BELIEFS

Treat a man as he is and he will remain as he is. Treat a man as he can and should be, and he will become as he can and should be.

-Stephen Covey

REFLECTION TASK: YOUR BELIEFS

Instructions: Rate each statement on a scale from Strongly Disagree (1) to Strongly Agree (5).

Statement Strongly Disagree (1) Disagree (2) Neutral (3) Agree (4) Strongly Agree (5)

1. Most people will seek responsibility rather than avoid it if they are motivated properly.

         

1. People mainly work for money and security, and little else motivates them.

         

1. Most people have a high degree of imagination and creativity that can be used to solve organisational problems.

         

1. Without active intervention by management, work will not get done.

         

1. The satisfaction of doing a good job is a strong motivation for most people.

         

1. Most people inherently dislike work and will avoid it if they can.

          ??

1. People are capable of self-direction and self-control if they are committed to the objectives.

          ??

1. Most people need to be closely supervised and controlled with strict rules to ensure that they complete their tasks.

          ??

1. People become attached to and involved in their work if they feel their job is important and appreciated.

         

1. The average person prefers to be directed, wishes to avoid responsibility, has relatively little ambition and wants security above all.

         

Read the chapter before you check your answers on p. 259.

It All Begins with Beliefs

Beliefs are the invisible drivers that shape our reality and help drive our decision-making. They are inculcated from childhood and compounded by our experiences. Sometimes, our experiences serve to reinforce our beliefs or lead us to reevaluate things. For leaders and managers, our beliefs may stem from how we were managed ourselves. Perhaps how we were 'managed' by our parents. As these beliefs fossilise, they become our personal guiding principles. Over time, these same principles become the compasses that steer entire organisations, influence team dynamics and ultimately decide the success or failure of all our efforts. It all begins with beliefs.

This chapter explores the influence that beliefs have on our attitudes to leadership and management. It explores how the convictions we have about ourselves, work and human nature manifest in our management style, our approaches to creativity and problem-solving and our ability to influence and inspire those around us. We might not be aware of it, but our beliefs influence every aspect of our management approach, from how we delegate tasks to how we give feedback or even recognition. This chapter will help you evaluate whether the beliefs you have are conducive to the leadership route and the path of lifting others.

We will return to our two protagonists, Kelly and Sofia, and explore how the beliefs of each manager can shape the climate of a workplace, the morale of a team and the trajectory of a career. Through their stories, we will discover that beliefs can act as both bridges and barriers. Bridges to uplift and lead us to people-centric and innovative leadership, or barriers that can constrain us to limit the potential of our people and our organisation.

I think it is important to remember that beliefs are not static. In fact, beliefs are malleable constructs that can be changed through reflection, new experiences and by being open to fresh perspectives. Everything begins with beliefs and so the evolution of our beliefs will ultimately be the evolution of our leadership.

KELLY

Kelly holds the reins of Mango Bank's International Operations division. It's a position some would compare to captaining a ship through the Straits of Malacca - one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. It's an environment that is challenging and unpredictable - requiring an unshakeable sense of direction. Kelly's management style resembles a chess grandmaster. Except that every pawn on the board is a critical project and the knights are her direct reports. With Kelly, every move on the board requires precision and careful planning.

In Kelly's world, spontaneity is the enemy of order. Meetings in her team are conducted with the precision of an orchestral symphony. Every person must play their part at the right time. Kelly's detail focus is legendary. It is even rumoured she once gave a workshop on the optimum number of icons on a desktop for efficiency, a workshop that is spoken about in hushed tones around the bank's water dispensers.

Kelly's belief in oversight and control to maintain the bank's high standards and to achieve ambitious targets are equally infamous. She operates with the assumption that without her vigilant eye, things could well descend into chaos. All of this has led her to develop a system of metrics, reports and meetings that could rival the complexity of a space shuttle launch.

When it comes to motivation, Kelly uses intricate reward systems that include monetary bonuses as well as more unusual rewards like lunch with the CFO and a day shadowing a department of their choice (as long as they write a full report on it within 48 hours). Alternatively, her approach to underperformance makes even a seasoned Mango Banker shudder involuntarily. Her performance improvement plans are known to be as detailed as they are daunting.

How do her team cope? Kelly's team manage the high seas of Operations with a mixture of fear, respect and a robust sense of humour. However, there's a deep sense that, although their pay is good, they might be missing out on something. As more and more talented team members leave, Kelly holds fast to the belief that not everyone is cut out for the treacherous waters of Operations.

SOFIA

Sofia's domain in retail banking is vast and her team covers multiple countries and cultures. Driven by the same ambitious strategy as Kelly, Sofia takes a different approach. Her 'oasis' is a place where the rigorous demands of the financial sector are met by a large but tight-knit family. People know each other on first name terms and mistakes are seen as stepping stones to success. When a high-stakes project hits a snag, Sofia gathers her team around her and says: 'Well, we've found one way that doesn't work. Let's find the one that does'. Her debrief sessions turn into fun problem-solving workshops where even the most introvert members share their ideas.

Recognition in Sofia's team comes in many forms. There are traditional bonuses and rewards as well as the more unusual 'innovator of the month' award, which involves a trophy made from recycled materials. It's not uncommon to hear team members playfully negotiating for the trophy, a symbol of Sofia's culture of encouragement and appreciation.

Sofia's 'oasis' thrives on the notion that when people feel trusted, included and connected they can achieve extraordinary things. Her leadership style may be unconventional in the fast-paced world of international finance, but her results speak for themselves. Under her guidance, her team achieve incredible stretch goals with a spirit of camaraderie and innovation that has become the envy of the bank.

Above all, team members are loyal to Sofia and her team. Many have stayed for years and those that leave are always complimentary to her and the team. A quick website search will find employees pouring out their praise for Sofia and her 'oasis', a shining example of how employee experience goes beyond perks and benefits.

A Tale of Two Managers - Theory X and Y

In the 1960s a US social psychologist named Douglas McGregor posited a theory that challenged traditional beliefs about managing people. The idea was a more optimistic and inspirational set of beliefs compared to traditional Taylorism, which was focused on efficiency and people being seen as 'cogs in a machine'.1 McGregor developed the idea of Theory X and Y2 managers based on his insights as a psychologist and educator (see Figure 1). The...