Post by Leslie on May 12, 2021 14:11:46 GMT
Topic: Leadership – Trusting and adding my voice to decision making with senior administrators
1. Identify an area or a process that you want to improve - I want to authoritatively lend my voice to the development of a proposal.
2. Identify a small test of change: I will without hesitancy give my honest opinion even when it conflicts with conventional wisdom and/or the senior staff member leading the discussion.
3. Develop a hypothesis on what you think will happen. If my ideas positively inform the process, they will be incorporated, and used to enhance our submission.
4. Develop a way to measure if your hypothesis is correct. During the next proposal response meeting, I will speak up by asking for clarity when necessary. I will also trust my instincts and provide my unique perspective, information, or a solution.
5. Do the small test once. (Cycle one) = During an initial review of an RFP, I thought the interpretation of what the funder was seeking was incorrect. Instead of keeping silent and letting the senior administrator move the writing in a way I was sure would not benefit us, I spoke up.
6. Ask yourself, was your hypothesis correct, did what you thought would happen, happen? How do you know? My hypothesis was correct, in fact other members of the team felt the same way, but like me were unsure how to course correct without appearing to challenge the senior administrator. The senior administrator was not put off by my comments and incorporated my suggestions into our response.
7. Is there a way that you can tweak the test to improve the outcome? Or do you want to do the same test with more people? How will you know it accomplished what you hoped it would accomplish? My greatest fear is that I would be ignored or censured publicly. I would like to do the same test with more people. This will help me to find and trust my voice in situations where I “fall back” due to fear or uncertainty about the value I add. It also teaches me to trust in the capacity of senior management to embrace new ideas.
8. Do the small test with the modifications as indicated above. (Cycle two) N/A
9. Ask yourself, was your hypothesis correct, did what you thought would happen, happen? How do you know?
10. Should you tweak this test again?
11. If yes, do so (cycle three).
12. Evaluate –and if you are ready and believe the test resulted in what you hoped would happen—SPREAD the test with the goal of eventually institutionalizing it as part of practice. If it did not work the way that you expected, let this one go and develop a new small test of change.
1. Identify an area or a process that you want to improve - I want to authoritatively lend my voice to the development of a proposal.
2. Identify a small test of change: I will without hesitancy give my honest opinion even when it conflicts with conventional wisdom and/or the senior staff member leading the discussion.
3. Develop a hypothesis on what you think will happen. If my ideas positively inform the process, they will be incorporated, and used to enhance our submission.
4. Develop a way to measure if your hypothesis is correct. During the next proposal response meeting, I will speak up by asking for clarity when necessary. I will also trust my instincts and provide my unique perspective, information, or a solution.
5. Do the small test once. (Cycle one) = During an initial review of an RFP, I thought the interpretation of what the funder was seeking was incorrect. Instead of keeping silent and letting the senior administrator move the writing in a way I was sure would not benefit us, I spoke up.
6. Ask yourself, was your hypothesis correct, did what you thought would happen, happen? How do you know? My hypothesis was correct, in fact other members of the team felt the same way, but like me were unsure how to course correct without appearing to challenge the senior administrator. The senior administrator was not put off by my comments and incorporated my suggestions into our response.
7. Is there a way that you can tweak the test to improve the outcome? Or do you want to do the same test with more people? How will you know it accomplished what you hoped it would accomplish? My greatest fear is that I would be ignored or censured publicly. I would like to do the same test with more people. This will help me to find and trust my voice in situations where I “fall back” due to fear or uncertainty about the value I add. It also teaches me to trust in the capacity of senior management to embrace new ideas.
8. Do the small test with the modifications as indicated above. (Cycle two) N/A
9. Ask yourself, was your hypothesis correct, did what you thought would happen, happen? How do you know?
10. Should you tweak this test again?
11. If yes, do so (cycle three).
12. Evaluate –and if you are ready and believe the test resulted in what you hoped would happen—SPREAD the test with the goal of eventually institutionalizing it as part of practice. If it did not work the way that you expected, let this one go and develop a new small test of change.
