Group Archives - StratAffect S.A.

Feb 28

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Communicating with Impact

By Lisa Francis-Jennings | Communication | No Comments

In this global economy that many organisations call home, communicating with impact is becoming more and more complex. Far gone are the days when we only had to deal with the ‘big personalities’ that would high-jack the meeting. NOW interacting across global communities and locations adds many challenges beyond personalities. Challenges range from technology, to time zones, to culture.

Geert Hofstede describes 6 key cultural dimensions where cultures can be very different or quite similar. From P. Christopher Earley and Soon Ang we learn about Cultural intelligence. The most important aspect of creating understanding between cultures, and people, is keeping an open mind. So don’t be bound by your own assumptions and cultural standards. Give your team time to shine.

Whether you are a fledgling start-up or a global multi-national, setting your team up for cross-location and cross-cultural success is as important as having the correct technology in place. If your company is to truly thrive, follow these 3 simple rules to stay on track with your multi-location meetings.

1. Consider Approach, Aptitude & Attitude

Educate your team about the importance of learning about other cultures. Challenge them to question their own beliefs and assumptions. It is not enough to just keep an open mind, you must communicate it.

Remind your team that you are open to suggestions and questions.
Encourage everyone to engage in the conversation by building pauses into your speech patterns.
Be sensitive to others’ reactions to your comments and questions. Even if you can’t see the person at the other end of the phone, you can learn a lot from the tone of, and inflection in, their voice.
Listen actively and openly and continue to learn new ways of conversing with your team.

To communicate with impact, allow others to speak their mind and be part of the conversation. As well as celebrating improvements and successes in your team, consider setting times to talk about what communication style works best. Have 1-to-1 conversation about preferred interaction style. Then follow it up with a team discussion. This signals that you are prepared to follow through with engaging and empowering each person on your team.

2. Pollinate Across Cultures

One of the most effective ways to open communication is to share personal stories. Whether they are about your experiences in other parts of the world, or observations from working and living in different locations, each story creates a connection. And each connection links you more closely to your team, and to your shared experiences. The principle for cross-cultural pollination is simple:

Be mindful & friendly: assume everyone has answers, not just you
Be kind & respectful: acknowledge the importance of cultural history and experience
Be interested & inclusive: virtually everyone on the planet wants to be part of a team. Make sure they know that they are included!
Encourage discussion & disagreement: when someone disagrees with you, be joyful!! You are sure to learn something!

3. Simplify Your Language

Simplicity is a great confidence booster. The simpler the words used in the message, the easier it is to understand. Especially when communicating with a multi-language team!

Consider the main objective you wish to accomplish.
Take time to reflect upon your message.
Keep it simple; 1 to 3 key (bullet) points are easier to understand than several narrative paragraphs.

Especially if you are communicating remotely, remember it takes 1 or 2 seconds for someone to ‘tune in’ to your voice. Whether the message is written or spoke, follow a standard format that incorporates key phrases. This will make it easier for the reader or listener to recognise and understand your message over time.

During Conversation

In Correspondence

The purpose of this meeting is to …

The action we require is ….

Please [respond, complete, etc.] by [ date / time]

Use headings and bullet points:

Purpose
Action Required
Follow-up
Completion Time

Standardised phrases allow people to ‘tune in’ gracefully. And, if your whole team begins to use the same patterns and phrases, it becomes easier and easier to understand and connect across cultures.

Last of all, remember to keep your sense of humour. Of course, there will be misunderstandings and mis-communication, but a little humour will demonstrate that your intent to to ensure the best conversation possible, and that you don’t take yourself too seriously.

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References

Feb 21

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Leadership Vs Management

By Lisa Francis-Jennings | OCM (Org Change), Org Health | 9 Comments

Leadership Vs Management: Bring it On!!

A lot is being written about the importance of leadership for organisations, but in this clamor, I believe the virtues of solid management are being overlooked. Yes, it’s true; management has never been associated with the ‘sexy’ side of the business. In fact, phrases like ‘pencil pusher’ and ‘form herder’ illustrate the derision many managers must endure. While leaders are touted for their visionary ability to ‘create value’, the important service that managers do for the organisation is often times overlooked.

Where Vision Ends

So what is more important? Creating value or assessing and maintaining it? Inspiring people or keeping them focused on priorities? Influencing the team or ensuring opportunities & synergies are realised? The answer is simple, an organisation cannot mobilise all its resources to accomplish its goals and fulfill its vision without both. And if you need both, why paint one as better than the other, or one in a totally negative light. Management is just as essential to the vibrancy of an organisation as leadership, but we are really comparing apples to oranges? Although they don’t look or taste at all alike, they are both delicious and juicy! Can you really be negative about the apple, even though its only offence is that it does not look or taste like an orange?

Free The Managers

I’m proposing something pretty radical – Free managers from the negative stereotypes and acknowledge their amazing contribution to the organisation. I asked a few clients about the role of managers versus the role of leaders and I found that most people speak about managers with a certain amount of derision; as if managing someone is less important

Leaders vs Managers

that leading someone.

Of course, Leaders could be Managers and Managers could be Leaders. There is no disputing that. And although this is not usually the case, I know plenty of managers who are concerned with building their team and motivating their people.

What I’m encouraging you to do is to remove the ‘negative stereotype’ from the role of manager and see the incredible value they bring to the day-to-day activities in any organisation and benefit they provide to their employees.

….. Using the Kitchen Table At Work

By Lisa Francis-Jennings | Facilitation, Kitchen Table Conversations | One Comment

Using The Kitchen Table At Work

The Kitchen Table is where lively chatter, interruptions, disagreements, heartfelt stories, and bad jokes, come together for almost any family. It is where everyone can participate in thoughtful, skilled and enjoyable discussion, because it is virtually hardwired into our DNA. The challenge is to find a way of using the Kitchen Table at work. To achieve this type of rambunctious, but productively fluid discussion consistently and predictably in a business setting.

Whether it is a single 2-hour session, or a large group intervention lasting several days, Kitchen Table Conversations (KTCs) can be used for a variety of business needs. KTCs can be the driving force for project planning and in creating a project vision. KTCs can be led by trained, in-house moderators, and used to accelerate and evolve designs. Kitchen Table Conversations are used to….