I think one of the best creativity exercises leadership trainers and facilitators can do is to borrow ideas and concepts from disparate industries to better inform leadership practices and performance. In listening to a recent NPR podcast, Planet Money, hosts Sally Helm and Kenny Malone were taking a programming break from their usual experts in the field of money and finance and welcomed guests who may or may not been CIA agents to discuss how we can improve our personal safety. This got me thinking out loud that about how to apply such spy training to improve our leadership abilities!
To be clear, this does not mean stalking our team
members to see if they were really sick the day they called out or placing
listening devices in the break room to eavesdrop on employee conversations. Rather,
it is using the same training that keeps agents effective and alive to make us
better at leading others.
One of the agents they had on
the show was describing an incident when he was accosted on a subway while
working in an undisclosed location. Essentially, he shared that CIA and other
intelligence operatives are trained to evaluate situations and pursue subsequent
actions using the D.A.D.A Method. As leaders, aren’t we are also
constantly tasked with evaluating events and making decisions, albeit not as
life threatening? So maybe a little bit of secret agent training would benefit
us as well! I will explain the decision-making
model the agent was trained to use along with how I applied to my own decision
making regarding a crises situation.
Data –
first, as secret agents and leaders, we must gather data. What is the nature of
the threat or the situation? I remember one time when I was a Dean of Students
for a small university in North Carolina. One evening I received a phone call
from one of my team members that where was fire at one of our Residence Halls.
I quickly jumped into my car and headed back to campus but along the way,
subsequent phone calls changed the data. What at first was a 3 Alarm fire in
one of the Residence Halls turned into some of the landscaping outside the hall
burning. The next call informed me that, no, it was just some of mulch in the
plant beds burning. By the time I arrived on campus, what was initially
presented to me as a huge fire turned out to be just a cigarette smoldering in the
ground outside the entrance to the building. As leaders, it is critical we take
a moment and obtain the best data we can first before launching into action
or even over/under reaction!
Analysis – Once
data is obtained, we have to analyze the data as to the serious of the threat
or situation. What are the various threat scenarios being presented at the
time? How bad or good is it? In my example, a fire in a residence hall is very serious
so you want to know how big, localized, etc. the fire is. Obviously, as the
data set changed, my analysis of the situation changed as to what my next steps
and instructions would to the team would be.
Decision – both leaders and spies must develop their ability to make decisions. There are always alternative and, at times, competing courses of actions available to us; thus, we have to use both the data presented and our analysis of it to make the best decision we can. It may not be the most textbook “correct” decision but our goal is to deal with situations as effectively as we can. This also speaks to how much we train team members to make good decisions when they encounter certain situations and empower them accordingly. In the situation regarding a possible structure fire, the student leaders who helped us manage the residence halls, were trained to respond to situations and take action as needed without wasting precious time to check with a supervisor first to get approval.
Action – at some point, leaders must take action. It may not be the best or complete course of action, but people and situations demand we do something! According to leadership scholar, Dr. Ron Heifetz, when leaders demonstrate they are taking some kind of action, it has the effect of releasing a “social pressure valve”. When stakeholders and team members know you are aware of a situation and are actively responding to it, it provides a level of reassurance. Granted, that reassurance last only as long as you continue to make good or better decisions. In the example I have shared, even though my team members and student leaders had the situation well in hand, they appreciated the fact that I cared enough to drop what I was doing and respond to their needs as quickly as I could.It is important to note the operative in the podcast shared that with much use and practice, the 4 steps of the D.A.D.A. Method occur almost subconsciously and in a matter of seconds. Just think about when you are driving a car on a busy interstate highway. You constantly take in data on weather, traffic, road conditions, etc., analyze that data for any potential threats of obstacles and distracted drivers or opportunities to avoid traffic, make decisions on where to direct the vehicle and then take actions that will get you to your destination as quickly and safely as possible. We do this constantly while driving without even realizing we are doing it.
Decision – both leaders and spies must develop their ability to make decisions. There are always alternative and, at times, competing courses of actions available to us; thus, we have to use both the data presented and our analysis of it to make the best decision we can. It may not be the most textbook “correct” decision but our goal is to deal with situations as effectively as we can. This also speaks to how much we train team members to make good decisions when they encounter certain situations and empower them accordingly. In the situation regarding a possible structure fire, the student leaders who helped us manage the residence halls, were trained to respond to situations and take action as needed without wasting precious time to check with a supervisor first to get approval.
Action – at some point, leaders must take action. It may not be the best or complete course of action, but people and situations demand we do something! According to leadership scholar, Dr. Ron Heifetz, when leaders demonstrate they are taking some kind of action, it has the effect of releasing a “social pressure valve”. When stakeholders and team members know you are aware of a situation and are actively responding to it, it provides a level of reassurance. Granted, that reassurance last only as long as you continue to make good or better decisions. In the example I have shared, even though my team members and student leaders had the situation well in hand, they appreciated the fact that I cared enough to drop what I was doing and respond to their needs as quickly as I could.It is important to note the operative in the podcast shared that with much use and practice, the 4 steps of the D.A.D.A. Method occur almost subconsciously and in a matter of seconds. Just think about when you are driving a car on a busy interstate highway. You constantly take in data on weather, traffic, road conditions, etc., analyze that data for any potential threats of obstacles and distracted drivers or opportunities to avoid traffic, make decisions on where to direct the vehicle and then take actions that will get you to your destination as quickly and safely as possible. We do this constantly while driving without even realizing we are doing it.
So, the next time you are
facing a decision that needs strong leadership, lead like a spy and respond to
situations like they have been trained to do! While you are at it, maybe pick
up a sharp new outfit and carry a pen that takes pictures – just to capture
office group pictures, of course!
As always if I can help you and
the people you associate with Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD, I would
invite you to email me or to visit my website below and see if any of the
training or coaching experiences I offer can provide an impact! In fact, I am
launching a new SPEAK FOR IMPACT
training program that will help both novice and experienced leaders find their platform and increase
their communication skills! Also, as a bonus, if you go to my Out Loud
Strategies website (www.outloudinc.com) and
enter your contact information, I will send you a FREE guide to establishing a
mentoring initiative program in your organization! Such an initiative would be
critical to add value to your organization!
Yours in Leadership,
Bill Faulkner
Principal Consultant – Out
Loud Strategies
Independent Coach, Speaker,
and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team TM
Email
= bill@outloudinc.com
For more information on the
John Maxwell Team, please visit
