The adage that organisations experiencing growth must sacrifice connection time to focus on the delivery of strategic goals has been proven to be inaccurate and ineffective let alone damaging for the enterprise.
A value-led ecosystem places connection time as central to accelerating and sustaining change.
Communication systems rooted in authentic dialogue are the invisible bridge that ignites engagement & motivation, contributing to creating an environment where the human needs of safety and trust become the wellspring for growth.
A “whole person” ecosystem has in place strategies whose primary goal is to support and encourage authentic communication from a dimension of purpose (I am part of something) and meaning (I am an active contributor) to reinforce positive change and to yield organisation performance.
People Initiatives that harmonise organisational goals with people’s needs are foundational to a positive people experience attained through collaborative, innovative, and creative communication networks centred around continuous improvement.
Human-centric systems are designed for connection time.
When we explore ideas to tackle the challenges we face in the organisation, we invite people to come together to solve problems from a dimension of trust and safety, valuing individual contribution, and remaining collectively engaged to the attainment of a common goal.
Leaders who inspire hearts and minds with their vision and actions, bring forth transformational communications, shaping an organisational ecosystem that embraces the wide kaleidoscope of talent through a human-centric lens.
- They motivate and move others into action, unifying the diversity of talents and skills with their vision.
- They remain connected to that vision while instilling confidence in people. They transmute differences and transform challenges into opportunities for further growth and performance.
Authentic human connection develops from trust woven in to the fabric of transformative conversations.
If you are inspired to initiate change and wish to create sustainable transformation in the organisation, invest intentional time to ponder on the modality of the change journey rather than focusing solely on the end-to-end initiative.
How can you actively engage people by taking them on the journey with you? Here few prompts that can support you in the path towards reaching the expected outcomes.
✅ Carve out time for recurrent “team-away” days, ideally in calming surroundings that generate an immersive experience where you can group face-to-face with your team.
✅ Create a safe space for you and your people, removing any distraction that can hamper focus. Be in that space for each other, to generate authentic dialogue.
✅ Prepare some powerful questions ahead of the event, to foster openness, active listening, and empathy. They will serve you as a guiding principle as you facilitate the day, gauge people’s sentiment while inviting active participation.
✅ Embrace the insight that will emerge with curiosity, acknowledging what is shared and remaining open to the messages.
✅ Pause. Make room for reflection and noting. Resist the urge to fill the silence. Pace the moment and allow the conversation to follow its own flow.
“Silent and Listen have the same spelling.”
At the end of the event, take time to ponder what has emerged for you and your team. This reflective practice is a powerful tool that can help you identify potential hinders and readdress concerns at the early stages. It can be executed individually, with your leadership team, and with the team at large. You will gain invaluable insight on people’s attitudes and team dynamics, and these discoveries will offer opportunities to overcome any initial stumbling block.
Build momentum by ideating a team whiteboard for the change journey.
Keep it “live”, day-in, day-out, populating it with all insights that will continue to emerge. Use it as a roadmap towards the envisioned change.
Leverage post-event pulse team meetings to check in on progress.
Adjust the course if needed.
Agree a follow-through plan.
Collaborate iteratively.
Encourage feed-forward loops to reinforce change, to celebrate milestones and to ignite the next phase of growth.
“The most convincing sign that someone will achieve new results in the future is new behaviour in the present.” (The Diary of a CEO, Steven Bartlett)
A change initiative is a people initiative.
Establishing the “new” comes from a shift in the perceived value of the proposed change; that shift can only occur when we embrace first the idea of change and why it is necessary, and that there are new, effective, and sustainable ways to attain it. We see that there is the possibility for the new and how it will benefit the organisation.
“No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that has produced it in the first place.” A. Einstein
