Improve to Lead - A New Leadership Phrase

Phrases like “walk the talk” and “lead by example” are commonplace management and leadership language. These phrases provide frameworks for discussion on effective leadership. I've even used them in past articles. That said, I want to make the case today that it is not enough in today's marketplace to simply “walk the talk” or “lead by example”. Both of these phrases lack the intent to change and improve. Change is always happening and continuous improvement is vital to our businesses today. Consider this alternative phrase instead: “Improve to Lead.”

When have you ever heard the phrase, “improve to lead”? I can't imagine you, or too many others, are nodding your heads right now and thinking, “sure, I hear it all the time.” A short analysis of the business books lining the shelves of the national bookstores and the public library in my area show that the focus on improvement is regarding processes, not people, not managing, and not leading. There is sure to be a counter-point to this debate that says “improvement is implied in our common leadership phrases”, like those mentioned earlier. I submit to you that improvement is not implied. Without a conscious reminder that improvement must be a regular part of doing business, it is too easy for people to become comfortable and even complacent in their jobs. Improvement implies change and people inherently do not like to change. This may be why the phrase “we've always done it this way” is also commonplace in business.

The “we've always done it this way” phrase, or some form of it, can become common rhetoric when people are not encouraged or empowered to seek continuous improvement. Always doing things the way they have always been done gives the mind permission to shut off. Mistakes can be made when people don't understand the “how” and the “why” behind a process they execute. An underlying assumption in this article is that mediocrity and complacency are bad for business. So, as a leader, how do you combat these business busters?

Successful leaders today realize that they must continually improve themselves and be change agents for improving the business. This is not advocating change for change's sake, but rather improving or changing when it can positively impact you or the organization. Lead by fostering continuous improvement. In other words, improve in order to lead.

Improve yourself and become a stronger leader than you are already. Establish a plan for your own improvement and make it known to those around you. Identify ways you can do your job better and then look around to see if others might benefit from your discovery.

So how do you do this? How do you have a continuous improvement attitude all the time? To start, you can simply ask the following questions:

1. Have I thought through all the options?
2. Am I allowing different points of view to surface?
3. Is there a better way to do this?
4. Is there a more efficient way to do this?
5. Is this approach a band-aid or does it really fix the problem?
6. Do those around me understand that they can make suggestions and offer up improvements?

Improve the ability of the department and create a great team. Encourage team members to find ways to improve themselves. Empower your team to challenge the “we've always done it this way” parts of their jobs. Give people permission to explore new and better ways of doing things. Identify ways people can develop themselves.

Improve processes that are cross-departmental and improve the whole company. Work with your peers to establish task forces or teams to focus on workplace improvements. Share the improvement plans you have and your team have created as a best practice for the organization. Evangelize continuous improvement and you will be improving to lead!

"Improve to lead" is an on-going effort that can be embraced by anyone at any level. As a manager and leader in an organization, take the lead on the effort. The more people see your willingness to look at new ways of doing things, the more they will embrace the idea as well.