VUCA: The New Normal

Coachfederation.org/ICFGlobal2012


Executive Personality Lens…For VUCA challenges

Dorothy E. Siminovitch, Ph.D., MCC (Canada/Turkey/USA)

Coachfederation.org/ICFGlobal2012 Slide 2


V: Volatility

U: Unpredictability

C: Complexity

A: Ambiguity

VUCA: The New Normal

Vision

Slide 3

Understanding

Clarity

Practices


S.c.a.r.f (David Rock)

SS

CC

AA

RR

FF

Brain is wired to track threats…amygdala gets hijacked.

Neuroscience: Track threats to…

Slide 4


Executive-Leadership Coaching

• A “safe-emergency” place for the vulnerability to explore and develop.

• Clinical body of knowledge has been “disowned cousin” to coaching practice …how do we “use” it?

• Raise awareness of “Choice” vs. “Coping”.

Slide 5


Dilemma of Excellence

• Jim Collins’s Good to Great “L5 Leaders“

• The “normative leadership challenges" are the talented but non-L5.

• How do “we” recognize talented but flawed and serve them?

Slide 6


Coaching = Perspective + Choices

• Nature versus nurture?

• How to see the rationale for irrational behavior

• Emotional Intelligence-errors or omissions.

• Choice versus coping.

Slide 7


Personality

“A typical, habitual way of reading the environment and responding…”

Michael MaccobyProductive Narcissist

Coaching Question: "trait” versus “state”.Coaching Question: "trait” versus “state”.

Slide 8


Leader Effectiveness

The Big Five Characteristics tend to predict effectiveness:

1. Openness to Experience

2. Extraversion

3. Agreeableness

4. Conscientiousness

5. Emotional Stability

Slide 9


Executive Derailment: Symptoms / SignsSymptoms … o of Executive Derailment

• Insensitivity (abrasive, intimidating, bullying)

• Being cold, aloof, or arrogant

• Betrayal of trust

• Over-managing / failure to delegate

• Overly ambitious

• Failure to staff effectively

• Unable to adapt to a boss with a different style

• Over-dependent upon an advocate or a mentor

• Having an “overriding personality defect”

Slide 10


VUCA – SCARF induced habits … or central part of their personality?

“People create their own glass ceilings, limiting their success and their contributions to the company. At worst, these otherwise highly

competent and valuable people destroy their own careers."

(Waldroop & Butler, 2001)

Slide 11

Coachfederation.org/ICFGlobal2012 Slide 12


Lore: Is this client coachable?

Coachability CharacteristicsC0: Not coachable Psychological/medical problems

C1: Extremely low Narcissistic personality -- strongly independent … {perfectionistic “OCD”}

C2: Very low Resists or deflects feedback, explains away issues. Negative to coaching process

C3: Fair Complacent & unmotivated towards change

C4: Good Assessment comes as a wake-up call

C5: Very good Accepts feedback & has deep desire to improve

C6: Excellent Has intrinsic need to grow, lifelong learner, self-directed & realistic sense of self

Slide 13


… not the L5 leader of Collins’ “Good to Great” research

Today's business leaders maintain a markedly higher profile than did their predecessors of previous generations. A growing need for visionary and charismatic leadership has brought to the fore executives of a personality type psychologists call 'narcissistic'.

(Michael Maccoby, The Productive Narcissist)

Slide 14


Difficult Leaders

The Perfectionist The “Dynamic” Leader

Slide 15


Here’s looking at

me, kid …

“A Narcissist is someone who’s better looking than you are.”Gore Vidal

Slide 16


The Dynamic Leader • Energy and vision

• Self-confidence & creativity

• Positive contagion-resonance

• Mobilizing energy that aligns toward the vision

• Contributes a motivation to excellence (Kets de Vries)

Question: What are the strengths of the Dynamic Leader?

Slide 17


Shadows of the “Destructive Narcissist”

• Not listening. • Oversensitivity to criticism -- not interested in feedback.• Tend to evade rule but tendency toward paranoia.• Overly competitive and controlling.• Isolation and grandiosity.• Anger and put downs.• Exaggeration, manipulation and lying.• Lack knowledge of impact on others.• Lose sense of reality due to need for positive mirroring --

Emperor’s Clothes.

Slide 18


"Master of The Universe"

Jean Marie MessierCEO, Vivendi

Nicknamed 'J6M'… Jean Marie Messier, moi-meme, maitre du monde

… resigned 2002.

Slide 19


Lies – Then Admits to Everything

John EdwardsFormer Senator, North Carolina

“Over the course of several campaigns, I started to believe that I was special and became increasingly egocentric and narcissistic.”

Slide 20


"I’d like my life back."

Tony HaywardCEO, BP

Tenure ended in 2010 due in large part to the circumstances of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Slide 21


The man who could have been President!

Dominque Strauss Kahn 10th Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund

Resigned after allegations of “familiar” misconduct, 2011.

Slide 22


Protection: Embedded Enablement

Slide 23


Failed Leadership

Conrad BlackCEO, Hollinger International

Sentenced to prison for fraud in 2007.

Slide 24


"…one big lie"

Bernie MadoffFounder & CEO, Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC

65 billion ponzi scheme.

In prison for life.

Slide 25


Shadows of the “Destructive Narcissist”

• Not listening. • Oversensitivity to criticism -- not interested in feedback.• Tend to evade rule but tendency toward paranoia.• Overly competitive and controlling.• Isolation and grandiosity.• Anger and put downs.• Exaggeration, manipulation and lying.• Lack knowledge of impact on others.• Lose sense of reality due to need for positive mirroring --

Emperor’s Clothes.

Slide 26


Quick Exercise

Slide 27


Corporate Artist

Do you really want to be like Steve Jobs?

Slide 28


The Perfectionist Leader

1. How do we recognize?

2. Major preoccupations:• Control: Self-others-"it"• Order• Perfection

3. Sources of strengths and contributions.

Question: What is the balance of productivity vs. negative cost?

Slide 29


Useful Perfectionism

• Fredrick Taylor & “Taylorism”

• Professions where “error free” is valued

1. Pilots & Air Traffic Controllers

2. Surgeons/Dentists

3. Copy Editors

4. Quality Evaluators

5. Financial experts

6. Engineers (Design/Construction)

Slide 30


Strengths and Dilemmas of Perfectionism

The strengths and burdens of the successful but punishing perfectionist.…

Slide 31


Sacrifice and Devotion…

2 Days after resignation

Slide 32


What goes wrong?

1. Perspective often gets lost.

2. Focus on control, order and perfection make it hard to:

• Empower others and delegate/make decisions• “Matter attached” vs. “People attached”• See the big picture• Tolerate deviations from expectations• Rigid and risk intolerant

Slide 33


Quick Exercise

Slide 34


What works when coaching perfectionists?

• It’s a matter of degree

• What is necessary to quality?

• Negotiate a plan that comes from their input: What can you live with and let others live with?

Slide 35


A Gestalt Distinction for leader choices

Strategic Interaction

• Connected to an agenda

• Future oriented

• Know what is important to their bottom line

Intimate Interaction

• Richness of relationship(s) (feedback & information)

• In the present moment with no agenda -- needs trust

Slide 36


How do we coach to strengthen leadership agility in the face of VUCA?

Slide 37


The Clinical-Coaching Divide

• A lens to recognize “emotional intelligence” deficits to “understand” pattern without judgment. Paradoxical theory of change -- raise awareness and people “choose” rather than coerced.

• Action research and 720: Outside-in and inside-out data help focus on what is important -- data plus individual’s formative lifestory.

• Understanding “the” constant for coaching these clients. It informs what questions need priority for cost/impact, even what brings people into coaching.

• “Shugyo”-- the need to be accountable for one's deficits and capable to choose---invite client with safe-emergency

• Practices: Agility -- the capacity to learn new options when control and drama are outdated or retired.

Slide 38


Catalyst Contact Information

The ICF values your feedback.

Please take a moment to complete a session evaluation form and return it to the room host located at the back of the room.

Dorothy Siminovitch Ph.D., MCC

1-416-935-1554 1-216.464-5039

[email protected]

Slide 39

VUCA: The New Normal

Documents

Transcript of VUCA: The New Normal