Intentional Behavior + Repetition = (Accountability & Change)
As leaders...how can we drive accountability and change knowing that it is one of the hardest things to do?
A few years ago I read “The Truth about Leadership” by Kouzes & Posner (the leadership challenge guys). It was a 2 hour read summarizing the 10 truths about leadership – a piece of reading “candy”. All 10 truths were good and had an association with the 5 practices of the leadership challenge (model the way, inspire a shared vision, challenge the process, enable others to act & encourage the heart). Out of the 10 Truths the one that resonated with me was…
#9 The Best Leaders are the Best Learners
It talked about how deliberate practice is required and how we need support to do it.
This shows up in many aspects of our lives. Like when you go to the gym…take a look around at all the people working out and pay attention to how comfortable they are with doing “reps” for their workout. Some of them have personal trainers encouraging them, writing down their routine and their progress. Some of them have a routine that they follow on their own. Most people make it a habit to practice each week…sometimes several days a week. They know that in order to be as healthy and fit as they can be it will take a plan, intentional behavior and repetition. It also means that by making their behavior intentional and building in repetition that it drives accountability and affects the changes in their lives that they are working towards.
It seems as if this math or formula is a generally accepted practice in pretty much every aspect of what we do… or other professions… with the exception of leadership. Athletes and musicians practice continuously, even when they are at the top of their game. They set out a plan and they apply repetition to ensure they have it down. Same goes for our kids in school with their learning…they are taught a concept, they practice in class and with homework and there are checkpoints built in with tests to ensure they are getting it. The way it is built is to break it down into smaller concepts and each builds on the other through repetition until they are able to do more complex problems with ease and confidence.
The question is… how many times we have just told our teams (in a town hall or meeting) what we need them to do (once or twice) and we are frustrated that they just don’t get it or do it. We ignore the math and we are surprised that the accountability and change is not there. As leaders, we not only have to come up with the intentional behaviors and outline for repetition but we have to do it for ourselves as well. Having to do it for both seems like a lot but if we ignore the math – my opinion is that we do not get the shared accountability or the changes we so desperately need in our organizations.
I believe that as leaders, we don’t feel that we should have to set up this type of structure for our teammates to hold them accountable to the changes we need in our business. We get distracted…busy with other things…in both our personal and professional lives. Having said that, this is at the very core of “Leaders are Life Long Learners”. We should not shy away from practice and showing our teams how to practice. Nobody really likes practice but without it we cannot expect to be top athletes, musicians, and yes…even leaders. I also believe that our teams will tell us they don’t have time to do it – but when we lead by example and encourage structure and due dates- they somehow get it done and we are all the better for it.
So you see…it comes down to simple math…
Intentional Behavior + Repetition = (Accountability & Change)
I believe this concept is core to my current journey and ability to be the best I can be in anything I choose to be good at... with repetition and practice... I WILL GET THERE!
How about YOU?
Leadership questions of the week:
Can YOU think of one or two areas that you could apply the “Intentional Behavior + Repetition = Accountability & Change” equation so that your team can go farther, faster?
Why is it that some leaders “naturally” are able to motivate themselves to lifelong learning and repetition where others feel that it should come without any practice and just fly by the seat of their pants?
What steps or routine have YOU put in place either personally or professionally to drive accountability and change?
How do YOU embrace or live the mantra that “The Best Leaders are the Best Learners”?
Thanks for reading….and remember…YOU make a difference!
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