How to build capability and capacity in others
Leaders are increasingly stretched at work; their long days accompanied by a feeling that they’ve still not got enough done. And frankly we all frequently have a sense of doom when we think about what has been done compared to the mountain of things still waiting for attention and action.
In our work at iOpener Institute for People and Performance, we see many senior leaders operating just as they did when they were front line managers and emerging leaders. They get stuff done by managing their own and others’ tasks. They rely on ‘push’ communication and have honed their ability to do this.
Typically they are excellent problem-solvers and have a brilliance for spotting the issue and making sure it gets fixed. They are often totally committed to their job and have developed an internal sense of success from what they personally get done and how hard they work. Of course all these things are what got these leaders to where they are.
Organizations love this and need it. And because of that, leaders get better and better at operating in this way and typically fail to develop other leadership approaches and skills. So what about enabling others, a key leadership responsibility and the only thing that will ensure everyone’s success? For leaders to reach their full potential and deliver game-changing strategies they have to build capacity and capability in others.
Radical, game-changing stuff is only possible with totally focused effort from everyone. And that requires a confident and capable team who believe they have the capacity, the skill and the mandate to make things happen. Without this, leaders work harder and harder to direct the action, communicate more, tell and control more. All of which adds up to longer working hours and energy-draining days. And still no game-changer.
So what do leaders need to do?
They need to evolve to a new level of leadership. One in which their focus becomes:
- Building capability and capacity in others
- Creating a workplace where good work and great people can flourish
Building capability and capacity in others requires a radical shift in approach. We can see clearly from both our research and practice that this is a very difficult transition for leaders to make. That’s because they haven’t been developed to build capability and capacity in others. And they haven’t practised it either. Leaders must set out deliberately to develop themselves in this area, practise and get feedback relentlessly.
To create a workplace where good work and people can flourish, our research shows us that leaders need to focus on three basics:
- Building Trust right across the organization
- Giving Recognition for fantastic work
- Raising the level of Pride people have for the organization and their contribution to it
And the good news is that employees want this.
They want to contribute, to have the means to contribute and be recognized for it. No-one comes to work to be a failure, so by following this simple advice you’ll not only help others, you’ll help yourself and your organization too. To find out more about how we can help your organization take these steps, please get in touch.
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