This blog showcases a
topic dear to me and may trigger a similar feeling as you read this blog, so
let us not waste any time in generating some positive emotional attractors! You’re
probably thinking “oh great…I’m not going to waste my time reading this blog.” In
a very strange sense, you have just made a contribution to this blog already. Negative
emotional attractors are to positive emotional attractors as Yin is to Yang!
 |
| Taoist Yin and Yang |
When was the last time
you reached a ‘tipping point’ or had that ‘aha’ moment at work? Maybe a colleague
pointed out a better way to do something and you made that ‘I could have had a
V8’ motion, or perhaps your boss coached you on a new task and after struggling
to get the concept it finally came to you. Whatever the case, a tipping point
is “a point in time when an underlying pattern that has been going on for some
time suddenly produces a large change." (Obolensky, 2014, p. 82).
Identifying a Recent Tipping Point Was Problematic at First
Dr. Boyatzis describes ‘aha’
moments as events that occur as a result of some type of human to human interaction, usually communication but can be as simple as a gesture (Boyatzis, 2013). Watching this video was a requirement, probably in the hopes it would produce fertile thoughts concerning
personal tipping points. In my case it did not…at least not directly. In the video,
Dr Boyatzis only uses examples where direct human to human interactions are
involved, and consequently my memory banks were not turning up any such
personal human to human interaction that created ‘aha” moment events. Father,
mother, sister, brother, friends…nothing! Why the mental block? Not sure, but
with an important task at hand the pressure mounted.
 |
| No Entry Allowed! |
Perplexed and feeling somewhat defeated, the words ‘give-up’ was beginning
to create a vortex around my thought process. Fortunately, before falling into
a state of mental brain lock, my mind started peering outside ‘the box’ and
quickly latched on to Obolensky’s, “Complex
Adaptive Leadership: Embracing Paradox
and Uncertainty”. Yes, that’s right. A text book came to my mind! And why
not a book? Much like the Bible has change the lives of many, the Bible could
be, by definition, an object associated with a tipping point for many.
The Obolensky (2014) text presented some
concepts and ideas that have changed my perception of the world that surrounds
me. For starters, deterministic and non-deterministic ways of looking at
things provided a whole new perspective as why people over-simplify complex issues or cannot see the forest for the trees. Many people are stuck in one frame or the other, many in the
deterministic frame because they feel comfortable thinking there is a right and a wrong way in
doing all things. Makes things explainable which provides a level of comfort
and being able to explain the most complex things in deterministic ways that
puts their mind at ease. Never mind that it is nonsensical in some cases. The Taoism model of
Yin and Yang teaches us that while non-deterministic and deterministic ways of
thinking oppose each other, they also complement each other (p. 7). There is no
other way to describe this but as an ‘aha’ moment for me.
Finally, the idea that out of order comes chaos and out of chaos come order
never was so real before and grasping why the two oppose but also complement
each other (Yin and Yang) until reading Obolensky (2014) Chapter 5. Granted,
many if not all of the important concepts in the book are not original Obolensky
ideas, but it was his text book that made these ‘aha’ moments possible. One
word when reflecting on these moments…wow!
Zooming In and Out
Obolensky’s text had so
many ‘aha’ moments there would be enough material to write a novel, and that
got me to thinking that you know what…the entire MSLD program has had so many ‘aha’
moments that it makes my head spin. One in particular is zooming in and zooming
out that was explained in Kanter (2011). What is comical is that my very first
pass through the video was a yawner. My thoughts were “is this a joke?” The
second time made me sit up in my chair. Rubbing my chin followed. The third
time is when that ‘aha’ moment occurred! All of a suddenly it became clear as
day that a big part of my problem at work is from staying zoomed-in too long!
 |
| Where Is It!? |
My tasks at work are
varied and task assignment is not very predictable. What this can mean is that
if the zoom in and zoom out function of my lenses gets stuck, important
opportunities are missed. If this happens the finance people are not very happy
with me. The concept that staying too zoomed in is a problem that many leaders
struggle with, has made a very significant impact on staying aware of how long it
is between zooming in and zooming out periods. Consequently, finance has been
much more content with me since this ‘aha’ moment even though they have an
uneasiness about how projects are actually organized. That thought is expanded
upon in the Difference Between Complex & Complicated heading.
Protected Values
 |
| Politics |
 |
| Guns |
 |
| Religion |
Another very “aha”
learning experience came from Hoch & Kunreuther (2001) on
protected values. This is such a foundational concept to finding resolution and
negotiating that it is hard to believe it took 35 years of adult life for me to
make this discovery. Knowing that trade-offs is virtually impossible is a critical
essential detail to consider when protected values are part of the negotiation
/ resolution equation (251-257). If people are being ‘stubborn’ about making a
trading-off that seems more than fair, take a closer look. The reason for the reluctance
may be because you’re asking them to trade-off something that affects a
protected value of theirs. This had an impact at work and with the family. Guns,
politics and religion…there is a reason why most work places forbid discussing
those topics on company ground. Enforcement of these rules has made work a more
professional, less hostile and enjoyable place to work.
The Difference Between Complex & Complicated
If
you would have asked me 12 months ago what the difference is between complex
and complicated, the response you would have likely received was “not much, next
question please”. So either you get it or you don’t…either way you are probably
laughing! Ask Mr. Snowden and you might get a smirk. So impressed by the
Cynefin framework for decision making and Snowden’s contribution to my
understanding between complex and complicated that an attempt to contact him
via email was taken. Much to my surprise, three months later he reached out to
me and asked me if he could use information in my blog that referenced the
Cynefin framework as a testimony in a journal article he was working on. He really made my day!
 |
| Complex - Patterns Emerge |
 |
| Complicated - Answers are Knowable |
This
might just be the biggest ‘aha’ moment of all. In fact proclaiming it as the biggest gives
me a real sense of satisfaction so it’s probably true. Identifying a complicated
situation for one that is really complex is a recipe for failure (Snowden &
Boone 2007). After reading Snowden & Boone, and seeing how it is wise to
allow processes to emerge instead of imposing order when dealing with complex
situations (situations where the right answers are unknown even by experts) my
approach to managing creation fault isolation procedures for the world’s finest
business jet airplane took a dramatic change. Instead of forcing the creation of
procedures that where the answers were not completely known, more effort was
given to areas where the answers were known.
Additionally,
keeping the rules simple has been a huge help to allow processes to emerge. So
in essence, the ‘lock-step’ rule heavy approach to managing projects has given
way to what some might think as a ‘chaotic’ approach where projects are organized
on a very flexible basis with a few simple rules. Finance does not approve of
this approach. They want measurable and predictable results. The best results
are measurable and flexible. So far my approach is sustaining.
Summary
There are many other ‘aha’
moments that the Embry-Riddle Leadership Development program has provided not included in this blog. There are so many that could be listed with many more yet to come. Knowing
there are many more to come provides an acute level of anticipation and
excitement that provides renewal that Boyatzis (2005) describes as critical for
resonant leaders to go through on a continual basis (pp. 61-62).
Perhaps this blog has helped
you to identify some of your own ‘aha’ moments that will increase your
understanding of why you are where you are today and where you still need to go. It certainly has in my case. Hopefully by reading this blog you have become curious about complexity and
complex environments and will look into the Cynefin framework for decision making. Just maybe protected values or zooming-in and zooming-out struck a chord. If any one
of the items above is true then mission accomplished! Regardless, thank you for
taking the time to read my blog and go out there and touch someone, Make a
difference today in someone's life!
References:
Boyatzis,
R. (2013). Module 2: The positive emotional attractors (PEA) and the negative emotional
attractors (NEA). [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=197x4dmuug8&feature=youtu.be
Boyatzis,
R., & McKee, A. (2005). Resonant
leadership: Renewing yourself and connecting with others through mindfulness,
hope, and compassion. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Press.
Hoch,
S. J., & Kunreuther, H. C. (2001). Wharton
on making decisions. (1st edition.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons
Inc.
Kanter,
R. (2011). Zooming: How effective leaders adjust their focus [Video file].
Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saNj6B0Vasw&feature=youtu.be
Obolensky,
N. (2014). Complex adaptive leadership:
Embracing paradox and uncertainty. Burlington, VT: Gower Publishing
Company.
Snowden,
D., & Boone, M. (2007). A Leader's Framework for Decision Making. Harvard Business Review, 85(11), 68-76.
