Be Brave to Transform
How often do we hear about change? If it’s our new ‘normal’, why do we keep talking about it and why is it so hard to achieve? It’s no wonder our workforces switch off and we blame the lack of traction on ‘change fatigue’.
Over the years I have designed, developed and delivered a range of change programs that have transformed organisations. While good governance, detailed planning and meaningful stakeholder engagement were all important components, the extent of innovation achieved was a result of a willingness to be ‘brave’.
This is not a word we generally use in organisations. And it is important to clarify here – I‘m not talking about being reckless, dismissive of the operating environment or ‘going it alone’. I’m talking about the willingness to take a calculated risk. I remember when my CEO a while back said to me ‘Now Gill, don’t tell be we’re doing leading edge technology here’ to which I answered ‘OK’ – I wouldn’t tell him that. The reality was, we were. How else were we going to deliver something that hadn’t been done before?
Risk is important here, particularly in the public sector context. More specifically risk appetite. Greater innovation is achieved in environments where there is higher degree of diversity among the contributors coupled with a higher appetite for risk. Conversely, less diversity and a lower risk appetite will stifle innovation.
Let’s be realistic, the community doesn’t want public servants to take risks with government programs and funds. Politicians have a likewise view except perhaps of course when they are the one with the grand idea. Even the ‘no surprises’ concept that underpins measurement of senior public servant performance tends to drive a low risk appetite. This is because ‘no surprises’ perhaps unintentionally, is often interpreted as ‘take no risks’ and does not encourage people to be ‘brave’.
The problem is that our language around leadership and culture has shifted away from the basics and into fancy descriptors and complicated frameworks. Maybe it’s a result of us wanting to define things to the ‘nth’ degree so we can stick it into a spreadsheet for measurement. Who knows but when we are bombarded with report after report advising that the key capabilities for the future workforce are innovation, emotional intelligence and stakeholder engagement, we must ask, what are we missing? These capabilities don’t sit well in a spreadsheet.
I strongly believe that by far most people go to work wanting to do a good job. But so often, culture, governance and a lack of bravery get in the way.
So, what does a bravery look like in the workplace? It’s the middle manager who takes the junior staffer into meetings with the executive and ALLOWS them to speak.
It’s the executive team that listens to the critics to understand, rather than to defend or dismiss. And it’s the ‘worker’ understanding that organisational decisions aren’t as random as they sometimes appear!
The next time you’re faced with the assessment that your transformation is not getting traction, consider if you’re being brave enough and eliminate what is getting in the way of your organisational bravery!