Improving Communications Across Your BA Practice

6. INSPIRED LEADERSHIP So even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow I still have a plan. It is a plan deeply rooted in the American plan. I have a plan that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed… I have a plan that little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a plan today. So even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed… I have a dream that little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.

7. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE START WITH WHY 7

8. THE MOST IMPORTANT TOOL IN YOUR TOOL-BOX? 8

9. THE CONVERSATION METER 9

10. ANDREW THORBURN 10

11. THE CONVERSATION METER 11 Research opinions, purposes, and concerns. – Ask questions they would like to answer. – Ask questions that can’t be answered by “yes” or “no” Research the facts and explanations. Uncover the facts behind the opinions. Research purpose. Research the intersection. Clarify essential purpose and reveal intersections for action.

12. KEY LEARNING POINTS 12

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When most people talk about their jobs they tend to talk about what they do and how they do it. Looking at the golden circle of purpose they communicate from the outside in. However, great companies and great leaders think, act and communicated the other way round, from the inside out, they start with why. To understand why this is such an effective form of communication we need to look at the physiology of the brain. The outer part of the brain is the neocortex. This processes rational thought and language. It is the part of the brain that is stimulated when we discuss “what” and “how”. The middle of the brain is the limbic brain. This part of the brain drives feelings like trust, drives behaviours such as loyalty and advocacy and crucially drives decision making. If we build our communication from outside in people understand what we are saying but it doesn’t drive behaviour. Have you ever heard someone say “I know all the facts and figures, it just doesn’t feel right”. If we want people to buy into what we do we need to communicate from inside out, starting by connecting with the part of the brain that drives behaviour and allow people to rationalise by ending the message with the tangible things we say and do.
If we consider communications by starting with what we are doing within a compliance project the message we get is uninspiring. Imagine someone asking us about the AML/CFT Project. We reply: “The project is going to make BNZ compliant with the AML/CFT Act by developing and AML/CFT compliance programme because we have to.” Does that message inspire you?
When Steve Jobs took over as CEO of Apply the company was turned round dramatically. Not because Steve Jobs changed what Apple did (they were already technology company with a technologically superior product before he took the wheel) the difference was Steve Jobs gave Apple a reason for doing what they did, he gave them purpose, he told them “Why”. My way of phrasing Steve Jobs’ why is “We are making technology sexy”. What techno nerd is not going to buy into that? Suddenly there is a technology company out there that is giving techno nerds something they have never had before, sex appeal. What a way to drive the behaviours of loyalty and advocacy every company wants to inspire in their customers.
One of the most inspired speeches of the 20th century is Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream speech”. What is it about this speech that is so inspiring? When he talks about his dream he is appealing to feeling part of the brain, he is giving you a reason to follow him, he is not talking about what he is going to do, he is talking about why you should follow him. The importance of purpose can be demonstrated by replacing the “why” word “dream” with the “what” word “plan”. Nobody is going to be inspired by the “I have a plan” speech.
Now lets reconstruct our project communications by taking the benefits of adopting the FATF recommendations and starting with why. Now when someone asks us to tell them about the AML/CFT project our message is: “The project is going to ensure BNZ is not vulnerable to abuse by organised crime or terrorist group by developing and AML/CFT compliance programme that will make use compliant with the AML/CFT Act 2009”. Note: Compliance is the RESULT of the project NOT the purpose. Now the project team has got a purpose they can buy into.
The most important tool we can use as Business Analysts is the ability to hold quality conversations but… How often do we consider ways to improve the quality of our conversations. I was once involved in recruiting someone to work on a project that has been a little challenging. The lead BA on the project wanted to ask some specific questions including ‘How do you approach a conversations with someone knowing you are right and they are wrong?’ Always remember not everyone knows what everyone knows, the person you are talking to may hold a different opinion to you because they are aware of something you are not, crucially that piece of information may make you realise that actually you may not be right after all. We need to start approaching conversations looking for a way of getting to a common understanding. I want to introduce a tool, the conversation meter, that I have found invaluable in thinking about how to get more out of every interaction.
PRETENSE: The focus is on avoiding difficulty and not offering your view. The bio-reactive impulse is to flee, freeze, and appease. There is a direct conflict between what you say in one situation and what you say in another (lying/withholding information). SINCERITY: The focus is on “being right”. You “say what is on your mind” and defend your position from a place of thoughtless certainty. The bio-reactive impulse is to fight and defend. You know you are in Sincerity if you are certain you are right and can’t understand why others don’t see the absolute wisdom of your ways. ACCURACY: The focus is on revealing facts and comparing explanations for value. When you are being accurate, you recognize that your perception is not reality. Asking fact based questions helps recover the cortex and shift out of bio-reaction. AUTHENTICITY: The focus is on clarifying essential purpose and revealing intersections for action. In authenticity, you demonstrate genuine appreciation for various views and factors, researching where they intersect for new insight and opportunity.
CEO of National Australia Banking Group, one of the most inspirational leaders I have had the privilege of working for. This is because of the way he interacted with people, he was constantly both learning and teaching with every interaction he had. But this was not something he did naturally, it was something he worked hard to achieve. So how do we move up the conversation meter.

Improving Communications Across Your BA Practice

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Improving Communications Across Your BA Practice

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