Leading By Example
How many times you seen one of your leaders to tell an employee to do one thing and then turned around and done just the opposite? I suspect most of you can think of at least scenario.
In many cases, it boils down to a disconnect between the message and the follow-through. In other words, the leaders (executives, managers, supervisors, or team leads) are unwilling or unable to lead by example.
If you expect results, it is important for leaders at all levels of the organization to model the new, desired behaviors. It’s up to them to step out of their comfort zone and show others how to do the same. If asked to cross a shaky bridge suspended over a 200 foot drop, who would you rather follow? A) The leader who has crossed the bridge and is standing on the other side coaching you along the way or B) the leader standing behind you explaining why you should cross the bridge? (Caution: If you didn’t choose “A”, please re-read the question and stay away from shaky bridges).
At one time or another, most of us have heard “Do as I say, not as I do.” While it may work on children, today’s workforce is starved for ethical, trustworthy leadership. As such, when our leaders don’t model the behavior they are expecting from others, the message comes through loud and clear: “We’re not serious, it’s a flavor-of-the-month idea, we’ll let you take the risk and sit back and see how it works out.” No wonder change is so difficult. No one wants to be the first one to try it, especially if they feel their job or pay is threatened.
If you are interested in managing changes and honing the leadership skills in your organization, please contact Kammy Haynes.
Brainstorming Vs. Time Wasting
Let’s say that you want to have your team share some ideas. So, you get them together for a meeting. How structured should the meeting be? Should the questions be very general (e.g., “Rhode Island is neither a road nor an island. Discuss.”) or specific (“Should we change our selection system?”)?
Here’s a good rule to follow: in ambiguous situations people generally prefer structure and in structured situations they prefer more freedom. So, if you are brainstorming in a new area, you’ll want to use some specific questions to guide the group. If you are trying to figure out a solution to a problem that most people are already familiar with, more open ended questions will be more effective.
If you are interested in more information on facilitating productive meetings, please contact Warren Bobrow.
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