The final phase is ‘implementation’. Making it happen, delivering the results. Actually doing it, live, with customers or co-workers. A spindle of grey represents continuous evaluation at every stage ensuring that the journey is en route and still the one most likely to realize the value. Plans will change and new information and ideas will emerge. This introduces change and uncertainty, but by providing a consistent way to evaluate the best route for the journey it can be maintained. Reacting to external influences in the most appropriate way according to the stage of maturity of a project provides the check and balance required for smooth transition from vision to results.

There are many organisations that leap from vision to action planning and never visit the belief, research or creative phases in any meaningful way. These cultures find themselves seduced by the perpetual adrenalin fix of fire-fighting and solving problems that need never have arisen but which feel exciting. This is a great way to squander corporate resources. These organisations are in danger of being overtaken by a competitor who has taken time, strategically, to be aware of the market opportunities and to manifest those effectively while the adrenalin culture is convinced that whatever arises, it can be fixed by a short term solution.

The “diabolo” shape also demonstrates the involvement or influence of the logical ‘process’ and emotional ‘people’ opposites as a project emerges. At the start of a project, the impact on the corporate culture is not an issue, but forthright logical business issues are. As the project moves towards realisation, the impact on people becomes greater whilst the processes of execution are simply implemented. This switch of influence during any corporate initiative is rarely considered unless things begin to go wrong.

Continuing the metaphor of the double top of conflicting opposites, consider that as soon as one side of the top increases disproportionately, the business is out of balance and can no longer spin with ease and stability. Recognising this lack of balance as quickly as possible means that simple nudges of behaviour from the leadership can establish the equilibrium once more. Leading and attending to the organisation as if it is a dynamic system will better maintain stability and growth without progression to ‘firefighting’.

Recent examples of working in the Diabolo way over a short, focused period of time delivered a 31% improvement in the leadership team’s ability to work successfully. Clarity about the company’s vision shot up by 38% and the team’s decision making capability increased by 37%. Also a highly motivated team increased their overall motivation by a further 18% and their confidence by 20%. These behaviours were measured in a consistent and clear way and form part of a range of factors that make up the ‘Diabolo Quotient’ for assessing organisational performance.

The Diabolo journey balances about the fulcrum of trust. Everything hinges on this single point—without it nothing can happen. This point is static, ever-present, and must always be there, without a fulcrum leverage cannot happen. Without a stable fulcrum maximum value cannot be realized. When the sense of the organisation’s identity and its values are connected by congruent behaviour which ‘walks the talk’ of what the organisation says it stands for, then it is easier to trust the system. Trust is a big value, it is difficult to quantify and monitor and means different things to different people. How might trust be defined for the purpose of this article? Trust might be the belief that the other party is doing his best in the interests of the shared goals.

Key stages recommended for leaders when building organisational trust:
 

• Be clear about the purpose of your organisation and dedicate yourself to it with a passion that is inspiring for all
• Establish the vision and direction for where the organisation is going •Take the right amount of time to gain alignment across the leadership group.
• Build belief and courage for the journey, agreeing measures of success
• Invest time in high quality understanding and exchange among your top team, saying what needs to be said in a way that it can be accepted and understood
• Look to your own behaviour as the most influential role model for all your people
• Communicate clearly with your team what you expect of them and then reward or discourage their behaviour accordingly
• Be a model of courage, trust and confidence for your direct team and the business at large, by demonstrating ease with challenges and new and different ideas, which can be explored in pursuit of the common goal •Take the time and trouble to communicate the vision and purpose clearly and repeatedly to the whole of the organisation, in as many ways as possible and frequently
• Engage with significant projects at key milestones to ensure they are aligned with the original purpose and vision
• Build the confidence to have appropriate conversations in the wider arena at the most opportune time, before reaching crisis mode in a business relationship
• Prioritise internal communication, information sharing and profiling as of high importance. Your people are likely to consider that your internal image is as vital as your external impact on your customers and investors
• Protect your thinking time and wellbeing so that you are fresh, clear, confident and ahead of the game
• Challenge yourself to learn, grow and develop beyond your present level of competence

Once trust is established it needs to be maintained. This will demand vigilance and ongoing attention to the political and cultural climate. Telling stories of success and sharing stories of change is a powerful way to strengthen and spread the culture.

In conclusion the masculine style would do well to consider embracing and sharing the feminine values in organizational life, bringing the most effective outcome for successful business. This is especially true given the complex environments and sophisticated workforce that we have today. The backdrop of innovation, relentless competition and global resourcing presents an incredibly demanding environment for leaders. We no longer have the luxury of just managing change we have to drive it in an inspiring and compelling way which engages all of our people in the spirited pursuit of the exceptional.

References

Ridderstrale, Jonas; Nordstrom, Kjelle (2002)
Funky Business: Talent Makes Capital Dance.
Financial Times Management.

Karen Dean is working as a highly experienced and inspirational coach, whose interest lies in taking key individuals ‘beyond where they dare imagine’. With a track record of 14 years’ successful consulting in a corporate context, following NLP Master Practitioner, she has delivered over 7,000 hours of coaching with many hundreds of clients, across a wide range of geographies. As Chairman of the Diabolo group of companies, she has focused the business on facilitating at main board and executive level as well as on building a wealth of practical original tools for enabling successful organisations. Karen can be reached at: +44 (0)870 351 4748 Email: karen.dean@diabololimited.com