How Critical is Your Thinking?

In my work with organizations, one of the fastest growing leadership competencies identified for future growth is critical thinking.  Not that it’s not always been important, but recent trends have seen a growing perception that it stands as a higher-level critical (pardon the pun) trait for leaders than even such stalwarts as strategic thinking, visioning, and innovative.

Not surprisingly, ask most leaders (regardless of their level in the organizational hierarchy), and it’s rare to find anyone who admits to not being a critical thinker.  They’re presumably all around us, although I could make a pretty convincing argument that many of them are merely critical….not thinkers.

In a recent Inc article, Paul Shoemaker articulated 4 Secrets of Great Critical Thinkers.  Let’s explore each, and I’ll reflect on my own abilities to excel at all four secrets.

• Slow Down – Shoemaker posits the need to spend the time to fully explore multiple avenues or options for action.  This is probably my weakest ability.  I’m one who for years overly relied on gut feeling, and only in recent years have I begun developing the tolerance for wading through multiple possible definitions of core issues confronting me.

• Break from the Pack – Blind adherence to conventional solutions leads to more conventional courses of action.  Critical thinkers stretch the underlying assumptions of a situation in any attempt to find a better alternative.  This one has never been a particular weakness of mine.  In fact, I’ve been called somewhat contrarian, at times.  Regardless, I tend to prefer Robert Frost’s “road less traveled.”

• Encourage Disagreement – Nothing is more contagious than groupthink.  Stretch yourself and your team to not only accept divergent opinions and perspectives, but to actively seek them out.  Again, not a problem for me.  As a consultant, coach, and facilitator, I thrive on creating and nurturing the tough questions and critical conversations.  Respectful disagreement can be an incredibly powerful evaluation tool.

• Engage with Mavericks – It’s frequently those on the fringes who have the most unusual (and often most interesting and effective) perspectives.  Critical thinkers value those who can challenge even the bounds of “rational” thinking.  I’m only moderately successful at this, although like the first secret, it’s something on which I’m actively working.

How closely do you align with these four “secrets?”  There are likely other attributes we could also include, but Shoemaker’s article is a good starting point for reflecting on our own critical thinking abilities as leaders.  So, remember, being critical by itself is a negative trait.  Being a critical thinker, however, is a prerequisite for highly successful leadership….possibly even for just being highly successful, as a leader, a follower, or merely a human being……

Truth in Coaching: It’s Not a “Nice to Have”

One of the most pleasurable and engaging career activities for me is the opportunities I have to share coffee with other career and executive coaches.  These are chances to share stories, bounce ideas off others, explore new possibilities to collaborate, and simply speak a similar language with like-minded, thoughtful and constructively challenging professionals.

A recent coffee chat included a discussion about “truth-telling” in coaching.  Interestingly, this has been a frequent topic about which I’ve been reading lately.

The crux of the dialogue focused on when being truthful with clients is good and when it may be less than productive.  Even after this conversation, I’m finding myself a bit challenged by the concept.  So, here’s my thoughts….which I hope others challenge, reinforce, or at least contemplate.

Whether involved in a coaching relationship or any other type of consulting gig, I’m of the opinion that there is rarely (if ever) a time at which the coach/consultant should shy away from delivering a truthful message.

My reasoning is this…

First of all, one of the key components of early dialogue (during the contracting phase of consulting) with clients is establishing clear expectations.  From the client’s perspective, that means expressing what they need from the coaching-client relationship, i.e., deliverables, expectations, boundaries, etc.  From my perspective, I need to communicate both that I understand the client’s expectations, but also that I hold my own expectations for the interactions.  Namely, mine nearly always include:

• Honesty
• Hard work
• Clear lines of communication
• Honesty
• Mutual Respect
• Honesty (Sensing a theme here?)

In my early years, as a fledgling coach and organizational development coach, I observed some excellent seasoned coaches/consultants, tiptoe around providing the kind of “tough love” message that I believe makes engagements truly beneficial.

The cornerstone to any positive relationship (coach-client, leader-follower, or just simply person-person) is trust and honesty.  Not unconditional positivity.  Not the truth only when it serves to boost the other’s self-esteem.  Not white lies to protect the ego.  No, it’s in pure honest, open, and transparent feedback (in both directions, mind you).

I often tell people when speaking about coaching, and even mental health counseling, if you find yourself in a relationship where no constructive criticism is coming your way, it’s time to find a new coach (or therapist).  Trust and honest feedback, even if it stings a little at first, is necessary for coaching to be effective.  If all you need is affirmation, I’d recommend investing in a mirror, not a coach.

Ethical Leadership: Why is It So Difficult?

Enron. Lehman Brothers. Congressional Scandals. We could fill an entire volume with examples of dishonest, unethical leadership. Its prevalence in business and politics is astounding. So, what’s the real issue? Is it that our ethical standards are set too high to be reasonably achievable? Or are our leadership expectations merely so low that we inadvertently promote and/or elect individuals with low morale standards to leadership roles? Or, alternatively, does mere acceptance of a top leadership role inherently bring with it too many temptations for unethical behavior?

Absolute power corrupts absolutely, according to British historian and moralist, Lord Acton.

I’ve been asked to fill in for a colleague in teaching a course in ethical leadership for the next several weeks. And the focus of our discussions will be on establishing a framework to guide ethical decision making and action by leaders. Moving forward, our students will be future leaders (as adult learners, some already hold such roles in their work organizations). They will advise leaders. And they will certainly evaluate the actions of those leaders with whom they interact (as we all do). So, a framework is a good start….but what else is needed?

The problem lies not in the establishment of an ethical framework for leadership. Rather, an academic discussion is simply not enough. For power NOT to corrupt, as Lord Acton believed, we need the following four elements employeed:

1) Ethical Training – It’s no longer sufficient to have ethical leadership courses taught merely in professional schools. Ethics need to be instilled into all levels of academic training. Undergraduate programs need to require these as a fundamental aspect of their core curricula. Professional programs (business, law, medicine, psychology, etc.) need to continue to expand upon their existing ethical training to those up and coming new leaders in their professions.

2) Expanded Professional Ethics Standards – The American Medical Association (AMA). Bar associations. The American Psychological Association (APA). There are plenty of professional organizations that do already have ethical principles and guidelines which govern the behavior of their members. Similar principles need to be developed and instilled as a key part of a profession’s culture in all professional circles.

3) Environment Specific Coaching – Issues of ethical behavior need to take a front-row seat in every coaching and mentoring conversation. Coaching presents a key opportunity to talk about specific ethical situations or dilemmas in a way that encourages collective problem-solving and leadership confidence moving forward.

4) Accountability Systems – Every organization must formalize its systems and process for ensuring ethical leadership. This includes increased ethical oversight by corporate boards, enhanced up and down dialogue (in a safe, yet effectively constructive environment) throughout the organization regarding ethical issues, increased use of ethical considerations in hiring and promoting leaders, and an agreed upon method for ensuring unethical actions are address and corrected (even if that means removing someone from a key leadership position).

The issue of ethics isn’t one that can remain a squishy, delicate, or merely academic exercise. For organizations (and society) to move forward in a productive, ethically responsible and profitable manner (not merely financially), increased focus and action to strengthening ethical cultures in business and politics is needed. And while we’ll never reach a purely ethical level of leadership behavior, the march toward ever increasingly ethical behavior is one that will forever be worth endeavoring.