Unlocking Initiative: Turn People into Go-Getters

This is a written Transcription for the Leadership Hustle episode about Unlocking Initiative: Turn People into Go-Getters, from Season 1 Episode 15.

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Andrea Frederickson: Do you feel like you're the only one who sees problems and that nothing really happens until you get involved? In this episode of The Leadership Hustle, we'll talk about the first two steps you can take to help employees take initiative and get those problems solved. Hello and welcome to the Leadership Hustle for executives whose companies are growing fast and need leaders who are ready. Hi, Michelle.

Michelle Hill: Hello.

Andrea Frederickson: It's another episode that we've been doing. Shoot, I think we've been doing this for six months now, so I think so. We've got a few going on, so still.

Michelle Hill: Trying to figure out the rhythm.

Andrea Frederickson: Always a work in progress, right? Yes. So, yeah, we're going to talk about a little bit of change, but more than that. Yes.

Michelle Hill: Yeah. So you mentioned the steps, right? And when we we think about whether you're the owner or that that leader in the organization or a leader of a team, when it feels like we're the ones always having to point out the obvious. Right. We're sure pretty sure everyone's noticing it, but no one's really stepping up and doing anything about it. The first two steps to get people where how can what can they do different that is going to help engage the people, Right? So what's that first step?

Andrea Frederickson: Well, I'm through all that ramble. I'm going to step up. I'm going to step back one just in that, you know, I so often hear these leaders talk about they've identified a problem. And or someone will bring it to them at some point. At some point. And then it's like, how long has this been going on? Oh, months and months. Years. Like, why did nobody say anything about this or do something or do something about this? And the frustration and loss of productivity or the loss of something that's gone on in that time is exasperating for for leaders. And so my history, I've had those scenarios where somebody finally I finally noticed this is not working. Oh, yeah, it hasn't done anything like that for like six months. Hello. Why did somebody not do this?

Michelle Hill: And we've got employees having to do workarounds because it doesn't work correctly, right?

Andrea Frederickson: So, you know, we talked, we promised today we talk about these first two steps. And so the first step is really the most important. And it seems so intuitive and obvious and almost elementary, but it is so. Very often forgotten, and that is to decide do you want a culture where things are always improving? And so today I'll probably use the word in continuous move and continuous improvement, but I don't mean it from the lean manufacturing kind of language. It's a thought of do you want an environment where people are always looking for ways in which things can be better? Yes, right. And so people will sometimes, you know, the low hanging fruit is when something's not working, Go find that. Right. But how do you create an environment where. Maybe it's not broken, but we can say, what if we wanted to? Or, you know, this process takes eight steps. What if we could reduce it to six steps and for it to take less time? It's the question is that wondering where is it possible to do this? And even if it isn't, we probably have figured out and learned something about the process to make it better. Yes, right. So creating an environment where you you have to decide, do I want an environment where things are always being questioned and what if and is there a better way, you know, just looking for those things. Trust me, some people don't want that, Right? But if you get tired of people not bringing you something's not working or not taking initiative.

Michelle Hill: Yeah, it hasn't been working for a year, right?

Andrea Frederickson: Yeah. It's like you. You have to have something from either. It's a total continuous improvement culture to a culture that is at least how do we get employees to at least start bringing problems to us so that we can. We can solve them? Right? We have a client that years ago. Shoot, this is in the 2008, 2009 era. And I remember when I first we first started working with them and new president of the company came in and things had been the way they had kind of been for more than 25 years. It's kind of an industry that is pretty solid in staying and this is the way we always done it. They have audits and people that come in and check things and they have to follow these rules. And so he of walking in and he's like, okay, Andrea, here's what I want. I need to change this culture so that we get things moving. Like, okay, so I started teaching classes. I'm like, There's one person that's going to have to change a lot or change out. I'm not sure who it's going to be, if it's going to be one way or the other. But the idea was everything that we did going forward was he had made the decision. He had put that that message out. It's not about things are wrong. It's about how to make things better. And he had decided that's what they wanted. Yes. And so.

Michelle Hill: Well. And that gives people permission, right? It gives people permission to think differently. Right. It gives people permission to take risk. It gives people permission to speak up. And that oh, by the way, it's important. So now we're letting people know that, hey, we want we can be better. We may, like you had said, we may do some things. We may we may need to have some things that are done in a very similar manner. But it mean how we do it needs to be the same. We just have to have the same results. Right? Right. And giving people permission to peers to come together and challenge each other on how we go about doing something like you had mentioned, it's eight steps. Let's take it to six steps. What's a tweak we can make that's going to just really have an impact? The bottom line where they're having those types of conversations versus feeling like they're always digging out of a hole with problem kind of conversation.

Andrea Frederickson: So in every episode we've had so far, we've talked about this one component, and that is clarity. If the president if the leaders are not talking about we need an environment, we're looking for ways to make things better. And we don't say that and we don't keep saying that over and over again and variety of different ways. But we have to continually remind people until it becomes part of the fabric and then once it becomes a part of the fabric, everybody will be talking about it. But once you decide that that's what you want, you've got to keep marketing it internally over and over and over again and rewarding it.

Michelle Hill: Yes, that gets into what are the current behaviors, What do we need to adjust or do different and stop doing start doing kind of scenario.

Andrea Frederickson: So the second step that we're talking about is what do we as leaders need to specifically stop doing, but also what do we need to start doing so that we are beginning this to move this flywheel? Because that's what we want. We want to move this flywheel so that it creates the momentum where people are bringing up the the problems as they see them. And sometimes people bring up problems and it's a misunderstanding between people, and we understand that. But if no one's talking about the problem, we're still either doing the work around or we're creating some kind of drama or reducing trust between departments and people, Right? Yeah. So so that that idea of what should they start doing or stop doing? Let's do what the stop doing. Do you have a few things that you talk to people about stop doing when start building.

Michelle Hill: Stop doing to to stop ignoring, to stop. Not giving them your full attention. To stop solving problems. To stop telling them what to do. To stop. Well, I just I want to say I want to go to start. Well, I want to go to start, but let's.

Andrea Frederickson: Let's just take those. So. One of the things that I you know, we all have these leaky faces that when somebody brings us something, our faces really tell Yes. Reactions to what we're thinking. And we've got to be better at having I don't know if it's poker face, but we've got to be better about managing our facial expressions when somebody brings us an idea. Because if somebody says, Hey, this is an issue or I've got an idea of how we can solve this or make it better or make it better. And our first is. And it's this look of. Wrinkled forehead thinking. And people don't know how to interpret that because the the facial expression of I'm thinking to that was the stupidest flippant idea I ever heard to Why are you bringing this to me? I mean, all these things, people don't know what you're thinking. All right, So let's manage the reactions that when somebody brings us a problem or an issue or a solution or a what if the response should be, okay, tell me more. Tell me where this came from. Give me more about this idea. What do you think we should be doing next? Right. So instead of I'm a big shot Heisman fan, right? Stop doing that. Don't do that. It's like if you if you don't start asking more questions, you're going to we're going to go back to that initial question on this episode is do you feel like you're the only one finding problems and nothing happens unless you get involved? They're bringing you ideas, they're wanting to solve problems, but they're finding out whether they have permission to do it, right? Yes, but they're also checking your temperature to see, am I stupid?

Michelle Hill: Am I are you approachable?

Andrea Frederickson: Am I.

Michelle Hill: Approachable? And it's not even just that person. It's anyone else around is going to be like, do you see how they responded? I'm not going to bring them an idea. Right? Or you know, and I know I hear sometimes people say, well, if you're going to bring me a problem, you have to bring a solution. Well, I am all about bringing solutions, so don't get me wrong. But sometimes sometimes they're just tapped out of solutions. Maybe sometimes they just don't have an idea. But they know there's a problem here, right? Don't just don't just, you know, feel that they can't bring it. Yeah.

Andrea Frederickson: What ideas do you have?

Michelle Hill: Yeah. Let's get the.

Andrea Frederickson: Conversation. What have you done already? Yes. It's like if you've already done those, like they're out of ideas right now. I do understand some people, you know, they just like my. Here's the problem I have. I'm going to throw it over the fence now. It's yours, right? I get that. Yes. But that's more the minority and the minority.

Michelle Hill: But that's also if you take it out. So if a person just brings you a problem and you're like, okay, I'll take care of it, okay, that's your problem now. And it's your problem that you took it to, that you didn't engage in a conversation. Right? And that's when we talk about the second step, which we gone into. I can't remember if you brought that up or not. Yeah, it's.

Andrea Frederickson: So what do we what are the things that we should start doing? Stop doing? Yes. Okay. Right. And so those things that we should stop doing is giving them a Heisman, right? Giving them some body language that says don't, don't do this or I think you're stupid. Explain what your thoughts are. Don't just give them body language because everybody will misinterpret body language, right? So so making sure that that we stop doing that and start asking questions, engaging them in the conversation, what can we do? What has been done? Who do you who else needs to get involved in this conversation? Who else should we involve?

Michelle Hill: Because just you and I solving the problem. There could be two other departments that really impact this problem or the solution may impact them. Right? Right. So, yeah, who else should be involved?

Andrea Frederickson: And don't forget to reward them. I so appreciate the fact that you brought this to us or I appreciate the fact that you've already put some thought into this and how we could solve this, or you've given some thought as to what what the process needs to be like. Thank them for the initiative, because that's what we want. If you don't reward the initiative, it will go away. Yes, it will go away.

Michelle Hill: It's that what gets attention gets attention, right. So having those positive conversations, thanking them, bringing them up in meetings that so and so brought this up. This is, you know, because of this, this is what we're going to be doing different and this is how it's going to help us. Maybe it makes everyone's life easier, whatever it is, but making sure that we are we are.

Andrea Frederickson: It doesn't even have to be. We may not have to say anything. We simply the person who's brought it to us like This is yours. I'm going to let you take it and run with it. Let me know what you need. Let's do some check ins now and then if necessary. It may not be that big of a project, right? It could be something simple or maybe we we give people education on how to do this continuous improvement, business improvement kind of thinking. And so as we start talking about if we want this culture, make the decision, but to stop punishing people who are helping you. Yes. And make sure that you're giving them the tools, the resources and the rewards to make things move forward. Yes. So like we said at the beginning of this episode, this is an episode, one of having two things that we want to make sure that we're doing, make sure we set it up, that we've got a culture that we want. Make sure you've decided that that's what you want and communicate with others. And then to make sure that you're doing that, your behaviors are supporting people, taking the initiative. Thanks for watching this episode of The Leadership Hustle, and don't forget to subscribe so you never miss another episode.