Change the Focus - Part 2

In last week’s newsletter I explored on the first six focus areas organisations and their leadership need to pay attention to if they are going to survive.

Employees are looking beyond the material offerings provided by an employer and assessing how they “feel” about an employer. Their focus has shifted from the transactional aspects of employment such as pay and benefits, to the relational aspects such as autonomy and flexibility, development and growth, good leadership, and wellbeing.

So, what if your organisation started to focus on employees as people first? You would retain and attract talent on a global scale. You would have a motivated, engaged, enthusiastic, loyal, innovative, and inspired workforce. Your competition would be a spec in your rear-view mirror as your organisation skyrockets to astonishing heights. Success is sweet.

Isn’t this something worth a change in focus?

What if you focused on the following?

·??????Autonomy

·??????Motivation

·??????Innovation

·??????Agility

·??????Resilience

·??????Collaboration

·??????Growth mindset

·??????Shared purpose

·??????Experimentation and risk

·??????Psychological safety

·??????Recognition

·??????Trust

In this week’s newsletter I am going to look at the second six.

Growth mindset

Leaders need to cultivate a growth mindset not only in them but also in everyone around them in the workplace.

People with a growth mindset believe abilities - like talent and intelligence - can be developed through dedication and hard work. They’re more likely to enjoy learning, seek out situations to experiment, and see failure as an opportunity to grow.

Those with a fixed mindset believe the opposite. They feel they “are who they are” and were born with a set level of talent, intelligence, and even interests.?

People with a growth mindset learn from feedback, see hard work as the path to mastery, persist despite the setbacks and embrace challenges as learning opportunities. These are all traits organizations need today more than ever.

A growth mindset can be cultivated through continual and real-time feedback. Leaders must set learning goals as opposed to performance goals, revisit and reassess the goals on a regular basis, communicate the fact that the organization values learning and perseverance and not just innate talent, and be available as a learning resource to others.

An organization that adapts a growth mindset positions itself for success through strong leadership, continual learning, and innovation.

Shared purpose

When an organization is driven by a shared purpose and vision it will be better able to navigate the era of disruption.

This shared purpose and vision is often referred to as the North Star. The North Star provides a reference point for everyone in the organization.

Organizations like Amazon, Gore, Patagonia, and Virgin put stakeholder focus at the heart of their North Star and, in turn, at the heart of the way they create value.

Leaders need to bring coherence and provide clear, actionable and aligned guidance around business priorities and outcomes expected. They must ensure focus on the delivery of value to the customer and all other stakeholders by provision of continual real-time feedback and coaching that enables people to work with autonomy towards the North Star.

An embedded North Star moves the organization and everyone in it forward in the right direction.?

Jon Gordon has some great leadership advice in regard to the North Star.

“As a positive leader you will want to carry a telescope and a microscope with you on your journey. The telescope helps you and your team keep your eyes on your vision, North Star, and big picture. The microscope helps you zoom-focus on the things you must do in the short term to realize the vision in your telescope. If you have only a telescope, then you’ll be thinking about your vision all the time and dreaming about the future but not taking the necessary steps to realize it. If you have only a microscope, then you’ll be working hard every day but setbacks and challenges will likely frustrate and discourage you because you’ll lose sight of the big picture.

You need to frequently pull out your telescope to remind yourself and your team where you are going, and you’ll need to look through your microscope daily in order to focus on what matters most and follow through on your commitments. Together they will help you take your team and organization where you want to go.”[1]

As a positive leader you will want to carry a telescope and a microscope with you on your journey.

Experimentation and risk

When change is rapid, the best way to mitigate risk and find opportunities is to experiment. Try out new things and deliver the ones that work.?

The organizations that experiment most and faster are the ones that will succeed.

When leaders encourage experimentation, innovation happens.

Everyone needs to be given the freedom to ‘have a go’. The culture needs to be one of ‘it is ok to fail as long as we learn from it.’

Allowing everyone to experiment does not mean chaos. Organizations have principles or guardrails. The guardrails are like the barriers on the side of the road that help keep drivers safe and keep them on the road. Guardrails keep everyone aligned to the organization’s goals and objectives. They are the parameters within which employees can operate without unnecessary interference.

Guardrails are the parameters within which everyone can experiment and try something different. Guardrails keep experimentation aligned with organizational goals and objectives.

The key to organizational survival is to adapt and embrace experimentation and innovation.??

Psychological safety

Everyone in the organization needs to feel safe to come up with new ideas, share their thoughts and opinions and experiment.

Psychological safety is an imperative. The workplace can feel challenging but it must not feel threatening.

There is no blame. There is curiosity and feedback. There is trust and respect.

According to Harvard Business School professor?Amy Edmondson , who coined the term:

“Psychological safety is a belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns or mistakes.”

Leaders need to be transparent, honest and ask for feedback. They need to action and encourage active listening and provide as safe place for people to participate and collaborate. They need to develop open mindsets, promote feedback, and encourage everyone to see feedback as a way to strengthen and build on their ideas as opposed to viewing it as criticism.

When there is psychological safety there are high performing teams.

Psychological safety is an imperative. The workplace can feel challenging, but it must not feel threatening.

Recognition

A culture of recognition drives success. This is not only leader to employee recognition but peer-to-peer.

When people are recognized for a ‘job well done’ or a great idea, they are motivated, inspired and have an increased level of pride and validation.

Recognition does not have to be formal. It can be just saying thank-you and giving someone a pat on the back, a high-five or a handshake.

Recognition builds stronger teams, enhances confidence and self-esteem and increases performance.

High performing people, teams and organizations are a formula for success.?

Trust

Trust has already been mentioned a number of times in this newsletter and the one before it, but it also warrants a focus of its own.

If we truly want to be productive, profitable, and competitive, we need to establish a culture of trust.

Successful organizations are built on healthy relationships. At the core of a healthy relationship is trust.

Leaders will reap the benefits when they focus on building an environment of mutual trust and respect.

Trust is built by providing employees with clarity of desired outcomes and guidelines, and then getting out of the way and letting them get on with the task at hand.

There is no trust when there is a command-and-control approach to leadership. True leaders get out of the way and let employees get on with their jobs.

Command-and-control is directive and authoritarian.

True leaders lead not by direction but via orchestration. They guide as needed but trust their people to get the job done.

They establish trust by providing autonomy and self-management. They delegate decision-making. They are honest and transparent. They hold themselves accountability and own their mistakes.

Trust is emotional glue that brings everyone together and creates high performing teams.

True leaders get out of the way and let employees get on with their jobs.

Summary

This is not a time for procrastination. This is a time for action. Employees are already on the move looking for employers who are focused on the things discussed in this newsletter and the one before.

Employees are people first and foremost and your organisation must demonstrate its belief in that fact.

[1] https://www.jongordon.com/positivetip/create-and-share-vision.html

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

I am an organisational change management rebel?with?a cause.?

I am an author, sought after keynote speaker, coach mentor and facilitator. My latest and fourth book, "Balanced Diversity: A Portfolio Approach to Organisational Change" is available?here .

I am passionate about enabling individuals and organisations to triumph in the face of constant and disruptive change and I do so through programs regarding organisational change, resilience, agility, leadership, transformation and adaptation.

To inquire about me working with you or your organisation please contact me?here .