Assessing 2 Harvard Business Review articles and adding my comments - hints, based on my experience. Who is the best cogged wheel? What helps you to be that one?
What kind of behaviors have those employees who are the best performers, the most productive persons of your organization?
According to an article in HBR (2018), even before our famous agile way of working, they identified the 7 most common behaviors of the most productive people, and those were the following: 1st habit: "set stretch goals" - set up a huge goal/project that encourages you to pick up the pace, eliminate all distractions, and do it. The 2nd identified habit was: "show consistency" - if you say it will be done, get it done. Reliability is key; do not procrastinate. A formal cadence and rhythm shown, week by week and month by month, just keep them going. The 3rd habit: "have knowledge and technical expertise" - few things kill productivity faster than a lack of knowledge and expertise. You are at speed and doing your job with high quality; you do not need to see a tutorial, learn the mentioned law, or guideline. You ask for help if needed, but because you have knowledge and expertise - you do not need it often. The reason you execute promptly is because you are an expert on the topic. The 4th habit was: "drive for results" - there are some people who desire to accomplish results sooner and better. So the joy is your motivation if you can check something off your task list. They are setting new records and beating their own best again and again. The 5th habit was: "anticipate and solve problems" - this is normal; if you want to be productive, you need to be a good problem solver. You are innovative, and if you see any roadblocks, you will proactively start to solve them to reach your goals. The 6th habit was: "take initiative" - skip the hardest job to start, just start. The most productive people are just starting, not asking for permission, just asking for forgiveness. Of course, it's a bit problematic, but their bosses do not complain because their results are higher than their faults. The 7th habit was: "be collaborative" - the study showed that in our 2018 organizations, nothing can be done alone that gets done in collaborative teamwork. Interdependency, integration, and horizontal collaboration are essential parts of our work then and now as well.
To be totally honest, I agree with the identified habits, if I see the operation from individual point of view, so if I wake up in the morning and I would see these habits on a list and I would read them day-by-day, - maybe I would be a better, more productive person - individually. Let's say the list is great for a practioner manager. But today's (2024) organizations has changed, and it needs a bit different, enhanced attitude.
Today's ideal operational structure is - especially in matrix and less hierarchical organizations - more agile and less rigid. According to the accelerating technologies, for instance AI, AR, RPA, LLMs these habits are clearly not enough. Corporates are working on cultural and organizational transformation. To execute these huge changes, we are working in highly interdependent teams. Check the Spotify model - Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), or Scrum, or just the Agile Way of Working - we are preparing these organizational structures to be more adaptive for the changing attitude -, which gets done by interdependent integrations. These team's common work generating the tiny assets - so we are tiny cogged wheels of an organizations evolution - machinery.
Large corporates - like in divisional structure, the famous challenge is to destroy the "silod" operations, in order to be able to work with cross functional teams & with cross functional projects. Data democratization, process automation, digitalization were the enablers to pave the way for data-driven decision making, omni-channel sales channels, and many more digital products. The typical pyramid based hierarchy with clear chain of command became more flat, more matrix - at the same time still process based with centrally directed subsidiaries. European Banks are still working on the realization of Data Strategy to be data-driven, parallel trying to close the skill gap with leading economies. Geopolitical uncertainties, recessions, subjective decisions, half-educated "professionals" unfortunately slowing down these efforts.
Today's ICT departments are facing with Key Technology disruptions, for example the GenAI evolution / implementation, cloud technologies, continuous ICT Security challenges, evolving regulations, and receiving local authority requirements. Next to these, the finance sector is implementing, and decommissioning ICT platforms and sometimes Core Systems too. It cannot be done by individual top performers, the transition is always a highly collaborative work on every level of the organization. So the main question is in 2024, what are the today's competitive soft skills and habits to be successful in TEAMWORK?
According to the 2 HBR (2018) article, these were the collaborative skills:
Tip #1 - Being open the feedback and personal change
An essential skill for new managers is the openness to request and implement feedback from others. They strive to enhance their self-awareness and are continually seeking improvement. EQ improvement starts learning who we are.
Tip #2 - Supporting others development
All leaders, they are supervisors or managers, should prioritize the development of others. While individual contributors can concentrate on their personal growth, exceptional leaders - like servant leaders - take pride in facilitating others' learning. They understand how to provide actionable feedback.
"The measure of intelligence is the ability to change." – Albert Einstein
Tip #3 - Being open to innovation
An individual dedicated to productivity usually discovers an effective process and aims to optimize its efficiency. In contrast, leaders understand that innovation is frequently non-linear and not always efficient. An inspiring leader embraces creativity and acknowledges that it may require time.
Tip #4 - Communicating well
An essential skill for leaders and managers is the ability to convey their information to others in an engaging and captivating way. While a productive individual contributor needs to communicate to some extent, communication is not the primary focus of their effectiveness.
7C helps here: be Clear, Concrete, Concise, Correct, Coherent, Complete, Courteous. If you are an expatriate, english is a must - please be fluent, local language is recommended in a minimum intermediate level.
Tip #5 - Having good interpersonal skills
This is a necessity for competent managers. Emotional intelligence (EI) is now regarded as possibly the key leadership skill. While highly productive people are not isolated, reclusive, or grumpy, achieving high productivity typically doesn't demand exceptional interpersonal skills. For leadership I would say the main challange to be objective and to find the subjective elements of your close reports, this needs a high IQ, and critical thinking too.
Tip #6 - Supporting organizational changes
Although highly productive people may tend to be somewhat self-centered, leaders and managers must prioritize the organizational evolution over their personal interests. I mean - we all know that the evolution is not linear, but be ready for the change, simplification, process optimization, process automation are first signs that the organization evolvs. If your organization is more directed into M&As, than digitalization, I would be adaptable and ready.
Peter's personal tips for 2024-25:
Based on my experience - in different countries and different Banks - in order to be resilient and to be the best contributor, we need to build these habits too:
Tip #7 - Self development is key in ICT world
Imagine you earned your BSc in 2005, and now it's 2024. Over time, 19 classes have also graduated. How outdated is your knowledge? It's 19 years old. Enhance your expertise by finding courses, updating your certifications, and returning to school if necessary - even part-time is beneficial. Don't remain stagnant, Key Technologies are changing continuously. Take courses, go to school, get new certificates because knowledge is power.
Tip #8 - Relax and do sports regularly
I believe that relaxation is an essential part of our life. I mean you need to fill your energy time to time, because our life is not linear. I think the best is to do forest-walks, the trees and woods🌳, - the nature is a natural energy source. But to improve your resiliency and endurance sport is your best friend, bicycling, running, swimming are available for everyone. Sports helps to blow off the steam - release stress, and keeps you in shape, - on that shape what others would like you to be!
Tip #9 - If you are sick, do not work!
Honestly, I can't recall the last time I took sick leave, and that's a mistake. It's wrong to go to the office and risk infecting others, and it's important to care for your body. If you're not feeling your best, take a few days off; your job will still be there when you return. Don't risk your reputation by working at half capacity when you're not fully healthy. Make sure to have annual health check-ups and maintain both physical and mental well-being. No job is worth compromising your health for.
Tip #10 - Learn how to read between the lines
As we gain experience and wisdom, we learn to think strategically. It also becomes easier to understand - to read others, - without them having even one word directly. Trust your instincts and think carefully.
Tip #11 - Never rate and criticize
Rating and criticizing is a sign of fatigue and an inability to accept further change. Take a deep breath and remember that your words reflect who you are - they are drawing a picture about you. Engage in critical thinking but avoid speaking critically. Positive energy attracts, while negative energy repels.
Tip #12 - Be humble and modest
I would suggest to avoid the situation when you are outsmarting your Colleagues. Do not think that you are the smartest when others are in silence. Best contributors, best minds are sometimes in silence especially when "special connectors" got promoted. Humbleness and modesty is the shiny part of intelligence. Recommendations and suggestions remains with us than direct unempathetic sentences. Avoid Dunning-Kruger effect. The Dunning-Kruger effect occurs when a person's lack of knowledge and skill in a certain area causes them to overestimate their own competence. By contrast, this effect also drives those who excel in a given area to think the task is simple for everyone, leading them to underestimate their abilities. The best way here as a leader if you extend your authority and let your team to be responsible - this creates extra motivation to your team. Stay humble, stay human.
Summary
In today's world we need to be that cogged wheel - which adaptable and thirsty for knowledge, but essential to be the best contributor - even you are a manager or a leader too. Stay up-to-date, up-skill yourself, - stop a bit - relax - assess, and motivate and go to school if you think it's needed. Be the change, but be that cogged wheel. Add your comments if you want, below this article if something I have just left out. Thx for reading, contact here if you wish, Peter
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