By Josephine Thomson (Australia)
Help people think better – don’t tell them what to do. That’s the advice from a new management practice for today’s corporate realities. It’s a complex and stressed out world in corporations large and small. Most workers are juggling dozens if not hundreds of emails a day, delivering results under significant time pressures, working on half a dozen big projects, dealing with politics, resources, difficult customers and all sorts of challenges. There is uncertainty, constant change, unexpected breakdowns and the odd calamity. And along comes a leader who wants to get them doing things differently.
Changing an individual’s behaviour is not that different from managing a change process within a complex system such as a large company. In any change process you need a clear vision, to know exactly what your goals are before you start. You need to plan things out carefully and develop a realistic timetable, and you need people responsible for specific elements of the plan.
For change to happen you need to make the whole change process, every part of it including the goals, plans, roles and milestones very explicit. Explicit means every component of the change process is clear and well understood by everyone, not just implicit, with people expecting others to understand what’s happening when this is not the case. Step one is to let them do all the thinking.
Source: iCN Issue 5 (Leadership Coaching); pages 18-20
About Josie Thomson
Josie Thomson is a Master Certified Coach (International Coach Federation), professional speaker, lifestyle author, acclaimed business woman and cancer survivor. She is a change management and is currently completing executive masters studies in the Neuroscience of Leadership. Having also graduated with a Bachelor of Business (Human Resource Management) many years ago, she describes herself as a ‘reformed accountant’ and specialises in neuroleadership, executive coaching, managing change, and talent engagement and retention strategies. Her authentic and joyful nature inspires others to create massive positive change, and she partners with her clients to achieve breakthrough business results.
