Leaders need to learn 3 things early.
1. Ask more “What” questions.
“What” questions help you move focus from blame to action. “What” questions help you clarify the real systemic issue.
“What” questions ultimately lead to “how” questions. And once you know “what” and “how”, “why” just fits in.
Like most leaders, at the start, “what” questions can be hard and sometimes, boring, especially when “who” and “why” questions are not just much more readily available, they seem faster. This is why in TPM, almost all 5 Whys end in man.
Of course, ultimately, man is to blame for everything, but your job as a leader is to promote a default behaviour of thoughtful action. You do not get that for long, by blaming man. Men do not do well with blames, they pass it on (Remember Adam).
“What” questions make humans feel safe to share the vulnerabilities of the system and of themselves. It is only vulnerabilities known or defined, that can be addressed.
2. Consciously remove “but” from your vocabulary.
Teams have become attuned to wait for the “but”, as a cue to start or stop listening, depending on whether they respect or do not respect you respectively.
Everything said before the “but” is treated as an opening act. The main act emerges after the “but”. That is when what is truly felt is said.
Some have tried to manage this, by using the “but”, after stating their concerns. They give the praise at the end after the “but”. It does not work. It is best to just take out the “but” and fill it with a pause. During the pause, you have time to think about how best to deliver your concerns. What you have to say is important, how you say it determines the quality of the follow through. Get comfortable with the uncomfortable pause that you are using to replace the “but”.
Ultimately, you will realise that you find no need for embellishments in communication. You just say what is required, with no “buts” needed.
3. Take long walks.
No matter how busy your day gets, find time to go on long walks. Whether it is on a treadmill, on the streets, on your production site, up and down stairs, to and fro a corridor, or just walking on the spot, long walks help get your blood circulation up, remove waste from your brain, bring oxygen and nutrients to your brain and help you think a little more clearly.
When you’re wrestling with a decision, before locking yourself up in a room or calling a mentor that is wrestling with her own decisions, take a long walk. A 30 minutes walk is fine.
And while you’re walking, give yourself a target to notice something new in your view. The process of seeing something new, in a world that seems set, might help you see the decision required from another viewpoint.
We are playing a game of alternatives, daily. These are just 3 alternatives.
– Osasu Oviawe