For a process-oriented person, I’m feeling overly processed right now. There is a protocol or step-by-step approach for everything under the sun, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the structure. I worry about those that I serve – If I’m feeling the weight of this, how are they feeling?
As an Adaptive Leader, how can I help things to feel less complicated for my team? How can I simplify the seemingly complex?
This is hard for leaders, especially when we don’t choose the timing and priority of the many messages we send to our teams. We need to focus on what we can influence, because we know we can’t control all of the moving parts, right?
Here are a few things I am trying to be more consistent around:
Shape the path for their success
Work with the team to identify the environment and factors that will set them up for success or that may become potential barriers. Don’t assume anything – do everything you can to foster the environment that they need.
Note: A great book for helping us “shape the path” is Switch: How to change things when change is hard, by Chip and Dan Heath
Speak their language
Think about the way your team members communicate – what are they interested in? What visuals, analogies, stories, or actual words will resonate with them?
I talked with a trainer recently about “mastering the craft”, which can be hard to define. Because she’s visual, I used the example of a visual artist that pulls from different techniques to paint on a canvas. A great artist is going to employ different techniques, brushes, and mediums to create their work of art. They are going to grow their skill through learning and practicing new techniques. Overtime they will begin to reach new levels of mastery of particular techniques.
These are just a few things that I’ve tried…What ideas do you have?
Living a Compelling Story 