Moving People to Action:Leading with Authenticity in a

Global Work Environment

Michael HyterPresident & CEO

Novations Group, Inc.

Arthur W. Page Principles • Tell the truth• Prove it with action

• Listen to the customer• Manage for tomorrow • Realize a company’s true character is

expressed by its people• Conduct public relations as if the whole company

depends on it• Remain calm, patient and good-humored

A Day in the Life of a LeaderOn a regular workday, what percentage of your time is spent on activities that involve communicating with people to move them to action?

– 25%– 50%– 75%– 100%

Leaders spend more than half of every business day in communication situations - Peter Drucker

A Day in the Life of a Leader

• A day in the life of a leader is largely a string of communication events

• A company will not perform as intended until the people who make it go understand and effectively communicate the company’s mission, vision, and strategies

• Effective communication enables leaders to guide, direct, and motivate people to perform their best work

Moving People to Action

Today’s learners will have 10 to 14 jobs by their 38th birthday

Our Reality

1 of 2 workers have worked for their current employer less than 5 years 

21-year-olds today have watched 10,000 video games, have spent 10,000

hours on the phone and have received 250,000 email/text messages 

50% of 21-year-olds in the United States have created content on the web

My Space visits in 2006 exceeded

100M when it only started in 2003

Data Source: Did You Know? video by Karl Fisch, Scott McLeod, and XPLANE

• Given the facts and trends presented, how would

you describe the work environment we have

started to experience?

• What challenges do you face as a leader in this

work environment?

• What competencies are required to be effective

as a leader in this environment?

Our Reality

• The business imperative to deliver products and services, with the highest earnings and at the lowest cost, has led an increasing number of companies to open themselves to a global economy

• Changes in information technology have made it possible to manage resources in multiple locations, giving companies access to a global workforce

• Products and services, although oriented towards a global consumer base, require initiatives that are strategically designed to meet the needs of customers whose preferences are influenced by cultural forces

A Global Work Environment

In order to meet the challenges of a global business environment, leaders have to operate and achieve business targets in different cultural settings

They require skills that enable them to: – work and communicate effectively with people whose

worldviews are unique, to achieve global standards of performance and productivity

– understand and meet the localized needs of employees,

colleagues, and business partners across the world

Leading in a Global Work Environment

• Traditionalists/Veterans (Born 1922 – 1943)

• Baby Boomers (Born 1943 – 1960)

• Generation X (Born 1960 – 1980)

• Millennials (Born 1980 – 2000)

Four Generations in Our Workforce

By the end of the decade: – About 76 million baby boomers, or those born

between 1946 and 1964 will have retired

– The number of workers aged 35 to 44—or those typically moving into upper management—will decline by 19%

– The number of workers aged 45 to 54 will increase 21%

– The number of workers aged 55 to 64 will increase 52%

An Aging Workforce

The traditional stakeholder relationship between employer and employee has

changed

• Generational differences represent one of the

most critical aspects of our workforce

• Like any other cultural group, each generation

shares a common set of values and beliefs that

impact individuals’ behaviors in the workplace

• Understanding what drives the behavior of each

individual based on their culture is key to

communicating with them in a way that builds

trust and motivates their action

Generational Differences: A Cultural Issue

Select the statement that most accurately represents your own perspective:

A. I’ve got to be guided by what’s best for everyone so that we can all be pleased

B. I’ve got to be guided by what I think is right, even if I can’t please everyone

Your Style

Group vs. Individual Orientation

TraditionalistsBaby Boomers,

MillennialsGen-Y

Individual: Workis a place to advance one’s own career

Group: Work is a place to make contributions to a group effort

Select the statement that most accurately represents your own perspective:

A. In a work meeting, I tend to say what’s “right,” if it helps maintain harmony

B. In a work meeting, I tend to say what I mean, even if it disrupts harmony

Your Style

Direct vs. Indirect Communication Style

Direct Communication:Open feedback about reactions and ideas is encouraged and expected at work

Indirect Communication:Confrontation and open disagreement should be avoided at work

Baby Boomers, Gen-X, MillennialsTraditionalists

Select the statement that most accurately represents your own perspective:

A. Socializing is an important part of getting the work done

B. Socializing at work is important as long as it doesn’t interfere with work

Your Style

Being vs. Doing Orientation

Doing: Work is existence and taking action is a priority—relationships are secondary to tasks

Being: Work is a way to support one’s existence— relationships are valued over tasks

Traditionalists, Baby Boomers

Gen-X, Millennials

Protect and Project• We protect our cultural styles by resisting or

avoiding interactions that challenge our own beliefs or behaviors

• We project our values by insisting (through words or actions) that others conform to our cultural styles, and by negatively judging those who don’t

Why Is There Conflict?

Accommodate and Collaborate• Making a conscious effort to accommodate

different cultural styles and provide what others need

• Focusing on collaboration by seeking agreement on processes to effectively achieve business outcomes

How Can We Manage the Differences?

• Define values Find out who individuals really are and what drives their behavior

• Build and manage multi-stakeholder relationshipsUse accommodation and collaboration as a basis for effective relationships

• Enable the enterprise with the right skills and tools Create a work environment that supports everyone to (learn how to) accommodate differences and collaborate with others

• Build and manage trust Demonstrate openness and respect toward differences in your leadership practices and inspire others to do the same

Leading with Authenticity: A Call to Action

We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them… Albert Einstein

Thank you!Building the Capacity of

Individuals and Organizations worldwide

www.Novations.com

Michael Hyter, President & CEONovations Group, Inc.