Inspiring leadership is more concerned about empowering change than apportioning blame.
Allowing others space to fail and grace to try again is part of creating a safe and productive environment for growth. When honesty is punished, mistakes are hidden or blame shifting kicks in. Secure leaders admit that failure may be part of the path to success. They empower team members to be adventurous and push the limits. This doesn’t mean a lack of preparation or deliberate negligence are acceptable. But it does mean that responsible risk taking and creative experimentation are encouraged.
“Playing it safe” may preserve the status quo but it rarely empowers change. Twenty odd years ago Tom Peters wrote that organisations need to learn to “fail fast”. Acknowledging quickly those things which haven’t worked can empower change. As the pace of change continues to accelerate it is even more important to reflect and respond in a timely way.
But how do you achieve this goal in a way that still provides appropriate accountability and builds competent and responsible leaders?
How can you begin to implement these ideas with your team?
“Jesus came to put the world right again not … point an accusing finger.” John 3:16-18 MSG http://bible.com/97/jhn.3.16-18.msg …