Issue No. 552 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting delivers leadership lessons from the Mayo Clinic’s executive coach. You’re the Leader. Now What? is so robust, I could have written four reviews! Honest! And this reminder: click here to download free resources from the 20 management buckets (core competencies), click here for over 550 book reviews, and click here for the Zoom Review of The Four Workarounds with David Schmidt and Jason Pearson. (Plus, listen to Season 25 of The Discerning Leader Podcast below.)
STOP! Just stop it! Stop being a decision-making machine. You’re not going anywhere! Instead...try the ROW FORWARD process by Mayo Clinic’s Dr. Richard Winters.
Warning! We Are Decision-Making Machines!
The Mayo Clinic’s executive coaching leader has a warning for all leaders: “We are decision-making machines.” (Memo to self: That’s not good!) Dr. Richard Winters adds, “We make decisions reflexively even when situations call for a more considered approach.”
And worse: “We form instantaneous opinions based upon our emotions, experiences, expertise, and beliefs. And we are rarely stumped.”
And even worse: “We overplay our expertise. Our confidence in our own experience leads us to overestimate our ability to make reasoned decisions in complex environments.”
But there’s hope for us! This jam-packed leadership book, by the director of Leadership Development for the Mayo Clinic Care Network, covers an amazing array of leadership principles, tools, and tips—and a bit of therapy on the side. If I were still a CEO, I’d make this book required reading for each direct report. It’s perfect for new leaders and it’s a stimulating reminder for old leaders (I mean…veteran leaders).
Leadership Lessons from Mayo Clinic
by Richard Winters, M.D.
THIS IS GOOD MEDICINE!
SNAPPLE DECISION! In 1993, Quaker Oats Company bought Snapple but the CEO—not recognizing the limits of his own experience (the big idea in Chapter 1)—failed to understand Snapple’s quirky culture. In 1997, the company sold Snapple and lost $1.4 billion. “What followed was an easy decision for Quaker’s board: find a new CEO.”
BONUS! Click here to download a 30-page PDF of the book’s table of contents and first chapter, “Recognize the Limits of Your Expertise.” Click here to download six resources from the book, including the “ROW Forward Framework.”
FIVE DOMAINS OF DECISION-MAKING. Using the “Cynefin framework” (“Cynefin is the Welsh word for habitat”), the author notes that every decision falls into one of five domains: Clear, Complicated, Complex, Chaotic, or Confused. Before you wrestle your next decision to the ground—read Chapter 2, “Map Your Decisions,” and discern which type of decision you’re addressing. (Attn: All Staff! Chapter 2 is required reading! Bagels will be in the breakroom to inspire you!)
BLIND SPOTS? GET OFF THE DANCE FLOOR! From the executive summary of Chapter 3, “Step Up to the Balcony,” Dr. Winters writes, “Leaders must alternate between participating and observing, as in the metaphor of the dance floor and the balcony. Leaders need time on the balcony away from the pressures and the rhythm of real-time response of the dance floor. The balcony perspective nurtures insight as it provides an opportunity to look over blind spots and make sense of the environment with a more expansive view.”
WORST BOSS EVER! Winters quotes Seth Godin who “wrote about the world’s worst boss—the voice inside our own head.” Godin explains: “If you had a manager that talked to you the way you talked to you, you’d quit.” So does the voice inside your head inspire you—or bully you? Chapter 4, “Understand Burnout and Well-Being” includes six dimensions of psychological well-being. (Can you name all six?) And yikes…don’t skip the differences between effective leaders and ineffective leaders—and how this impacts burnout.
EGOSYSTEM VS. ECOSYSTEM. Wow! Here are four core values that a major corporation showcased on their wall: Respect, Integrity, Communication, and Excellence. However…those were Enron’s core values. Too bad Dr. Winters didn’t write Chapter 5, “Amplify Engagement,” until September 2022. Enron imploded in 2001.
The author’s counsel: look at your organizational chart. “An overreliance on titles and formal leadership roles promotes what author and artist Austin Kleon calls an organizational egosystem—a decision-making structure tailored to the egos and blind spots of the few; the (en)titled.” The antidote? “Effective decision-making, especially in complex settings, occurs within a collaborative and engaged organizational ecosystem.”
THE 5 HATS OF EFFECTIVE LEADERS. Dr. Winters delivers very, very practical counsel on the five hats of effective leaders: Teach, Mentor, Coach, Supervise, and Sponsor—and explains the differences. For example:
• “Mentor to help your colleague consider the world through your experienced eyes.”
• "Coach to help your colleague investigate and consider their perspectives of the world through their own eyes.”
Did I mention practical? Chapter 6, “Lead During One-on-One Conversations,” features 15 possible responses to the question, “A colleague is experiencing burnout and seeks your help. Which of the Five Hats of Effective Leaders would you wear?”
THE COGNITIVE HEADLOCK. Oh, my! In Chapter 7, Dr. Winters describes an early meeting as the first-ever chair of finance for Mayo Clinic’s 21 emergency departments. Halfway through the meeting, he realized “…I was bombing, big time.” Sound familiar? “I could see a large vein bulging right in the middle of one colleague’s forehead. Some colleagues had tears in their eyes.” He uses this transparent and teachable moment to ask readers, “What would you have done in that moment?” He gives two common missteps:
1) “Rather than acknowledge and understand the discomfort of the room, some leaders run away from the uneasiness as if it had never occurred.” Or…
2) “…perhaps you do the opposite. You don’t run; rather, you dig in. You explain. Each. Detail. Again. Because your colleagues obviously do not get it.”
He calls the second option, “the cognitive headlock.” Some leaders just double down, mentally deriding their colleagues. “Oh, I get it, I see that you’re angry and that you’re sad, but you don’t have my expertise. I know this data’s important and it’s going to empower you. You disagree, but that’s because you don’t get it.” And so many leaders (in every industry, he says) push through the resistance, erroneously believing that “eventually their colleagues will catch up to them and thank them. The leader. The expert.”
There’s a better way, promises Dr. Winters. And—now that he has our attention—he presents his “ROW Forward Framework,” a three-step process outlined in Chapter 7.
1. Construct Shared Reality and direction.
2. Generate multiple Options.
3. Identify the Way Forward and create action.
Then…repeat the ROW Forward steps.
PEBBLE IN SHOE MEETING. Veteran leaders will find the author’s leadership concepts (the why) blended nicely with daily best practices (the how and when). I immediately experimented with his “Adopt a Constraint Ritual” for deep thinking. Chapter 8, “Document Your Perspectives,” quotes Muhammad Ali:
it’s the pebble in your shoe.”
Winters adds, “Some of the most effective leaders with whom I work conduct ‘pebble in your shoe’ meetings on a quarterly or semi-annual basis. They ask their colleagues to help them identify the next complex issue to tackle. ‘What are the pebbles in your shoe?’ ‘What are the frustrating, time-consuming things that get in your way?’”
THERE’S MUCH MORE:
Chapter 9: Three methods for capturing the perspectives of your colleagues—before or during a meeting. (This called to mind Chapter 2, "Perspective," in Steve Moore's book, The Top 10 Leadership Conversations in the Bible.)
Chapter 10: In his coaching research, Dr. Winters has identified “fears and worries” that hold leaders back. His bullet point list highlights 38 fears and worries!
Chapter 11: To create a shared vision, Winters references an MIT Sloan Management Review article on the most frequent core values affirmed in corporations. “Integrity” is included by 65 percent of the 562 large corporations in the sample. (But Patrick Lencioni might weigh in, “Not so fast!” Read his HBR article on values.)
Chapter 12: Dr. Winters begins this chapter, “Generate Multiple Options,” with his compelling first sentence, “Now for the fun part.” He hooked me in! He notes a research paper, “Surprising But True: Half the Decisions in Organizations Fail,” and then becomes an evangelist for looking at options. His favorite, I’m guessing, is “The Vanishing Options Test” popularized in Decisive, by Chip and Dan Heath. Winters contrasts the “Average Genie” approach (granting wishes) with the “Eccentric Genie” proposition (removing options). This is “a technique I use each day as I coach, and lead, and even as I make online purchases.”
Chapters 13-14: The three levels of delegation and the differences between To-Do, Their-Do, Our-Do, No-Do, and Do-Be-Do-Be-Do. Plus: OKRs, tracking boards, and the value of a good idea with great execution. And think about this: “Perhaps the most dangerous moment of any decision-making process happens when everyone involved walks out of the room and heads back to their regular lives.”
This book is so, so helpful, I made more than 50 notes in the front of my book—plus I typed them up (which is rare). I could have written four reviews. If you’re a leader, a manager, a coach, or a coach wanna-be—this book is required reading.
To order from Amazon, click on the title for You're the Leader. Now What? Leadership Lessons from Mayo Clinic, by Dr. Richard Winters. Listen on Libro (7 hours, 39 minutes). And thanks to Mayo Clinic Press for sending me a review copy.
YOUR WEEKLY STAFF MEETING QUESTIONS:
1) Dr. Winters notes that “sometimes our shorthand phrases conceal blind spots, fears, and incorrect assumptions. Our words disguise generalizations, distorted thoughts, and critical variables that we tune out or omit.” He gives practical examples on how to coach one-on-one by “clicking” on a shorthand phrase—and asking for more explanation. (See also The Coaching Habit.) What are common phrases we hear in our work environment that may be obstacles to clarity?
2) The author writes that “the Eccentric Genie understands the nuances of complexity. Instead of granting wishes, Eccentric Genie eliminates them.” For example, your program person asks, “I would like to add more bells and whistles to our presentation at a cost of $2,500.” The Eccentric Genie replies, “You cannot. But what else could you do?” Should we try this in our organization after reading Chapter 12?
Mastering 100 Must-Read Books - Part 3: The Mount Rushmore of Leadership Legends
Book #23 of 100: Death by Meeting
For your team meeting this week, inspire a team member to lead your “10 Minutes for Lifelong Learning” session by spotlighting Book #23 in Mastering 100 Must-Read Books.
DEATH BY MEETING:
A Leadership Fable...About Solving
the Most Painful Problem in Business
by Patrick M. Lencioni
Books #22 through #40 spotlight 19 books I named to “The Mount Rushmore of Leadership Legends” group—featuring Patrick Lencioni, Jim Collins, Ken Blanchard, and Peter Drucker. Part 3 features four books by Lencioni, including this leadership fable (in the classic Lencioni style) and his four kinds of meetings: 1) Daily Check-in, 2) Weekly Tactical, 3) Monthly Strategic and 4) Quarterly Off-site Review.
• Read my review.
• Order from Amazon: Death by Meeting
• Listen on Libro (4 hours, 31 minutes).
• Download the 100 Must-Read Books list (from John and Jason Pearson)
PEARSON POP QUIZ! Everyone stand up. OK…now remain standing if your job requires you to attend at least one meeting a week. OK…now remain standing if you are in a minimum of five meetings a week—such as a staff meeting, one-on-one meetings, etc. (I know…everyone is still standing.) But now…remain standing if you have ever read a book, attended a workshop, viewed a webinar or had coaching on effective meetings management. (Anyone still standing?)
The Discerning Leader Podcast (Episodes 1-4)
Listen to The Discerning Leader Podcast (Episodes 1 to 4) as Steve Macchia and Matt Scott, from Leadership Transformations, and John Pearson dialogue on the 10 phases of a spiritual discernment process—from Steve’s book, The Discerning Life: An Invitation to Notice God in Everything (John’s 2022 Book-of-the-Year). Click here for Season 25, A Process for Discernment.
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CODE NAME BLUE WREN
POP QUIZ! Click here for 10 TRUE OR FALSE questions on the new book, Code Name Blue Wren: The True Story of America's Most Dangerous Female Spy, by Jim Popkin. It’s a page-turner (the book, not the pop quiz!). Click here to read my review. And read more book reviews on the Pails in Comparison blog.
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PEARPOD | TELLING YOUR STORY. The author of You’re the Leader. Now What? notes that every decision falls into one of five domains: Clear, Complicated, Complex, Chaotic, or Confused. As you tell your story to your customers and donors, are you positioning your program, product, or service appropriately—based on the problem you’re attempting to solve for them? We can help Contact Jason Pearson at Pearpod (Design, Digital, Marketing, Social).
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