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Here's the next in our series of weekly managerial TIPS (Techniques, Insights, and Practical Solutions)
to help you better engage your team in the activities that lead to higher performance.
CORE Bites Issue #81
(June 30, 2020)
I know you're familiar with the "Fight or Flight" phenomenon but let me take a quick minute to expound on what you may already know. In essence, the goal of any living creature is to ensure the survival of its species. It makes sense, then, that every species has evolved various mechanisms to help protect itself from the many hazards that exist. One such mechanism—universally referred to as "fight or flight"—refers to the physiological reaction that occurs when we are in the presence of danger. This danger triggers the release of adrenaline that prepares the body to either stay and deal with the threat (the "fight") or to run away to safety (the "flight").
For our ancient ancestors, this fight-or-flight mechanism was the deciding factor between making dinner ... or being dinner.
But fight-or-flight is all about our intellect—how the information from (all of) our senses are processed and used to identify potential threats and how we develop adaptive strategies and learn from previous experiences. Some of the resulting adaptation happens at the level of habits and reflexes, while some adaptation occurs at the level of conscious reasoning. Case in point—you only put your hand on a hot stove once!
So what does this have to do with our managerial "immune system"? As powerful as you may be intellectually, this functioning has very little to do with your ultimate survival at the cellular level. That's the domain of your body's immune system which detects invisible and otherwise indiscernible threats that your intellect has no ability to detect. This enormously complex (yet efficient) family of cells and antibodies keeps us from being eradicated by the first random bacteria or virus that we stumble upon. We count on our immune system to be on guard around-the-clock and to execute quickly with aggressive responses to any potential threat. This is done behind the scenes and, in the majority of cases, with very little conscious awareness that a battle is being waged on our behalf.
The distinction I've made between intellectual threat-detection and immune system threat-detection can easily be applied to help you lead and manage more effectively in the workplace. Here's how ...
Managers use their intellect to help ensure the survival of the organization. This brainpower is used to identify macro-trends (think SWOT) and to create adaptive responses such as new strategies and/or organizational change initiatives. However, without an immune system operating at the molecular (employee) level, many potential threats to organizations, such as low quality, poor customer service, and reduced employee engagement, morale, and attitude, to name a few, become firmly ingrained in the organization's culture—in its DNA. Like many real-life diseases, it may take a long time for these types of threats to manifest to the point where they are recognized. Unfortunately, this is frequently after significant damage has already been done.
One of the easiest ways to boost your managerial immune system is embedded in a quote attributed to Albert Einstein: "A clever person solves a problem. A wise person avoids it." My interpretation of this is we use our intellect to solve problems; but it's the strength of our metaphorical immune system that allow us to become PROBLEM-FINDERS—recognizing threats as problems long before their consequences become apparent. This week's HVAs will boost your managerial immune system and better equip you to lead change and avoid predictable surprises.
This week (starting today), look for opportunities to become a better 'problem-finder.' The HVAs listed below are proven methods to discover any small problems and any potential failures while they are still "threats" and not real problems (with real consequences):
I'd love to hear how these HVAs work for you!
Neil Dempster, PhD, MBA
RESULTant™ and Behavioral Engineer
"Leaders who don't listen will eventually be surrounded by people who have nothing to say."
— Andy Stanley —