Discovering 10 Leadership Opportunities in Crisis:

A menu for successfully moving forward

Dave Ulrich Rensis Likert Professor, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan; Partner at The RBL Group dou@umich.edu www.rbl.net October 28, 2020

2 Current Context of the World

Context: Content is king

Context is kingdom

What word/phrase would you use to describe the following contextual events?

4 Current Context of Our World

Uncertainty

5

THREAT Focus on weakness and what’s wrong

Leadership actions of disorientation, agitation, desperation, frustration

OPPORTUNITY Focus on strengths and what’s possible

Leadership actions of empowering others, offering guidance, getting things done, instilling confidence, stabilizing

Discover

How do leaders respond to the uncertainty of these crises?

6 Discovering Opportunity Comes from Theory, Research, and Experience

ORGANIZATION Capability Workplace Process

HUMAN RESOURCES

EFFECTIVENESS

TALENT Competence

Workforce People

LEADERSHIP BRAND

Individual leaders Leadership

pipeline

Talent Accelerator Research 13 dimensions of talent and impact on outcomes in 450+ global companies Best selling books on talent 100’s of interventions on talent upgrade and impact

Defining and Assessing Organization Capabilities and impact on stakeholders 1,200 global organizations; deep interventions in 100+ companies 10 books on redefining organization logic

30 year/7 rounds of HR Competency Study Over 120,000 respondents; HR’s impact on stakeholder value; 100’s of HR transformations A dozen books defining HR role, effectiveness and impact

Top companies for leadership (Fortune ; 3 rounds 500 companies each) Leadership Code (30,000 r’s) Leadership Brand (100 org’s) Leadership Capital Index 10 books defining leadership impact

Leadership Opportunity What’s next?

7 Unique Challenges in Italy

8 Overall Goals and Agenda

Discover Opportunity in Uncertainty

Recognizing 10 Leadership Opportunties

IDEAS IMPACT

Four Assumptions: How we think

Six Actions: What we do

9 Discovering Opportunity in Uncertainty

10 Menu of Insights

Assumptions (How we think) Learn always;

Create learning agility

Look back for resilience; Move forward towards success

Navigate paradox; Handle tension and duality

Redefine work boundaries; Move from place to values

Actions (What we do) Start with talent:;

Customize/personalize work

Distance socially, but don’t isolate; Build relationships

Live the right values/culture; Model the right behaviors

Seek guidance on talent, leadership, organization, and HR

Harness uncertainty; Focus on what can be done

Take care of yourself so you can take care of others

11 Opportunity 1: Learn always; Create learning agility

“We’re not failing. We’re learning.” Carole Dweck

12 Opportunity 1: Learn always; Create learning agility

• What has been your biggest failure or trial? • What did you learn from it?

• How have those learnings shaped your life

since then?

13 Opportunity 2: Look back for resilience: Move forward towards success

Look Back: Resilience • What did I try? • What worked? What did

not work? Why?

Move forward: Success

• What do I want?

• Who do I serve?

• How do I build?

• Where am I?

Looking ahead and recovering

16 Opportunity 3: Redefine work boundaries; Move from place to values

Can I connect my work to a vision and values I care about?

Laying bricks Putting up a wall Building a cathedral

17 Defining Boundaries by Values Not Place

18 Opportunity 4: Paradoxes in The Uncertain World

Care for the Individual Attend to the Organization and

Bold, short term actions Enduring long term values and

Convergence for Focus Divergence for Variety and

Resilience: Learn from the Past

Aspiration: Celebrate the Future

and

19 Personal Skills of Paradox Navigator Definition/behavior

What are specific behaviors associated with skill… Rate

(1 to 10)

1 Deal with cognitive

complexity

• See different sides of an issue • Respect someone else’s point of view • Learn new ideas (20 to 25% every 2 years) • See patterns in events

2 Be socially endearing

• Disagree without being disagreeable • Allow for tension without having contention • Listen to understand • Help others feel better about themselves after meeting with me

3 Be socially connected

• Spend time with people who are not like me (e.g., visit shop floor) • Observe and learn from those not in your zone of influence (competitors,

customers, leading players)

4 Be personally aware

• Know my predispositions (e.g., introvert vs. extrovert; judging vs. perceiving) or style

• Not be bound by my predispositions and see beyond my biases • Judge myself less by intent and more by my behavior

5 Be grounded in a strong

set of values

• Know my core values and act consistently with them even if behaviors vary • Avoid pandering to different groups, while respecting their requirements

20 Menu of Insights

Assumptions (How we think) Learn always;

Create learning agility

Look back for resilience; Move forward towards success

Navigate paradox; Handle tension and duality

Redefine work boundaries; Move from place to values

Actions (What we do) Start with talent:;

Customize/personalize work

Distance socially, but don’t isolate; Build relationships

Live the right values/culture; Model the right behaviors

Seek guidance on talent, leadership, organization, and HR

Harness uncertainty; Focus on what can be done

Take care of yourself so you can take care of others

21 Opportunity 5: Start with Talent: Key ingredients

22

COMPETENCE (ability to do the work)

COMMITMENT (willing to do the work)

Talent =

Bring the right people INTO the organization, move them THROUGH, and move them OUT

Create greater employee emotional response to work as seen in engagement and commitment

• Believe: increase meaning and purpose

• Become: have a growth mindset

• Belong: be part of a community

Opportunity 5: A Talent Formula

CONTRIBUTION (finding meaning from the work experience)

23 Opportunity 5: Upgrade Talent Competence

Bringing people into, moving them through, removing them from organization

D Commitment 8. Improving and tracking employee engagement: We have good

ways to improve and track employee emotional response to work.

E Contribution 9. Creating a positive employee experience: We ensure that

employees have a positive personal experience at work.

A Bringing people IN 1. Acquiring Talent: we

bring the right people into the organization

B Moving people THROUGH 2. Managing employee performance 3. Developing employees 4. Managing employee careers and promotions 5. Communicating with employee

C FLOW of people from organization 6. Retaining the best

employees 7. Managing departing

employees

24 Opportunity 6: Distance socially, but don’t isolate: Build relationships

Polling Question Which of the following is the leading cause of mortality?

1. High blood pressure (stress) 2. High cholesterol (fatty food) 3. Social isolation (loneliness) 4. Obesity (eating too much) 5. Drinking and smoking

Reference: Tim Smith and Devin Peterson, Social Isolation, Physical health, and Well-being, BYU

25 Opportunity 6: Build Relationships

Skills to model, support, and teach relationships

• Make / respond to “bids” • Be curious about others • Share yourself • Celebrate good news • Express gratitude • Serve someone every day

26 Opportunity 7: Live the “right” culture: Model the right behaviors

27 Opportunity 7: Key concepts related to right culture

Culture What we are

known for by our key stakeholders

made real to employees

Purpose (mission, vision)

Our reason for being

Values or Beliefs Who we are, and what

we believe

Brand or Identity Promises to the market, what resonates with our

customers or other stakeholders,

roots

leaves

28 Opportunity 8: Harness uncertainty: Focus on what can be done

False hope

Give up hope

Realistic optimism

“Harness” Uncertainty • Have realistic optimism about

what can happen looking forward

• Use the uncertainty as an inflection point for reinvention, transformation or reimagination

29 Opportunity 8: Principles to Harness Uncertainty

Tame Apprehensions

Envision the future

Regulate expectations

Experiment nimbly

Collaborate frequently Harness

Uncertainty

Turn mindset from threat into opportunity

Anticipate future success and what can be

Avoid disappointment through realistic expectations

Discover innovative ideas and solutions

Affiliate with a community to share process, insights, and accountability

30 Opportunity 9: Seek Guidance

ORGANIZATION GUIDANCE Career Guidance

Investment Portfolio

31 Value of the guidance system

What is happening now? How do we manage today?

Describe How we are doing with data on scorecards, dashboards, and insights

What should be happening tomorrow? How should we manage to succeed in the future?

Prescribe What we should do with solutions, right choices, and impact

32 Where organization guidance occurs? Four pathways

ORGANIZATION EFFECTIVENESS Talent, Leadership, Capability, HR

HUMAN RESOURCES EFFECTIVENESS

TALENT Competence

Workforce People

LEADERSHIP BRAND Individual Leaders

Leadership Pipeline

CAPABILITY Culture

Workplace Process

www. rbl.ai

33 Organization Guidance Questions

TALENT What should we do to ensure the right individual competence, workforce, or people in order to create value for stakeholders?

LEADERSHIP BRAND

What should we do to ensure the quality of leadership that makes a difference to all stakeholders?

ORGANIZATION CAPABILITY

What should we do to have the right organization capability, workplace, or process to create value for all stakeholders?

HUMAN RESOURCES

What should we do to make human resources more effective for all stakeholders?

www. rbl.ai

Organization Guidance System Portfolio Employee Strategy Customer Financial Social

Responsibility

Tale

nt

Acquiring talent Managing employee performance Developing employees Managing employee careers and promotions Communicate with Employees Retaining the best employees Managing departing employees Track employee engagement Creating a positive employee experience

Lead

ersh

ip Business Case

Know and Do Assess Leaders Invest in Leaders Measure Impact Ensure Reputation

Org

aniz

atio

n

Talent Agility Strategic Clarity Customer Centricity Right Culture Collaboration Social Responsibility Innovation Efficiency Accountability Information Leverage Technology

HR

Reputation Customers Purpose Design Capability Analytics Practices Professionals Relationships

1.How much do we spend on our organization portfolio annually? (1% of revenue)

2.In which specific cells of our portfolio will we invest next year?

3.What solutions should we invest in?

4.How will we measure the impact of our choices?

Company report, priority

35 STAKEHOLDER RESULTS

Employee Strategy Customer Financial Social Citizenship

Tale

nt

Acquiring talent Managing employee performance Developing employees Managing employee careers and promotions Communicate with Employees Retaining the best employees Managing departing employees Improve and track employee engagement Creating a positive employee experience

Lead

ersh

ip Business Case

Know and Do Assess Leaders Invest in Leaders Measure Impact Ensure Reputation

Org

aniz

atio

n

Talent Agility Strategic Clarity Customer Centricity Right Culture Collaboration Social Responsibility Innovation Efficiency Accountability Information Leverage Technology

HR

Reputation Customers Purpose Design Capability Analytics Practices Professionals Relationships

36 Opportunity 10: Take care of yourself so that you can take care of

others

•Do you find meaning in life? •Do you bring meaning to others?

37 Take Care of Yourself

38 Menu of Insights

Assumptions (How we think) Learn always;

Create learning agility

Look back for resilience; Move forward towards success

Navigate paradox; Handle tension and duality

Redefine work boundaries; Move from place to values

Actions (What we do) Start with talent:;

Customize/personalize work

Distance socially, but don’t isolate; Build relationships

Live the right values/culture; Model the right behaviors

Seek guidance on talent, leadership, organization, and HR

Harness uncertainty; Focus on what can be done

Take care of yourself so you can take care of others

39 Question

Which of these 10 Insights will have the most impact going forward? (pick 2)

1. Learn always; Create learning agility 2. Look back for resilience; Move forward towards success 3. Redefine work boundaries; Move from place to values 4. Navigate paradox; Handle tension and duality 5. Start with talent: Customize/personalize work 6. Distance socially, but don’t isolate; Build relationships 7. Live the right values/culture; Model the right behaviors 8. Tolerate (harness) uncertainty; Focus on what can be done 9. Seek guidance on talent, leadership, organization, and HR www.rbl.ai 10. Take care of yourself so you can take care of others

40 Final Message

41 Let’s stay connected!!!

@dave_ulrich Please follow me on LinkedIn to view my regular posts with insights and tips.

To get a copy of these slides, visit our website:

https://www.rbl.net/webinars/discovering-10-leadership-opportunities-in-crisis-wobi