Leading Change and Growth through the Power of Conversation
Aubrey Warren Tim Baker
Some of the research on
conversations
Conversations that
influence
Barriers to conversation
s
10 conversation
s leaders must have
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Conversations are at the heart of our work as influencers …
The quality of our conversations shapes people’s experience of us, of our teams and of
our organisations
We manage, influence, learn, and build trust, relationships and reputations one conversation at a time …
Researchers at MIT asked thousands of people ... These themes emerged:
• There was a sense of mutual respect•We took to time to talk together and reflect about what we
thought was important•We listened to each other, even if there were differences• I was accepted and not judged by others in the conversation• The conversation helped strengthen our relationship•We explored questions that mattered•We developed shared meaning that wasn’t there when we
began• I learned something new or important• It strengthened our mutual commitment
Veenman, D. and Hart, G. (2011). “Spotlight on Dialogue: Promoting the right conversations at work”. www.therightconversation.co.uk
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6Hurley, T.J. & Brown, J. (2010). Conversational Leadership: Thinking together for a change. Oxford Leadership Journal (March) 1: 2.
What makes a Google team effective? ... over two years we conducted 200+ interviews with Googlers (our employees) and looked at more than 250 attributes of 180+ active Google teams. We were pretty confident that we'd find the perfect mix of individual traits and skills necessary for a stellar team -- take one Rhodes Scholar, two extroverts, one engineer who rocks at AngularJS, and a PhD. Voila. Dream team assembled, right?We were dead wrong. Who is on a team matters less than how the team members interact, structure their work, and view their contributions. So much for that magical algorithm.We learned that there are five key dynamics that set successful teams apart from other teams at Google:
(Nov 2015) https://rework.withgoogle.com/blog/five-keys-to-a-successful-google-team/
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Conversations that Influence
Show up
Listen up
Speak upLift up
and … Follow up …
Doug Conant turnaround CEO at Campbell’s Soup 2001-2011, author of Touchpoints
THE 9 COMMON BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION
THE 9 COMMON BARRIERSTO COMMUNICATION
1: Inattention during conversations
2: Restricted information channels
THE 9 COMMON BARRIERSTO COMMUNICATION
THE 9 COMMON BARRIERSTO COMMUNICATION
3: Lack of feedback
4: A culture of not asking questions
THE 9 COMMON BARRIERSTO COMMUNICATION
5: Too much formality
THE 9 COMMON BARRIERSTO COMMUNICATION
6: Over-reliance on email
7: Lack of role models
8: Fear of emotion
THE 9 COMMON BARRIERSTO COMMUNICATION
9: Physical office layout
THE 9 COMMON BARRIERSTO COMMUNICATION
The Coaching Conversation
The Mentoring Conversation
The Delegation Conversation
The Visioning Conversation
The Encouraging Conversation
The key to bringing out the best in others is to express appreciation, acknowledge contribution, and celebrate achievements.
Baker & Warren - Conversations at Work
The Five Conversations FrameworkDate Topic Content Key Questions
Month 1 Climate review Job satisfaction, morale and communication
• How would you rate your current job satisfaction?• How would you rate morale?• How would you rate communication?
Month 2 Strengths and talents
Efficiently deploying strengths and talents
• What are your strengths and talents?• How can these strengths and talents be used in your current and
future roles in the organisation?
Month 3 Opportunities for growth
Improving performance and standards
• Where are opportunities for improved performance?• How can I assist you to improve your performance?
Month 4 Learning and development
Support and growth • What skills would you like to learn?• What learning opportunities would you like to undertake?
Month 5 Innovation and continuous improvement
Ways and means to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the business
• What is the one way that you could improve your own working efficiency?
• What is the one way that we can improve our team’s operations?
Baker, T. (2013). The End of the Performance Review: A New Approach to Appraising Employee Performance
Dr Tim [email protected] 0413 636 832 www.winnersatwork.com.au
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