17 Feb It’s time we Connect

In the last six weeks of the IBL blog, we have compared the old plays of the Industrial AgeThe period when humans developed large complex organizations based on machines. Factories, assembly lines, plantations, and railroads were dominant during the Industrial Age. The Industrial Age organizational design was optimized to use humans to reduce variability and comply with their masters’ instructions. This fundamental structure shapes our organizational design and language today. playbook to the new playbook for leaders found in Leadership Is Language. Here’s a recap.

First, we have two different work modes. RedworkDoing, action, process, production work. Redwork benefits from reducing variability. is the active production work that benefits from reducing variabilityThe spread in a characteristic. Variability can be across time, and across different members of a population. Variability can be thought of as diversity. The purpose of diversity programs is to increase the chance of greater variability in cognitive creativity. Variability is an enemy to redwork and an ally to bluework. and a prove mindsetA mindset motivate to achieve something, prove competence, show the ability to get something done. A prove mindset is positively correlated with performance in redwork tasks., whereas blueworkThinking, cognitive, creative, deciding work. Bluework benefits from embracing variability. encompasses the reflective, collaborative thinking processes that benefit from embracing variabilityThe spread in a characteristic. Variability can be across time, and across different members of a population. Variability can be thought of as diversity. The purpose of diversity programs is to increase the chance of greater variability in cognitive creativity. Variability is an enemy to redwork and an ally to bluework. and an improveThe play at the end of redwork where we pause to reflect on what we have learned. Improve comes from reflection of the past and modification of current plans, process, designs in order to do or make something better in the future. Improve is the domain of the “Get Better” self. mindset. Within these two modes, there are six leadership plays:

Starting in redworkDoing, action, process, production work. Redwork benefits from reducing variability. we transition from to blueworkThinking, cognitive, creative, deciding work. Bluework benefits from embracing variability. with:
Control the clockThe new play where we are able to call a pause or time-out in order to exit the pressures of redwork and shift to the thinking of bluework., not obey the clockThe Industrial Age play where we feel the stress of having to get so much done within a certain period of time..
CompleteThe play at the end of redwork where we pause to reflect on what we have accomplished, celebrate that, and invite others to tell their stories., not continueThe Industrial Age play of continuing redwork, or if pausing, proceeding directly on to the next project..

While in blueworkThinking, cognitive, creative, deciding work. Bluework benefits from embracing variability. we:
CollaborateThe play where we learn from others thereby making our product, ideas, and lives better. This play requires us to share ideas, be vulnerable, respect the ideas of others, and admit to ourselves that we don't have the whole picture. Collaborate sounds like: What does everyone think? How safe is it? What do you see that I don't?  , not coerceThe Industrial Age play where we goad, manipulate, order, motivate, inspire, or threaten people to do what we want them to. Using influence, power, rank, talking first, talking more, or talking louder to bring people around to your way of thinking. Coercion sounds like: I need you to be a team player. Everyone needs to get on board. It's time to fall in line. We are ready to go, right? The new play for leaders is Collaborate., with the goal to:
ImproveThe play at the end of redwork where we pause to reflect on what we have learned. Improve comes from reflection of the past and modification of current plans, process, designs in order to do or make something better in the future. Improve is the domain of the “Get Better” self., not proveThe Industrial Age play where demonstration of competency or avoiding exposure of incompetency is paramount. Prove is the domain of the “Be Good” self..

Transition from blueworkThinking, cognitive, creative, deciding work. Bluework benefits from embracing variability. back to redworkDoing, action, process, production work. Redwork benefits from reducing variability. with:
CommitThe play where we decide what we intend to do and dedicate ourselves to action., not complyThe Industrial Age play of doing what we were told..

Now we come to the sixth, the final, and arguably the most important new play for leaders – CONNECTThe enabling play that makes all the other plays more effective. Connect is caring for others and leveling the power gradient. Connect means viewing yourself as doing WITH, not TO or FOR..

Now remember in the Industrial AgeThe period when humans developed large complex organizations based on machines. Factories, assembly lines, plantations, and railroads were dominant during the Industrial Age. The Industrial Age organizational design was optimized to use humans to reduce variability and comply with their masters’ instructions. This fundamental structure shapes our organizational design and language today., we separated the deciders – salaried leaders –  from the doers -hourly payed workers – and that resulted in a whole series of plays that we’ve now gone through: Obey the clockThe Industrial Age play where we feel the stress of having to get so much done within a certain period of time., CoerceThe Industrial Age play where we goad, manipulate, order, motivate, inspire, or threaten people to do what we want them to. Using influence, power, rank, talking first, talking more, or talking louder to bring people around to your way of thinking. Coercion sounds like: I need you to be a team player. Everyone needs to get on board. It's time to fall in line. We are ready to go, right? The new play for leaders is Collaborate., ComplyThe Industrial Age play of doing what we were told., ContinueThe Industrial Age play of continuing redwork, or if pausing, proceeding directly on to the next project. the work in a Prove mindsetA mindset motivate to achieve something, prove competence, show the ability to get something done. A prove mindset is positively correlated with performance in redwork tasks., and finally ConformThe Industrial Age play where people hide behind their positions and deny connection with other people.. Bosses of the Industrial AgeThe period when humans developed large complex organizations based on machines. Factories, assembly lines, plantations, and railroads were dominant during the Industrial Age. The Industrial Age organizational design was optimized to use humans to reduce variability and comply with their masters’ instructions. This fundamental structure shapes our organizational design and language today. wanted sterile workplaces devoid of emotions. The best way for leaders to get their teams to complyThe Industrial Age play of doing what we were told. with their coerced wishes was for everyone to conformThe Industrial Age play where people hide behind their positions and deny connection with other people. to their role in the hierarchy. If you are deciding what others should do, you have to maintain a certain distance from them; connection is counterproductive. The goal of this rule is to prevent friendship from coloring decisions about work assignments and promotions.

What we really want now is ConnectThe enabling play that makes all the other plays more effective. Connect is caring for others and leveling the power gradient. Connect means viewing yourself as doing WITH, not TO or FOR.. Because we’re making the doers also be the deciders, the workers also be the thinkers and the leaders, in order to make healthy decisions we have to have a healthy emotional state, we need to feel psychologically safe. In order to do that, we have to feel like humans at work. In order to do that we have to feel connected. This is why the final play, which underpins all of these is to ConnectThe enabling play that makes all the other plays more effective. Connect is caring for others and leveling the power gradient. Connect means viewing yourself as doing WITH, not TO or FOR..

The connectThe enabling play that makes all the other plays more effective. Connect is caring for others and leveling the power gradient. Connect means viewing yourself as doing WITH, not TO or FOR. play is about caring–caring what people think, caring how they feel, caring for their personal goals. Instead of judging from a position of power, we walk alongside from a position of encouragement. This does not mean accepting whatever the person thinks or does. It does not mean shielding them from the consequences of their own behavior, but it does mean removing unnecessary and artificially induced workplace inhibitors to feeling safe. People will not feel cared for if they do not feel safe. People can’t strive for stretch
goals or feel free to say what they think.

The connectThe enabling play that makes all the other plays more effective. Connect is caring for others and leveling the power gradient. Connect means viewing yourself as doing WITH, not TO or FOR. play is the antidote to fear.

ConnectThe enabling play that makes all the other plays more effective. Connect is caring for others and leveling the power gradient. Connect means viewing yourself as doing WITH, not TO or FOR. makes it safe to say what we see and think, even if no one else sees or thinks the way we do, even if we are not 99 percent sure that we’re correct. ConnectThe enabling play that makes all the other plays more effective. Connect is caring for others and leveling the power gradient. Connect means viewing yourself as doing WITH, not TO or FOR. creates cultural conditions that encourage diversity of thought and variabilityThe spread in a characteristic. Variability can be across time, and across different members of a population. Variability can be thought of as diversity. The purpose of diversity programs is to increase the chance of greater variability in cognitive creativity. Variability is an enemy to redwork and an ally to bluework. of opinion.

ConnectThe enabling play that makes all the other plays more effective. Connect is caring for others and leveling the power gradient. Connect means viewing yourself as doing WITH, not TO or FOR. is a special play in that it does not fit into the sequence of the blue-red-blue cycle. Rather, it is an underlying basic building block that enables all the other plays. The behaviors that support some of the earlier plays help with connectThe enabling play that makes all the other plays more effective. Connect is caring for others and leveling the power gradient. Connect means viewing yourself as doing WITH, not TO or FOR., like observing (pause and invite others observations) and celebrating (completeThe play at the end of redwork where we pause to reflect on what we have accomplished, celebrate that, and invite others to tell their stories. the work and celebrate), and inviting colleagues to tell their story (human relatedness.) Others are strongly enabled by connectThe enabling play that makes all the other plays more effective. Connect is caring for others and leveling the power gradient. Connect means viewing yourself as doing WITH, not TO or FOR., like creating the feeling of safety that allows everyone to speak up and to let go of the “be good” self (collaborating and improving.)

Download the Compare the Plays handout.