We see individuals come together as a cohesive group during the course designed for NUS Business School MBAs. For more than a decade since the course was introduced, each cohort of around 200 has become more cohesive, and such a significant portion of students felt personally transformed that the school decided to rename it “Launch Your Transformation” to better reflect the personal impact of the program.
In a week, young MBAs learn to work on their own and others’ development via mutual High Challenge High Support (HCHS). They reflect alone but learn in pairs, in small groups of five and in sections of 25, so they can scale their +influence objectives in small and larger groups. One of the faculty, Mike Jackson, a senior media executive and leadership coach, shares one such experience below
An MBA student vented his frustrations with his learning group of 5: “I have to drive all conversations! They aren’t committed to learn. The day 5 team task would be a disaster.” He only had one day left to figure this out. We discussed his learning group, their profile, their preferences, and how his style was different (from the rest of his group). He saw immediately the issue was himself, that he hadn’t applied the course learnings to his group situation. A light bulb lit up in his mind. Applying high-quality feedback principles he learned earlier, he addressed the group first thing on day 5. He shared his frustrations but acknowledged his assertive approach hadn’t and won’t work for the team. He suggested more planning time to support the team and held back from driving the day 5 task solution. His group excelled in the day 5 task, and firm friendships started to emerge. The individual was so taken aback by his “light bulb” moment that he came back the next year as an assistant faculty.
So, what is the key learning? It’s recognizing that in any influencing situation, the starting point is the subject or subjects of influence (i.e., the people), where are they coming from, pressures, and how you need to adapt your style to influence them.
Note: This story is from chapter 3, page 34, of Positive Influence: First and Last Mile of Leadership by Tsun-yan Hsieh and Huijin Kong.
If you know of an +influence personal story that would inspire and interest others, including your own, please indicate here.
