We’ve been taking several blog posts to discuss the Five Practices that Drive Leadership Performance. In the last post we discussed how to Inspire a Shared Vision. This week we will discuss how to Challenge the Process.
These ideas are taken from the Leadership Practices Inventory and A Coach’s Guide to Developing Exemplary Leaders by James Kouzes and Barry Posner.
Commitment 1 – Search for opportunities by seizing the initiative and by looking outward for innovative ways to improve.
Great leaders are always looking for ways to improve their people and processes. They look for opportunities to push their people to take calculated risks, do things differently, and experiment and come up with creative solutions to issues.
The demand for change not only comes from external forces but also by the leader’s desire to see things improve within the organization and reach a higher threshold of effectiveness.
Commitment 2 – Experiment and take risks by constantly generating small wins and learning from experience.
One of the greatest challenges a leader has is motivating people to change their existing patterns of working and behaving. In order to energize people, it’s important to break down issues into smaller experiments where team members can see immediate results. This approach builds team members confidence and generates momentum that will propel the group forward.
This type of approach only works when the environment is set up to promote learning through trial and error. It’s important for team members to know that failure is expected as new approaches are tried.
If you want to build a culture where team members are challenged to grow and processes are improved, here are six approaches you can implement to embed these commitments in your organization.
1. Set up a job rotation program. Start with your leadership team. Have them lead another department or unit for a specific period of time. You could also have a rotation program that moves leaders to others parts of the country or to a different country. This will allow for the learning of new skills, as team members are confronted with new and different challenges.
2. Set up a project rotation program. If a job rotation program is not a good fit for your business, you may want to do something that is project specific. You could have members of your leadership team lead a project lead that does not fit within their department or area of expertise.
3. Set up a training program. Provide opportunities for team members to get trained in areas that will round out their skills and challenge their thinking.
4. Expand participation in problem-solving meetings. Invite team members to problem-solving meetings that are not within their sphere of influence so that they can broaden their thinking and perspective.
5. Expand participation in strategic planning sessions. Invite team members who are on the leadership track to participate in strategic planning sessions.
6. Look to other industries. Have team members look to other industries to see how they innovate and solve problems creatively.
Share Your Thoughts: What approaches do you use to grow your team?