Leadership Update - Is there a rogue in your team?
“Rogue behaviour” by one or more team members quickly spreads amongst staff, and can result in a culture of non-compliance, unprofessional behaviour and lapses of judgement. As a leader, what can you do to recognise it, prevent it, and turn the situation around?
Major Tony Kern (author of “Darker Shades Of Blue: A Case Study Of Failed Leadership”, 1995) defines rogue behaviour as ”willingly and unnecessarily failing to comply with existing guidance and/or taking unwarranted risks”.
This definition immediately makes us think of a deliberately defiant, aggressive type - the type of situation many leaders avoid dealing with.
The Real Challenge of Spotting Rogue Behaviour
While some cases of rogue behaviour fit the picture above, there is a much lower- profile type which is equally disruptive, and even dangerous in production environments. This ‘rogue’ is fulfilling their assigned role, and is often a good performer. Maybe they are your sales star, relied- upon PA, or the regional manager whose region you never have a problem with.
The big issue with this rogue is complacency. They choose not to follow procedure and improvise their own ways of dealing with issues - which may contravene your organisation’s standards at times. Usually, these behaviours are low on the radar - as the leader, you are aware of the problem but may feel “It’s such a small thing, and Chris is such a good performer, it’s not worth rocking the boat”.
Condoning this behaviour, however, undermines your credibility with the rest of your staff, and encourages the spread of “rogue” behaviour.
Contributors to Rogue Behaviour
Complacency - Self- satisfaction “I know this job backwards. All this paperwork isn’t important - I get the results”.
Leader Actions:
- Ensure procedures are being complied with. Don’t be afraid to challenge even when it’s your best performer.
- Get team buy- in for procedural requirements - have meetings or workshop sessions where the significance of policies and procedures is made clear.
- If possible, have team members involved in the development of policies and procedures.
Apathy - Lack of interest or concern.“I don’t care as long as I get paid”.
Leader Actions:
- Challenge statements like this when they occur, in private if necessary.
- Develop a culture that encourages open communication.
Assumption - Facts, instructions or statements are taken for granted. “I thought that that was what you said”.
Leader Actions:
- Encourage your staff members to seek clarification of information.
- Coach the skills of summarising and paraphrasing.
- Ensure that there is the right information available for people to do their job.
Boredom. “I can do my job in 2 hours a day”.
Leader Actions:
- Redistribute work evenly between team members.
- Ring the changes on responsibilities.
- Encourage teamwork and interaction.
- Delegate more challenging tasks.
- Have career pathways in place and assist your staff to see opportunities for development.
Micro-managing. “If you treat me like an idiot, I’ll behave like an idiot”.
Leader Actions:
- Give a level of instruction appropriate for your team member’s skill level and experience. Encourage them to ask for more information or detail if required.
- Collect feedback, especially after the introduction of new procedures.
- Understand the capabilities of your team.
- Understand and practise the principles of situational leadership.
Dull, uninspiring or menial work. “Why do I have to do this?”
Leader Actions:
- Use rosters/workload sharing/teaming up
- Ensure your systems/equipment/work environment are the best for the job.
- Set performance targets that give deeper meaning to the achievement.
- Introduce rewards and incentives.
- Redesign roles to provide more variety.
Your team is an investment not a cost. As a leader, if you take care of your team, identify problems and model and instil professional pride then rogue behaviour should not become a problem. Want to know more? For more information about Nexus Partners' leadership programmes, call us on 0800 4 LEADERS. More information is also available online.
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Team Development Update - How to hold a team meeting that isn’t a waste of time.
You will have heard the joke: Are you lonely? Hate having to make decisions? Rather talk about it than do it? Then hold a MEETING.
Since the dynamics of being a team are most evident when all of the members are together, your team is as good as its meetings! Meetings are the only place where members can build and develop their relationship as a total group. It's safe to say that if your meetings are dysfunctional, the same will probably be true of the team.
The American Society of Training and Development reports that in large organisations many people spend between 60 and 70 percent of their work time attending meetings. Managers and team leaders can spend up to 17 hours a week in meetings, not counting the hours spent preparing for and recovering from meetings. People who regularly participate in meetings report that most of those they attend are ineffective.
So what can you do to ensure the team gets the most from the next meeting?
- Identify the purpose of the meeting. Is a meeting the best way to handle the need?
- Determine who should attend the meeting. Is everyone impacted included? Does everyone at the meeting know why they are there? Who really doesn’t need to be there after all?
- Develop a logically ordered agenda, and allocate time considering urgency and importance.
- Clearly state the discussion items and let attendees know at least 2 days in advance so they can prepare.
- Send out a meeting notice and agenda with purpose, place, time and any required preparation.
- Start the meeting on time to maintain effective meeting discipline. Late arrivals must catch up on their own. Cancel the meeting if "must" members are absent.
- Ensure someone is responsible for taking meeting minutes. Standardize the format. Often a simple action plan is quite sufficient.
- State the objectives of the meeting. Review the agenda items and the expected actions.
- Follow the agenda. Keep the meeting from getting off track.
- Clarify the issues. Use a disciplined process to gather the facts and come to a decision. Strive for consensus with key decisions. Summarize important points.
- Manage the time. Assign a timekeeper to assist with this if needed.
- Make the action items and their responsibility explicit.
- Distribute meeting minutes within one day of the meeting.
Need some help with building a team or with making your meetings more effective? Give us a call on 0800 4 LEADERS. More information about Nexus Partners' team development programmes is also available online.
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 Challenges ‘08 - The Conference all Leaders should attend.
A conference created for leaders about leadership - and the challenges we face.
With 68% of the New Zealand workforce described by Gallup as ‘disengaged’, it is time to ask “do we need a new model of leadership?”
At Challenges '08, leadership - in all its many facets - will be examined, prodded, discussed and re-shaped by a line-up of speakers and leaders from around New Zealand and the world. Created by Nexus Partners, this exciting event will tackle:
- How to build a credible leadership base for New Zealand
- Creating and sustaining values- based leadership
- Leading people through inspirational example
- Sustainability on 2 key fronts - and how to build it in your organisation:
- Environmental sustainability - it’s a global imperative. What are leaders around the world accomplishing?
- Leadership sustainability - what do we all need to know to ensure our own spirit is sustained across the stresses of leading teams through change?
Challenges ’08 will:
- Provoke your own thinking.
- Provide solid, from-the-front examples and case studies of leadership in action.
- Inspire you.
- And challenge you to take action.
When: 2nd and 3rd of July, 2008
Where: Novotel, Rotorua
Who will be speaking? Read the speakers' full bios here.
- Lester Levy: Professor of Leadership, Auckland University Business School; Chief Executive Excelerator programme. The shape of authentic leadership in New Zealand.
- Jared Blumenfeld: Director of the San Francisco Department of the Environment. Leading your organisation, city and community to sustainable practice.
- Ruth Aitken: Coach of the New Zealand Silver Ferns international netball team. Leadership challenges and lessons from international sport.
- Bob Field: Chairman, Toyota New Zealand. Engagement - every business is a people business.
- Ann Sherry: CEO Carnival Cruise Lines; past CEO Westpac New Zealand. Looking to the horizon: Successfully navigating a leadership vision.
- Rob Harley: Journalist and documentary maker, author and communicator. Tales of courageous leadership.
Come with your questions. Your experience. And your imagination. Prepare to be challenged. And to challenge!
Click for more information about the conference themes and workshop topics. Register online NOW to guarantee your early bird discount. You can also register by calling us on 0800 4 LEADERS (0800 453 2337).
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Leaving the Office Early - Tips for getting the job done
Has the summer sun been shining but you were still working late in the office? Read on for 10 tips to ensure you do more in less time, feel great about it and leave the office earlier so you can enjoy winter evenings with the family.
Laura Stack in her book “Leave the Office Earlier” gives 10 tips for getting the most out of your working and home life and being more PRODUCTIVE.
- Preparation. Set goals, daily, weekly, monthly and yearly. Create a plan for these goals and set your priorities. Don’t let failure to achieve the goals create panic.
- Reduction. Learn how to say “No” and how to control and prevent interruptions. Keep developing the art of delegation.
- Order. Reduce the amount of clutter on your desk. Get organised so that you only process information once.
- Discipline. Learn to work when your body is at its peak natural cycle. Don’t put things off. Don’t be a workaholic. Become accountable to someone for the hours you put in.
- Unease. Learn what causes you to get stressed and what de-stresses you. Control your temper and learn to laugh.
- Concentration. Make lists to help you focus. Don’t daydream and don’t multitask. Recognise the signs for when you need a break.
- Time Mastery. Create systems for repetitive tasks. Make decisions quickly. Know and avoid your time wasters.
- Information Management. Learn how to use the phone and email effectively. Run regular maintenance routines on your computer system and electronic filing system. Use email rules.
- Vitality. Ensure you get enough sleep. Take a lunch break. Eat healthily.
- Equilibrium. Allocate your time according to your priorities, learn to ask for help. Leave work on time unless there is an emergency - avoid the habit of “I’ll just finish this”. Learn to switch off the cellphone when you are on personal time.
Want some help with personal efficiency and delegation? For more information about how Nexus Partners can help call on 0800 4 LEADERS. More information is also available online.
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Book of the Moment - Remarkable Leadership: Unleashing Your Leadership Potential One Skill at a Time by Kevin Eikenberry
Nexus Partners is delighted to launch Book of the Moment, in association with publishers John Wiley and Sons, Australia. In each issue of Leadership Update, we’ll review our latest Book Of The Moment. As always, you can enter the draw to win this book. Coming soon - you'll soon be able to buy the book online, directly from Nexus Partners.
Effective leaders are not born, but are developed through learning, writes Kevin Eikenberry in our book of the moment, Remarkable Leadership. The book sets out, in practical format, the appropriate steps for realising your leadership potential to the fullest extent possible.
The author believes that leadership is about facilitating change within yourself, your organization, and in developing the talent in other people around you. He explains that you not only need to work on your weaknesses as a leader but also highlights the often-neglected need to strengthen your strengths.
Kevin Eikenberry identifies key behaviours that remarkable leaders exhibit and shows how those behaviours can be developed. Because leaders are made, lifelong learning is a key part of maximizing those abilities.
The book is well structured, making it easy to focus on any aspect of leadership that you would like to improve on. It is equally readable whether you choose to pick out certain chapters or read it from cover to cover.
‘Bonus bytes’ give you links to the author’s website for additional material and steps in each chapter show you how to get the most from your learning.
Click here to enter the draw to win a copy.
You can read more about Kevin Eikenberry here.
By next time you read the Leadership Update, Nexus Partners will have a wide range of leadership book titles in our on-line bookshop.
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ROI Whitepaper
Read about the ROI case study here.
Last month we offered you the opportunity to download a copy of the whitepaper on the high return on investment that can flow from an excellent leadership development programme. If you missed out last month you can download a pdf version of the paper. Alternatively If you would like a hard copy of the white paper, contact us here or call on 0800 4 LEADERS.
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Palmerston North Street Van Wins Top Award
The Palmerston North Street Van was named the Supreme Winner at the TrustPower National Community Awards for the top voluntary group in New Zealand for 2008. John Hornblow of Nexus Partners is Patron of this highly worthwhile charity. You can read more here.
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Copyright Nexus Partners Ltd, 2008. www.nexuspartners.co.nz 0800 4 LEADERS (0800 4 532337)
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