Do you wish senior leaders would make some changes in your organization? Instead of waiting and wishing for someone from above to provide leadership, you can make a significant impact no matter what your role is.
According to Steven Covey said, “Most people think of leadership as a position and therefore don’t see themselves as leaders.”
The assumption that organizational change has to start at the top is wrong.
Peter Senge says to “give up traditional notions that visions are always announced from ‘on high’ or come from an organization’s institutionalized planning process.”
Michael Beer of Harvard Business School agrees. “Managers don’t have to wait for senior management to start a process of organizational revitalization.”
You might be wondering, “How can I change my organization when my boss and senior managers can’t?” The truth is, you have more power and influence than you might think.
Make your own world better.
The place to start is in your own backyard. What is your sphere of influence? Consider not only your position, but your sources of influence.
You have the greatest opportunity to provide leadership with your own team. Focus your leadership efforts on:
- Helping your team identify a clear purpose and the practices to achieve it.
- Providing access to resources, removing roadblocks, representing your team in the larger organization and protecting them from demands from on-high that will derail them.
Don’t try to do it alone.
If you just announce the changes you think need to be made, chances are they won’t be implemented well. Provide leadership by focusing your team’s attention on the right questions and involving them in finding the answers.
As a team, discuss these questions:
1. What is our purpose? What is the value of the service we provide?
2. What would we look like if we were magnificent at fulfilling our purpose? What would we accomplish? What results would we see?
3. What could our relationships look like? -with each other on the team and with other departments?
4. How would we be working together? What would be happening and not be happening?
Once you are in agreement on the vision, you can begin to look at changes you need to make that will help you get there. Start with changes that are within your control as a team – internal communications, coordinating efforts, decision-making. Consider creating a Team Charter.
The Ripple Effect
As your team changes and begins to thrive in new ways, others will notice, and like the ripple effect, it just might begin to spread to other areas of the organization.
I always reflect on the work of Barry Oshry and the Power and Systems Laboratory whenever I think about how to get leverage or change in a system (especially when I’m not “at the top”). I’ll always remember Barry’s instruction “Middles of the world, INTEGRATE.” Right in harmony with your advice, Jesse! http://www.powerandsystems.com/
Thanks, Kay, for pointing out the synergy with Barry Oshry’s work, and for the link. So many people believe they are powerless and miss the opportunity to impact their lives and the lives of those they touch.
Hi Jesse
I agree that change doesn’t have to come from above, and in fact it rarely does come from above. That being said the only place change actually happens is in those organizations that are lead by people who support those under them.
Unfortunately from past experience those organizations are few and far between, especially as amongst the very large and very small organizations. In large companies the notion of command and control is still far to common, and is often promoted because most of those in leadership roles are truly lacking the skills and abilities to actual lead anything. In small organizations it is often the owner operators ego that gets in the way of real effective change occurring. It is hard just doing your job, when you working with control freaks as your bosses.
Hi Robert,
The lack of leadership (looking up and outward) as opposed to control-oriented management (looking down) is indeed a huge concern, and it is especially discouraging when your boss is a control freak. But it is possible for a middle manager to create a high performance team in that environment, if that manager is willing and able to put him/herself on the line for their team – to create a barrier between the team and those on high who would derail them. it requires finesse, emotional intelligence, and political skills. But I have seen some excellent managers do this, and not only are they able to build a great team, they also serve as models for other managers. Hence the ripple effect. I’m not saying it’s possible in all organizations, but I am saying it’s worth considering the possibility.
The biggest problem is that most middle managers unwittingly treat their team the same way they are being treated by their boss. A different kind of ripple effect, which is worth trying to interrupt, no matter where you stand in the organization.
I love this quote by Margaret Meade, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
At the end of the day change is about people. Successful change simply needs people to work together to create a common new way of doing things. The more people that come on board the more it grows etc.
Of course Senior Management sponsorship and removing roadblocks helps give common direction and increase the speed of change, but I agree with Jesse Lyn you can always change what you have control over – maybe a new slogan would be “Change Starts Here!”.
Love that – “Change Starts Here!” It takes us out of the passive attitude to become active cocreators. Thanks for adding to the conversation, Martin.