Issue 15: Invitation
One concept:
If you believe control is mainly ineffective, influence is the realm of effective leadership, and expectations help set the standard for our behaviors and performance, consider invitation part of your inventory.
Inviting others to discuss and consider ideas before implementing them increases the likelihood that they will take ownership and action to achieve the goal.?
Here are a few ways to introduce a project:
1. This project will be your primary focus for the next six weeks.
2. I invite you to join me and a few other leaders in making sure our path forward makes sense.
Invitations feel open and safe. They are filled with possibilities that move us forward. We feel more respected and open to contributing. Invitations allow us to ask questions to understand and make choices with our time and resources before committing with certainty that we can deliver.
Spending time here has the added benefit of building credibility and reliability, two elements of trust, while improving consistent performance. It also reduces the risk of disappointment and rework in favor of results.
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Two strategies:
1. Before making project assignments, invite key stakeholders to discuss capacity, capabilities, and the best team member fit given the organization's context. Focus more on current reality than unsubstantiated hopefulness and heroic effort. Time spent planning here may be the difference between significant rework, delays, or failure and meeting your commitments.
2. Change the energy?in your staff meetings by inviting questions and comments as an intentional part of the design. This is about creating a safe place to discuss anything that serves the team, the?organization, and its customers. A team with this ability can accomplish anything.
Three questions:
1. If some resistance exists, how may I create an invitation to discussion instead of an expectation of compliance?
2. How might reframing a directive into an invitation create space for others to open up about obstacles to their performance?
3. In what part of my leadership can I replace pronouncements with invitations to engage in discussions that get us unstuck?
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