Recent researches indicate that only 20 to 30 per cent of strategic initiatives succeed.
According to a steady pulse of executive surveys, most of them worry that their teams do not have the leadership abilities to accomplish their strategic priorities.
How can we break this pattern is the question that most organisation are searching answer for.
Before we outline an answer to that question, let's refresh ourselves on systems thinking.
Systems thinking involves searching for patterns of inputs and outputs that interact over time.
We use systems thinking to understand how underlying structures interact and learn how the systems of which we are part really work.
With this insight, we can change the structures that are not serving us well to create better, long-term solutions.
Jeff Immelt, Chairman of the Board at GE, and credited with driving the transformation of one of the leading U.S. companies, provides guidance.
In a speech at West Point, Immelt advised that today’s leaders become system thinkers comfortable with ambiguity. Immelt said he learned this lesson through his business experience, explaining that both attributes are critical to achieving success in our dynamic and turbulent world of work.
It is learnt that in high performance organisations’ leadership functions are synchronised. Doing some function well but not others is insufficient to achieving high performance.
The integration of the capabilities of different level of leaders drive high performance across the critical tasks of direction-alignment, commitment -capability and execution and performance.
If any part of this leadership system is not performing optimally, organisational results are compromised.
It is also uncovered that the high performers in senior and middle level leader roles exhibit leadership behaviors that differentiate them from under-performing colleagues. These behaviors convert clarity about who is doing what into results.
High performance leadership is a feature of high performing organisations – they have a culture of leadership. This culture equips leaders with ability to drive strategic priorities around the resistance any planned change encounters on its journey to success.
Courtesy: www.achieveforum.com
