0 accelerating leadership development through the power of “and” margaret seidler and karl...

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Accelerating Leadership Development

Through the Power of “and”

Margaret Seidler and Karl Johnson

Minnesota OD Network

October 5, 2010

Polarity Mapping is based on work by Barry Johnson, PhD, and Polarity Management Associates

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Objectives

•Learn about Critical Success Factors for Career Advancement

•View those Factors in a balanced way•Capitalize on Polarity Management® principles and methods to accelerate Career Advancement

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The Magic Bullet…

Values come in Pairs!

And, if we fail to recognize this, what makes us strong can also make us weak…

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Paired values (often competing) that need each other over time in order to achieve a greater purpose

Polarities

Based on the work of Barry Johnson, PhD and Polarity Management Associates

and

Infinity

Is the ongoing nature of polarities… an energy system which is never ending.

and

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Career Stages and Typical Poles

CEO

Executive

General Manager

Director

Vice President

Manager

Supervisor

Individual Contributor

Foster Strategic Viewpoint

Communicate Vision

Foster Innovation

Collaborate for Success

Build Engagement

Drive the Plan

Achieve Goals

Personal Awareness

Direct Others

Technical Proficiency

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and

Your Strength becomes a Weakness without both Parts of the Pair

Preferred Leadership

Value

Other Value in Pair

So I have a blind spot

about these positive

results

Because I value

these positive

results

Due to my blind spot,

I end up down here

getting these

negative results

I also fear and want to

avoid these negative

results

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Values = positive results of focus on the left pole

Values = positive results of focus on the right pole

Fears = negative results of over-focus on the left pole to the neglect of the right pole

Fears = negative results of over-focus on the right pole to the neglect of the left pole

Greater Purpose Statement (GPS) - why balance this polarity?*

Deeper Fear from lack of balancePolarity Map™ © 1992, 2008 Polarity Management Associates, LLC / * Thanks to John Scherer, The Scherer Leadership Center / ** Thanks to De Wit & Meyer BV / *** Thanks to Todd Johnson, Rivertown Consultants

Humility Confidence

To Be an Effective Leader

To Be an Ineffective Leader

• Seen as approachable – connected to employees

• Viewed as open, respectful and willing to learn from others

• Interested in considering others’ thoughts/ideas

• Have a self-assured presence – employees want to connect

• Viewed as competent – employees seek to connect

• Comfortable with sharing own thoughts/ideas – “open seas”

• Have no presence – invisible to employees, peers, colleagues

• Viewed as lacking the competence to provide clear direction

• Reluctant about sharing thoughts/ideas

• Seen as arrogant – disconnected from employees

• Viewed as closed, disrespectful and unwilling to learn from others

• Indifferent about considering others’ thoughts/ideas

Ongoing Balance to get the Positives of Both Viewpoints

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Values = positive results from focusing on the left pole

Values = positive results from focusing on the right pole

Fears = negative results from over-focusing on the left pole to the neglect of the right pole

Fears = negative results from over-focusing on the right pole to the neglect of the left pole

Deeper Fear from lack of balance


Polarity Map™ © 1992, 2008 Polarity Management Associates, LLC / * Thanks to John Scherer, The Scherer Leadership Center / ** Thanks to De Wit & Meyer BV / *** Thanks to Todd Johnson, Rivertown Consultants

Polarity Management® Map

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and

Action StepsHow will we gain or maintain the positive results from focusing on this left pole? What? Who? By When? Measures?

Action StepsHow will we gain or maintain the positive results from focusing on this right pole? What? Who? By When? Measures?

Early Warnings***

Measurable indicators (things you can count) that will let you know that you are getting into the downside of this left pole.

Early WarningsMeasurable indicators (things you can count) that will let you know that you are getting into the downside of this right pole.

Humility Confidence

To be an Effective Leader

Failure as a Leader

• Seen as approachable – connected to employees

• Viewed as open, respectful and willing to learn from others

• Interested in hearing others’ thoughts/ideas

• Have a self-assured presence – employees want to connect

• Viewed as competent in providing clear direction

• Comfortable sharing thoughts/ideas

• Have no presence – invisible to employees, peers, colleagues

• Viewed as lacking the competence to provide clear direction

• Shy about speaking up to offer thoughts/ideas

• Seen as arrogant – disconnected from employees

• Viewed as a closed, disrespectful, unwilling to learn from others

• Indifferent about hearing others’ thoughts/ideas

A. Ask questions, especially about what others think

B. In staff discussions, speak less or not always first

C. Summarize others comments

D. Hold employee forums to ask how things are going and to get ideas

E. Share credit for successes

A. Establish operating Ground Rules for senior team

B. Set goals, expectationsC. Speak up when direction is

needed D. Manage by “Walking

Around”E. Hold employee forums to

review performance for accountability

A. More assignments not taken seriously - ignored

B. Employees begin to “work around”

C. Excluded from meetingsD. Staff makes key decisions

for you and without youE. Thinks without ever sharing

thoughts

A. People stop talking when she enters the room

B. Gain a reputation as a “know-it-all”

C. More decisions made without staff input

D. Fewer suggestions offeredE. Complaints about feeling

excluded

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Balance and Career Advancement

CEO

Executive

General Manager

Director

Vice President

Manager

Supervisor



Communicate Vision

Foster Innovation


Build Engagement

Drive the Plan

Achieve Goals

Personal Awareness

Direct Others


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**

and



Early Warnings***



Directive Participative

Lead through Others

Poor Leadership

• Clear way forward• Fast decision making• Unambiguous roles and

process; right people making the right decisions

• Well-informed decisions made through widespread input

• High ownership leading to solid sustainability

• Wealth of fresh perspectives and new ideas

• Ill-informed decisions made through limited or no input

• Low ownership leading to poor sustainability

• Lack of fresh perspectives and new ideas

• Confusion about “where to go from here”

• Slower decision making• Roles and processes are

unclear; wrong people make the wrong decisions

A. First Action StepB. Second Action StepC. Third Action Step


A. First Early WarningB. Second Early WarningC. Third Early Warning


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Balance and Career Advancement

CEO

Executive

General Manager

Director

Vice President

Manager

Supervisor



Communicate Vision

Foster Innovation


Build Engagement

Drive the Plan

Achieve Goals

Personal Awareness

Direct Others


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**

and



Early Warnings***



Execution Innovation

Sustainable Growth

Lose Competitive Advantage

• Focus on core work• Alignment of processes,

systems, and structures• Clear leadership roles

• Focus on customers• Awareness of competition and

industry trends• Wealth of fresh perspectives

and new ideas

• Lack of focus on customers• Lack of awareness of

competition and industry trends• Insular thinking that excludes

external stakeholders

• Lack of focus on organization’s core competencies

• Blind to employee needs and culture

• Lack of alignment with organization’s infrastructure





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Polarities in our Lives

Where polarities exist• Personal and leadership preferences

o Strengths can become our weaknesses

• Organizational values, even vision can be described in polarity terms

• Group dynamics• Organization issues• Community issues• State, national and global policies

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Additional Uses of Polarity Management

• Handling chronic, complex issues • Change management• Conflict resolution• Negotiation• Diversity• Emotional Intelligence: intra and inter-personal• Leadership or organizational assessment• Coaching• Team development

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Polarity Management

• Converts intuitive wisdom into explicit understanding and action

• Brings clarity to leadership complexity and dilemmas

• Minimizes the need for constant attention

• Provides a system of on-going maintenance

• Results in top performance• Can see the WHOLE picture more easily

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Thank You!

Margaret SeidlerPolarity Management [email protected](843) 573-3485

Karl JohnsonUniversity of [email protected](612) 626-5366

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