Recently at the end of a workshop, we asked participants if we met their expectations for the course. One individual said no. He expected to learn how to work with employees that were more senior than he was. I was puzzled as to why our workshop didn’t meet his needs. Our content focused on how better to understand people’s needs through listening, how to provide performance feedback in a way that people will be receptive, and how to coach people toward their strengths. That all seems quite applicable to working with anyone, including people more senior. Where did we miss the mark?
His concern was that we didn’t have a topic specifically titled “working with people more senior” and we didn’t specifically say that the techniques could be used with people that are more senior. Therefore, he didn’t see how the content applied to his situation.
In a different workshop, I was leading a brainstorming session on time management. Leaders were trying to figure out how to carve out more time to prepare for meetings with their clients. I made the observation that the President is certainly busier than any of them, yet is somehow always prepared for his meetings. We talked about how he does that. One person offered that the president has an entourage of people who do the prep work for him and then brief him. I asked the leaders how they could apply that idea to their work. They all said the same thing, “it doesn’t apply, we can’t hire an entourage.” I suggested that they think of pieces involved in using an entourage to see if any of the principles could be translated. Their reply was the same – they couldn’t hire an entourage.
Over the past several years in working with leaders, these types of scenarios have become more common. Many leaders, if not given a solution or an idea that is tightly package within their specific context and parameters, fail to make a link. Perhaps leaders are too time constrained to think (or perceive that they are) or people who do not have the broad enough perspective of the business are being moved into leadership positions. Whatever the case, it is a problem.
Of course, good communicators should work to put things in context whenever possible. The easier it is for a listener to absorb a message, the more likely that person will absorb it. However, in the age of mass information, change, and speed, there is also a new responsibility for the consumer of information. This responsibility is even more critical for leaders.
If you are waiting for all of your information to be wrapped up simply and neatly, you are going to be waiting for a long time. It’s just not effective or efficient. There aren’t enough people available to tailor every piece of information to each leader’s unique situation. And, by the time it was tailored, the information would be out of date.
In the meantime, the people who put in the time and effort to find connections will be passing you by.
Good leaders are able to connect disparate ideas, information, and examples to their world. They don’t get constrained by context but use context to hone their thinking. They regularly take a peek at other industries or business for new ways of thinking about their business. They are the ones who are changing the way that their business or industry works.
Every new experience is an opportunity to learn and change. If you struggle to find that opportunity, you might not be taking the time to look.
Brad Kolar is the President of Kolar Associates, a leadership consulting and workforce productivity consulting firm. He can be reached at brad.kolar@kolarassociates.com.
