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A Guest Review of "The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at Work" by Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer
By Andrew Moses, MorganFranklin Corporation For my inaugural "guest blog" on Monica Thakrar Inc.'s website, I have chosen to review "The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at Work." The book, just released in July, shares groundbreaking research on what truly separates successful leaders from the masses. Through the years, countless leadership and management books have attempted to provide the answer, but few authors have done so in such a tactical manner as Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer. According to the authors, the answer to the age-old question of what separates successful leaders from the masses is that they are able to foster great "inner work lives" for each of their employees. More specifically, Amabile and Kramer have concluded that the ability to create "conditions that foster positive emotions, strong internal motivation, and favorable perceptions of colleagues and the work itself" is the key to successful leadership. Are you currently doing things to create great "inner work lives" for your employees? What can you do as a leader to promote more positive "inner work lives" for those on your teams? Fortunately, Amabile and Kramer have more answers. Leveraging their collection and analysis of 12,000 diary entries written by 238 employees across seven companies, the authors have concluded that the most important ingredient in motivating people is the facilitation of progress—even small wins. The results of this study are extremely relevant to any leader. The research indicates that as a leader, the first thing you should do each day is identify what you need to do to facilitate your team's progress. But how can this be accomplished? Fortunately, Amabile and Kramer have provided a roadmap here as well. The authors cite "small wins, breakthroughs, forward movement, and goal completion" as keys to progress. As a leader, are you actively working to facilitate your team's progress each day? Are you designing your team's projects with the achievement of progress and interim successes in mind? For example, do you start with the low-hanging fruit and set up measurable and attainable checkpoints along the way, or do you simply ask the team to set out with one end result in mind? If you already have a project underway, it's not too late to bring the team together and set forth some interim milestones. If you are starting a new project, the most important factor in your success will be designing the project to facilitate and continuously achieve progress. Once projects are underway, as a leader, you should work to establish a strong affiliation/connection between the team and the interim milestones and end result. Track and celebrate small achievements along the way, even as you work to attain larger goals. Leading to facilitate progress may require that you entirely rethink the way you lead. But rest assured that you don't need to undergo a transformational change overnight to begin managing to facilitate progress. To get started, think of one thing you can do today or tomorrow as a leader to facilitate progress. By doing just one small thing to facilitate your progress as a leader, you will go a long way toward achieving your own success and your team’s success. That's the "progress principle." This "Guest Blog Entry" was written by Andrew Moses, a Senior Associate in MorganFranklin’s Financial Management and Performance Improvement practice. For more information on MorganFranklin, visit www.morganfranklin.com.
“Management is about coping with complexity. Leadership, by contrast, is about coping with change.” John Kotter
Companies manage complexity by first planning and budgeting, then organizing and staffing, and then controlling and problem solving. Companies lead by setting a direction, aligning people, and motivating and inspiring. Kotter says that leadership is really creating a vision of something that could be mundane, but truly serves the needs of its customers and clients. Aligning people truly empowers them to step into their role and contribute in a way that moves the organization forward. Successfully motivating ensures that employees will have the energy to overcome obstacles. It is motivating through satisfying basic human needs of achievement, belonging, recognition, self-esteem, control over one’s life and an ability to live up to one’s ideals. Management on the other hand is truly taking complex issues and making them more effective, efficient, and productive. I agree with Kotter that leadership is more visionary and inspiring to bring people along with the strategic plan they have. It takes the ability to take risks, serve clients in a way in which they are not currently served. It is inspiring and open minded and willing to motivate others by working on those aspects that engage employees to want to work through obstacles and not just require it of them. It takes courage to be a leader. It takes authenticity and it takes inspiration - in your own vision and in encouraging others to work towards that vision as well. Are you a leader or a manager? If you want to be a leader what is your vision to get there? How can you begin to take the steps to become a leader and how can you inspire others to follow your lead? “Commitment separates doers from dreamers.” John Maxwell
Are you someone who has had a vision or thought, but never followed through on it? Are you someone who has taken some steps towards your vision, but stops when the going gets tough? Or are you someone who perseveres and commits to a vision and sees it through even in the toughest of circumstances? A true leader is one who commits 100% to his vision and his values knowing that conviction is the only thing that will inspire his own potential and that of others who follow him. John Maxwell, in “The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader” says that the three traits below are the ones which are part of committed leader: -Commitment starts with heart - having a passion and true love for whatever you want to achieve. If you have true heart it will take you through the hard times. -Commitment is tested by actions - It is one thing to say you have a vision, it is another to put in the effort day to day when you may not be seeing the results yet. -Commitment opens the door to achievement - it is only when you keep getting up after being knocked down that you can truly reach your goal and make a difference. I believe that commitment is such an important cornerstone for a leader. It truly distinguishes the people who truly are devoted to what it is that they do and those who are dabblers. Dabblers keep jumping from thing to another and never go deep in anything. True leaders go deep in one or two things and make an incredible difference there. Commitment is that willingness to go deep in what it is that you are passionate about. What are you willing to commit to? Are you taking the necessary actions to commit to those goals? Are you getting up even if you are knocked down in order to achieve true leadership? “You have got to love your people more than your position.” - John Maxwell
According to John Maxwell in “The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader” servanthood is an attitude - one of putting other people first and wanting to serve others more than yourself. John Maxwell says there are a few key components of servanthood: -Putting others ahead of your own agenda - this means truly understanding other people’s needs and accepting their desires as important. -Possessing the confidence to serve - we treat others as we treat ourselves. If you are secure in yourself then we can treat others with respect and serve them with love. -Initiates service to others - great leaders see a need and serve without anyone seeing it or without expecting anything in return. -Is not position-conscious - true servant leaders focus on being human and helping another person. -Serves out of love - the extent of your influence depends on the depth of a your concern for others. The best leaders I have worked with and been around are ones who truly are looking out for your best interest, who want to serve you in your own growth and want you to grow into your greatest potential. That is true servanthood where they want what is best for you and can truly understand your desires. Are you a servant leader? What acts of kindness and service can you add in to your organization and/or to your life? What action can you begin taking today to serve? “Courage is doing what you are afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you’re scared.” - Eddie Rickenbacker
John Maxwell, in his book “The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader” says courage is one of those key traits and that one thing in common with all leaders is the willingness to take a risk. He says some of the following traits make up courage: -Courage begins with an inward battle - we fight ourselves and our own fears and courage is when we feel the fear and do it anyways (I LOVE that saying by the way!) -Courage is making things right, not just smoothing things over - true leaders stand up for something. They have good people skills, but don’t appease people when the situation requires it of them. Their colors are shown when a situation is challenging or controversial for that is when true leaders step up. -Courage in a leader inspires commitment from followers - a true leaders compels people to do the right thing and truly want to be courageous themselves. -Your life expands in proportion to your courage - as you begin to take risks you see your life become richer, more nuanced, and with more color. It opens doors and makes the future that much better. Courage is a true measure of a leader because everyone experiences fear and doubts and worries, but true leaders are ones who are able to experience that fear and step through it to get through to the other side. For the other side is often SO much better than where you started and it is where your power lies. What is one courageous act you can take today? “The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people.” - Theodore Roosevelt
I love this quote from Theodore Roosevelt as I truly believe the greatest trait of a leader is his ability to relate with people and truly empathize with who they are and what they are going through. John Maxwell, in his book “The 21 Indispensable Qualities of Leader” includes relationships as one of those traits. He says, “People truly do want to go along with people they can get along with.” He says there are 3 ways to cultivate good relationships as a leader: -Understand People - truly understand how people think and feel, what are underlying factors that relate to all humans (wanting to feel special, success, hope, direction, and encouraged), and how to relate to their unique needs -Love People - truly empathize with people and find the best in them -Help People - people respect a leader who keeps their interests in mind To me relationships mean building character, understanding others, truly getting into their heart and mind which allows you to empathize with them and truly learn how to give. Giving is the essence of it all. When other people feel you are genuinely concerned about them and care about them then they will go to the end of the earth for you. As a leader do you invest in your people? How can you understand them, love them, or help them more? How can you make your relationships stronger? |
Monica ThakrarMonica Thakrar has over 18 years experience in business focused mainly on strategy, change management, leadership development, training and coaching resulting in successful implementations of large scale transformation programs. MTI Newsletter Signup For Email Newsletters you can trust. Archives
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