The Gauntlet
While seeking to improve results, leaders are perpetually balancing the preservation of the status quo with the need for innovation and improvement.
Keep what’s working, with its efficiency, reduced risk and expected result, or challenge the organization to consider the possibilities of doing something better, pursuing productive change in which the outcome is uncertain.
Because the leader relies on others to help determine the right balance in this exercise, and to drive change when that is what’s required, hiring the right people is essential. They need people who are astute and experienced – people who explore novel methods, enabling collaboration and commitment within the team, without devaluing prior success earned by those who followed the established process.
The pressure to sustain the status quo is powerful; change is risky and outcomes are uncertain. Our human default is to resist change, so making progress involves the hard work of swimming against the current. And because the outcomes are known, it’s much easier to incent the preservation of what’s working with messaging like:
Follow vs. lead…
Replicate vs. innovate…
Comply vs. inquire…
Compete vs. collaborate…
Tell vs. ask…
What’s correct vs. what’s possible. Leaders of growth-oriented companies need to hire people who are proficient in the second attribute on this list – but too often, the focus is on hiring those who encourage the first.
How are you discovering who you need to drive progress?
