Create a Learning Environment that Fosters Self-Discovery - Part 2

In previous posts we introduced the formula to create a Growth Culture.

Role Growth + Engaged Leadership = Growth Culture

We also introduced the first part of Engaged Leadership - Building a relationship between people and their craft. When you hire people there is always some assembly required, regardless of how good your hiring process is. One of the great leadership mistakes today, in the Given Leadership era, is assuming that people come “fully assembled” and ready to go when you hire them. The reality is that there is always “some assembly required.” Most people interview well. Resumes and references are often fluffy without details. The truth is that you don’t fully know who you have until they start on your team. The best advice is - never assume that the behaviors of growth are built into their actions. Building a relationship between people and their craft is the only way to know what they have and what they don’t have. The stronger the relationship between people and their craft, the faster they begin to develop and demonstrate the behaviors of growth: the ability to see, anticipate, and respond in ways that support growth.

The next part of Engaged Leadership is:

Create a learning environment that fosters self-discovery.

During the Shared Leadership era, asking questions and listening was an intentional coaching and leadership skill taught in most organizations. In the first decade of the 21^st century, though, the amount of time leaders spent asking questions and listening decreased. Maybe it was the accelerated speed of change or the nature of the startup culture. Whatever the reason, the percentage of time leaders spent asking questions and listening shrank and the percentage of time leaders spent telling increased. Telling creates obedience and will never create a power confident workforce. Instead, it creates a compliant workforce. A compliant workforce will do what you tell them to do, and then wait for you to tell them the next thing to do. By the way, yelling does not create more self-discovery and ownership either. Yelling creates anxious obedience. It also creates higher turnover, lower morale, and in the long run lower performance.

Self-discovery only happens when you master the craft of asking questions. For example: If you tell someone what they need to do and then ask, “Do you understand?” most people nod their head up and down. Does the nod mean that they understand and agree with you? Most leaders assume it does. The real answer is “you don’t know.” A nod could mean they understand, but it could also mean they are uncomfortable but don’t want to admit it. They may be afraid they have done something wrong, or afraid they will appear “dumb” if they say, “I don’t know.” Get the picture?

The only way to ensure you are building the behaviors of growth in your team is the Lightning Bob Ludkie path - create a learning environment that fosters self-discovery. Here is a useful guideline.

Never tell when a question will create greater understanding, engagement, and ownership.