Each SEASON PASS Episode, we bring you fresh content that deepens your exploration on the Episode topic. This week, our Speaker, ADRIENNE TAN helps us zero in on the importance of refining our Adaptive Skills when it comes to successfully leading a Product Rebellion.
The Story of John Muratore inspires us to be Product Rebels – someone who sees problems and finds creative ways to solve problems tenaciously.
For those that need a reminder, here’s a quick recap of John’s adventure at NASA in the 1980s.
“John had previously worked in the Air Force supporting the space shuttle program from the ‘outside’. When he moved to work for NASA from the ‘inside’, he was surprised by the archaic computer architecture that was in operation in the shuttle mission control centre. It was still the Apollo-era mainframe system.”
John recalls;
We were still running a mainframe computer, a big central computer with black and white displays with very limited graphics, and if you wanted to make a change to the mainframe computer, it was months of activity. You would have to write up the change, it would be months before it would be implemented, and it was a real problem.
”Apart from these problems, John was also sceptical that the mainframe system could stand up to the rising complexity of the shuttle program and the planned International Space Station.”
So how did John become a rebel?
“John connected with a small group of newly recruited engineers who felt the same way about the incumbent system.
They wanted to future-proof mission control by using an open, distributed, upgradable, and scalable systems architecture built to incorporate not-yet-invented technologies.”
“But, the group’s concerns and their grand vision initially fell on deaf ears.
Mission control was confident in the tried-and-tested incumbent system — after all, it had taken humans to the moon, and flight controllers and software engineers knew its quirks and could respond in an emergency.”
That didn’t’ stop John though. He pursued. He argued;
Hey, look, unless we rapidly bring this new Control Center online and we take some risks in order to do that, we are going to go out of the business because we can’t afford to do business.
So how did John take on NASA and its incumbent attitudes to go on to “create an award-winning mission control system for the space shuttle program in record time, on a shoestring budget, and in the face of political resistance?”
How did he;
Go from an empty building to flying their first flight in 18 months.
Here’s what John did;
We developed what we call the “pirate paradigm.”
This got me in a lot of trouble eventually, but the idea behind the pirate paradigm was to switch the way we looked at the problem from “this is a big facility and it’s our job to protect it” to “if we don’t make radical change, everything’s going to go away.” Therefore, what we’ve got to do is become very effective, and we switched the risk equation—there was greater risk to not change than there was risk just of doing the wrong thing.
We put a couple things in called the “Pirate’s Code” that we advertised, and there were things like the importance of personal responsibility—because if you’re going to take risks, everybody in the team has to be aware of it—the importance of open communication, the importance of not being paralysed by waiting for more data or waiting for more information. Also to recognize that you live or die based on what you do. A pirate can’t afford to rely on anybody else. You’ve got to rely on yourself. We built a very strong culture of self-reliance, of trying new things out. It was a very exciting and very positive time.
Technical Skills vs Adaptive Skills
The story of John isn’t centred on his Engineering skills or his ability to identify problems and provide solutions. Instead, the story of John focuses on his ability to challenge the status quo, resist pressure as well as his desire to instil change at NASA. The story of John demonstrates that Adaptive skills are perhaps more important to have in complex environments.
Adaptive skills are skills that demonstrate our humanness in the workplace. Think of Adaptive skills as the ability to apply curiosity, to listen, motivate others, inspire and lead, to handle criticism and so forth.
Linsky and Heifetz demonstrate that Adaptive skills are required when organisations have Adaptive problems. Adaptive problems are the complications we experience when we are going through gut-wrenching Transformation Programs. And in my experience, introducing good Product Management into any organisation can certainly be labelled gut-wrenching.
Linsky and Heifetz go on to argue that if we do not develop and strengthen our Adaptive skill muscles, we will “apply existing know-how and the organisation’s current problem-solving processes.”
“Adaptive problems resist these kinds of solutions because they require individuals throughout the organization to alter their ways; as the people themselves are the problem, the solution lies with them.”
Before becoming a Product Rebel and embarking on a Product-Led Transformation rebellion, you need to be able to think and navigate challenges differently. We cannot, for example, create the Pirate’s Code like John Muratore if we always solved problems by using old ways and tools. Tuning our Adaptive skills is core to uncovering creative approaches to problem-solving.
Developing and Strengthening The Adaptive Skills Muscles
To cultivate Adaptive skills, we must first be deeply aware of self.
Self has 3 key components writes McLeod, S. A. (2008):
- The view you have of yourself (self-image)
- This includes our physical description, social roles, personality traits and abstract statements about our self.
- How much value you place on yourself (self-esteem or self-worth)
- This includes confidence, self-acceptance, optimism.
- What you wish you were really like (ideal-self)
- This includes understanding the match between how you currently see yourself and what you’d like to be.
In an article by Ginka Toegel (2012), self-awareness can be best described as the ability to “know where our natural inclinations lie in order to boost them or compensate for them.”
Self-awareness is about identifying personal idiosyncrasies — the characteristics that we take to be the norm but actually represent the exception.
There are a multitude of suggestions by scholars and psychologists on the process of learning more about self. They recommend meditating, jotting down your plans and priorities, chatting to friends and family to uncover nuggets that you can’t see, and asking for regular, formal feedback in the workplace. These activities are super helpful.
You may stimulate the self-reflection process further by doodling on a Johari Window.
About The Johari Window
The Johari Window is a psychological tool created by Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham in 1955. It is used to expose our known or obvious and unknown or hidden behaviours.
To begin using this self-assessment tool, sketch out the model on a piece of paper and label according to this diagram.
There are 4 quadrants in this model. In the first quadrant, feel free to jot down the good and bad behaviours that are known to you and others. While you’re at it, use the third quadrant to jot down behaviours that you know about yourself but don’t usually share with others. For example, you may be petrified of public speaking and avoid sharing your perspectives and work with others.
Quadrant 2 involves others. Identify and approach your stakeholders and ask them in a confidential and safe setting for feedback about your behaviour at work. Beginning with a simple question such as “What do you think I can do more of at work or less of at work?” is a great start to an open, honest conversation. Jot down those points. You’ll start to get a sense of self when you piece this information together. This will enable you to complete quadrant 4. You might jot down further insights as you reflect on what others have said. You might also spend more time with one or two more stakeholders to explore how you’ve responded in previous work situations.
Using the Johari Window will no doubt give you a solid picture of your self. In fact, it gives you a superpower.
Applying These Concepts To The Rebellion
There are a myriad of ways to incorporate the learnings of self into your future thinking and behaviour during the Rebellion.
- Understand the external triggers that may spark a negative response while you’re planning or doing Transformation work. If you know the triggers, it will enable you to pre-plan your approach and response when you’re faced with that situation.
- Identify negative patterns and do the reverse. If you know that you think or act in a particular way during the Rebellion, consider thinking or acting differently to solicit an alternative response.
- Practice and change. If you understand that some of your behaviours are not conducive to teamwork or does not support the Rebellion, practice altering your response or your activities each day. Course correcting each day will inevitably change your overall perception and behaviour.
Rebellions will provoke opposition and cynicism. Knowing your self enables you to continue and complete the Rebellion.
Resources:
Self Concept | Simply Psychology