Catalytic Leadership

Paul M BoosIT Executive CoachExcella Consulting

What we’ll cover…Define Catalytic Leadership

Relationships of Leadership, Change, and Culture

Leadership Concepts to Support Change:1. Anyone 2. In the Small3. Environment, Support, and Trust

Some Byproducts

A show of hands…Who has had trouble with…• Having people follow you as you tried to introduce ‘Agile’?• Keeping good people as you went through change?• Getting people to initiate change?

What is Catalytic Leadership?

Catalyst :: an additional substance

that through its participationincreases the rate of a(chemical) reaction and withless energy

Wikipedia Definition (paraphrased)

inferring…

Catalytic Leadershipincreases the rate of ____with less effort

Fill in the _________AdoptionTransition

TransformationMetamorphosisTransmorgrification

…[ Change ]

… being able tolead change

is importantbecause…

Agile Transformation isstrategic in

nature.

(Transition, Adoption, etc.)

Top 5 Reasons Agile Projects Failed

Company philosophy/culture at odds w/core agile values

Lack of experience w/agile methods

Lack of Management Support

Lack of Support for Cultural Transition

External pressure to follow traditional waterfall processes

Ability to Change Org Culture 55%General Resistance to Change 42%Pre-existing non Agile Framework 40%Personnel w/Agile Experience 39%Management Support 38%

Top 5 Barriers to Agile Adoption

Sources: VersionOne State of Agile Survey 2016

Culture

Over the prior 6 years…• These same reasons have shown up!

• Just some mild shuffling around in percentages and order.

• Consistently at the top is inability to change organizational culture

Sources: VersionOne State of Agile Surveys 2010-15

“Culture eats Strategy for breakfast.”- Peter Drucker

Decisions Habits Culture

Evolutionary Theory of Economic Change,Richard Nelson & Sidney Winder, 1982

Most organizations don’t make fully rationale decisions those decisions are unknowingly steeped in their habits.

Evil is committed by

the well-meaning

The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg

Decisions Δ Habits Δ Culture

So you may be wondering…

• How do we lead this change?

• How do I begin to take action?

• How do I do this when I am not the CIO or other executive?

"The only definition of a leader is someone who has followers.”

- Peter Drucker

This means anyone can be a leader.

Corollary: you only have the authority granted to you by others;

meaning you have constraints imposed by their willingness

“It’s often easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask permission.”

- RADM Grace Hopper

Start with decisions where permission is unnecessary.

An Example!For meetings you conduct, could you do ANY of these?

• Post purpose and agendas in room• Send these out in the invite• Make these agenda items questions to answer vs bullet point lists

(“In what way will we measure the impact of this solution?”)• Send out read-aheads before meetings• Create a parking lot for off-topic items• Use time-boxes on particular discussion points• Use exercises vs free-form discussion• Provide a visual means for seeing progress during the meeting

(Checklist, Meeting Kanban, pile of index cards with the topics on them)

• Solicit input ahead of time for the agenda and find out concerns• Use the invite lines: Required, Optional, FYI (that it is occurring)What of these are synergistic? Which ones require another

one to be in place?

Another Example!When learning information from another, could you do ANY of these?• Ask open-ended questions (Turn yes/no questions into --

what options do you think we have?)• Ask about what things are most important• Repeat/paraphrase what you heard and ask if you have

it right?• Listen for changes in HOW the person tells you the

answer, not only what they say• Be mindful of your own facial expressions or body

language

Something to remember…

Leadership in a traditional sense tends to view it in terms of linear transactions and roles, not organic relationships between people exerting influence.

-Gerald Weinberg (paraphrased)

EXERCISE TIME!• In 1 min, by yourself, write down as many reasons as you can

think of as to WHY either of my examples (learning info from another or conducting meetings) may exert influence.• Then pair up and for the next 2 min share and refine your

answers.• After that, get into groups of 4, share your answers and select

prioritize what you feel are the most important reasons. • Also determine one thing that could derail it and • how you might try and mitigate that. • You have 4 min. Elect a spokesperson

• Lastly, your spokesperson will share the top answer that has not been previously selected – AND – if any the other answers that were previously selected.

A show of hands…Could you…• Introduce this in a meeting you attend?• Suggest this as a way of ‘brainstorming’ ideas?

You just experienced a Liberating Structure

called 1,2,4,ALL

For the next two slides, record each concept you can do where permission is unnecessary.

Some other

LiberatingStructures

TRIZ / List what you can do to get worst possible result Doing any of that? (be brutally honest) Create actions to eliminate these behaviors

Appreciative Interviews / Have another tell a story of something most proud of… What made that possible?

Five Whys / Ask why at least 5 times Gets to root-cause

Lean Coffee / Generate topics of interest Prioritize Openly Discuss in a timebox Decide on actions to take Vote to continue or dismiss

WINFY / You generate what you need ID who you need it from Get unambiguous responses from providers

The Surprising Power of Liberating Structures – Lipmanowicz & McCandless

Open Space / Get a space Create an invitation Right people Right time Over when over Only thing that could happen Law of Two Feet

And…Some Fearless Change Patterns

Fearless Change and More Fearless Change – Manns & Rising

discuss the ideas at Brown Bags as everyone enjoys food

find an interested Guru, convert them, so they are on Your Side

get a Champion Skeptic, someone that is critic on the inside

create a Big Jolt by giving a well-known person an invitation to present on the topic

periodically reflect to have an Evolving VisionPiggyback on other ideas, work, or meetings to get the idea heard

show Sincere Appreciation to those help youshow your passion as an Evangelist

find the Go-To Person for different critical issues where you need help

Advertise Your Successes

16How many of the sixteen did you record?

approaches as these low effortThink of

= lower risk

and

• Cultural Anthropology’s diffusion mechanisms

• Technological innovation’s adoption mechanism

Rely on…

not

occur in that you will leadThe changes

EnvironmentSupportTrustWhere did that come from..?

Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need,

and trust them to get the job done.

Environment ∆sclimate and structures,

Examples: the set of communication paths, authority for decisions, safety for open discussions

“Leadership is the process of creating an environment in which people become empowered.”

-Gerald Weinberg

Support ∆show communications are conducted and the resulting decisions

Being Supportive

Behaviors one might exhibit• Cognitive Empathy

• Curiosity

• Commitment

• Communication

Actions one might take• Work to understand what

is impacting people• Ask questions; look for

root-cause (not blame)• Follow-through on

decisions• Conversations and

dialogue about change and alignment

Trust ∆show decisions are congruent with opening vulnerability between co-workers, and between co-workers and supervisors (granting authority), which improves the climate

“Leadership is a two-way street, loyalty up and loyalty down. Respect for one's superiors; care for one's crew.”

- RADM Grace Hopper

Trustor’s Propensity

Trust

Perceived Risk

Risk Taking in the Relationship

Authority

Benevolence

Integrity

Factors of Perceived

Trustworthiness

Outcomes

Model of Organizational Trust

“An Integrative Model of Organizational Trust”; Mayer, Davis, & Schoorman; Academy of Management Review; 1995; page 715 (available at JSTOR)

Vulnerabilty

Trust Examples:

Small (low risk) assignmentsPromises made (integrity)Congruence with stated intention (benevolence)Decisions made and not over-turned (authority)

Environment

Support

Trust

Some Byproducts• Creating change in the small improves the ability

for trust to be given (show vulnerability), perceived risk is lower• Positive outcomes improve perception (advertise

successes from Fearless Change)• Asking for help (another Fearless Change pattern)

increases trust based on benevolence• WINFY (Liberating Structure) also increases trust

based on benevolence• Creating trusting relationships increases safety

More Byproducts• Opens up more engagement

• Uses our normal networks to spread ideas

• Improves culture, trust, and ultimately change at a natural pace

• Helps people align with purpose

“When divorced from purpose, people focus on mastery. What they do masterfully may benefit nobody. But it is important to them.”

-

What questions do you have?

Paul M. Booshttp://paulmboos.com paul.boos@excella.com

@paul_boos 703-307-4322 (mobile)

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