Change Yourself and They Will Follow
by Miki Saxon
I probably shouldn’t say this, but I do get tired of having managers ask, how to get workers to think/do/work “outside-the-box.”
For decades they’ve been exploring a plethora of business books, articles, seminars, coaching, consulting, discussions, etc., on the subject—some good, some not so good—and are still searching for how to lead their workers out of that dreaded box.
I hear, “How do we get the team to think differently?” “What incentives work best?” “How do we engage our people?”
What I don’t hear is “What do I need to change in me [to make it happen]?”
What annoys is the assumption that the solutions all involve changing the staff, environment, compensation and any other external item that might plausibly make a difference—except self.
If you want your people to think/do/work outside-the-box then you need to lead/manage outside-the-box and that usually means changing your MAP (mindset, attitude, philosophy™) before you can expect your people to change theirs.
This is rarely what leaders/managers want to hear.
I keep saying it, as do others, but many still don’t get it or just ignore it.
Today I’m saying it again loudly and very publicly:
You (there are no exceptions, none) manage/lead based on the way you think, what you think, how you think, and what you believe—in other words your MAP. No matter what you read, hear or talk, you will always walk your own MAP—that is your authenticity and you can never get away from it.
It’s not enough for you to know, you need to accept this as truth along with the knowledge that any changes are your choice and in your control.
That said, why not adopt RampUp Solutions taglines as your own.
To change what they do, change how you think.
Leadership: outside-the-box/inside your head.
Your comments—priceless
Don’t miss a post, subscribe via RSS or EMAIL
Image credit: websuccessdiva on flickr
November 17th, 2009 at 5:55 am
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Michael Kucht and Iskandar Ahmat, Tom Glover. Tom Glover said: A great message: Change Yourself and They Will Follow http://bit.ly/17CXUp (via @eaglesflite) […]