I Didn't Know I Was Broken!
/by Cara Parker
didn't know I was so broke! These days, it seems everywhere I turn, someone is trying to "fix" me – whether it's 21 Day Fix that will "fix" my health concerns; Stitch Fix, which will "fix" my wardrobe malfunctions; or Apple Security Fix, which will "fix" hacker threats to my cyber presence. It seems everywhere I go, someone or some entity is offering a solution to things I care about. I thought I'd join in.
In leadership, we are truly always looking for the latest "fix." Leadership, at its core, is about continuous improvement or "fixing." Here's my opinion: a lot (if not a majority) of organizational and leadership concerns can by "fixed" by simply having a conversation. We hear so much about the "art of conversation," or "just get up and talk to the person instead of sending another e-mail." What I'm talking about has a greater return on investment. Let me give you 2 examples: innovation and performance management.
Innovation: How much money has your organization spent in trying to think up better processes, improved ways of doing business, or how to solve a problem that has plagued your company for years? Do you know how to "fix" this? By talking. Your employees are your greatest assets for innovation. By simply getting a few of the right employees in a room, they will talk a mile a minute about how to "make it better around here." Using good facilitation techniques, you can moderate healthy debates and prioritize the ideas using an impact/effort grid. Tackle the easy "quick fixes" first. Next, focus on the harder ones that take longer, are more resource intensive, or take more investigation.
Performance Management (PM): PM does not belong in your Human Resources Office. It's the responsibility of every manager. There are 2 sides to performance management – the growth of employees, and then "fixing" the problem employees. Talking solves both. PM conversations and coaching should be ongoing, scheduled and intentional conversations – not just a one-time event annually. Career pathing, succession planning, growth opportunities, and mentoring are conversations best owned by managers. Imagine a group of managers getting into a room for 2 hours sharing the needs of their divisions and employees. Next, through action-based facilitation, they begin matching up developmental opportunities and problem solving. It's worth any amount of dollars spent on an "outside consultant."
Instead of thinking we're "broken," we at CPC are more concerned about you leveraging the current resources and assets you already have in order to move toward process improvement. Take a moment and consider 2 areas you'd like to "fix" and then go facilitate good conversations!
C Parker Consulting, Inc. is an organizational and leadership development firm located in downtown Fredericksburg, Virginia. We offer facilitation of conversations to "fix" issues that leaders are overwhelmed by. Our office, The Forum at CPC, provides a great place to parley these discussions. Check us out at: www.cparkerconsulting.com
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