4 April 2007
Successful Intentions Newsletter
Hi ,
"Don't bite my finger, look where it's pointing!"
Team members perform best when they know "Why?" as well as "what?"
Managers get things done "above the surface" where resources and outcomes are known. Leaders encourage team performance from "below the surface" where beliefs, values and "sense of meaning" reside.
It's like digging for diamonds. The geological conditions might be visible from the ground. But the real value is deep beneath the surface. You have to get through a lot of "overburden" to find the treasure!
But it's not that difficult to manage for meaning. We all respond better to propositions and requests that readily support our view of ourselves. And we avoid suggestions that might trigger feelings of uncertainty or hurt based on past experiences. Leaders know how to manage these fundamental emotions in their teams.
At a deeper level, the stories we tell ourselves about our lives run along familiar patterns. From Homer's "The Odyssey" to American ABC's "Desperate Housewives", we follow the archetypes and myths of ancient storylines throughout human history!
Managing for meaning is way of accessing the deeper motivations of team members for ethically sustainable, high value performance. There are 5 levels. The first two are external and visible:
- Environment: The team member's environment, consisting of his or her strategic thinking, the structures and systems through which he or she implements action, and particularly the establishment and defence of status.
- Behaviour: The team member's behaviour, which involves paying attention to communication methods, relationship management, and communication style. Here, the emphasis is on noticing and controlling behaviours and preventing more profound, impulsive behaviour patterns from returning under stress.
The next three levels are internal and invisible:
- Attitudes: Calls into question the team member's beliefs and values, those that govern his or her life, work, relationships, whether to trust or not to trust. And how values influence choices with respect to career, money, success, and power. Included here are the team member's representation systems, how he or she sees the world.
- Deep Structure: This is the ‘character' aspect of personality where the person's defences and unconscious beliefs, developed over their life history, reside. Progress is only possible through openness, trust, self-appraisal, and realisation.
- Deepest Structure: Constitutes the most intimate development of the person, beyond the defensive systems, to the essential nature of human consciousness or ‘spirit'. This is the cornerstone of the architecture of identity. Access to this level may be gained through deep understanding, and through the recognition of mythic narratives and archetypes that give deep insight to "life, the universe and everything"!
Leaders tell stories. And they are able to relate to team members at progressively deeper levels of engagement. Discoveries and understandings are then brought to "the surface" where the whole team can share meaning from activities and outcomes.
You can download the "Managing for Meaning" Model here.
And get my research paper for free! here: "Back on Track: Executive Coaching and Career Derailment" (2006), International Coaching Psychology Review, Vol.1 (2), November, 68-74.
Training programs for you and your team in meaningful management can be found here.
Keep your intentions clear,
Peter Webb
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