What is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)?

Cognitive behavioral therapy emerged in the 1960s and originated in the work of psychiatrist Aaron Beck. He noticed that certain thought patterns trigger emotional problems. Beck referred to this as the “negative thought spiral” and developed the process of cognitive therapy. The cognitive approach looks at how thoughts and feelings affect behavior. Since then, the form of therapy has become an effective first-line treatment for a variety of disorders and diseases. “Cognitive” is derived from the Latin term “cognoscere,” meaning “to recognize.” The therapy helps identify and discard negative patterns and form new positive thought patterns. It is one of the most researched forms of therapy and is used for a variety of conditions including anxiety, depression, addiction, eating disorders and phobias. 

Negative thinking patterns in professional life and inner resignations

Within psychotherapy treatment, participants learn to identify destructive thought patterns that have a negative impact on behavior and emotions. It focuses on changing the negative thoughts that contribute to and exacerbate emotional difficulties, depression, and anxiety. Through CT, these are identified, challenged, and replaced with objective thought patterns. It is primarily concerned with recognizing recurring patterns. It focuses on using a wide range of strategies to help sufferers overcome these thoughts. Such strategies include writing a diary, role-playing, relaxation techniques, and mental distractions. The goal of this type of therapeutic treatment is to change the automatic negative thought response that contributes to psychological distress. 

Employees who are caught in a constant vicious circle of bad thoughts and doubts in particular benefit from CBT. The consequence of the persistent negative thought spiral is often termination, but with the help of cognitive therapy, managers can free employees from harmful thought patterns. Often, these employees have already resigned internally. Difficulties concentrating at work or the inability to complete tasks on time are also focal points of CBT.

Release negative thought patterns and free employees

A study examined the impact of cognitive therapy on the job success of people struggling with depression. Results showed that CBT helped participants find a job and improve their job performance. Depression can affect all aspects of life and severely impact job performance or the ability to find employment in the first place. It’s not for nothing that depression is one of the leading causes of work disability around the world. KVT increases concentration and efficiency in the workplace by helping to break away from a negative mindset. Results suggest that patients can improve their job performance with the help of therapy, in part due to changing negative thought patterns. However, for people who suffer from depression and have difficulty finding a job, the solution is not to alleviate symptoms but to build a strong mental foundation. The therapy points to negative self-images as a key feature of depression, which can also exacerbate stress ratings in the workplace.

In the ordinary course of a job, employees often face rejection and must persevere in the face of it. When employees see each of these rejections as an indication of their potential as an employee or their value to society, it makes it harder to persevere. In the same way, releasing negative thought patterns can address the root cause of poor work performance. CT increases focus and efficiency in the workplace by helping to disengage from the negative mindset. Another example is employees who want to please their peers at all costs and have difficulty turning down tasks. These behaviors can lead to long-term burnout and subsequently poor performance at work. Once thought patterns are identified, participants can work to address fear of failure, perfectionism, and other unhelpful behaviors.

New stress factors in working life

Millions of jobs have been lost due to the pandemic, and countless others have had to either weather this period as essential workers or work from home. For many people, this immense stress has made their job situation worse. The more employees face this uncontrollable stressor and uncertainty, the more they are drawn into overly negative views. For this reason, it is essential for companies to find healthy ways of coping. Cognitive restructuring is a focus in CT, but there are other coping strategies that can have just as much impact. Mindfulness and self-care practices, developing time management skills, and exercises such as progressive muscle relaxation and diaphragmatic breathing can reduce anxiety and help people better protect themselves against external stressors. CT and related strategies have been shown to be effective in managing stress and depression. Cognitive therapy can be used effectively as a short-term treatment to help employees with a very specific problem and teach them to focus on current thoughts and beliefs. 

This is why cognitive behavioral therapies also work in everyday work life

Therapy includes a range of techniques and approaches that address thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. These can range from structured psychotherapies to self-help materials. Cognitive therapy focuses on identifying and changing inaccurate or distorted thought patterns, emotional responses, and behaviors. Behavioral therapy addresses thoughts and behaviors, incorporating strategies such as emotion regulation and mindfulness. Rational-emotive behavior therapy involves identifying irrational beliefs, actively challenging them, and ultimately learning to recognize and change these thought patterns. Although each type of cognitive therapy takes a different approach, all work to address the underlying thought patterns that contribute to psychological distress.

Cognitive therapy is goal-oriented and focused, with the therapist taking a very active role. Participants work together with their therapist toward mutually agreed-upon goals. The process is explained in detail and participants are given tasks to complete between sessions. The underlying concept of CBT is that thoughts and feelings play a fundamental role in behavior. For example, an employee who spends a lot of time thinking about his or her own failures and unhappiness will feel that way as a result. The goal of cognitive therapy is to teach participants that while they can’t control every aspect around them, they can take control of how they interpret and deal with things in their environment. There is a reason why this form of behavioral therapy has become increasingly popular in recent years. Other benefits include:

• By becoming aware of the negative and often unrealistic thoughts that dampen their feelings and moods, participants can begin to adopt healthier thought patterns.
• CT can be an effective short-term treatment.
• It can help people with certain types of emotional problems that do not require medication.
• It is empirically supported and has been shown to help patients overcome a variety of maladaptive behaviors.
• It is more affordable than other forms of therapy.

However, one of the greatest benefits of cognitive behavioral therapy is that it helps patients develop long-term coping strategies.

Recognize and resolve negative thoughts at work

Employees often experience thoughts and feelings that exacerbate faulty beliefs. Such beliefs can lead to problematic behaviors that spread to numerous areas of life. It is important to learn how thoughts, feelings, and situations contribute to maladaptive behaviors. This process can be difficult, but it can lead to self-knowledge and insight, which are an essential part of the treatment process.

It is important to start practicing new skills that will then be used in real-life situations. Goal setting is an important step in this process. Learning problem-solving skills helps identify and solve problems caused by stressors large and small, and reduce the negative effects of mental and physical illness. Problem solving in CT often involves five steps: Identifying a problem, creating a list of possible solutions, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of each possible problem solution, and selecting an approach to implement and accomplish.

Self-observation is an important part of CT in which behaviors, symptoms, and experiences are tracked over time and shared with the therapist. Self-observation can help provide the therapist with the information to provide the best treatment. In most cases, CT is a step-by-step process that helps a person make behavior change in small increments. By having participants work incrementally toward a larger goal, the process seems less scary and the goals are easier to achieve. There are some challenges participants may encounter during the course of cognitive behavioral therapy. Initially, they may recognize that certain thoughts are not rational or healthy, but simply becoming aware of them does not change them. Cognitive-behavioral therapy does not focus as much on underlying unconscious resistance to change as other psychoanalytic approaches. It is best suited for participants who are more comfortable with a structured and focused approach in which the therapist takes a guiding role.

Conclusion

Cognitive therapy can be an effective treatment option for a range of psychological problems. It is one of the most researched forms of therapy, in part because the treatment focuses on very specific goals and the results can be measured relatively easily. For therapy to be effective in the job setting, the person must be ready and willing to invest time and effort in analyzing his or her thoughts and feelings. Such self-analysis can be difficult. Nevertheless, CT is a popular way to learn more about how internal states influence external behavior.

Image Source: https://pixabay.com/de/photos/tiger-mann-raubtier-raubkatze-3158635/

Der Beitrag Cognitive behavioral therapy on the job – promoting positive thinking patterns among employees erschien zuerst auf agile Companies.

But there is a helpful model that helps every manager understand the behavior of his employees. This way, he can really take the lead in his team. This is transactional analysis. This involves the study of the relationship between a person’s personality and their communication. The ambitious goal is the development of the human being, i.e. autonomy.

The founder of this analysis is Eric Berne. He says that transactional analysis is a clinical method from psychotherapy and a theory about people’s personality. It involves observing and analyzing the interaction between people. The basis for this is precisely defined and specific ego states of people.

So how does this work exactly? Every manager who comes into contact with employees carries out transactions. This means that components of communication are exchanged, i.e. transferred, between the people involved. It is therefore important for a manager to be able to analyze these transactions precisely. This is the only way to gain precise and deep insights into the communication and to find out what exactly is happening between the interlocutors on a psychological level. This applies in particular to the personality of the counterpart, but also to one’s own leadership personality and the relationship dynamics between the two. A transaction is therefore always the encounter with another person and one’s own reaction to it. This transaction can and must be analyzed. Today, this is indispensable for the leadership of employees.

What can transactional analysis help with?

To find out why it can be helpful in leading people, one must take a closer look at what Berne said. His statements revolutionizing the world of psychoanalysis were:

• I am ok
• You are ok.

Simple statements, but they provide valuable input. Every person who comes into this world is fundamentally ok. His potential is healthy and good. People who are afflicted with mental problems are full members of society and intelligent. In order to shape one’s own life, only the person himself is needed. Everything he needs for this is already within him. His understanding of man is as thoroughly positive.

These statements have led to psychologists and psychiatrists dealing differently with the mentally ill today. Conversations take place respectfully at eye level. But the mentally ill have also experienced a new self-image, because their self-image has changed. All people are equally okay and all problems of a psychological nature can be solved.

The key to the solution is rooted in human communication. How a person communicates shows his true character. But not only that, also his feelings and memories become visible this way.

Based on his observations, Berne divided people’s behaviors into three states:

• The Parent Ego
• The Adult Ego
• The Child-I.

Every person constantly oscillates back and forth between the behaviors mentioned in these three states, depending on the prevailing feelings, desires and needs. For a supervisor, this becomes visible on a verbal level by what an employee says in terms of content. On the physical level, he perceives it through the tone of voice, facial expressions and gestures, i.e. how it is said.

In the parent ego are the statements and the behavior of our parents as one experienced and grasped it as a child. No parental order is questioned. Orders and rules are obeyed unconditionally, because parents are the first role models for a human being. They give each person the imprint in the first six years of life. At work, a manager then experiences employees in such a way that they often reprimand or patronize the other employees. Alternatively, it may be a strongly caring employee. In the case of verbal paternalism or disapproval, a frown is then often added, sweeping prejudices are expressed and disparaging assessments are made that are intended to humiliate the other person.

A strong contrast to this is the adult ego. It is the ultimate prerequisite for respectful, appreciative and factual communication between people who are adults. Interaction is constructive. Colleagues are seen as equals and treated as such. People who are in the state of the adult ego know their options for action. They actively influence situations and make full use of their potential, because they make decisions. Thus, in the experience of the situation, they are not trapped, but they change it. All decisions are made from information drawn from the three ego states simultaneously. If a manager communicates with such an employee, he will have an attentive listener and a reflective speaker in front of him.

The childhood ego contains the helplessness of the first five years of a child’s life. At this age, every child not only clearly perceives the rules and statements of the parents, but also collects feelings and impressions. At the beginning of his life, a child first feels that he is not full and therefore not okay. This is clearly visible in defiant and, for an adult, silly behavior. This usually happens spontaneously and the consequences are not considered. One simply rumbles away. But even employees who approach their work creatively, inquisitively and curiously are in the childhood ego. An imaginative approach to work is also a key factor in this.

All three states run unconsciously in communication and behavior. Mostly it is not perceived which state determines our communication at the moment. 

In everyday professional life, acoustics and facial expressions play a major role for every employee when dealing with colleagues and superiors. For example, if someone asks for an e-mail to be forwarded and this is done in an irritated tone of voice, reproachfully and with folded arms, a manager can assume that this person is currently in his parent ego. He assumes that it must be known that in order to do his job, he needs this e-mail. If the same request is made in a matter-of-fact tone of voice, it is merely a memory based on the adult ego. If a completely unsettled-looking employee with big child’s eyes stands in front of the supervisor and almost submissively asks for the e-mail to be forwarded, the basis is the child ego. This employee is not sure whether he is allowed to ask for the forwarding at all. His voice is therefore also rather brittle.

Already the knowledge of these three ego states can help to recognize, prevent or solve conflicts. It also contributes to the development of one’s own personality and that of the employees. Every person, whether employee or manager, can work on his or her communication behavior so that conflicts can be resolved and misunderstandings prevented. The prerequisite, however, is self-reflection and the ability to persevere with the work on one’s own communication. To do this, one should view oneself with the necessary distance from one’s own behavior and remain objective. In this way, the problems of one’s own communication quickly become clear.

In everyday working life, the caring parent ego shows itself, for example, in the fact that this employee constantly has to do the work of other colleagues. Someone who is in the child ego is often not taken seriously.

Resolve conflicts

But how can it help to solve or prevent conflicts? As a manager, you can take a closer look at the so-called drivers. Drivers are stereotypical behaviors that everyone learns in childhood. These behaviors reflect what parents and other caregivers have expected from the child. An example of this may be that if perfection was expected of a child, even as an adult he or she lives in the consciousness that everything must be done perfectly 150 percent of the time. Mistakes are not allowed. This puts a lot of pressure on the person and is perceived as stressful. If a child was often driven to hurry, he or she will also feel the urge to hurry as an adult. The tendency to want to please everyone and everything also comes from childhood.

As a manager, you can now help your employees to identify their respective drivers and thus gain clarity. This takes the pressure off. Subsequently, you can mitigate the driver by giving yourself permission. For example, those who no longer want to be so perfect can give themselves permission to be good enough.

End mind games

Psychological games are patterns in conversation processes that always run in the same way and are controlled by personal motives that run unconsciously. These conversation sequences always follow the same rules and in the end, unpleasant feelings remain associated with a pressure on the stomach. Employees who play such mind games have a hard time leading or developing relationships in a positive way. For decades, people suffer at work because of these psychological games, even though they run unconsciously. It is therefore important for a manager to discover these patterns in a conversation process, to uncover them and to get out of them. One can also offer affected employees help in this regard.

Positive manipulation

The term manipulation often has negative connotations, because it stands for a secret and covert influence on the behavior of other people. The intention is to get them to do or refrain from doing something they would never have done if they had not been manipulated. Nobody wants to have anything to do with manipulation. Manipulation is fundamentally bad. But in general, human coexistence without manipulation is hardly conceivable. So why not use the term positively?

If a manipulation does not cause any harm to the counterpart, but serves to achieve a certain goal, it can be assumed that this form of manipulation is positive. For example, a manager can motivate an employee to perform better through praise and recognition without harming him or her. For this, a leader must use the analysis of the particular ego and rhetoric. There is no need to have a guilty conscience when using positive manipulation, because the manager is convinced that this type of manipulation will have a positive effect on the employee and the company. The manipulation would become negative if the manager omits essential information for the employee or even lies.

Conclusion

An effective and successful method to be able to classify the behavior of the employees and the own and to change it if necessary. The causes of conflicts can be identified and solved. Own and the abilities of the employees can be used better. In this way, critical situations in everyday working life are better mastered, self-confidence is strengthened and one’s own potential and that of the employees is fully utilized.

Image: https://pixabay.com/de/photos/mädchen-frauen-freunde-schöne-café-3764703/

[werbung]

Der Beitrag TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS – EFFECTIVE TOOL FOR LEADERS erschien zuerst auf agile Companies.

Identify weaknesses and leverage strengths

There are many ways to design a meeting. We will look at six different patterns. All ways of conducting meetings have strengths and weaknesses. Compare with your own experience and reflect on what worked well and where changes make sense. If you go through this process a few times for different meetings, you’ll be surprised how quickly positive change is possible.

Pattern 1: The reluctant meeting

You have prepared well and invited people to the meeting on time. From some of the attendees you have received neither acceptance nor rejection. Now the time has come and only two out of seven people have shown up, two others arrive ten minutes late. How do you feel? Do you have doubts about whether you are being taken seriously as a leader at all?

The hallmark of leadership is to lead yourself and to take others with you. That requires a minimum of dominance. Assert yourself, don’t let up until you have the commitment of the participants. Ask for help if someone doesn’t show up. Maintain your strengths. Continue to stay well prepared, keep your task board current, etc.

Pattern 2: Informal exchange

The meeting takes place in a pleasant atmosphere and you are in the middle of it. The exchange is lively and time flies. In the end, tangible results are missing and next steps remain unclear.
This is a sign of a lack of structure. There are good tools for a goal-oriented exchange. Status and the tasks can be visualized excellently with a task board. Movable elements, such as cards, enable quick adjustments and increase agility. This makes it possible to work in a results-oriented manner, even in a relaxed atmosphere.

Pattern 3: The center

You pull the strings and all team members keep you on top of things. This feels good, but pushes you to the edge of your endurance. You are technically good, but without you, things hardly move forward.
Realize, a team is much more than the sum of its individuals. Be courageous and trust your people to do something. Define tasks and goals, but stay out of the implementation. This takes some practice for both sides. The results will speak for themselves and lift the whole team to a new level of agility.

Pattern 4: The Lonesome Rider

Actually, you think most meetings are superfluous. Isn’t it enough to be well informed and to summarize everything in a status report? At first glance, this can save a lot of time.
Good management relies on teams. The interaction of different skills and characters quickly leads to good results. Think about a new culture of leadership and coordination. In this way, your strengths will also be put to optimal use.

Pattern 5: The reporter

It is enough for you to be broadly informed about the status. To do this, have one of the team members keep you up to date.
Ask yourself how much you identify yourself with the team and the tasks. Leading the team includes leading by example and taking a genuine interest in people. Get involved in content implementation with the concrete hurdles of everyday life. This enables practical solutions.

Pattern 6: The boring meeting

Something is not right in the meeting. Hardly any of the participants take an active part. On the side, e-mails are answered or something else is typed into the laptop. Time is being wasted rather than working on results.
The strengths of a team come into their own best when everyone is involved. Let team members design individual parts. Choose a process and content that adds value for everyone.

It all comes down to the right mix

A successful meeting is characterized by communication within the team. At the end, the status and upcoming tasks are clear. Ideally, this can be achieved when everyone stands in front of the task board on an equal footing, reports on progress as well as difficulties, and discusses the next steps. Monitor the process and develop the team with each meeting.

Five tips for effective meetings

1. communication makes the difference
   It’s not about self-promotion by the leader. It’s asking team members to share information. It’s not just about results, but also the associated learnings. He follows up on open points.
2. task board as a central instrument
   Visualization helps enormously to capture status, goals and steps towards them. A task board demonstrates this in the truest sense of the word. Due to the dynamic structure, developments and new aspects can be made directly visible.
3. prepare questions
   Targeted questions enable structured work. What have I already implemented? What am I currently working on? What are the obstacles? Where do I need support? It makes sense to set time limits for the answers. This gives a concentrated overview of the overall status. 4.
4. the team is the actor
   The team has worked on the tasks and should also perform the corresponding actions on the task board. This creates more identification and satisfaction when individual items are completed. It makes sense to provide the individual tasks with name abbreviations. In this way, responsibilities are clearly assigned.
5. Overview through clarity
   Especially when many tasks are processed in parallel, it is important to ensure clarity. Mark completed tasks accordingly and remove them from the board as soon as possible. Do not assign too many or too few tasks at the same time. This prevents the feeling of being overwhelmed as well as being underchallenged.

Image: https://pixabay.com/de/photos/meeting-polaroid-gruppe-team-2500006/

Der Beitrag Reflection of the meeting culture on the quality of the leader erschien zuerst auf agile Companies.

“They are not dominant enough – they have to assert themselves more. Sometimes hit the table and make yourself unpopular. “

But what is the truth of this feedback and why are people in staff units or project management not so dominant?

“Dominance” in the staff position or as a project manager?

The feedback to me, too, was often that I should hit the table harder and that I should “complain” to employees from time to time. But especially as a project manager and in staff positions, I was dependent on the department heads providing me with people and the employees voluntarily implementing my internal projects in addition to their day-to-day business. So what happens when I hit the table? The employees no longer work voluntarily for my staff function and I can do everything on my own. So I could never hit the table. It was always important that I solve everything through some kind of cooperation and that I also plug it in for the benefit of the project. But what about the leadership? Is it different there?

“Dominance” in leadership? Then I’m just sick!

How do I do it right with domination? I also observed what happens when a manager really hits the table. The result was with disciplinary managers: The employees were then sick, have given notice or have changed or have previously changed on Tuesday according to regulations. So it didn’t seem to be going any better. The difference is that you immediately lose the employee in the staff and, as a manager, only delay it a little. As a “toothless tiger” project manager / staff position, you have to make sure that you can win people over voluntarily. So it seemed to be the better solution anyway to find a solution with the employee on a cooperative level.

Of course you have to hit the table and put pressure on both in management and in staff positions, but what exactly is meant by feedback?

Leadership allows this dominance a little more

In the staff unit or as a project manager, I have to behave much less dominantly than when I am in a leadership position. So I think the feedback is rather wrong. If I behave differently, my staff function will suffer and I will certainly not be promoted. Especially I – at a young age – can hardly knock off the table like an experienced manager. It looks ridiculous. So I always have to try to find compromises.

Conclusion

I believe that the feedback on dominance means that you have to learn to hold employees accountable. Set measurable goals and sometimes punish them if they are not achieved. This is possible at any time and it works without “complaining”. I think that especially with this kind of feedback, it should be noted that toothless tigers such as staff units and project managers simply cannot display this dominance.

Der Beitrag “You have to become more dominant if you want to become a manager with us” – a comment on Command and Control erschien zuerst auf agile Companies.

Download checklist: Retaining employees to the company

Theoretical background: hierarchy of needs

A person becomes attached to something when certain needs are satisfied. Abraham Maslow summarized these needs in a pyramid in 1943. The dimensions are:

• Physiological needs such as breathing, oxygen and food
• Security needs such as protection and stability
• Social needs e.g. friends and community
• Individual needs such as recognition and power
• Self-actualization e.g. skills and influence

If all these needs are met, a person binds to something or the degree of fulfillment shows how strong a connection to a thing, e.g. a company, is. Take a restaurant, for example: If you only meet physiological needs, i.e. eat out there, it is less important to you than if you already get along well with the staff as a regular (social needs). This is particularly noticeable in fitness studios. But how can the concept be extended to employers? For more information you can like to watch an explanatory video!

Hierarchy of needs and influence on loyalty to the company

In this paragraph I would first like to transfer Maslow’s pyramid to the motivation of employees and then give you concrete recommendations on how you as a manager can implement this theoretical concept.

Satisfaction and influence on motivation

Let’s look at the pyramid. You will find that as a company it is very easy to start at the bottom of the pyramid. For this purpose, it is sufficient to pay a salary that is customary in the market. When the first needs are met, employees work in the company. They see it as a satisfaction of the need for food and logically need money in the form of salary for this.

If we go one step further and give employees security, the motivation increases to “work according to regulations”. If further measures follow and the employee finds friends, for example, an initial commitment beyond the employment contract begins. If you give the employees appreciation, they will get involved even more and, if the influence increases, they will even be maximally involved in the company. But how exactly do I reach these levels and which measures can support which level? The next paragraph provides information on this!

Leadership Guide & Examples of Retention

Now we will address the overriding question: “How do I implement the pyramid and bind my employees to my company? To do this, you should ask yourself the following sub-questions:

• How can I meet the various needs of the employees at each level?
• How far do I want to go as a company?
• How far does the employee want to go anyway?

How can I meet employee needs?

Let’s turn to the first question. How can I meet the needs of employees at each level? For this purpose, I recommend that you make a list and assign specific measures. I’ll give you a couple of examples:

• Physiological needs : adequate pay & good working hours
• Security needs : Regular success reports of the company, protection against dismissal
• Social needs: Events, teamwork and 1: 1 discussions (social events)
• Individual needs : Status symbols, bonus & praise
• Self-actualization : Co-determination & influence through roles in the company and internal training by employees for employees or internal projects for management

You notice that you are already implementing some of these measures, but probably not as systematically as in this list. For example, I know a managing director who constantly wants to motivate and reports the company’s success. He wonders why the employees continue to work according to regulations to conditionally. This is because he does not put any effort into social needs. It only satisfies security.

There are also many companies that have a strong cohesion through many events. But the level of commitment is not as high as desired. There is a lack of praise and status symbols. You will notice that the systematic linking of measures is the key to success. Take a look at what measures you are currently carrying out yourself in the company and how far you are currently getting with them.

How far should companies go?

The question now is how far should companies go? A calculation of economic efficiency is particularly worthwhile here. From level 4, in particular, it becomes quite expensive and exhausting (time-consuming for managers). Ask yourself: As a company, would I like to contribute financially and in terms of time to the stage or is the current management of my employees enough for me? It certainly makes sense to limit the performance of levels 3, 4 and 5 to certain employees. Why this? I will give an answer to this in the next paragraph.

How far do employees want to go?

Not every employee wants to actively participate in and commit to the company. Some employees just see a job as just a job and are completely satisfied from level 2. The focus here is often on private life. So it is also important to accept that we have an employment contract and that many employees simply fulfill it. Thus, the measures should always be voluntary for the employees – anyone who wants to participate is always welcome to do so.

Conclusion

Retaining employees to the company is not easy, but possible. It is particularly important to understand the wishes and needs of employees. This must then be met through specific measures. Recommendations were given in the article – further measures can be found in the checklist, which you can download for free. I wish you much success!

Download checklist: Retaining employees to the company

Der Beitrag Retaining employees remotely to the company – a guide for managers erschien zuerst auf agile Companies.

I believe that agility, especially in management, depends on a person’s character. You either have or don’t have this agile mindset – I think. So there is a specific character or character image that is considered agile or at least that people see the theory of agility represented. In this article I would like to first show how a character can be described and then show from conversations with managers what a character that is considered “agile” looks like.

Description of a character

Authentic management is described as a mindset, behavior or personal attitude. For this reason, managers are often concerned with the character that should be decisive for success. A character can be described using the Big Five (also known as the five-factor model). The Big Five model is now regarded as a kind of standard for describing personalities and has been used in over 3,000 scientific studies over the past twenty years (John et al. 2008). In the following figure 1 the model is roughly shown and three examples per high and low factor value are presented for each of its dimensions. Each dimension is briefly explained for a better understanding:

• Openness: The willingness to deal with new issues with an open mind
• Conscientiousness: self-control and accuracy of a person
• Extraversion: attitude in dealing with other people
• Compatibility: The adaptation and ability to understand other people.
• Neuroticism: Emotional and psychological strength of a person

SURVEY ON THE CHARACTER OF A TOP MANAGER

The question now arises as to what the character of a top manager could look like and which characteristics are relevant for authentic management. I evaluated the Big Five model through a survey on the blog and in personal conversations with top managers from my environment. The managers from my environment were as follows:

• 4 x managers with 50-99 employees,
• 9 x managers with 100–249 employees,
• 3 x managers with 250–499 employees and
• 4 x managers with over 500 employees.

The study is not strictly academic but was carried out by me out of pleasure and interest. But I tried to make sure that it was executed properly as far as possible. I showed managers 15 sliders – 3 per category of the framework. The sliders should be weighted between two opposing values, e.g. speed / perfection. The mean values of the respective answers and characteristics of the character can be found as a model in the following figure 2. The manager’s task was to define a target image that you would see as an authentic and good character of a manager.

The model shows a model for the character of a manager. The mission statement can serve as an orientation for current top managers. In the following, the results are explained in more detail and compared with current top managers as examples. The comparisons are based on reports from current media and serve as an example.

openness

The first dimension is openness: According to the test subjects, a top manager should be interested in many things and open to the unusual. Furthermore, there should be a slight tendency towards a positively crazy character. Especially managerial types like Elon Musk (Tesla) and Steve Jobs (Apple) underline these character traits and were often described by the media as “positively crazy”. In particular, initially incomprehensible visions such as the iPhone or the trip to the moon or flying taxis shaped this picture.

conscientiousness

The second dimension is conscientiousness. According to the top managers surveyed, managers shouldn’t be particularly conscientious. Above all, spontaneity and speed are more relevant than perfection and considered behavior. However, it is important to the respondents that there is a high level of determination. Here in particular, managers from start-ups such as Valentin Stalf (N26) and Dominik Richter (HelloFresh) underline these values. N26 and HelloFresh in particular showed great growth. According to both founders, speed and the spontaneous reaction to change were particularly important characteristics.

Extraversion

The third dimension includes extraversion. A manager should be bright, very sociable, and a good communicator. The aforementioned managers Jürgen Klopp and Dieter Zetsche show this behavior in particular. During the transformation of Daimler, Zetsche in particular had communicated numerous messages to relevant newspapers and made contact with employees. Jürgen Klopp also stands for open and clear communication that is perceived by the media as authentic.

compatibility

Compatibility is the fourth dimension. In general, the top managers surveyed describe the character as sociable and compassionate. Only the value harmony was not essential for the respondents, but a high degree of competitive orientation in the decisions. Especially Janina Kugel (ex-Siemens) and Anna Alex (Outfittery) should be mentioned here. Janina Kugel in particular shows herself to be particularly compassionate through statements about the improvement of working conditions in the course of flexible home office models and attached great importance to harmony within the group.

Neuroticism

The last dimension is neuroticism. According to respondents, a manager should be confident and relaxed. Furthermore, this should be more moderating than convincing. Especially Daniel Kraus (Flixbus) and Raffael Johnen (Auxmoney) should be mentioned here. Both founders show in media and keynotes that they keep a confident appearance.

CONCLUSION

Overall, according to the model, a top manager should show a certain openness and a low level of conscientiousness, but a high degree of extraversion. A top manager is therefore a good communicator, very bright and sociable. He pays little attention to details and is a confident and relaxed person. The conclusion shows that, according to my data set, the idea of one’s own behavior / character is strongly based on that of top managers from the media.

Read on to learn how to change your character based on properties!

swell

John, O., Laura, P. & Soto, C. (2008). Paradigm Shift to the Integrative Big Five Trait Taxonomy. Handbook of Personality Theory and Research. 3rd Edition. Pp. 114-117

Der Beitrag What does an agile character actually look like? erschien zuerst auf agile Companies.

Selected research on changing a character

Especially Top management needs character – a new generation of top managers is putting pressure on the old gray man with charisma, audacity and cleverness. But everyone can learn this, or is such a character innate, and if so, how can a character be changed?

The question now arises whether a top manager can easily change habits and personality. Do you see yourself in a position, like the young startup founders, Jürgen Klopp and Dieter Zetsche, to become a role model with your character?

For many years researchers have not agreed on whether character traits can be consciously changed. As early as 2006, Roberts et al. 92 long-term studies and find that the basic character is divided into surface and core features. Core traits are deeply rooted in a person’s subconscious. Surface features form a person’s individual routines and skills. These are:

• Openness: The willingness to deal with new issues with an open mind
• Conscientiousness: self-control and accuracy of a person
• Extraversion: attitude in dealing with other people
• Compatibility: The adaptation and ability to understand other people.
• Neuroticism: Emotional and psychological strength of a person

The question arises whether and how core or surface features can be changed or not. For a closer examination, Specht et al. (2011) analyzed almost 15,000 test persons and found that people change significantly after adolescence, especially between 25 and 30 years of age (entry into employment) and again after retirement at around 67 years of age. Goals change, especially when entering professional life or promotions, and new skills and routines are acquired for them. However, these new routines and skills often only superficially influence a person’s character, i.e. surface features. According to the study, special changes in the core characteristics are often the result of a traumatic experience, which, however, is mostly negative, e.g. B. Death of a fellow human being or car accidents.

According to the study mentioned, it is hardly or not possible to change one’s own core characteristics naturally. Only an adaptation of routines and the acquisition of skills to control the character allow an outward change. So surface features can be changed.

Change of routines and skills

According to the studies examined, humans can consciously make changes in surface features, even if this requires perseverance. Each of us has daily routines (e.g. going to the office, brushing our teeth before breakfast) and behaviors (e.g. emotional discussion in the event of problems or withdrawal from intense disputes). This refers to the innermost and deepest routines that are often difficult to influence. It therefore requires a high level of internal motivation and a pronounced stamina. Such a change consists of three steps (see Lindner 2020):

• Step 1: recognize routines
• Step 2: identify motivations
• Step 3: internalize new behaviors

1. Recognize routines

The first step is that you choose certain characteristics of your character and recognize routines that are associated with them. Feedback from colleagues, employees and friends is also well suited for this. Some examples are:

• Neuroticism (I control my co-workers too much),
• Extraversion (I am too rational and do not pay enough attention to my employees),
• Openness (I take too few risks and rely on stability),
• Tolerance (I hardly listen to my employees) and
• Conscientiousness (I hardly plan projects and have little overview).

2. Motivation to change

The next step is to find a motivation to change. Not every habit is automatically important enough to be changed, and not every person has to be perfect either. Perfectionism in particular can be a hindrance to an authentic appearance. However, it is important to change certain routines that are often in your way. So what is the trigger that makes you want to change a certain situation? Also make a note of the possible triggers. Examples are:

• Neuroticism (an employee quit because of you because they cannot develop because you are holding them back),
• Extraversion (you hardly get any information because employees tend to avoid communication with you),
• Openness (an employee quit because of your low willingness to take risks),
• Tolerance (you annoy colleagues with certain routines) and
• Conscientiousness (your lack of planning constantly brings you into critical situations that you are hardly able to tell).

Always remember: changing habits is not a ‘must’, but rather a ‘could’.

3. New actions become routines

The last step is to draw the right conclusions from the knowledge you have gained and to put them into practice. Now write down properties and what behavior you want to improve them with. Examples are:

• Neuroticism (I want to give employees more freedom),
• Extraversion (I want to be more active in conversations with employees and also address unpleasant topics),
• Openness (if in doubt I would like to take significantly more risks and promote projects),
• Tolerance (I want to listen to my employees more) and
• Conscientiousness (I want to plan projects more carefully and map them in the project tool).

As a result, these actions must now be implemented. Try to integrate the new routines into everyday situations and, for example, reflect after a conversation with an employee: Have I listened enough?

By the way, according to a scientific study, you need to do the new act a few times until it becomes routine. The researchers around Phillippa Lally et al. (2006) from University College in London investigated this in a study. She gave almost 100 test persons the task of acquiring three new habits (including a 15-minute walk every morning). The number of conscious executions of the activity up to the automated habit averaged 66 times.

A final recommendation is to schedule a reward for following the new routines. For example, did you make the decision quickly enough in today’s meeting or did you frustrate the team with waiting? Did you listen enough in a one-on-one conversation with Mr. Müller today or did you talk too much again? The idea behind this little reward is that some kind of trigger is set in your brain: the next time the same situation occurs, then I do the following routine as it creates a reward (e.g. a good coffee).

Conclusion

Management in modern times largely depends on character. It is precisely this fact that makes it very difficult to describe and define modern management appropriately. The central point is a change in one’s own behavior. This is not easy and requires a lot of perseverance. Because the basic character is often fixed and can hardly be changed. However, what can be customized are routines and behaviors. So it is important to break out of certain routines and change your own values and character traits.

Reading tip: Boss is narcissist
Reading tip: What does an agile character look like?

swell

Lally, P., Jaarsveld, C., Potts, H. & Wardle, J. (2009). How are habits formed: Modeling habit formation in the real world. European Journal of Social Psychology. October (40): 998-1009 Issue 6.

Lindner, D. (2020). Virtual teams and home office – recommendations on technology, working methods and leadership . Wiesbaden: Springer Gabler.

Roberts, B., Walton, K. & Viechtbauer, W. (2006). Patterns of Mean-Level Change in Personality Traits Across the Life Course: A Meta-Analysis of Longitudinal Studies. Psychol Bull. 132 (1): 1-25. doi: 10.1037 / 0033-2909.132.1.1.

Specht, J., Egloff, B. & Stefan, C. (2011). Stability and Change of Personality across the Life Course: The Impact of Age and Major Life Events on Mean-Level and Rank Order Stability of the Big Five. SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research, No. 377

Der Beitrag Agility is character: can you change a character? erschien zuerst auf agile Companies.

One more limitation in advance: In this article I will not go into the change process of employees. Especially with IT, it is important to pick up people and create acceptance for IT. In this article, however, I would like to concentrate on the pure structure of IT. There are two articles on the subject of people and change management:

• Change management according to Kotter
• Change management after a stroke

New Work Nucleus

For a better overview, take the Gartner Digital Workplace Nucleus as a basis. Gartner says that the following components are fundamentally important for a digital workplace:

• Task management : Everything here revolves around planning and managing tasks. It is roughly a project management function that can be interwoven with communication channels.
• Content collaboration : Employees often need to be able to access and share documents immediately. Today’s best tools allow integration with file and document management tools. This allows you to embed these materials directly in discussions and save them in a central location for easy reference.
• Meeting Solutions : Gone are the days when long face-to-face meetings were planned. Meetings and briefings take place via voice, video and screen sharing. These meetings can be tied to specific task-based channels.
• Email, chat and calendar r: I don’t think much needs to be said about that. Communication and scheduling are and will remain the be-all and end-all before and after COVID-19.

Phase 1: Select software

The first thing to do is to select sensible software. For this purpose, I selected three tools for each category and tested them as free test versions with the employees. It was important to me: which tool can we use best and fastest. For this purpose, it is necessary to test it sensibly for 2-3 months and also to see which tool the employees accept the fastest and the tool roughly corresponds to the processes of the company. After 2-3 months, reduce the number to 1 tools per category.

Phase 2: software finetuning

You have now decided on 1 tool at a time. For example, I have Zoom for video conferencing, ownCloud for content, Jira for task management and OX with Rocketchat for mail and chat. Now it is time to configure the tools properly. In concrete terms, this means setting the right settings in the respective options and installing the systems in a stable manner, setting up access and setting up the respective workflows in the tools. New software is often not nice and only really efficient and fun for employees after it has been set up for a while. This took another 3 months.

Phase 3: Linking the software

Now it is important to get a link beyond the tools in order to increase the efficiency of the employees. For this purpose, custom interfaces are usually programmed or plugins are installed. For example, Rocketchat can be integrated into Jira. For example, a message is written directly into the chat for a new task or how about: You make an appointment in the calendar with OX and a zoom link is inserted directly into it. Such links are what make the real efficiency. This often takes another 6 months and requires internal resources or external service providers.

Phase 4: retrospectives and tuning

Now the digital workplace is not ready and the tools and interfaces must now be evaluated regularly with the employees. You are now working on the new infrastructure step by step every month and making it better day by day. Ask your employees about this and listen actively! This is a managerial role.

Reading tip: Why executives become admins

Conclusion

Building a clean infrastructure takes time and involves a lot of trial and error. With this structured process, a meaningful IT infrastructure for the digital workplace can be built up over months in times of COVID-19. It starts with trying out many tools, setting up the individual tools for themselves with the subsequent linking to permanent improvement. Try it!

Der Beitrag The 3 phases for building a digital workplace from a technological point of view erschien zuerst auf agile Companies.

But these are not isolated cases. With Audi manager Ruppert Stadler, another top manager is facing charges with fraud, indirect false certification and criminal advertising (Handelsblatt 2020). Ex-Bertelsmann manager Thomas Middelhoff is currently in prison for tax evasion and infidelity. After a trial in 2017, he jumped out of the courthouse window and tried to escape. Another example is Renault-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn, who is said to have concealed over 50 million dollars and was then on the run until his arrest (Handelsblatt 2020).

When top managers feel inviolable

Such crimes can often only be explained by the fact that the top managers have a feeling of inviolability. However, the examples mentioned also show that top managers do not have a free ticket. They too are bound by the laws and norms of society. How did it come about that the above-mentioned top managers are capable of criminal acts and despite having many advisors in court hardly appear reflected and even jump out of windows? In this case, the reasons are no longer money and power, but deep down in the character of the top manager.

Change of character over time

The majority of the named top managers often come from normal parents and were brought up with different values. Over time, however, they have lost their sense of boundaries and the distinction between right and wrong in their own behavior (Wirtschaftswoche 2016). For example, VW paid millions in bonuses to top managers after the diesel scandal and the dismissal of many employees, and Clemens Tönnies demanded wage compensation from the state after the corona outbreak due to hygienic conditions that were due to their own fault. It is a perception of its own: You are allowed to violate any kind of rule with impunity just because you have climbed to the top of the company hierarchy and it is difficult to distinguish between right and wrong in an empathic way.

Top managers are exceptional talents

But where does this assumption come from? Top managers are often exceptional talents who are more efficient and more assertive than other managers. They are people who are extremely quick in absorbing, structuring, analyzing and processing information and who make decisive decisions. This shapes their self-image and their behavior. Even at the highest level, these exceptional talents often only trust themselves. Top managers are already permanently advised by management consultants and coaches, but the mindset of the exceptional talent often makes them resistant to coaching and change that does not come from them themselves.

Management makes you lonely

The CEO Snapshot Survey shows that almost 60% of 1,000 managers surveyed admit that they feel lonely. Isolated Power managers in the organization and are they “lonely at the top”? According to the study, there are the following reasons for this:

• Isolation of the top managers due to power struggles and intrigues,
• the perception that top managers shouldn’t be approachable,
• middle managers seal off their own area,
• Managers and employees are intimidated by the power and wealth of the top manager and
• lack of sympathy due to certain character traits of the top manager.

In particular, such loneliness caused by the organization can also contribute to significantly changing the character.

A new generation of managers scores with character

Top management needs character – a new generation of top managers is putting pressure on the old gray man with charisma, audacity and cleverness.

In addition to the many negative headlines, a number of significantly younger managers and established top managers willing to change have made a number of positive headlines. These managers seem to score with a positive character and authenticity.

For example, the often casually dressed and in the language very direct soccer coach Jürgen Klopp from the manager magazine for “Management with Charisma, Chutzpah[Dreistigkeit] und Cleverness “(Manager Magazin 2019) elected Manager of the Year. This decision is in marked contrast to that of previous years and sparked a controversial discussion. Another example is ex-Daimler board member Dieter Zetsche, who got rid of the tie at Daimler and at a presentation with a T-shirt with the inscription ‘Do Epic Shit’ for a real scandal in the top management floors of German DAX companies provided (see Wirtschaftswoche 2018).

Both managers represent an antitype to the old, gray-haired man in a tie and suit and break with the classic managerial image that has been established in people’s heads since the 1980s. In this context, with young top managers from startups such as Daniel Kraus (Flixbus), Valentin Stalf (N26), Dominik Richter (HelloFresh) and Anna Alex (Outfittery), a new generation of managers with a special character, authenticity, openness, chutzpah and to emerge in casual clothing.

A new generation of managers seems to be shedding positive light on top managers. Basically, the character of the top managers mentioned seems to be an important factor in the public’s perception of their success. It is therefore important to deal more intensively with the character of top managers. But what exactly should the character of a top manager look like? I will publish some interesting facts from a study here on the blog in October 2020.

Image source: https://pixabay.com/de/illustrations/teamgeist-teamwork-euro-silhouette-207319/

swell

CEO Snapshot Survey (2012). https://hbr.org/2012/02/its-time-to-acknowledge-ceo-lo

Handelsblatt (2020). Money gone, company gone, career gone . https://www.handelsblatt.com/unternehmen/management/management-geld-weg-firma-weg-karriere-weg-wie-es-fuer-topmanager-nach-der-haft-weitergeht/23751204.html

Manager Magazin (2019). Magic of the motivator . https://www.manager-magazin.de/premium/juergen-klopp-fc-liverpool-managementskills-von-koenig-fussball-lernen-a-00000000-0002-0001-0000-000163470763

Wirtschaftswoche (WiWo) (2016). When board members feel they are inviolable. https://blog.wiwo.de/management/2016/03/07/wenn-vorstaende-das-gefuehl-haben-unantastbar-zu-sein-kommentar-von-ulrich-goldschmidt/

Wirtschaftswoche (WiWo) (2018). Zetsche, the failed cultural revolutionary . https://www.wiwo.de/my/unternehmen/auto/abtritt-des-automanagers-zetsche-der-gescheiterte-kulturrevolutionaer/23118104.html

Wirtschaftswoche (WiWo) (2020). Marsalek isn’t the only top manager on the run. https://www.wiwo.de/erfolg/management/ex-wirecard-vorstand-marsalek-ist-nicht-der-einzige-topmanager-auf-der-flucht/25979652.html

Der Beitrag Top managers are exceptional talents – but why are scandals increasing? #wirecard erschien zuerst auf agile Companies.

Some executives are inventory keepers

A custodian is a manager who shows a very high degree of persistence in times of change. Unfortunately, many managers avoid changes that do not come from them.

At the top of teams and companies there are often exceptional talents who are more efficient and more assertive than competitors. They are people who are extremely quick in absorbing, structuring, analyzing and processing information and who make decisive decisions. As a result, you have a high level of self-confidence and often only trust yourself in many decisions and thus avoid changes that do not come from you. Which is actually a misunderstanding, as I can say from my own experience that new opportunities for promotions in organizations can only arise for talents through change.

A second point is also that managers have long been successful with their methods and like to try to solve the problems of the future with methods from the past.

Termination of managers

Especially in Corona, nobody has a job guarantee anymore. The crisis in particular demands changes and doers again. People who switch the status quo from growth to crisis mode. But not every manager recognizes this risk and also the danger to their own workplace. Supervisory boards or top managers observe such behavior for a while – but then they usually only act after some time and under certain distress like falling sales.

But how can you tell whether the manager’s chair is wobbling or not? The first thing you notice in day-to-day business is how other managers or direct superiors avoid the manager. The relationship cools down, becomes more neutral and more distant. Information becomes sparse and you can tell that the manager is visibly nervous and even lapses into actionism.

Next, such managers are isolated from other departments and when making important decisions. Managers notice this very quickly and suppress it or fall into actionism. I notice both behaviors depending on the character.

Negative feedback is coming

As soon as it becomes acute and an escalation against the manager starts, negative feedback also accumulates. Complaints from colleagues are also increasing. Reasons are sought to terminate the manager. I often experience that there is hardly any personal conversation here, but that people simply work in the background. The level of management is higher. You don’t get any feedback, you should get it yourself or just do a good job.

Now a tough phase begins for the employees. There is defiance! Some managers feel inviolable and invulnerable. They believe they are winning and start a real war. The stock must be preserved! For me, as a good manager, you always have to have a feel for the mood in your own department and the top manager.

Another problem is that managers like to say: I’ll go then! I have a lot of offers. But you then quickly realize that you cannot get a comparable job with this power in the market and you become more than nervous. The reason is that these have become a bit leisurely over the years and changes are no longer actively involved and are therefore not modern and fresh enough for the market.

Conclusion

As a manager, you should have a feel for which changes you are making and which are not. Especially in times of Corona, many levers will have to be changed. Do not be the blocker that hinders the organization and frustrates employees. Find the balance between change and existence. To do this, you should reflect on yourself regularly and also question your own character. I am currently doing a study on this, which will soon be evaluated on the blog. The survey runs from May to August and can be found here.

Update: This is currently before publication in the magazine for Organizational development . I think it will be released around September.

Der Beitrag When the chair of executives wobbles through inventory retention erschien zuerst auf agile Companies.