The Biggest Deception in Leadership Thinking (You'll Want to Know)

JoAnn Corley -

When you think of effective leadership, most think of the ability to "change" things... to get new and better results, and the "bigger" the results the better.

Now, depending on your context,  that "big" change could seem quite daunting - even to the point of overwhelm where one might not know how to begin. And here lies the biggest deception in leadership thinking - change has to be "big" to be better and meaningful.

In fact, it could be quite the opposite.

One of the coolest aspects of understanding the role human behavior plays in achieving new results is that every behavior has an initial impact and with that a ripple effect. And, what is involved in any change first starts with a behavior.

Here's where it gets really interesting...even a small, slight shift in behavior can have a huge impact and a substantial financial benefit.

Here's an example:

Example: Context - Manufacturing

The Behavior: One of the managers in my leadership development cycle struggled with being firm - having strong relationship boundaries as he led his team. During the cycle, he recognized this and the cost of it, and that motivated him to change.

His confidence started growing and he began to express and reinforce his relationship and leadership boundaries. They started respecting him and in turn, listened and responded to what he said and asked of them. 

The Impact: His area of production improved which improved other production areas related to a specific product, which led to better numbers and quality of product, which led to better customer satisfaction which led to more orders which ultimately led to increased sales.

Think about this for a moment - one shift in one manager's attitude & behavior had a "ripple effect" of multiple 6 figures in the short term and more in the long term.

You see, it doesn't have to start big to be big. 😊

And ironically, it's just much easier to start and focus on small shifts in behavior. The key is to learn to see and map the impact... to identify "the ripple effect"...everyone has one.

Coaching Questions:

  • Have you ever mapped your ripple effect in any context?
  • Have individuals on your team?
  • Has your team collectively done it?

This action can be used in a variety of circumstances:

  • help an underperforming employee "see" so they can develop the will to change
  • to encourage an employee who is discouraged
  • a team that's been working super hard and needs to see the fruits of their labor (by the way, this is a great team-building exercise!)

If this is something you'd like to incorporate in your leadership and/or team culture, consider booking a Lunch & Learn (I call them one-off "learning bursts").

In fact, here is a complete list of LnL for your consideration.

Also, if you like to see our full mapping and performance management tool - check out our Performance Tracker - a new, holistic approach that combines career & performance management, driven by the employee.

Remember...big can be small.

Supporting your continued success!

- JoAnn