5 Promising Ways To Win Without Destroying The Team

April 4, 2016 By John T Mason Leave a Comment

Many leaders are by nature ‘Type A’ personalities. You know them. Passionate, driven, competitive and outgoing. The likely got to where they are because of some of these traits, and their ability to continue to lead has a lot to do with their continuing use these traits. Many of the best leaders today, and in the past, were die hard Type A personalities such as Steve Jobs, Dwight Eisenhower and General Norman Schwarzkopf.

Now this isn’t to say that effective leaders can’t also be a ‘Type B’ personality. I have worked with several leaders over the years who exhibited the more laid back, personable style of a Type B, and they have been tremendously effective in their careers, and their teams can be some of the most loyal you will ever see. In fact, some very famous leaders in history were Type Bs such as Winston Churchill and Harry Truman.

Whether you consider yourself an ‘A’ or a ‘B’, the reality is that to be effective as a leader, you really need to be a combination of the two. Without a smart blend of motivation, drive and competitive edge, you are likely to struggle with holding your team and organization accountable. But, if you are missing the ability to be laid back at the appropriate time, to be a relationship builder, and to know when to back off of the need to win at all costs, you will undoubtedly struggle to maintain a strong and cohesive team.

Not known to many is how these ‘types’ came to be. The actual ‘Type A’ personality was originally a designation identifying those people who had a higher risk of coronary heart disease. In the 1950s, two cardiologists, Dr. Meyer Friedman and Dr. Ray Rosenman, began an eight year study of healthy men (yes, just men….it was the 1950s!) between the ages of 35 and 59. They theorized that those men with a personality that was more impatient, and even chronically angry, had a higher chance of developing coronary artery disease (CAD). They decided on the study when they noticed that the chairs in their office were unusually worn on the front edge of the seat instead of in the middle or back. They postulated that this was because the typical patient they were seeing was more ‘on edge’ (pardon the play on words) and anxious and tended to sit forward in their seat, ready to spring at a moments notice.

During the study, they asked subjects who were more prone to be more driven and always feeling pressed for time, to do things that were against their nature. For example, they asked their subjects to leave their watches at home, to pick longer lines at checkout, and to spend more time talking with people. It was infuriating to the Type A personality, but quickly helped the researchers to make the correlation to those who had CAD. They were able to make a connection between the personality type and the ultimate diagnosis of CAD in these individuals, and labeled them as ‘Type A’, a name that sticks with us today.

So, while leaders who are more impatient, focused and competitive tend to be results driven, they also have a greater risk of long-term impacts on the organization in poor health and the stress they may cause others. In fact, Friedman was quoted as saying that “Type A personalities who succeed do so in spite of their impatience and hostility.” Ouch!

But what of the ‘Type B’? Is their personality and reduced likelihood of health problems a good thing, and can it make a more effective leader? With all of the baggage that comes with being labeled a Type A, there is as much baggage, if not more, for those who are Type B. Especially in the business world.

A Type B personality has a tendency to be more laid back in their approach, and tend to enjoy a more steady pace. When they lose, they also tend to avoid the mental and physical stress that their counter Type A feels, and don’t necessarily view competition as something to be won, but can be happy with the competition itself. But in the world of dollars and cents, winning is everything, and losing is failure, right? So, being a Type B must be a liability.

Not so fast. Think back to the origination of this personality designation. Remember, the study was conducted to find out the correlation between a person’s ‘traits’ and their health. Ultimately, the study found that those who got designated as a Type A were more than twice as likely to develop CAD than a Type B. But further study found that it was one specific trait of the Type A that seemed to impact this more than any other. Hostility. So, maybe being a Type A is good for business, but certain traits such as hostility have an impact not only on your health, but the health of the organization as well.

I once worked for a Type A. He was everything that you could think of in a Type A. He was focused, competitive, anxious for resolution to issues, and time pressured. He worked long hours, often well into the night, and wore that as a badge of honor, making sure others knew how hard he worked. But it was one trait that made him most unpleasant. He had a short fuse, and you really weren’t sure when he was going to go off. His seemingly unpredictable manner made him someone that you tended to walk softly around, and even when you didn’t think you were involved, he might pull you in to blow up on you just because you were nearby. To say the least, this was an unpleasant job, and the culture of the team matched it. In short, he was hostile, and the workplace was a mess because of him.

What does all this mean to you as a leader? If you are a Type A leader in all its glory, what can you learn from a Type B that will make you more successful? Here are 5 areas that you might consider focusing on as a Type A to make you more effective in your role.

Emotions (Go with the Flow)– Whether you want to admit it or not, as a Type A, you are more likely to become agitated when things don’t go your way. You likely find that it is much easier for people to ‘push your buttons’, and when plans don’t work as you expected, you are more likely to show your displeasure in a verbal and visual way. Yelling, snarky comments, and even facial expressions of disapproval only serve to alienate your team, and ultimately become your ‘legacy’. Your ability to control your emotions and be more measured in your response to bad news will go a long way to improving the culture of your team.
Competitiveness (Enjoy the competition, not the win)– Competition is healthy and good for the organization. In fact, I would say that incorporating a sense of competition and urgency in your organization is necessary and important. Without it, people become comfortable and lose their drive to improve and succeed. But, when competition comes at the expense of the people working in the organization, it can quickly become toxic. Pitting team members against each other, comparing their results in public forums, and focusing on a pecking order amongst the team doesn’t work unless they are all Type A personalities as well. In fact, this can backfire and actually make the team more complacent. Not everyone is motivated the same way, so you have to be sure to adjust your style and level of competitiveness to the individual. Without it, you can come across like the school yard bully who wants to win at all costs. No one likes to play with a bully.
Organization (Stop overcommitting) – Type A personalities are classic multi-taskers. Because of the sense of urgency and desire to win, they can take on more than is reasonable, and are more likely to do the work themselves instead of delegating. In fact, multiple studies indicate that multi-tasking (task switching to be more accurate) actually makes you less effective and more prone to error. One study conducted by Dr. Ira E. Hyman from Western Washington University found that a simple task like talking on the phone while walking significantly reduced the ability of a person to recognize their environment and those around them. In their study, they targeted people who were walking and talking on the phone, and placed a clown on a unicycle in the vicinity, then asked them if they noticed it while walking by. Less than 25% of the people talking on the phone while walking noticed the clown, compared to over 70% of those who were just walking alone, or walking and talking with a friend. The lesson? If you are Type A, and prone to fill your calendar thinking you can multi-task, you are more likely to miss important details, and certainly likely to miss the people that work for you as well. Reduce your urge to multi-task, and be present in the moment.
Standards (Learn when ‘good enough’ is good enough) – One thing is sure about Type A personalities. They tend to err towards perfection, and their internal drive to compete and win often leads them to think of how they might have been just a bit better, or what they could have done differently to win next time. Improvement is a great thing, and I encourage everyone to learn from the past, and make improvements for the future. But, when the standards are so high that no one can meet them, it can have a negative effect on the person, and the organization they lead. By never seeing results as good enough, or acceptable, you are setting the organization up for frustration and failure. As a Type A, you have to learn what things need perfection (financials or taking care of patients for example) and what things can get by with good enough.
Listening (There might just be another way) – Another common characteristic of a Type A is their sense that they have already figured out things and that others process too slowly. You’ve likely seen this manifested in the person who is fidgety, and tends to interrupt other people’s thought with nods, ‘uh huh’s and other forms of interruption. Essentially, they are processing things and are trying to send the message that it’s time to move on, and they have a decision in mind. But, as a Type A, it’s critical that you learn to listen closely, and leverage the knowledge of those around you. While speed and impatience might be your hallmark, quick decisions aren’t always in the best interest of you or the team. Taking the time to be a bit more deliberative and thoughtful will only serve to make your team feel heard, and allow you to make a more informed decision.

While this post was focused heavily on the Type A personality, it’s important to point out that Type Bs aren’t perfect either. The tendency to be a bit more thoughtful in approach, and willingness to let less than perfect be ok, can send the message to others (especially Type As) that you don’t care, aren’t motivated, and perhaps have lower standards. While it might not be true, as a Type B, you need to make sure that you are learning from the Type As in your life and become more action-oriented.

In the end, neither personality type is the “right” type for leadership. It takes all kinds to lead organizations, and the more you can incorporate different styles, attitudes and behaviors, the more likely you will see success.

What about you? If you are a Type A, do you see any traits in Type Bs you wish you had? What about you Type Bs? What can you learn from the Type As around you?

How To React To Disappointment

March 29, 2016 By John T Mason Leave a Comment

“I have to say I’m really disappointed.” Those were the words from someone who I had just let know that they didn’t get a job that they applied for. It’s never easy to tell someone bad news, and certainly more difficult for the person receiving it. In this case, this person had applied for an open position in the organization, and they felt sure it was theirs for the taking. But, it was a stretch, and the odds of finding someone with more experience in preparation for the role was high.

I understood the frustration and disappointment. They had worked hard, and felt that they really were ready for the new role. In this case, they could have done the job, but someone else applied that had characteristics that were critical to the role, and it just wasn’t the right fit for them. There would be other opportunities, and they were sure to be able to take advantage when the right position came along. The good news was this person took it well, acted professionally, and focused their efforts on making sure the person who did get the promotion was a success. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the way it turns out.

It’s inevitable. You are going to find yourself mentally ready for a new position, and if you’ve been with the company for any length of time, you are likely going to feel like your loyalty and tenure will count for something. But, it’s also likely that you are not going to get a position for which you feel you deserve. And when that happens, hurt, frustration and apathy are sure to take over.

Unfortunately, I am finding more often that people have an expectation of promotion at a much faster pace than they ever did in the past. At the risk of sounding like the ‘old curmudgeon’, it seems that ‘earning your stripes’ and ‘paying your dues’ doesn’t apply as much any more. That said, even those who have put in their time are still going to be passed over occasionally, and the hurt and anger can be real.

I can remember one young man that joined our organization straight out of college and was motivated to do a great job. The first 3 months were a whirlwind for him, and he did everything he could to learn about the job, expand his skills, and impress those he was working with. In fact, he was quickly making a name for himself, and I could see some real potential.

But, at about the 4 month point, he knocked on my door one day and told me he thought he was ready for a ‘promotion.’ However, we didn’t really have a promotion process. The way you moved up in our organization was to apply for, and take on, a new role. In other words, we didn’t take jobs and lift them up, but instead had a fixed number of roles, and you had to apply when someone moved up, or out, of the company.

When I explained that to this young man, he seemed a bit surprised, but took the news and thanked me for the time. I was sure that I had handled it well, and he understood the need to wait for the right role to show up. But, to my surprise, his name came up just a couple of months later for a job that was one level up from where he was. He had applied, and the hiring manager wanted to know what I thought.

While he had been with the company for a short time, I could see some real potential, and was open to the idea of the manager taking him on if they selected him for the position. So, when the manager indicated he wanted to hire him, I supported the move, and had a talk with the young man about his performance, and the new expectations that we would have.

The young man took to the new role very well, and I was pleased to see that he had embraced the position and its responsibilities. He was definitely ready for the role,and embraced it wholeheartedly. However, he did have some learning to do, and made a few minor mistakes that indicated to me and his manager that he was going to do a great job once he had a few years of experience under his belt.

One day about six or seven months, later, the young man was back at my door, and pronounced that he wanted to apply for a Director role in the organization. The position had just come open, and he felt sure that he was ready to take on the responsibility. (Remember, at this point he was just about one year out of college with the organization) To say that he wasn’t ready to take a two-level promotion goes without saying. We had a talk, and I told him that, while he was doing a good job and working hard, he just wasn’t ready to take on a role of this scope, and I felt he needed to keep his current role for a few more years to gain some experience.

His reaction to this conversation has stuck with me ever since. He quickly became defensive and angry. He told me, in no uncertain terms, that he WAS ready, and he felt he was just as qualified as any one else in the organization. He also said that he felt like this was a vote of no confidence for him, and perhaps he just needed to be looking elsewhere in the organization if time in a role was the only criteria. Of course, that wasn’t the only reason for my reluctance, but he couldn’t hear what I was telling him.

He left the meeting that day, and within two months, had left our department and moved on to another department in the organization. He let his emotions and anger cloud his reason, and wasn’t able to hear what he had been told, or take the advice to heart. Sad for him, and for our team.

While I had hoped he took the coaching and guidance, I learned that not everyone feels the same way I do about moving up. I found out that day that the title and promotion have a lot to do with some people’s self-worth and value. Unfortunate, but true.

So, what can you do when you find yourself being passed over for a promotion or new opportunity? How should you respond and what lessons can you take away from the news that will make you better next time?

Realize that people see things you can’t – While we all have a perspective of ourselves, and that self-perception is likely based on real thoughts, biases and behaviors, we also have blind spots that others see. Assuming that the person who was responsible for promoting you was acting in good faith and based their decision on real and perceived capabilities, you have to realize that they likely see some of your potential shortfalls for the role.
React, but do it in private – One of the worst things you can do is react negatively to the person delivering the bad news, or to the organization at large. We’re all human, and getting bad news is never a good thing. While we all feel hurt and frustrated when we don’t get something we deserve, letting others know publicly only makes you look petty and childish. Find a confidant, and vent your frustrations, but never, ever, do this in public!
Check your motivation – Hopefully you did this before you applied and interviewed for the new role, but understanding why you want the position is important. On more that one occasion, I have had people interview for a role, and it was clear early on that they really were more concerned about a raise, or a new title. Unfortunately, this comes across even if you don’t want it to, and might have had an impact on the final decision. If you didn’t evaluate your internal motivations before the interview and decision, it’s time to do that now, and make sure that you are seeking promotions because you want to add more value or expand your career opportunities. Don’t get me wrong, I am not advocating that money should never be a consideration, but if it’s the primary one, people WILL know!
Ask for feedback – Once you’ve had a chance to accept the news, ask someone involved in the interview process for some feedback. It’s critical that you make it clear you want this feedback in order to grow, and to have an idea of what things you need to work on to be more prepared in the future. If they have any sense that you are coming to them to ‘plead your case’ or try to change their minds, they will likely refuse to meet with you. Even if they did, they won’t come into it with your best interests in mind, and will likely be reticent to give you honest information.
Put your feedback on a plan – Once you have some good, honest feedback from your interviewer, make a plan to improve. I would recommend you write the key traits or characteristics you need to improve down, and start planning on how you can make changes. Sometimes these will be new skills or experiences, and sometimes they might be personality traits that you need to become more self-aware of. In any case, what you plan for, you are likely to do, so make a plan for more education, experiences, or even coaching if appropriate.
Show progress – I highly recommend that if you were working with your manager for the promotion, you show them that you took the feedback seriously, and want to be ready for the next opportunity. Adding some of the recommendations to your performance review, and then tracking your progress show them that you took the feedback constructively. By making it part of your personal goals, they will get the sense that you really want to be more valuable to the organization, and not just looking for the next raise.
Get busy – If you’ve done everything you can to recover from the disappointing news, that’s not the end of it. One of the more subtle impacts of disappointment is apathy. You’ve been passed up, you’ve accepted the results, but now you just aren’t that motivated to put forth your best effort. Don’t let apathy become your downfall. This is no time to slack off and try to send a message, intentionally or otherwise. Now is the time to redouble your efforts and show them that, while you weren’t the choice, you are worth watching and ready for the next promotion.

If you’ve ever had to deliver bad news to a candidate, what reactions have you seen, and how did you perceive the person based on their reactions? What have you learned after getting passed up for promotion?

How To Recover From An Accountability Problem

March 13, 2016 By John T Mason Leave a Comment

As a leader, we like to think that we are good at holding employees accountable, and work hard to have a team that is highly accountable for their individual and collective results. In fact, accountability is a common buzz word when talking about organizational health and employee engagement. The theory is that employees who are accountable for their work are also more likely to be engaged in their organization, and less likely to leave.

But, the reality is that most leaders aren’t comfortable holding their team members accountable for results and behaviors. Holding a team member accountable can be an uncomfortable proposition, and many fear the potential for confrontation and the impact it might have on the relationship. Also, many have never had training on how to have a difficult conversation when things aren’t going well and, instead, just let things slide in hopes the behaviors will either go away or resolve themselves.

But, our team members expect us to hold them accountable, and even more importantly, set expectations for their performance. According to Gallup’s research with companies across the world, less than half of all employees indicate they know what’s expected of them in their work! The surveys tell us that employees come to work and are constantly trying to decipher and figure out what their managers want them to do. Frustrating for the leader, and even more frustrating for the team member!

Gallup found that those organizations who have a more highly-engaged workforce have employees knew clearly what was expected of them, and their leaders held them accountable to those expectations and outcomes. In their research, they found that holding the employee accountable for their assignments and actions had a high correlation to their engagement at work.

The research showed that when an team member indicated ‘strongly agree’ to the question of whether their manager held them accountable for their performance, 28% were engaged, compared to only 6% for those who said they disagreed. In other words, if you assign them work and set expectations, but don’t follow up and hold them accountable, you are almost assured of having them become disengaged.

Holding the team member accountable for the quality of their work isn’t the only thing you need to do though. Not only do you have to hold the team member accountable for their outcomes, but you have to hold them accountable to the rest of the organizations rules, norms and expected behaviors. The old saying that “what you permit, you promote” holds true in this case. If you don’t, you are effectively condoning the action, and dooming yourself to having to deal with it later.

As a leader, it’s imperative that you are clear with what you will, and will not, enforce. It can’t be dependent on the situation or the person. It can’t be allowed one time, and not another. Without a clear indication of what is, and isn’t acceptable, team members are demoralized and can feel frustrated with the lack of consistency. They see leaders being inconsistent, and quickly grow to distrust them.

Accountability is important for another reason as well. Without it, an organization’s culture can be negatively influenced and cause an employee to blur the lines between right and wrong, ethical and unethical. General Motors takes accountability so seriously, that they talk about it as a key part of their corporate culture. Accountability is just that important.

But, accountability is a two way street. As a leader, you have to be accountable for your actions as well. You have to own the results of your decisions and the outcomes without blaming, deflecting or passing the buck. A good leader knows that not only do they need to be accountable to the organization, they need to be accountable to the teams they lead as well. The employees expect it, and can see it a mile away when a leader starts to try and avoid accountability.

It’s just this type of behavior that got General Electric into trouble back in the 1950s. They became the target of a anti-trust lawsuit filed by the Federal Government, and the ultimate cause was a lack of accountability from the most senior levels of the organization.

Apparently, GE used to have two types of policies. Those that they enforced, and others that they didn’t. In other words, there were ‘official’ policies that were taken seriously, and others that were just implied or suggested. However, it was this behavior that came to light when GE was accused of price fixing with Westinghouse on electrical equipment. Officials from both companies would meet secretly to discuss prices and determine bids for government projects, to include projects for the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). This ‘price fixing’ came to light when the TVA started noticing bids from GE, Westinghouse and other vendors all coming in at the same price.

However, when the case went to trial, many of the senior executives tried to blame the issue on simple misunderstandings of their intent to junior leaders. The teams misunderstood, according to the executives, when they were meant to follow a policy, and when they shouldn’t.

It seems that the way a team member was supposed to know the difference had to do with whether or not the executive smiled and winked at them or not. If they told the employee to do something with a serious face, then it was assumed to be an ‘official’ policy or directive, and the employee was to carry it out. However, if the executive smiled and winked at the employee when they told them what to do, it was an ‘implied’ policy, and the employee was expected to do the opposite of what they were being told.

In this case, you can clearly see that the senior leadership didn’t hold themselves accountable, and subsequently, neither did the team members who carried out the ‘orders’ to fix prices.

So, how can you improve the accountability of your organization and improve the overall engagement of your team?

Be explicit in policies and procedures – I once worked for an organization that didn’t believe in having policies. The logic was that the more policies you had, the more you had to enforce. In that organization, being flexible in who and how behaviors were enforced was valued. However, this doesn’t work in most organizations, and you need to have clear, and attainable policies. There should be no room for interpretation or argument about intent.
Follow through with team members on violations (every time!) – The worst thing you can do as a leader is inconsistently enforce policies and hold people accountable for their work and behaviors in contradictory ways. This sends a bad message, and essentially condones the behaviors.
Put things in writing – When establishing goals and priorities for your team members, make sure that you write it down and get agreement to what you discussed. While it seems like just having a conversation should be enough, that leaves too much to interpretation and miscommunication is a given. People often hear messages differently, and without putting things in writing, you risk the chance you have to reexplain your intent, or backtrack on holding them accountable if they misunderstood.
Be vulnerable – As a leader, you want to be the role model of accountability. You likely work hard to follow policies, meet your obligations and responsibilities, and be a good example to your team. But, if you’re human, you will make mistakes. Confront your mistakes quickly, and be open and transparent when you do. Your team likely knows you made the mistake right after you did anyway, so trying to avoid it, or covering it up, only perpetuates an organization that is accountability focused.
Learn how to have difficult conversations – If you are uncomfortable with having difficult conversations with your team, it’s imperative you learn how to improve quickly. It’s more common than you might think, and learning some good techniques to help you overcome the fear are a huge help. One great class is “Crucial Conversations” by VitalSmarts. It’s a fantastic course, and not only teaches some great techniques, but also lets you practice in a safe environment before you have a real crucial conversation. They also have a follow on book and program called “Crucial Accountability.” Definitely worth checking out.

As a leader, there are a lot of expectations on you. But none is as visible, or important, than being able to hold your team and organization accountable. Without accountability, all you have is a group of people being paid, and you hoping they will do what they say! Don’t let your organization pay the price for a lack of accountability. Having the difficult conversations and holding people accountable for their actions is when a true leader shines.

What other suggestions do you have to help improve your organization’s accountability?

Are You A Connector? If Not, Learn How To Improve Here

February 28, 2016 By John T Mason Leave a Comment

Some people just seem to have a gift for connecting people and ideas. They seem to know people in all sorts of industries, with varying interests, and they’re able to ‘connect the dots’ between people and ideas and bring them together They are ‘connectors.’

Malcolm Gladwell describes just this kind of person in his book, ‘The Tipping Point’, where he explains why certain ideas become social epidemics, or go viral, and others don’t. In his book, Gladwell says that to have an idea, any idea, grow large and take on a life of its own, it takes three kinds of people. Each social epidemic needs a Connector, a Maven and a Salesman. But, its the connector who’s the one that really gets the idea moving and helps it expand. (try this link to take a quick quiz to see if you are a connector)

The Connector, according to Gladwell, is a person who is able to make connections between what seem to be very different and disparate people and ideas. They are the person who seems to know everyone, and is always trying to connect people and their ideas. Connectors, according to Gladwell, are people who have an extraordinary knack for making friends and acquaintances. Then, they are able to use these relationships and grow and connect people to each other.

In the past few weeks (here, here and here), I’ve been discussing how effective leadership requires that you are an influencer. As I said, influence is the currency of leadership, and to be effective, you need the ability to influence those you lead. While leadership is both an art and a science, and can be complex to describe, I indicated there were four basic skills you need to improve your influence.

Communication
Simplification
Relationship Building
Connection

While communication is a key skill and foundational to the rest of the skills, it’s connection that will allow you to grow your influence and expand both ideas and networks for the benefit of the organization.

First, connection is what Gladwell described; the ability to bring people together, and grow a network of people that having relationships in common. By having a larger network, you are able to tap into a much broader set of opinions, ideas and experiences than you would otherwise. In other words, the more people you know, the more you are likely to learn new things that you can bring to your leadership toolbox.

But, connection also refers to your ability to connect what are seemingly different ideas and viewpoints. By being able to see or hear one idea, and then connect it in some way to another idea is truly a unique skill. One such connector was Arthur Fry.

While you don’t likely recognize the name, there is no doubt you have benefitted from his ability to connect ideas. Fry, a scientist for a company called Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing company (later named 3M), is the inventor of the Post It Note. As the story goes, Fry was listening to a lecture by another scientist on a new type of adhesive that he was working on. This adhesive had a good bond, but could be easily removed because the glue never really ’set.’ While the glue was interesting, there didn’t seem to be an actual application for it as far as the inventor could see.

But, one evening, Arthur was singing in his local church choir, and grew frustrated with the small pieces of paper falling out of his song book and made a connection to the glue that he had just learned about. Getting a sample of the glue, he applied it to one edge of some small pieces of paper and tested it out on his song book. The paper stayed, and didn’t tear or destroy the songbook paper when removed. The Post It Note was born.

Arthur was a connector. He was constantly learning, seeking out new ideas, and inevitably going back to his ‘databank’ of ideas and relationships to make connections that others didn’t make. He was able to visualize how seemingly different ideas could really be used together, and was able to apply that knowledge to solve problems.

As a leader, you need both sets of connector skills. You not only need to be able to bring people together, but you need to be able to learn from each of the relationships and begin to ‘connect the dots’ between the ideas and capabilities that each person has.

One of the more interesting talks on making connections was by Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon. During his 2003 Ted Talk, Bezos describes how the addition of electricity to homes was for one single purpose; to power the newly invented lightbulbs people were wanting in their house. A large infrastructure was created just around light, and there was no other thought for what was available.

In fact, the electrical outlet as we know it wasn’t invented until much later, and really came about because some were able to make the connection between the infrastructure that was installed in homes to power lights, and the ability to power other tasks that were previously manual. The idea of the electrical appliance really came about because some were able to ‘connect the dots’ between two distinct problems. (the video above is worth watching, and you will definitely enjoy how dated a talk from 2003 has already become!)

If making connections with people and with ideas are a key skill, the obvious question that comes up is whether this is a learned skill, or a natural one. While I do believe that some people’s personalities are just more inclined toward making connections with people, and the desire to know and grow their network is somewhat innate, it can be learned and practiced. But, the ability to connect ideas is a much tougher one to learn. There seems to be a subset of people who have the ability to see things in ways other don’t, and make connections in their minds that eventually lead to new breakthroughs.

However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t ways you can make yourself more adept at making connections. Here are some things you can do to practice and grow these skills.

Make Better People Connections

Be Purposeful – One of the most important skills in growing your personal network is to make it a priority. If you want to know more people, you have to make an effort to know more people, and that only comes from practice. Set some goals to meet someone new each week. Make lunch plans with someone new at the office and learn all you can about them. You have to get from behind your desk if you are going to grow your network, so schedule it.
Be Interested – If small talk doesn’t come easy to you, before you meet with someone new, make a list of questions that you want to answer. These should be questions that get the person talking about themselves, and shouldn’t just be about work. One of the best ways to get to know someone new is to ask them about the things that usually matter most to them; their families, hobbies and interests. Ask just a few questions about these things and you will have a great conversation going before you know it.
Be Generous – As you get to know someone, one of the most important skills I have learned is to try and introduce them to someone else I already know. As you learn about them, you are going to find out that they have something in common with someone you already know. Don’t let that opportunity pass by. Offer to introduce them to the person that has something in common, and follow through. Once you’ve introduced the two, you’ve just become a Connector!

Make Better Idea Connections

Ask How? – To truly make connections between ideas, you have to be inquisitive. That means that you have to be interested in what you are hearing, and want to know enough detail that you start to understand how something you’ve heard in the past might connect with what you are hearing now. Being curious, and wondering about new ideas is a first step.
Ask Why? – Without a good understanding for why something works the way it does, you are stuck with a surface idea and the connections are harder to make. Ask lots of questions as you are learning new things, and focus on the why. The why will help you get behind the reason for what you’re learning, and help you to draw out new questions and thoughts.
Ask What If? – The reason many don’t make connections between concepts is that they don’t take the time to ask ‘what if?’ when they think of new ideas. We are taught from an early age to focus on learning by being taught in the didactic method. Essentially, our learning is focused solely on the teacher teaching, and the student learning, and the goal is capture of knowledge. However, we aren’t as good at experiential learning (Socratic method), where the value of asking questions, learning from each other and drawing out new ideas is a priority. Asking “what if?’ is the beginning of being a connector of ideas.
Be a reader – There is an old phrase that says ‘leaders are readers.” The reason behind this is the fact that those who read are constantly learning new information, and gaining new perspectives and insights. Reading trade journals, industry-focused books and other non-fiction helps you broaden your thought process and skill sets. It also helps you expand your ‘connection’ skills, because it charges to the brain to be on the lookout for new ideas. But, non-fiction isn’t the only things you should read. Good fiction also helps relieve your mind of stress and helps you become more imaginative. In fact, even the Pentagon has learned this lesson. They frequently consult with Hollywood film producers to gather new, and imaginative ways that our safety might be at risk so they can come up with new ways of combating it!

Ultimately, your ability to influence through connections comes from both your ability to bring people together, but also through your ability to bring the ideas of these people together as well. Many of the great breakthroughs in life come from challenging what you already know, and putting new combinations of ideas together. And, as a leader, when you can energize people together to solve big problems for the good of the organization or team, you’ve accomplished what you were asked to do.

Who are some of the ‘connectors’ you know? What is it about them that makes them so good at connecting people and ideas? What other ideas can you share with everyone?

« Previous Page