Creating a culture of innovation seems to be the Holy Grail for twenty-first century organizations. However, we observe organizations consistently reverting to the average. Almost by default, once-successful organizations become trapped by the pull of mediocrity. The mantra of comfort and safety becomes: “protect and preserve what has been gained, avoid risk, follow best practices and stay out of trouble.”
Creating a leadership culture that nurtures and advances innovative ideas, processes and products demands ongoing practice and discipline. To maintain and sustain the culture requires a holistic/systemic perspective. Team members grow to understand and respect others’ unique perspectives and gifts that help shape the direction of the team and the organization. This happens through ongoing work to gain insight and awareness consistent with shared purpose and vision. Transforming a leadership culture occurs through the personal growth of individuals in an organization and the collaborative growth of teams and groups within the firm.
There are three integrated threads that define the lifelong practice of leadership that sustains a collaborative and innovative culture.
- Inner Work – the developing of deep self-awareness for each team member
- Together Work – deep self-awareness and other-awareness along with conversational intelligence that yields mature and productive relationships
- System Work – maintaining and sustaining a leadership culture of innovation and evolution
Building a Sustainable Collaborative Culture
- Beginning at the appropriate level and proceeding at the appropriate pace, individual team members and the team as a whole develop deeper self-awareness and other-awareness.
- A program is designed that combines group coaching, readings, exercises and ongoing practices to deeply enhance the team’s leadership capacity and collaborative culture through self awareness, together awareness and a systemic perspective.
- In the end, trust and collaboration become the pillars for unleashing the authentic diversity of the team to innovate and to lead.
- The program length and intensity is determined by and customized to the needs of the organization.