The deeper work of executive development: Outgrowing sensitivities

Organizational Success depends on effective behavior of leaders.

Behavior = π (Perception, self regulation, motivation)

Lower level domains are difficult to build

Higher domains are build upon lower level domains

Contemporary business education concentrates upon functional areas and ignores leadership and

interpersonal arenas.

Hagan and Warrenfeltz concentrated upon intrapersonal skills- one’s basic beliefs and assumptions

Why address intrapersonal domain?

Performance improvement includes not only modification of behavior but also dealing with skewed

mental models, biased expectations and emotional overreactions.

The entire framework is problem oriented and not theory oriented.

Even the top executives have the tendency to react rather emotionally to problems; either fight or flight.

The underlying sensitivities are responsible for such behaviors which find their origin in the

intrapersonal zone of the individual. Hence, the stress on intrapersonal zone.

Sensitivities:

set of emotionally charged beliefs and expectations

formed from prior experiences of life

they act as shields to avoid painful experiences from happening again

these experiences can be psychological or physical in nature

To sum up, they are products of adaptive learning systems that functions as an internal alarm which

goes off when the danger is at hand.

Business

Leadership

Interpersonal

Intrapersonal

To sum up, without requisite intrapersonal skills to regulate the effects of sensitivities, performance

deficits will show up in all the other three domains.

Million dollar question which comes to the surface is………….How the fuck do we manage these asshole

sensitivities??????

There are two ways dear friends!

Sensitivity to.....

Intellectual inadequacy

Being weak

Disapproval/rejectionDepending

upon others

Authority

Minimize the dusruptive impact

of sensitivities

Outgrow the sensitivities

Sensitivities are

managed

Managing your team

Managing a team is sometimes mistakenly considered as managing individuals within the team.

Effective team:

Output to met the standards of the users of the output

Team experience should contribute to the personal well being and development of members

Team experience to enhance the capability of members to work and learn together in future

Managing Paradox:

Embrace individual differences and identify collective goals

Effective teams allow for freedom and difference, yet have in place a team agenda

Foster the right mix of support and confrontation among the members

Focus on performance and learning and development of members

Mistakes to be treated as learning opportunities

Balance of managerial authority and team member’s autonomy and freedom

Managing the team boundary

scan the competitive environmen

t outside

managing relationships with those on

whose the team is dependent

Prepare the team for new

opportunities and threats

Managing the team

itself

Design the team includes agenda

setting

Team composition and structure;

homogeneous or heterogeneous

Facilititate the team process; shape the

culture; power distribution,

communication pattern

Coach the team

Triangle of relationship

How the best get better and better?

This chapter is all gas. An analogy from sports how great champions keep improving all the time. Sergei

Bubka is one great example, used to break his own world records.

Key points:

Performers are not born but made

Love the pressure

These guys are like Anjan and I; they thrive on pressure

Ability to stay cool when their arses are under fire

Managing pressure becomes easy if you believe in your capabilities (Ankit! Are you listening?)

Fixate on the long term goal

Plan short term goals meticulously so that the peaks occur at major events rather than the

minor events

Use of competition

Practice with someone almost as good as you or even better

Reinvention of self

Set higher benchmarks for yourself and chase them down

Celebrate the victories

Celebrate the victories

Carefully analyze why you won

Celebration is more than emotional release

Manager

Individual Team