Posts Tagged ‘commitment’

Will Low Expectations hold us back?

Saturday, July 31st, 2010

In my latest online survey I asked the question “What is the biggest challenge for future leaders?” The greatest number of answers were based around the idea of low expectations, relationships and issues to do with people. That was not a surprise since it is the complexity of working with people that is tricky. I was particularly interested in the idea of ‘low expectations’ and what this might possibly mean. I’m wondering whether leaders need to confront issues rather than hoping that the problem will go away and whether leaders need to understand the importance of personal learning conversations. This is about building organisational culture so that people engage in dialogue and discussion that is robust and focused on driving the organisation forward. This implies that leaders have a clear focus on what is important, why it is important and how people might be expected to behave.

Heifetz, Grashow and  Linsky (2009) describe adaptive leadership as the practice of mobilising people to tackle tough challenges and thrive. I think this is the way to go. Adaptive leadership is needed for the growth of individuals and organisations. Perhaps, to avoid low expectations, future leadership involves:

  • looking for those things that should be preserved and having courage to abandon the expendable;
  • accepting that conflict is a necessary part of the organisation and can be productive;
  • creating a culture of courageous conversations;
  • acknowledging the importance of collaboration, networks and global connections; and
  • building the capabilities of others to lead in adaptive ways.

This quote from Egon Zehnder (2000) reminds us that future leaders will need to be flexible, future focused and capable of thinking in new ways. “Stability is a liability, not an asset in today’s world. Each new view of the horizon is a glance through a different turn of the kaleidoscope.”

I’m going to leave the survey open for a few more days so take a few minutes to contribute here. And join the conversation about what the biggest challenge for future leaders will be. Do you agree that it is low expectations and if so what do you interpret this to mean?

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Co-creating Deep Change

Sunday, March 28th, 2010

Deep change occurs when stakeholders are involved in the process, that is they have a chance to co-create the change. The process should include continuous conversation – both discussion and dialogue.

This co-creation occurs when leaders:

  • consider the needs of diverse groups;
  • involve stakeholders in the conversation from the beginning, rather when a draft plan has been written;
  • continuously communicate – where we are at, where we are going next, why we are going there?
  • use group processes to maintain transparency; and
  • allow all voices to be heard as a pathway to commitment.

    • Peter Senge describes commitment as being easily confused with compliance. People comply because they want to be part of  team. While it is easy to tell if people are apathetic or non-compliant, it is less easy to identify true commitment. True commitment is not ‘buy-in’, which suggests a transaction, nor is it only enrolment (by choice). True commitment occurs when people want the change and are prepared to make it happen. Not all stakeholders will be at this level of commitment, however moving from mere participation to co-creation is likely to result in greater commitment.

    Recently I came across the website of public engagement specialists Involve. They list nine principles of effective deliberative public engagement:

    • The process makes a difference
    • The process is transparent
    • The process has integrity
    • The process is tailored to circumstances
    • The process involves the right number and types of people
    • The process treats participants with respect
    • The process gives priority to participants’ discussions
    • The process is reviewed and evaluated to improve practice
    • Participants are kept informed

    This resource can be downloaded from their website. They make the comment that you should not pretend to involve people if you have already decided on the outcome or if their input will not be used. This breaks trust and will negatively influence any further conversation. Deep, committed change will not occur.

    Co-creation is not always easy nor does it always lead to consensus. Dialogue, conflict and respectful debate should be encouraged,  rather than a group think mentality. If we are developing innovative organisations for the future we have to be up for a challenge. What do you think?


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