DRIVING VALUE WITH HUMILITY AND PERFORMANCE - Melissa Norcross, PhD

Alloutcoach

In 2018 I underwent a critical transformation in search of more mentorship, learning and development. So I received an MIT certification in Leading Organizations and Change based on a course taught by Melissa Norcross, PhD, which paved the way for the growth of my network, business, and this podcast I would later start. As a former Chief Strategy Officer and veteran operations and strategy consultant for firms including McKinsey & Co., Melissa’s work spans industries and the globe. She has worked with organizations ranging from Fortune 100 companies to non-profits as well as private-equity funded turn-arounds. Melissa facilitates peer networks of senior executives in the digital and technology space through Collaborative Gain’s Councils. She holds a BS in Engineering from MIT, an MBA from Harvard Business School, and a Ph.D. in Values-Driven Leadership from Benedictine. I am excited to share this "podcast in a course" type of discussion she and I prepared for you so follow and share the episode if you find it valuable! 5:15 Q1: What makes those most memorable and innovative teams stand out to you today as you look back at your career? Humility. Warren Buffet: "Know you circle of competence well." 10:43 Q2: What kinds of team dynamics and approach to agreement or disagreement define those most innovative teams? 13:41 Q3: How do we create the intersections between departments to make sure we have psychological safety? 16:21 Q4: How do you inspire a highly accomplished new hire to stay engaged and contribute with quality who candidly voices their opinions and asks for the "ball" to own a project with no resources or formal career or personal development program? 17:57 First element of Psychological Safety is Fairness. This does not mean everyone has the same position, gets same playing time, scores the same # of goals. 20:33 It's tempting to focus on your star but you are robbing the star of the ability to have others around them who improve their capabilities. They also begin to depend on one single point of failure. 21:33 Tim: I created a continuum to visualize the gap between aspiration and ability, between ability and responsibility. When the gap is too large, problems in engagement and effort begin. Adam Grant also talks about the need for employees to sense their own "optimal distinctiveness" at the same time the organization requires them to contribute to the team. 23:18 Q5: Did you find yourself developing resources to advance people even when they were scarce? 27:21 Q6: How does on-boarding and training predict long-term engagement? 28:02 The most important thing in onboarding is not to train people on how we do things, what we do but the culture and values. 30:50 Q7: What were some of the techniques you used to improve operations in such different environments? 1. How are we making decisions? Are they smart? Are they based on data? 2. Be laser focused on what matters most. Agile - do one thing at a time. 3. Clear Success Metrics with Early Warning Signals for when they are going off track. 4. Transparency and Radical Honesty. 37:23 Q8: Which of these 4 steps do you attribute to your success in identifying high potential products or pipelines in pharma? 40:40 Q9: How did those KPIs impact team collaboration or interdepartmental rivalry? Hockey - you get a point for the assist plus the goal 49:24 Q10: How do you help visualize those metrics? 55:14 Q11: When you lead with the values first what have been the direct outcomes of your approaches? Very few goals, very high standards! Case: Financial company that was lacking data. Sprints separated by timeline. Outcomes mattered because they were owned by everyone. Transparency. Consistency. Focus. and Data. 58:31 Q12: What tends to happen in extreme failure vs success to teams? It's hardest to learn in both these extremes. Extreme success hides all kinds of sins. Learning zone is critical. 1:01:25 Q13: What is one final lesson for the listeners from this conversation?