How to be seen as a Brilliant and Bold Leader [Become a great Communicator] 

How to be seen as a Brilliant and Bold Leader [Become a great Communicator] 

Oct 12, 2022 | Report Reviews, Resources

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How to be seen as a Brilliant and Bold Leader

[Become a great Communicator] 

1 June 2022 4 min Read

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This is a recap of Harvard Business Review @HarvardBiz ’s Good Leadership is About Communicating Why, by Nancy Duarte @nancyduarte.

Becoming a bold leader means that communication should be your top priority. More than that, extremely clear communication should be what you’re consistently striving for, because everyone works better when there are no questions left on the table.

“ Leaders explain the ‘what’ of their insights and the ‘how’ of applying the findings. This is how most leaders approach their talks, especially professionals who are deep subject matter experts. They focus on the content they want to share. Many leaders don’t even consider the why from the audience perspective because it seems so self-evident to them, they think it’s obvious to everyone.”

Nancy Duarte @nancyduarte.

MORE KNOWLEDGE  |  LESS TIME

The Two Minute Takeaway

KEY TAKEAWAY 1

Get to the crux of the “why” to whatever you’re communicating.

The what and the how are often easily transcribed into emails, memos, chats, speeches, etc., but rarely is the why extremely clear. You can ask yourself “what” questions to get to the why more easily:

A. What is at stake if we do or do not do this?

B. What will the future look like if we get this done? What would the state of the human condition be if we did or didn’t do this?

C. Have someone else ask you “so what” until you can’t answer it anymore. That’ll get you to the root of “why.”

KEY TAKEAWAY 2

Think about what action you’re asking your audience to take, and then follow it with “because.”

Here are some samples:

A. We need to integrate this faster into our system because…

B. If we don’t do this, then X will happen because…

C. If we do this now then we won’t hit problems X or Y because…

KEY TAKEAWAY 3

Share ideas you abandoned and why.

If you show you’ve explored varying options and why they aren’t the best routes to take, it’ll help convince others and get everyone on the same wavelength of thinking that you’re on.

People cannot read minds so the whole truth has to get out and onto “paper” so that everyone can see the line of thinking.

Why This Matters

Sharing the ‘Why’ around decisions that have been made, why a pathway chosen, explaining full concepts when problem-solving or coming up with ideas are all incredibly essential the good leader’s toolbox. This will show that you care for others by getting everyone onto the same page.

This is how people become inspired and motivated and how you can become a more efficacious leader and clear communicator (two vital foundations to bold leadership).

How to be seen as a Brilliant and Bold Leader

In today’s ever-evolving remote/hybrid working environments, things are shifting more and more and clear communication could not be more important. In these environments, what leadership skills do you need most?

Communication is at the tippy top of this report that displays votes of the most important skills needed for all management positions (from The Skills Every Leader Needs by Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman).

The way you inspire and motivate others is through communication, and the way that communication gets even better is when it’s backed by high integrity and honesty.

As we all know, data never lies!

Here’s a great chart to show you what skills should be polished to move you into that bold leader quadrant:

Resources_Swae_Harvard_Business_review_How to Be Seen as a Brilliant and Bold Leader [Become a Great Communicator]-

Using Missions & Proposals, Swae helps our clients be bold leaders by

  • getting to the crux of what problems the organization needs solving,
  • lets everyone propose actionable ideas complete with justification (‘the because’)
  • and gives a transparent archive of ideas that were abandoned so everyone can understand why and start a cycle of continuous improvement. 

This Article refences Harvard Business Review @HarvardBiz ’s Good Leadership is About Communicating Why, by Nancy Duarte @nancyduarte.

Swae is helping organizations across the world to solve today’s problems and create tomorrow’s strategy. From Start-ups to Charities, and Enterprises to DAOs, our clients find that their greatest resource is their people, and Swae is proven to help get the best from the untapped potential within their workforce.

Find your next winning ideas using Swae

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Being Honest in Leadership Roles Helps Drive Innovation and Long-Term Success

Being Honest in Leadership Roles Helps Drive Innovation and Long-Term Success

May 23, 2022 | Report Reviews, Resources

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Being honest in Leadership roles helps drive Innovation and long-term Success

Doing Decision-Making Right Without Blinders On

23 May 2022 5 min Read

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This is a recap of Harvard Business Review’s @HarvardBiz “Decisions Without Blinders” study.

Being honest in leadership roles seems as if it’s a no-brainer, but as we well know, that’s hardly the case in many organizations around the globe. It may not always be about “not being honest” but there are still many ways that employees of any company, leader or not, can be more cognizant of information seeking when making decisions.

According to this study’s insight, “Social science research has shown that decision-makers ignore certain critical information without realizing it.” Why? Because of something they’ve coined “bounded awareness,” which means the cognitive blinders that prevent a person from seeing, seeking, using, or sharing highly relevant, easily accessible, and readily perceivable information during the decision-making process. The cause can be anything from hiding information to not asking the harder questions.

“ Most people fail to bring the right information into their conscious awareness at the right time.”

HBR

MORE KNOWLEDGE  |  LESS TIME

The Two Minute Takeaway

KEY TAKEAWAY 1

Failure to see information

People can get hyper-focused on what needs to be done and shut down their senses and awareness of what’s happening around them. The “head down working” concept seems excellent, but this is how critical details are missed. This is a cause for concern, given that people need to be aware of peripheral threats and opportunities while honing in on the job at hand.

According to this research, this has led to massive problems because those who should be aware closed their minds off. This led to the inability to adapt their strategies so that their organizations could thrive. The outcome then becomes a lack of long-term success due to vital mistakes.

KEY TAKEAWAY 2

Failure to seek information

The most worrisome version of this occurs when decision-makers are motivated to favor a particular outcome. A failure to seek information means that critical elements are being methodically “left out,” and there’s a deliberate lack of diligent efforts to uncover the “whole story.” However, some situations are innocent because we don’t know what we don’t know. This is why it’s essential to find what lies beyond our very awareness. Consider the information that addresses the decision required and get all the insight possible.
“Executives must rely on others to streamline the data flow for them, but they must be skeptical of the absence of contradictory evidence: It’s a red flag indicating highly bounded awareness.”

HBR

KEY TAKEAWAY 3

Failure to Share Information

Team members frequently fail to share unique information with one another. This is why meetings must have agendas and informational reports from the parties involved in the process of making a decision. Assuming that people will speak up is not, at this time, possible in many workplaces (due to employees not feeling safe to do so, and so much more. We’ve got loads of this kind of research within our resources center here).

KEY TAKEAWAY 4

Failure to Share Information

Although it may be hard to believe, many executives simply disregard accessible and valuable information when they are making an important decision.

Why This Matters

Remote work is here to stay, so the more tips for remote work that leaders can receive, the better, because of lot of these issues are new to many. Again, not everyone has had remote work environments/hybrid models in place before 2020.

There is going to be a split of how people operate in these remote/hybrid models. Some people can adapt easily and find it more rewarding, and then there will be those that have serious issues separating “being at home” and having to actually DO work at home (emphasis on the fact that they aren’t doing work hardly at all).

Asking questions like the ones shown here in these charts could help you get you ahead of the game when it comes to dealing with issues arising now (versus later). And, this is a time to look to your people to get more ideas as to how to ensure your employees don’t overdo it and end up working way too long not getting proper rest or time away from the computer/phone/whatever other device.

This recap references the Harvard Business Review article Decisions Without Blinders
by Max H. Bazerman and Dolly Chugh

Swae is helping organizations across the world to solve today’s problems and create tomorrow’s strategy. From Start-ups to Charities, and Enterprises to DAOs, our clients find that their greatest resource is their people, and Swae is proven to help get the best from the untapped potential within their workforce.

We’d love the chance to show you how Swae can help you find your next winning ideas…

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Many Companies Are Hiring Immediately [Research Shows People Desire Better Workplaces] 

Many Companies Are Hiring Immediately [Research Shows People Desire Better Workplaces] 

May 16, 2022 | Report Reviews, Resources

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Many Companies Are Hiring Immediately [Research Shows People Desire Better Workplaces]

Workers Are Quitting Their Jobs Like Never Before

15 May 2022 4 min Read

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Many companies are hiring immediately and there’s a big reason why. U.S. workers are quitting their jobs like never before, and there’s new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that shows job openings (and those quitting their jobs) spiked to record levels in March (2022).

This is on top of the approx. 4.3 million Americans that left their jobs in December 2021. The event that has been coined the “Great Resignation” and this new data demonstrates that the job separations haven’t slowed down.

“ On the last business day of March, U.S employers reported 11.5 million job openings- the highest number on record”

US Bureau of Labor Statistics Mar 2022

MORE KNOWLEDGE  |  LESS TIME

The Two Minute Takeaway

KEY TAKEAWAY 1

Companies are hiring immediately because people are leaving their positions like never before.

A record 4.5 million people workers quit their jobs during the month of March, with the largest exodus recorded in the professional services and construction industries. Layoffs and involuntary discharges held steady at about 1.4 million people.

“On the last business day of March, U.S employers reported 11.5 million job openings, according to a report published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Tuesday–the highest number on record since the agency began tracking it in 2000.” – TheOrg.com

That’s a lot of people saying sayonara…

KEY TAKEAWAY 2

The reason why so many people are quitting should wake up a lot of leaders in companies around the globe.

A new Pew Research Center survey finds that the reason so many are quitting their jobs is due to low pay, a lack of opportunities for advancement, and feeling disrespected at work. These are the top reasons why Americans quit their jobs last year in 2021 (read full article here at Pew Research), and per takeaway one above, this trend continues.

Source, HBR

The bottom line: many of those who switched jobs seek improvements, and they want something more.

Why This Matters

There’s a big reason why people want more and that’s because the world is changing, and it’s changing fast. If leaders aren’t awake enough to see that the “same ole-same ole” isn’t going to cut it anymore, then the companies that they’re with will be left in the dust.

People around the globe have gotten a dose of reality in terms of looking more closely at their work situations and assessing what they desire. Employers that continue the pattern of devaluing their employees with low pay, providing no opportunities for advancement (or at least offering talks about what an advancement pathway might look like), and continue to foster a culture where many feel unsafe and disrespected will be forced to change (or worse, close their doors).

At Swae, we’ve seen this data firsthand. Employees desire to feel safe, valued, and want to feel like they’re on teams that can support real collaboration and where they have a voice. There are countless studies that show this, and you can find more of them here on our site.

People are demanding more and if companies don’t wake up to this fact, we’ll see the numbers of people quitting continue to rise.

This Research Recap article references:

https://theorg.com/iterate/u-s-workers-are-quitting-their-jobs-like-never-before  

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/03/09/majority-of-workers-who-quit-a-job-in-2021-cite-low-pay-no-opportunities-for-advancement-feeling-disrespected/ 

Swae is helping organizations across the world to solve today’s problems and create tomorrow’s strategy. From Start-ups to Charities, and Enterprises to DAOs, our clients find that their greatest resource is their people, and Swae is proven to help get the best from the untapped potential within their workforce.

We’d love the chance to show you how Swae can help you find your next winning ideas…

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Tips on how to make Remote Work work for you [It’s here to stay] 

Tips on how to make Remote Work work for you [It’s here to stay] 

May 4, 2022 | Report Reviews, Resources

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Tips on how to make Remote Work, work for you

It’s Here to Stay

4 May 2022 4 min Read

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This is a recap of Harvard Business Review’s  @HarvardBiz “The Realities of Remote Work” (download the full PDF at the bottom of this article) by Laura Amico. 

For some great tips for remote work, within this recap (and the full article) there are some essential questions that you should be asking your now to help them get more adapted to the hybrid work environment.  

Asking these questions and getting in front of potential issues is the best way to handle all of this, and we’ve included an extra chart below for some important information about companies offering hybrid work models. This could help your people adjust further, and if your organization can understand that there are some concerns to address then it can combat larger issues that could potentially hit you down the road. 

There are two critical questions that you can ask of your people, and it may behove you to also make an ask for ideas and solutions to help solve the issues that could arise (this is what Swae is meant for!).  

“ How has the pandemic changed how you think about work-from-home opportunities? Have your work-life boundaries shifted in ways that you are happy (or unhappy) with? Does “always on” mean that you are more productive?”

Laura Amico @HiLauraAmico

MORE KNOWLEDGE  |  LESS TIME

The Two Minute Takeaway

KEY TAKEAWAY 1

The pressure is building

Some of us have had remote work situations for a long time so there was no shifts or changes needed; however, that is certainly not the case in many offices around the globe.  
 
The pressure is building as managers are beginning to feel a lot more pressure to respond instantaneously, which causes more stress.

Source, HBR

There’s also a work-life balance issue that needs to be addressed ahead of the curve so that the pressure doesn’t cause more harm as it builds.

People aren’t leaving their computer screens (you can see that chart in the full PDF that you can download below), which is also a concern for the health of an employee.

(Being on a computer 24 x 7 is NOT good for anyone, but we don’t have to tell anyone that, right?!)

KEY TAKEAWAY 2

Trusting how much work is getting done in-office versus at home

This is a chart that reveals what managers think about in-office workers versus remote workers and how they’re performing. What’s interesting is that the response to this particular question came back with 50% of managers that disagreed that the performance of remote workers was lower than those in the office, and 50% agreed. So, this is a vital mission and questions to also ask your managers so that you can get a taste of how this is going by departments or teams.

Source, HBR

Why This Matters

Remote work is here to stay, so the more tips for remote work that leaders can receive, the better, because of lot of these issues are new to many. Again, not everyone has had remote work environments/hybrid models in place before 2020. There is going to be a split of how people operate in these remote/hybrid models. Some people can adapt easily and find it more rewarding, and then there will be those that have serious issues separating “being at home” and having to actually DO work at home (emphasis on the fact that they aren’t doing work hardly at all). Asking questions like the ones shown here in these charts could help you get you ahead of the game when it comes to dealing with issues arising now (versus later). And, this is a time to look to your people to get more ideas as to how to ensure your employees don’t overdo it and end up working way too long not getting proper rest or time away from the computer/phone/whatever other device.

Here’s some extra research (not provided in the PDF) if you’re curious…

Are you working for a company that’s thinking about getting rid of the hybrid (remote + in-office) work model?

Harvard Business Review did some research around this topic (you can see this in the chart here below) as to what it would mean if a company did NOT offer a hybrid work model now and the numbers are staggering.

If you’ve thought about cutting that hybrid model out, think again! Companies that cut out the hybrid model could lose more than 40% of their employees (this study asked over 10K people in the U.S. which is a pretty good sample set).

Download the HBR Report

Download Report

This recap references the Harvard Business Review article by Laura Amico @HiLauraAmico.

Swae is helping organizations across the world to solve today’s problems and create tomorrow’s strategy. From Start-ups to Charities, and Enterprises to DAOs, our clients find that their greatest resource is their people, and Swae is proven to help get the best from the untapped potential within their workforce.

We’d love the chance to show you how Swae can help you find your next winning ideas…

Ready to learn how Swae can help your organization?

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Approaches to Solving Problems in the Workplace [Harvard Business Review Recap]

Approaches to Solving Problems in the Workplace [Harvard Business Review Recap]

Apr 27, 2022 | Report Reviews, Resources

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Approaches to Solving Problems in the Workplace

27 April 2022 4 min Read

Resources_Swae_Harvard_Business_review_Approaches to Solving Problems in the Workplace

This is a recap of Harvard Business Review’s  @HarvardBiz How to Solve Problems by Laura Amico @HiLauraAmico.

“You’d think that many brains working together would mean better solutions, but the reality is that too often problem-solving teams fall victim to inefficiency, conflict, and cautious conclusions.”

Laura Amico @HiLauraAmico

Watch this video recap, or read the full article below.

MORE KNOWLEDGE  |  LESS TIME

The Two Minute Takeaway

KEY TAKEAWAY 1

Approaches to solving problems: there are 5 stages to problem-solving according to this research:

Source, HBR: Why Groups Struggle to Solve Problems Together

The individual that needs to solve a problem will automatically (and intuitively) move through these five steps easily, whereas in a group problem-solving session, leadership/managers or the employees that are leading the session must stop and ensure that everyone is in sync and know which stage they’re at. Being “in sync is how group problem-solving sessions can succeed. While this will slow down the problem-solving process, it’s a requirement for group problem-solving. In step one, if the problem is not properly defined and understood across the board, and if people aren’t in sync on each step, this can inevitably lead to frustration and disengagement. In fact, the “define the problem” stage is one the most critical steps to lay out clearly and concisely. So, the more organized the leader/manager/employee that’s running the problem-solving group, the better.

KEY TAKEAWAY 2

There’s another batch of research (here) also from HBR regarding the top traits of the best problem-solving teams in workplaces. This research states that highly effective teams that solve problems the right way has a pair of common features: the teams are cognitively diverse and psychologically safe (to note, these are two of the core fundamentals as to what Swae brings to the table!).

Source, HBR

What’s essential to understand is that it’s best to fully map out the problem-solving approach that you’re taking. This will make sure you consistently use everyone’s time wisely (including your own) and allow you to come back to the “what works” time and time again. From this place, you can iterate off of that list, and continuously build the go-to document for your group’s problem-solving best practices (becoming a template to make this process much easier).

Some common approaches to building your group problem-solving best practices list:

  • Think about the last problem you had to solve as a team and map out what you remember about each step you’ve used in the problem-solving process.
  • Answer these questions after each group problem-solving session: Were you all on the same page at each stage? If not, why? How could you ensure people are in sync as you move through each phase of the problem-solving process? What would you do differently? Take copious notes to ensure you’re tracking against these things so you can make sure you do better each time.
  • Take the chart above (how to solve problems) and ask each person where they felt that they ranked. Log what behaviors could be adopted across the group that would help more and more people move into the top-right quadrant.

Why This Matters

Leadership and managers in companies across the board can solve problems faster with groups that have more cognitive diversity (as you gain a lot more perspective), and the engagement and outcomes are far better in environments where people feel psychologically safe to voice their opinions, thoughts and provide ideas/solutions.

Toxic cultures permeate many corporate workplaces where people don’t feel safe speaking up and this has a negative effect on the entire culture and the way people operate day to day. (You can see more on this subject in this research recap here.)

Solving problems is a vital part of any role, even in junior positions, because one person’s decision can affect the entire whole in any workplace (regardless of size or business category). All it takes is one person to make one really bad decision, right?!

Summary and Next Steps

It’s important for companies to realize that group problem-solving is best when there are more people involved. Approaches to solving problems are best when they include teams that have more cognitive diversity and when they ensure that people feel psychologically safe allowing them to speak up. And, if there is a more formalized process (using the five steps above as a framework) then there is a greater chance that everyone is on the same page to get to problem-solving faster, and with far better outcomes. In short, being in sync, staying organized, and creating environments where everyone is engaged is a win-win for all.

Read the full HBR Article

Open Report

This recap references the Harvard Business Review article How to Solve Problems

https://hbr.org/2019/11/why-groups-struggle-to-solve-problems-together

by Laura Amico @HiLauraAmico.

Swae is helping organizations across the world to solve today’s problems and create tomorrow’s strategy. From Start-ups to Charities, and Enterprises to DAOs, our clients find that their greatest resource is their people, and Swae is proven to help get the best from the untapped potential within their workforce.

We’d love the chance to show you how Swae can help you find your next winning ideas…

Ready to learn how Swae can help your organization?

Schedule a Demo now
FIND OUT MORE >

BOOK A DEMO >

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Supercharge Your Innovation Process [A Playbook for Transformation Through Innovation]

Supercharge Your Innovation Process [A Playbook for Transformation Through Innovation]

Apr 20, 2022 | Report Reviews, Resources

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Supercharge Your Innovation Process [Playbook for Transformation Through Innovation]

20 April 2022 4 min Read

FOFO business leaders not listening

MIT Sloan Management Review Research Recap: A Framework for Innovation in the COVID-19 Era and Beyond. A new playbook can help leaders determine which changes will endure and when to invest more in opportunistic transformation.

MORE KNOWLEDGE  |  LESS TIME

The Two Minute Takeaway

Now is a time of great innovation, even during great disruption. Times like these require creativity and innovation ideation that lies outside the box.

Innovation has always been a turbulent process of venturing into the unknown, and recent research can guide businesses to better understand how changes made in the past year can help them emerge from the pandemic stronger than before.

Johnathan Cromwell and Blade Kotelly

In this study, Cromwell and Kotelly analyzed a broad range of organizational responses to the coronavirus crisis over the past year through the lens of the latest research on innovation.

Here’s a recap of the innovation playbook:

KEY TAKEAWAY 1

Innovation types

A Identify the core problem or customer need to address. Explore different approaches and problem solve, this creates a culture of exploration.

B But there are situations with emerging products or companies where the core problem or need is difficult to address or identify via data. This research shows that there is another way to innovate by anchoring on the solution (such as a new technology or patent) and then searching for the core problem.

Many businesses have adopted one or both types of innovation but it can be difficult to know which one to use and when.

KEY TAKEAWAY 2

Along with this research, they’ve developed a framework (or a playbook) to help business leaders conduct the analysis on which innovation approach is best. Assessing whether your organization’s response to the pandemic represents the traditional innovation process or the emergent innovation process will help you create sustainable change and make progress by continuously innovating.

See below the company innovation profiles to help you assess where your organization is at with a brief description around each profile.

The Adapter

This quadrant is for businesses that saw temporary changes to demand for products and services they already produced before the pandemic. An example would be the restaurants that created outdoor dining and the successful companies have learned to deliver the same products or services but likely with fewer resources.

The Optimizer

Companies in this profile learned how to reconfigure their resources to satisfy existing customer demand, and must shift their focus to increasing the efficiency by which they deliver these products and services.

The Trendsetter

These companies have developed entirely new products or services that will continue to be in high demand post-pandemic.

The Trailblazer (Emergent Innovation)

Those in this quadrant have used existing resources to solve new problems they had never tackled before.

“Emergent innovation can provide new business opportunities and yield tremendous long-term value, it also presents important challenges for organizations to overcome.”

Why This Matters

One of the good things that has transpired is that companies have been forced in almost every industry to innovate in some regard. Innovation is what drives progress and companies are now being asked to understand the best way to innovate to make changes that are sustainable as well as leverage new opportunities for long-term growth and success. 

Summary and Next Steps

Read the full report to decipher which profile most fits your organization to choose the best ways to drive innovation. 

Read the full MIT Sloan Report

Open Report

This recap references MIT Sloan Research @MITSloan article:

https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/a-framework-for-innovation-in-the-covid-19-era-and-beyond

by Blade Kotelly @bladek and Johnathan Cromwell @JohnathanCromwell

Swae is helping organizations across the world to solve today’s problems and create tomorrow’s strategy. From Start-ups to Charities, and Enterprises to DAOs, our clients find that their greatest resource is their people, and Swae is proven to help get the best from the untapped potential within their workforce.

We’d love the chance to show you how Swae can help you find your next winning ideas…

Ready to learn how Swae can help your organization?

Schedule a Demo now
FIND OUT MORE >

BOOK A DEMO >

ASK A QUESTION >
More to explore…

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