We CAN change the cards we are dealt AND how we play the game
“Let’s go to the whiteboard.” I have used this phrase frequently for over thirty years. As a leader in operational roles in the military and civilian sectors, the whiteboard has proven invaluable. For small teams, it can serve as a focal point for deliberate planning discussions, where you can see and hear feedback in real time. As a food distributor during inclement weather or peak moments of exceptional ship volumes, my team expects we will huddle around the board to solve this challenge.
Last year, during inclement weather, we outlined a plan that included a series of contingencies (levers) over a 72-hour window. We always prioritize the safety of our team. Our next goal was to meet all customer demand and deliver products across the Pacific Northwest without exposing our employees to risk during their commute or pushing the envelope on our drivers. Once we agreed, we determined the cadence to reconvene and adjourn.
Initially, those meetings took more than an hour as the team was unfamiliar and slightly uncomfortable with the format. Each subsequent time, we have improved and now arrive with a solid plan within 30-45 minutes. There is a sense of urgency and clarity around solving promptly. When we meet for updates, our team will share for 5-10 minutes, where we weigh out the contingencies, make necessary adjustments, and move forward. As our trust in each other has increased, so has our solutions’ overall health and sharpness.
I didn’t reach this level of planning and execution overnight, and in some instances, I have failed. In the book Leader-Smithing: Revealing the Trade Secrets of Leadership, Eva Poole emphasizes that leading is a deliberate journey and that taking a long view is essential. “Leadersmithing takes a lifetime—so be a tortoise, not a hare.”[1] Within her framework of Critical Incidents, I would likely qualify my team whiteboard exercise as a cross-section of Managing Ambiguity, Taking a Risk, and Doing the Maths.
I am fond of biographies of historical leaders. I graduated from West Point, where a favorite expression is, “Much of the history we teach was made by people we taught.” This refers to leaders such as Pershing, MacArthur, Grant, Eisenhower, and, recently, Schwarzkopf, who led soldiers in combat environments on national and global scales. I have studied the attributes of different types of leaders, including what Jim Collins labels a Level 5 leader. These leaders are a study in duality: modest and willful, humble and fearless.[2] They are determined and curious and put the team’s needs first. While these books have practical applications and pertinent examples as guidelines for leaders to emulate and potentially follow, they are primarily designed for senior leaders within an organization.
This is where Poole’s work is differentiated. From the first page, an open challenge is laid down for the reader, stating, “This book is for anyone who wants to improve their own ability to lead or to help others to do so.”[3] There is an invitation for leaders at different levels or with different focuses to benefit. Unlike a traditional leadership book with life lessons, this “book is designed to be read in different ways, it is a helpful guide”[4] and is meant to provide leaders with a roadmap that will help contribute to becoming a more effective leader. Poole shares components of leadership theory based on empirical research from thousands of hours of teaching and coaching leaders. With this information, the book presents a shared format intended to “demystify leadership to make it accessible to everyone.”[5]
As an apprentice, the leader embarks on a purposeful journey of advancing their craft. Each journey will appear and feel different based on the apprentice’s unique skill sets combined with critical incidents. The metaphor exercised in this process is a deck of cards combined with a series of ideas and exercises. The exercises are broken into distinct suits within the deck.
- Diamonds = sharpness. Exercise designed to hone yourself.
- Clubs = physical impact. Exercise for personal health and impact on others.
- Spades = Practical tools and techniques for leveraging others’ skills.
- Hearts = Putting others at their ease and being comfortable in social situations.[6]
For each critical incident, the winning hands are combinations of each suit. While one suit is emphasized, every suit is represented in the winning hands. I am excited to explore these hands of cards further, determine what type of hand I have been dealt, and learn how to better leverage those hands for myself and others.
My earlier whiteboard exercise is an example of “templating,” and it is part of my overall toolkit. My body and mind “instinctively know how to do it.”[7] It is second nature because of the frequent repetition and use over the years. This tool can sit dormant for weeks or even months and not lose its sharpness or effectiveness. However, we all have blind spots that need acknowledgment and further development. As I glance over the list of critical incidents, I see a handful of opportunities that need improvement. The Ace of Clubs might be on top of the deck, staring straight back at me. I am receptive to furthering my craft and showing commitment to improving my team and myself. Now, I need to pull out the deck of cards from my desk drawer and start dealing.
[1] Eve Poole, Leader-smithing Revealing the Trade Secrets of Leadership, London, UK: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2017, 181.
[2] Jim Collins, Good to Great, New York NY: HarperCollins Publishers, 2001. 22.
[3] Poole, x.
[4] Poole, xii.
[5] Poole, 2.
[6] Poole, 74.
[7] Poole, 11.
About the Author
Michael Hansen
13 responses to “We CAN change the cards we are dealt AND how we play the game”
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Dear Mike,
Thanks for writing. Using Poole’s “deck of cards” analogy got me thinking about the expression “if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” Sometimes I recognize that I need different tools to achieve different outcomes.
As a fellow believer that the whiteboard is perhaps the greatest teamwork tool ever invented (perhaps you don’t feel as strongly as I do), and given you comments in last week’s post around remote workers, have you found any digital tools that are as effective for bringing people together in thinking when they are disembodied from one another?
Argh … you hit [post] before I did!!
Joff,
One element of the cards that resonated well within the critical incidents was the balanced approach across suits, and it appeared that Poole ranked them in order from Ace to two in terms of relevance or importance. I might have missed this in the readings, but I anticipate that much like a card game, the player can express their freedom in how they are played with others. You might select a different order based on who sits across the table and how these are played out.
I have not used a digital whiteboard but have not explored options. I have attended online meetings where a similar tool was used, but it was for a single-user experience, and the rest of the attendees observed. I have applied a few different methods in face-to-face meetings with my teams. Now you have me curious…
Mike, I also appreciate the clarity and simplicity of a whiteboard. I briefly taught engineering economics at the University of Houston. My students would get 50% of the problem credit by simply drawing me a clear, annotated picture. Of course, 50% is still a failing grade if there is nothing backing up the picture!
The physical whiteboard is a great focal point for planning strategy in the room. It is built for interaction rather than presentation. You work for a nation-wide corporation. Have you had any luck with virtual whiteboards? I don’t have a good tool and shrink away from the awkwardness of illustrating a point on the fly. A picture is worth 1,000 words, but if I didn’t stick the picture on a slide beforehand, I’m left with a poor description of the idea.
I’d appreciate tips from anyone in our community.
Rich,
I have not come across a shared solution on whiteboards. Some instruction with the current employer has been masterful within Zoom and teams, but that was mostly around the use of break-out rooms and the chat room.
Hey Mike, I’m trying to learn and practice asking questions that I think the poster wants to be asked. The question I think you want to be asked is: What ‘cards’ would you like to deal to your team members?
Robert,
I am not entirely clear about your question, but I wanted to respond with a direction.
My current team consists of 6 leaders spanning various roles and skill sets. What I witnessed on each of the critical was the comprehensive use of all suits, not a one-dimensional “hammer” approach. However, within each set of hands or interactions, the leader/manager can “play” a specific card based on who sits across the table. That becomes more of a tailored solution and functional based on the issue type. That way, you don’t necessarily “lead” with the same card each time and can work through more nuanced solutions or answers.
Michael,
Thank you for pointing out that Poole’s work is different. I enjoyed that it was more of a Workbook format than an instruction manual to produce a “leadership” outcome. I am curious if you see this book and the Smithing process represented by Poole as something that is proactively and initially developed prior to a critical incident or something that is more opportunistic as a framework to navigate situations once they are encountered.
Darren,
Absolutely, this has the potential to work both ways. I am eager to try out a few options with my team members. As I reviewed the 17 critical incidents, I quickly gravitated toward the winners but also encountered areas of opportunity or blind spots. I think there are simple mechanisms or reminders to put in front of you to help guide you and prevent you from falling into rougher patches or traps.
I like the white board and poster size post it notes to have a visual for the discussions. Add in colors and shapes to differentiate categories and I’m excited. Lately, I have enjoyed having meetings in a circle, whether at a round table or a circle of chairs which lends well to equality of voice and togetherness. While its not to hard to use the whiteboard in this setting by placing it in the spot in the circle, I have been thinking through ways to make even the presenting board be more equal and inviting (distance from the whiteboard can create the hierarchy affect as well.) Do you have any ideas for this? It seems you have lead very effective meetings and I would love if you could share more of your natural “templating” with me.
Jess,
I appreciate the circle approach to meetings. It provides balance and collective face-to-face interaction while preventing team members from opportunities to hide in the corner or back of a space.
In a stationary setting, I have asked others to be scribes and repeat back thoughts and ideas if that is part of the process. I will simply state that I have done “enough talking” for the day or that having “all voices” heard and expressed is essential. I have rotated these duties among my team members; some are good at them, while others struggle. We’re all moving in the same direction, so there is no judgment, and it’s a positive development for them (and myself). Shortly, some of our work will be required on mobile boards, and I will see some opportunities there to change the format further. We can talk offline, and I would welcome hearing what has been successful or challenging for you.
Poole’s last chapters focused on Diamonds, Clubs, Spades, and Hearts. This makes me think of Romans 12:4-8, which states, “For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others…” Do you believe these decks of cards that represent different skills of a leader are something one leader should master, or are they intended for different types of leaders who contribute various skills to the team?
Ivan, you are correct about the one body with many members. The leader who has mastered all these likely isn’t in that leadership role, and I am not sure that is even possible. Some might claim it, but it’s unrealistic. The beauty lies in the complementing cards for oneself and team members. It is more about having a 3-strand cord that is stronger than a single strand. You can move mountains if there are the proper complementary skill sets or critical instances across your team. Great question.