In my last post, I discussed the role integrity plays in Middle Way Management™. A Middle Way Manager's™ practice must be both integral and congruent, or it is nothing at all. In this post, I consider courage and how it both affects and is an outcome of practicing Middle Way Management.
If I Only Had Some Courage...
In the past, I behaved much like the Cowardly Lion in the workplace. In the face of fear, I would simply curl my tail between my legs and slink off to lick my wounds under the fluorescent light of my gray cubicle. Sometimes, the fear was held only in the space between my ears, at other times is was a nearly-visceral reaction to vicious and unrelenting criticism from a manager. Most of the time, I did not live and work by the courage of my convictions, choosing, instead, to accept any and all forms of fear as a consequence of working in an American-style organization. I held no one accountable for their words and actions nor did I hold myself accountable to the high standards of Middle Way Management.
Now, times are different, and I am different. Today, I am a Middle Way Manager. I face difficulty with a quality of mind and spirit that help me overcome my fears. Some consider this sort of courage to be synonymous with bravery. I consider it a way of being and a framework for action in the context of Middle Way Management practice. In this way, we must practice self-compassion first. Without self-compassion, we cannot give ourselves the space and respect necessary to have compassion for others. Without practicing inner compassion, we are doomed to withhold our empathy, patience, kindness, and abiding love for others. Practice compassion for yourself first, only then will it come naturally for others.
Courage in the Workplace
Because courage is a response to fear, it is sorely needed in today's American-style workplace. People are scared; they are scared of losing their jobs and they are scared of their salaries being cut or their benefits being reduced. People are scared of where the economy and their organization are headed and where they will end up when it comes time for blessed retirement (if there is light at the end of that tunnel at all). They must all act professionally in this fear-charged atmosphere and some simply do not know how to do that because fear has gotten the better of them and they are engaging in acts that are not representative of their true characters. They know they are not their behaviors, yet they catch themselves behaving in ways they do not understand, resulting in disappointment and even self-loathing.
It takes courage to break this negative cycle of fear and reaction, this organization-based suffering. Middle Way Managers must sometimes practice the approach without the institutional support of their superiors and organization. This is possible because the understanding, mindful awareness, and way of being that is Middle Way Management can be practiced within a larger organizational context without the organization's "official" sanction. In fact, this is one of the most effective ways Middle Way Management will gain notoriety over the long term. It takes courage to execute a management approach when others are ridiculing it or simply do not understand your motivations. Charge ahead and let the results speak for themselves - and for you.
Courage from Your Position
The idea of leading from one's position has gained increasing traction over the last few years. The good news is that it's absolutely true: Anyone can lead from their particular organizational position. This takes a certain amount of courage because leadership requires decision-making and action-taking, which are inherently risky endeavors. Organizations that encourage leading from one's position must allow organizational members the freedom to make mistakes in order to learn from missteps. In today's business environment where crisis management has become something of a norm, this sort of freedom may not always be allowed. If this is the case within your organization, you must decide how much risk you are willing to shoulder while remaining true to your Middle Way Management practice.
At the end of the day, your single, driving goal as a Middle Way Manager must be the practice of mindful awareness that leads to the reduction of suffering at all levels of the organization. Accepting this mission can be a courageous act on its own. Conventional American-style business wisdom tells us that informed self-interest and the accumulation of vast wealth are the only worthy goals of our pursuits. When you practice true Middle Way Management, your sphere of concern extends beyond yourself. This may be viewed by some in your organization as a "weak" approach, which they will then project upon you. Are you willing to take this risk? Are you willing to create a positive ripple effect that will cut across the organization and across time? Are you willing to be a Middle Way Manager?
In my next post, I will consider three views that shape the way we view the world and our place in it.
Until then, go, and manage with compassion!
Onward! Darin
Copyright © 2009/2010, Darin R. Molnar, PhD. All rights reserved.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Middle Way Management and Integrity
In my last post, I discussed how shared vision is a moral imperative of the Middle Way Manager™. In this post, I consider the role of integrity in your Middle Way Management™ practice.
Both Integral and Congruent
As I reflected on what I would say about management integrity for this post, I thought immediately of several characteristics that represent a manager without integrity! We all have these examples in our heads. Rather than dwell upon what it means to conduct yourself without integrity, I'd much prefer considering the role it plays in a positive, integral management approach. By this, I also mean a congruent approach able to produce the types of consistency and equanimity that are hallmarks of a true Middle Way Manager.
As you walk your Middle Way Management talk, you actively engage in truthful, candid, compassionate, and empathic accountability with the singular goal of relieving organizational suffering at all levels in your workplace. When you do this in a congruent way so that the various characteristics of your practice are never in conflict, you are a manager of integrity. For instance, what sense would it make to be truthful, candid, compassionate, and empathetic, yet never hold anyone in your organization accountable for their words and actions? A lack of integrity in this way will not only damage the efficacy of your Middle Way Management practice, it will result in significant organizational suffering - all created by you!
A Way Out of Organizational Suffering
The practice of Middle Way Management offers a way out of organizational suffering. In fact, it's the third tenet of my adaptation of the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism:
1. Organizational suffering exists,
2. Organizational suffering is caused by the habits and behaviors of managers,
3. There is a way out of organizational suffering, and
4. The practice of Middle Way Management is a way to end organizational suffering at all levels.
As you practice Middle Way Management, you must constantly remain mindful of your habits, behaviors, and actions to ensure your own integrity. As you find chances for improvement, you will work with another to deploy the methodology I've described in other posts. This will offer an excellent example for those you manage. If you can monitor your own habits and behaviors and adjust them when necessary, the people you manage will be more inclined to do so when you ask them to monitor and change theirs.
An Integral Management Practice
So, start today - as you engage with others, particularly the people you manage, check to see if your practice is integral and congruent. A great way to do this is to take some quiet time early in your day to reflect on how things have gone to that point and to visualize how you want them to go for the remainder of your busy day. If things have not gone in an integral way up to that point, it is your opportunity to change them and move into a more positive, productive space. In the end, you must ask: Do I want to be an honest, candid, empathetic and compassionate leader/manager or do I want to be something else? As a practicing Middle Way Manager, the answer to this question is nearly rhetorical and easily discovered.
Go now, and manage with compassion!
Onward! Darin
Copyright © 2009/2010, Darin R. Molnar, PhD. All rights reserved.
Both Integral and Congruent
As I reflected on what I would say about management integrity for this post, I thought immediately of several characteristics that represent a manager without integrity! We all have these examples in our heads. Rather than dwell upon what it means to conduct yourself without integrity, I'd much prefer considering the role it plays in a positive, integral management approach. By this, I also mean a congruent approach able to produce the types of consistency and equanimity that are hallmarks of a true Middle Way Manager.
As you walk your Middle Way Management talk, you actively engage in truthful, candid, compassionate, and empathic accountability with the singular goal of relieving organizational suffering at all levels in your workplace. When you do this in a congruent way so that the various characteristics of your practice are never in conflict, you are a manager of integrity. For instance, what sense would it make to be truthful, candid, compassionate, and empathetic, yet never hold anyone in your organization accountable for their words and actions? A lack of integrity in this way will not only damage the efficacy of your Middle Way Management practice, it will result in significant organizational suffering - all created by you!
A Way Out of Organizational Suffering
The practice of Middle Way Management offers a way out of organizational suffering. In fact, it's the third tenet of my adaptation of the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism:
1. Organizational suffering exists,
2. Organizational suffering is caused by the habits and behaviors of managers,
3. There is a way out of organizational suffering, and
4. The practice of Middle Way Management is a way to end organizational suffering at all levels.
As you practice Middle Way Management, you must constantly remain mindful of your habits, behaviors, and actions to ensure your own integrity. As you find chances for improvement, you will work with another to deploy the methodology I've described in other posts. This will offer an excellent example for those you manage. If you can monitor your own habits and behaviors and adjust them when necessary, the people you manage will be more inclined to do so when you ask them to monitor and change theirs.
An Integral Management Practice
So, start today - as you engage with others, particularly the people you manage, check to see if your practice is integral and congruent. A great way to do this is to take some quiet time early in your day to reflect on how things have gone to that point and to visualize how you want them to go for the remainder of your busy day. If things have not gone in an integral way up to that point, it is your opportunity to change them and move into a more positive, productive space. In the end, you must ask: Do I want to be an honest, candid, empathetic and compassionate leader/manager or do I want to be something else? As a practicing Middle Way Manager, the answer to this question is nearly rhetorical and easily discovered.
Go now, and manage with compassion!
Onward! Darin
Copyright © 2009/2010, Darin R. Molnar, PhD. All rights reserved.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Middle Way Management and Shared Vision
In my last post, I discussed setting goals in the context of Middle Way Management™. No matter what goals the Middle Way Manager™ is promoting, his/her primary objective is to relieve suffering at all levels of the organization. In this post, I will discuss how vision is a moral imperative of the Middle Way Manager.
A Moral Imperative? Really?
Morality and ethics are the foundation of Middle Way Management. Several options were available to me when I began creating this approach. Some types of ethics emphasize rules and how those rules act as constraints upon our behaviors. Others emphasize only outcomes. In this way, the end justifies the means while remaining mindful of how one can maximize the good for all parties concerned. This does not mean all parties achieve fair and equitable results, only that the inequities they suffer are minimized. Another approach relies upon personal virtue as the guideline and measure of success. This "virtue ethics" approach, combined with a Buddhist-based ethic, is the one upon which Middle Way Management is based.
All ethical approaches assume the active application of a particular moral sensibility. Morality can be culturally relative, yet we must proceed with caution down such a path. It is certainly acceptable in our Western world to consider certain behaviors universally immoral; robbery, rape, and murder come immediately to mind. In the case of Middle Way Management, compassion tempered by accountability rules the day just as virtue ethics requires us to ask, "What sort of person am I?" whenever we are confronted with a situation requiring a moral decision. Because this approach relies on the personal virtue of the manager, it is important she understand clearly her moral foundation and how it informs her daily management practice.
Vision as Morality
If you have ever worked for a manager who has not supplied the team or organization with a coherent vision, you will understand why vision is so important. For those of you who have not, an example: I once worked for a VP who supplied an overall technical vision for a product set and then sat back content in the knowledge that the entire IT organization would rise to the occasion to fulfill his dream. The only trouble was that he had neither provided information about why the technical solution was the best choice under the circumstances nor had he entertained any input whatsoever from the people who would actually be doing the work. In the end, the organization experienced an annual turnover rate of 40% and he was left mystified as to why such a thing could happen on his watch.
What the VP failed to recognize was the inherent morality in the act of inclusion and in providing an overall business-level vision that speaks to goals, objectives and, heck, the reasons why we would all get up and come to work in the morning. The organization at large produced and maintained testing and assessment data for children. If he had only tied the technical vision into the larger motivational goals that really did bring people to work every morning, he would have had another problem: holding people back so their enthusiasm did not cloud the technical vision! Naturally, this man was not a Middle Way Manager.
As I watched the drama of the sinking ship unfold, it occurred to me that the VP's personal philosophy was not congruent with the organization's nor did it serve his work teams. After all, a true Middle Way Manager serves first. As he continued to task the teams unreasonably while not providing an overarching vision, he was acting in an immoral way because a) he was killing the motivation of the IT organization, resulting in significant individual and organizational suffering and b) he was not fulfilling his role as leader and/or manager by working with his teams to create a shared vision. His paycheck was contingent on the understanding that he would provide sufficient quantities of leadership and management and he was doing neither. By doing this, he was accepting a (very large) paycheck on fraudulent grounds. Of course, no organizational accountability existed, which speaks to leadership and management at higher levels, but I digress.
Being a Middle Way Manager
As I've stated in previous posts, Middle Way Management is as much a way of being as a way of doing. While I've provided a solid practice methodology, a major part of being a Middle Way Manager is understanding your own morality, including your strengths and weaknesses, and trying hard to practice compassion, empathy, and kindness with a good dose of accountability thrown into the mix. This can take some hard work on your part - not everyone is born a Middle Way Manager (in fact, I would argue that no one really is). But, if you are sincere about changing your viewpoint and work daily to bring your habits and behaviors into alignment with your stated philosophy, you will succeed and you will earn the right to be called a Middle Way Manager!
Go now, and manage with compassion!
Onward! Darin
Copyright © 2009/2010, Darin R. Molnar, PhD. All rights reserved.
A Moral Imperative? Really?
Morality and ethics are the foundation of Middle Way Management. Several options were available to me when I began creating this approach. Some types of ethics emphasize rules and how those rules act as constraints upon our behaviors. Others emphasize only outcomes. In this way, the end justifies the means while remaining mindful of how one can maximize the good for all parties concerned. This does not mean all parties achieve fair and equitable results, only that the inequities they suffer are minimized. Another approach relies upon personal virtue as the guideline and measure of success. This "virtue ethics" approach, combined with a Buddhist-based ethic, is the one upon which Middle Way Management is based.
All ethical approaches assume the active application of a particular moral sensibility. Morality can be culturally relative, yet we must proceed with caution down such a path. It is certainly acceptable in our Western world to consider certain behaviors universally immoral; robbery, rape, and murder come immediately to mind. In the case of Middle Way Management, compassion tempered by accountability rules the day just as virtue ethics requires us to ask, "What sort of person am I?" whenever we are confronted with a situation requiring a moral decision. Because this approach relies on the personal virtue of the manager, it is important she understand clearly her moral foundation and how it informs her daily management practice.
Vision as Morality
If you have ever worked for a manager who has not supplied the team or organization with a coherent vision, you will understand why vision is so important. For those of you who have not, an example: I once worked for a VP who supplied an overall technical vision for a product set and then sat back content in the knowledge that the entire IT organization would rise to the occasion to fulfill his dream. The only trouble was that he had neither provided information about why the technical solution was the best choice under the circumstances nor had he entertained any input whatsoever from the people who would actually be doing the work. In the end, the organization experienced an annual turnover rate of 40% and he was left mystified as to why such a thing could happen on his watch.
What the VP failed to recognize was the inherent morality in the act of inclusion and in providing an overall business-level vision that speaks to goals, objectives and, heck, the reasons why we would all get up and come to work in the morning. The organization at large produced and maintained testing and assessment data for children. If he had only tied the technical vision into the larger motivational goals that really did bring people to work every morning, he would have had another problem: holding people back so their enthusiasm did not cloud the technical vision! Naturally, this man was not a Middle Way Manager.
As I watched the drama of the sinking ship unfold, it occurred to me that the VP's personal philosophy was not congruent with the organization's nor did it serve his work teams. After all, a true Middle Way Manager serves first. As he continued to task the teams unreasonably while not providing an overarching vision, he was acting in an immoral way because a) he was killing the motivation of the IT organization, resulting in significant individual and organizational suffering and b) he was not fulfilling his role as leader and/or manager by working with his teams to create a shared vision. His paycheck was contingent on the understanding that he would provide sufficient quantities of leadership and management and he was doing neither. By doing this, he was accepting a (very large) paycheck on fraudulent grounds. Of course, no organizational accountability existed, which speaks to leadership and management at higher levels, but I digress.
Being a Middle Way Manager
As I've stated in previous posts, Middle Way Management is as much a way of being as a way of doing. While I've provided a solid practice methodology, a major part of being a Middle Way Manager is understanding your own morality, including your strengths and weaknesses, and trying hard to practice compassion, empathy, and kindness with a good dose of accountability thrown into the mix. This can take some hard work on your part - not everyone is born a Middle Way Manager (in fact, I would argue that no one really is). But, if you are sincere about changing your viewpoint and work daily to bring your habits and behaviors into alignment with your stated philosophy, you will succeed and you will earn the right to be called a Middle Way Manager!
Go now, and manage with compassion!
Onward! Darin
Copyright © 2009/2010, Darin R. Molnar, PhD. All rights reserved.
Friday, July 30, 2010
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:
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.
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:
- Suffering exists within organizations at the individual, team, and organizational levels,
- Organizational suffering is the direct result of managerial practices,
- There is a way out of organizational suffering, and
- The way out of organizational suffering is through the practice of Middle Way Management.
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.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
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.
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.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
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:
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:
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.
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:
- Team member agrees to work with the manager to change a habit/behavior,
- Manager identifies the habit/behavior domain to be changed,
- 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),
- Manager checks in weekly with the team member and provides positive encouragement,
- Manager and team member observe changed behavior(s) during the process,
- Manager and team member wrap-up the process and make an assessment of status.
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:
- Mindful Awareness
- Compassionate Practice
- Motivational Disposition
- Expanded Worldview
- Knowledge Creation
- Systemic Outlook
- Focused Framing
- Coaching Skills
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.
Monday, July 5, 2010
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.
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.
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