"Under New Management" - 5 Steps to Your Leadership Renewal

5 Steps to Your Leadership Renewal
"Under New Management" says the sign. What comes to mind when you see that? You will see it in retail operations, dining establishments, and residential apartments. Let's face it, the implied message is that it is "New and Improved Management" that will somehow benefit you as a customer.

The unfortunate reality is that an organization or department becomes stale easily. Our human tendency to migrate toward what is comfortable and make it a "habit" is a very natural one. This presents a problem given the ongoing process of competitive, global economic change.

In his book Managing In The Next Society Peter Drucker says, "To survive and succeed, every organization will have to turn itself into a change agent. The most effective way to manage change successfully is to create it. But experience has shown that grafting innovation on to a traditional enterprise does not work. The enterprise has to become a change agent. This requires the organized abandonment of things that have been shown to be unsuccessful, and the organized and continuous improvement of every product, service, and process within the enterprise (which the Japanese, as you know, call kaizen). It requires the exploitation of successes, especially unexpected and unplanned-for ones, and it requires systematic innovation. The point of becoming a change agent is that it changes the mind-set of the entire organization. Instead of seeing change as a threat, its people will come to consider it an opportunity." (Managing in the Next Society, Peter F. Drucker)

Answer this question for yourself: On a scale of 1 to 10, how much do you think you intentionally and proactively seek out opportunities to change the way you manage your people?

To lead/coach others through change effectively, start with yourself. As we close out the old year and begin a new one, this is an appropriate time for reflection on the past and proactive planning for how you will lead differently in the months ahead.

Pull out a pen and paper (or print this page.) Here are 5 steps to help you create "Renewed Management" as you lead others.

1) Challenge yourself. Though this may seem frivolous or uncomfortable, it proves the point of how habitual we are. Which hand is your watch on? I challenge you to switch it to the other hand for two months as a reminder of the challenge to change some of your management habits in the months ahead.

2) Use these questions to stimulate some valuable self-evaluation. You will find it helpful to do these on paper.
What did you do well in the last year?
What do you wish you had handled differently?
What 2 valuable lessons did you learn (or re-learn) last year?

3) Given your answers above, complete the following:

One thing I will commit to doing more of is ____________

One thing I will commit to doing less of is _____________

One thing I will commit to stop doing is _______________

One thing I will commit to start doing is _______________

4) List 3 new behaviors that would be helpful for you to implement until they become habits. Which one, if you were to do it consistently, would have the greatest impact on your ability to be an effective leader?

5) For your own renewal, take time to set balanced goals for change. Engage in personal strategic planning. In short, consider 2 or 3 objectives in the areas of mind, body, spirit and career.

In summary, if you initiate a change in the way you Coach/Lead your teams, the term "Under New Management" will refer to the results of your continuous progressive development and the stimulation of innovative ideas vs. your replacement's.

Make it an incredibly innovative year!

Chuck Reynolds