In the game of golf, they often say, the best players elevate their weakest point.
For some it is making sure they drive the ball to the right spot on the fairway, for others it’s getting the ball up and down from around the green, for others it’s getting in the right frame of mind before they play golf. (Seriously, golf is 90% mental.)
Whatever it is, working on it and consistently improving it will elevate it and lower your score. So, is it the same with your leadership? Great question!
As someone in a helping profession (Process Consulting is about helping leaders transform through an iterative and humble inquiry approach,) we care deeply about three underlying principles, what we call competencies. They are listening, helping, and learning. Seriously, these three competencies must form the DNA of a helper.
I was talking with one of Design Group International’s consultants the other day about their use of these three competencies. It was a great conversation. They had just come from a meeting with a Client and were energized by the work. Yay!
They shared a story about modeling listening and reviewing the Client how listen with one’s body, how to listen for another person’s context, and even how to craft process adaptively by listening to where the Client was willing to go.
They went on to share about co-creating a process with the Client to help with a sticky ownership and governance issue being experienced. The Client was inspired to take self-directed action, to articulate their own desired outcomes, and name their own timeframes.
Then our conversation waned. They shared that the Client was having a hard time sharing what is being learned through this process across their organization (what we call Learning to Exchange.) The learning was staying with the ownership team and not seeping into the company. So, modeling good listening skills, I posed a question. What new learning might you need to have in order to help your Client move forward?
This question launched us into an exercise of learning more about new tools that can be used with Clients to help them deepen learning within their organization so that it can become wisdom and guide actions going forward.
This experience with one of our consultants gave me an idea. How well do I listen, help, and learn? Seriously, am I a better listener, helper, or learning? Which one comes easier to me? Which one is more difficult?
So, I got out a blank sheet of paper and drew three horizontal lines, one for each of the competencies (listening, helping, learning). On the left of each line I put the number one and on the right side of each line I put the number five. This gave me the opportunity to do a quick self-evaluation. That sheet of paper is on my desk and caused me to advance my own learning.
To elevate my weakest point.
Which competency are you better at? Which competency needs a little work?
If you would like to talk about what you would like to elevate, please feel free to schedule a high-value 30-minute discovery call with me. I'd be honored to listen. As always, please feel free to call me at 616.516.9870 or email me at lons@designgroupintl.com .
Walking alongside you,
Design Group International
CEO & Managing Partner
Here is what is in my backpack
Co-Active Leadership: Five Ways to Lead by Karen and Henry Kimsey-House
A New Way to Think by Roger L. Martin
Imaginable by Jane McGonigal
Blog reposting June 2021