Making Good Men Great: In Leadership

Gunter Swoboda, MAPS

MGMG: IN LEADERSHIP

“By a great man, however, we

mean a man who, because of his

spiritual gifts, his character, and

other qualities, deserves to be

called great and who as a result

earns the power to influence

others.” – Fredrik Bajer

Overview

Recent research in organisational psychology has highlighted a number of disturbing issues that are a feature in the current workforce."

1. Stress in the workplace is increasing."

2. Stress costs business a lot of money, experience and leverage in the marketplace."

3. The commercial environment is changing more rapidly than ever before."

What many executives and managers appear to forget is that for the first time, health was defined to include “psychological health” in the OHS Act of 2004, highlighting psychiatric and mental stress-related injuries, and the need to manage the risks associated with those claims. "Source: OHS Act, S5 (1), cited in Accident Compensation Act Review Final Report"

This, then, places responsibility for the well-being of employees, directly into the hands of the organisations leadership. It is in this light that we need to address what constitutes the sort of leadership that fosters employee’s well being, and creates a healthy organisation. "

To date a great deal of effort and resources are being allocated to treating the problem. In my view this lacks the required return on investment I would expect from a business perspective."

What we need is to establish are the root causes that lead to unhealthy organisations, where employees fail to thrive."

I was recently asked why I am addressing this issue specifically from the perspective of men. The answer is fairly straight forward. Traditionally organisations were almost entirely led by men, maintaining a very traditional male model. This led to cultures that were deeply steeped in maleness. As more women entered the workforce they were expected to comply and align themselves to the prevailing cultural norms. "

With the growing participation of women in the workforce and the demand for equal opportunity in leadership, much of this material has been in support of women and how to fit into the masculine corporate world."

My argument is that this has missed a significant point, which is the question of whether the traditional masculine model is in fact a good fit for the demands of the 21st century?"

Interestingly, there has been a dearth of meaningful conversations and critique of the traditional masculine model in workplace. "

As a result there have been numerous assumptions made about men and leadership, without a clear analysis of what we are needing to look at."

Matt Church (2013) cleverly identified a leadership shift, proposing that the new business paradigm looks to establish work worth doing, cultures worth belonging to and leaders worth following. The overarching agenda in this model is not where we’ve been, but more importantly where we are going."

In order to understand the relationship between men and leadership in the 21st century, we need to deconstruct the key elements of the traditional masculine model in relationship to organisational governance. This means differentiating what we think, from what we know about men and leadership."

In much of the literature there appeared to be the underlying assumption that culture in the western industrialised world is homogenised. This clearly is not the case. Aside from issues of ethnicity and nationality, gender in itself presents cultural differences. I can well argue that there is a distinct culture for women and one for men. "

�2Making Good Men Great • Gunter o. Swoboda, MAPS © 2014

Our society persistently attempts to blur the lines between men and women, ignoring innate biological and psychological differences. In the past there were very clear and ridged ideas about masculinity, and how men and women are different. Over the last few decades, however, these have been challenged and dismantled. "

Subsequently there seems to be a level of confusion about the very existence of difference. This confusion is an artefact of the idea that equality means sameness, whereas in reality difference and equality are not mutually exclusive."

The process by which natural gender difference is ignored in order to maintain a fiction of sameness, leads to a portrayal of men that is conflicted about traditional ideas of masculinity. Two stereotypes have emerged. That of the self-sufficient, driven, materially successful and competitive man who is admired, but also derided for not being nurturing, being absent in relationships, and prioritising their work over their private lives. In opposition to this, the less successful, less competitive man is seen as being weak and bumbling, but more "in touch with his feminine side”. These men are often the subject of derision for the very qualities that they have been told they should embrace. In this context many men feel that they can never get it right, and subsequently withdraw. "

It is also important to keep in mind that this does not serve women well either. As a result bullying, bragging, reckless aggression, mindless greed, politicking and posturing haunt us, in misguided ideas of how to pursue of commercial success. "

In this context, narcissism and arrogance, where there is a distinct lack of empathy and remorse, is often mistaken for confidence."

The alternatives that have been offered, have been little more than feminised ideas of masculinity."

Why is this critical analysis and dialogue important in leadership and for corporate governance? Firstly because we now have a legislated mandate, a duty of care for our employees and towards ourselves. Secondly, because it detracts leaders from achieving results, and in most instances actually costs the organisation, intrinsically and fiscally."

In the digital age, we need leaders

that are worth following.

So, where do we start? In my mentoring and coaching programme I teach a model called the Executive Leadership Cycle:"

It consists of three spheres: "

1. leadership, "

2. culture, "

3. and performance. "

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Like a juggler juggling three balls, the idea is to keep them fluidly in motion."

1. Leadership

The primary step in my quest to develop great leadership is a clear understanding of myself as a man. I need to recognise my strengths and weaknesses. This begins with a personal examination of what it means to be a man, a good man and finally what it means to be a great man. This requires a clear understanding of the traditional masculine model and its strengths and weaknesses."

This aims to generate a heightened self-awareness, the ability to embrace vulnerability and the courage to change leads me to be authentic. My goals are to be emotionally responsive, behaviourally flexible as guided by my values, and to be resilient in the face of adversity and conflict."

In the leadership sphere my focus is on my vision, the strength of the relationship I form and my ability to articulate aspirations in an inspirational way to my team and my organisation. "

Great leaders are adept at forging

powerful, aligned relationships

through powerful communication.

Great leaders have a vision that engages others. The vision and aspirations that the early feminist had, inspired not one, but ongoing generations to facilitate a more egalitarian and equitable shift in society. "

Another critical critical element in the vision are the core values that will give the organisation a moral and behavioural map against which decisions and actions are measured against."

We as men need to come to understand the importance that great leadership relies first and foremost on tying together one’s vision with the ability to generate aligned relationships through aspirational and inspirational communication. "

2. Culture.

Up to 60% of the variation in wellbeing and 30% of performance-related outcomes can directly be linked to the quality of the work culture."

It is the leader that lays the real foundation for the culture of the organisation. This understanding of myself leads me be clearer of the culture that I am in and the culture that I want to create or shape. I also need to remember that my organisation’s culture does not exist in isolation, but is part of a greater whole and it will influence other cultures, like that of my community and my family. "

Embedded in each level are vision/aspirations, values and actions that relate to the memes established in that layer. It is important to acknowledge that these layers are not discrete but interrelate with one another. Information, knowledge and wisdom shifts organically between these layers."

Cultures change. The respond and adapt to the both internal and external forces. The most influential change has been that of women over the last two hundred years. It was Mary Wollstonecraft penned her challenge to women and men to ignite the discussion on the rights of women. To gain a place in society and in the workplace, including that of professionals, women collectivised. A new culture began to take shape. In most respects this change has been extraordinarily successful. But there have been some sacrifices and casualties. "


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The best results occur when social, organisational, team, and individual cultures align around core values and behaviours."

3. Performance

The third sphere is is that of performance. Performance is based on another three elements. Strategy, tactics and operations. "

Strategy is how we are going to achieve our vision, tactics is the ability to position ourselves effectively and operations are the necessary tasks to attain the results we are anticipating. "

"Rethinking Masculinity at work."The traditional masculine stereotype rested on being territorial, our relationships were hierarchical, we were acquisitional and most importantly we were competitive. "

We had to defend our turf, strive for the top, acquire as much wealth as we could and most importantly, we had to win at all costs. "

This is a way of living that has extolled an enormous price. In many respects, the return on the investment has not been poor. Costs to personal well-being and that of families often outweighed the financial and professional gains. "

The key issue with the traditional masculine stereotype is that it is generally inflexible, it makes men reactive and defensive, as opposed to being responsive and open. Inflexibility means that we

struggle to deal well with stress and, in engineering terms, will bring us closer to breaking point. And we take those around us down with us."

So what is the alternative?"

We need to evolve. The aim is to become more emotionally and functionally responsive, flexible which allows us to be:"

1. Inclusive"

2. Democratic"

3. Distributive"

4. Co-operative."

Aligned to core values and actions we have a leader who appreciates that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. No longer are strategy and operational tasks the driving factors in organisational success. "

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The aligned leader is more inclusive in his way of working. If necessary he asks for help rather than tough it out behind a mask of power and knowledge. Rather than seeing relationships in hierarchical terms, he has a greater sense of the value of equality, acknowledging and validating differences that improves performance."

Most importantly, cooperation becomes more important than competition."

Put together it lays the foundation for a healthy organisation."


Relationships at work."The traditional masculine stereotype does not serve men well in intimate or small group relationships, like teams. Mainly because the traditional male role model focusses on tasks rather than relationship. "

Teams work best when there is a strong level of co-operation, trust, commitment to the team and accountability that is not devolved to outside the team."

Your relationship with yourself.

Relationships are better when we are inclusive, and egalitarian. As a leader I need to be responsive whilst staying authoritative. This requires a high degree of level of emotional and behavioural flexibility and focus. "

Your relationship with others.

In my work, I see relationships range from being

physically or emotionally absent to being fully

aligned.

We are social and relational beings. It is through

our relationships with others that we grow into the

people we are now. This starts from the very

beginning. Our capacity to understand ourselves,

as a separate, individual human being, who has a

distinct identity, is forged through the relationships

we have with our caregivers from the moment we

are born.

There is a wealth of information and research that

demonstrates the importance of good quality,

relationships and its value to the wellbeing of

employees.

Our physical, mental and emotional well-being are

intertwined. are linked, and if one area is

compromised, the other two will also suffer.

We don’t have to look far to find someone we

know, or know of, who has become depressed

because they have suffered a physical injury. Well,

it’s the same for those injuries you can’t see, and

that people don’t talk about. Not feeling valued,

accepted or connected, can lead to a cascade of

physical, psychological or social problems.

Therefore, alongside the practical, task oriented

responsibilities we have as a leader, we have the

more important and much harder responsibility to

mentor, coach and facilitate healthy relationships.

A good place to start is to looking inward to your

sense of who you are and ask the question; What

do I value? What characteristics of being human

do I think are worth while cultivating, and have I

done that so far in my life?

These questions encompasses all areas of our

lives; physical, psychological, social and spiritual.

Whatever you believe is a good way to act in the

world, usually rests on your values, and your idea

of yourself as a person. Becoming aware of

yourself, so that you are thinking, feeling and

acting in a way that is aligned with these values,

helps you feel confident that you are the person

you want to be. Others will respond to this and act

in kind.

The challenge is that relationships not only take

time to develop, they need you to be available,

physically and emotionally. As a leader, you need

to be clearly present. Many leaders feel pressured

by time and task constraints. There are multiple,

and often competing demands on their time and

energies, all of them important, or seemingly so.

How do you juggle these demands so that you

have the time you need to spend with your team?

How do you ensure that you are not only physically

present, but also emotionally/psychologically

present? How do you align the way you make

choices about the use of your time with your

intentions and aspirations as a man and as a

leader?

Being in an aligned relationship with your team

members requires that you remember that:

Core values such as respect, co-operation and

empathy are key ingredients that form the

foundation of a healthy, functional team. One that

is aligned with the appropriate actions leading to

the desired results. You are then well on the way to

being a leader worth following.


Communication at work."Communication is the process in which we share our thoughts and feelings with one another. Most of us think about communication about what we say, the words. But there is a much neglected part of communication which is what is convoyed non-verbally. Interestingly that makes up the majority of what we humans communicate. It is also the one we tend to neglect or forget the most. "

Good communication is making sure that what I say is consistent with how I say it."

Great Communication includes

conveying aspirations and more

importantly, inspirations.

Great communication is free of criticism, contempt, lecturing and aggression."

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The Programme:"Making Good Men Great: Leadership"

Overview

If your goal is to be a Great Leader then this is the programme for you."

People are elevated to senior positions but how many have you encountered who are truly great leaders? This one-on-one coaching programme provides you with the right model to help you to align your aspirations into a practical, goal directed journey as an aspirational and inspirational leader."

You will learn about the Four Foundations for personal effectiveness and work through how the Three Spheres of Leadership, Culture and Performance are interrelated in order to give you the opportunity to thrive as a leader and to become a leader worth following. Learn how to create a culture worth belonging to by integrating your vision with values to direct or to guide action."

The program method uses questioning to elicit awareness, provides an assessment of the key elements in your life and establishes a process to refine them and set up the platform for change. The coaching identifies goals that are achievable and, importantly, once change comes about, that can be measured and maintained."

There are numerous programmes for women in business and leadership, but there are very few designed specifically for men. This program will help you to be more flexible, persuasive and self-aware, in order to establish long- and short-term goals."

Who this programme is for

• Men who want to become great leaders and are at middle to upper management level in their careers, right up to CEO or CFO level."

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Programme outcomes

This programme will help you to:"

• Understand the idea of the ‘Aligned Masculinity’ and how this relates to leadership."

• Increase your self-awareness personally and professionally."

• Assess your ongoing needs in four fundamental areas."

• Align those needs."

• Be emotionally more responsive."

• Be behaviourally more flexible."

• Be emotionally more resilient."

• Understand the ‘Executive Leadership Cycle’ and put it into practice."

• Understand six levels of relationships."

• Improve your relationship building skills."

• Identify and use aspirational and inspirational communication."

• Build functional teams."

• Lay the foundation for healthy organisations."

• Understand the importance of values as a driver to a functional team and healthy organisation."

Programme features

The programme:"

• Uses questioning to elicit awareness."

• Provides an assessment of the key elements in your life and determines a process to ‘fine tune’ them and establish the basis for change or enhancement. "

• Identifies goals that are achievable and, importantly, that can be measured and maintained once change comes about."

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Logistics

• A series of one-on-one coaching sessions over a period of 12 months or more. "

• Timings are flexible to suit your needs."

• Cost "

• Location: our offices in Mona Vale."

Also included is:

• Attendance at a workshop."

• Access to the annual conference."

• Access to the online community and resources.


Making Good Men Great: In Leadership

Documents

Transcript of Making Good Men Great: In Leadership