Communication - Attention = No Results

Reading a great book at the moment, which really links into my effective listening posts; James Borg, Persuasion, The Art of Influencing People. Really got me thinking about just how effective we communicate and is summed up with an equation .......Communication minus attention equals 'no results'. Quite simply we might be hearing but are we actually listening?

How often he you been in a conversation seemingly listening, then part way through you find yourself wondering, maybe picked up on a piece of detail and gone off on a tangent in your mind. Suddenly realised, by which time you missed the point of the conversation. The problem here is a lack of awareness regarding the speed our brains can consume and process information; much faster than the typical person can speak. We generally pick up on key words, or elements within a conversation which spike our interest, process and think about that and conversely miss the point. A great example from the book, which you will all undoubtedly associate with:

What did you do this weekend?

Drove down to the coast with the kids, to Brighton, and stayed over night.

Oh Brighton. I haven't been there for years. Did you take the train?

No, I drove.

Did you go on your own?

How many of you have been giving a pitch and this scenario runs its course; after the pleasantries the other parties mobile rings. Excuse me whilst I take this call!  Then your disturbed by the secretary, another mobile call and so on; your message is lost the attention is lost. Or have you been the one with the lack of attention? Which ever the case the point is the same, the message is lost.......No results.

So what? This short blog is to raise awareness in maintaining and being attentive, keeping the interest levels on track be they your own or the other party. Next time you find yourself in a conversation be fully engaged and attentive, watch for those distractions, becoming distracted, listen for the detail and don't allow yourself to be distracted. You'll be amazed what you have missed in the past, the opportunities, understanding


and you'll see greater results in life and business.

Values Based Leadership

Values Based Leadership requires leaders to be courageous. There can be difficult decisions to be made, well entrenched beliefs to be challenged and leadership behaviours to be changed when following a values-based approach. This does not always promise an easy route for leaders and taking these decisions requires courage. The military is an example of an organisation where values form an intrinsic element of leadership and leadership delivery.

Clausewitz is one of the foremost military influences on the art of war and today remains a highly acclaimed scholar within the military community.  He still features at the centre of many military debates on strategy and warfare and is a vehicle to develop commanders and leaders of tomorrow.  It is therefore extremely significant that he harbours such concerns on theory; Clausewitz cautions against adherence to fixed theories as every case needs to be considered afresh to the situation.  Reiterated from the introduction; he states that theory is the servant of practice; leaders need to be flexible enough not to rely on fixed theory (Howard 2002).

The quote, simple and noteworthy highlights one of the fallibility’s of change, the moral component, the need for empowerment, a shared vision and unity.  Without thorough understanding change will always experience friction, as Kotter (1996) highlights transformation will require to empower the employee. The concept of Values Based Leadership is intrinsically linked to the internalisation of the a set of values. Essentially internalising the values will empower the individual and create a greater comprehension of how to behave and accepted behaviour.  It can therefore be assumed that Values Based Leadership although underpinned by transactional and transformational leadership (Bass Bass & Riggio 2006, Bass 1998) relies ultimately on the leader and the follower having a greater understanding and application of the values.

There are a number of other factors need to be in place to bring Values Based Leadership to life. To test these factors we need to ask three important questions of leaders.

Firstly, are they willing to learn? Leading Values Based organisations is a dynamic process and one that requires people to constantly be learning and evolving their thinking.

Secondly, do they want to lead? Often people find themselves in a leadership position by default without really considering whether they want the responsibility. At the core of Values Based Leadership are leaders who relish the challenge and the responsibility of leadership.

Finally, are they able to deal with the change and ambiguity that exists in organisations in the 21st Century? And do they have the skills and knowledge to lead in an ever changing environment without being overwhelmed by the complexities of leadership?

Values Based Leadership gives leaders and organisations the flexibility to lead through ambiguity and change. When these factors are in place we believe that the three dimensions of Values Based Leadership come together in a powerful way to lead organsations.

 Leading Self - Leading Others - Leading the Organisation

The interconnection of these three dimensions is the critical factor. By understanding the inter-relationship between the dimensions and having all three covered, you can gain the dynamics and power of Values Based Leadership. So, having a strong set of personal values but not living the organisation's values will create a divide within yourself, and others will see this. Having a strong and successful team and leading that team well, but not understanding the purpose of your organisation will develop a rift between what you and your team are actively doing and what the organisation thinks it is doing. However, when all three dimensions collaborate this leads to…

Sustainability – a sustainable and dynamic organisational culture that has the agility to change and create long term repeatable success

The emotional connection and engagement of both employees and customers with the organisation

Organisational agility – the ability of the whole organisation to be responsive and adapt to the changing environment within which it operates

Authentic Leadership – Values Based Leadership wins the trust, respect and confidence of the people in the organisation

 http://www.valuesbasedleadership.co.uk/news/reviews/VBLModel/

Some great books on the mater of VBL.