Middle Way Management and Setting Goals

In my last post, I discussed how Aristotle and Buddha have offered us complementary ways of being based upon virtue ethics and a recognition of suffering and its alleviation. In this post, I consider goal setting within the context of Middle Way Management™.

The Middle Way Management Context
What do I mean by "the context of Middle Way Management"? I mean the practice context in which you find yourself as an active Middle Way Manager™. Middle Way Management includes two major aspects of Buddhism that I have modified to dovetail with organizational management goals and objectives. The first is similar to the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism:

1. Suffering exists within organizations at the individual, team, and organizational levels,
2. Organizational suffering is the direct result of managerial practices,
3. There is a way out of organizational suffering, and
4. The way out of organizational suffering is through the practice of Middle Way Management.

Along with the Four Noble Truths, Buddhists find their way out of suffering by treading the Eightfold Path. This path is comprised of three sections: Morality, mindfulness, and wisdom. While the Eightfold Path includes wonderful ways to reach a state of ultimate awareness that includes right thought, right speech, and right action, I have chosen to replace them with the Cognitive Domains™ as a means of practicing the Middle Way Management approach. It is mere coincidence that I have identified eight Cognitive Domains. I can clearly see a time when I will add more or refine the current list as new knowledge and insights reveal themselves to me.

Setting Your Goals
Most goal-setting exercises emphasize three types of goals: Short-term, intermediate, and long-term. It is vitally important that Middle Way Managers set realistic goals of all types. This speaks to vision (a moral imperative of the Middle Way Manager) and motivation. A team cannot move forward without vision and vision cannot be formulated without active goal-setting. Likewise, goals act as motivational milestones at the individual, team, and organizational levels. How such goals are set is an opportunity for the Middle Way Manager to practice inclusive leadership that is such a vital part of Middle Way Management.

Contextualizing Your Goals
As a Middle Way Manager works with his/her team during goal-setting exercises, it is important that all participants remain mindful of the primary goal of Middle Way Management: The relief of organizational suffering. For instance, a work team might embark on the exercise of setting sales goals for the year. The aggressiveness of the sales numbers will be determined by two questions: 1) Are the numbers (i.e., goals) realistic - if they are not, they will create a significant amount of suffering at all organizational levels as they are not met and 2) Are the target numbers designed to truly reduce suffering within the organization - an instance where they might not is one in which support workers cannot support the numbers of widgets sold.

In the end, the reduction of organizational suffering is the primary focus of the Middle Way Manager's goal-setting activities. This includes the adoption of a realistic view of organizational capabilities, as well as consideration of team capacities, support team availability and capacities, and overall organizational goals and objectives (to name but a few). The Middle Way Manager does not set goals and, hence, vision in a vacuum. The Middle Way Manager always emphasizes the relief of organizational suffering tempered by accountability inside and outside his/her work team.

In my next post, I will consider the importance of vision to the Middle Way Manager. As I've said here and elsewhere, vision is a moral imperative of the Middle Way Manager, one that must be executed with care, precision, and joy.

Go now, and manage with compassion!

Onward! Darin

Copyright © 2009/2010, Darin R. Molnar, PhD. All rights reserved.

Middle Way Management and Virtue Ethics

In my last post, I introduced and discussed the Cognitive Domains™ of Middle Way Management™. As Middle Way Managers™ work to practice compassion, they can now put team members' habits and behaviors into meaningful contexts in order to effect the changes necessary to relieve their suffering. In this post, I will consider the complementary relationship between Middle Way Management and virtue ethics.

A World-class Crisis
As I teach MBA and doctoral-level courses in management and leadership, I like to remind students that my favorite oxymoron is “business ethics.” I also remind them that I’m mostly kidding. I’ve spent many years as an entrepreneur with and without partners. I’ve contracted to organizations of all sizes, bought and sold businesses and started them up from scratch. I can say with complete confidence that the single most significant, ongoing crisis in American-style business is a large and expanding deficit of ethical behaviors.

The Philosophers’ Big Idea
We have many options available to us when considering ethics. As a branch of philosophy, some of the greatest minds of all time have mulled over and presented their ideas in the context of everyday life. Business leaders and managers have easily adopted these approaches and continue to define and refine what it means to be ethical in daily practice. Some do their best to maximize the good for all according to an accepted set of rules. Some carefully consider the consequences of their decisions and actions in the organizational context. Some don’t really care about what happens to organizational members as long as the outcome is an inflated bottom line.

One ancient and eminently useful approach available to us today is virtue ethics; it is based solely upon the virtue, or moral character, of a person and was originally presented in Western literature by Plato and Aristotle. Virtue ethics took a back seat for many, many years to utilitarian (consequentialist) and deontological (rule-based) approaches. Now, with the advent of leadership approaches such as Servant Leadership and my own Middle Way Management, virtue ethics is making a comeback worthy of Elvis in ’68.

The Virtuous Person
What is a virtuous person? This question lies at the heart of virtues ethic and is probably debated more than the legitimacy of virtue ethics itself. Aristotle presented the idea that the ultimate goal of the virtuous person is living well (his term is eudaimonia, but I won’t bore you with the definitions here). Of course, in ancient Greek thought, this was not related strictly to physical comfort, pleasure or luxury, though these could be the outcomes of being a virtuous person. No, a virtuous person is someone who always does the right thing for the right reasons.

If we think about virtue ethics in the context of organizational culture, we see that the rules (policies and procedures) and consequences (strategies/tactics and planned outcomes) have already been created for us. These constraints are necessary for an organization to operate efficiently and effectively, yet how do they influence the virtue of organizational members? As many of you are intimately aware, managing people is a delicate undertaking that requires compassion, empathy, patience, and kindness on the part of the manager. HR policies and procedures are the beginning of the people management process, while virtue ethics allow us to practice in meaningful ways on a daily basis within those necessary constraints to discover equitable and fair outcomes.

In the end, virtue ethics is a way of being, rather than a way of doing. Rather than asking “What are the rules for proceeding?” or “What are the consequences of my actions?” when confronted with situations requiring ethical choices, the manager who practices virtue ethics will ask herself, “What sort of person am I?” For instance, an employee who consistently shows up late for work when his timely arrival is crucial to the success of the organization may be managed in two ways: 1) according to organizational policies and procedures with little to no regard for root causes or 2) with compassion and care while seeking to understand root causes and then finding a remedy within the constraints of company policies. Interestingly, both of these approaches offer a maximization of good for all parties concerned, even the organization, yet only one of them relies on the personal virtue of the manager to find resolution.

Big Decisions for a Small Business
Over the years, I’ve come to the decision that I will never have another employee – period (perhaps I will regale you with the stories behind this decision in a future post). This puts me in the same position in which many of you find yourselves: Singletons in a sea of organizations. As such, we are left asking ourselves how the people management aspects of virtue ethics apply to our work lives; they do, but in different ways. In our cases, we can call upon virtue ethics in every business relationship and interaction. As we engage in commerce with customers, suppliers, competitors, government regulators, and others, we are in a position to frequently ask that important question: “What sort of person am I?”

Like you, I have many examples of how asking this question might have saved me and others from imminent grief. If you have not considered this question in any kind of detail, take some time out of your busy day and begin the process of defining yourself within a virtue ethics context. This way, the next time you are confronted with an opportunity to exercise your morality, you will be crystal clear on what to do and why you are doing it. This may seem like an effort at defining the obvious, yet I know from personal experience that my workload has prevented me from making decisions in the past based upon what sort of person I am. In the rush to make a decision, any decision, I have compromised my ethics and inevitably regretted the decision. Now, I am able to pause and ask the question before making any ethical decision.

Virtue Ethics in Action
As you think about virtue ethics, you may be wondering how one might fit them into an existing leadership or management approach. In my case, I have settled on virtue ethics as the foundation of Middle Way Management. While Middle Way Management is based upon Buddhist ethical concepts, it is very much linked to Western ideas about virtue ethics, especially when and where the rubber meets the road—during daily practice.

Middle Way Management emphasizes the practice of managerial compassion as a way to relieve suffering at the individual and organizational levels (yes, organizations can suffer, too). As a Middle Way Manager goes about managing team members with compassion, he must remain mindful of his values and of the sort of person he is because both are basic parts of his daily practice. In this way, Buddha meets Aristotle and both leave us examining ourselves in fundamental ways that increase our chances of success in the competitive marketplace.

What sort of person are you?

Onward! Darin

Copyright © 2009/2010, Darin R. Molnar, PhD. All rights reserved.

Middle Way Management and the Cognitive Domains

In my last post, I discussed the primary role compassion plays in Middle Way Management™, at both the theoretical and practice levels.  Well, after a long and interesting conversation with a working manager, it became clear to me that focusing the practice methodology on compassion alone is not the answer.  I've devised several "Cognitive Domains™" that work hand-in-hand with the practice methodology.  Only by recognizing and working within these domains can a Middle Way Manager™ fulfill his vital role.

The Practice Methodology
Before introducing the cognitive domains, I thought it would be handy to review the practice methodology. As you may recall, this methodology is comprised of six steps:

1. Team member agrees to work with the manager to change a habit/behavior,
2. Manager identifies the habit/behavior domain to be changed,
3. Team member collects complementary stories within the habit/behavior domain and shares them with the manager (resistance will be encountered during this stage and must be overcome in a positive, encouraging manner),
4. Manager checks in weekly with the team member and provides positive encouragement,
5. Manager and team member observe changed behavior(s) during the process,
6. Manager and team member wrap-up the process and make an assessment of status.

As I stated in my previous post on neuroplasticity, this approach works because the act of collecting and sharing the stories over the course of 30 days puts the team member's brain into "alpha wave" mode in which implicit memories are encoded and habits and behaviors are permanently changed for the better.  Though the process is foolproof, the manager will experience resistance from the team member.

Not to worry - this is a natural and expected part of the process because the ego resists change at all costs.  This manifests in different ways; typically, the team member will stop providing the stories and will shift to providing excuses such as, "I don't have time in my busy work day to send you stories." The manager must remain positive and encourage the team member to resume sending the stories.  Once this hurdle is overcome, it is usually smooth sailing until the 30 day process has been completed.

The Cognitive Domains
In my last post, I explained how I realized that compassion is the end-all of Middle Way Management.  I have not changed my position on that point, yet I recognize that managers are suffering, too.  While discussing Middle Way Management with the manager I mentioned above, he expressed concern over how to remain compassionate in the face of challenges that might result in a team member's termination. I quickly realized the manager was compassionate, he just did not have the knowledge and/or practice methodology to go about helping his team member.  Enter "Cognitive Domains."

You can think of the Cognitive Domains and meta-categories of behaviors. For instance, the first domain, "Mindful Awareness," is composed of several characteristics used to identify a team member's challenges in that domain. These characteristics, while stated in the positive such as, "Exercises acute workplace awareness at all times," can be used to identify team member deficiencies within that domain. The identification process is a key component of applying the methodology within the context of Middle Way Management.

The Cognitive Domains of Middle Way Management are:

1. Mindful Awareness
2. Compassionate Practice
3. Motivational Disposition
4. Expanded Worldview
5. Knowledge Creation
6. Systemic Outlook
7. Focused Framing
8. Coaching Skills

As I spoke with my manager friend, we explored the habits and behaviors of the team member about whom he was concerned.  Over the course of our conversation, it became clear how the team member's attention to detail (i.e., limited view of his role in the organization) was contributing to his under-performance in ways that were threatening his continued employment with the organization.  In this case, he exercised Focused Framing well, yet lacked sufficient Systemic Outlook that allowed him see his own place of importance in the larger organizational context. This results in a lack of motivation that seriously affects the team member's performance.

Applying the Methodology
Because my manager friend is a good Middle Way Manager, he does not want to terminate the team member. He believes the employee is fully capable of performing in stellar ways. This is an important point because the buy-in of the manager supersedes all other efforts here. If a manager does not want to work with a team member and would rather terminate him/her, what's the point of applying the methodology? Then again, a true Middle Way Manager will act with compassion and demonstrate a level of commitment that will move him into a positive, helpful space in which he can help an employee change his or her habits and behaviors.

As I explained how the methodology consists of the six practice steps above, I could see my manager friend become more comfortable with applying it in his workplace, though he did voice some concern that an initial application would require some support, namely from me. I explained to him that the forthcoming book and accompanying Web site would help with Cognitive Domain identification and practice support, which will be available to all who purchase the book.

The Whole Point
The whole reason for this post is centered on my new understanding of how important the Cognitive Domains are to the practice of Middle Way Management. While compassion as the relief of individual and organizational suffering will remain at the heart of Middle Way Management, a compassionate manager will be able to relieve team member suffering by applying the practice methodology with the help of the Cognitive Domains. And s/he will do it with all of the aid and support I can offer (more on these upcoming offerings in a future post!).

Go now, and manage with compassion.

Onward! Darin

Copyright © 2009/2010, Darin R. Molnar, PhD. All rights reserved.

Middle Way Management and Compassion

In my last post, I discussed the MWM-AI™ Study that produced the (free) survey instrument intended to measure the "level" of Middle Way Management™ in an organization. I like to administer the MWM-AI at the outset of a consulting relationship and then again once organizational members have had time to work the methodology. Today, I will be discussing what is perhaps the fundamental aspect of Middle Way Management: Compassion.

It's the Compassion, Stupid!
As I've worked these past few months on producing the seminal book on Middle Way Management, Middle Way Management: Where Compassion Meets the Bottom Line, I came to the realization that the approach is about one thing: Compassion. I had visions (delusions?) of grandeur that Middle Way Management was the answer to every leadership and management scenario. Well, in some ways, it is, yet I am comfortable with the fact that in many ways, it is not.

The English language is composed of complex words intended to convey subtle and layered meaning using a single set of phonemes. While our language is a wonderful tool for communication, it is often inadequate to express the full meaning of our intent. In the case of compassion, the subtlety and layers are manifold and encompassing. While waxing poetic about words such as empathy, kindness, acceptance, and love, I understood in a flash one night that compassion truly is all things to everyone, especially Middle Way Managers™.

What does it take to practice compassion? It takes a healthy respect for our fellow humans. It also requires patience, empathy, openness, and a heart-filling dose of good, old-fashioned love. Compassion requires us to reveal and revel in our better natures; it is patient and kind and somehow elevates us to a higher level of being. It is the be-all and end-all of Middle Way Management.

To End the Suffering
As I have developed Middle Way Management, I have adapted the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism to my own ends. This is meant as a sign of respect and it is not my intent to impugn in any way the long tradition of  study and practice represented by that religion. As a reminder, the Four Noble Truths are

1. Suffering exists,
2. The cause of suffering is desire,
3. There is a way out of suffering,
4. The way out of suffering is walking the Middle Way (i.e., Buddhism).

I have resisted relying upon a dictionary definition of compassion, yet a fundamental part of any definition of the word is centered on the relief of suffering. As I have developed Middle Way Management, I have never lost site of the basic truth that suffering exists at the individual and organizational levels. I have seen it with my own eyes and felt it with my own heart. This experience is the sole driver behind my motivation to develop and offer Middle Way Management to the world.

Thus, I re-phrase the Four Noble Truths in an organizational context as

1. Suffering exists at the individual and collective levels within organizations (I would even argue that organizations suffer),
2. The cause of organizational suffering is a lack of managerial compassion,
3. There is a way to relieve suffering at the individual and organizational levels,
4. The way to relieve suffering at the individual and organizational levels is through the practice of Middle Way Management.

How Do You Get to Carnegie Hall?
The answer to the question above is well-known: Practice, practice, practice. Though I developed Middle Way Management as a leadership and management approach based upon sound theory, I recognized early on that any approach without a solid practice foundation is doomed to either grow slowly or to die on the vine. I am highly motivated to release Middle Way Management to the wild (so to speak) and see what happens, and the best way to accomplish this is to provide a proven practice methodology. My fondest desire is that others smarter and more erudite than myself will take up the mantle and create a leadership and management approach at home in the 21st century and beyond.

The practice approach of Middle Way Management is simple: Be compassionate. So, this begs the question, how does one be so? One person's compassion is another's so-what.  This is where the MWM-AI and the neuroscientific methodology come into play. The results from administering the MWM-AI can be used to focus on the various subtleties of Middle Way Management upon which organizational members can improve. For instance, if a lack of acceptance (the opposite of which is judgmentalism) is evident, the methodology may be used to develop and encode acceptance into the implicit memory of organizational members. In this way, the flexibility of Middle Way Management becomes an asset in the development of compassion in the organization.

Go Now, and Manage with Compassion!
As you grow your own Middle Way Management practice, you must keep in mind the central role of compassion as the only way to end suffering at the individual and organizational levels. People in our American-style organizations are suffering. We see this manifest as illness, tardiness, low productivity, and in  a million other ways. Suffering is miserable. Now is the time to end the misery, to put a stop to the suffering. I offer the tools to help you accomplish this - please use them with care and diligence, remaining mindful of the special responsibility you have as a Middle Way Manager: To end the suffering at the individual and collective levels in your organization.

So, go now, and manage with compassion!

Onward! Darin

Copyright © 2009/2010, Darin R. Molnar, PhD. All rights reserved.