Patti Cotton

Executive Coach & Career Strategist

Business

Is the Way You Show Up Under Pressure Hurting Your Leadership?

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Is the Way You Show Up Under Pressure Hurting Your Leadership?
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How well do you manage yourself under pressure and stress? You may feel you are doing a good job at remaining calm and focused. Or you may feel it doesn’t matter whether you keep your cool or not. After all, everyone is human and entitled to their emotions.

But the way you manage yourself when the going gets tough can compromise others’ trust in you. It has a direct impact on how others assess your ability to lead.

Eric, CEO of a food distribution company, had lost credibility. When he called, he noted that members of his executive team seemed to be making decisions without him.  They were now siloed as they worked in their own areas of responsibility.

“Just like that,” Eric said. “COVID hit, we scrambled to put things in place, keep the company running, and here we are – fragmented, scrapping, and losing clients. I know we hit an international crisis, but I can’t seem to bring the group back together.”

Eric allowed me to visit with the team members individually to explore moving forward together with a more aligned approach.

“Eric lost his edge in May,” said one. “He stopped making the hard decisions and would use phrases like, ‘let’s just wait and see’ when it came to things we couldn’t wait on.”

“Eric holed up in his office when COVID hit,” said another. “He seemed distant and aloof. He would lead discussions around tactics to survive, but he couldn’t seem to move beyond the immediate. After a while, we just left him alone and moved forward.”

I sat with six executives, and the messages were all similar.

“Eric, we have some trust-rebuilding to do with your team,” I said. “They have lost confidence in your ability to lead under pressure.”

“What? I don’t understand!”

“Here is a short list: unresponsive, preoccupied, slow to make crucial decisions…”

Eric slowly sat back in his chair. After a quiet moment, he said, “I didn’t realize it showed that much.”

He shared the pressure that COVID had generated for them.

“I lost a lot of sleep,” he said. “There were so many new things we had to deal with as far as employees working from home, shipping things out. And so many other things.” He seemed lost in thought. “I have to say the stress really got to me. I guess I didn’t handle things that well.”

“We can rebuild,” I said. “But you are also going to have to learn to manage the way you show up under pressure.”

Over the next few months, we did some important team building using a short-term strategic action plan to recover client loyalty and revenue. At the same time, Eric and I worked on techniques to sharpen his awareness around his emotions and how this affected his decision-making and ability to relate to others.

They continued to improve in their trust of Eric and the team’s ability to work together under stressful conditions. Today, Eric’s team is one of the most agile I know, starting with Eric and his ability to lead, and the team in how they work together.

How do others perceive your ability to manage yourself as leader when the going gets tough? If you aren’t sure, it’s time to ask them.

© Patti Cotton and patticotton.com. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express written permission from the author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that attribution is made to Patti Cotton and patticotton.com, with links thereto.

Do You Have a Social Loafer on Your Team?

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Do You Have a Social Loafer on Your Team?
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You’ve hired some great talent. Most of them are meeting the challenge of this year’s disruptions.

They pushed past the overwhelm and pulled together to move forward.

But their performance still isn’t what you know it could be.

You also have one team member who seems to have slowed down. He isn’t putting in as much effort as he did in times past.

Do you have a social loafer on your team? If so, this may be the very reason your team isn’t performing to capacity.

Social loafing is a phenomenon that occurs in groups asked to pool their efforts to meet a common goal. Interestingly, individuals within the group tend to put forth less effort when this happens.

Researching why this happens first began with Max Ringelmann, a French agricultural engineer.

Ringelmann observed that, although groups collectively outperformed individuals, these groups did not do as well as they could, had the individuals all performed to their individual capacity. In other words, individuals measured at one level of performance when working by themselves would reduce their productivity when they were placed in a group. For more on this, see Ringelmann’s Rope-Pulling Experiment.

How might this play out on your team? And what can you do about it?

Here are a few examples of social loafing I have encountered as I work with teams to elevate their performance.

1. Low expectations of team performance.

Susan had been a high performer and eager to make a difference. But I was called in to support her because, over time, her leader had noticed she was showing signs of disengagement.

“I meet deadlines, so what’s the problem?” asked Susan. “In past positions, I always got things done faster and could produce at a higher rate than my fellow team members. Why should I do this, now? And by the way, we are making goal, so I don’t see the problem.”

Susan’s assessment of her team members was faulty. After a deep-dive inquiry, I found that the entire group was made up of high achievers. Moreover, the team’s collective productivity had decreased because of Susan’s decision to slow down. In fact, it actually impacted their ability to meet the stretch goal of launching an additional new product. And at an organizational level, this product would have captured much more market share.

If you are a leader who sees a team member disengaging, act quickly to give them the support and accountability they need in order to thrive. This situation can otherwise greatly impact your organizational health and your ability to outperform your competitors.

2. Evaluation potential.

Mark secretly knew he had overrated his experience in order to get the job. He also knew instinctively that he could meet the requirements if given a chance. But Mark unwittingly overrated his abilities. When I met with Mark’s leader, she was confused.

“The team isn’t working to capacity,” Sharon shared. “I know COVID has thrown a wrench into the works, but we are well beyond the initial crisis state. I’m also noticing something disturbing. The team members work together more than usual on certain projects, which would normally be taken care of by individuals. What’s going on?”

What was happening? Mark was “hiding in the crowd,” and it had impacted the team’s performance. The crisis COVID had created allowed him to huddle with others more frequently and disguise his inability to perform. Whenever his area was tasked with an initiative and something felt out of his element or beyond his grasp, he would partner with one or two others to ask for their ideas. In the beginning, they appreciated the collegiality. But as time progressed, this dynamic prompted them to feel ownership in his area, and they would speak on his behalf or do part of Mark’s work. This dis-empowered Mark in the eyes of others. At the same time, it also affected the performance of those who shouldered with Mark when they should be focusing on their own areas. Were things getting done? Yes. Were the results as they could be? No. Social loafing induced a chronic mediocrity to which people became accustomed, labeling this stress from COVID conditions.

If you are a leader who sees too much teamwork (yes, this is possible!), it’s time to sit together and reassess how things are getting done. And if you have someone who is hiding in the crowd, this will quickly come to light.

3. Low value placed on the goal.

The goal may be attainable, but if your executive doesn’t see it as meaningful or relevant, they will not place their full energy into helping to achieve it.

James had been on the team for a couple of years when his leader, Bob, noticed James seemed disengaged. Further, he waited until the other executives weighed in on a particular decision, and then agreed with the majority, rather than to provide his own perspective. When I urged Bob to sit with James, this was an eye-opener.

“Patti, James wasn’t clear on how the goal related to the larger vision,” Bob shared. “It was as if he lost interest in helping to meet the goal because he couldn’t see the relevance.”

“Bob, you figured it out,” I responded. “James has been a social loafer. And you have pinpointed the problem. But you have a larger challenge, now. At his level, I’d expect James to speak up if he isn’t clear or is feeling disengaged. And he hasn’t done that. He has been coasting along, and you have lost a lot of valuable productivity from him. It will now be important for you to hold James accountable for speaking up when he isn’t clear on directives or a particular goal.”

These are just a handful of reasons that social loafing can occur on a team.

How do you begin to eliminate this so that your team can perform at optimal levels?

    • Be sure that, when collective goals are identified, responsibilities for each individual team member’s role in this are distinctive, clearly defined, and well-articulated. Let the team members know they will each be evaluated, not only on the collective outcome, but also for their individual part in it.
    • Establish how you will hold your team members accountable and set these expectations with them so you can catch any diminishing performance quickly and course-correct it. And ask yourself what information you need to receive on a regular basis in order to monitor and facilitate progress.
    • Identify and quickly intervene when you suspect someone is “hiding in the crowd” or “coasting” for any other reason. Recognize that one person’s compromised performance affects the entire team, whether this is readily visible in the early stages or not.

If your team isn’t working to capacity, it’s your responsibility as leader to make the necessary shifts to rectify this. The difference between good performance and high performance may define your company’s future and its impact.

© Patti Cotton and patticotton.com. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express written permission from the author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that attribution is made to Patti Cotton and patticotton.com, with links thereto.

Leading the Executive Team Post-Crisis

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Leading the Executive Team Post-Crisis
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The immediate crisis is over. And although you are still rapidly recovering revenue and rebuilding operations, you now need to bring greater stability to the organization.

Your team’s quick response to meet the crisis is to be celebrated. But the approach will not work well in this next stage of change.

This means your team needs to change the way they operate. And given the different business landscape, the way we used to operate will no longer work.

It’s a different world – and we must work differently together.

So, if you are expecting your team will simply “fall back into place and get back to work,” think again. A lack of intentional rebuilding on your part will result in confusion, misalignment, conflict and a great potential to lose top talent.

Your team must reinvent itself at this point in order to perform effectively.

Where do you begin?

1. Look back to move forward.

Bring closure to this period by celebrating the successes of the team in having moved through the immediate crisis. Set some thoughtful time aside for this and make sure you invite the team to give their input. Talk about what the experience was like for them, what they needed to shift or change in order to get the work done. What did they learn?

2. Chart a purposeful path forward.

Recognize that as a team and organization, you cannot pull back. Much change occurred during the immediate crisis. People were asked to stretch, do differently, products and services were delivered in different ways, much more. As you chart a purposeful path forward, what needs to be examined? Incorporated? Altered?

3. Set the operational pace.

Restate the organizational vision to shift the team lens to the long-term. Then, roll back to the short term, asking what this means – what the focus should be – for the next 3-6-12 months, How can the learnings you discussed be incorporated?

4. Charter how you will operate together from this point.

Articulate who you are as a team. What do you know about your abilities and potential? How can you put this to use, and how will you align and coordinate your decision-making as you set out onto the new landscape together? How will you measure success? Handle critical communications? Accountability?

5. Lead with resolve.

Because uncertainty is now part of the norm, keep your eyes on vision, knowing that strategies and initiatives may change in order to reach it. Consider how you as a team will adopt an explorer’s mindset as part of your culture. Remember how, together, you weathered the last storm and weave this into your group narrative. Use this as a tether in future tough times as a reminder that as a team, you faced the seeming insurmountable and rose victorious.

If you are intentional with these steps as part of your organizational transition, you will reap the benefit of stronger commitment and engagement on the part of your team. Once you do this, encourage each of the team members to replicate this process through the organization with their own teams.

To your success!

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© Patti Cotton and patticotton.com. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express written permission from the author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that attribution is made to Patti Cotton and patticotton.com, with links thereto.

Does Your Leadership Need More Social Capital?

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Does Your Leadership Need More Social Capital?
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Do you, as a leader, have the social capital you need to get the job done? Influence with others is paramount to leading.

How can you tell if you have enough? And if not, how do you go about building it?

Sarah, chief operating officer of a hospital, was the newest member of the C-suite. The board had highly recommended her, thinking that her previous experience with change management at another healthcare system would support their vision for growth.

Several months later, however, Sarah had not been able to meet her short-term goals. The rest of the executive team blocked her efforts with every move she made.

Mark, the CEO called me. “It’s as though they are out to get her,” he said. “She has a great plan, and I support that, but the rest of them are stalling her. What do I do?”

“Mark,” I said, “It sounds like she hasn’t taken the time to build up social capital.”

“Social capital?”

“Yes,” I said. “The influence to bring them along. Building relationships with them, developing trust, sharing norms and values so that when she needs something done and you support it, they work with her to accomplish it.”

“Well, great,” Mark said. “I don’t know how she is going to do it, now. One of the board members mentioned this morning that he had supported her candidacy. Evidently, he saw her last week and she updated him. He now thinks the board may have made a mistake in recommending her. Yet she is doing what I’ve asked her to do. Short of pulling power and demanding that everyone comply, what do I do?”

“Here’s the deal, Mark,” I responded. “Power is not as straightforward as you think. If you approach it in that way, Sandra loses all credibility as she hides behind you. And you create resentment on the part of the others – a slippery slope for a team’s commitment to the business.

“Power is complex, Mark. And in this case, it is relational. How Sandra builds her relationships will be key to her success – and to your retaining top talent across the team.”

“Please help, Patti. I can’t afford to lose credibility with my board and my executive team. And I certainly can’t afford to lose top talent. Sandra’s good. I think we just need a leg up.”

Mark then had me attend an executive team meeting, then later introduced me to Sandra, who quietly shared that she felt defeated and ready to quit.

“I guess I jumped in with big plans and didn’t take the time to build relationships, first,” she said.

“You are pretty astute,” I answered. “Watching the dynamics in the executive team meeting was like witnessing a shark frenzy. And you were the bait.”

“In my last position, all I had to do was to video call one of the satellite offices and talk with the director for a few minutes. Their workload might be almost impossible, but we worked well together to shoulder through. It was that way throughout the system.

“I guess I haven’t taken the time to get to know the others. The board gave us a pretty aggressive plan and a tight timeline. I thought the way was paved. But I thought wrong.”

“Let’s talk about what we can do from this point,” I said. “If you are willing, I would like to work with you to turn this around.”

Sandra agreed to give it her all. Then, we got to work.

Six months later, Sandra was on a much different and better footing with her colleagues. And they were on their way to expanding the hospital’s reach as they had needed to do.

What did Sandra do? She learned to apply five things that all leaders must incorporate into their way of leading:

1. Recognize that power is dictated by your interactions with others.

The relationships and alliances you create can be of major support to you when you encounter potential points of resistance. The resources, information, and help you need should be within the circle you forge over time. Important to note is that before people will commit to a stretch demand, they need to trust and know you, and to feel that you have their interests in mind and that you will support them when they need your help. To come to this point, you need to cultivate the relationships carefully, hearing of their interests and needs, and seeing how you can help them.

2. Assess the landscape before you dive in to make big changes.

Look at your long-term goals and objectives, your short-term wins, and any other priorities you have been handed. Who are key stakeholders in the areas that will be touched by the changes you need to make? Who is likely to resist? And why? If you can map out the web of those potentially affected by your efforts, you can then put together a plan to start bringing them along. And it’s true that we “don’t know what we don’t know.” As you begin speaking with those you feel will be affected, as them who else you should include in conversation around the topic. You can quickly build your networks in this way.

3. Gather insights from your stakeholders and invite them to help you co-create solutions.

Respect the history and perspective that others bring and remember that co-creation means that the parties involved will have more buy-in and support you to much greater extent. This will also help you to leverage relationships with others, as you will have advocates “in the field.”

4. Build your power network with intention.

Map out your network, identifying your dependencies both inside and outside the organization. Decide to systematically strengthen these relationships according to those upon whom you rely, those who rely upon you, and who controls various resources and support.

5. Take time for reciprocity.

How can you create value for those who are in your network? Can you connect them with others to help them realize their goals? Can you serve as a co-creator, even if you don’t have a stake in the initiative, but can lend brain trust? Decide what you can do to bring value to your relationships and do this systematically. As transactional as it seems, a spreadsheet to track your power network and the touches that you make with them to build social capital can serve extremely well.

How can you begin to build your own social capital to get things done? Or to strengthen one that has served you to this point? Personal power – influence – is key to leading effectively. Take time to fortify your power network to help you move effectively into the future.

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© Patti Cotton and patticotton.com. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express written permission from the author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that attribution is made to Patti Cotton and patticotton.com, with links thereto.