My previous post in this series argued that a successful team must strike a balance between what I call Role (taking the time to set the roles, goals and expectations at the outset) and Reward (driving forward to achieve those ends with practical action).
On The Apprentice, the drive for results in a stressful, time-limited setting, along with the cut-throat competitive nature of this show, strongly biases the team interactions in favour of fast action over setting clear expectations. In other words, for Force over Foundation.Now that what Mr. Bouris labelled "shrinking violet" behaviour has been punished with week one's elimination of Jane, that will only increase the drive to more and faster actions.
Real-World Application - Managing Team Conflict
As a "reality" TV series The Apprentice is an artificial environment. In the real world of course people face just as many pressures: to hit the numbers, increase the billing, reduce costs, meet tough timelines or any number of other factors. The end result is the same bias for rapid action in a team.
This bias for rapid action often creates an environment full of people talking past one another and varied (and vying) expectations of the what, how, who and when within the teams. The result is widespread miscommunication and, rather than all pulling together in the same direction, each team runs the risk of devolving into a tug-of-war.
In episode 1 this clash of egos was already evident in the girls' team as Carmen and Mary-Anne butted heads straightaway, there was little consultation by the project leader and, rather than bringing up and resolving differences of opinion, there was a lot of muttered grumbles and second-guessing. These conflicts only came out belatedly in the Boardroom, where there was much finger-pointing and "blamestorming" to make the team's failure someone else's fault. By this stage it's already far too late to manage this conflict effectively.
In a real world team there may not be any Boardroom where team members can to have it out. Instead the conflict seeths and festers, becoming the "dead cat under the table" that everyone can smell, but no one talks about. This underlying conflict in a team is poisonous. More to the point: it has a real and negative effect on team productivity - and the bottom line.Conflict scenarios produce threats (real and perceived) that trigger people's survival strategies. Once again it's the Battle inside your Brain, as the emotional limbic system takes hold and knee-jerk reactivity fuels the conflict to ever-greater intensity.
How do you manage conflict in your organization?
Effective conflict management in a team means:
- knowing your own survival strategy and hot buttons - those things that trigger an emotionally reactive, knee-jerk response - so you can effectively self-manage during crisis and high-pressure situations
- learn (or at least have a best-guess at) what your fellow team members' survival strategies and hot button issues are as well
- during team interactions, be mindful of these hot buttons and, respectful of their fast-acting and deeply instinctual nature, communicate and interact with each other in ways that minimize any potential triggers to an emotionally reactive, knee-jerk response
- when (not if!) despite all efforts people DO get triggered, ensure there's a way to handle the conflict quickly - one that's been agreed upon in advance and can be effectively deployed even in the heat of the moment
People are complex, adaptive beings and so, as with all situations where people are interacting, the process of conflict management too will be complex. Handily, there are ways to give yourself the advantage.
- Learn the nine most common survival strategies that reliably predict the majority of emotional limbic behaviour (I presented the nine of them briefly toward the end of a previous post). This is not about pigeonholing people; quite different and unique individuals will, faced with the same stimulus, react in ways that are consistent enough to be grouped together as a survival strategy style. Use them a lens to view and better understand both your own behaviour that of others too.
- Engage in a facilitated process in which each person can talk about their own survival strategy, what triggers them to reactive emotional behaviour, and how they want to be interacted with when they have been triggered. Using tools like the Pinch/Crunch model, this creates the foundation of an agreed way to manage conflict in the team when it happens. Done well, it actually encourages people to have a laugh about their own reactive behaviours, lightens the subject of conflict and removes any taboos and fears attached to discussing sensitive topic of conflict. It gets the "dead cat" out from under the table and helps clear the air!
To find out more about effective conflict management and how tmc can help your team or organization benefit from this Real World Application, contact me.
The remaining 11 on The Apprentice - what to watch for:
In what follows I adopt the perspective of what counsel I might offer to Mr. Bouris assuming his job was to develop people to their full capacity and invite them to realize the best in themselves, rather than (as is the avowed intention of the Apprentice format) finding reasons to fire one of them each week.
In the weeks to come, then, here's what to watch for as contestants' mettle is tested and their personality preferences and reactive styles come to the fore - as the Battle inside their Brains continues to be waged. I've also included thoughts on each contestant's likely triggers or hot buttons - the things that may provoke emotionally reactive behaviour as outlined above.
(Caveat: These represent my best-guesses based on what's been shown of them so far. I want to reiterate: people are complex, adaptive beings and, in keeping with my stated intention to avoid pigeonholing, I remain willing to modify my hypotheses on the availability of new data.)
Amy - Thus far Amy has been cool, calm, detached and analytical. She's likely to have an excellent mind for details and numbers and be slow to anger or feel provoked. Her gift is to fulfill the Auditor/Organizer function in a team and as project lead will demonstrate a Tactical leadership style. When it comes to task accomplishment her disciplined, objective approach will offer calmness and clarity to the team. On the people side, she may struggle with managing the relationships and personalities. The key to her success will therefore be to tap into her ability to see the best in people bring it out with encouragement and positive feedback. Her strong achievement focus may cause her to overcommit and set goals that cannot be delivered; if this happens she will find it very difficult to deal with failure. She's also admitted to being nervous around successful people and will feel anxious being questioned by those she secretly fears are better/smarter/more successful than she is. Triggers: failure of any kind - particularly not achieving goals, inactivity and slow pace, anything that distracts from achievement/performance focus, losing face/reputation or being overshadowed by others, put in position to fail, being blamed for poor work of others, not getting credit for work done, feeling like a fraud.
Andrew "Morello" - The project lead for the boys in episode one was in his element generating sales, yet he lost his first pitch to the girls because his approach seemed less focused on tangible results and more on being personable - essentially "hire me, I'm a good bloke and I'll do right by you." Andrew needs to tap into his gift to be a Practical Problem Solver with a Democratic leadership style. In weeks to come he must show substance behind the warm personality. He may fall down on more strategic tasks if he fails to channel his abundant energy and good cheer into productive output. Triggers: dislikes difficult situations or painful feelings, mundane tasks and constraints or limitations, feeling dismissed or not taken seriously, unjust criticism.
Blake - Did not hear much from this quarter in week one either, but at first glance Blake seems entrepreneurial, happy to get stuck in and highly focused on results and winning. His gift could be the Driver/Completer role, energizing the team with a Commanding/Coercive leadership style. He is by times energetic and other moments reserved and withdrawn so I think that how he manages the energy levels of his emotions will be worth watching. Triggers: being left out, ignored, told what to do, unsupported, being taken advantage of, distruptions to group harmony, rudeness in others, overt hostility and confrontation - also potentially abuses of authority, pressure, feeling helpless/out of control.
Carmen - I wrote a fair bit about Carmen in my last post and I think what to watch now is how she applies the experiences of episode one and whether she tempers her behaviour in team interactions. Mr. Bouris seems to have a lot of faith in her ability to deliver results. The question now is whether she can do so as a productive member of a team.
Gavin - Suave and smooth, Gavin is the consummate charmer and diplomat. His natural focus is on people and relationships and his gift as Promoter/Strategist is to put the right people in place to get the job done with an Affiliative leadership style. The intangible nature of these vital "soft" skills mean that he risks being in charge of successful projects in which he's well liked, gets results...but at the end of the day cannot tell Mr Bouris in hard practical terms what exactly he's done to help make it a success. Like Amy, he's also at risk of overpromising and failing to deliver; such a threat to his reputation could move him to ill-considered action. Triggers: failure of any kind - particularly not achieving goals, inactivity and slow pace, anything that distracts from achievement/performance focus, losing face/reputation or being overshadowed by others, put in position to fail, being blamed for poor work of others, not getting credit for work done, feeling like a fraud.
Heather From the outset Heather has used words like ethical and integrity so we know there's a strong focus there. Her gift is to be the Explorer/Motivator with a Mentoring leadership style. Her passion, discipline and dependability will mean she can put in hard work and model the integrity and high standards she holds so dear. This will, in turn, provide a clear sense of mission and straight dealing between team members. As with Andrew, the challenge will be for her to keep her energy focused and face difficult situations without getting thrown off course. If she does get triggered, watch for her to flip into quite punitive behaviour with a clear expectation of compliance with her rules for conduct. Triggers: dislikes difficult situations or painful feelings, mundane tasks and constraints or limitations, feeling dismissed or not taken seriously, unjust criticism - also, blaming/criticism, violations of team norms, lack of follow-through, lack of commitment (by her standards), deception and lack of integrity.
Jon - Probably the quietest team member so far, look to Jon to deploy his gifts as Visionary Planner with an Authoritative/Visionary leadership style. His will be a solid presence offering the team clear sense of direction in the pursuit of the vision's end goal, a calm certainty about the outcome and will fosters stability and security even in the face of widespread and disruptive change. He'll work well with Gavin and Sam and possibly Sabrina; where it could fall over is if there's disagreement about the norms or there's excessive discord or disorder. Then Jon may revert to quite an inflexible adherence to the original plan even though circumstances have shifted, leaving the team vulnerable and unprepared to handle the new situation. Like the recently-departed Jane, Jon is also be maladroit in playing Boardroom politics and may get ambushed. Triggers: mistakes being made, blaming/criticism, violations of team norms, lack of follow-through, lack of commitment (by his standards), deception and lack of integrity.
Lynton - In the first boys' team meeting Lynton took charge straight off, coming up with the name Pinnacle and essentially appointing Andrew as team leader. This is characteristic of the Explorer/Motivator's gift, stepping in to set the course and foster confidence in the chosen direction with a Mentoring leadership style. His demeanour is otherwise highly detached, however, and he may unwittingly put people off by seeming aloof, distant and cold. This directive but distant approach may make it difficult to foster a connection with others - leaving him to fend for himself when the knives come out in the Boardroom. If he is able to get closer to others he could be a quite capable leader, but his aversion to conflict (and presumably to strongly-expressed emotions) may make that difficult for him to do. Pushed too far, he will become curt, vengeful and ruthless. Triggers: strong feelings especially fear, intrusive/demanding people or situations, being surprised, dishonesty, out of control situations, overwhelming tasks, feeling inadequate.
Mary-Anne We heard the least from Mary-Anne on the girls' team after she was shut down peremptorily by Carmen during the first team meeting. Mary-Anne's likely to shine as a Creative Change Agent and her Pacesetting leadership style will depend on getting quick results from a highly motivated and competent team. Lacking team experience from her job, to get this to happen she will need to rein in her high-energy competitive nature to win people over rather than confronting them. Her intolerance for what she perceives as incompetence may also be a significant trigger resulting in punitive behaviour, even bullying. The early clash with Carmen (who shares a similar disposition) is a sign of things to come. Triggers: injustice, skirting the issues, others not taking responsibility for their behaviour, being blindsided, lack of truthfulness, feeling weak/vulnerable/uncertain/dependent, losing regard of people she respects.
Sabrina Beautiful and smart, Sabrina has so far demonstrated a highly advanced sense of her own self-worth, bordering on narcissism. Her forceful confidence bowls others over, as when she stated that Eventus should be the team name as it's "Latin for success." In fact it's not (except in the most obscure usage of it) and while no one could have known this, it is an example of how easily she can persuade others to do the wrong thing. Sabrina more than anyone else will react strongly to any perceived threat to her reputation and self-image. If her smiling and charming exterior starts to crack, expect to see wildly erratic emotional reactions from her and a willingness to stick the knives in anyone and everyone else to ensure her own survival. At this point it's so hard to get past the facade she's presented that I can't make any prediction of her likely team role gift and leadership style. I agree with Mr. Bouris' assessment: there's a risk she'll seem to be "All show, no go". Whatever happens, to be a serious contender she'll need to get over herself and focus her undeniable talent and intelligence on being a productive member of the team - rather than continually self-referencing every situation with "me, me, me". Triggers: failure of any kind - particularly not achieving goals, inactivity and slow pace, anything that distracts from achievement/performance focus, losing face/reputation or being overshadowed by others, put in position to fail, being blamed for poor work of others, not getting credit for work done, feeling like a fraud.
Sam - Sam is thus far a largely unknown quantity. What we have heard, apart from the teenage bravado and buzzwords, has focused on the team and people working together. Sam's gift is therefore likely to be a Promoter/Strategist, one who brings people together with an Affiliative leadership style. Sam also seems very rules-focused and will tend either, as in week one, to readily comply with the views of more forceful team members or to act strongly to enforce the rules and create order. Rule-enforcing behaviour like this will cause his perspective to narrow and create blindspots that may prevent him from tapping into his natural gifts, so how he manages challenges to his conception of the rules and how things should be will be something to watch. Triggers: mistakes being made, blaming/criticism, violations of team norms, lack of follow-through, lack of commitment (by his standards), deception and lack of integrity.
Enjoy the show, look for more analysis and insight soon!
Note: For those of you outside Australia who wish to view the episodes of The Apprentice Australia that I'm discussing in this series of posts, you can find them on YouTube here. Meanwhile if you're in Australia you can see not only the episodes to date but also post-episode video diaries on the Nine website here.
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