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I love a good stage performance. The talent, the costumes, the total absurdity of people (sometimes animals!) busting into conversational song.
Off the stage though? Performance is destroying us.
I wrote this post recently about the need for an “LFG button” on LinkedIn.
Because we’re singing and dancing when we should be asking and listening. We’re sticking Band-Aids on the gaping wounds of overwhelm, burnout, mistrust, squelched creativity, silos, and all other the soul-suckers out there.
We’ve gotta drop the curtain!
It’s time to Activate.
You know that employee engagement survey you run every year or two? The wellness programs you keep pushing out? Maybe even that Best Places to Work award you’re contending for…or even won?
They’re the Band Aids. Problem is, we've convinced ourselves they're a solution. Which means, we're not seeking the solutions we actually need.
And what do we actually need? Well, it's the simple tweaks, cumulative over time, that will help our teams to..
Lead Above Noise: 4 Pillars of Activation
The secret? It’s not waiting for an annual survey. It’s not hoping HR figures it out. No, it’s recognizing that Activation is a leadership capability we need to be building - giving our leaders to the tools, insights, accountability, and support to look beyond the musical numbers and make change happen!
What do I mean by this?
I mean – it’s not waiting for wellness programs to solve for the overwhelm; it’s recognizing what’s driving the overwhelm (lack of prioritization? Unclear communication? Insufficient tools and resources) – and working toward resolving it. So the need for those wellness programs is reduced.
I mean looking beyond formal development programs, and empowering your leaders to really and truly delegate more intentionally and meaningfully. Connecting the right people with the right opportunities and right support – right in the rhythm of their work.
Activation is the path for discovering – and implementing – these small changes that deliver big wins. Within a leader’s locus of control.
Based on our years of running Pulse Checks - hearing where the big pain and opportunity points live within an organization - we've launched an Activation Bootcamp designed to build this capability.
Our focus is on helping leaders understand that regardless of all that's outside of their control, there are always things within it. And it's their job to find those opportunities and implement change.
Like, maybe a team is struggling with unclear direction from the top. Which priorities should they be chasing?
And maybe a team leader can't force alignment at the top. But what can they do? They can align with their own peers and push some clarity down. They can source their teams' biggest questions and feed them up to senior leaders - pushing for answers.
Or maybe a team is craving more development. And a team leader can't singlehandedly bring in a formal program.
But they sure can turn up the dial on delegating more effectively and intentionally - giving team membership (supported) ownership of new tasks. Or they can help people find mentors, or offer more regular coaching.
There are always actions within our grasp. A leader's job is to understand what their teams need and most so they can effectively deliver, develop, connect, and thrive.
Related: The Magic of Dragons and Trash