strategy formulation Archives - understand-culture

Critical Loyalty

Capable consultants not only provide good advice, but they also denken mit, think with. With the client about solutions, ideas, approaches to implementation. Therein lies the added value. That is why consultants are paid. Mitdenken, thinking with, however, also means thinking independently, including correcting or contradicting the customer.

A good consultant is not an order taker. Instead she knows when to challenge the customer, when to point out what is best for the customer, even when the customer does not recognize it, believe it or want to hear it.

Criticism and critique are in general positive in the German culture. To accept criticism, though, is not easy for anyone. Criticism can be interpreted as disloyalty, even though constructive criticism is in many ways the highest degree of loyalty. Criticism points out dangers, identifies ways to optimize, helps to make difficult decisions.

Germans are a direct people, including how they communicate criticism. But they also see it as their duty, as their responsibility, to point out to their colleagues, boss or customer what does not or will not work. Discreet conversations under four eyes which address critical issues is what capable consultants do. These conversations are a sign of loyalty and trust.

Kritische Loyalität. Literally critical loyalty, or loyalty which voices criticism, which address critical topics.

Strategy Formulation

German Approach

Germans believe that important decisions should be reached via consensus. Ideally within the entire team, but at least among its key members. Once made, those decisions are best implemented when communicated, understood, and accepted by the broader organization. Examples

American Approach

Americans believe that important decisions should be made by the team lead. Ideally with input from key members of the team. Once made, those decisions are best implemented when communicated and understood by the broader organisation. Examples

American View

The German pursuit for consensus on strategy and important decisions rarely succeeds. Inevitably it requires too much time, or the internal debate never ends, or worse, a suboptimal strategy is chosen in order to please as many interests as possible. Leadership by consensus is a contradiction in terms.

German View

Input is sought only from selected members of the management team. These, together with perhaps other trusted colleagues who may not be directly involved, form a kind of „kitchen cabinet.“ There is low tolerance for open discussion and debate about important issues within the entire management team.

Advice to Germans

From the point of view of your American team members you are expected (and paid) to make decisions, especially strategic ones. Request and take seriously input from your direct reports. But in the end, you decide, you take responsibility. Americans expect you to lead from the front, not from the middle, and certainly not from the back.

If your American lead neither builds consensus nor consults your opinion, choose wisely the time and place to request a one-on-one talk. Don‘t insist that your opinion be considered on important decision or strategic issues.

And certainly do not hint that he/she does not listen. Finessefully lead your manager to the conclusion that your viewpoint could be of value to his/her thinking. If it does have value, you will be consulted, and more often than you expect.

Advice to Americans

Regardless of how clear you are in your strategic thinking, and how confident you are in your decisions, if you don‘t get the buy-in from your German direct reports (or the wider German organization), they will be neither able nor willing (or both) to implement them.

At the same time, let them know when the point has been reached for you to decide. Germans, too, see the downside of exaggerated consensus building.

Welcome your German lead‘s invitation to influence decisions and strategy. But do not misinterpret it as a strategy or leadership void.

And be careful. Your Advice might be accepted. If accepted, be prepared to remain involved and to carry part of the responsibility for your strategic input.

Strategy Formulation

The Buck Stops Here

The saying “the buck stops here” is used to refer to the person who takes responsibility. It is derived from the expression “pass the buck” which means to pass responsibility from one person to another.

The phrase “pass the buck” comes from the game of poker, in which a marker, called a buck, was used to indicate the dealer. When changing dealers, the first dealer would “pass the buck” to the new one, thus passing responsibility.

During his presidency, Harry Truman kept a sign on his desk, which read “The Buck Stops Here.” It was his way of showing that, as the leader of the United States, he was responsible for anything that happened in the nation.

He also made several references to this quote during his public statements, and in his farewell address, President Truman said “The President – whoever he is – has to decide. He can’t pass the buck to anybody. No one else can do the deciding for him. That’s his job.”

“Lead, don‘t moderate“

Consensus: General agreement, unanimity, judgment arrived at by most of those concerned; group solidarity in sentiment and belief. From Latin consentire, cōnsēnsus agreement, from cōnsentiō meaning literally feel together.

For Americans, businesses, and therefore the teams within them, are not democracies. American team leads do not feel obligated to reach consensus within their leadership group in order to set strategy or to make a decision. Both sides of the relationship – leaders and led – are in agreement that the lead is paid to set strategy, make decisions, not to be a moderator.

Team members, as specialist in their areas, want and expect to be listened to. They want their input to have impact on the decision to be made, the strategy to be set. But they will and can not insist, without possibly damaging their working relationship with the team lead.

Decisive: having the power or quality of deciding; resolute, determined; unmistakable, unquestionable. Synonyms: firm, intent, purposeful, resolved, set, single-minded, do-or-die, hell-bent.

Mentor

Mentor: A trusted counselor or guide; tutor, coach; from Greek Mentōr. First known use 1616. Mentoring has become popular within American, and other, companies. It asks an experienced senior-level colleague to provide advice to a less experienced, junior-level colleague. American managers will seek advice wherever they can find it, as long as it is sound, helpful, and most importantly discreet.

American Football play-calling

Calling a play in American football is a complex process. During any one given play each of the players on a team has a different, specific, scripted role to play.

Who calls the plays? Either the head coach or the offensive coordinator. In some situations the quarterback.

How is the play communicated to the players? The quarterback may have a speaker in his helmet connecting him with the coaches. A substitute player can be sent in with the play. The play can be communicated from the sidelines via hand signals.

More and more teams are using a no-huddle offense to speed the game up. Players take their positions as quickly as possible, and get their assignments from the quarterback or from the coaches on the sideline.

Mars Attacks !

In the American movie Mars Attacks! there are two generals who advise the President of the United States. One, General Decker, is very opinionated and not shy about telling the President when he disagrees with something. The other, General Casey, only gives his opinion when asked, and then always tries to soften it considerably.

Consequently, when Martians first land on Earth, it is General Casey, not General Decker, who is chosen to greet the Martians and welcome them to the planet. As Casey prepares for his big moment, he says to his wife: “Didn’t I always tell you, honey, if I just stayed in place and never spoke up, good things are bound to happen.”

Kitchen Cabinet

American management teams are made up of members of unequal rank. Depending on the nature of the work some disciplines might be more important for overall success than others: such as product development or manufacturing or sales/marketing moreso than accounting/finance, human resources or health/safety. And within product development, design engineering might be more important than testing.

Some team members may have more power and influence due to their experience or record of producing excellent results. Then there are others in the management team who enjoy a high level of influence based on their personal relationship with the team lead, a relationship perhaps built up over years of close collaboration.

The term kitchen cabinet refers to those team members who have a special relationship with the team lead. The kitchen cabinet might also include people from other parts of the organization, such as a senior-level mentor to the team lead.

Kitchen Cabinet was a term used by political opponents of President Andrew Jackson (1829-1837) to describe the unofficial advisers he consulted parallel to his cabinet. It was said that Jackson would meet formally with his cabinet to discuss important issues of state, then meet informally afterwards with selected, trusted advisors in the kitchen of the White House to discuss more openly and critically those same issues.