Page 240 - Fearless Leadership

Aligning Emotionally and Intellectually 227

In alignment dialogues, the framework of “I disagree” is replaced with
listening for positive intention and focusing on how to build on ideas
instead of tearing them down. It takes committed partners who can effec-
tively intervene and coach one another when blind spots take over and
the conversation becomes unproductive.

Forcing People to Comply versus Engaging Them to Align
“When our team was asked to support an enterprise initiative, I felt I had
no choice. I thought I was being asked to rubber-stamp my approval,” com-
mented a frustrated leader. When people comply, they feel forced or
pushed. You gain compliance, but you also get their resignation, resistance,
and minimal investment of effort.
Jordan, the leader of a business unit, was described by his direct reports
as “a bull in a china shop”: insensitive, clumsy, and bent on his decisions
at the expense of others. Jordan would run full steam ahead and tell oth-
ers what he wanted from them. Asking questions was not his style. Why
would it be, when he had all the answers? A peer commented: “He uses
force and manipulation to get his way. If new data and information come
in suggesting a midcourse correction, he will not revisit his initial deci-
sion. He is right, others are wrong, regardless of evidence to the contrary.
This causes a lot of redundancy and rework.”
In working with Jordan and his group, we saw the bull in the china shop
firsthand. Jordan ran his agenda ruthlessly and was proud of the way his
group could accomplish so much in such a short period of time. It was
easy to see how he maintained such a fast pace: no one talked but him,
and his opinion was final.
Jordan had no trouble making a decision or taking decisive action. But
no one likes to be forced, and Jordan’s team felt shut down. The quality
of their work was low and their morale even lower. As one member said,
“Jordan is controlling, and our team has been reduced to nothing but a
pack of head-nodders.” When you operate as a team of one, you get the
corresponding result.
Most leaders do not realize the impact they have on others when it
comes to decision making. The pendulum seems to swing from leaders
who are slow to make decisions and rely on group consensus to leaders
who impose their decisions and force the group to comply.