are all too familiar of the economic value of Mandarin and how the language commands international appeal.

I would be lying if I said I have never "endured" racist bigots during my employment in the government (22 years) and corporate HR (12 years). Once, I had an Executive Search  approach me for an IR/ER position in a Singapore owned manufacturer of soft drinks. During the discussion, she told me bluntly that they could not find anymore suitable Chinese and Malay candidates, hence decided to look for Indians !. That’s why I have, unequivocally and unreservedly, made it my lifetime (whatever left of it) to champion the cause of professionalism through meritocracy and competency, without fear or favour of skin. No matter what, I find it unethical and hypocritical for any employer to hire people on the basis of race !. I may be an island on this but I don't care what others may think or say. I have the moral intelligence to reject racist bigots and their clever antics. I sincerely believe and follow what an exemplary human soul once said, "be the change that you want to see".

 

Since we now know of what the study has validated, do we want to something to stop the rot?. Are we ready and willing to take actions in removing the barriers racial discrimination across the employment market?. Is the country’s leadership willing to ratify the anti-discriminatory laws and legislate the Equal Employment Opportunities Act?. These are questions I have often thrown across to many, including HR practitioners. The silence is deafening. But, I am not defeated. I still harbour the vision of seeing Malaysians become  colour blind and free of racist bigotry. Malaysia is a blessed country and deserves to be a better place to befriend, work and live. 

Here's an award winning clip that showcases how a human resource "talent" goes to waste http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1G_Lxlk4Fxk. Though, I sympathize with the predicament of the main character, I disagree with choice of career path he had taken. "Two wrong does not make a right". Malaysia is a land of abundance to opportunities. No matter what the circumstances are, resorting to vice is definitely an unjustifiable act and devoid of moral character. The environmental stimulus can be negative, but one's conscious response must be positive.  

Career Survival Rules

Sales Manager Tan & Service Manager Kassim, walked into my room. Stress and tension was written all over their face. They informed me that they wanted to download their grievances on their boss (who happens to be my boss, too!).

Each told their version which pretty much centered on the leadership style of the boss. The complaint was that the boss indulged in too much PR, at the expense of jeopardizing their job performance. They felt unhappy that the boss had failed to support them in sticky situations against “powerful” clients, who had close political connections with the board of directors. On few occasions they had to reject the client’s demand, in the interest of the company’s cash flow and policy compliance. Unfortunately, the boss had reversed their decisions, to please the clients. This made them feel small and slighted. 

I explored the options available for Tan & Kassim, in resolving their conundrum with the Boss. After separating the facts from assumptions, both acknowledged the upside and downside to the boss. He is a humble and nice person who goes all out to please everybody. However, when push comes to shove in choosing between an employee and client, he would not standby the employee. Tan and Kassim knew this better, as old timers in the company.  

After hearing enough, I advised them that this is something that they needed to sort out with their boss, in no uncertain terms. They agreed but requested my presence to help moderate the discussion.  I consented and asked, “What is the expected outcome that they wanted out of the meeting?” They said, “they don't expect the boss will change, but at least they  want to be heard and be done with”.

It was a good 2 hours no holds bar meeting. Tan & Kassim Both got their grievances off their chest and expressed that they would like to see the Boss support the empowered decisions they make with clients. The Boss was his usual nice self,  listened attentively and assured that he would not interfere. Quite honestly, I had my reservations on how far the Boss would walk his talk. And, I sensed that Tan & Kassim knew that, too.   

Over lunch, I decided to let Tan & Kassim know 2 simple yet golden rules that needed to know in order to survive in their job.  
 

Rule 1.  No matter what, never ever go against your Boss. (Believe me, there was a time I had refused to accept it). In the name of finding happiness and engagement in the work you do, this rule is numero uno to every employee. And, that includes for the top employee – CEO (unless you happen to be the owner or son !). 

One must realize, whether you like it or not, that an employee has to serve the Boss. It never works the other way. I am also aware of this new thinking on leadership called servant leadership. But, you and I know the real deal at work - employee is the servant and boss, the master. When this “master-servant” relationship turns for the worst, the employee’s career is doomed. No matter what values or principles you may hold unto, you just simply can’t sustain in your job if you don’t have the chemistry working with your boss. So, before taking the plunge, think twice on the first rule “Never ever go against your Boss”. That includes saying, behaving, joking, thinking and even silencing, when the boss expects your support.

Rule 2. If you break Rule 1, be prepared to face the consequences. Simple law of physics reveal that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. And, this applies equally well on the most complex organism – human mind. In breaking rule 1, the span and degree of consequences can vary, from subtle deprivation to open intimidation. If the employee does not quickly overcome the differences with the boss, the communication and relationship will head south. A hairline fracture  will worsen into a deep crack. Imagine the pent-up emotional undercurrents between two unhappy and angry individuals. Yes, in all the cases it is the employee who has to bear the brunt of the fall-out. Recall the Malay proverb, “Durian and Cucumber”. Therefore, it is critical for an employee to adapt, build and sustain a healthy and symbiotic working relationship with the boss. If not the parasitism will settle in and the inevitable will result - resignation or termination.

If you have a story in which the boss had to resign due to an employee’s victimisation, tell me about it. I can then come up with another, not rule, but tip on how to survive a career standoff with your boss.

The above rules come from personal career experiences and from employees who have sought my advice on what they should do. As hard as I tell them to be guided and stand firm by deep seated values and principles, it is insufficient guarantee to survive at the workplace. You win some, you lose some. But, I will firmly stamp to say that an employee must take accountability for his or her career. That decision, going forward, lies not with the boss. The boss can offer all the opportunities but the final decision lies with the employee. So, irrespective of how the work relationship with the boss is, don't take it out against the boss.

I always believed that when one door closes, another will open. Look at it from the bright side. In cases where an employee throws in the towel because of the boss, the employee  should be thankful. The boss may have helped the employee grow, elsewhere.  I went through it, many times.  

Life is all about the making decisions and acting on it, based on freedom of choice. You chose what to you want to be or become. No one can force you into doing something that you wish not to do. Hence, no one is a victim until they themselves say they are. We are all gifted and talented in many different ways and can choose the path we wish for, be it the most or least travelled. The same rules applies to Tan, Kassim and the rest in any employee-boss working relationship. They do not have control over changing their boss, but they certainly have the powers to change themselves in determining the outcome of their career survival.          
 

“If you say you can or say you can’t, you are right” – Hendry Ford.

7 Habits Revisited - Part 3

Habit 4 – Think Win/Win.

The first under the public victory domain, habit 4 ventures into the realm of recognising and appreciating the right of others. It harmonizes the principles of Interpersonal Leadership. Like the other remaining habits, it deals with making deposits into Emotional Bank Account. Win-win is not a technique; it is a holistic and underlying  philosophy of human interaction. If everyone can think and act in a win/win paradigm, the world will be filled with only victories and success.  
     

According to Covey, there are 6 paradigms of interactions, ie win-lose, lose-win, lose-lose, win, win-win or no deal, and no win. Think win-win is a frame of mind and heart (yes, you heard me right !) that constantly seeks mutual benefit in all human interaction. It means, in every given situation the thinking revolves around a magnanimous theme, “how can I help you get what you want so that you can help me get what I want”. It’s not about giving in or accepting less nor getting what you want by beating it out of someone else. Since it involves relationships, it concerns the character of integrity, maturity, the abundance mentality and most importantly, trust. Trust is at the core of all relationships and nowhere is this felt more than at work where you have people with indifferent character, goals and agendas. Covey brilliantly equates trust in terms of Emotional Bank Account, in which the balance outcome depends on the positive or negative deposits. Without trust, the best we could do is compromise; without trust we lack the credibility for open, mutual learning and communication and real creativity. To think Win/Win a person must have 3 character attributes – integrity, maturity and abundance mentality.

Habit 5- Seek First To Understand, then To Be Understood

Habit 5 underscores the most important principle in interpersonal communication. If we understand better god’s natural gift to man, then listening should occupy a greater part of our communication effort and skill. Unfortunately, many have the uncanny tendency to confuse it with hearing. Unassumingly, listening here refers to emphatic listening. Most people do not listen with the intent to understand, but rather with the intend and preoccupation to reply or to prove the other person wrong. Good or active listening is critical to the cognitive development of our problem solving and creative skills. Through active listening, you exercise the brain faculty to diagnose before prescribing a response. This is the mark of all true professionals. Attempts to be understood is the other half of habit 5, which deals with making effective personal projections and presentations. It’s essence is captured in three words - ethos, pathos and logos. Ethos is your personal credibility, the faith people have in your integrity and competency. Pathos is the feeling of trust you inspire in communication. Logos is the logic, the reasoning part of the presentation.

Habit 6 – Synergise

Synergy, simply put, means the whole is greater than the sum of it’s parts. It deals with miracles and unexpected results. It thrives under the condition of principle-centered leadership and creative co-operation. The very way that man and woman bring a child into the world is synergistic. The essential element for this habit is synergistic communication which means opening your mind, heart, and expressions to new possibilities, new alternatives, new options, etc. I for one, personally believe that challenging status quo as an important paradigm that could bring out that synergistic effect. Synergy breeds on trust and co-operations. Let’s look at how closely trust is related to communication. People working on this habit must also be wary of the negative forces of synergy. Kurt Lewin’s theory of ‘Force Field Analysis’ states that any current level performance as a state of equilibrium between the driving force that encourage driving upward movement and the restraining forces that discourage it. Both sets of forces are very real and must be taken into account in dealing with changes. How often have we heard people saying ‘It’s simply  too difficult to change; it’s the way things are; that is the current culture, too much politics and personal agendas” .

Habit 7 – Sharpen The Saw

Habit 7 revolves around Personal Production Capacity. It is about reserving the greatest asset you have – YOU. It basically renews the four dimension of your nature – physical, spiritual, mental and social/emotional. And, it has great relevancy to sound organization theory and motivation – economic (physical); how people are treated (social); how people are developed and used (mental); and the service, the job and contribution to oneself and organization (spiritual). Sharpen the saw involves the self renewal forces of all these areas. It empowers us to move upward spiral of growth and continuous improvement. Moving  along the upward spiral requires us to learn, commit and do. Peter Senge, the author of The 5^th Discipline, said, “the ability to learn faster than your competitor may be the only sustainable competitive advantage”. I strongly believe this to be undeniably true. If we champion that people are at the centre of organisational sustenance and growth, then we do not have a choice other than to “synergise” that source of energy constantly and continuously through learning and growth. What better way to walking the talk than by institutionalising learning as an organisation-wide strategic initiative.

Many employees think that it is the responsibility of the organisation to provide training. That may be true but they are definitely not responsible for the outcome - learning. That responsibility lies with the individuals. That is why I take a strong position in imprinting “continuous learning” in all the places I have worked. I have created and conducted many informal learning moments for managers, executives and employees. And, this I have accomplished without top leadership support. It is my way of debunking the WIIFM(e) in favour of WIIFU(s). People can be energised to come together for collective learning. The recognition of efforts comes from those who have benefitted in more ways from the rich exchange of self reflections, arguments, corrections, new information, opportunities, confessions, failures and success.

Take Away Lesson

Much of what has been said may seem far to good to be true for many. I, myself, have been in very trying dispositions and have endured failures, despite religiously following 7 habits challenge. I have even doubted if it is fashionably idealistic for practical application in today’s materialistic obsessed world. Thankfully, I reminded of Covey’s  reassurance from his confession that even he personally struggles with much of what he had written. He believes that there are parts to human being that cannot be reached by either legislation or education, but require the power of God to deal with. That’s why the prayer, “Lord, give me the courage to change the thing which can and ought to be changed, the serenity to accept the things which cannot be changed, and the wisdom to know the difference”. No one can persuade others to change. Each of us guards a gate of change that can only be open from inside, requiring us to take that the inside-out journey. To those of you who feel handicapped to begin your quality crusade because of the way ‘things’ are surrounding you, I strongly advise you to start with Habit 1. This habit alone is foundational enough to elevate us into adopting and embracing a new level of thinking, one that shapes your paradigm and subconscious to do what is right – effective – to a cause that could be larger than how it has been so far and which could offer a more purposeful and meaningful life founded on principles, values, mutual respect, interdependence, united, loyal and altruism. Most importantly, we should constantly strive to learn and explore. As T.S Elliot  said, ‘we must not cease from exploration. And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we began to know the place for the first time”.

If you are still wondering if this book is still relevant in the 21st century, then you should check out 10 Must Have Skills and Must Reads for Today's Worker. 

7 Habits Revisited - Part 2

Habit 1 - Proactive. 

This is the most important habit. If you can't assimilate and internalise it, then the others will have little value to you. This habit anchors your decision going forward, regardless of the circumstances you are in. Hence, I will cover more ground citing my own experience on how digging deep into it became a turning point in my career.

This habit invokes the principles of Personal Vision. Pro-active is more than taking the initiative or bull by the horn. It means only you are responsible or accountable for your actions. Our behaviour is a function of our own decision, not our surrounding conditions. The word responsibility is made of two words - ‘response and ability’, implying  one has the ability to choose one’s  response. Highly proactive people recognize that responsibility and do not blame circumstances or the environment conditioning for their behaviours and decisions. I strongly believe this to be one of the most challenging paradigm affecting management and people. It is difficult to convince the naysayers, but, we must face up to the truth - we alone decide our own destiny.          

Honestly speaking, how many people at work have found reason to put the blame of their own predicament, failures and inaction on the prevailing system, culture and management. Covey proposes an excellent way to increase our degree of pro-activity, ie  by focusing and expanding the circle of influence over the circle of control. Knowing what you cannot do is also important, but, it should not circumvent effectiveness to results. Many at times, I have coached demotivated and unhappy employees into acknowledging and realising that whatever happens to their career ultimately lies with them because it is still a matter of their own choosing. Is any employer or boss holding a gun to their head?. We all have the freedom of choice, either to end it or make good of it. That's what happened to me several times.   

In 1998, after 21 years of military service, I decided quit. I thought graduating from Staff College on the Board list would showcase my future potential capabilities. But, that was not to be and I decided to deploy my plan B, which included the timely completion of my MBA study. 

2 months after submitting my application for early retirement, the DOA-HR dropped the bomb in announcing that the government had frozen all optional retirement of civil servants. Malaysia was then suffering the backlash of the Asian financial crisis. I was not alone. There were 14 of us, all trapped in a foxhole. My hopes lost out. Having explicitly notified my intent to resign, I saw my future career black out !. However, 3 weeks later I got my break in exercising habit 1. A precedence was set when two Air Force pilots invoked the prerogative of their Service Chief. With stubborn persistence, I confronted HR and relentlessly bulldozed my case. I personally wrote and delivered my 3 page letter to the Chief of Army justifying the reasons why I deserve his approval. And, being a 7 Habits advocate himself, I centered my rationale on habit 1 - proactive.

2 days later I got a call from the ADC of the Army Chief, to come pick up my letter, duly approved. When the news got around, I had my 13 colleagues descending upon me, for a copy of my letter!. This experience also reflects on what the next habit is all about.    

Habit 2 - Begin With an End in Mind 

This means to start with a clear understanding of your destination. It enables you to understand better where you are now, so that the steps you take are always in the right direction. Habit 2 is based on the principles of Personal Leadership. Leadership is not management. It is a mental creation and top line focus ‘What are the things I want to accomplish’. Management, on the other hand, is bottom line focus ‘How can I best accomplish things’? In the words of Peter Drucker and Warren Bennis ‘Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things’. I do not wish to speak further about leadership, for you are the better authority and judge of it and how you fit into that frame of work and reference. But I do hope whatever knowledge gained today would work to improve your style and approach. The most effective way to begin with an end in mind is to develop and write a personal mission statement. It gives the vision and values to direct your life, in whatever role you may hold or choose. Covey has identified there is a particular center or core paradigm that affects the four influential factors of life – security, guidance, wisdom and power. These are spouse-centered, family-centered, money-centered, church or religion-centered, self-centered, principle-centered etc. Principle-centered paradigm creates a solid foundation that puts all the other centers in perspective.

Habit 3 - Put First Things First 

This habit is associated with the principles of Personal Management. It’s the fulfilment, actualization and natural emergence of habit 1 and 2. It deals with many of questions relating to "time management", something that Malaysians are international recognised for. But, here's the irony. First of all, we can't manage time. You can only manage the task, activities and projects within the time-frame - 8 (or more) hours of work, 24/7 and 12 months. So, the best approach to time management is to organize and execute your activities and events around priorities. In this way, if you don’t get everything done, at least you get the important things done, because you put them first. But remember, things that matter most must never be at mercy of things that matter least. Habit 3 also advocates commitment and accomplishments. All these loops back to habit 1, i.e transferring responsibility downwards to accommodate initiative and decision making. But responsibility alone is not good enough. To be effective, certain amount of commiserative authority must be accorded, as well. By authority, I am referring to the resource power to take remedial steps when necessary to correcting sticky political situations that could interfere and stifle the progress of proactive actions by team members. One of my favourite quotes that I use to impress the duality of authority and responsibility “Authority without responsibility is harlotry; responsibility without authority is masochism”. If one part is held back then it may impact the expediency of execution and desired effect or result.

For habit 3, I would share my failure experiences, which have cost me my job , not once but 3 occasions!. How do managers handle staff training. Do you see them prioritising and following the training cycle?. How many really take the time to start with the 1st step, i.e conduct Training Need Analysis. The root cause - managers are too busy to be bothered with this critical step. Besides, isn't it HR 's job?. 

In most cases, training is often reduced to 1) The boss (who knows best) decides unilaterally what training an employee needs; or alternatively 2) Employees are given a form to fill their wish list of trainings they would like to attend. As a result, there is hardly any connection between the training, employee performance, improvement measurement, and expected results. In the end, training  is ridiculed as ineffective and waste of money. The way I see it, it is a competency area lacking in management. I feel organisations could do well in sending managers to Training Needs Analysis workshops, in appreciating the priority of activities involved before investing in training of human capital.                         

7 Habits Revisited – Part 1

In all my executive level trainings on leadership, I make a point to survey participants if they have read 7 Habits by Stephen Covey. Sadly, the findings are often disappointing, even amongst top management. And, the enthusiasm falls short, despite revealing that the e-book is freely available on the web.  

A true gem, 7 habits changed my life forever, personally and professionally. It heralded a new chapter in my learning curve, beyond the military indoctrination. To be honest, I did not intentionally seek the book, rather, it found me!. In 1991, 7 habits was a  mandatory reading for training on Total Quality Management (TQM). 
  

7 habits became a leadership compass, in steering and shaping my thoughts, feelings, behavior and actions. It was my companion, mentor and coach. My career perspective and path took on a new dimension, riddled with significant decision points at critical junctures.

For posterity, I have decided to revisit Covey's 7 habits. It is based on an article I did in 1998 for sharing on officers study day. And, to make it more palatable for the busy, I have condensed into 3 parts. I will share an anecdotal personal experience for each habit.   

Areas of Application

Just like all the other management gurus, Covey focuses his philosophical thoughts towards achieving quality status. Let me illustrate this by drawing your attention to the key words in the topic, i.e., habits, effective, and people. All three have a close and symbiotic relationship to the TQM phrase ‘Continuous Improvement’. It is best captured by Aristotle, “we are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not and act, but a habit”. Effectiveness, deals with doing the right thing. Covey relates effectiveness using the Production/Production Capability principle. He draws upon the famous fable of golden goose. By this, he means not merely looking at the results but also at the capacity to yield results. Lastly, people represent the very basic yet dynamic resource that make things happen and not happen.

7 habits extends the function of quality to not only the products and services but rather to life and relationships. Total quality, then, is an expression of the need for continuous improvement in four areas :-  Personal and Professional Development; Interpersonal Relations; Managerial Effectiveness; Organizational productivity. It introduces a new level of thinking. It is a principle - centered, character based, ‘inside-out’ approach to personal and ‘interpersonal effectiveness’. ‘Inside-out’ means to start first with self, even more fundamentally, to start with the most inside part of self- your paradigm, character and motives.

Habits - Defined

Habits can be defined as the intersection of knowledge, skill and desire (KSD). Managers and trainers can relate this better to the famous Bloom's taxonomy of learning domain - Cognitive (knowledge), Psychomotor (skill) and Affective (Attitude). Creating a habit requires hard work in all three domains. This is essential because our character, basically, is a composite of our habits.

Maturity Paradigm

It pays to remind that habits are not piecemeal psych-up formulas that can be easily acquired after attending 2 days of 7 habits certified training workshop. These are highly conscious driven, incremental and highly integrated steps that has to be repeatedly performed and developed over time. In other words, it is progressive along a maturity continuum, ie dependence to independence and, thereafter, to interdependence. Habits 1, 2 and 3 deals with Self Mastery which falls under the umbrella of “Private Victories”. Covey believes that Private Victories must precede Public Victories. One must win the internal battle at the personal level before mastering the interpersonal or social level. Having worked on your character base you can then proceed to the personality – oriented ‘Public Victories’ which is the focus of habit 4, 5, and 6. Lastly, habit 7 talks of “Sharpen the Saw”, to indicate the renewal or continuous improvement that creates an upward spiral of growth.

Courage of Leaders

In 2005, after gaining some presence in the corporate world, I sat down to my pen my thoughts on leadership, casting reflections if it is an art or science?.  Much has been said and written of leadership, yet to many it still invokes ambiguity, misunderstanding and delusion. For me, leadership is a learn-able art that is accessible by anyone, if they chose to. And, when I saw the abyss before my eyes, I felt compelled to write about it. 

Instead of a long list of leadership competencies, I articulated 3 simple and easy to follow qualities of leadership 101. The acronym is KCC and you can read  it, here

After 7 years, have I changed my viewpoints on leadership? Negative. However, if asked to review it, I would rearrange the order differently – Courage, Compassion and Knowledge (CCK). Why?.    

First of all, given my blog name and associated spirit, it should come as no surprise why I am saying courage ought to be front runner or foremost quality for leadership. Yes, I know it is a chicken and egg argument. Some can say knowledge is more important, without which a leader may not be aware, informed or wise to know what to do or how to be?. My point is – even knowledge must, first, be sought. And, one needs courage to seek it. Perhaps, you may want to call it desire, hunger, motivation, or something else. I aggregate it as courage.

The other counterpoint is that knowledge is only as good as it’s application. To know is different from to do. It is only in the doing and applying, that knowledge can serve meaning. To quote Johan Goette, “Self-knowledge is best learned, not by contemplation, but by action. Strive to do your duty and you will soon discover of what stuff you are made”. Herein, lies the greatest test of leadership.  Leaders are linked to inspiring people towards visions, mission and goals. But, why do many leaders perform miserably in this area?. How come leader’s struggle to translate strategies and tactics into actions, requiring new thinking and behaviours?. To effect change in people, especially in a fear driven organisational culture is difficult, to say the least. So, I always ask, “what must change to the leadership model or formulae to turnaround the outcome? 

Spiritual Intelligence (SI). Courage is born out of SI, which steers people into action.  Acting as a compass, SI navigates a person towards true north, in making judgment calls. Everyday leaders face challenging situations, requiring problem solving and decision making. And, often leaders have to summon courage to overcome the fear of negative consequences. I was quite surprised when the late Stephen Covey came out with 8th Habit. I thought the ultimate book on leadership was written. Did he sense a big missing link to the leadership challenge in the 21st century, when he cited, “SI is the central and most fundamental of all the intelligences because it becomes the source of guidance of the other three. SI represents our drive for meaning and connection with the infinite”. It helps us discern true principles that are part of our conscience”.

The essence of SI is conscience, which is instinctively unique only to the human species. It is the repository of principles like courage, integrity, respect, kindness, fairness, etc. And, I feel it takes great courage to use conscience when the going gets tough. Courage feeds the moral authority and freedom of power to act in the interest of principles and values. Courage in leaders requires some level of sacrificial commitment - to forgo selfish and egoistical interests for collective interests of stakeholders.  They need courage to question and seek the truth in calibrating and realigning personal and team values with organisational values. With courage, leaders can promotes trustworthiness among followers and build an open, safe, positive and healthy workplace.
 

Post Communication.  "Communication is the real work of leadership," says HBS professor Nitin Nohria. I first read Aristotle’s Logos, Pathos and Ethos in 7 habits. (I will leave Logos (Logic) and Pathos (Emotions) for another post). Ethos is about appealing to sense of values. And, how does it link to courage?. Well, how about looking at where it matters most – after communicating? I am not talking of listening or NLP skills. I am referring to an even more critical communication skill, “walking the talk”. Failure at “Leadership by Example”, is probably the top most deficiency listed by employees and biggest contributor why introducing change does not last. Again, it takes courage to follow through words, values, goals, actions and even behaviors like coming to meetings on time. Believe me, mocking the  “walk the talk” is one of the top water-cooler discussion?. And, the worst part is, they consciously close the double loop learning.

Jenny (not real name), an Engineer worked at the same place where I did. One day, unhappy with her supervisor (Richard), she resigned. On her last day of work, her supervisor caught her photocopying some design drawings, which were classified documents. When confronted, she argued in saying it was her work and she had rights to it. Richard stopped her and reported the matter to the top management. After performing an audit trail, he provided a long list of the files that Jenny had downloaded over a period of 2 weeks. 2 months later, Richard left the company, due to better career prospects. Unbeknownst to me, a month later the top management rehired Jenny but relocated her overseas !.

Does courage matter?. (3 months later I left the company)  

Upward Management. We have the wisdom of knowledge that says managers focus on efficiency and leaders on effectiveness. We also know for certain that effectiveness must come before efficiency and productivity. Yet, how come leaders grapple with this ubiquitous common sense?. Because to know and not to do, is really not to know. Recall the time when leaders stood up against unethical, hypocrisy, immorality, injustice, corruption, political incorrectness and other toxic practices that inflict damage to operational effectiveness and organizational results?. Between career survival and moral courage, the side a leader chooses would pretty much sum up the character. You can have all the knowledge you want, but it would not matter without the courage to apply it effectively. They say, you reap what you sow. Likewise, without courage, knowledge will remain a matter of latent energy without seeing it’s potential yield.                

Leaders are constantly put in difficult spots to make tough decisions. You can either speak the truth without fear or favour and, thereby, earn your self-respect and that of your fellow peers and followers. Or, hold your tongue from saying what could displease your boss, and thereby, risk your future career survival. And, of course, there is that safe zone ‘grey” area, which affords to buy time in picking a side or to move on.     

Time and again, we have acknowledged that “you cannot manage people, you can only lead them” Then, how come we have such hard time entrenching and en-culturing it in organisations, even in the most affluently successful ones?. That’s because it takes great courage to standby the very same values and principles leaders preach to others. And, it takes even greater courage to do so, in the face of daunting odds, unpleasant certainties and untoward consequences.                      

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage"

(anais nin) 

     

Leadership - Art or Science?

“Leadership is intangible. No weapon, no impersonal piece of machinery
ever designed can take its place”- Gen Omar Bradley

As the world slowly edges out of global recession, we can’t avoid  reflecting how it all started and how people in leadership responsibilities played an ugly hand in directly starting it or indirectly allowing it into a downward spiral. Cyclical or prophetic, it sure has awaken all to call into question the role of leadership in shaping events and outcomes of not just businesses but livelihood, as well. We have witnessed how leaders, in the name of free market capitalism and innovative services, have exploited their positions in creating tsunamis on financial institutions, GDP growth, equity markets, reserve funds, export trade and job security. Many people have been laid off and struggle to put food on the table for their families. What does it take for a person to unleash greed, selfish acts and abuse of power. Was it the lack of regulatory measures that failed to ensure good corporate governance or the leadership behind its design and enforcement?.  Everyday, you can find reminders of disintegration in leadership ethics and integrity at all levels, be it political, business, government, enforcement agencies, management, professionals, contractors and even decorated public figures. Therefore, it is timely and critical to take a close study at leadership and see how leaders, through their decisions and actions, impact people.

How can we best understand the role and function of leadership, in the most fundamental and simplistic form. How does leadership differ at the national, corporate, business, non-profit, military or even household level. What are the governing philosophy, principles, rules, traits, styles needed for one to become an effective leader. We are told a leader must earn the respect, trust and admiration of his or her followers. If so, how come there is lesser attention and significance given to the people who honour this – the led. If the core focus of effective leadership is to motivate people for a common cause or goal, why do we see union disputes, political uprising, white collar crimes, employee victimisation resulting from unilateralism, individualism, creative greed, economic disparity, social imbalance, ethnic clashes, religious conflicts, generation gaps, and the like.

Let’s take the current situation of companies struggling to stay above water. Laying off workers is one of the most common and fastest cost cutting remedies. Some innovatively use redundancy to rid of poor performers and excess fat. The question that begs asking the leadership conscience is, “Are the rats abandoning the ship or is the skipper throwing them overboard?. A business leader has to dig deep in asking, “which would it be ?” – to lay off workers or take an across pay-cut or trade off all those ego boosting perks and luxury assets accruing depreciation?. How many would do what Herb Kelleher did at South West Airways. When it ran into financial trouble in 1971, he was faced with a dilemma - either sell one of the 4 planes or lay off some employees. Herb made the unconventional choice - he sold the plane!.
 

So, what is this hard to grasp, intangible and elusive thing called leadership?. Leadership is the art of influencing people to get things done, willingly. This is the definition I learned way back in 1979, whilst serving as a young military officer. Though initially, I did not understand nor appreciate the essence of it’s deep calling, I began to realize the intrinsic value when the big Q hit me, “How do I get soldiers to believe in following me into battles and to sacrifice their life for a cause”. Yes, they would do it for the patriotic love of the country, but would they follow me in doing so?. It was a deep soul searching thought that raised doubts yet challenged me to embark on a passionate journey into the realm of leadership. After 22 years of soldiering and navigating the corporate scene for the past 9 years, I have come to declare that the art of leadership is the same, everywhere. I would say it is the only facet of management function that cuts across business, cultures, race, religion, gender, age, place and situation, including the current recession.

When does one become a leader?. Whether you like it or not, the moment they place a person under your charge, you technically become a leader. It would mean that you are entrusted to motivate and guide the way for your people to accomplish a project, task or activity. Whether that “people” happens to be your child, employee, volunteer or nation’s citizen. This is where most bosses or managers miss the essence - the need to lead, not manage. Most executives and managers fail to recognize that they are wholly responsible and accountable, not just for the end results but also for the capability and capacity building of people. Leaders are responsible to provide meaning to the future direction – vision, mission and strategy. He need to be a provider of resources, including training, development and inspiration for his people to perform to their best potential. We often hear leaders champion, “people are our most valuable asset”, yet sadly whenever a crisis develops there is little evidence by way of actions. Bottom-line financial results is crucial for survival but equally so critical is capacity building and performance improvement. All these require sharpening the tool of leadership – people factor – and tending to the development of worker competency, teambuilding and creating a healthy work culture. Instead, what we have is management shifting blame on workers, technology, HR department, system, culture and a host of other lame excuses other than their very own leadership style or approach.

Borrowing the punch-line from Spiderman, “With great powers come great responsibilities”, what sort of powers do leaders possess or wield in their role. Is the source derived from position of authority or some supernatural powers out of this world?. Is it an art or science or both?. For me, it has always been an art because it is learnable. Anyone can become a good leader, so long as you are humble to learn and recognize the potential ability in people. A leader has to master the people skills and profile through character development. As I vividly recall, leadership is nothing more than the application of 3 fundamental characteristics. You can further explore, expand and refine it. However, in the context of work experience, I have simplified it into:

 

1. Knowledge. Knowledge is that all information and wisdom needed to successfully plan and execute a mission, job or task. It covers a wide spectrum of areas such as technical, managerial, leadership, psychological, problem solving, strategy, creativity, communication, etc. This is important to demonstrate, convince and influence your people that you know exactly what you want them to do or need to be done. A leader should never hold back in sharing knowledge or be shy of lacking it. There is no room for ego status when it comes to learning from team members and best people on the job. What is most important is a leader’s sincerity, honesty and willingness to learn from, irrespective of rank or status. How often have we, in our own backyard of experience, come across leaders who hide or contradict invaluable information and discredit themselves in the process. Whether it is on the hardened battlefield, customer counter or greasy shop-floor, leaders should always recognize the experience of those who have walked the corridors before them. Being street smart in learning form the old timers may be far more important and useful than what the books could help. All these requires the virtue of humility and integrity, crucial traits that has far reaching impact in building confidence and trust in people. Knowledge is the intellectual dimension that allows a leader to build positive power of influence. When you have it, people will listen and follow you because of wisdom, not because of fear that they have to if they wish to stay on the job!.

2. Courage. Courage can be measured in terms of physical and moral perspective. Whilst physical courage has its significance in the military, it is moral courage that separates the professionals from amateurs. A leader without moral courage is someone without a backbone and one who would not stick up for his people in times of trouble or desperate need. Moral courage is the foundation for integrity because it gives you the strength of character within to never fear anyone or anything in leading your people. This is the elusive “trigger” that inspires people to do things willingly, sometimes beyond logical and rationale comprehension such as the world had witnessed in Nazi Germany during WW2 and all those suicide terrorist. In a corporate context, this would mean upholding at all cost the values espoused by the business, defending righteousness, standing by your people in bad times, fighting against injustice and mistreatment, rewarding people fairly and punishing them for misconduct, including termination. Do you agree with the transfer of problematic employees from one department to another, as a solution. A leader must, when the situation demands, choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong, even if it could cost him unpopularity. Another feature that is seriously lacking in leaders nowadays is in owning up to failures and making amends to redeem their mistake, instead of waiting for the law to catch up, if they could using the tax payers money. Courage should not be misconstrued as driving fear into people until it breakdowns communication, creativity and feedback.

3. Compassion. This is the emotional dimension that underscores the caring nature of a leader towards his fellow workers, particularly when the chips are down and the going gets tough. It is a reflection of the degree of willingness to listen with your mind and heart. Compassion is not about treating people with sympathy and “welfare” outlook, but rather treating people with all the common right, decency and care they deserve as human beings. If an employee has weaknesses or fails to perform his job up to expectations, then it is incumbent upon leadership to jointly help the employee overcome effectively and efficiently. I learned this painfully from my own staff when I became blind to the obsession in producing results. A leader who is willing to listen, analyse, identify and offer win-win solutions will earn the respect, sacrifice and even care of their people. Leaders must have the moral conscience to realize that they shoulder the burden of not only employees but also the extended dependents. Making hasty or rash decisions without due consideration of its consequential impact on their dependents is not only inhumane but reflects bad leadership. I once had the displeasure of seeing a manager sacked for failing to appear at meeting, because he was on emergency leave tending to his dying father. It will take many incidents like these to unveil the true colour of leadership and pave the way to the ultimate test of all leadership – winning the heart and soul of your followers willingly.

That, in a nutshell, is what leadership is all about, be you from any organization, place or walk of life. According to Jim Collins of “Good to Great”, the common thread among elite companies was a leader with a simple duality - modest and willful, humble and fearless. The basic equation is Humility + Will = (great, effective) leadership. Therefore, wherever you are or go, as long as you are thrust into the position of leadership you shall be judged and measured by these characteristics. Some of the great leaders who left a positive print on us are Lincoln, Tunku Abd Rahman, Mother Teresa, Ghandi, Lady Diana, Mandela, Hendry Ford, Matsushita and others. On the flip side, we have seen such infamous leaders such as Hitler, Jeffrey Skilling, Pol Pot, Ramalinga Raju and Bernard Madoff.

In concluding, leadership is not about management numbers, positional authority, wondrous charm, armchair tactics, driving fear, manipulating politics or dangling money as carrots. It concerns with inspiring and influencing people to do things, willingly. This is what makes successful companies led by great leaders. The people are highly motivated, connected and engaged at work. They draw purpose, meaning and inspiration from those who lead them. Have you ever conducted an evaluation of how your people feel towards your leadership?. If Managers really want to turnaround the business performance during rough times, take a serious review and focus on your leadership, as Jack Welch exhorts, “Lead more, Manage Less”.