ACTivity/ Invite Three Leaders
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Photo by Cynthia Magana on Unsplash.
Manila, 28 April 2021 — Who will you lead a change with?
Story
It happened in 2019. Rashmi Shrestha, a project lead and senior researcher at the Institute for Social and Environmental Transition in Nepal, took the Grow3Leaders Challenge and invited three colleagues to influence a positive change together in their workplace. The change, she explained, was about “improving our way of communication in the workplace using new leadership skills.” Rashmi wanted to promote cross-generational collaboration and she decided to model the way of working across the hierarchy by inviting the institute’s executive director into her Collab along with two junior colleagues. Together, they made the change happen. “We learned to give space and trust to everyone in the workplace, irrespective of hierarchy.“
The second change they created was about effective communication. After taking the Work In All Colors online training course, she and her Collab mates learned how to decode the seven different languages that people will use in the workplace, each according to their personal preference. Here’s how she summed up their experience. “The Work In All Colors training helped us to look at our problems with different perspectives, and communicate with people using the colors in various situations.”
As they practiced their new leadership skills, Rashmi and her Collab mates realized that leadership is about showing up with certain behaviors more frequently than other people. It’s about consistently using a set of specific behaviors and knowing how to choose the most effective behavior for each situation. So they kept practicing that, and here’s how they described what happened. “Practicing new leadership behaviors, including listening, helped us take our team spirit to the next level.”
Challenge
To be sure, leading change is not easy, and it often takes time. You might think that it took Rashmi and her Collab mates at least a year to achieve those changes. That sounds reasonable, right? But listen up: it only took them 8 weeks. That’s where this Challenge stands out. At Grow3Leaders we don’t believe in being overly serious to make a change happen. When you take on a challenge that’s too big, takes too long, and makes you feel too serious, it will probably wear you down until you have no energy and motivation left. That’s no good at all. Instead, we challenge you to influence a change in only 6 to 8 weeks and then to celebrate your achievement together! That way, you will feel good about your achievement and your positive result will give you the motivation and energy you need to keep going for the next change, and the next, and so on!
What we have learned in Grow3Leaders is that leading a change together is more fun, faster, and more fulfilling than doing it alone. So let’s turn this over to you. Who do you want to invite to make a change with? In our experience, the best colleagues to invite are those who 1) have a vision that they’re enthusiastic about, 2) like to work with you, and 3) are open-minded and curious to learn. The Challenge is focused on influencing a workplace change in your business or organization. It’s not designed for students — there are already a lot of groups that help students develop their leadership. In Grow3Leaders we look for professionals with at least a university or college degree and two years of working experience, and who are passionate about change in the context of sustainability. Does that describe you?
If possible, we suggest you also follow Rashmi’s example to invite colleagues to form a cross-generational Collab. That will accelerate change even more. Rashmi earned her Collab Leader Badge with flying colors and so can you. Her digital badge is a credential that testifies to her commitment. She delivered on the Grow3Leaders Challenge while developing her own leadership in the process. Since then, two of Rashmi’s Collab mates have already become Collab Leaders too and have also earned their digital credentials. And Rashmi is now leading a social enterprise, building on the experiences she has gained.
Question
The question for you this week is who you will invite to form a Collab in Grow3Leaders so you can influence a positive change together in your workplace in just 6 to 8 weeks’ time? Will you become a changemaker who Collab-orates and then celebrates your progress and achievement together, and who learns by choosing from 12 effective leadership behaviors along the way?
The world urgently needs more leaders for sustainability. It’s high time you decided to Play a Bigger Game and expanded your leadership skills together with others in your workplace. Anyone can learn how to show up with effective leadership behaviors, and we offer a private and safe space to share your experiences ‘out loud’ with others in the community.
Let us know who you have in mind to invite, and what change you’d like to influence, and we’ll be happy to support you in the process of forming your Collab, starting now. If you want to consult us, book a call to set yourself up for success in the Grow3Leaders Challenge. Then you can earn your Collab Leader digital badge and lead change where it matters!