How do you handle tension?

Famed American architect, systems theorist, author, designer, inventor and futurist R. Buckminster Fuller once said that “tension is the great integrity.” Could this be true?

Tension is something we can all recognize immediately; unfortunately, knowing how to handle it is a far less common virtue. Society teaches us that tension is always negative and should be avoided—or removed immediately—if encountered. Great leaders understand this sentiment but have matured to a place of understanding that allows them to use tension as a tool rather than view it as a dangerous adversary.

Step one is to understand that tension can be positive. Think of the strings on a guitar. Each one is under a certain amount of tension. If the string is too tight—or too loose—the music won’t sound good at all. A good musician—like a good leader—knows how to identify, measure, and adjust tension until the perfect result is achieved.

Step two is to understand personal and group tension. Each individual has a different threshold where tension maximizes their potential. Just like the guitar, every person is a different string—some tighter, some looser. Each person produces a sound, but it takes an in-tune group to produce perfect harmony. Understanding individual and group dynamics is crucial to creating the right tension level for your team.

Step three is learning to adjust tension levels personally and in a group. Great leaders listen to the whole group and adjust personal and corporate dynamics until the music is right on key. Time, practice, and continued attention go hand-in-hand with managing tension. It may seem tedious, but remember—even Eric Clapton has to tune his guitar before, during, and after his shows.

Neck Up Leadership brings together three nationally recognized leadership curriculums into one single source to help you get further faster on your leadership journey. Learn more at neckupleaders.com.

Understanding the difference between fault and responsibility

Once upon a time, there was an important job to be done. Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.

Chances are, you’ve heard this story before; perhaps your employer even has a copy of it hanging on the wall in the break room. Despite the tongue-in-cheek writing, the message is generally understood: nothing gets accomplished when people fail to take responsibility. When responsibility is abandoned, fault must be assigned—and it’s all downhill from there.

Leaders must learn to separate fault from responsibility. First, work to identify the real issue. Don’t look for someone to blame, and don’t try to assign responsibility to a person. Find out what went wrong without jumping to conclusions. Second, help create a solution. Nothing is gained, and much is lost when we argue and point the finger of blame at people who are on the same team as us. Skip the drama and find a solution that allows everyone to save face and move forward with a positive outlook. Third, be proactive as you move forward. Look for potential danger zones and do your best to address them before a crisis takes place.

Model responsible behavior and do your best to change fault from a shameful word into a teachable concept. As you empower your team with a deeper understanding of fault and responsibility, your cohesiveness and productivity will grow.

Neck Up Leadership brings together three nationally recognized leadership curriculums into one single source to help you get further faster on your leadership journey. Learn more at neckupleaders.com.

Understanding Fair, Equal and Legal

Everyone wants to team up with a leader who is fair, equal and legal. Unfortunately, most people tend to use these three concepts synonymously, when in reality, they’re very different. To make matters worse, each individual can have a slightly different perception of what is fair, equal or legal. Mishandling these concepts can lead to dysfunction and resentment down the road.

Successful leaders know that these three concepts can be reconciled, but only with diligent efforts to create a shared understanding among team members. This understanding must be built over time with cooperation and flexibility from everyone involved, and it needs to be based on objective definitions, not subjective feelings.

Equality can often be quantified tangibly. Fairness is based on individual need, and can vary from situation to situation, and from person to person. Legality is based on established, unchangeable rules—it’s not what one person thinks the law says, it’s what is actually recorded in the law books.

Conflict often arises when team members’ perceptions don’t match the leader’s decisions regarding fairness, equality, and legality. Rather than letting conflicts escalate into arguments, the leader can use them as tools to refocus the team and clarify the shared values that have been established. Expectations that arise from these conversations should be based on factual definitions that are clearly understood by each team member.

Consistency is key as the team moves forward. Leaders must make it a point to intentionally revisit the concepts of fairness, equality and legality with your team from time to time. It’s good to ask for input and adjust the expectations when necessary, while making sure that everyone who is required to have an understanding also has a voice in the discussion. Leaders must be patient, understanding and humble when implementing new expectations related to fairness, equality and legality.

Neck Up Leadership brings together three nationally recognized leadership curriculums into one single source to help you get further faster on your leadership journey. Learn more at neckupleaders.com.

Three Tools One Goal: Understand Your Blind Spots

Creating leaders within an organization can be boiled down to two words: blind spots.

Each of us has blind spots to how we interpret information, draw conclusions, and take action. Effective leadership programs awaken individuals to their strengths and preferences, and at the same time, build understanding and respect for their coworker’s strengths and preferences. Behaviors from others that were once seen as different and negative can be understood as alternate and complimentary.

Our experience showed that no one approach gave us the tools we needed to help our clients identify and manage their blind spots. The solution was a layering of three respected curriculums, each based on sound science and proven practical application:

• Kouzes and Posner: The Leadership Challenge

• MBTI: Meyer’s Briggs Assessment

• Emotional Intelligence from Talent Smart.

By bringing together the strengths of these tools, over a relatively short period of time, teams were given the tools, vocabulary and behaviors to better manage change, create accountability and solve problems. The complimentary roles of personality assessment, emotional intelligence and leadership behaviors pulls off personal blinders and puts works on the path to be leaders.