“Never let a good crisis go to waste”
Quote attributed to Winston Churchill
Things are getting weird.
As the Covid-19 crisis continues, my clients have been acting in ways that neither of us would have ever imagined. It seems as though the ones who are succeeding are the ones who can adapt the most quickly.
As my executive coaching clients share their stories about adapting to the crisis, I’m intrigued by their varied approaches:
Jill, a senior executive who is very private and formal, shared that when she asked her team how they wanted to stay connected, they said they wanted to play weekly Zoom Bingo. This was way out of her norm but she found it to be surprisingly fun.
Eric, normally bossy, had become very accommodating. He asked his staff how they wanted to stay connected and get things done. Based on their feedback, he instituted daily and evening check-in meetings.
Delores, a C-suite leader who had previously spent her energy making her boss look good, was put in charge of the company’s COVID-19 action plan. She started acting like an army general, telling him—and everyone else—what to do.
I realize that my clients are teaching me that I need to get weird, too.
If I am going to succeed, I am going to have to work differently and move faster to fully embrace this world of virtual learning and interaction.
Since I’m frequently paralyzed by my fear of mistakes, I had find ways to experiment. I started as I always do, by seeking out experts, watching TV news, reading books about leaders, and getting guidance from coaches, mentors, and valued stakeholders. Support and guidance from trusted advisors gives me the courage and confidence I need. I am not someone who naturally just jumps into something new without taking these tiny steps.
At the start of quarantine, I saw an interview with Doris Kearns Goodwin on her book, Leadership in Turbulent Times. It’s about four US presidents who led the United States during times of crisis: Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Lyndon B. Johnson. I quickly read the book and became inspired by FDR. He survived polio, he was quite the experimenter, and he was willing to try all kinds of things to get out of the Great Depression.
I’m a cautious Driven-to-Succeed (I’ll explain in a moment), yet I have broadened my approach with experimentation and risk-taking.
Let’s review two key mindsets around risk-taking.
I am Driven-to-Succeed. The other type of mindset in this model is Driven-to-Prove. Your understanding of your type will help you develop tiny steps to make experimentation less scary for you and your team/colleagues.
DRIVEN TO PROVE:
Those who are driven to prove are less focused on their image externally, yet they validate themselves externally by what gets done. Driven-to-Prove individuals are easily seduced by complex challenging problems and stretch goals—the harder the better. Strong-willed, determined, aware of personal shortcomings, they accept greater risks—regardless of expertise—as a way to prove themselves. They need to work with continually rising goals as an opportunity to demonstrate that they can handle challenges.
DRIVEN TO SUCCEED:
People who are driven to succeed act to protect their naturally existing positive sense of self (self-worth). They are typically confident of their abilities, pleasant, and persuasive. They take calculated risks based upon personal expertise. They need to work on achievable goals where they can shine—and that receive praise/recognition to create an image of success.
In any particular situation, most people are one or the other; some straddle both. Most of us will tend towards one mindset—but over time and in certain circumstances can shift. For example, someone who never hesitated to move to a new country for work might become more conservative once he/she has a family. But that person still loves to jump into things, and finds ways to do that on the weekends. In contrast, someone like me, who is more cautious, may start jumping into new things more quickly as I become more confident over time.
WORKING TOGETHER
Driven-to-Prove and Driven-to-Succeed are complimentary styles. They share a common intensity to succeed. Each perspective has benefits. And some people see both sides. This means that are able to and can comfortably go back and forth between the two.
DRIVEN TO SUCCEED:
Analyze risk in advance
Stretch your core strengths
Set attainable goals
Go step by step to ensure success
Under stress: show a positive image to the world and blame shortcomings on external factors
DRIVEN TO PROVE:
Analyze the risk after the fact
Focus on your potential
Continually elevate your goals and focus on proving yourself
Under stress—become critical of self and others; sometimes beat themselves up even in public
HOW I, AS A DRIVEN-TO-SUCCEED, EXPERIMENT COMFORTABLY:
Read books on well-known leaders, such as Leadership in Turbulent Times by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Reach out to my publishing consultant, supervising coach, and valued clients. Get their views on how to help people and companies adapt/succeed.
Increase time with my presentation coach for support and guidance
Identify new standards of success that may not be about perfection
HOW A DRIVEN-TO-PROVE EXPERIMENTS DURING A CRISIS
Make the experiments smaller—such as have Bingo games
Reach out to a variety of people—include those with diverse approaches—to get their input, touch base, and see how they are feeling, as Eric the more controlling boss did
Be transparent and evaluate performance standards—check in to see if these still motivate the desired results— and if they don’t, recalibrate
Share more about yourself that reveals your humanity: make fun of yourself, share your foibles
Create opportunities for your team to meet informally (you have lots of options besides Bingo games)
WHAT SMALL STEPS CAN YOU TAKE TO EXPERIMENT THAT ARE COMFORTABLE FOR YOU AND THOSE AROUND YOU?
Identify where you fall on the Driven-to-Prove or Driven-to-Succeed scale, and decide on an approach
Ask your team/others whether they tend to jump in first or evaluate in advance and go step-by-step
Seek out others who have diverse perspectives and gain their insights on your vision and possible actions
Develop new definitions of success during the crisis—what is a win? What types of mistakes are permissible?
Offer praise and specific feedback more often to those around you when they take small steps or take new actions
Share your mindset around experimenting and what is challenging for you
To learn more, please see my eBook .
The Driven to Prove and Driven to Succeed mindsets are derived from the Birkman Instrument.
When he enlisted in the US Army Air Corps and became a B-17 bomber pilot during World War II, Dr. Roger Birkman started exploring individual psychological differences. Dr. Birkman noticed that even though the pilots received the same training, they managed stress differently. Some pilots seemed to thrive when thrown into difficult situations, while others did not. The first iteration of the assessment was developed in 1951, and the version as we know it today was developed in the 1960s. The Birkman Instrument is designed to provide insight into what specifically drives each person’s behavior—and using that insight to create greater choice and more self-responsibility. Numerous reliability and validity studies provide empirical support for its effectiveness. If you want to learn more or take the instrument, visit the Birkman website.