GiANT Column: Building the Bridge

Authored by Member Engagement Chairperson and previous Member-At-Large Erin Ballentine, PharmD, MBA, MS, BCPS of John Hopkins Hospital

If you are a future-oriented leader, perhaps you can relate to a situation I have found myself in far too often. Imagine this: You are in the breakroom with co-workers staring at the recently broken coffeemaker. The problem is clear-- you need a new coffeemaker. Seeing this as an opportunity to purchase a newer, more sophisticated coffeemaker (albeit different than the original machine), you make this recommendation to the group.

Rather than excitement and enthusiasm, you are met with a series of questions. What if this new coffeemaker doesn’t take the same coffee grounds? What if Jim doesn’t know how to use this new coffeemaker, are you going to make directions for use? Will our cups still fit this new machine? Mary prefers 8 oz cups while Suzy prefers 12 oz pours – does this machine have the capabilities to deliver both? Where would we purchase this machine? Have you even looked into how much this will cost??

To the future-oriented leader, these questions can be surprising and even frustrating. Maybe you haven’t thought about these details YET. Or maybe you HAVE – and now you feel almost insulted that your co-workers would take you to be so naive.

What did you do wrong in this situation? You failed to build the bridge.

Leaders can be categorized into two primary types: present-oriented and future-oriented. Both are essential and both instrumental in the success of an organization. While future-oriented leaders are needed to create vision and drive change, they will not be successful without present-oriented leaders who are ensuring your people and processes are prepared and ready to buy-in to meaningful change.

The GiANT “Build the Bridge” tool speaks to this concept. In order for future-oriented leaders to rally their teams toward change, they must stop and ensure they are addressing the details or questions that are essential to get the whole team to this new reality. For present-oriented leaders, it is important to not let the details and the current barriers preclude you from looking ahead towards potential possibilities.

Learning to anticipate the perspectives of other leaders will allow you to more effectively recommend change that will be of benefit to your organization.

Next time the breakroom coffeemaker goes down, building the bridge will allow you to effectively make a recommendation that addresses the concerns your colleagues are contemplating while still empowering your team to consider new solutions.

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