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Your Organizational DNA is Dictating Your Achievements
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By Reut Schwartz-Hebron
President
The KindExcellence Institute
www.KindExcellence.com
reut@KindExcellence.comYour Organizational DNA is Dictating Your Achievements
By Reut Schwartz-Hebron
Very early in my career I was a young Lieutenant Commander serving as a
consultant to the equivalent of three Rear Admirals and one Vice Admiral.
Three of them were three ranks superior to my rank and one was five ranks
superior to my rank. The area I was in charge of was leadership which was
of course something all four of them could have given me lesson in. I had
nothing but my education and a burning desire to see the truth to offer them.
In the military you learn fast or you are eaten alive, especially if you are a
petite 5 feet tall woman of a lower rank.
Luckily for me I have been practicing a rare tool without knowing it nearly
all my life.
One of the teams under one of the rear admirals was practicing routine using
new equipment. To the amazement of everyone involved using this new
equipment led to lower performances than the results that were achieved in
the past with the old equipment.
The Vice Admiral called me in and asked that I look into it to see where the
leadership perspective has failed.
³Yes, si r.
Your Organizational DNA is Dictating Your Achievements, The KindExcellence Institute 2
www.KindExcellence.comSo off I went, researched, interviewed, listened to everything from formal
staff meetings to the stuff soldiers wrote on the walls in the bathroom (don¶t
ask me how I got that info rmation).
My conclusion was that there was nothing wrong aside for the unhealthy
expectation of the Vice Admiral, communicated and carried down to the
soldiers by the Rear Admirals that things need to be perfect the first time
around. They all expected the results to be higher right away because the
equipment was only ever so slightly different. Since the equipment was
better the results should have been better.
Since they assumed this process of improvement will be effortless they
invested very little time in training.
They simply relayed to the soldiers how the equipment differed, allowed
them to test it and get a feel for it, explained night applications and day time
applications and that was that.
Notice how assumptions we make affect our decisions and our behavior.
Your Organizational DNA is Dictating Your Achievements, The KindExcellence Institute 3
www.KindExcellence.comAs I was getting prepared to report this to the Vice Admiral I realized he
would most likely dismiss my conclusions.
He was convinced something was wrong, which meant he expected getting a
report about something he can fix and he was not the type to be ³accused of
being impatient or not well planned.
Lacking an ingenious plan to somehow by pass what was about to happen I
stepped into his office, saluted and sat down in front of him not sure how
this session was going to go.
What followed was a conversation that went very much like this:
- VA: well, what did yo u find?´
- RSH: sir, I thi nk
- VA (interrupting me): I talked to the leading team today and Im
certain we can address this swiftly, whatever it is.
- RSH: well, sir, that¶s just the point, we need to talk about that. You
see
- VA (interrupting me): Are you saying you dont know what went on
there? I really expected to have an answer by now.
- RSH: I know what the cause is. Its impotr rtuashn tin tot hat we don¶
solving«´
- VA: ³There is no time. We have to ad dress it now.
Your Organizational DNA is Dictating Your Achievements, The KindExcellence Institute 4
www.KindExcellence.comAt this point a light bulb lit in the back of my head saying: what he is doing
now, here in the conversation with me is the exact same thing he is doing
with this case. Its atter pan!
I guess I was either oblivious to our rank differences (never dealt very well
with authority Im, y afraioung andd e)nthusiastic or just a bit brain numb
because the next thing I heard coming out of my mouth was:
Sir, if you want to gtetto tm oo tf the hibso you¶ll have to let me complete
my sentences without jumping to co nclusions.
I was a consultant af ter all«
He just sat back, smiled and kept silent until I finished speaking.
Your Organizational DNA is Dictating Your Achievements, The KindExcellence Institute 5
www.KindExcellence.comInstead of just talking to him about my conclusions I presented him with his
pattern comparing the findings I made to his thinking at that very meeting.
He was quickly making judgment calls before exploring situations fully. It
was easy to identify as the results of the same assumptions were leading to
different dysfunctional results.
Think about it this way:
At the heart of every action you take as an individual or as a business are
core values and assumptions. If you are operating on the assumption that
³things need to be resolved as quickly as posse leibarnle ed because you hav
that this is critical in combat (in this case it saves lives) it will lead you to
behave in a certain way.
If you dont take the time to differentiate when your assumptions and values
work for you and when they work against you uypo u¶ll quickly end
shooting yourself in the foot.
Those core assumptions and values can be understood as you operational
codex, the set of principles that dictate your decisions and behavior.
I like to compare the operational codex² the line of basic assumptions we
have about the world that directs our decisions , to the body¶s DNA.
Your Organizational DNA is Dictating Your Achievements, The KindExcellence Institute 6
www.KindExcellence.comA DNA is a sequence of commands our body peruses. It is a code telling the
body what to do and when to do it. If you were to look into a specific sub
system in the body you would notice that only certain parts of the DNA are
active in that particular body site. Furthermore, at times certain commands
contradict with other commands at a local site which results in the body
obeying the superior co mmand.
Human behaviors (and organizations, as sub groups of human behavior) are
based on decisions that are activated by a similar mechanism.
A DNA command can be: grow brown
hair here. A basic assumption can be:
³people are basically kind and they
don¶t mean to hurt me. Or ³Each time
someone makes a negative comment
about me it proves I am stupid.´
Just like DNA commands may
contradict, basic assumptions may
contradict, and here too the assumption
that has superiority wins.
The problem begins when the orders we live by are leading to undesired
results.
A manager that thinks marketing his or her work to his or her superiors is
³kissing ass and demeaning is likely to avoid highlighting his or her
achievements which may lead to very slow promotion if any.
An organization that holds the belief that employees are irresponsible and
can not be facilitated to be more accountable and motivated will run into
very specific problems.
While making decisions quickly is clearly a must i nI s caiod mtob tahte ´
Vice Admiral, it is not necessary in mtary eveainin pngro ve and
dysfunction al.
Your Organizational DNA is Dictating Your Achievements, The KindExcellence Institute 7
www.KindExcellence.comWhat I was able to see, the equivalence between the case I was investigating
and the reactions of the Vice Admiral during the meeting opened a window
for him to evaluate how he addresses challenges.
He wasn¶t providedd vwice hithe g aot a look at how he thinks.
The secret in finding your organizational DNA is in the fact that your basic
assumptio nrusn´ across different situations.
If we can understand the hard wiring of people and organizations, we can
predict and prevent upcoming challenges and lead the person or the system
to better achievements.
Other articles by Reut Schwartz-Hebron:
· 7 Ways to Change Other People with Zero Resistance
· The 5 basics of KindExcellence
· Can You Learn to Have Better Management Intuition?
· 7 Things Great Interviewers Do Without Knowing
Reut Schwartz-Hebron is the president of the
KindExcellence Institute, an international
consulting company based on a revolutionary
business model that combines kindness with
excellence. The KindExcellence Institute works
with corporations and certifies consultants to
increase productivity and decrease voluntary
turnover worldwide.
Reut started her career as a lieutenant ranking
commander in the military (was the first
Your Organizational DNA is Dictating Your Achievements, The KindExcellence Institute 8
www.KindExcellence.comwoman consultant to be offered a field position with a combating unit) and
has worked since with all types of organizations including mega
corporations like Intel, Avaya, Marconi and GSK all the way to small non
profits. Reut is a published author, a radio and TV guest expert and an
international speaker. She can be reached at reut@KindExcellence.com
Copyright 2008, Reut Schwartz-Hebron. May be reproduced without charge,
with proper attribution and brief bio. Send notice of where and when article
is to appear to reut@KindExcellence.com
Find out more:
Website: www.KindExcellence.com
Blog: blog.KindExcellence.com
Join us on Linkedin:
http://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/79048/0228332BB8B4
Your Organizational DNA is Dictating Your Achievements, The KindExcellence Institute 9
www.KindExcellence.com
President
The KindExcellence Institute
www.KindExcellence.com
reut@KindExcellence.comYour Organizational DNA is Dictating Your Achievements
By Reut Schwartz-Hebron
Very early in my career I was a young Lieutenant Commander serving as a
consultant to the equivalent of three Rear Admirals and one Vice Admiral.
Three of them were three ranks superior to my rank and one was five ranks
superior to my rank. The area I was in charge of was leadership which was
of course something all four of them could have given me lesson in. I had
nothing but my education and a burning desire to see the truth to offer them.
In the military you learn fast or you are eaten alive, especially if you are a
petite 5 feet tall woman of a lower rank.
Luckily for me I have been practicing a rare tool without knowing it nearly
all my life.
One of the teams under one of the rear admirals was practicing routine using
new equipment. To the amazement of everyone involved using this new
equipment led to lower performances than the results that were achieved in
the past with the old equipment.
The Vice Admiral called me in and asked that I look into it to see where the
leadership perspective has failed.
³Yes, si r.
Your Organizational DNA is Dictating Your Achievements, The KindExcellence Institute 2
www.KindExcellence.comSo off I went, researched, interviewed, listened to everything from formal
staff meetings to the stuff soldiers wrote on the walls in the bathroom (don¶t
ask me how I got that info rmation).
My conclusion was that there was nothing wrong aside for the unhealthy
expectation of the Vice Admiral, communicated and carried down to the
soldiers by the Rear Admirals that things need to be perfect the first time
around. They all expected the results to be higher right away because the
equipment was only ever so slightly different. Since the equipment was
better the results should have been better.
Since they assumed this process of improvement will be effortless they
invested very little time in training.
They simply relayed to the soldiers how the equipment differed, allowed
them to test it and get a feel for it, explained night applications and day time
applications and that was that.
Notice how assumptions we make affect our decisions and our behavior.
Your Organizational DNA is Dictating Your Achievements, The KindExcellence Institute 3
www.KindExcellence.comAs I was getting prepared to report this to the Vice Admiral I realized he
would most likely dismiss my conclusions.
He was convinced something was wrong, which meant he expected getting a
report about something he can fix and he was not the type to be ³accused of
being impatient or not well planned.
Lacking an ingenious plan to somehow by pass what was about to happen I
stepped into his office, saluted and sat down in front of him not sure how
this session was going to go.
What followed was a conversation that went very much like this:
- VA: well, what did yo u find?´
- RSH: sir, I thi nk
- VA (interrupting me): I talked to the leading team today and Im
certain we can address this swiftly, whatever it is.
- RSH: well, sir, that¶s just the point, we need to talk about that. You
see
- VA (interrupting me): Are you saying you dont know what went on
there? I really expected to have an answer by now.
- RSH: I know what the cause is. Its impotr rtuashn tin tot hat we don¶
solving«´
- VA: ³There is no time. We have to ad dress it now.
Your Organizational DNA is Dictating Your Achievements, The KindExcellence Institute 4
www.KindExcellence.comAt this point a light bulb lit in the back of my head saying: what he is doing
now, here in the conversation with me is the exact same thing he is doing
with this case. Its atter pan!
I guess I was either oblivious to our rank differences (never dealt very well
with authority Im, y afraioung andd e)nthusiastic or just a bit brain numb
because the next thing I heard coming out of my mouth was:
Sir, if you want to gtetto tm oo tf the hibso you¶ll have to let me complete
my sentences without jumping to co nclusions.
I was a consultant af ter all«
He just sat back, smiled and kept silent until I finished speaking.
Your Organizational DNA is Dictating Your Achievements, The KindExcellence Institute 5
www.KindExcellence.comInstead of just talking to him about my conclusions I presented him with his
pattern comparing the findings I made to his thinking at that very meeting.
He was quickly making judgment calls before exploring situations fully. It
was easy to identify as the results of the same assumptions were leading to
different dysfunctional results.
Think about it this way:
At the heart of every action you take as an individual or as a business are
core values and assumptions. If you are operating on the assumption that
³things need to be resolved as quickly as posse leibarnle ed because you hav
that this is critical in combat (in this case it saves lives) it will lead you to
behave in a certain way.
If you dont take the time to differentiate when your assumptions and values
work for you and when they work against you uypo u¶ll quickly end
shooting yourself in the foot.
Those core assumptions and values can be understood as you operational
codex, the set of principles that dictate your decisions and behavior.
I like to compare the operational codex² the line of basic assumptions we
have about the world that directs our decisions , to the body¶s DNA.
Your Organizational DNA is Dictating Your Achievements, The KindExcellence Institute 6
www.KindExcellence.comA DNA is a sequence of commands our body peruses. It is a code telling the
body what to do and when to do it. If you were to look into a specific sub
system in the body you would notice that only certain parts of the DNA are
active in that particular body site. Furthermore, at times certain commands
contradict with other commands at a local site which results in the body
obeying the superior co mmand.
Human behaviors (and organizations, as sub groups of human behavior) are
based on decisions that are activated by a similar mechanism.
A DNA command can be: grow brown
hair here. A basic assumption can be:
³people are basically kind and they
don¶t mean to hurt me. Or ³Each time
someone makes a negative comment
about me it proves I am stupid.´
Just like DNA commands may
contradict, basic assumptions may
contradict, and here too the assumption
that has superiority wins.
The problem begins when the orders we live by are leading to undesired
results.
A manager that thinks marketing his or her work to his or her superiors is
³kissing ass and demeaning is likely to avoid highlighting his or her
achievements which may lead to very slow promotion if any.
An organization that holds the belief that employees are irresponsible and
can not be facilitated to be more accountable and motivated will run into
very specific problems.
While making decisions quickly is clearly a must i nI s caiod mtob tahte ´
Vice Admiral, it is not necessary in mtary eveainin pngro ve and
dysfunction al.
Your Organizational DNA is Dictating Your Achievements, The KindExcellence Institute 7
www.KindExcellence.comWhat I was able to see, the equivalence between the case I was investigating
and the reactions of the Vice Admiral during the meeting opened a window
for him to evaluate how he addresses challenges.
He wasn¶t providedd vwice hithe g aot a look at how he thinks.
The secret in finding your organizational DNA is in the fact that your basic
assumptio nrusn´ across different situations.
If we can understand the hard wiring of people and organizations, we can
predict and prevent upcoming challenges and lead the person or the system
to better achievements.
Other articles by Reut Schwartz-Hebron:
· 7 Ways to Change Other People with Zero Resistance
· The 5 basics of KindExcellence
· Can You Learn to Have Better Management Intuition?
· 7 Things Great Interviewers Do Without Knowing
Reut Schwartz-Hebron is the president of the
KindExcellence Institute, an international
consulting company based on a revolutionary
business model that combines kindness with
excellence. The KindExcellence Institute works
with corporations and certifies consultants to
increase productivity and decrease voluntary
turnover worldwide.
Reut started her career as a lieutenant ranking
commander in the military (was the first
Your Organizational DNA is Dictating Your Achievements, The KindExcellence Institute 8
www.KindExcellence.comwoman consultant to be offered a field position with a combating unit) and
has worked since with all types of organizations including mega
corporations like Intel, Avaya, Marconi and GSK all the way to small non
profits. Reut is a published author, a radio and TV guest expert and an
international speaker. She can be reached at reut@KindExcellence.com
Copyright 2008, Reut Schwartz-Hebron. May be reproduced without charge,
with proper attribution and brief bio. Send notice of where and when article
is to appear to reut@KindExcellence.com
Find out more:
Website: www.KindExcellence.com
Blog: blog.KindExcellence.com
Join us on Linkedin:
http://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/79048/0228332BB8B4
Your Organizational DNA is Dictating Your Achievements, The KindExcellence Institute 9
www.KindExcellence.com
