I’ve been incredibly blessed over the last few years with a team who consistently brings new, well-thought out ideas to me not just for our clients, but for us to grow our business. As leaders who constantly are plowing new ground and changing personally and professionally to meet needs of an ever-shifting marketplace, it’s important to remember that what, and who, helped get you “here”…won’t always be able to move with you to help you get “there”. That’s okay.
Here’s 2 great indicators as to who might be assigned to your long-term vision and who has the capacity to be entrusted at every level of decision-making to guard their words, actions and stay focused on your vision:
1) Say ‘Yes’. Most of the time, when someone on our team brings an idea to the table, I give them a “yes”. Many times it’s accompanied by “but…I think it’d be prudent to research a,b, and c first, see what you find, then let’s talk again.” If they come back, they’ve demonstrated not just the ability to have great ideas, but the willingness to proactively be about solutions. A Pastor once shared with me, “There’s never a shortage of ideas…just volunteers.”
2) Say ‘No’. The leaders in your organization are the ones that respond to your “No’s” by becoming more loyal, more committed to your vision, and don’t gripe, gossip, murmur or complain because they heard a “No”. In fact, if you’ve shared a compelling perspective after carefully considering it, your long-term players recognize it’s not as much about the thing you said “no” to, as much as it is about the journey of learning each other’s heart, perspective, and growing together. Sometimes the greatest organizational advances begin with a “no” to a revolutionary idea that simply needed more time to develop, or was the right idea, in the wrong season.
Take an hour or two, and look down your no’s…go back and run down the list of no’s you’ve given over the last few months. Question: How do they react and then respond (2 different things) to your “no”? Do they withdraw, get hurt, rally others to agree with them? Healthy relationships stay connected when there’s freedom to disagree. Check the attitude and drive of the employees and/or leaders who received the “no”, and you’ll learn something tremendously valuable as you prepare for the next season of change.
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