No work is more important for a leader than creating an environment
in which all team members can contribute. That raises the
collective IQ of the company and pays dividends as the business
gleans ideas for new strategies and improved processes from
all over the company.
But it’s not as simple as it sounds. Before workers can feel
comfortable about sharing ideas and insights with one another
and with management, you have to create the right environment.
Bosses who have created a culture in which decisions are made
at the top, with input from only a few executives behind closed
doors, can’t turn on a dime and ask for help from the troops.
They don’t have the credibility. To develop it, they first
must prove that the experiences and observations and imaginations
of people across the company are regarded as corporate assets.
We have found that coaching—for the boss and by the boss—can
help change the enviroment and get employees to see themselves
as empowered team players. When a business owner learns to
communicate in what we call a “We-centric” way (as opposed
to an “I-centric” way) the overall IQ of the organization
rises.
First, it helps to identify and break down some of the attitudes
and behaviors of the typical I-centric leader—patterns that
make them less effective than they could be. These individuals
refuse to share power or speak candidly, for fear they will
appear weak or soft. The domineering I-centric leader, perhaps
unintentionally, turns the focus of the organization inward,
because everybody wants to know what the all-powerful boss
is up to. The company takes its collective eye off the customer—with
predictable results.
When it comes to communicating, I-centric leaders often don’t.
They assume that voicing their ideas and repeating them will
cause employees to embrace them. It doesn’t work that way.
Overall, the I-centric leader persists in Alpha behavior—he
(or she) has to be the last word on everything. For these
people, winning means somebody else has to lose. They never
admit mistakes, and the stakes are high for that kind of behavior.
We-centric leaders, by contrast, are less hung up on status
and maintaining ultimate authority. They lead by example—showing
the organization that it is essential to listen as well as
talk, to share information and to learn from mistakes.
WE LEADERSHIP
Share Power. At meetings, give the lead to your employees
so they learn how to lead too.
Seek feedback. Ask employees how you are doing as a leader.
Listen to what they say and be open to change.
Focus everyone on pleasing the customer. Turn their attention
outward, to the market, rather than inward at the boss. This
produces better performance.
Share a framework for change. Start by setting down over-arching
goals, then ask people for strategies to achieve them. Don’t
think of strategy and implementation as separate spheres;
engage employees in both.
Behave like a leader, not a dominator. Don’t try to win by
intimidation. Define leadership in terms of creating environments
for success for everyone—yourself, included.
Break down silos. Identify areas where territoriality is
getting in the way, and find strategies to end turf wars and
foster cooperation; sponsor leadership challenges in the organization
that requires teams of people from different areas to work
together on vital business challenges.
Be the change. Asking others to change doesn’t create change.
You need to change how you interact with others: Show, don’t
tell.
Be human. By admitting when you are wrong and showing that
you can turn a mistake into a “learning moment,” you teach
employees that they can do it too.
Celebrate We. Share the credit and spread the praise—emphasize
that “we are all in this together.”
The Payoff
Once the boss has started creating a We culture, coaching
is a proven way to start engaging employees in more meaningful
ways. A good place to start is to ask employees to help identify
best practices—processes and tactics that can improve company
performance. This exercise determines what constitutes excellence
in your company and helps to identify what is good and what
is working. Sharing ideas and best practices routinely is
an essential way of elevating skills, generating enthusiasm
and reinforcing the “We” culture. Colleagues who learn from
each other are more apt to develop the higher-level skills
and institutional wisdom needed to meet ever-higher goals.
Don’t expect overnight results. This is a process that needs
to become part of the company routine—not a one-off event.
As leaders repeatedly engage employees with questions about
how to do the job better (rather than simply dictating marching
orders) they create a virtuous cycle of advice, suggestions
and feedback. In the process, they create a community of colleagues
that looks forward to coming to work every day.
These conversations need to be “dialogues” not “talk-ats.”
It is important to establish the ground rules for the group—to
determine the scope and objectives. But it is essential that
each member plays a role in creating the future.
Organize groups around common experiences to share best practices—a
team of sales executives, or a team of marketing executives.
Pay attention to group dynamics; don’t let any one person,
including the boss, dominate.
Select team members for diversity of viewpoint—it is in the
clash of ideas that new insights are formed.
Ask all the members of the team to describe processes they
use that are having a positive impact or are creating new
business success. They should talk about how they can transfer
this knowledge to others and how it can be applied across
the organization (if it can).
As a leader, you have a tremendous opportunity to promote
mutuality and to counter territoriality and silo thinking,
by encouraging everyone to grow along with you. As everyone—including
the boss—receives regular feedback on their ideas, on their
performance and on their behavior, your organizational IQ
(and organizational profitability) grows exponentially. It’s
a win-win, which is what WE-centric leadership is all about.
Judith E. Glaser, CEO of Benchmark
Communications, Inc. and author of Creating WE: Change I-Thinking
to We-Thinking & Build
a Healthy Thriving Organization; Platinum Press, 2005. Selected
as one of the best business books of 2005. www.creatingwe.com;
and The DNA of Leadership, February 2006; 212-307-4386.
Nancy Snell, CEC, is a certified professional business coach
with a broadcasting career that spanned 25+ years. She specializes
in workplace issues and coaches professionals who are ready
to get unblocked, unfrustrated and on track. Nancy served
as a Director on the Board of the NYC – ICF in 2005. www.nancysnell.com
212-517-6488