Creating the Environment
Supporting Challenge
"Helping others, encouraging others, are often acts of kindness that have more meaning than you may realize"
- Catherine Pulsifer -
Challenging the status quo doesn’t have to mean that something isn’t operating well or that something needs to change. People often have the idea that something must be wrong before suggesting improvements. Sometimes challenging the status quo simply means proposing a new idea that may be worth exploring – perhaps it’s already great, and is there a way it can be even better?
It’s leadership’s responsibility to create a culture where challenging the status quo is encouraged. Leaders need to have a forward-thinking, growth mindset – a state of mind that doesn’t settle for an attitude of the bare minimum and instead looks to their teams for insights on how things can be improved.
A leader also can’t create this kind of culture without action. By asking your team to share their perspectives, you not only build emotional capital with your employees, but you also help build a more productive workforce.
HOW TO SUPPORT CHALLENGE
- Invite all perspectives
- Ask more questions
- Respond, don't react to being challenged
Steps
Below are three steps to start having these conversations with your team organically so you can start creating something new and say goodbye to your status quo:
1. Invite all perspectives
As a leader, you may think that certain processes or policies are working because no one is saying differently. Have you really asked, though? Invite differing perspectives from within your organization to examine issues and be thoughtful about whose perspectives can really lend a fresh new point-of-view. The goal should be to get the people who are affected by specific policies and processes in the room.
2. Ask more questions
When an employee comes to you and has an issue with the current status quo for the team, company, or a product, take this opportunity to get curious with them and ask these questions:
- Is there something that isn’t working?
- Why isn’t it working?
- What is the impact?
- How can we fix it?
- Where do you see opportunities for improvement?
Maybe a major overhaul isn’t even in order, and it’s just a simple adjustment that can make everyone more engaged. These one-on-one opportunities with your team are great ways to, little by little, shift away from the current situation towards something more meaningful.
3. Respond, don’t react to being challenged
If a team member brings a new idea to the table, keep an open mind. If your default response is one of resistance, and you’re quick to say no, the other person may feel dismissed. It only takes one ineffective strong reaction to shut down any further challenges. This is where you may miss a real opportunity to make an improvement that could benefit the entire company. Consider all variables, including the resources you have available to implement the idea and explore all avenues you can to make a positive change possible.
Putting ideas to action
As a leader, it is your role to consistently grapple with challenging the status quo. One of your fundamental jobs is to make sure the team is focused on the right objectives of the organization, and that the team has the resources needed to accomplish what the organization has set out to do.
Most leaders would agree that this is a central function. However, the rubber really hits the road when team members bring ideas or comments about shifting focus or resources. This is the dance of challenging the status quo and taking action.
Here’s an example: The short term strategy of an organization has been to improve the core offerings rather than focus on developing new products. When a team member comes to the leader with an amazing idea to build X or Y product, it could be easy for the leader to say, “This doesn’t fit with our strategy.” The issue with that response is that it shuts down further exploration of the status quo of the strategy.
Instead of responding that way, remind yourself to ask questions and get curious. In a growing and changing business, it’s dangerous to believe that all strategies and focuses are 100 percent spot on, so it’s necessary to invite conversations and get curious. It’s a constant journey to challenge the status quo, and it’s the essential job of a leader to interrogate reality – to get clear on what’s truly happening and be open to learning and shifting perspective.
Gone are the days that the leader has all the answers. The job of all leaders is to seek answers, ask good questions, and be a place where fierce conversations can happen.