How to Use Your Brain to Manage Your Team

You might trace Jon Pratlett’s career in executive coaching back to when he first took over the New South Wales sports programs for the disabled. It taught him a lot about the human spirit and what can be achieved against all odds. Today, John applies this to the leadership training that has given him such a high profile across Australian business. Barbara Hodge asks him how he makes a difference. Jon, what’s the most common reason you are called into a business? JP: Generally, because the leader has trouble with the team. Or perhaps the team is held up as the problem, but it’s really about the leader. It will depend on your perspective. Either way, I generally find there is a break in engagement between the two parties. My job is to show each side where their weak "links" are, and to help them to develop their approach so that they arrive at a positive outcome. In a shared services world, this might apply where a customer is unhappy with the service, and the environment is confrontational. So, how do you have meaningful and critical conversations without causing people to feel threatened? Going in combatively won’t work. You basically have two choices: to argue it out, defending your process, your team, your way of doing things … or to cleverly control the conversation and steer it to safer waters, where you can use some tricks to get the other party to listen, understand and engage. You may still disagree, but you’ll be doing so from a more constructive place. Benefits are multiple: saving time, strengthening relationships, developing advocates, creating partnerships, building trust … the list goes on. You are somewhat of a neuroscience expert – so what does the brain have to do with all of this? JP: Our brain pretty much runs the show. What this means is that everything, from our reaction to situations, to how we learn and assimilate new information, to how we adapt to a new environment, is managed and controlled by our brain. If you can understand the brain and if you know how to control it, that gives you an advantage in any given situation – and never more so than during business negotiations or exchanges. A lot of people shy away from confrontation, not just in public forums, but also face-to-face. How can you help them? JP: Confrontation is part of our daily life, at work and at home. Particularly in a work environment, confrontation is pretty much unavoidable. The reason people are generally uncomfortable in those situations is because they fear aggression. I help people manage these situations effectively. For example, if you sense there is an aggressive questioner in a public forum, one trick is to move away from him or her, so that there is as much space between you as possible. If you take a question from a distance you reduce its emotional impact. Another trick to maintaining or encouraging positive engagement across a larger group is to avoid walking towards someone who's asking a question, especially if they are fairly near the front. This disengages the rest of the group. Instead, put a lot of distance between you and the questioner to make sure that everyone is involved. What about one-on-one meetings in an office? How can we maximize our own impact in those situations? JP: First you need to understand how the brain operates. Say you are invited to your boss’s office, or you invite one of your direct reports into yours, the immediate reaction is momentary panic: The invitation as a perceived threat, on the basis of your relationship. What happens when you feel threatened is that blood drains from the brain to your muscles to prepare you for "flight" and the consequence is that you lose your thinking ability. We generally refer to it as "going blank". It’s not desirable because it puts people on the defensive, which is not a good context for constructive exchange. You can take some steps, however, to create a better environment – i.e., reduce the perception of "threat" – by asking them to suggest the meeting place. Immediately, defences are lowered and you're off on a better footing. As a leader, you can apply this across the team to encourage a positive working environment. It’s your responsibility to create the appropriate context for the team to work well together, and to enable them to meet their collective accountabilities. This can be difficult though. Shared Services transformation involves a lot of change, which is stressful for all involved. When change is mismanaged, the costs to the business are significant. How can we alleviate negative fall-out? JP: You need to remember that people are guided by the desire to minimize risk and maximize returns. A smart strategist would take these risk/reward drivers into account, but also make an effort to react consciously rather than automatically (our inbuilt preference), and recognize the value of self-regulation in their communication. Some of the models used emphasize developing a "caring" environment, where people feel it is "safe" to show vulnerability, or make mistakes. Another positive strategy is to build autonomy into your teams, which empowers them to take initiatives and think innovatively. In all of these scenarios, a lesser threat means better collaboration which means better outcome. Conflict is not helpful. One important point to consider: Shared Services thrive on processes, which serve to eliminate the unexpected. Remember that, when you are introducing change. How can we influence people to embrace change? JP: Someone once told me: "the meaning of my communication is the response I get." What this means is that each person interprets (and responds) differently to a given message, based on their personal experiences. In other words, each individual’s context colours his or her interpretation of a message. Across a team, therefore, you are dealing with different interpretations of every piece of communication or behaviour that goes out. Remember that people make decisions on the basis of emotion, but use logic to justify that decision. Good leaders will "hook" into that emotion, but understand the context they are operating in and that they are leading their team into. Think about how a business operates. Every division has its own targets or accountabilities, which are not necessarily aligned with those of other divisions. For example, in a mining situation, the drivers want their trucks on the road as much as possible, but the service teams want them in the garage at regular intervals. This means: conflicted interests. However, the thing to remember is that it is not people but systems and structures that are the problem. So as a leader, it’s up to you to create the right environment to maximize collaboration. With talent a scarce commodity, and the workforce getting younger, how can we constructively engage with Gen Y team members? JP: One common problem with Gen Y staff is that they are perhaps overly confident in their own ability to work out a problem and come up with a solution. However, bearing in mind the importance of "context", these workers may be working in a different direction. A useful tip is to get them to repeat back a certain piece of communication or messaging, by asking: "Tell me what you will do as a result of our conversation, and summarise the purpose of your actions." Shifting gears for a moment, the same strategy can be applied to negotiations with business unit customers. It’s easy to get into conflict over mixed messaging or crossed lines. It’s a good idea, therefore, to ask the other party to clarify their understanding of the discussion. What are some other tips to build more innovative teams? JP: I’ll leave you with one of my favourite tips, based on research conducted with Marcial Losada. He discovered that "best performing" teams shared three characteristics: A golden ratio of 3:1, meaning 3 positive to 1 negative comments. The best teams achieved a ratio of 5:1. An inquiry:advocacy balance of 1 to 1, meaning you open the floor to suggestions as well as advocate desired actions. Orienting around yourself vs. orienting around others – again, a 1:1 ratio is preferred. NOTE: Jon Pratlett is a keynote speaker at SSON's 17th Annual Shared Services and Outsourcing Week Australasia, which kicks off in Melborne this week. [eventpdf]

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