34 mangerial courage

8/17/2019 34 Mangerial Courage

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34. MANAGERIAL COURAGE

UNSKILLED

• Doesn’t take tough stands with others• Holds back in tough feedback situations

• Doesn’t know how to present a tough position

• Knows but doesn’t disclose

• Doesn’t step up to issues

• Intimidated by others in power

• Hangs back and lets others take the lead

• Is a conflict avoider unwilling to take the heat of controversy

• Afraid to be wrong, get in a win/lose situation, or make a tough personnel call

SKILLED

• Doesn’t hold back anything that needs to be said

• Provides current, direct, complete, and “actionable” positive and corrective

feedback to others

• Lets people know where they stand

• Faces up to people problems on any person or situation (not including direct

reports) quickly and directly

• Is not afraid to take negative action when necessary

OVERUSED SKILL

• May be overly critical

• May be too direct and heavy-handed when providing feedback or addressing

issues

• May provide too much negative and too little positive feedback

• May put too much emphasis on the dark side

• May fight too many battles

Select one to three of the competencies listed below to work on to compensate for an overuse of this skill.

COMPENSATORS: 3, 7, 10, 11, 12, 19, 23, 26, 31, 33, 36, 41, 56, 60, 64

Copyright © 1996-2004 Michael Lombardo and Robert W. Eichinger. All rights reserved


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SOME CAUSES

• Avoid conflict

• Can’t take heat

• Fear of being wrong• Fear of losing

• Get emotional

• Like to keep nose in own business

THE MAP

Saying what needs to be said at the right time, to the right person, in the right manner,

is managerial courage. Everybody sees things, observes things, knows things or learns

things that others need to hear. Many times it’s not positive. Something went wrong.Something is being covered up or over. Something is not being done right. Someone

isn’t performing well. Someone is holding something back.. Someone is going off on

the wrong track. Some people speak up and maybe take some heat. They have

managerial courage. Some people keep to themselves. They do not.

SOME REMEDIES

1. Check it out

Its best to be right when presenting negative information about someone else

or someone else’s unit or process or mistake. Be careful with hearsay and

gossip. Better that you’ve had direct contact wit the data It doesn’t put anyone

else in jeopardy, check it out with other sources. Think of all the things it

could be other than your interpretation. Check out those possibilities. Wok on

your message through mental interrogation until you can clearly state in a few

sentences what your stand is and why you hold it. When you end up feeling or

better yet knowing you’re right, go wit it.

2. Delivering the Information

The basic rule is to deliver it to the person who can do the most with it. Limit

your passing of the information to one or as few as possible. Consider telling

the actual person involved and give him/her the opportunity ti fix it without

any further exposure to risk. If that’s not possible, move up the chain of

command. Don’t pass indirect messages via messengers.

3. The Message

Be succinct. You have limited attention span in tough feedback situations.

Don’t waste time with a long preamble, particularly if the feedback is



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negative. If your feedback is negative and the recipient is likely to know it, go

ahead and say it directly. They won’t hear anything positive you have t say

anyway. Don’t overwhelm the person/group, even if you have a lot to say. Go

from specific to general points. Keep it to the fats. Don’t embellish to make

your point. No passion or inflammatory language. Don’t do it to harm or out

of vengeance. Don’t do it in anger. If feelings are involved for you, wait untilyou can describe them. Not show them. Managerial courage comes in search

of a better outcome, not destroying others. Stay calm and cool. If others are

not composed, don’t respond. Just return to the message. More help? – See

#31 Interpersonal Savvy.

4. Bring a solution if you can

Nobody likes a critic. Everybody appreciate s a problem solver. Give people

ways to improve; don’t just dump and leave. Tell others what you think

would be a better – paint a different outcome. Help others see theconsequences – you can ask them what they think and you can tell them what

the consequences are from your side if you are personally involved. (I’d be

reluctant to work with you on X again”).

5. Tough concern

Don’t forget the pathos of the situation – even if you’re totally right, feelings

may run high. If you have to knock someone down, you can still emphasize

with how he/she feels or you can help pick him/her up later when the

discussions turn more positive. Mentally rehearse for worst case scenarios.

Anticipate what the person might say and have response prepared so as not to

be caught off guard. More help? – See #12 Conflict Management.

6. Timing

Organisations are a complex maze of constituencies, issues and rivalries

peopled by strong egos, sensitives and empire protectors. Worse ye, they are

populated by people –which complicates organizations even further. Political

savvy involves delivering negative messages in the maze, with the minimumof noise with the maximum effect. Tread boldly but carefully. Deliver

messages in private. Cue the person what you are coming to talk about. “ I

have a concern over the way X is being treated and I would like to talk to you

about it”. Consider but don’t be deterred by political considerations. Pick the

right timing. A relaxed setting. With time to spare, don’t try to fit it in the

elevator. If possible let the person pick the timing and the setting. More help –

See #38 Organisational Agility and #48 Political Savvy.



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7. Laid Back?

None of your business? Tend to shy away from managerial course situations?

Why? What’s getting I your way? Re you prone to give up in tough situations,

fear exposing yourself, don’t like conflict, what? Ask yourself – what’s thedownside of delivering a message you think I right and will eventually help

the organization but may cause someone short-term pain. Hat if it turns out

that you were wrong? Treat any misinterpretations as chances to learn. What

if you were the target person or group? Even though it might hurt, would you

appreciate it if someone brought the data to your attention in time for you to

fix it with minimal damage? What would you think of a person you later found

out knew about it and didn’t come forward, and you had to spend inordinate

amount of time and political currency ti fix it? Follow your convictions.

Follow due process. Step up to the plate and be responsible, win or lose.

People will think better of you in the long term. More help? – See #12

Conflict Management.

8. Is it personal?

If you are personally involved and you are delivering a message to someone

who didn’t meet your expectations, sick to the facts and the consequences for

you. Separate the event from the person. It’s OK to be upset with the

behaviour, less so with the person, unless it’s a repetitive transgression. Most

of the time he/she won’t accept it the first time you deliver the message, “I’m

not happy with the way you presented my position in the staff meeting.”

Many people are defensive. Don’t go for the close in every delivery situation.

Just deliver the message enough so that you are suer he/she understood it.

Give her/him time to absorb it. Don’t seek instant acceptance. Don’t seek a

kiss of your ring. Just deliver the message clearly and firmly. Don’t threaten.

More help? – See #11 Composure.

9. If you must.

Sometimes the seriousness of the situation calls for more drastic action.

Keeping in mind you are doing this for the collective benefit of theorganization and that personal gain or vengeance is not at stake, be prepared to

go all the way, even if it pit you against a colleague or even a boss. If your

initial message is rejected, covered, denied, hidden or glossed over and you

are still convinced of its accuracy, go up the chain until it’s dealt with or

someone in power two levels or more above the event or person asks you to

stop. If you have a mentor, seek his or her counsel along the way. A caution

in a study of whistleblowers, 100% of the failures spoke in general terms,

tying their message to lofty values such as integrity. All the successes dealt

with the specific issue as it was – problem and consequences. They didn’t

generalise at all.



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10. Put balance in your messages.

Don’t get the reputation of being the executioner or the official organization

critic. Try to deliver as much positive information as negative over time.

Keep track of the losers – if you have to work with these people again, dosomething later to show goodwill. Compliment them on a success, share

something, help them achieve something. You have to balance the scales.

Pick your battles. If you get the reputation of a Cassandra or a Don Quixote,

anything you say will be discounted and you’ll meet increasing resistance,

even when you’re clearly right.


34 mangerial courage

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