Here are a
few key lessons ... about dealing with change and uncertainty
that you can use to help your organization reach its goals:
1. TEAMS ARE MORE EFFECTIVE WHEN EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS THE
PLAN.
Almost without fail, teams step on the maze without having a
shared plan. They tell me they did this because "time is money,"
but employees who don't understand the organization's strategies
and lack confidence in decision-making are much more costly. How
well informed is your group?
2. PEOPLE NEED SUPPORT AND TRUST TO TAKE REASONABLE RISKS.
When someone triggers an alarm, most team members look
disappointed, and some even walk away. How eager will someone be
to try again after experiencing that reaction? If you desire
employees to be creative and take reasonable risks, reward their
positive behavior NO MATTER WHAT THE RESULTS, and reassure the
person that he or she is still a valued member of the team. If
you don't reassure the person, their willingness to take risks
will certainly diminish.
3. VIEW "FAILURES" AS VALUABLE LESSONS FOR EVERYONE.
Stepping on unsafe squares and triggering the alarm is a
necessity in order to discover the safe path to success. When
failure is feared, it is avoided at all costs and kept secret
when it occurs – only serving to harm the organization. A
reporter once questioned Thomas Edison, "Mr. Edison, I heard you
failed nearly a thousand times before inventing a light bulb
that worked." Edison replied, "I did not fail 1000 times. I
learned 999 ways a light bulb will not work!" How does your
organization view "failure"?
4. CELEBRATE ALL SUCCESSES.
When someone finally crosses my maze, the team typically gives a
thunderous applause. But where was the applause for the person
who made it only to the first row, the person who made it only
to second row, and so on? We must reward all successes, for they
make it possible for someone to make it all the way across. Who
gets the recognition in your organization and how could it be
improved?
Reprinted with
permission from
David Greenberg's Simply Speaking,
Inc.®
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