The greatest gift we can give our organizations

I recently had a?conversation with Adam Bryant ?for his “Art of Leading” interview series. Adam Bryant had first reached out to me right before the pandemic hit in the United States. For one reason, then another, we had to postpone our conversation.

Nearly three years later, with 2022 winding down, we finally logged into Zoom. And as the conversation got started, I found myself reflecting on everything that Siemens has been through as a company since Adam and I first touched base.

So, when Adam asked me how I have evolved as a leader during this time, here’s what I shared: that what’s guided me most has been the idea that the greatest gift leaders can give their teams and organizations is the ability to?optimize for change.

Adam then asked an important follow-up question that I’ve continued to think through: How do you operationalize that as a leader?

And I think the answer comes in two parts.

First, creating a culture that enables people to be comfortable with change itself. What we’ve found at 西门子 is that trust-based leadership works and is good for business. We don’t have to micromanage or operate by command-and-control. We can set a framework with our strategic priorities—ours are customer impact, technology with purpose, growth mindset, and empowerment—and let those priorities guide people in a way that allows them to persevere, even thrive, in moments of disruption.

Second, the priority focused on empowerment is really a critical one—even if it can be a paradox for leaders.

As much as we want to be deeply engaged across teams and business units, leaders can’t manage everything. We have to step back, knowing that others will step up and that we’ve cultivated the conditions for them to do so.

I saw this firsthand after?falling ill during the early COVID-19 shutdowns . I learned that people want to lead; they want more responsibility. So, why not let them?

What we’ve found at Siemens is that trust-based leadership works and is good for business. We don’t have to micromanage or operate by command-and-control. We can set a framework with our strategic priorities—ours are customer impact, technology with purpose, growth mindset, and empowerment—and let those priorities guide people in a way that allows them to persevere, even thrive, in moments of disruption.

Which is really the most compelling part about optimizing for change. It’s not about going from Stasis A to Stasis B by moving through an uncomfortable period of change. It’s about recognizing that the world is in a state of constant change and getting comfortable with that—getting really good at change!

And so, as I’ve reflected on what this looks like and the conditions that support it, I keep coming back to three fundamental truths.

The first is that?individuals are powerful.?Some of the greatest innovations start with two people and a drawing on a napkin, even inside the biggest corporations in the world. They are what make organizations tick and drive the purpose and mission.

It’s why I’ve been so excited about what I’ve described as our “glocal” perspective at Siemens. As we learned during the pandemic, we have to trust our colleagues closest to the point of need to make the decisions locally that are best for the organization. Business has thrived because of it.

But let’s take a closer look at what going “glocal” really involves. It’s all about empowering people. Instead of simply extending decision-making throughout the org chart, we’re fostering a culture in which people are?celebrated?for tapping into their individual strengths and seizing the opportunities that will advance the organization. No matter the disruption, people know they are supported to do what is right and what is needed.

Related to this is the second truth—building teams that are psychologically safe. I learned from organizational psychologist Dr. Connie Hadley—a guest on?my Optimistic Outlook podcast —that psychological safety is more than a personal feeling of safety; it’s found in the dynamics of the team itself.?

It’s in psychologically safe environments where people feel safe to drive change – to take risks, to challenge the status quo, to offer a new idea or to ask for help. They’re willing to do this because they are unlikely to be stigmatized or ignored as a result.

As Dr. Hadley described, “If we can create places of psychological safety throughout the world, we will enable people to bring their full selves to the workplace, to feel that sense of mutual respect and confidence that will keep them engaged, that will reduce the amounts of vacant jobs out there, that will enable people to stand tall in themselves because of their knowledge that their contributions matter and are valued and appreciated in the workplace.”

Finally, the third truth, and this is essential:?People are recognizing that the path to leadership has changed.?In the past, leaders might have had to learn the 10 best practices of leadership or go through an almost assembly-line management training.

Now, we’re embracing that leadership comes in a lot of different packages. There’s a real understanding that by bringing our different strengths together, we’ll deliver the best results. It’s also a reminder of why it’s so important to advance diversity, equity and inclusion at every level. We might miss extraordinary leaders if we don’t.

This reimagining of leadership comes at a particularly important time as the platform revolution takes off in the industrial world as it has in the consumer world.

Unlike the pipeline economy, where efficiency reigns, to succeed in a platform economy you need an ecosystem where others can create value. And that requires creating new relationships. That requires creating trust. That requires empowerment. Which means leaders need to be able to work side to side, not just from the top down.

As a final point, let me return to that idea that optimizing for change is the greatest gift for an organization. Because in adopting these three principles for how we work and how we lead, we’ll inspire everyone to be a change-maker at a time when exciting things are happening across industry and infrastructure.

My favorite phrase over the past few years continues to be that disruption offers us the greatest opportunity to shape the future that we want. That belief still holds—and by getting comfortable with change and empowering others, we’ll be able to make the most of it.