Insight #1: A true leader will never waste a good crisis

Insight #1: A true leader will never waste a good crisis (and will invent them in their absence)!

Insight: Leadership is the process of creating meaningful change and nothing sets the stage for change like a good crisis. Organizations are designed for stability and steadiness - and will always cower in a crisis (it is their nature). Leaders at all levels know this and often find that their deepest strength - and their most significant opportunities - are found in times of great vulnerability.

When leaders tap into the vulnerability of self and others, they are "cultivating an openness" to new possibilities that traditionally lay dormant when life is proceeding with its normal bumps and bruises.

But here's the challenge: Research shows that human beings react more strongly to negative occurrences than to positive ones - with a crisis most assuredly putting people into a defensive "hunker down" mode. In other words, the bad news will always trump any positive news. Only "consistently positive communications" are powerful enough to counter the survival mindset. In fact, research also shows that positive communications (e.g., statements that are supportive, appreciative, recognize others, and express hope) is the single most important factor in predicting organizational performance.

With this is mind, I propose a "three-step" process for leading meaningful change in times of crisis:

Step One: Don't just tell the truth, tell a story! It starts with a willingness to define the current reality in its most honest terms - signaling to all involved that the current path is simply not sustainable. The true leader knows that in sharing the full truth - with all of its warts - creates a shared accountability that will drive the highest potential for personal change. However, facts without meaning will only drive us into survival mode. One leader that I know has created a compelling time line that shows how the organization has always emerged stronger after a crisis. He has framed the current crisis as part of a great legacy - linking the employees to lasting, long-term outcomes that elevate their status and performance. Simply put, information without meaning or context will simply not inspire.

Step Two: Set the change agenda - but make it personal! The next phase not only requires that we set a compelling new agenda that will pull us from our current reality - we need to "personalize" it. In other words, to achieve this new vision, what will be different about us?

Gandhi said it best: "Be the change you want to see in the world." The leader needs to create clarity around the types of new skills, capabilities, and most importantly - the attitudes and mindsets that we need to embody to achieve the change we seek. Fact: When people are engaging in work that is personally important to them, a whole range of positive outcomes are produced (e.g., increased commitment, satisfaction, and performance). We move from compliance and identification with the vision to the much more powerful "internalization" state where we become the change we seek.

Step Three: Focus on "climate" more than culture! Climate refers to the current and most prevalent feelings (positive vs. negative) in the work environment. Culture refers to the on-going steady state of "how we do things around here" - and tends to support the status quo - even during a crisis. Over time, the culture ceiling will grow to include new behaviors - but our crisis demands a more urgent response. Hence, the leader will need to focus on climate - creating a decisively positive emotional environment. Research documents the wide range of positive outcomes associated with positive emotions (e.g., improved problem-solving, higher collaboration, and enhanced productivity) - and the adverse consequences when negative emotions prevail.

Not easy! This is no easy task as leaders must maintain a daily vigil of positive communications that will significantly outweigh the routine occurrence of negative information, barriers, and setbacks. Typically, leaders underestimate - by a factor of 100 - the importance on-going, positive communications.

Reality Check:
1) Has a compelling story emerged - one that infuses our mission with purpose and meaning?
2) Have we communicated the personal transformation opportunities in the new vision?
3) Do we actively promote a positive work climate?

Yes, Show Me The Same System You Use, So I Can Also Make BIG Money From Home!

A Valid E-Mail Address Is Required Otherwise You Will Not
Receive This Information.

We Respect Your Email Privacy and Will Not Spam You.
Any E-mail You Receive Comes With An 'Unsubscribe' Link.