CHAPTER FOURTEEN
STEP 8 Unleash the Positive Energizers
One day we ran into an old friend who directs human resources in a large organization. We inquired as to how she was doing, and she told us that things were not going very well at work. The people at the top faced difficult challenges and were responding in conventional ways. They were becoming increasingly negative, and the negativity was flowing through the organization.
We asked her to consider a counterintuitive question: What would happen if she went back to her organization and selected people whom she knew were inherently positive, committed to the collective good, and competent? What if she invited them to become a network of positive change agents? What if she assembled them and asked them what they wanted the organization to look like in the future? What if she asked them what they could do to bring that vision into reality?
We asked these questions based on our experience. Every organization has a pool of purpose-driven people. The pool often goes unrecognized. We refer to this pool as “the invisible network of positive energizers.” Spread randomly throughout the organization, positive energizers are mature, purpose-driven people with an optimistic orientation, people like Corey Mundle, whom we described in chapter 7. They are open and willing to take initiative, and they naturally energize others. Once invited, they can assist with culture change. These people are easy to identify, they radiate positive energy, and they are trusted.
Our proposal was not a conventional one. For our friend, it raised many immediate concerns, but it did intrigue her. It gave her a small ray of hope at a dark time. We told her to go home and sleep on the idea, then give us a call so we could discuss it.
She did call. She said that, on the one hand, something about our proposal seemed radical and uncomfortable. It did not conform to the conventional assumption that all change efforts should be directed from the top and flow down the hierarchy. On the other hand, she suggested that it was her responsibility to lead the way in creating a better culture. She concluded that taking care of the people in the company was not only her job; it was at the heart of her personal purpose. She concluded that she was going to move ahead because it was the right thing to do.
She had already held two meetings. She reported that she was overwhelmed by the interest and commitment of the people who had assembled. They were “fellow travelers” who felt as strongly as she did, and they were willing to go the extra mile to accomplish something. They were an amazing resource that until now had gone unrecognized. Moreover, she no longer felt alone.
The group analyzed the current state of the organization and then the desired state of the organization. On the one hand, the company was full of inherently good people who were loyal, ethical, dedicated, proud, and hungry to collaborate and win. The people knew they were surrounded by external opportunities, they recognized that the company was at a crossroads, and they were anxious to see the company succeed.
On the other hand, the people were full of anxiety. They saw that the competitiveness of the company was in question, that the focus was only on metrics, that there was no unifying vision, that confusion and conflict were increasing, that people were becoming increasingly territorial and fragmented, that fear permeated the organization, that people tended to be trapped in their old ways, that blame and finger pointing were increasing. They felt that there was a growing sense of exhaustion, and people were not anxious to get out of bed in the morning.
The group wanted to have a successful, competitive, growing company, with a clear mission and purpose. The company would be customer focused and always changing. It would have a learning culture. It would emphasize clarity, trust, candor, and collaboration. It would have people who were confident, innovative, energized, and empowered high performers making speedy decisions. It would be profitable because the people were committed to growing the profit margin.
This vision exhilarated the group of positive energizers. They were anxious to take the next step, but they were not sure what that was. Our friend invited us to meet with the group. We asked the group to teach us who they were and what they really valued. For an hour they talked with enthusiasm. We then asked them to make a list of the most important questions they wanted us to answer. They asked very thoughtful questions that fell into two categories: how should they personally and collectively operate so as to make a difference?
Personal Versus Collective Purpose
We engaged the group in an exploration of both themes. We suggested that they each needed a statement of personal purpose. They needed to align everything they did with their personal purpose. This notion was well received.
We then spoke of how they could, at their level, help their people to find their personal purpose, and their collective purpose, and connect the two. We discussed the positively deviant patterns that might arise and become contagious across the organization. They liked this notion but expressed considerable fear about the reaction from above.
At this point, our friend said she would like to share her personal journey. For 10 minutes she told an intimate story about her fears, her desires, and her decisions. The story was moving, and the people in the room were genuinely inspired.
We asked them, “What were the most important points in the story?” They came up with many answers but missed what we thought was the most important. At one moment in her account, our friend told of an incident with one of the senior people. She gave him a general description of what she was doing with the positive energizers. He responded, “Oh, I like that. I think it is good that there is an organic effort to improve things and that we do not have to try to generate it from the top.”
We asked the group to focus on those words and share their insights. When they were done sharing, we summarized: “So what you are saying is that you already have a license from the top. By meeting in this group, you are simply doing your jobs as leaders in this company. You are not here leading a rebellion against authority. You are here leading a rebellion against the failure of this organization. You are helping the people above you do what they desire. You are positive deviants, not negative deviants. If you frame what you are doing incorrectly, you may offend the people above, but if you frame what you are doing carefully, they will likely welcome your effort. So how do you move forward effectively?”
They seemed inspired, and they shared ideas. One woman then raised her hand and said that she wanted to share something she might not normally share. She said that recently there was a challenge in the company. Ninety percent of the units in the field met the difficult challenge successfully. The immediate reaction of her boss was to ignore the efforts of the 90 percent and figure out ways to push the 10 percent to do better. She was incensed and took a stand. She described how she then effectively worked to turn the attention of her boss from the failing 10 percent to the celebration of what the 90 percent had accomplished.
At the perfect moment, this soft-spoken woman gave us a model at the personal level that this group of positive energizers could pursue at the collective level. It was a profound moment. A group of change agents was engaged in a learning relationship in which they were discovering how to empower themselves to act and carry purpose and positive culture into and up the organization.
Her example illustrated that transformative change begins on the inside. If you want to positively influence your leaders or peers, you need to do what they and others are afraid to do. You need to have the courage to put the collective good ahead of your ego needs. Doing so is the essence of leadership. When you are purpose-driven, you find the ability to envision and do what is normally impossible to envision and do.
We had created a space where the positive energizers could meet and learn and empower themselves. Every positive energizer in the room would have to do the same. Leadership is not about directing other people. It is about providing a relationship that allows others to learn and grow and do what they could not previously do. It is also about each person’s own demonstration of courage and commitment. As people step out of the comfort zone and into the role of the positive deviant, they model what others can also do.
As people yearn to bring positive organizing to those above them or across from them, they are yearning for others to have the courage to be positive deviants, to do good things that are outside the conventional culture. Like them, they are filled with fear, which is justified. They know that deviance is risky. They know that they have legions of managers who hold hierarchical positions, but they have very few leaders who wield transformative influence.
The step of forming a group of positive energizers is useful because the energizers are individually and collectively predisposed to understand the positive lens. We almost always suggest to CEOs who want to create a purpose-driven organization that they should engage a network of positive energizers.
Positive Energizers at DTE Energy
We have helped launch networks of positive energizers in numerous organizations. Typically, in the first meeting, senior leaders invite network members to become involved in the design and the execution of the change process. Within minutes, they achieve buy in. The members of the network schedule regular meetings. They go out into the company, share ideas, and return with feedback and new ideas. One of the companies we have worked with is DTE Energy, which has created a network of positive energizers and turned the idea into a high art form.
We attended the first meeting of the positive energizer network. At the outset, the senior leader greeted the members of the network. He reviewed the history, explained that they were being asked to guide culture change, that there was no map, that they were in uncharted waters, that they were being asked to envision, dream, and create. He asked them to introduce themselves and gave them three tasks. They were to introduce themselves, explain how they access positive energy, and share their favorite vacation spot.
After the introductions, we asked the people to reflect on what people had said and identify the unusual commonalities. People said that the members were authentic and comfortably vulnerable. Individuals, for example, openly spoke of the challenges overcome by their parents or children or themselves. One man said his father grew up in a tent, came to the United States with nothing, and was now a professor. When he pondered this fact, he became confident that he could do what needed to be done in life. Another spoke of the commitment of having a handicapped child, and the blessings to the family. He inspired us all with his story.
These were optimistic people. Many shared personal life challenges but expressed genuine gratitude for the benefits that they associated with the challenges.
They also observed that the group found meaning in their work. A union member said, “I have been a lineman for over 20 years, but I have never worked a day in my life. I love what I do, and I love the people I work with.”
They said the group was about relationships because the participants had much to say about helping others and learning from others. They said the group was curious because many spoke of vacations as learning experiences. Finally, they focused on the learning of others. One man, for example, joyfully described his daughter and her constant progress in soccer. Another spoke of seeing herself as a teacher at work and rejoiced in the development of her people.
Formulating a Vision
As the session closed, we realized that DTE had assembled a whole network of people like Corey Mundle. They were positive energizers who were ready to own their work. What they did over the next few months was impressive.
A Statement of Vision
First, they worked on their own purpose as a collective and created a grounded vision statement of what might occur in the next 18 months. Like at Zingerman’s, they wrote their statement as if they were looking back in time. Here is their vision:
Wednesday, December 19, 2018
It’s hard to believe it has been 18 months since the Positive Energizer Network [PEN] kickoff event at Copeley Hill. As a group, we’ve made so much progress, and we can see our work taking hold throughout DTE Energy. We have helped DTE evolve in its understanding of being a positive organization. It is now well understood that being a part of a purpose-driven, positive organization does not mean “being nice” but rather is defined by valuing both results and relationships, focusing on the “how” and “why” behind results, and not just the “what.”
This afternoon, the network is getting together for one of our regular meetings, and I look forward to this meeting, as it energizes me and gives me a chance to connect with the colleagues I don’t get to see that often.
I can remember our first meeting and how we all weren’t sure what this network was all about and we were challenged to deal with this ambiguity. We still get a good laugh when we tell new members about our “blind tent-building” activity from the 2017 kickoff retreat. But over the last 18 months we’ve realized that “building the bridge as we walk on it” is energizing, especially when doing this within a close-knit community like the PEN network. We went from ambiguity to developing a clear purpose that guides us in positively impacting individuals, teams, and the enterprise.
In the last year and a half, we have taken trips to visit other organizations that practice positive leadership. We have visited Menlo Innovations in Ann Arbor, and Cascade Engineering in Grand Rapids, and we have more visits planned in the year ahead.
Last May, 80 percent of our network members attended the Positive Business Conference at the Ross School of Business. We identified three key learnings that we applied at DTE, and are showing positive results now that we are over six months out.
Not only have we been learning from others; we now have the chance to teach and share what we’ve accomplished. Because we did a great job of documenting the experiments and working together as a team, we are in talks with Ross to present our own session at the Positive Business Conference in 2019. We are also on the agenda for the 2019 meeting for all leaders in the company.
Accomplishments in the first 18 months: We’ve grown—we started with a group of about 20 of us, and now we are nearing 40. This growth is the result of inviting other natural energizers whom we’ve met and who expressed an interest in this work. We’ve managed the growth so that we are able to maintain the cohesiveness of the group. The network meets every four to six weeks, with 90 percent of members able to attend either in person or via Skype. Network subgroups meet more frequently, using the time to experiment in areas that they are passionate about.
We were also able to launch network nodes this past summer—15 of the original PEN members took the initiative to build new networks in their business units, ranging in size from 5 to 25, and expand the impact of our work. During meetings, we share and swap success stories related to what’s been happening in our own areas.
One of our biggest contributions to date has been teaching other leaders and individual contributors to successfully build trust and empowerment within their teams. In addition, we have found that strongly believing in the capability of all team members to deliver excellence, and to hold one another (and ourselves) accountable on the desired results is a powerful tool to promote both empowerment and engagement.
We have tested different methods, revealed strong results, and have cascaded those across the enterprise. A few examples of changes that have taken hold:
Performance discussions are led through the lens of positive leadership and include ongoing feedback, coaching, and conversations on accountability.
Guidelines on huddle meetings and other continuous improvement applications have been updated to include recommendations on positive practices to weave into the conversations.
Personal and enterprise purpose is a common discussion topic around DTE, and leaders and individual contributors can readily share their personal purpose when asked.
Our network has also played a key role in transforming our culture around integrating Force for Growth [FFG; the concept of the company igniting progress in the community] into our everyday work, as there are many overlaps between the tenets of positive leadership and being a force for growth in our communities. At their cores, both efforts include service to others and the understanding that when we do the right thing, the right results will follow. We took a leadership role in integrating FFG into our everyday work and identified key practices to accelerate integration.
Word got out about how we helped with that FFG integration, and we have been invited to help on a few other key projects to help scale transformation across the enterprise. We have helped DTE become a company that is comfortable with innovation, as we have proven through experimentation how to best overcome fear of failure so we can focus on trying new things and creating innovative solutions.
As we have flourished, so has DTE Energy. Engagement is high—we have maxed the Gallup numbers and have identified what “great” looks like in a “post-Gallup” world and now use different measurement tools. Through survey feedback, more employees feel like they are welcome to bring their “whole self” to work, and this is supported through advancements in inclusion, opportunities for contribution, and the increased knowledge that DTE Energy cares about what its employees care about.
A bright future: As I walk into this meeting, I am excited to see PEN alumni as well as new members mingling in our premeeting high-quality connection time. Today, we are discussing how we can influence the cultural transformation around innovation, idea management, and recognition of DTE innovators. Each opportunity brings the chance to learn more about myself as a leader, and is a reminder that on this journey, we never stop learning.
I can’t wait to see what the year ahead brings!
From Vision to Planning
From the vision statement the people were able to identify a set of potential actions, including the following:
Launch network nodes in their own business units.
Teach other leaders and individual contributors to successfully build trust and empowerment within their teams.
Foster a strong belief in the capability of all team members to deliver excellence, and to hold one another accountable for the desired results.
Lead performance management discussions through the lens of positive leadership and include ongoing feedback, coaching, and conversations on accountability.
Update guidelines on huddle meetings and other CI applications to include recommendations on positive practices to weave into the conversations.
Make personal and team purpose a common discussion topic around DTE, and encourage leaders and individual contributors to readily share their personal purpose when asked.
Take a leadership role in integrating FFG into our everyday work and identify key practices to accelerate integration.
Make recommendations on how to address fear of failure so that it is not seen as a loss but as an integral part of the learning process.
Make more employees feel like they are welcome to bring their “whole self” to work.
See the Appendix to this chapter for more goals set by the positive energizers.
Summary
The idea of positive energizers who can facilitate the embrace of higher purpose throughout the organization is not considered in the traditional principal–agent model because emotion has no role to play in the model. In reality positive energizers, people whose emotional makeup makes them natural change leaders, can be found in every organization. When identified, linked, and empowered, these people will do things senior leaders would never think to ask. Thus, the eighth counterintuitive step in creating a purpose-driven organization is to unleash these positive energizers.
Getting Started: Tools and Exercises
Hold a discussion and structure it as follows:
Phase 1. Have everyone read the chapter and ask them to pay particular attention to the case of the woman who created the network of positive energizers, and to the case of creating the positive energizer network at DTE.
Phase 2. Have everyone write answers to these questions:
What were the key elements in the evolution of the positive energizer network in the first case?
What principles from the first case should we examine for possible application in our organization?
What were the key elements in the evolution of the positive energizer network at DTE?
What principles from the DTE case should we examine for possible application in our organization?
Phase 3. Based on the above discussion create a set of guidelines for identifying, assembling, developing, and nurturing a network of positive energizers in your organization.
Appendix to Chapter 14
1. Using the above list, the members of the positive energizer network (PEN) created a more expansive set of goals. To be a company of higher purpose and to create a more positive culture, they desired to increase the positive practices throughout the enterprise and recognized that they needed to increase trust, encourage empowerment, foster accountability, and move toward their stated aspiration. To accomplish these things they set the following goals.
a. Personal Development
i. Commitment by each PEN team member to one personal positive leadership goal in January–February 2018 that they carry out throughout the year in order to serve as a role model for other leaders and team members
ii. Each PEN member has an accountability partner within PEN to support each other in completing this goal
b. Enterprise Development
i. Creation of 8 to 10 nodes in different business units to increase the number of employees implementing positive practices; nodes created by June 1, hold a minimum of three meetings prior to end of 2018
ii. Creation of report-out template in February 2018 for PEN members to use with their executives to build understanding and easy reference to ensure the top levels of the organization have full understanding of the work and how it benefits DTE
iii. Attendance of 10 to 15 PEN members at the Positive Business Conference in May 2018 who will share three key learnings with their executive and with their teams/nodes; addition of these learnings to Positive Practice library for C3
iv. Introduction of PEN and positive practices at 8 to 10 PEN members’ all-hands meetings throughout 2018
v. Completion of 7 to 10 positive leadership/positive practice “lunch and learns” for PEN members’ teams throughout 2018
2. Create deeper specificity and understanding of the gaps being addressed by PEN through the following actions:
a. Enterprise Development
i. Focus group interviews on the topics of Trust & Empowerment, Purpose, Innovation & Addressing Fear of Failure, and Accountability & Excellence held and analyzed in spring 2018
ii. Creation of “From/To” documentation for the enterprise and each of the subgroup topics that identifies specific gaps and is finalized by June 1, 2018
iii. Building out of next-step action plan based on findings to best address gaps throughout the remainder of 2018 and into 2019
3. Solve a business issue through the application of positive practices as they relate to each subgroup topic (Trust & Empowerment, Purpose, Innovation & Addressing Fear of Failure, and Accountability & Excellence). This will be accomplished through the following actions:
a. By March 15, each subgroup:
i. Identifies a single challenge that is affecting one member’s team or department
ii. Articulates the gap and the desired outcome
iii. Brainstorms strategies around their topic (e.g., increasing trust among team members)
iv. Selects the appropriate course of action to countermeasure the gap
b. At the March 20 PEN team meeting, each subgroup will report out on their challenge and proposed strategy and will receive feedback from the larger team
c. After the March 20 meeting, subgroup team members will begin their experiment, and will document the outcomes and share with the larger PEN team at the September 12 PEN meeting
4. Bring growth mind-set to DTE through methods that are inclusive of all 10,000 employees, and will create energy and possibilities throughout the enterprise, through the following actions:
a. Personal Development
i. Each PEN member reads the book Mindset, by Carol Dweck, by April 1, 2018
ii. For a one-week period in April or May, each PEN member completes the activity of identifying examples of fixed mind-set in their day-to-day work, documenting ideas on how to transform examples into growth mind-set approach
iii. Through this exercise, PEN members build their expertise in understanding and identifying growth mind-set opportunities, and can teach and coach other leaders in the organization
iv. PEN members will share insights on exercise outcomes at May 15 meeting
b. Enterprise Development
i. Serve as Growth Mindset ambassadors at July Triannual (specific actions TBD)
ii. Make recommendations by TBD date to appropriate priority committee to remove organizational roadblocks that hinder growth mind-set approaches (e.g., policies and processes)
iii. Coach members of their PEN node on growth mind-set before and after July Triannual
iv. Other actions as determined by PEN members
In our last visit with DTE leaders, they were effusive in their description of the positive energizer network. The network was fully engaged and most goals were being pursued with passion. They are doing things that senior people would have never thought to ask.