When it’s time to hire new talent: the successful senior hire

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Our current economic conditions place different demands on our leaders and this in turn places a new level of pressure on the critical task of recruiting the right people to senior posts in your organisation and supporting them in doing a great job.  No surprise then to read a request for ideas from one of my colleagues on the Training Journal Daily Digest.  This was my response:

You are looking at how you integrate your senior executives into your organisation in the best possible way to increase their effectiveness and help them deal with changes in organisational culture. You are particularly interested to learn how other large organisations manage the process and any thoughts or information on best practice or leading edge.

I am offering a few ideas based on my experience of conducting research into effective leadership over many years and helping client organisations to apply it, via executive assessments, coaching etc. Here’s a quick brainstorm and I’d be delighted to speak with you if you would value chewing over a few ideas at some point:

• I would say that nine tenths of ‘getting it right’ happens before your senior executives join the company. There are two things in particular, here. The first is establishing and conducting a dialogue with prospective executives which allows both parties to assess the extent of the match. This requires you to be scrupulously honest (with yourselves and with prospective candidates) about your agenda. The second is conducting an assessment of your candidates which is effective in establishing whether they have the skills and competencies needed for the job. I have seen any number of senior hirings fail because one of these two issues has not been addressed effectively;
• Perhaps it’s worth mentioning a third aspect of this pre-recruitment dialogue, speaking as someone who conducts executive assessments on behalf of client organisations. I have seen people fail whom I have assessed and when I have told clients that they are not a good match for the job. This has never done my business any harm – it tends to strengthen my credibility and to provide an opportunity for dialogue with my client which strengthens my relationship with clients. I do recommend that you consider what third-party support you use in the hiring process and pay attention to your relationship with your partners in the assessment process;
• Research shows that the most effective leaders, when they start a new job, spend time gathering information and shaping their agenda and your focus needs to be on supporting this. For your senior hires, this involves getting out and meeting key people including peers and those people they are leading. So, if you are serious about integrating senior executives into the organisation you will support this process of dialogue and you may want to play a role in it – giving regular time to newly-hired executives to discuss what they are finding and what plans they are shaping;
• There’s another category of new hires that often fails – this is when organisations bring in people with the aim of shaking the place up a bit and then make it very difficult for the new executive to fulfil this remit. I wonder if this is what you are talking about when you mention ‘changes in organisation culture’. If you want new executives to thrive in a culture that is serving your organisation well why not recruit to match in the first place? If you want them to have an effect on changing the culture you need to be honest with yourselves – what are you really ready for? – and also recruit people with the necessary skills. I have seen people recruited who are steeped in a culture to which organisations aspire but who have no skills in bridging the gap between cultures and taking people with them. They get rejected by people in organisations pretty quickly;
• I want to declare my interest as a coach when I say that there may be times when Executive Coaching can play a role in supporting the new senior executive. Some senior hires will bring their executive coach with them as a matter of course. It’s also been my experience that some organisations have seen the opportunity to bridge the assessment process with life in the organisation by hiring me as a coach: this is particularly effective when the assessment indicates some growth areas for the executive if he or she is to be effective or if the agenda in the new role is stretching for the organisation.

I notice I could go on! A couple of books spring to mind: Watkins’ The First 90 Days and Wageman and others’ Senior Leadership Teams. The first offers advice for the new hire and may offer pointers for the hiring organisation. The second talks about research into effective conditions for senior leadership teams. This points to a key factor for me – unless you have the right people in place in the right teams with the right conditions any amount of support to the new hire may be wasted.

PS Just to let you know, as a member of Amazon Associates UK, I shall receive a referral fee for any books you buy using the links in this posting.

A single footstep will not make a path

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Every now and then the busy-ness of life takes over – two whole weeks since I last published a posting.

Today though, the quote below caught my eye and seems to me to speak for itself:

“As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.”

Henry David Thoreau

Empathy begins at home

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Today I decided to share my needs with the man from the call centre who wanted to sell me services I didn’t want to buy. When he said he wanted to ask me some questions about my current service provision I knew from experience that this might lead to a conversation about how I could get better, cheaper services with his company.  I did not want to go down this path, and I told him so.  In addition, I was already wary of the “I’m wanting to have this conversation because it meets your needs” routine that is encoded in so many call centre scripts.  Here’s a brief extract from our conversation:

Call centre man:  Do you mind if I ask you which company you’re using at the moment?
Me:  Actually, that’s not how I’d like to spend my time today as I have some commitments I want to fulfil.
Call centre man:  It won’t take long.
Me:  May I just check with you – would you be willing to tell me what you heard me say so that I can check that I made myself clear?
Call centre man:  Are you telling me that you don’t want to save money on your broadband services?
Me:  No, that’s not what I said.  And I do have a need to be heard and understood that’s not being met here and I notice that I am feeling some anger right now…

Our conversation reminded me just how often we find it hard to hear and be present to the needs of others.  I could identify any number of reasons for this which all lead back to the same Mother-of-all-Reasons:  because we live in a culture in which we think there is such a thing as “right” or “wrong”, believing that this is some independent and objective truth for which we are searching rather than believing that this is a concept we use in pursuit of power and control.

What about the man from the call centre?  Whether correctly or not, one thing I infer from the comment “Are you telling me that you don’t want to save money on your broadband services?” is that my partner in conversation is wanting to meet his own needs and that he isn’t owning what they are:  he isn’t being honest about his true aims.  If he really wants to be of service, he would be attuned to my desire to choose how I spend my time and support me by getting off the phone after a respectful goodbye.  It’s not entirely clear what needs he is trying to meet – the needs that might be met by getting X number of clients to buy today.  (And I could say that yes, the conversation is scripted and he is following somebody else’s guidance about what to say.  Still, he has chosen the job in which he has to execute this script again and again and again and – I believe – he has made this choice because to do this job and to earn the salary it provides helps him to meet needs he can identify).

I see a level of self-honesty as an important pre-condition for empathy.  When I can be very clear with myself about what needs I am trying to meet I am more likely to be able to empathise with my partner in conversation.  This is not just about conversations with strangers from distant call centres:

  • When a senior executive can own her enthusiasm for a particular path or project she is more likely to recognise that when she responds to a colleague’s request to be heard by making a suggestion in line with her preferred path she is not responding to her colleague’s need for empathy so much as seeking to meet her own needs;
  • When a father can own how scared he is of the prospect of his daughter learning to drive and be honest with himself about about his needs and about those actions he is taking to meet his needs he is more likely to be able to be present to his daughter and her excitment when she thinks about the increased level of autonomy that learning to drive will give her;
  • When a line manager can own his anxieties about speaking openly with a much-loved employee about his recent poor performance he is more likely to be able to address his needs by holding an open and honest conversation with the person concerned.  What’s more, this level of self-honesty makes it far less likely that the line manager will see his choice to hold back as “protecting his employee”.

To be able to be present to and honest about our own needs whilst also being present to the needs of others, even when it seems impossible for the needs of both parties to be met, belongs to the post-graduate school of empathy – a level that many of us never reach.  Is it possible – maybe even for all of us? – to reach this level.  It’s my experience that empathy can be learned.  How?  That’s a posting for another day – so please keep reading.

PS  And was I present to the needs of the man from the call centre in my conversation today?  No.  Today I was asking for empathy without offering it.  Maybe next time. 

A practical demonstration of empathy

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This week I have been writing about empathy and, once again, I am immensely grateful to my colleague in the world of NVC, Jeroen Lichtenauer, for highlighting the availability on YouTube of a recorded session in which the highly influential American psychologist, Carl Rogers, seeks to demonstrate his client-centred approach to therapy with a woman called Gloria.  This is, essentially, a practical demonstration of empathy.

This session is part of a programme or programmes which sought to compare three different types of therapy which were popular at the time (by my guess, in the late 1950s or early 1960s).  In the series, the same woman – Gloria – visits three different psychologists who demonstrate the approaches they are using.

Gloria, a woman divorced at a time when divorce was still uncommon, comes to Rogers hoping he will answer the dilemma she faces as she remembers that she lied to her daughter when asked if she had had sex with another man since divorcing her father.  Gloria wants to be honest with her daughter and at the same time she yearns for her daughter’s acceptance and fears that her daughter will not accept her if she is honest about her post-marital sexual experiences.

Rogers’ approach gradually uncovers the extent to which Gloria is able to give herself empathy and self-acceptance.  At the same time, Rogers’ willingness to support Gloria in exploring her own experience and his lack of judgement makes it increasingly likely that Gloria will take steps towards greater self acceptance.

The programme is posted as a series of clips and the links are below:

Carl Rogers and Gloria:  Part One
Carl Rogers and Gloria:  Part Two
Carl Rogers and Gloria:  Part Three
Carl Rogers and Gloria:  Part Four
Carl Rogers and Gloria:  Part Five

What is empathy, anyway, and why does it matter?

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We can say that when a person finds himself sensitively and accurately understood, he develops a set of growth promoting or therapeutic attitudes toward himself.

Carl Rogers
Empathic:  An Unappreciated Way of Being

Well, I didn’t set out to make this week Empathy Week and still, I am immensely grateful to my colleague in the world of non-violent communication (NVC), Jeroen Lichtenauer, for highlighting a wealth of resources available to support my exploration.

Today, I have been diving into a paper written by Carl Rogers, entitled Empathic:  An Unappreciated Way of Being.  Before I write about Rogers’ article it is worth saying a few words about the man himself:  Carl Rogers worked as a psychologist and therapist in twentieth century America and his work has been highly influential across a range of related fields.  As well as shaping an approach to therapy which is radically different to some of the more analytical approaches which preceded it, Rogers’ approach has been highly influential in the modern coaching profession and Marshall Rosenberg also points to Rogers as having influenced his attempts to develop an approach (eventually called Nonviolent or Compassionate Communication) which could be shared easily around the world without the costs associated with individual therapy.

Now, Rogers’ credentials are highly rated with some and yet may ring alarm bells with others.  What does all this mean for the average man or woman seeking to find a way through a corporate career?  It’s worth mentioning the work of David McClelland and his colleagues (popularised by Daniel Goleman in such books as Emotional Intelligence and Working with Emotional Intelligence).  McClelland’s research showed that our effectiveness in the workplace depends significantly on a number of competencies which depend on our emotional rather than intellectual intelligence.  Empathy matters!  And, in fact, empathy is listed as a competency in the Hay Group Emotional Competence Inventory which seeks to translate these research findings into practical ways of measuring competency and emotional intelligence at work.

Rogers’ paper includes a number of definitions of empathy including at least two of his own.  The quote above, from the conclusion of his paper, points both to what we might mean by empathy and to the significance of empathy for the individual.  Both are big subjects in themselves so let me just say for the moment that when we are able to be present to our own thoughts, feelings, experience and needs (self empathy) or to the thoughts, feelings, experience and needs of another (empathy) without judgement we open up a wide range of possibilities in our relationships and communication with self and other.  This is every bit as significant in the workplace as it is in the therapist’s office, where the presence or absence of empathy will have an effect on key aspects of our work life.  These include our ability to make and execute sound decisions as well as our personal well-being, our ability to engage those we lead as well as our ability to marshall our own inner – and often conflicting  – voices.

What is the key question we might ask our selves to determine the extent to which we are able to demonstrate empathy?  Here is my starter for ten:  am I able to put myself in the shoes of another, to connect with their feelings and needs and in this way to see multiple perspectives without needing to be “right”?

Developing empathy: recommended reading from my colleagues

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Having made my own recommendations on developing empathy (see my posting of 12th July 2010) I also looked out for recommendations from my colleagues on the Training Journal Daily Digest.  Here are their recommendations with my own comments underneath:

I would fully recommend anything by Daniel Goleman, ‘Emotional Intelligence’, ‘Social Intelligence’ or ‘The New Leaders’ for the coaching client.

The ‘Emotional Intelligence Activity Book’ by Adele B Lynn is a very practical book and covers empathy. It’s very much a how to book.

One more thought, ‘The Emotional Intelligence Quick Book’ by Travis Bradberry & Jean Greaves is a really accessible book and quite short, and it has a free online EQ test. This might be more what your client is looking for.

You could try ‘The Secret Language of Feelings: a rational approach to emotional mastery’ by Calvin Banyan (2003). Although not written from an empathy perspective, and more for the individual wanting to understand his/her own emotions, it provides insight in what’s behind our feelings.

I would add that I have worked extensively with the research on competencies and emotional intelligence that underpins Goleman’s books.  I see them as outlining in ways which are highly engaging what is meant by such things as emotional intelligence, illustrating sound research with engaging stories.  I wouldn’t typically go to these books for practical help in how to develop emotional intelligence, empathy and so on – so it’s interesting to note that the second recommendation above is described as a ‘how to’ book.

Practical approaches to developing empathy

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Sometimes, leaders in organisations come to coaching with a yearning to develop their ability to empathise and this is no surprise, since our culture, including our workplace culture, does not always favour the use of empathy.  So when one of my colleagues on the Training Journal Daily Digest asked for recommendations for practical reading on developing empathy I made my contribution and also looked out for the contributions of others.

This is what I wrote, which will come as no surprise to regular readers of my blog:

Developing empathy…. my top reading recommendation would be Marshall Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication: A Language for Life.

I don’t think you can beat Rosenberg’s approach to empathy. For those of us who are naturally empathetic it helps us to develop an approach to empathy which maintains clear boundaries. To those of us for whom empathy is a bit of a foreign country it provides very clear distinctions (e.g. between the needs we have and the strategies by which we seek to meet them) and very clear steps for providing empathy.

Given that you are looking for something for an executive client I would want to acknowledge the book’s potential limitations. The subtitle (‘create your life, relationships and your world in harmony with your values’), the visuals of the front cover and even some of the terms used can be a step or two outside the comfort zone of some people who are used to the FT as their daily reading. In other words, the book is targeted at human beings rather than at executives. Having said that, I have recommended it to a number of executive clients and I’ve never had this back as a comment. More often, they are immensely grateful for the recommendation and go on to apply their learning in a variety of contexts.


Recently, and from the same ‘school’ of nonviolent communication, colleagues have recommended a second book which is aimed at executives, Words That Work in Business: A Practical Guide to Effective Communication in the Workplace, by Ike Ilaster. I haven’t read it yet but I do notice that it starts with input on self empathy and empathy for others.

I look forward with curiosity to others’ recommendations.

PS Just to let you know, as a member of Amazon Associates UK, I shall receive a referral fee for any books you buy using the links in this posting.

Small pleasures

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Sometimes, in the midst of busy times, I enjoy taking a moment to reflect on life’s small pleasures.  Today, they included:

  • Watering my first ever crop of tomatoes this morning and watching the fruits form and grow;
  • Getting a call from Neil at BT who was able to answer all my questions (at last!) about my recent order and who gave me his number in case I needed to phone again;
  • Buying cream roses in my local market at lunch time and popping my head round the door of my lounge every now and again to admire them and enjoy their beauty;
  • Finishing an executive assessment report in time to have a cup of tea before my 4pm ‘mastermind’ call;
  • Watching Holland play Uruguay in – well, some football thing or other – and observing that yes, perhaps football is a beautiful game – maybe even balletic at times;
  • Letting go of the day’s unfinished tasks, knowing that I have more time tomorrow.

What’s the good news in our current economic climate?

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Recently, my experiences have tended to highlight just how many people are affected – and deeply – by our current economic climate. The number of people with whom I have direct connections, for example, who are without work has grown significantly in the last six months and this number includes highly talented individuals. The number of people in work who watch the possibility of redundancy advancing and receding… and advancing again… is also growing. The number of coaches I talk to whose income has gone down and who are at risk of losing heart is also growing. And this is before we look to our colleagues across Europe and around the world and begin to consider their experiences.

It would be easy to respond in ways that reinforce a sense of downward spiral and, at the same time, I am curious to connect with, immerse myself in and contribute to the “good news”. I write today to ask you what you see as the good news in our current economic climate and to share some perceptions of my own:

• Perhaps the ultimate good news is that our current economic cycle is just that. As much as the downturn brings bad news for a number of industries, challenging them to reform or else to slowly fade away (and even suddenly disappear), there are other sectors whose moment has come. One of these is the green energy sector. What other sectors do you notice which are poised to lead us out of recession?

• I notice that our current climate favours those who are able to step back and take the long view, and those who are emotionally resilient, purposeful and highly adaptable. It’s not just that these are the people who are in demand amongst employers. It’s also that these are the people who are able to spring back with or without the support of an employer. Who are the people who are best adapted to maintain their equilibrium, to find their way through and to contribute to our progress?

• I begin to see a welcome shift in the conversations going on around me, which some might view as paradoxical. It seems to me that the more job loss and business failure seems possible for us all, the more we feel able to share and talk with others about our concerns and the less people take things personally. I observe more people reaching out for help and support and more people coming forward to provide it. I wonder what you observe in the dialogue that surrounds you?

• Finally, my experience of the recession of the late 80s/early 90s suggests to me that recession brings with it opportunities for renewal and reform and this in turn carries with it the possibility that the world will be a better place following the recession than it was before it. I wonder, what do you see as the welcome reforms that this recession is bringing, might bring or “ought” to bring with it?

And finally and because I am a coach I notice my curiosity is aroused in relation to coaching and the recession. Perhaps two fundamental questions are these: who is most in need of coaching right now? And who is most likely to invest in coaching? And a third question is this: who are the people who are both likely to benefit from coaching and ready to pay for it?

I am also curious about the questions – and answers – that come up for you as you read this posting. And also about the sources of information and comment that spring to mind as you read this posting.  Please leave your comments below.

Crossing the Unknown Sea

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“Work provides safety.
To define work in other ways than safety is to risk our illusions of immunity in the one organized area of life where we seem to keep nature and the world at bay”.
David Whyte
Crossing the Unknown Sea:  Work as a Pilgrimage of Identity
Recently, amongst the people with whom I spent five days at Vicky Peirce’s Come to Life Barn, I enjoyed meeting David, a recent graduate embarking on his career at a time when the economy is rocky and jobs are scarce.  Returning from the Barn and pondering our current economic situation I found myself picking up a book which has been waiting to be read for some time, David Whyte’s Crossing the Unknown Sea:  Work as a Pilgrimage of Identity.
With his characteristic style David Whyte draws on his own experiences and on the writings of others to reveal and explore the depths that await us if we only dare to bring ourselves fully to the experience of our work.  Every page reveals a deep truth about our relationship with work and about the relationship with ourselves which is revealed through this relationship.  The theme of conversation is woven throughout the book and I am at risk (though only very slightly) of losing sight of the overall arc of the book as I read sentence after sentence that lends itself to being quoted elsewhere.
As I read I also reflect on the experiences of friends, colleagues and clients in our current climate.  It seems to me that we have moved beyond redundancy as something that is happening to a few other people towards redundancy as something that is only a step away from each and every one of us.  With this comes a challenge to those of us for whom work is our primary and underlying security – for when our chief underlying security is no longer secure, we are challenged to look elsewhere.
The possibility or experience of job loss has a significant impact on the conversations we hold – at times without awareness – with ourselves.  For some, this is a devastating experience, rocking our very sense of self as someone worthwhile and with something to contribute.  We can see this in individuals and also in whole communities affected by the loss of an industry with which generations of neighbours and family members have become deeply entwined.  For others, redundancy becomes an opportunity to engage with deeper questions of who we are, what we want and what we bring, opening up new possibilities and pathways towards work as an expression of our true selves.  It is to these people that Whyte’s book is calling and it is with these people that I love to work in coaching partnership.
The possibility or experience of job loss is also something that shapes the conversations we have with one another.  For as we become aware that keeping our heads down and doing a good job may not be enough to secure our position in the workplace we are invited to reach out in mutual understanding and support.  Amongst the outcomes that our current climate can bring this is one that I see as entirely positive.  This is a movement away from a brightly-surfaced, brittle isolation towards a greater depth and intimacy in our conversations.  And once the surface of our isolation is broken and trust is established our world has already expanded and has the potential to continue to expand. 
For this reason, speaking to a client about the situation he faces as possible redundancy ebbs and flows, I notice that I cannot put my hand on heart and say that I truly wish he does not have to face the loss of his current job.  For whatever lies ahead I know that he – along with others like him – has the resources he needs to experience such a loss as an opening, a blossoming, as an experience by which he learns more about himself and his possibilities.  Whilst I do not have any wish for him that he lose his job, I do come back to my faith in the richness of human experience and in our capacity to learn, grow and thrive.
PS Just to let you know, as a member of Amazon Associates UK, I shall receive a referral fee for any books you buy using the links in this posting.