Measuring and Sustaining Adaptive Leadership

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In the final installment of the blog series related to the “A” in the SPARK Method, it’s about measuring and sustaining the practice and delivering results from adaptive leadership. Adaptive leadership is a result of small, incremental changes over time that lead to big shifts. At the outset, it’s imperative to have a vision for success with clear, measurable goals. In leading organizational change, it’s nearly impossible to go from 0-60. These changes take a long time, often months or years to implement. When setting goals, include milestones and celebrate progress.

Set Clear, Measurable Goals

• Vision for Success: Define what success looks like for your organization. Establish clear, measurable goals that align with your vision.

• Milestones: Break down your goals into smaller, achievable milestones. Celebrate progress at each milestone to keep the team motivated and engaged.

• Long-Term Commitment: Understand that adaptive leadership is a long-term commitment. Changes may take months or even years to fully implement and realize their impact.

Create a Feedback Loop

If you’ve followed along throughout this series, we talked about creating a culture of open communication and ways to implement consistent feedback loops. Feedback will enable adjustment. The practice of adaptive leadership allows you to experiment. There are no guarantees that every change will work. But what if it does?

• Collecting Feedback: Regularly collect feedback from your team to assess the effectiveness of changes. Use surveys, meetings, and one-on-one discussions to gather insights.

• Adjusting Strategies: Be open to making adjustments based on feedback. Flexibility is key to adaptive leadership.

• Encouraging Experimentation: Encourage your team to experiment with new ideas and approaches. Emphasize that it's okay to fail as long as you learn from the experience.

I will admit that in my early days as a manager, I said I wanted feedback, but in receiving it, I took personal offense to much of what was said. There was a gap between what I said versus what I practiced. I didn’t recognize that my direct reports didn’t have the experience or skills to give effective feedback. As an example, in a recent one-on-one meeting, one of my direct reports said he was concerned that I would quit and become a full-time coach. Several years ago, I would have reacted with accusatory language and tone, responding with a question like, “Why would you say that?!” As I reflect on my journey, I recognize those responses shut down communication with my team. Today, I respond with more inquisitive and even-toned questions. When asked that question recently, I responded with, “I can understand that. And while that’s my long-term goal, I’m here to support you.” I asked a follow-up, “What makes you think that is imminent?” The conversation continued, and I noted that it was my job as a leader to prepare the team to operate without me whether it’s next week, next year, or five years from now. It’s the right thing for the organization because someday, near or far, that will be true. With the help and support of a skilled executive coach, I learned how to give and receive feedback effectively, which has led to deeper, more connected conversations with my team members. And this has led to a high level of employee retention. Overall, it's a significant cost reduction. Building strong connections with employees also results in several other benefits:

• Better Problem-Solving: Connected teams are better equipped to tackle challenges and find effective solutions through collective brainstorming and diverse perspectives.

• Stronger Team Morale: Positive relationships and a supportive environment boost overall team morale, reducing stress and burnout.

• Attraction of Top Talent: A reputation for a positive and engaging workplace attracts top talent, enhancing the organization’s ability to recruit and retain skilled professionals.

Aligning with Purpose

Set expectations with your team, indicating you are confident it could work but will need to rely on their feedback to measure progress or if it’s delivering the results as intended. Keep purpose front and center. It’s easy in the day-to-day to lose sight of the intended purpose of the change. At times, the activities you plan out and execute become just an activity. Be sure to revisit purpose, particularly as you edit through experimentation.

• Revisiting Purpose: Regularly revisit the purpose behind your initiatives. Ensure that your team understands and remains aligned with the intended outcomes.

• Purpose-Driven Activities: Ensure that activities and projects are purpose-driven, rather than just tasks to complete. This keeps the team focused and motivated.

When I was first promoted to VP of Sales, I recognized that we didn’t have a “common language” across the sales org. Quite honestly, there was little alignment. The management team was well-aligned in thought processes, but there was no consistency in the communication and expectations other than to meet the sales goal and increase profitability. And while those are paramount, the way to get there is to have a framework and guidelines to work within, starting with communication to clients and internal coworkers. Each location had its own style and method for sales. And while I recognize that different geographic locations can have different styles, it led to inconsistency in results. In my 20 years with the company, we would hire a sales trainer to bring a new sales methodology every few years. Name it, and we tried it. In 2018, it was apparent that taking the sales team through another training wasn’t the answer. It was critical to ensure the management team was held accountable to stay consistent and have a standard by which to be measured. Since 2018, we have kept the same sales methodology. Our sales reps, sales management, and I have been through the training multiple times. And we expanded to Customer Service so all customer-facing functions are consistent. What is the outcome? We have improved interdepartmental communication, delivered consistent results across multiple locations, and engage with our customers differently than many of our competitors. And that has led to increased customer lifetime value, increased sales, and profitability.

Fostering a Learning Culture

Create a culture of learning. Heighten self-awareness. Keep purpose at the forefront. As referenced multiple times in the book, “The Practice of Adaptive Leadership” by Ronald A. Heifetz, get on the balcony.

• Continuous Learning: Foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement. Encourage team members to seek new knowledge and skills.

• Self-Awareness: Promote self-awareness among team members. Encourage them to reflect on their strengths, weaknesses, and areas for growth.

• Balcony Perspective: Encourage leaders to take a step back and view the organization from a higher perspective. This helps in understanding the bigger picture and making strategic decisions.

In the last 20 years, my company has had a learning culture. Realistically, it’s because I worked at a company that has always been at the forefront by using the latest technology and advancements in product offerings. There has always been a level of transparency in most parts of the organization—what’s going well and what needs to be improved. However, the educational content was primarily led by single individuals known for their high levels of technical expertise. In my first management role, my goal was to ensure that each meeting gave attendees education and inspiration to take action on what they learned that day. Why? Knowledge is power. As I continued to gain more responsibility and experience, I realized that the knowledge in the hands of those few people was putting the organization at risk for the long term. While those employees were tenured, loyal, and highly valued, it was not sustainable. In 2021, with Covid as the catalyst, I set goals to delegate some new responsibilities to my management team. Why? I couldn’t do it all. And they were all interested in gaining leadership skills and leading larger projects. When I announced the need for product training that related both to external and internal processes, one of the managers volunteered. She co-led the project with another manager. They worked with the internal subject matter experts, created the content, and delivered engaging sessions that were then recorded. Now, with new hires, much of that content is still valid. Sure, we have to update the content periodically. It had several benefits including:

• Increased Collaboration: By involving multiple team members in the training process, we fostered a more collaborative environment where knowledge sharing became the norm.

• Enhanced Employee Engagement: Team members felt more valued and engaged as they took on new responsibilities and contributed to the organization’s success.

• Improved Knowledge Retention: Recording training sessions ensured that valuable information was preserved and easily accessible for future reference.

• Sustained Organizational Growth: By spreading knowledge and responsibilities across the team, we built a more resilient organization capable of sustaining growth over the long term.

Measuring Impact

• Setting KPIs: Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the impact of adaptive leadership initiatives. Track progress and evaluate success against these metrics.

• Regular Reviews: Conduct regular reviews to assess the effectiveness of changes and make necessary adjustments. Use data-driven insights to inform decision-making.

• Celebrating Success: Celebrate successes and recognize the efforts of your team. Acknowledge both small and significant achievements to maintain motivation and morale.

Conclusion

Measuring and sustaining adaptive leadership involves setting clear goals, creating feedback loops, aligning with purpose, fostering a learning culture, and regularly measuring impact. By committing to these practices, you can lead your organization through change and achieve lasting success.

It’s not likely you’ll have 100% support and adoption. And that’s okay. Recognize that you’ll likely have to address the naysayers, but there’s no need to pander. If your vision is aligned with the organizational purpose, you’re on the right track.

Thank you for joining me on this journey through adaptive leadership. Remember, the path to becoming an adaptive leader is ongoing. Stay committed, stay flexible, and lead with confidence.