{"id":4960,"date":"2023-03-09T09:00:45","date_gmt":"2023-03-09T07:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/getnave.com\/blog\/?p=4960"},"modified":"2023-03-18T19:52:23","modified_gmt":"2023-03-18T17:52:23","slug":"encourage-acts-of-leadership-at-all-levels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/getnave.com\/blog\/encourage-acts-of-leadership-at-all-levels\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Encourage Acts of Leadership at All Levels"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

When things don\u2019t go well, the problem is never with people \u2013 it\u2019s with the systems. And the best way to improve your systems is to inspire, encourage, and nurture acts of leadership at all levels. <\/em><\/p>\n

Once upon a time, I learned a very important lesson the hard way.<\/p>\n

Back in the day in my early years as a product manager, I joined a digital signage startup<\/a>. Here is what a typical day looked like. New priorities were constantly emerging, we had to stop doing what we stated and start working on the new idea that had just arrived. And no matter how hard everyone worked, we were always missing the mark.<\/p>\n

Pretty soon, people started pointing fingers at each other.<\/p>\n

It was unpleasant on the surface but deeper down something even worse was happening.<\/p>\n

Self-doubt was beginning to creep in.<\/p>\n

Everyone on the team felt a lack of respect, a lack of trust in their own ability to deliver.<\/p>\n

They felt unworthy.<\/p>\n

And no one, and I mean no one, should ever feel this way!<\/em><\/p>\n

I know this from experience but I also know it in my core to be true: when you set goals and you don\u2019t reach these goals, this doesn\u2019t mean that you\u2019re a failure. It means that the experiment was a failure.<\/p>\n

I want to repeat this. It wasn\u2019t you<\/em><\/strong> that failed, it was it<\/em><\/strong> that failed.<\/p>\n

It failed because of the current market conditions, unrealistic expectations, inefficient management practices, obsolete process policies, just to name a few.<\/p>\n

We cannot blame each other for shortcomings and try to justify poor business outcomes by defining each other\u2019s worth as professionals.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why I created Nave.<\/p>\n

I created Nave to bring transparency to how you deliver customer value, to bring awareness to the processes behind building software. I started this business to give the proof in your hands to say \u201cHey, here is where the problem is\u201d.<\/p>\n

I built this brand to inspire, empower and nurture acts of leadership at all levels. So every single person in your company has the means in their hands to stand up and say, \u201cWe have a problem, let’s do something about it\u201d.<\/p>\n

The Secret to Long Lasting Success<\/h2>\n

Do you remember the Kanban blue book<\/a>?<\/p>\n

\"Kanban<\/a><\/p>\n

Here is a screenshot of the book cover.<\/p>\n

The team is having different reactions to the situation they\u2019re in. What I love about this illustration is the final team member\u2019s response: \u201cLet\u2019s do something about it!\u201d<\/p>\n

He could have talked about what was stressing him out, just like the other team members.<\/p>\n

He could have easily thrown his hands up and said, \u201cI have no idea what to do!\u201d<\/p>\n

Instead, he takes an approach that\u2019s proactive: Let\u2019s get to the bottom of this, together<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Even though it\u2019s just a cartoon, it\u2019s a beautiful example of active leadership.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a representation of our entire purpose here at Nave:<\/p>\n

To inspire, empower, and nurture acts of leadership at all levels.<\/strong><\/p>\n

As Steve Jobs has said: “Great things in business are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people.”<\/p>\n

And I want to add to that:<\/p>\n

Great things in business are done when team members focus on something bigger than themselves, and they are empowered at an individual<\/em> level to speak up and lead.<\/p>\n

Every member of your organization \u2013 from the intern to the executive level \u2013 should have the agency to take action and make decisions that align with the organization\u2019s values.<\/p>\n

And doing that starts with a simple but powerful mindset shift.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Don\u2019t Be Afraid to Experiment<\/h2>\n

Not all changes will lead to improvements.<\/p>\n

Not only is this unavoidable, it\u2019s a necessary part of the process!<\/p>\n

When you encourage acts of leadership at all levels, you foster a culture of experimentation.<\/strong> You and your team members need to be able to tolerate and embrace a certain amount of failure.<\/p>\n

Mistakes and failure should never lead to blame and finger pointing. Instead, they should lead us to ask the question: \u201cwhat happened so that we can do better next time?\u201d<\/p>\n

Did you make your goal? Awesome, make those changes into your new standard! Did you miss the mark? That\u2019s okay. It\u2019s an opportunity to go back to the drawing board and do better.<\/p>\n

This is where the power of data comes in.<\/strong><\/p>\n

When you have performance data, it\u2019s easier to set goals and define improvement initiatives. Then, you observe how the trends build over time. Seeing what\u2019s working and what isn\u2019t working allows you to either keep or discard any practices you\u2019ve tried implementing.<\/p>\n

When you do this, it\u2019s impossible to ever actually \u201cfail.\u201d Sure, your efforts might not pay off every single time, but you\u2019re still taking a step that gives you feedback from your system. As long as you learn the lesson and adjust your course, you\u2019ve made progress.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a handy way I like to think about this process, that helps put it into perspective:<\/p>\n

Think about every change you make as an \u201cinvestment.\u201d And every result you get as \u201cevidence.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Both good and bad investments lead to evidence. And evidence helps you understand and improve your performance, leading to a process of continuous improvement.<\/p>\n

How to Encourage Acts of Leadership At All Levels<\/h2>\n

Now it\u2019s time to put everything we\u2019ve said into action!<\/p>\n

I want to make this part as easy to implement as possible my friend, so I broke it down into five simple steps.<\/p>\n