In Managing the Unexpected: Resilient Performance in an Age of Uncertainty Weick and Sutcliffe describe a mindful infrastructure as dealing with small troubles as if they were big. Why? Dan Pink gets it when he says, “The most creative among us see relationships the rest of us never notice.”
As a leader if you create a mindful infrastructure that notices the unexpected and encourages reporting problems, you’ll become what is known as a “high reliable organization” (HRO)… interesting coincidence that Human Resources Organization has the same acronym… would your HR organization be seen as a high reliable organization? Since HR is often valued as helping to avoid pitfalls, being an HRO boosts your credibility as business partner. Find out how the most ethical companies lead by example by encouraging mindfulness. Leverage your talent networks to capture lessons learned from mentoring conversations that cultivate experience.
Do you inadvertently cultivate a “yes, boss” organization? Weick and Sutcliffe say that, “Moving toward a mindful infrastructure is harder than it looks because it means that people have to forgo the ’pleasures’ of attending to success, simplicities,…and superiors.” Moreover, in a review of their book, David Wyld from Southeastern Louisiana University says, “if you actively seek out evidence that confirms your expectation you may look over stuff that may disprove it.” The behaviors you model and recognize get repeated; do you develop and shape resilience and agility to bounce back from unexpected events and valuable (even if unpleasant) discoveries? Towers Watson research reveals that less than half of managers are effective at communicating with talent they lead.
"Renewal often requires a skill we have not used since we were 9 years old," says Bill Welter, "the skill of imagination." Can you imagine a different business model? Join the live conversation with me next Friday! If you haven’t already upgraded to Executive Membership to use this leadership development venue for a live weekly conversation and a collection of the best articles from business schools, consultancies and research houses, do so while the $199 special is still in effect.
Leadership training is not an “information dump,” says Peter Ronayne, Dean of Faculty at the Federal Executive Institute; emphasizing that agencies must place a greater emphasis on developing the next generation of federal leaders. What often lacks is real world application and learning transfer that ensures the training is effective and relevant. “Developing and training federal workforce leaders cannot be reduced to checking a box that says ‘trained,’” said Ronayne at a Federal Managers Association meeting. Enliven your relevant public leadership learning at HCI’s Government Summit.
Cool stat! Eighty-five percent of HCI members who attended Human Capital Strategist or Strategic Workforce Planning classes in the last month continued their learning in HCI webcasts. Busy leaders make the time to learn more! Rock on!
photo courtesy of Jvstin
I need to read this article again and perhaps once again. Being focused on "Reliable Organizations", this sentence struck me as essential; "As a leader if you create a mindful infrastructure that notices the unexpected and encourages reporting problems, you’ll become what is known as a “high reliable organization.” My company arranges a questioning team to gently uncover crucial secrets. Once uncovered, and realized as "not so painful," people gain courage to look for more. The more that can be revealed, the more mindful a company can become. It is very freeing to be able to both see and be welcomed with reporting problems, and most importantly, see them being resolved.