Creating a Clear & Co-Designed Future

Here are some suggestions for how you can enhance your skills in the leadership behaviours of Creating a Clear & Co-Designed Future:

• In order to strengthen colleagues’ ownership and understanding of the importance of their role and the achievement of their objectives, they need to see how these relate to the overall vison, direction, values and goals of the team/organisation. There needs to be buy-in at all the different levels within (and outside) the organisation.
• Prior to developing a vison for the organisation or developing a strategic plan, consider how you are going to engage with relevant stakeholders at the outset. Essentially, it is best to have an engagement plan: Who and how are you going to engage with, when and why?
• Ensure that you and your team/department are working towards the same vision.
• Explain the strategic plan for achieving the vision. Check out that all who are responsible for achieving the plan are clear as to how their role is critical in its achievement.
• Identify team members’ objectives, ideally, in discussion with the individual so as to increase their ownership of them. Encourage them to draw up their own SMART objectives, which they will then discuss and agree with you. But remember that in order to increase an individual’s active engagement in their role, you should empower them to use their discretion in how they perform their day-to-day role, while ensuring they are clear of the boundaries of such discretion.
• Encourage team members to think of new ways of approaching challenges, or in how they perform their role in achieving their objectives, to encourage reflection, problem-solving ability, creativity, and development, which ultimately increases the team/department/organisation’s effectiveness.
• Regularly discuss in teams, how they are contributing to the achievement of the strategic plan, and praise and encourage progress, but also explain whether there needs to be any modifications to the plan, or to priorities, and/or how roles may be changing.
• Check out whether people have any concerns, or frustrations, or suggestions and try to address them in a way that reflects empathy but also transparency and honesty.
• Don’t focus only on the problems or negative aspects of work. Remember the need to be realistically optimistic, and to use opportunities to praise, to thank and show your appreciation for the efforts individuals are making. Create a culture in which success, however small, is celebrated. This, ultimately, increases engagement.
• At the end of team meetings consider suggesting short discussions in pairs, for example, to share reactions to what has been discussed, and what value the meeting has been to them and what new ideas they may be taking away. Share these briefly at the end.
• If these activities are difficult for you to introduce, consider asking for support from a trusted colleague, or even your communications department, to help you develop an engagement plan.
• Don’t restrict engagement to formal processes, though, it is an iterative and ongoing process and an integral part of being a good leader.