Five Presuppositions that will Change Your Reactions, Responses, and Outcomes

Today we hear so much about managing in a multi-generational, global, and highly mobile work environment that it can feel daunting at times to think of what it will take to achieve excellence in our organizations.

There are universal principles of success that have served each generation through the years.  I believe that as our environments change, we can still look at these principles and apply them. I remember reading years ago, Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun – whole ruled in the 4th century, a captivating title but the points in the book did make some sense.  In 1989 when Stephen Covey first published his book 7 Habits of Highly Successful People, it got many people throughout the world thinking of these fundamental principles of success.

As a business coach through the years, I have developed Presuppositions for Excellence. Similar to foundational principles, they are ways of thinking about something that pre-supposes certain things.  Once people begin to operate from these presuppositions, they notice different reactions, responses, and outcomes in their environment.

How many of us remember when we were little or just starting out in work, how naïve we might have been?  At the same time, we may have created some of the greatest successes we ever had.  We did not know what we didn’t know.  We presupposed or assumed certain things and threw ourselves whole heartedly into our field of endeavor.  

A presupportion can do just that.  Our behaviors follow our beliefs.  If you want to understand someone’s underlying belief system – watch their behavior.  We can see and hear people who might have negative opinions about a certain project, department, or team of people.  They will absolutely project their beliefs and we will see it through their behavior.  Conversely, when we notice someone with a positive attitude they will behave in a way that fosters collaboration, understanding, and partnership around shared purpose or outcome.  Through the years, we have had several models and guides to help us understand this.  In the following Presuppositions of Excellence, you will see how each one can open a new perspective and new outcomes as a result.  The challenge is to believe in them.

 There is No Such Thing as Failure, Only Feedback. What if you knew you could never fail, what if everything was just about feedback in relationship to what you intended to create?   Ben Zander in his book The Art of Possibility, which we have as an assigned reading assignment in our Leadership Source program, teaches that everyone is capable of getting an A+.  What if there was no F?  What if the F that you may have received in school was only Feedback?  In today’s work environment, we challenge people to take risks and yet many times we focus on the negative result and failure of success that stifles our creativity and willingness to step outside of the box.  As managers, when we encourage people to take risks, to raise the bar, we must also be willing to confront the results.  As mentors and coaches, this is the learning opportunity for people to see and take in the feedback received in a way that they can course correct and execute more effectively the next time. 

 Behind Every Behavior Is Positive Intent. This is an easy one when you think of small children; when it comes to adults it is a bit more challenging.  When people recognize behaviors that are not productive or communication that is not respectful, this presupposition can be useful.   Have you thought to yourself “What were they thinking?” or "REALLY!!?"

When I see someone who in my world view is not acting in a way that might produce a positive outcome, I ask myself this question: “What if I were to presuppose that they had some positive intent?” Maybe it is to be noticed or to let people know that they needed assistance and did not know how to ask for it.  This is where a manager can come from a place of appreciative inquiry, not judgment, as a means to open the dialogue with someone whose behavior is not in alignment with desired outcomes.   Find a few moments alone to sit and inquire as to the thought process they had gone through before acting or communicating in a certain way. This is where the skills of coaching are very effective by asking people powerful questions designed to create self reflection. 

Requisite Variety is a presupposition that I use for accessing people’s creativity. How many times have you heard yourself or others say "I had NO CHOICE?"  When in reality you just did not see all the choices you may have had. When working to achieve excellence, remember the more flexibility you maintain, the more options you will have. With so many options to choose from, you will achieve a new level of excellence most of the time.   I ask my clients to think like they were making selections from a Chinese Menu. Look at all that is available first, then make your choice – versus what you may have automatically chosen.

The Map is Not the Territory.  This is a powerful presupposition and many times used by the most effective leaders. With constant change upon us, we must continue to challenge our world view.   When sitting in a meeting or conducting new training initiatives, how many times have you heard challenges from others on the feasibility of what you are saying?  This is your feedback that their map is pretty “fixed” about how they see things.  Challenge others to look at what they see as their “reality” and realize it is not the same for everyone.  We can embrace the diversity that we have and see things from many different perspectives.  Understanding and appreciating different world views is what will create the broadest understanding and opportunity to look at all perspectives.

The Meaning Of Your Communication Is The Response That You Get.  Whenever I get a response in any situation that does not line up with what I had wanted, I challenge myself to look at my real intention.  How many times have you heard yourself say “I didn’t mean that” or think that someone’s response to you is “their problem"? 

 Effective communicators and leaders listen to people’s responses. When they are not aligned with the desired outcomes, they challenge themselves to see a different way to communicate while not giving up on the core message.  Understanding left brain-right brain thinking, different levels of emotional intelligence and learning to “Style Flex” to meet the needs of how others think and process information will provide more effective conversations in the future.   When we refuse to adjust to another person's style, we short circuit the opportunity to create understanding and to build trust with others.

I look forward to sharing in more detail how these presuppositions of excellence can be applied in different situations and with very practical tools at the August 16, 2012, ASTD Chapter Meeting in West Los Angeles, California.

Barbara Fagan
President and Founder
Source Point Training
800-217-5660
www.SourcePointTraining.com

Learn more at our August 16 Chapter Meeting. Register here.