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Leadership
Development at Toronto Rehab:
Aligning Thinking With Behavior
Written
by: Brett Richards, M.A.
President, Connective Intelligence Inc. &
Patricia Howard, Dir. of Training and OD
Published in AQP Journal, (Association of Quality and Participation),
Spring, 2004
Introduction
Many senior leadership teams find it challenging to get their managers
to adopt behaviors that are deemed necessary to achieve new and
evolving corporate strategies. Gaining commitment and buy-in for
these new leadership behaviours, or competencies, can be a less
daunting task if they are effectively aligned with the organization’s
broader strategic initiatives. Toronto Rehab collaborated
with Connective Intelligence Inc., to meaningfully position
their leadership development initiative within the context of their
overall corporate strategy.
Mapping the Process To Success
The following describes the winning process and the tools that Toronto
Rehab used to successfully integrate leadership development
with performance management and, ultimately, how they were able
to use both to augment their overall organizational strategy. This
case study also describes how “thinking” was used to build alignment
and create a common language to achieve success.
A Snapshot of the Process from Start to Finish
1. Accountability Framework – Establishing the New Culture of Accountabilities
2. Core Leadership Behaviors Developed to Support the Accountabilities
3. Analysis of Underlying Thinking Processes
4. Personalizing Leadership Competencies
5. Leadership Retreats Bring Behaviours into View (Four 2-Day Off-site
Retreats)
The Effective Intelligence™ Framework for Achievement of Retreat Goals
Dialogue
with the CEO: Key Cultural and Leadership Challenges
6. 'Day 3' – Full Management Team Retreat: All Together Now
Final Summary of Leader Competencies
Defining
Actions to Achieve the Vision and meet the future with success
7. Application/Integration/Impact of Training – what people said,
how it helped them and tracking organizational integration.
1. Accountability Framework: Establishing the New Culture of
Accountabilities
| The combined
energy and expertise of three hospitals amalgamated in 1998
resulted in the creation of Toronto Rehabilitation Institute
(Toronto Rehab ). This new rehab teaching hospital immediately
established a Vision, Mission and Core Values to provide clear
direction and operating parameters for the road ahead. Building
on that foundation, five factors were identified to serve as
indicators of success in achieving the vision. This created
an Accountability Framework against which individual performance,
organizational progress and adherence to the Core Values could
be measured. These same success factors form the basis upon
which the hospital measures its performance through a corporate
balanced scorecard. |
 |
2. Core
Leadership Behaviours Developed to Support the Accountabilities
As all Toronto Rehab leaders would evaluate their performance in
the context of their accountability to the five success factors,
the next step was to develop Role Maps which spell out the key
responsibilities that define each leadership role and align
with each of the five success factors. Finally, we distinguished
21 core leadership competencies Figure 1 or behaviours that
would ensure leadership success. The end result? - a fit between
role function requirements and the competencies required to carry
them out.
Figure 1: Toronto Rehab Leadership Competencies
Customer
Focus
Personal Effectiveness
Personal Leadership |
|
Continuous
Innovation
Change Leadership
Partnership Development
Resource Management |
¹ For
further information about Toronto Rehab visit their web site at
www.torontorehab.com
² The Accountability Framework® developed by Kemerer Group
International, is an integrated method of displaying the Success
Factors that an organization needs to concentrate on in order to
achieve the corporate vision. Canadian Head Office: Kemerer Group
International, 7 King Street East, Suite 2009 Toronto, Ontario M5C
1A2
3. Analysis
of Underlying Thinking Processes
Quality Thinking – Quality Results
Research and observational experience shows us that thinking influences
behavior. Our thinking process – how we think – affects our decisions,
our actions and consequently the results we get. Quality performance
in all walks of life is governed by quality thinking.
When working
through difficult tasks, people rarely consider how their own thinking
processes impact the results they want to achieve. Over 20 years
ago, Jerry Rhodes’ collaborative work with Philips, the Holland-based
multi-national, sought to uncover the deep roots of thinking to
make tangible and explicit the invisible process that effects everything
we do – our thinking process. The Harvard Business School Press
recently published, On Breakthrough Thinking , which dedicates an
entire chapter to analyzing the merits of our thinking process:
“we all have habits of thought that influence how we make decisions
and interact with others”. The whole notion of ’thinking about thinking’
is starting to take hold in the business community primarily due
to the recognition that in a knowledge economy it is brains that
will give organizations their competitive edge.
Thinking Drives Behaviour
No doubt, thinking drives behavior to a large degree; therefore,
any desired set of behaviors, such as leadership competencies, can
be examined through the lens of thinking. From Toronto Rehab’s
perspective, an organization’s leadership competencies are intended
to be an expression of particular manager/leader behaviors that
are necessary to achieve the vision, mission and core accountabilities.
In times of organizational change and transformation, it’s absolutely
critical that managers and leaders know exactly what is expected
of them. Specifically, what behaviors they will need to emphasize,
where they will need to change or develop, how their performance
will be measured, and how the organization will hold them accountable
to the new practices and modes of behavior. Creating a strong link
between thinking, behaviour and personal preferences and abilities
adds a powerful dimension to leadership development.
³ Harvard
Business Review On Breakthrough Thinking, Harvard Business School
Press, 1999 pages 57-85
4. Personalizing Leadership Competencies
The process of examining an organization’s leadership competencies
through the lens of thinking is helpful for a number of reasons:
| 1. |
It provides
another way to understand the competency and provides a common
language for discussion between managers and leaders |
| 2. |
It creates
an opportunity for leaders to compare their personal thinking
preferences with the thinking that is actually required to fulfill
the core leadership competency. In most cases, leaders and managers
are struck by how closely their personal thinking preferences
match the leadership competencies in which they feel most effective.
For example, one Toronto Rehab leader realized that the leadership
competencies where she felt most effective and preferred doing
- might not necessarily be the same types of behaviors that
her people needed her to emphasize. |
| 3. |
It augments
performance management –providing leaders and managers with
practical strategies and tools to adapt their thinking and behavior
to improve areas of weakness or avoidance and ultimately to
increase their effectiveness at fulfilling the organization’s
vision, mission and core accountabilities. |
What
types of thinking motivate me the most? What kinds of tasks do I
prefer?
How
do I need to adapt my thinking to match the behavioral competency?
What
tools and strategies can I use to adapt my thinking and behavior
to fulfill the competency?
fulfill the competency?
Performance
Management
Aligning behavioral competencies with personal thinking preferences
provides tangible information and builds a platform in which leaders
and managers can celebrate personal competence and develop strategies
to improve their performance. It provides an opportunity for leaders
to “personalize” the organization‘s competencies by integrating
them within their own frame of reference. The new, common language
provides a non-judgmental vehicle for leaders to engage in more
productive, performance-related discussions because it allows them
to depersonalize the behavior and focus instead on the thinking
process that is being utilized, not the thinker.
5. Leadership Retreats Bring Behaviours into View
Now that the role maps and core competencies were developed it was
time to bring the entire leadership team together to explore leadership
at Toronto Rehab. Sixty three managers and directors attended a
two day, off site retreat.
The overall goals of the retreat were to encourage leaders to explore
their individual leadership style against the backdrop of Toronto
Rehab's newly developed leadership competencies, to create a common
language, and to build a cohesive vision for the future.
Prior to attending the leadership retreats, each manager completed
the Rhodes’ Thinking-Intentions™ Profile (TIP) On-line, and then
received their Personal Profile when they attended the workshop.
During the course of the workshop, leaders were able to compare
their personal thinking preferences with the new leadership competencies
through small group and one-on-one application exercises. The process
opened up many avenues for valuable discussions concerning Toronto
Rehab’s transforming culture and their new leadership philosophy.
It also provided a rich, non-judgmental learning environment in
which leaders could reaffirm their strengths and develop practical
strategies to improve their own leadership effectiveness.
The Effective Intelligence™ Framework for Achievement of Retreat Goals
One key objective of the retreat was to offer leaders an opportunity
to discover their thinking style preferences and explore the relationship
between thinking and their performance or behaviour. We chose Jerry
Rhodes’ Model of Effective Intelligence™, trademarked Effective Intelligence™
in North America, as the framework for our retreats, as our primary
goal was to build the team and create opportunities for sharing
and getting to know each other. Thinking styles was a new and unique
approach that was very appropriate to a group of seasoned managers
in a growing organization.
Six possible “frames of mind” found within the Effective Intelligence™
Frame:
| The
Logical Mindframe: Hard Blue |
| |
The
type of thinking that is driven by relevance, proof, comparisons,
disciplined and logical reasoning. |
| The
Personal/Evaluative Mindframe: Soft Blue |
| |
The
type of thinking that is driven by action, personal values,
commitments, enthusiasm and personal views. |
| The
Analytical Mindframe: Hard Red |
| |
The
type of thinking that is driven by realism, quantitative information,
data, precision, organization and a sense of context. |
| The
Impressionistic Mindframe: Soft Red |
| |
The
type if thinking that is driven by impressions, sensitivity,
qualitative information, concern for communication and a holistic
perspective. |
| The
Ingenious Mindframe: Hard Green |
| |
The
type of thinking that is driven by ideas, options and outside-the-box
approaches. |
| The
Imaginative Mindframe: Soft Green |
| |
The
type of thinking that is driven by hunches, metaphors, “what
if” scenarios, vision and imagination.
|
Color-Coding
Toronto Rehab’s Leadership Competencies
Connective Intelligence analyzed each of the 21 competency sets
to determine what type of thinking was driving their use. A Effective Intelligence™
Frame was located beside each competency set to indicate the relative
emphasis of thinking required to successfully achieve the specified
behaviors. For example:
Corporate Accountability: Customer Focus
Leadership
Competency: Satisfy Customer Needs
Avoid assumptions about what they do or do not need; actively
seek to understand the needs of all customers-both internal
and external to the organization. Seek out and produce win/win
solutions. |
 |
Interpretation:
To successfully fulfill this specific leadership competency, individuals
will need to avoid making assumptions about what customers do or do
not need. They will need to emphasize (Red) descriptive thinking,
specifying and really listening to what the customer is actually saying
without making premature judgments (Blue) about what they think the
customer needs or should need based upon personal opinions and assumptions.
Individuals will also need a certain amount of (Green) creative thinking,
demonstrating flexibility and a willingness to identify multiple options
while exploring possible win/win solutions.
The degree to which individuals will be able to tap into this type
of thinking (and avoid others), will largely depend upon their personal
thinking style preferences. Individuals who have a natural desire
and preference for these types of thinking will, in most cases, find
it easier to successfully fulfill this particular leadership competency.
Dialogue With The CEO - Key Cultural and Leadership Challenges
Through the course of the workshop participants explored the dynamics
of Toronto Rehab’s organizational culture and identified the key challenges
facing them as they move forward to achieve the organization’s vision.
Each group presented their perspective on the organizational culture
and their list of key challenges to the CEO in an open forum discussion
to build understanding and clarity.
6. Day 3 – Full Management Team: All Together Now
A final one-day retreat two months later brought the entire leadership
team together in one place to synthesize the data from the earlier
series of retreats. The goal was to provide an opportunity for discussion
of the challenges and identify potential actions that may address
the challenges, as well as reinforce the Effective Intelligence™ knowledge
through application exercises.
7. Application And Integration Of Training - What People Said,
How It Helped Them And Tracking How They Are Using The Skills
Initial evaluation of the retreats indicated managers and directors
were using what they learned to improve communications with their
staff and colleagues.
"Helped me feel more connected and committed to the organization.”
“Helpful insight into my individual leadership styles and when a preferred
style can be a hindrance"
“One of the most powerful exercises I have ever participated in."
"Great insight."
"Painful, but it had to be."
"Starting to think of ourselves as one team."
Managers have suggested that follow-up sessions should be repeated
frequently to help them further apply the knowledge gained at the
retreats.
Things we could do to build upon this session are:
"If we could do this on a yearly basis it would be well worth the
effort."
"Would like to see this continue at the program level, with program
teams going through similar versions to build a sense of community
at the program level."
"Have experiential exercises at management meetings to keep things
going."
"Spring and fall education sessions for all management."
Developing In-House
Expertise
Since the retreats, Toronto Rehab’s Training & Organizational Development
consultants attended a 3 Day intensive Effective Intelligence™ Licensing program
developed to provide in-house practitioners with the skills to continue
integrating Effective Intelligence™ throughout their organizations. Toronto
Rehab’s Training and O.D. consultants have been successfully using
the Effective Intelligence™ model for team-building and one-on-one performance
coaching with hospital staff. The next step, is to act on a suggestion
from the leadership team and roll out the Effective Intelligence™ framework
to all Toronto Rehab staff. Developing a common language across
the organization can contribute to enhanced communication between
all staff in this large, multi-site organization.
For further information about Toronto Rehab visit it’s Web site
at www.torontorehab.com.
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About
Brett Richards:
Brett is the President of Connective Intelligence. He is a performance
coach and a certified North American Effective Intelligence™ Master Trainer.
He is dedicated to helping people, teams and organizations realize
their full potential, by helping them to transform their brainpower
and intelligence into more effective action.
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