Have you experienced good and bad transitions? What was the impact on the organisation of both of these? Take a moment to write down some of the ways in which the organisation was impacted by both.
I have experienced bad transition, where the previous leader left suddenly and abruptly, and I was appointed to lead the sudden transition, at the national level, by the upper leadership team, even though I’m out of my depth, competence-wise and conviction-wise. The negative impact was many verbal conflicts, soured relationships, costly mid-course changes that erodes trust that has been built for years.
As leaders we have often have aspects of our leadership that are like Redwoods, drawing energy to ourselves, and that are like Rainforests, enabling other leaders to rise up. In what ways are you being a Redwood at the moment?
I have taken tasks, and do it all on my own, instead of intentionally inviting, asking and sharing these tasks with potential leaders. I have more often given instructions and helped in implementations, instead of asking questions, challenge others to problem-solve what they can actually solve.
In what practical ways could you shift to being more like a Rainforest leader?
Model
Open communication
Time
Inspire
Vision
Affirm
Train
Entrust