LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP
Q. Part of the ALCP training deals with using a common language between supervisors and subordinates. Can you explain how that is established?
A. Several weeks ago, we had an enor- mous compliment
from a participant
who was enrolled in the Level I program. Her boss had returned from attending a Level II program several weeks before. She said that her boss called everyone in, talked about what she’d learned, and shared some of the data about her style, her preferences, and the “ahas!” that evolved over the course of the program. As the rest of the office cycles through the programs, there will be a greater appre- ciation for differences, and hopefully a more creative workplace.
Very little that we do these days we do in isolation. Te body of research is so mas- sive showing that a diverse team of people working together produce a higher-qual- ity product every single time, unless you have an expert. When we construct homogeneous teams, folks get along well, the work gets done more quickly, and they make more mistakes. Tis is research that does not need replicating, although if you’ve read Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers: The Story of Success, it may motivate you to really understand why the U.S. Air Force and all the commercial airlines devote a lot of training to air crew resource man- agement! So, a common language just provides a foundation for improving how we perform and work with others who are like and unlike us.
Q. You mentioned that a “diverse” team of people working together produce a higher-quality product. What kind of diversity do you mean?
A. I was referring to diversity in a num- ber of dimensions—for example, in the way they score on the Myers-Briggs Type
146 Army AL&T Magazine
RAISING THE BAR Part of the Level II ALCP curriculum is an exercise called Earthquake, designed to show participants the power of a team working together. The “HUAH” team, shown here at the ALCP in Atlanta March 9, 2012, earned the best score in the history of the program.
Indicator; the way people process infor- mation, what energizes them, whether they like data that’s regularized or prefer to follow a hunch. We present individual data in the ALCP on how much individu- als like to control others or be controlled, as well as basic information on those who may prefer working alone rather than with others. Tis is important, because it has to do with how readily they will work in a group, and whether they are likely to challenge something. Some people fac- ing the unknown will dip a toe in the water to get a feel for it. Others prefer to do a cannonball.
Doing things in different ways in organi- zations has an inherent risk. Fortunately, it also presents tremendous opportuni- ties. In a government organization, you have to have rules and processes in place. But within that framework, you also should be OK with “Why are we doing this?” questions. I remember well an
assignment where I walked into my new job and was told on the first day, “Oh, by the way, you are now the ‘Army expert’ on these four Army regulations,” none of which I had ever read. Unless it’s in Title 10, a rule or process can be changed, and even laws can be changed, though that surely isn’t easy.
Q. What is the importance of self-aware- ness to the supervisor? To subordinates?
A. Beyond the psychometrics, which give us a lot of clues on our “wiring,” there is a lot of evidence out there that people do not get good feedback. I can remember dark days during a Pentagon tour when I’d be so frustrated that I’d reread old OERs [Officer Evaluation Reports] to see how “wonderful” I was!
Let’s face it. Our performance manage- ment
system does not give us useful information on what we need to do. It’s
January–March 2013
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