ROCKET FUEL for leaders

We come alive when we work for a leader who is open to new ideas. We light up. This is where most employees want to work. A bright and energetic team where the leader involves you and has conversations.

When we work for a leader who is closed or has a fixed view, we fade away. Over time the team fades too. This is a dark place that most employees want out of.

With some focus and effort, I believe every leader can turn up the brightness in their team.

ROCKET FUEL

I was working with a GM of Environment in a utility a few years ago. She constantly reinforced the rules because she was scared her unit would fail to meet compliance targets. Her focus was firmly on telling employees WHAT to do. This totally shut them down.

After we discussed the importance of conversations and involvement, she shifted her focus. She switched to asking her team HOW they could help protect the environment. This ignited the employees. They become engaged in idea generation and new ways. The conversation was like rocket fuel and a catalyst for ideas and change.

It can be breathtaking

Alex Goryachev, MD of Innovation at CISCO (Global IT leader) sums this scenario up: 

“Communication can unleash [employee] talent and mean the difference between a culture of breathtaking innovation and a culture of eroding stagnation”.

Alex is featured in my new book SWITCH. He got me thinking. So I came up with three pillars that help leaders use conversation as a catalyst for innovation.

Conversations that create innovation typically demonstrate that leaders:

Commit to: failure, learning and risk

Are open to: dialogue challenge and ideas

Enable: change, community, trust.

Most of the time leading is about accepting that we don’t have the answers. It's more about creating the conditions to find them. Conversations with employees are a catalyst in this sense. They spark ideas and solutions.

Are you committed, open and enabling? I would love to hear from you.