Page 98 - How Great Leaders Build Abundant Organizations That Win

WHATAMIKNOWNFOR? (IDENTITY)

Third, encourage bottom-up problem solving where
employees make the brand real to them. A wise leader once
said, “I teach people correct principles and let them govern
themselves.” Leaders set direction top down but enlist action
from the bottom up. This could mean involving employees
in town hall meetings about problems, letting them act on
challenges in real time, or building rapid-response teams.
Make sure employees are clear about the principles that
should guide their self-governance and problem-solving
options. Such principles will emerge from the corporate
identity you are trying to foster among your best customers.
Fourth, upgrade internal processes to institutionalize
customer expectations. Processes may include how your
organization turns customer insights into products, allocates
money, pays people, or develops talent.
These steps are simple but not easy. They require lead-
ers to identify the organization’s key strengths (capabilities)
and use them consciously to connect with targeted custom-
ers. But when this happens, individual employees see better
how their work makes a difference for real people. There is
a line of sight between what they do on Monday morning
and who gets helped on Tuesday afternoon. Working from
their strengths, they know they have enough skills and to
spare to get the job done right. Connected with their values,
they have a sense of contributing something they care about.
Grounded in their character traits and virtues, they feel their
own goodness in operation. This is abundance in action.

Summary: Leadership Actions to Build an Identity
• • Help employees become more aware of their signature
strengths through assessment, conversation, observation,
and assignment.

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