Laura Wolfe Coaching LLC

Supporting the Evolution of Careers, Leaders,

& Climate Consciousness

Got Power?

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Maryhill_Museum_Romanian_crown_7-11French and Raven’s bases of power came up in a recent conversation so it was on my mind as I considered the few minutes of the Republican debate I saw. The exchange was between Fiorina and Trump in response to a question about the economy and they bantered about their respective corporate successes and failures (during which both mentioned Jeff Sonnenfeld whom I worked for years ago at Emory).

French and Raven’s original model proposed a person’s power comes from one of five sources:

Legitimate – using formal authority to gain desired outcome (Army general)
Referent – using relationship skills to gain desired outcome (charismatic leader)
Expert – using specialized knowledge and skills to gain desired outcome (an attorney)
Reward – using positive or negative rewards to gain desired outcome (a carrot)
Coercion – using force to gain desired outcome (The Godfather)

Source of power is a useful lens under which to examine a leader or yourself. Considering where another person’s power comes from can help you craft an effective response. Understanding the basis of your power is yet another facet of self-awareness, but realize you may get your power from different sources in different relationships or situations.

Regarding the debate, it seems some of the candidates are still trying to figure out where their real power comes from.

Which source of power works most effectively for making things happen in your workplace? Share your thoughts in the comment section.

Measurement & Star Quality

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star qualityCharles Handler of Rocket Hire spoke at the July ATD Baton Rouge Chapter meeting. His presentation about talent assessment woke up my inner quant-geek because I don’t often encounter other I/O psychologists.

His talk and our chat before and after the presentation brought back memories of the SIX stats classes I took in grad school (my PhD program was deeply rooted in measurement) and of the famous (or infamous) faculty who taught those classes. I was reminded too about varied assessment work I’ve done for organizations including surveys, 360s, and employee selection. He even knew my former boss, a selection expert, from whom I learned much. Finally, I told him of teaching Employee Selection and Placement at LSU. Because selection is measurement based, it can be less than exciting. However, I did mix it up by teaching several sections using a service-learning model that benefited local nonprofits.

This stroll down memory lane started me thinking a lot about measurement and here’s Today’s Real Message:

Our house is 88 years old so home improvement projects are always in the queue. A lesson from years of renovation is that the most skilled craftspeople who produce the finest work are the ones who know how to take and use precise measurements.

Are people your most valuable asset? Do you truly understand the knowledge, skills, and abilities your recruits and employees possess? Are you looking for star quality but falling short? Good measurement can help you identify the right people, place them in the appropriate role, and provide the developmental experiences they need.

Here is an interesting example of how the FBI uses measurement data to figure out who belongs in the most important jobs. Note that the Assistant Director of HR says they “rely on other information and not exclusively on the surveys when promoting employees.”

The finest outcomes result from appropriate, reliable, and valid measurement.

I can help you with that.

Are you using assessments to identify, place and develop talent in your company? How’s that working for you? You can comment here.

Just 1 in 10

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1 in 10Gallup reports fascinating research in their State of the American Manager Report though I wasn’t surprised by the finding that only 10% of workers have the innate talent to be really great managers. My experience certainly aligns with that. I would love to share other highlights but there is a very specific copyright and trademark statement so I won’t, but do urge you to download and read the report.

Other worthy management research I’ve come across recently examines hypocritical leaders and finds more evidence that failing to walk the talk is related to undesirable employee outcomes.

Understanding the current state of management is critical because managers influence everyone’s quality of life. If you have a manager, you know this. If you don’t, your spouse or child or best friend has one. And when their work quality is rotten, their life is affected and so is yours.

Not to mention, managers run our defining institutions – schools, hospitals, government services – and literally everything else.

Good and decent management is fundamental to the well-being of our world.

If better management is important to you, stay informed. Awareness and knowledge are first steps in the management development process. Keep up with the research and best practices that are available to grow those in this key role. I love to talk about developing managers and leaders so give me a call if you’d like to know more.

What is your experience with managers? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Very Powerful Stuff

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jazz fest entryI run this blog post every year about now – the peak of festival season here – because I’m experiencing so much great music and really feeling its power.

We live in a world of constant and rapid change, so chances are good that you are / have been recently / or soon will be re-inventing.

You can harness the inspirational power of music to support and fuel transition. How? First, stop listening to anything that reminds you of the situation you are leaving – whatever you’re done with. Next, listen to something different. Does not have to be new music, just new to you. It is amazing how powerfully certain songs bring up memories and the associated feelings. Not listening to those particular triggers frees you up to think about your future. Create a vision for your new life and link it to some different tunes.

Below is my always growing list of songs about change. Make yourself a change playlist and then listen to it a lot.

And, don’t stop thinking about tomorrow…

  • A Change Would Do You Good – Sheryl Crow
  • Roll the Bones – RUSH
  • Don’t Stop – Fleetwood Mac (especially the version on The Dance featuring the USC marching band)
  • I Won’t Back Down – Tom Petty
  • The Power of Goodbye – Madonna
  • Owner of a Lonely Heart – Yes
  • Uprising – Muse
  • Sing the Changes – The Fireman
  • Roll with the Changes – REO Speedwagon
  • I Will Not Be Broken – Bonnie Raitt
  • Fly One Time – Ben Harper and Relentless7
  • Above the Bones – Mishka
  • Changed – Rascal Flatts
  • Brand New Day – Sting
  • Cool Change – Little River Band
  • Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth) – George Harrison
  • Dog Days are Over – Florence + Machine
  • Changes – David Bowie
  • Hold On – Wilson Phillips
  • Big Girls Don’t Cry – Fergie
  • Burning Down the House – Talking Heads
  • Feeling Good – Nina Simone
  • Already Gone – Sugarland
  • You Get Knocked Down – Chumbawumba
  • Should I Stay or Should I Go? – The Clash
  • You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet – Lisa Marie Presley
  • Changes IV – Cat Stevens
  • Everybody’s Changing – Keane
  • Ramble On – Led Zeppelin
  • Girl on Fire – Alicia Keys
  • Turn! Turn! Turn! – The Byrds
  • Head Full of Doubt, Road Full of Promise – Avett Brothers
  • A Change is Gonna Come – Sam Cooke
  • What Doesn’t Kill You – Kelly Clarkson
  • Not Ready to Make Nice – Dixie Chicks
  • Move From the Hood – Luther Allison
  • The Climb – Miley Cyrus
  • Fly Away – Lenny Kravitz
  • Tomorrow – from the musical “Annie”
  • We Gotta Get Out of This Place – The Animals
  • How Do You Like Me Now? – Toby Keith
  • Dream On – Trombone Shorty
  • Let It Go – Idina Menzel
  • Pink Floyd – Learning To Fly
  • Shake it Off – Taylor Swift
  • So Long – Fats Domino

Check out Pandora or Spotify as low cost, no cost sources for new and different music.
 
For a wonderful, thought-provoking music-reinvention analogy, check out Christopher Bowe’s blog post for HBR.

Would love to know your favorite songs of change. Please share in the comments.