Leadership is an interactive conversation
that invites people to explore personal responsibility, passion, accountability and
commitment. Here are 6 principles to guide these capacity-building conversations:
1. In an authentic conversation change happens. Effective
collaboration, discovery and coaching can happen on the dance floor of conversation.
2. Begin a conversation with questions that set the tone
for a respectful exchange. Just ask to-the-point information-seeking questions, like:
'What is our intention? What are you here for? How do you want to spend our time
together?' Be clear of your intention prior to the conversation.
3. Conversations are not meant to be structured. Be open to
conversations that you are unprepared for and focused on the interests of the other person
(not your purpose). You know all about yourself already – get curious about the
other.
4. Collaborate with potential rather than colluding with
issues. Rather than getting pulled into solving problems that may not matter to the other
person, allow time for the person to get to what's really important. Provide spaces where
they can express their doubts and fears by being a thoughtful listener--without taking on
the responsibility to fix or debate the issue. After all, you have invited the person to
talk about what matters to her or him, not you, so allow time for the articulation of
those thoughts and feelings.
5. Personal transformation happens when the right questions
get asked--not by providing answers. When you invite people to answer their own questions,
they discover what they were not aware of---and what is needed to move forward. When you
focus on the solution, you are trying to sell the person something. Personal discovery is
capacity building. Personal transformation leads to corporate transformation—one
person at a time.
6. Claim value for the conversation. Articulating what you
value from the conversation and inviting the other person to articulate what was valuable
for them, creates a space of appreciation and acknowledgement. It also provides for
reflection on the value of exploring ideas with others – building capacity for
collaboration.
© 2004 Judith Richardson. All rights reserved. |
