Start a bolder conversation: become a 4i leader

There is no conversation more boring than the one where everyone pretends to agree

Hi, it’s Ian here.

In the last 20 years we’ve worked with some great leaders and their teams in organisations all over the world. We’ve learnt loads, had some wonderful adventures and been able to help people make a significant difference in their wide and varied endeavours. In our new book – 4i Leadership - start a bolder conversation – we’ve captured many of these learnings combined with the stories that accompany them and in a new series of posts we’ll highlight how these learnings can help you too.

For us, Leadership always starts with a conversation, a bolder conversation. Bolder conversations are characterised by the possibilities they create and they include challenge and invitation, attentive listening and deep enquiry. With this in mind take note, bolder conversations are enlivening but they’re not necessarily easy or comfortable!

We constantly come across leaders who, for years, have avoided having these bold conversations. As a result they have made their challenges much bigger than they need to be. You might notice that this happens to you too! You tolerate those things that frustrate you. You avoid issues that are difficult to talk about. You stay silent when you should speak out. And yet if you put as much effort into having these conversations as you put into avoiding them you might change everything.

Toby’s experience is a great case in point. Toby had recently joined a large multi-national organisation. The company he works for is profitable and it makes just enough money to make it easy to avoid those all too familiar frustrations that reduce energy, motivation and effectiveness. It was only when Toby started to talk about these issues that he realised just what a cost this was having on people and the business. He’d only been there a few months and he’d already fallen into the culture - “That’s just the way we do things around here” he said. Or even “we don’t talk about that, it doesn’t do people any favours” and his favourite response …. “once you’ve been here a few months you don’t even notice it anymore”.

Most of the leaders, teams and organisations we work with have their own extraordinary toll of issues that refuse to go away and which everyone ignores. It’s as though there’s a communal blindness around them. So pause for a moment and notice your answers to the following: 

1. What are some of the issues, elephants or frustrations you experience in your leadership, team or organisation?

2. What impact do these have on productivity and motivation?

3. What will happen if they never get addressed?

4. What could be the bolder conversation you would like to start?

 
Join us next week when we’ll talk about how 'getting inspired by possibility' can help you start these conversations.