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In a recent Harvard Business Review post, Scott Keller stated a beautiful truth related to change management: "When we choose for ourselves, we are far more committed to the outcome - by a factor of five to one."
As managers, sometimes we take on the burden of believing that forcing our employees to change is our job. This sort of mentality can really stunt our leadership potential because all of our energy gets swallowed by our frustration over what isn't happening that we're convinced should be happening.
This is not good leadership. First off, it forces us into a box. Second, it leaves our employees little room to inspire themselves. And third, all around, morale goes down the tubes. But, as Keller so brilliantly stated, we can choose to motivate employees differently. And this is really good news, both for managers and employees!
WHY IS THIS GOOD NEWS FOR MANAGERS?
You can stop seeing yourself as the fuel that's responsibl e for moving the engine forward, and you can start seeing yourself as the supplier that offers much-needed resources along the way. If you're the fuel for every employee you manage, you're bound to run out of steam at some point. You'll be exhausted, burnt out, and not a pleasure to be around. Your employees won't want to come to you for help or encouragement because they'll see you as the last place they should go for a "pick me up." When you change your role, you allow your employees the opportunity to find their own fuel for moving forward, which can be empowering and developmentally progressive.
WHY IS THIS GOOD NEWS FOR EMPLOYEES?
Well, if you're constantly relying on someone else to steer you in the right direction, you'll never develop a radar of your own. And if you hope to achieve success in the long-term, something you're going to need is an internal drive. Unfortunately, during your professional life, you are bound to be managed by som e bad bosses. Not every boss is a winner, so if you're dependent on someone else to push you, guide you, and advise you, you'll be short out of luck when you're handed a boss that doesn't know what he/she is doing. Instead, seek to better understand what it is you want, what it is you're good at, and what areas of your professional skill set might need some fine tuning. This way, you can focus on using what you got, developing what you don't, and asking for your manager's assistance when it's needed.
At the end of the day, we either want to do well or we don't. We're willing to change or we're not. So, will your internal change-management compass be a trustworthy guide?
Looking for more insights about change management? Check out more from Doug at his blog at http://wcwpartners.com/our-blog/.
Doug C. Watsabaugh, senior partner at WCW Partners, understands how to meet your unique performance challenges. With more than 20 years of experience , WCW Partners is a performance-improvement company that helps businesses revitalize their results and achieve record-breaking performance.
If you are looking to excel in sales, service or leadership, let Doug develop the capability in you! http://wcwpartners.com/.