Mature Directness is - PDF document

Mature Directness is mission critical for Autodesk as a way to accelerate performance within tea ms and across the organization. The purpose of this document is to create a common understanding of :  W hat Mature Directness is  W hy it’s important for the business and for you to practice it  S pecific behaviors that define Mature Directness in your personal and team interactions. “ SAY WHAT YOU MEAN , MEAN WHAT YOU SAY, AND SAY IT IN REAL TIME.” - CARL BASS MATURE DIRECTNESS AT A GLANCE  Be Respectful  Be open to o thers’ p oints of view, suspending judg ment until you can articulate their perspectives  Speak up in real time  Say what you mean: Be candid and concise MATURE DIRECTNESS OCT 2009 PAGE 2 OF 5 MATURE DIRECTNESS DE FINED Mature Directness is the process of having frank, collaborative, and respectful conversations needed to fuel Autodesk’s success. In addition to being highly productive, this style of interacting promotes trust by modeling personal integrity, demonstrating competence, and being inclusive of other people and ideas. Being direct in a mature way is say ing what you mean and meaning what you say in real time . It is also being open to others when they are being direct, whether you like what they say or not. SAY WHAT YOU MEAN means that your words are aligned with your thinking; you speak up and you say it “straight.” People sometimes think of straight ta lk as blunt or harsh, but at it s best this kind of candor is objective, honest, and advances the conversation. MEAN WHAT YOU SAY requires you to be authentic, professional, and respectful. There are many d ifferent ways to say what’s on your mind. You may think “that’s a dumb idea,” but saying it that way may have consequences you don’t intend. State your point of view in a way that others can hear it and you’re proud to have your words represent you. COMMU NICATE IN REAL TIME is about contributing your ideas, thoughts, reactions, and feedback in the moment when they most count . Your contributions can enrich the conversat i on and outcome if offered at the point of impact. If you withhold or wai t, the group and Autodesk both miss out on your perspective. BE OPEN to your colleagues and their issue s , need s , and point s of view. Responding before you have achieved full understanding may derail your meeting or make the dynamics of the team more tense . To keep your conversations productive, listen, ask, and learn about others’ perspectives as well as stating your own. Mature Directness is fundamental to two of Autodesk’s core leadership competencies: Foster Open Communication and Build Collaborative Relationships. For more information about these competencies, please click here . PAGE 3 OF 5 THE BENEFITS OF MATU RE DIRECTNESS TO YOU  Your good ideas get heard and inform the d ecisions your team/colleagues make.  Because you have actually said them, you stop worrying about the things you wish you had said .  You learn by being open to others’ ideas .  Open communication fosters productive, high - trust work relationships .  Research * shows that Mature Directness contributes to higher levels of job satisfaction. TO THE TEAMS YOU’RE ON  Everyone’s best thinking is included in the discussion and dec i sions you r team make s.  Full and candid participation in the team’s process results in full commitment during implementation .  Ma t u re Directness promotes inclusion and ope nness, two criteria of high - performing teams .  Mature Directness prevents false consensus and potentially bad decisions that might result from conflict a voidance  Meetings are more effective because teams are not afraid of dissent or conflict. Open and auth entic discussions in these meetings accelerate problem resolution and improve the quality of decision - making . TO AUTODESK Mature Directness drives Autodesk’s business goals and core values in the following ways:  It helps you model accountability , honesty , and risk - taking by speaking up when it counts.  It enhances respect by creating an environment where people listen to and learn from diverse points of view.  It promotes fast decisions by getting to the root cause of business problems so you solve them the first time. It helps teams be flexible by being open to multiple points of view and adapting as necessary. It promotes quality decisions by surfacing and improving ideas that result in better outcomes.  It improves trust and teamwork by fostering collaborat ion and turning meetings into high - value interactions where meaningful work is accomplished. * Research by The Gallup Organization includes open, direct communication as a key variable contributing to employee engagement. PAGE 4 OF 5 SAY WHAT YOU MEAN c Be transparent. Speak clearly and neutrally about the issues . c Give specific examples that support your point of view. c Be concise. Get to the point quickly. BE PROFESSIONAL AND RESPECTFUL c Demonstrate competence in the way you state your opinions and in the questions you ask. c Control the emotionality of your words, gestures , and tone of voice . c When responding, r efrain from criticizing or tellin g the other person that he/she is wrong . c Search for others’ real needs and issues that are underneath their emotional statements. BE OPEN TO OTHERS’ P OINTS OF VIEW c Seek constructive conflict. Be open to diverse ideas by actively seeking reactions to what you’ve said. c Ask clarifying questions to understand different perspectives. c Build trust by listening to the other’s point of view, even when you disagree with it or it upsets you. c Work to understand feedback you’re given, even when it’s poorly delivered o r, in your eyes, incorrect. c R emember that healthy conflict is a characteristic of high - performing teams and organizations. SPEAK UP IN REAL TIM E c Challenge proposals and offer dissenting perspectives before decisions are made. c If you feel internal conflict, speak up so that the group can grapple with the issue at a deeper level. c Preface your comments to prepare others for what’s to come (e.g., “I have a different point of view…”) MATURE DIRECTNESS CH ECKLIST FOR INDIVIDUALS PAGE 5 OF 5 PREPARATION Publish agendas in advance so members know what to prepare and how to participate. To make best use of the group’s time and talent, as sure that everyone comes prepared to participate fully Announce how decisions will be made (e.g., by the leader with inpu t from the group, by the group, etc.) so members know how their contributions will be used. NORMS Create and publish team norms so members understand how to participate in the group and the team knows what to do to improve. Include guidelines that encoura ge Mature Directness PARTICIPATION Ensure full participation . Invite quiet members to offer their ideas and reactions to what others have said. Include time to build on and critique each others’ ideas. Test ideas with a “devil’s advocate” brainstorming session before making decisions. Follow appropriate decision making protocol (i.e., should the decision be made using an Autonomous, Co nsultative, Joint or Delegative process ) considering all input. Acknowledge members who demonstrate Mature Directness in high - stakes conversations. Test for commitment to decisions and implementation before closing the discussion. If the commitment isn’t sufficient, more Mature Directness is required to uncover the reasons why. Close meetings with an instant survey: “ How did we do in challenging and listening to all points of view ?” ACCOUNTABILITY Hold each other accountable to the decisi ons made during the meeting. Check in immediately with members who aren’t meeting their commitments . Seek to understand why. If new information or problems threaten implementation, raise the issues proactively so the team can respond with urgency. FO STERING MATURE DIREC TNESS ON TEAMS