It's Not A Do-Over
I've come to learn over the years that the process of starting a new job, meeting new colleagues, and diving into new challenges is incredibly rewarding. The issue isn't about "fixing things" that aren't working; but rather, to help create an environment where people can look at problems in a new way, and feel supported as they solve those problems.
A change for me however has come as an extension of this mindset. The deeper I go into working with my team to address issues can result in even more opportunities popping up. This is not a blaming exercise by any means, in fact it's more like a professional challenge to see how many systems we can improve together.
It's All In The Delivery
The challenge for today's HR leader, or any leader for that matter, is how they handle those new problems that come up when we least expect them. Being frustrated is fine. Actually, if you didn't show that you felt some level of frustration your team might not appreciate the importance of the new issue.
However, once we've done a little internal processing, we need to ensure that how we present the challenge is not done in a way that inadvertently blames the staff for not fixing the problem previously. A delicate message for sure, but one that if handled well, keeps everyone engaged and not feeling like a group of scapegoats.
In your quest to climb the ladder, do you take time to engage your team to make work better? Or, is that brass ring off in the distance so darn shiny that you miss everything else along the way?
I'd love to hear from you.
No Excuses.
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Great message Jay, and very timely for me personally. A new leadership challenge is less about going into the role with answers, and more about building trust and engagement with those who know the work best.
ReplyDeleteI'm fired up for you William. What an exciting time...I can't wait to hear your updates!
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