Leadership Progress

Bret L. Simmons, Ph.D.www.bretlsimmons.comGrace Church RenoFebruary 15, 2012

Agenda

• Priorities• Fundamentals of behavior

and motivation at work • Principles of leading others

toward meaningful progress

• Questions

Priorities• What is the most important

thing that everyone in your organization needs to understand is the key to the organization’s future?

• What is the most important thing you need to do on a daily basis to help your organization make progress toward achieving this priority?

Loyal customersRemarkable products/services

Remarkable operationsRemarkable employees

You

Evidence-BasedManagement

Person +

Environment (system) =

Behavior

Behavior at Work

Person

PersonalityAttitudesValues

PerceptionsEmotionsMotivation

System

PoliciesProceduresEquipment

HiringTrainingStaffingRewards

Performance EvaluationSupervisionDaily Events

Behavior

HelpingCivility

TardinessAbsenteeism

TurnoverParticipationPreparationPerformance

Inner Work Life Effect:

“People do better work when they are happy, have positive views of the organization and its people, and are motivated primarily by the work itself.” (p, 47)

WorkdayEvents

Perceptions/thoughts(Sensemaking aboutworkday events)• The organization• Managers, self, team• The work• Sense of

accomplishment

Emotions/feelings(Reactions to workday events)• Positive emotions• Negative emotions• Overall mood

Motivation/drive(Desire to do the work)• What do to• How to do it• When to do it• Whether to do it

IndividualPerformance

Inner Work Life System

Amiable, T & Kramer, S. (2011). The Progress Principle

Key Points

• Even seemingly mundane events – such as small wins and minor setbacks – can exert potent influence on inner work life

• Negative events are more powerful than positive events, all else being equal

The Progress PrincipleEvents signifying progress• Small wins• Breakthroughs• Forward movement• Goal completion

The Catalyst FactorEvents supporting the work• Setting clear goals• Allowing autonomy• Providing resources• Providing sufficient time• Helping with the work• Learning from problems and successes• Allowing ideas to flow

The Nourishment FactorEvents supporting the person• Respect• Encouragement• Emotional support• Affiliation

Positive Inner

Work Life

Amiable, T & Kramer, S. (2011). The Progress Principle

1

2 3

Daily Events

Daily progress doing meaningful work

Team Leaders / Immediate Supervisors

Whatever your level in the organization … you bear some responsibility for the inner work

lives of the people around you (p. 181)

Recommendations

• Systematic awareness• Stay tuned everyday• Target support• Check in – don’t check-up• Events change the culture• Tend to your own inner work life

How do you recognize

good leadership?

Leadership is..

InfluenceReal Change

RelationshipShared Purpose

Power (influence) is the heart of leadership

Only when leaders and followers actually intend substantive, transformative changes is a leadership relationship possible.

What do you know about good work

relationships?

Interdependent Partners

Interdependent Partnership

Responsibility

Expectations

Accountability

Learning

Responsibility

• Foundation of interdependence• Unless and until you assume full

responsibility for yourself, you force others to assume responsibility for you

• Performance– Master your current job– Continuously improve how that job is done

• Caring

Expectations

• Framework of interdependence • Know what’s expected of you• Share your expectations of others with

them• Make this a team activity• Promise to deliver

Accountability

• Binding strength of interdependence • Two principles

– Always starts with you: performance, caring, expectations, encourage and enable others

– When you look at others, look for solutions rather than blame

• Don’t look the other way when it matters

Learning

• Fulfillment of interdependence • Change in behavior• Core performance technology• If you stop learning and growing, you

will increasingly become either a burden or a stranger to others at work

REAL Relationship

• Are you dependent, independent, or interdependent in your work relationships? How does your style of relating affect others at work?

• Are you really learning and growing at work? Name one thing you are doing better now than 3 months ago.

What is your organization’s

shared purpose?

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Purpose: The Missing Factor

Vision – where we are goingMission – who, when, how we

will get thereValues – rules of engagement

and norms of behaviorPurpose – why we do what we

do

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Purpose

• Never changes• Short and easy for all to remember• Serves as a guide for everyone’s

daily behavior• When reasonable people disagree

on the “right thing to do”, purpose should be the guiding principle

Purpose

Organizations flourish when everyone behaves purposefully

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Wrap-up

• Priorities• Fundamentals of behavior

and motivation at work • Principles of leading others

toward meaningful progress

Your Questions

Leadership Progress

Bret L. Simmons, Ph.D.www.bretlsimmons.comsimmonsb@unr.edu(775) 336-9576