Permission to Production - Consistent Results

Moving from Permission to Production requires consistent results, results that align with the effective communication that moved you from position to permission.  You don’t have to save the world or do more that you are capable of, simply communicate effectively what you intend to do then do it.  Am  I losing some of you because of the depth of that statement?  Look, I’m not trying to state the obvious or oversimplify this step, but we live in a world where dishonesty is commonplace, deception is advertised, and  we are inundated  with false promises of washboard abs and get rich quick schemes.  What all of these things have in common is an effectively communicated message without the ability to deliver results creating temporary followers who will leave as quickly as they came.

Why do  leaders communicate a message or a direction for an organization then fail to deliver?  What is the driver behind working hard to effectively communicate a message that can’t produce measurable results?    Avoiding conflict, pressure to make a change, self-centered leadership, or setting unrealistic expectations are possible answers that coupled with our fast food society, where instant gratification is king, encourages leaders to provide grandiose prose (instant gratification) rather than an executable message.   The problem is when our communication conflicts with our actions it launches us into a head on collision with conflict. Followers want to hear a message they believe in but will only continue to follow if the results align with that message.     

Can it be any easier, effectively communicate what we believe then execute to produce results consistent with our message?  If it was only that easy.  We say integrity is non-negotiable but we stretch the truth on our tax return, we say the organization is the most important but we make decisions for self-promotion, and we say that money isn’t our driver but we would quite our job if we won the lottery.  Our innate desire for self drives our daily conflict between our message and our actions.  As we gain control over self,  the daily conflict is diminished and we begin to live our message.  if we hope to keep followers, we must produce results that align with our message. 

Driving Excellence by Mark Aesch

Mark Aesch, the CEO of the Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority (RGRTA), describes in his book Driving Excellence how to take an organization driven by mediocrity and drive them towards excellence.  Prior to his tenure, this organization was operated like a standard government agency, no accountability, no desire to achieve, and beholden to the union.  Aesch was able to bring a private sector mentality to a public agency and transform them from an underachieving, dysfunctional, and spendthrift organization to a budget conscious and efficient one.

                Aesch makes several good points like create a culture of no ego, embrace accountability, and foster a culture of analysis and action.  But the concept that I found the most unique was his discussion of decision making.   He says there are two types of decisions, tough ones and sad ones.  “Making a business decisions is not like choosing which house to buy or what color car to get.  These decisions are rooted in subjective judgments that largely defy external guidance, whereas business decisions are mainly objective calls.  By implementing sound strategy with a quality measurement system and a commitment to continuous improvement, leaders can almost always determine what the right call is, and unlike football, they don’t even need an instant replay. Truly tough calls – in the sense of intellectually difficult, puzzling, bedeviling – are few and far between.  And yet many decisions that we perceive to be objectively right and in line with the truth tear our guts out when we make them (as we always must).  These are sad decisions”.  We need to differentiate determining what to do, the decision, from the action required, the implementation of the decision.  When we combine them, decision making with action of implementation,, it clouds the truth and results in the decision being subjective, based on our emotions.  This makes us perceive the decision as tough because we don’t have facts to backup an emotional or subjective decision.  Listen, decision making is something we all face and we could save ourselves significant stress and consternation if we can make objective, fact based decisions and shy away from subjective, emotional ones.

Position to Permission - Trust

In the last post we discussed the first stringer connecting the position and permission rungs, effective communication.  The other stringer is trust.  When you communicate with people in a way that connects with them there is an element of risk involved on their part.  Their decision to give you permission to lead hinges on can they trust you to deliver.  We live in a world full of disappointment, frustration, and hurt.  People are unwilling to risk additional disappointed unless they can manage that risk by finding a reason to trust you, a reason to see you as different from the rest.  Leaders need to take this responsibility seriously.  It is an opportunity, an honor, to be afforded permission to lead.  It isn’t a right we as positional leaders are granted but rather an opportunity given to us by those we lead.  

The challenging part about trust is it takes time to build and an instant to destroy.  As parents, we see this with our kids.  When they enter the different phases of their lives, we give them additional responsibility accompanied by trust.  That trust was built over years but quickly evaporates when they make a mistake.  Then the process repeats.  The same is true for leaders.  We build trust over time and need to be aware that when we make a mistake and break that trust, we move back to being positional leaders and must rebuild our trust account in order to be allowed or granted permission to lead again.

Shaping our kids into productive adults, leaders of tomorrow, future boat rockers, are the greatest and most challenging leadership opportunities we will face.  Ironically, it is the most natural place to stay a positional leader because our kids depend on us and can’t easily change families.  Our families see us when we’ve had a tough day at work, in the morning before the first cup of coffee, and when we just want to have some “me time”.  Picture for a moment the joy when your children finally grant you permission to lead.  Wow, what an opportunity that comes with enormous responsibility.  The same wow factor accompanied by humility in light of the tremendous responsibility is how we should view every leadership encounter that progresses to being granted permission to lead.  Take it seriously, pursue it with vigor and don’t be content with being granted permission to lead but rather strive to move quickly down the rung to production where the picture you’ve painted and the words you’ve spoken come together in tangible, measurable results.

Position to Permission - Effective Communication

The first stringer connecting the position and permission rungs is effective communication.  People will give you “permission” to lead them if you can effectively communicate, if you can connect with them.   Can you paint a picture for people where they can see themselves in your message?   This time of year the concept of moving from position to permission through effective communication is played out every night on the television.  Presidential candidates hit the campaign trail and try to effectively communicate why they are the best person to lead our great country.  They start as positional leaders.  Why, because everyone starts as a positional leader, even the president of the United States.   What is a campaign?  It is their opportunity to broadcast a message that will resonate with us and provide a connection which will result in us voting for them, effectively giving them “permission” to lead us.

What does effective communication look like?  Is it a charismatic and passionate speech that leaves you awestruck?    Is it a heartfelt talk or fireside chat that tugs at your core?  Is it short and sweet, an only the facts discussion?  The answer in all three cases is maybe.  It isn’t the delivery that qualifies your communication as effective; it is the connection it makes.  We said before that everyone is different so how you connect with people is different as well.  So what is the key to connection?   We need to find common ground, believe our message, and allow participation in the process.  Many leaders make the mistake of confusing connection with being likeable or with telling people what they want to hear.  That is not connection, it is positional leadership.  In the next post we will discuss the other stringer connecting position and permission, trust.