Leaders can devote considerable amounts of time to trying to address what they perceive as their team members’ bad habits. Despite making this investment, they often fall short, however. Often this is because their own leadership is actually causing the employee behavior they’re trying to change. Think you might fall into that category? Try asking yourself these five critical questions:
1. Do your team actually believe your words?
“Over the last 20 years I have lost count of the number of PowerPoint presentations I’ve watched from CEOs shouting about how customers are their top priority,” says Steven van Belleghem, a customer experience expert and author of A Diamond in the Rough. ‘I’ve also heard hundreds of customer service teams say that making customers happy is one the things they enjoy most about their job.’
So, if the leader is saying it is important, and the staff want to do it, why are so many companies failing to deliver an outstanding customer experience? “Because there is a disconnect between the leader’s words and their actions,” explains Van Belleghem. “So staff don’t really believe their customer-centricity vows.”
Van Bellegham emphasizes the importance of leaders’ micro-decisions – the tiny, day-to-day actions that make or break their credibility. These may include taking the time to thank a member of staff who goes above and beyond what is expected, even if it cost money or helping out in the call center or on the shop floor at busy times.
“When it comes to behavior and company culture, actions speak louder than words – and even PowerPoint presentations,” says Van Bellegham.
2. Are you too busy to lead change?
“Possibly the biggest challenge for today’s leaders is headspace, having time to think about something other than just what they need to do next,” says Nik Kinley, a talent management expert and co-author Changing Employee Behavior. “The job of a leader is just busier and more complex than it used to be.”
Much of the time, leaders are simply running on automatic, with little or no time to think things through. But the challenge for them is that when they are task-focused, they use different parts of their brain from when they are engaged in social activities. “So, when they are busy thinking about what needs doing, they literally turn off the parts of their brain that are key to working successfully with others,” explains Kinley. “They pay less attention to other people and are therefore less aware of their impact on them.”
The result is that it’s difficult for leaders to fully see how they are contributing to the business culture they create around them. So, they need to find time to understand and take more control of the impact they have, the environments they create, and the behaviours they trigger.
3. Do you tell, or ask?
“In the quest for effective leadership, a common pitfall is the inclination to offer immediate solutions when confronted by team challenges,” suggests Laura Ashley-Timms, chief operating officer of performance consultancy Notion, co-creator of the STAR Manager online development program, and the co-author of The Answer is a Question. “This reflexive ‘telling’ approach, though well-intentioned, inadvertently robs employees of valuable learning opportunities had they been encouraged to think for themselves.”
Ironically, consistently putting out your team’s fires creates a dependence on you. To break this cycle, leaders need to stop doing and instead start practising an enquiry-led approach, according to Ashley-Timms. This requires learning how to articulate powerful questions that are intended to stimulate their employees’ own thinking.
There are two parts to any problem-solving conversation, Ashley-Timms believes. Firstly, scope and focus on what you are talking about, and what it is that actually must change? “Frequently, the initially perceived issue isn’t the root concern,” she points out.
Secondly, ask thought-provoking questions to generate new insights. For example, you can open new perspectives by asking questions such as “What might our customer see as the most important aspect of this?”
“Helping a team member determine their next steps means they can take accountability for resolving the problem, rather than relying on you,” Ashley-Timms concludes.
4. Are you guilty of “impression management”?
“In a misguided effort to be kind and shield their teams, some people will halt the flow of information and inadvertently breed an environment of mistrust,” says Duena Blomstrom, CEO of PeopleNotTech, and author of Tech-Led Culture: Unlock the Full Potential of Your Business and People. “But, sometimes, this isn’t at all about protecting others. It’s simply for impression management and leaders project themselves as infallible to both teams and superiors. Let’s face it, the workplace can be daunting and fear can creep in.”
This fear-driven ‘impression management’ is the silent killer of innovation and authenticity, according to Blomstrom. “It can spread from leaders to team members, who then refrain from pointing out their own mistakes or from offering revolutionary thoughts,” she explains. “Through fear of being judged they not only stifle their own growth, but also limit the potential of their entire team and organization. By doing so, they miss out on the opportunity to create a psychologically safe and high-performing environment, which is crucial for achieving success.”
5. How high do you hold the bar?
While we should expect leaders to be role models, that doesn’t mean we should expect them to behave perfectly. “What we should expect of a leader is that they hold the bar high on the ‘how’ for their teams and peers,” says Darren Ashby, chief impact officer at consultancy businessfourzero and co-author of Every Team Actually Doing Business Better. This means living up to high standards, reflecting on their actions and sharing what they have learnt when things don’t go right.
Behaviour change can seem quite daunting. The key is to break complex behaviours down into very simple tangible actions. “We worked with the executive team of one of the UK’s biggest retail conglomerates, who wanted to shift their own behavior,” Ashby explains. “We coached the CEO to commit to asking a broad question about the market at the start of meetings, such as what innovation has surprised them recently? It’s a small action, which had a positive impact, encouraging colleagues to think more broadly about their business and share insights openly with each other.”
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