An MD taught me the meaning of ‘never walk past a quality problem’. Sitting in the reception area of his company’s offices, I saw him park his car and begin walking toward the main entrance. Suddenly he dived into the hedge and emerged with an empty Coke can. It was 7.30 in the morning and the can had obviously been thrown from the nearby main street during the night.

“I refuse to walk past a quality problem, otherwise I have said it is okay,” explained the MD. “If we don’t keep our hedges and car parks clean, visitors will think we don’t pay attention to our products. I can guarantee that, if it wasn’t me, the first staff member to arrive would pick up the Coke can.”

Let’s explore how you may want to follow this principle in your own way.

1) You can define the quality standards.

Imagine you are leading a team and want to set high quality standards. Certainly you must act as a good model, because people will learn from what you do, not what you say. But how can you then get people to deliver the required standards? One approach is to ‘tell it from the top’, instructing people to behave in certain ways. That may be necessary at first, but can lead to a culture where people refuse to think for themselves. Another approach is: a) To set the tone from the top; b) To then involve people in defining the required quality standards; c) To provide the backing they need to deliver these standards.

How to make this happen? After setting the tone, gather the team and invite them to brainstorm the ‘Dos & Don’ts’ regarding all aspects of their quality standards. This can cover, for example, their products, external and internal service and professional behaviour.

Discuss the ideas - but don’t be afraid to say that some things are ‘mandatory’ - and then agree on the standards. Make sure that people get the practical and emotional backing requited to deliver the goods. Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to
define the quality standards are:

*

*

*

2) You can reward the quality you want repeated.

Every Wednesday the MD I mentioned sent out an email called ‘Weekly Wins’. In addition to business successes across the company, this highlighted ways that people had demonstrated the quality standards.

“It’s easy to report ‘acts of heroism’,” he said. “Like many companies, we have employees who ‘drive through a blizzard from London to Glasgow’ to deliver an important package. Certainly it’s vital to tell these stories, but it’s crucial to highlight the daily acts of people doing things in the right way. So we publicised the efforts of the employees in the boiler room, as well as those on the bridge. This reinforced the quality standards we wanted people to demonstrate each day.”

How can you do this in your own way? Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to
reward the quality I want repeated are:

*

*

*

3) You can ‘never walk past a quality problem’.

Imagine the scene. Its 9.30 on Monday morning and one team member arrives for a meeting at the office. “What a terrible day,” they announce to the rest of the staff. “The trains are late, the traffic is terrible and later I am due to meet the client from hell. What a way to begin a Monday.” What to do: ignore them, confront them or adopt some other approach? I witnessed such an incident when the leader asked such a team member to leave the room, saying:

“I wonder if you can replay that situation. Everybody has found it hard to get into work, but we want to get on with the job. I would like you to go out – then come in again. This time, think about the impression you are giving to people in the office. I don’t want you to come in with a forced smile, but I do want you to think about the tone you are setting on a Monday morning. Right, do you want to try it? It’s up to you.”

That approach sounds heavy, but it actually worked. The team member smiled wryly, accepted the message and said ‘Sorry’. They left the room and came in again 30 seconds later with a totally different attitude. The leader was not looking for ‘clones’, far from it, but he did want people who behaved professionally. Allowing the situation to have gone unchallenged would have said: ‘It is okay to start the week by infecting other people.’ Team members must be able to express their feelings, but they must also understand the consequences.

You will have your own way of ‘never walking past a quality problem’. This can be relatively ‘easy’ when it applies to physical products or customer service – but it is harder regarding human behaviour. People must get the message that certain actions are encouraged, however, whilst others are unacceptable. Corporate misdemeanours can often be traced back to ignoring people who behaved badly. ‘Reward the behaviour you want repeated,’ is crucial when developing a desired culture – but it is vital to challenge unacceptable behaviour. Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to
‘never walk past a quality problem’ are:

*

*

*

Imagine you are a leader. Before taking the leadership role, you considered all the factors involved and rated the team’s chances of reaching its goals. You believed this was at least 7/10 - otherwise you would not have taken the role. Since then the realities have become clearer, so it can be useful to take your people through a similar process. Here are three steps you can take to make this happen.

1) You can rate the chances of achieving the goals.

Invite the team to tackle the exercise on this theme. Start by outlining the team’s goals. Looking at each goal in turn, ask people to rate the present chances of success. Putting on their realistic hats, they are to score this on a scale 0—10. Keep going until everybody has rated each of the goals. Discuss the scores and ask people to explain their reasons. Hopefully each of the goals will rate at least a 7/10 chance of success. If not, you may need to take some radical steps, which we will return to later. Whatever the scores, it is time to move onto the next stage.

2) You can clarify the specific things that must be done to improve the ratings.

Invite the team to revisit each goal in turn. Bearing in mind the things they can and can’t control, invite them to identify the specific things that can be done to boost the chances of success. For example:

* Make clearer contracts with the key sponsors and get the resources to do the job.

* Get the right people - especially the right leaders - in the right places.

* Spend 80% of the time working with customers - and massively reduce the time spent on internal meetings.

* Build a few successful prototypes - rather than try changing the whole organisation at once.

Make sure the chances of achieving each goal are now at least 7/10. If not, you may need to have a meeting with your key sponsor - something we will cover in the next section. Before then, however, try completing the following sentences.

Rating the team’s chances of success

The team’s first goal is: ‘To __________________________________’

The present chances of achieving the goal are: _____ / 10

The things that can be done to improve this rating are:

*

*

The team’s second goal is: ‘To _________________________________’

The present chances of achieving the goal are: _____ / 10

The things that can be done to improve this rating are:

*

*

The team’s third goal is: ‘To ___________________________________’

The present chances of achieving the goal are: _____ / 10

The things that can be done to improve this rating are:

*

*

3) You can take the actions required to improve the ratings – then get on with delivering success.

Move into action. Get some early wins and build positive momentum. Take the steps required for boosting the ratings beyond 7/10. What if some still fall below this score? You can do two things.

* Make sure the majority of goals rate more than 7/10.

Teams can still thrive if, for example, they have two goals that each rate 8/10, while one rates 6/10.

* Meet your key sponsor to manage their expectations.

Stress you will do everything possible to reach the goals - but you must be realistic. Say that you will pull out all the stops, but ask for their views on the ratings. Do they have any suggestions how to boost the scores? Conclude by making clear contracts. Make sure you have matching pictures regarding the chances of success. What if there are big differences? Decide whether or not to you want to continue as the leader.

Good leaders do everything possible to set-up the team to succeed. They do this: a) By doing lots of research before applying for the role; b) By making clear contracts with the key sponsors; c) By getting the resources required to do the job; d) By building super teams; e) By setting stretching but realistic targets; f) By taking continual reality checks about what is happening - and adjusting accordingly; g) By working hard; h) By making great decisions when it matters. Good leaders then do whatever is necessary to guide the team to success.

Imagine you are a team leader. One of your first jobs will be to make a clear working contract with the team. People must be clear on: a) The leader’s responsibilities; b) The team members’ responsibilities. The contract should cover both the psychological and practical responsibilities of working together. Here is one approach you can take to making such an agreement. Gather the team and invite them to focus on the following themes.

1) You can clarify the leader’s responsibility in the team.

Invite people to brainstorm what they see as the leader’s role in ensuring the team reaches its goals. For example, to provide a clear vision; to manage upwards and provide ‘air cover’ - protecting them from interference; to create an encouraging environment; to give people practical support; to make clear contracts about each person’s contribution; to co-ordinate everybody’s strengths; to make tough decisions; to do what is necessary to guide the team to success.

The leader’s responsibility is:

*

*

*

*

*

There will be a chance to discuss these ideas later - but first move onto the next stage.

2) You can clarify the team members’ responsibility in the team.

Invite people to brainstorm what they see as the team members’ role in ensuring the team reaches its goals. For example, to choose to be in the team; to have a positive attitude; to understand the team’s vision; to make clear contracts about their best contribution; to encourage their colleagues; to be creative; to come with solutions, rather than problems; to deliver on their promises; to do whatever is necessary to help the team to achieve success.

The team members’ responsibility is:

*

*

*

*

*

Again, there will be a chance to discuss these ideas later - but then move onto the next stage.

3) You can clarify and agree on the team’s working contract.

Looking at the ideas under the respective responsibilities, invite people to arrange these under themes and discuss the topics. When you feel people are ready, invite the team members to agree to the team’s working contract. As the leader, you will have the final say, but team members often produce an excellent agreement. Conclude by writing-up the contract and, if appropriate, putting it in a place where people can see it each day.

How can you use the contract? There are two main ways. First, it provides a constant reminder of people’s respective responsibilities. Second, it can be used when tackling difficult situations. For example, if a person behaves badly, don’t get dragged down into arguing about the details. Just go back to the contract. Ask whether they want to follow or change the contract. Sometimes it may be appropriate to alter the conditions - but then make sure the whole team are in agreement. If a person continues to break the rules, however, they are choosing to leave the team. Clear contracting provides the basis for building a successful team.

Great teams put people in the places where they can use their talents. The film director casts actors in the roles where they will shine; the football manager selects goal scorers in the positions where they will get scoring chances; the sales director puts sales people on accounts where they will have rapport with clients. Sounds obvious - but it is amazing how many teams ignore this simple rule. Let’s explore how you can apply it in your own way.

1) You can get the right people.

Great teams are based on ‘similarity of spirit’ and ‘diversity of strengths’. So it is vital: a) To make sure all the people display the spirit – the characteristics and behaviour – you want in the team. b) To make sure you get all the strengths you want in the team. Let’s consider the actual team where you work at the moment. How does it rate in terms of having people with the right spirit? How does it rate in terms of having enough people with the right strengths? Rate each theme on a scale 0 – 10. Imagine you are leading the team and have the power to make the necessary changes. What would you do to improve the ratings?

Let’s move onto the actual team members. Who are the right people you already have in the team? What can you do to retain these people? Who are the people – or the kinds of people –you need to add? What can you do to recruit these people? Then try completing the following sentences.

The right people we already have in the team are:

*

*

*

The further people – or kinds of people
- we need to add to the team are:

*

*

*

The specific things we can do to retain and
recruit the right people for the team are:

*

*

*

2) You can put people in the right places.

Brian Epstein orchestrated the talents of The Beatles. He made sure that Paul and John wrote and sang songs; George sang and played guitar; whilst Ringo played drums. Certainly it was okay to occasionally swap roles, but getting each person to use their ‘A’ talents made sense - both musically and commercially. The Beatles, The Royal Shakespeare Company, Formula One teams and Cirque du Soleil all encouraged people to play to their strengths.

“But that is obvious in music or in sport,” somebody may say. “It isn’t so simple in other places.” Well, actually it is. Every super team I have worked with in organisations has used the strengths approach. They have taken the time and trouble: a) To find people’s top talents; b) To put people in the places where they can use their ‘personal radar’ and deliver positive results. Great teams take this step, which is the only way to consistently move from 8/10 to 10/10.

3) You can ensure people deliver the right results.

Let’s return to your actual work team. Imagine you are starting with a blank piece of paper and can re-craft everybody’s role. Bearing in mind each person’s strengths, how would you capitalise on their talents? How would you help them to deliver the goods? Focusing on each person in turn, try completing the following sentences.

Person A: The specific strengths
they can contribute to the team are:

*

*

*

The right place to put them in the team is:

*

The specific things we can do to enable
them to deliver the right results are:

*

*

*

Poor teams have few people in the right roles. Good teams have most people in the right positions. Great teams put the right people in the right places and enable them to deliver peak performance.

Imagine you are a leader. You want your leadership team to communicate what your organisation does – and do it in a succinct way. One approach is to educate people to communicate the vision, values and visible results. (Let’s assume that you are already clear on the values.) Here are three steps you can take to communicate what your organisation does.

1) You can communicate the vision.

Gather your team together and make three flip-charts headed: ‘Vision’, ‘Values’ and ‘Visible Results’. Give each person a pack of Post-It Notes. They are then to write their views on what can go under each of the three headings. Later they will each go to the front and place their relevant Post-Its under the specific headings. To begin with, however, ask them to complete their Post-Its for the individual sections.

Invite people to write a ‘one-liner’ summarising what they believe is – or should be – the vision. This sounds simple, but many organisations find it difficult, because it should crystallise the big ‘What’. So you may want to outline some guidelines. For example, it is: a) To be a one-liner that summarises the vision. b) To be no more than 13 words. c) To set an inspiring tone – the direction – for the organisation. Remind people that, despite their best efforts, it will be impossible to get ‘everything’ into the one-liner. But it should provide a starting point for being able to give examples that bring the vision to life. So invite people to complete the following sentence.

The vision we want to achieve is:

*

2) You can communicate the values.

Invite people to complete their Post-Its for the second part of the exercise. They are to write the values they want employees to follow to achieve the vision. You may have already done considerable work on defining the values – especially in terms of choosing to ‘live the values, rather than just laminate the values’. If so, great. If not, then this may be a good starting point for clarifying the values. Different organisations will, of course, choose different values. One company, for example, settled on theirs being: “Deliver results; Take responsibility; Care for people; Love change.” So invite people to complete the following sentence.

The values we want people to
follow to achieve the vision are:

*

*

*

3) You can communicate the visible results.

Invite people to complete their Post-Its for the third part of the exercise. They are to describe specific examples of how employees have actually lived the values and produced visible results. Federal Express, for example, continually highlighted stories of their couriers going that extra mile to deliver exceptional service. So invite people to complete the following sentence.

The specific ways that people have demonstrated
the values and delivered visible results are:

*

*

*

Give people ten minutes to write Post-Its relating to the headings of ‘Vision’, ‘Values’ and ‘Visible Results’. Invite each person to then go up in turn and place their ideas under the respective headings. They are also to explain what they have written. Follow this with a short discussion about any of the points that have been raised. Explain that you will write up the flip charts and also aim:

a) To consider the Post-It Notes relating to the vision – then settle on a specific one-liner that summarises the ‘What’;

b) To meet again with the team and agree on the ‘script’ they can follow to communicate the company’s ‘Vision’, ‘Values’ & ‘Visible Results’;

c) To carry-out a plan for constantly collecting and communicating specific examples of what people are doing to deliver visible results.

This approach sounds simple – and it is – but that does not mean it is easy. The hardest part is often clarifying the vision – the ‘What’. But that is a vital step in defining what the company does. People can then transmit the whole picture by communicating the vision, values and visible results.

“I love tackling customer complaints,” said Karen, the customer service director of a retail company. “That sounds crazy, but doing a great piece of service recovery can transform somebody into a customer for life.”

Imagine you have been asked to improve customer service in your organisation. You will probably do three things. First, you will probably start by improving ‘the service package’ – the product, people-skills, procedures and packaging. Second, you will improve ‘the customer’s journey’ and the key ‘moments of truth’. Third, you may also want to educate the staff to use the ‘3 As’ approach to turning around customer complaints. They need to ‘apologise, accept & act’. Let’s explore how this works in practice.

1) Apologise.

“The first step is simply to say: ‘Sorry’,” maintained Karen. Frequently the customer has tried to complain after a bad experience. But they have been met by indifference or denial. Some companies exhaust the customer by shifting them from department to department until they get tired. Alternatively, the person at the call centre says: ‘You can speak to my manager, but they will give you the same answer.’ Karen explained: “We ask our staff to let the customer speak. They are to listen and offer a genuine apology. Frequently the customer becomes calmer. Moving onto the next stage, we try to understand their story.”

2) Accept.

Customers who have bad experiences sometimes feel crazy. Trying to tell their story, they are told things like: “Nobody else has complained … That has not happened before … Don’t raise your voice … If you get angry, I am going to end this call … If I did what you ask, then I would have to do it for every customer … It is not possible for me to direct your call to another department, you must ring them directly and start again at the back of the queue … ” Karen explained the approach she had outlined to her staff:

“Listen to the customer’s story. Accept their view about the experience. There are serial complainers, but most people simply want good service. Gather information about what happened and get concrete examples. Continue to listen, because they may still be upset. Once you have got the full story, reassure the customer and promise to get back within a certain time frame. Give them your direct number so that they can contact you. Thank them for getting in touch with you - then move onto the next stage.”

3) Act.

Great service-givers respond quickly and do what is necessary: a) To right the wrong; b) To satisfy the customer; c) To sometimes ‘go that extra mile’ to turn the complainer into a customer for life.

“Act to solve the problem and work to get a ‘Win-Win’,” maintained Karen. “But then comes the crucial part. Act to make sure that similar problems never happen again. In the old days many of us attended courses that introduced terms such as ‘the customer’s journey’ and ‘the moments of truth’ - the crucial times when customers form opinions about our company. We must keep revisiting these basics - designing our systems from the customer’s point of view. Winning back customers is exhilarating, but we should satisfy them in the first place. Nowadays our company make it easy for people to complain, because it is better to have a ‘talking customer’ than a ‘walking customer’. Listening to their story helps us to improve our business.”

How can you educate people to be good at service recovery? One approach is to take them through the ‘3 As’. You can bring these to life by doing exercises and role-plays. Try tackling the exercise on this theme. First, invite people to think of a specific situation where they will need to do some customer recovery. Second, invite them to describe the specific things they can do to apologise, accept and act. Third, invite them to do realistic role-plays where they translate these principles into practice. Making these things happen can turn people into customers for life.

Turning around customer complaints

The situation where a customer may complain is:

*

Apologise. The specific things I/we
can do to apologise in this situation are:

*

*

*

Accept. The specific things I/we can do
to accept the customer’s point of view are:

*

*

*

Act. The specific things I/we can do to solve the
problem – and make sure it never happens again – are:

*

*

*

Imagine you are leading a team. The ‘debate, decide, deliver’ model is a good one for involving your people in owning parts of the strategy. Let’s look at how this works in practice. Start by giving people clear guidelines about the freedom they have to operate with the 3 D’s.

* Debate: describe the topics that are not up for debate – because these have already been decided - and those that are.

* Decide: describe the parameters within which people can then make decisions.

* Deliver: describe the deadlines by which people will be expected to deliver.

Great teams know which part of the model they are operating in. They know whether they are debating, deciding or delivering. Poor teams get the three parts mixed up. Bearing these principles in mind, let’s consider how you can guide your team through the three steps.

1) Debate.

Describe again the areas that people can and can’t debate. You may say, for example:

“The big ‘What’ - the result we must deliver - is not open to debate. The key strategies - the ‘How’ - have also been handed-down. What we can discuss, however, are the tactics within each of these strategies. Here are the topics that we can debate as a team.

a)

b)

c)

“Are there any other topics to add that perhaps fall under our remit to discuss? Let’s add those to the list. Right, let’s explore the first topic.”

Embark on the debate process. Clarity is crucial. Looking at the first topic, start by defining the results to deliver. Move onto the choices and consequences. Brainstorm all the possible options - together with the pluses and minuses of each option. Discuss the options, then move onto finding possible creative solutions. Eventually you will find the group start moving towards their conclusions. (You can find more tools for facilitating this process in the piece called 3 tips for making good decisions.)

Good facilitation will be required. Get the right balance between ‘opening up’ - clarifying the result to achieve and exploring ideas - then ‘closing down’. Create an atmosphere in which people share their ideas. Business meetings sometimes close down the discussion too early. On the other hand, some teams open-up subject after subject and never make any decisions. Get the right balance when discussing the first topic. Then, when appropriate, move onto the next stage.

2) Decide.

Time to make a decision. You may say something like: “Looking at the first topic, let’s return to results to deliver. Now is the time to decide on which option - or options - we want to pursue. After making the decision, we must then decide who will do what by when. Okay, looking at the first topic, let’s decide on the route forward.”

Clarify the action plan for the first topic. Continue the session by repeating the ‘Debate’ and ‘Decide’ steps for other items on the agenda. Conclude the session by summarising what has been agreed. Encourage people to ‘play back’ what they understand to be the action plans for delivering the team’s goals. Then move onto the next stage.

3) Deliver.

People must then work hard to deliver. Provide the support they need to do the job. Super teams are made up of people who are positive, professional and peak performers. But sometimes they get thrown off-course. If people become paralysed in long discussions, investigate the reasons. If appropriate, return to the ‘debate, decide and deliver’ model. Check that the ‘debate’ and ‘decide’ parts have been agreed. If so - and if the decision still fits - then ensure they deliver. If not, then ensure people make a decision and deliver. (Sometimes, of course, it can be a case of ‘just do it’.)

Let’s return to your own team. Try completing the following exercise on the 3 Ds.

Debate. The specific things I can do to make clear
to people what they can and can’t debate are:

*

*

*

Decide. The specific things I can do to enable people
to make good decisions within these parameters are:

*

*

*

Deliver. The specific things I can do to ensure that
people then know when they must deliver are:

*

*

*

Super teams have crystal clear goals. People know what mountain they are climbing, why they are climbing it and when they will reach the summit. Within this framework, people work best when they can ‘own’ their part of the strategy. Providing it is used properly, the 3 D model is a good tool for making this happen. People then develop the habit of knowing when to debate, decide and deliver.

Imagine you are a team leader. Your team has been given a deadline by which they must deliver a specific goal. How can you tell whether your team has the desire and discipline required to reach its destination?

One approach is to start from the end and work backwards through the steps, then check the team’s motivation to do the hard work. Let’s explore this process.

1) You can start by describing the destination.

Start by describing what the team must deliver. You may want to say, for example:

“Here is the picture of perfection - the ‘What’ – which we aim to achieve by the following deadline. The benefits of achieving the goal will be: a) ___ b) ___ c) ___ There will be some minuses involved, such as having to be fully committed. So it is up to you to decide whether or not you want to work to reach the goal. When taking that step, it is important to be honest. Do not say ‘Yes,’ when you mean ‘No,’ or ‘Maybe’, but we will return later to making that decision.”

How can you do this in your own way? The key is to provide an inspiring vision, but also explain the pluses and minuses involved in reaching the goal. Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to describe the destination are:

*

*

*

2) You can explore the disciplines required for reaching the destination.

Great teams get the right balance between consistency and creativity. Everybody must do certain things in a consistent way - but there must also be areas in which they can express their creativity. Consistency means they will always reach a certain standard. But creativity adds that touch of magic needed to achieve success. Every team member must therefore be committed to following the disciplines required to reaching the destination. How to make this happen? There are two approaches:

a) You can outline the ‘dos and don’ts’ for reaching the goal - then invite people to decide whether they want to commit to following these disciplines.

b) You can invite the team to compile the ‘dos and don’ts’ then, providing you are happy with these principles, invite people to commit to following these disciplines.

Whichever route you take, you can use the following exercise. Ensure the team agrees on the ‘dos and don’ts’ for reaching the destination.

How can you do this in your own way? Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to clarify the team
disciplines required for reaching the destination are:

*

*

*

3) You can ensure the team has the required desire to reach the destination.

Now move onto the final part. Summarise what has been discussed, then invite people to rate their motivation. You may want to say something like:

“A mountaineering team follows crystal-clear rules to stay alive and reach the summit. We are not mountaineers, but it is time to deliver. So let’s check if each of us really has the desire required to reach the goal. Be absolutely sure before signing-up. I am serious. This is about much more than simply writing rules on a flip chart. It is about living them every day. Imagine that one of the ‘dos’ is: ‘Do give 100% attention during meetings - don’t do emails in meetings whilst others are talking.’ If somebody starts doing emails, then I will immediately stop the meeting. I will also expect you to follow the rules with each other.

“So I will ask you to rate your desire to follow these disciplines to reach the destination. Do this on a scale 0—10. Again, please be honest. If you would prefer to do other work, that is okay. I will be having a one-to-one follow-up meeting with each person. If you do want to work with this team, we will make clear contracts about your best contribution. If you do want to move on, we will try to work out a ‘win-win’. So, rate your motivation to work in the team to reach the goals.”

How can you take this step in your own way? Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to clarify the team members’
desire to do the work required to reach the destination are:

*

*

*

Conclude by outlining the next steps on the journey and follow-up quickly by holding the one-to-one sessions with each person. Start the next team meeting by giving an update - especially if some people have decided to move-on. Then do everything possible to ensure the team reaches its goals.

People can choose to work in three places during their lives: the cottage, the castle or the cathedral. Some try all three. Let’s explore these places to work.

1) The cottage.

Creative people often start by working from the ‘cottage’. Because they have little money, they use their imagination to reach the market, provide great service and satisfy their customers. Years later many entrepreneurs look back and recall the halcyon days when they felt in control of their growing business. Every decision counts and they see an immediate effect. Every day is an adventure and they must live off their wits.

Creative people attract attention, however, and one day they are visited by a messenger from the ‘castle’. This may be a larger organisation or the company headquarters. “Your energy is just what we need to inject life into our organisation,” says the courier. “Imagine what we can achieve with your creativity and our resources. We can conquer the world. Can you come and help us to be successful?” The creative person turns down the offer, saying they want to remain independent. “Just think about it,” advises the messenger.

Two months pass, then another messenger arrives. Higher in the chain of command, he also waves a big cheque. “We really need your creativity,” he says. “Just think of the resources at your disposal.” Another refusal: but this is followed by another visit and a bigger cheque. Feeling it is worth giving it a go, the creative person finally accepts the offer to work in the castle. (They may also have a back-up plan, however, which involves having an escape route.)

Can you think of a time when you worked in a ‘cottage’? You may have been working as a freelancer, in a small team, on a pioneering project or whatever. What did it feel like in that situation? Try completing the following sentences.

The time when I worked in a ‘cottage’ was:

*

The things that were happening – and
the things I experienced – then were:

*

*

*

2) The castle and the cathedral.

The creative person is welcomed with open arms. It’s great to be lauded as a potential saviour. Time passes. They learn the ways of the castle –but things go slowly. Two months after their arrival, the creative person feels impatient. Planning to get the show on the road, they aim to present their first imaginative idea at the next departmental meeting. Politeness decrees they test it out with the person who invited them into the castle, so they run it past him in a one-to-one session.

“Great work. This is exactly why we brought you into the organisation,” says their boss. “Before introducing the idea, however, there are some key players you need to get on-side. They are busy people, but you can get into their diaries within the next 3 months. Looking at your suggestion, I also believe a working party on the other side of the castle is studying something similar. You can get your voice heard by sitting on their committee. As I said at the beginning, though, this is just the sort of energy we want you to bring to the organisation.”

Kafka’s castle rules. After 2 years of following the rules of court, the person feels drained. Some individuals stay on, hoping to one day reach the inner sanctum. Some join the castle’s ‘process police’ when they visit the cottages to enforce decrees from the centre. Some retire to the ‘cathedral’ - or Academia - to write about the theory of success. Some decide to return to their roots.

Can you think of a time when you worked in a ‘castle’? What did it feel like in that situation? Try completing the following sentences.

The time when I worked in a ‘castle’ was:

*

The things that were happening – and
the things I experienced – then were:

*

*

*

3) The return to the cottage.

Creative people often return to the cottage. Oxygen is vital. They return to running their own business or finding a stimulating project where they can breathe. Decision-makers by nature, they want to feel in charge of their lives. Revisiting customers fires their imagination and re-engages their brain. Regaining their zest for life, they help the customers to succeed. Happy in their work, they get the right balance between innovation, implementation and impact. Life is good and they enjoy the country air. Then one day a courier arrives from another castle, saying:

“The dynamic company you have built fits perfectly with our strategy for becoming the world’s Number 1. The problem is that we do not have your kind of creativity in our business. How much would it cost for you to join us in the castle?”

Some people accept the big cheque. Some accept a deal in principle, but retain their autonomy. They protect their culture by insisting on staying in the cottage - and later getting a huge cheque for producing great results. But they are not stupid. They insist on appointing a trusted guardian as the interface between the cottage and the castle. They also build-in a get-out clause so they can walk. Some send the courier back to the castle pursued by a hail of arrows. Some politely say, “Thanks for your interest, but we are happy working in our own small company.” Feeling at home in the cottage, they continue doing creative work.

Can you think of a time when you returned to the ‘cottage’? What did it feel like in that situation? Try completing the following sentences.

The time when I returned to
working in a ‘cottage’ was:

*

The things that were happening – and
the things I experienced – then were:

*

*

*

Some leaders say, “We want to act like a big company, but maintain the spirit of a small company.” Is it possible? Yes, but it calls for getting the right balance between the ‘global and the local’. Great companies communicate a compelling purpose and outline the guiding principles. They then encourage their people to put these principles into practice in their own way – within parameters – and deliver results. The employees also have a responsibility. They must show how what they are doing is pursuing the principles and contributing to the purpose. The organisations that achieve this balance will reap the benefits. Those that don’t will drive creative people back to the cottage where they can breathe oxygen.

Clear communication plays a key role in creating healthy cultures. Virginia Satir, a pioneering family therapist, found that the quality of the communication directly affected the quality of life in families, organisations and societies. She identified that people may gave each other three different kinds of messages. These were ‘clear messages’, ‘conflicting messages’ and ‘confusing messages’. Each type of message had consequences. Let’s explore how you can recognise when people communicate in these different ways.

1) Clear messages.

Good communicators give crystal-clear messages and people know where they stand. A leader or an organisation may say, for example:

“People are expected to take responsibility and perform good work. Those who do so will find there are positive consequences. Those who don’t will find there are negative consequences.”

Clear messages can be either encouraging or tough – but people know the ‘rules of the game’. Twenty years ago I worked as the youth development officer for a football club. Everybody in the club was aware of ‘the way we do things around here’. The Dos were: Do be positive; do encourage your team mates; do try your best; do be on time for training; do be respectful to referees; do keep yourself fit and healthy; do strive to keep improving. The Don’ts were: Don’t be negative; don’t be late; don’t argue with referees; don’t do things that harm your fitness or health. The players appreciated the framework and felt able to express themselves within the guidelines. Any player who transgressed – such as arguing with referees – was immediately dropped.

Clear messages are acted upon in both words and actions. Johnson & Johnson, for example, had a written credo that said its first duty was to the patients who bought its products. When Tylenol, one of its medicines, was injected with cyanide by a blackmailer, J & J immediately withdrew every batch from the shelves. The company followed its credo in times of adversity and acted decisively. There was no messing around.

Clear messages play a key part in building healthy relationships. People then operate from a level of ‘certainty’. They understand that if somebody says they will do something, for example, that deed will actually get done. People may or may not always agree with the message – but at least they know the consequences. Let’s move onto a different kind of communication.

2) Conflicting messages.

Sick cultures often involve lots of conflicting messages. A person, an organisation or a society may say, for example:

“People are expected to take responsibility and perform good work. Those who do so will not necessarily be rewarded. Those who don’t take responsibility will find there is no negative reaction and they may in fact be rewarded.”

Conflicting messages lead to confusion, pain and anger. Here are some examples.

* A newly installed government says it aims to be ethical. Soon after coming into office, however, one of the key ministers – or staff members - behaves unethically. The government allows the person to remain in their role.

* An engineering company says it believes in total quality control. One of the engineers ‘blows the whistle’ on a key problem that could endanger the lives of customers. The company chooses to ‘walk past the quality problem’, punishes the whistle-blower and presses on with production.

* A parent urges their 20 year old drug addict son to take responsibility for their life. At the same time, however, the parent continues to supply them with money which the son spends on drugs.

Let’s move onto another kind of communication.

3) Confusing messages.

Poor communicators often give confusing messages. A person, an organisation or a society may say, for example:

“People are asked to take responsibility and perform good work. We are not quite sure what this looks like in action – nor can we outline what will be the consequences. If people do not perform good work, we will try to explore the reasons why this is so.”

People do not know where they stand and spend time trying to untangle what has been said. Here are some examples of this kind of communication.

* A government says: “We are totally committed to reducing carbon emissions. What people must understand, however, is that this is a complicated process. We must begin by getting consensus on the procedure for making it happen. There is no point in acting on our own, so we are embarking on a process of research and consultation that will, hopefully, lead to voluntary agreements. As a government, however, we are committed to reducing carbon emissions.”

* A company says: “We want to encourage people to work well in teams. When grading people at the end of each year, however, we will only look at their individual contributions – not how they have helped others in the team to succeed. We will also force leaders to ‘distribute’ their team members along a ‘bell-curve’. There must be 20% top performers, 60% average performers and 20% poor performers. We know this is not actually the case in super teams, but we will still ask leaders to distribute people along the curve. At the same time, we believe in teamwork.”

Confusing messages force people: a) to spend time trying to understand what has been said; b) to then act on these guidelines and keep checking to see whether the situation have changed. It’s much simpler to give and receive clear messages.

Let’s explore an exercise on this theme. First, describe a specific situation in your life or work where you want to give a clear message. Then describe the clear message you want to give to people. Try to be as specific as possible. If appropriate, write the actual words you want to use. Second, describe the potential pluses and minuses of communicating in this way. Third, describe your action plan for giving the clear message.

The specific situation in which I want to give a clear message is:

*

The specific clear message I want to give is:

*

The potential pluses of giving this clear message are:

*

The potential minuses of giving this clear message are:

*

The specific things I can do to give this clear message are:

*

*

*

Clear communication can take time, energy and, in some cases, courage. Poor communication takes its own toll. It often results in confusion, pain and worry. Giving clear messages is one of the keys to creating a healthy family, team or society.