rEvolutionary CHANGE LEADERSHIP CAPACITIES: INDIVIDUAL LEADERSHIP
Cognitive 1___2___3___4___5___6___7___8___9___10___
We all have to be able to frame an effective vision for our future. Our sense of self- confidence and our competitive advantage grow out of our ability to identify and articulate the skills and capacities we need to develop to prepare us for our future.
We have to be able to solve our current problems. But we have to move beyond tactical problem solving. We have to be able to bring about the internal and the external systems change that supports the development of the future we envision.
Emotional 1___2___3___4___5___6___7___8___9___10___
We have to be able to regulate our own emotions. We have find ways to overcome the fear and anxiety associated with the never-ending cycles of change. We have to embrace wellness and learn to take care of ourselves so we can manage our stress.
We have to be able to find a sense of calm and balance in our lives. We have to be able to make decisions and interact with others from that sense of calm. We have to learn the ways to interact that will help everyone to feel safe, secure, calm and well.
Spiritual 1___2___3___4___5___6___7___8___9___10___
We have to know ourselves very well. We have to be clear about our personal and professional identity. We have to know “who we are” and “what we need to do.” We have to commit to achieve goals that inspire ourselves and those who serve with us.
Whenever we seek to change the identity and culture of our organization we have to invest the time and energy to help everyone understand “what we need to become.”
Identity and culture will either define and motivate us or confuse and frustrate us.
Behavioral 1___2___3___4___5___6___7___8___9___10___
We have to know that everyone will notice everything we say and everything we do. We have to behave in ways that are consistent with the values we say we espouse. We don’t have to be perfect but we have to be consistent in our words and actions.
The behaviors of our leaders have to be consistent with our values. And our leaders have to be close enough to direct service delivery so they can hear the concerns of our direct care staff and can make the adjustments to help them meet their needs.
rEvolutionary CHANGE LEADERSHIP CAPACITIES: CROSS-FUNCTIONAL TEAMS
Cognitive 1___2___3___4___5___6___7___8___9___10___
We don’t have to possess all the change leadership skills ourselves. But our teams will have to collectively possess them all. Our leaders will need to embrace cross-functionality and work to help all of our teams to become more interdependent.
When our goals encompass our entire organization and when we have a vision for the skills and capacities we need as an entire organization, we will be able to call on the strengths of all parts of our organization to help us to develop our organization.
Emotional 1___2___3___4___5___6___7___8___9___10___
We will have to address the competitive nature of our service delivery patterns. We will have to encourage the development of cross-functional relationships between leaders. Our leaders will have to support one another to achieve our desired results.
But forming cross-functional teams within our organization will not be enough. We will also have to to create the will to form cross-functional relationships with teams throughout our communities that we will work with to help us accomplish our goals.
Spiritual 1___2___3___4___5___6___7___8___9___10___
We may all have tended to look at who we are and at what we do from a “service delivery” perspective. We may have imagined that it was our job to deliver services. But we will be called to imagine that our job is now focused on transforming lives.
The process of transforming lives is inherently a cross-functional team process: we all become interdependent with those we serve and interdependent with those who serve with us. A commitment to teamwork can produce transformational results.
Behavioral 1___2___3___4___5___6___7___8___9___10___
Learning to “share our toys in the sandbox” requires a set of collaborative behaviors. We have to frame the work of our organization so that everyone remains focused on the end results of our efforts: we do what we do so we can help to transform lives.
We will have to adjust many of the ways that we train, supervise and encourage our staff. We want to shift away from individual efforts towards cross-functional team efforts, from individual achievements towards cross-functional team achievements.
rEvolutionary CHANGE LEADERSHIP CAPACITIES: CHANGING SYSTEMS
Cognitive 1___2___3___4___5___6___7___8___9___10___
Within our organizations there are four levers for systems change that we need to be able to pull: practice, culture, training and collaboration. We need to adjust what we do internally to allow us to develop the skills and capacities we need to acquire.
Outside our organizations there are four levers for systems change that we need to be able to pull: practice, policy, regulatory and fiscal. We can’t just work to change our internal systems. We also have to work to influence broader systems change.
Emotional 1___2___3___4___5___6___7___8___9___10___
Both internal and external systems change are inherently political processes. Both require emotional balance. Systems change calls for us to marshal resources that are under our control and to gather resources that are outside of our direct control.
All systems change requires collaboration. They require forming relationships and sharing agendas. They require a capacity to compromise, form win/win agreements and speak with one voice. They require patience, flexibility, tact and truthfulness.
Spiritual 1___2___3___4___5___6___7___8___9___10___
Few can manage either internal or external systems change without first gaining consensus on what needs to be accomplished as a result of the change. All systems change efforts are partnership agreements to work toward a goal worth achieving.
Both types of change often require some adjustments to the original plan. No one ever gets everything they want. Systems change is a journey. It’s about making successive approximations toward a goal. Everyone has to get something they need.
Behavioral 1___2___3___4___5___6___7___8___9___10___
Many believe that both types of systems change require very high levels of personal engagement, active listening and compromise and that successful systems change leaders are open, caring, forgiving, aware, trustworthy and can learn from mistakes.
Those who can listen and learn, form consensus, show respect and find the ways to incorporate many different ideas will usually be successful in their efforts to create systems change. They can show that it’s about what “we” can accomplish “together.”