Reward for Risk

Reward for risk.  This is a great idea, right?  I mean, tech giants like Google do this kind of thing all the time.  They give people the latitude to try new things and reward them when it goes well; sometimes people are rewarded when it doesn't go so well - the bigger consideration is that when people fail (and put in their best efforts) they aren't punished for it.

I've seen many organizations try to replicate this.  They like the idea of innovation and of gaining critical competitive edges against their opponents and let's be honest, who wouldn't?  Yet, when put into practice this often seems to fall apart, and from my experience, it comes down to a single flaw in leadership.

If you want to implement this kind of program you need to not only communicate to your team that they will be rewarded for taking risks, but you need to mean it.  That last part, that is the critical flaw.  Most people don't like to fail, leaders included, so when they tell people to take risks, somewhere, deep down, they aren't willing to accept the consequences.  Your team will figure that out very quickly, and while you may be preaching that they need to be innovative and take more risks, if you won't back them on it, no one will stick their neck out.

This phenomenon happens not only with risk and reward but with many aspects of leadership.  If you talk the talk, make sure you walk the walk, and who knows, you might be rewarded for that risk.

-Alexander Cook MEng, MBA, PEngg, PMP

Photo Credit: http://1000lifelessons.com/risk-vs-reward/

Let them Lead

I know that somewhere on this site I wrote that "we are all leaders."  The skeptics out there might be saying that we aren't, but I'm not talking about managers, or bosses, I'm talking about leaders.  We are all leaders, and for that matter, we are all followers too.  We all alternate between leading, and following, based on our skills and circumstance.

The question is, how can we foster leadership?  Not everyone can be the boss, so what does it take to make everyone a leader?  We have a generation of Baby-Boomers sitting on the tops of organizations, ready to retire.  They are the bosses, but they had better have leaders under them ready to take over.  So, we need to foster that leadership, and one easy way is just to provide a little space, and flexibility.  We all have core duties, which we need to complete, but if there is a little bit of wiggle room, then there is enough room to innovate.  Look at the Google's of the world, Google leaves a lot more than a little wiggle room, and there is innovation everywhere.  I'm not saying we all need to do it like Google, but if we give people room to imagine, and take initiative, we are giving them room to become leaders.

Its not just ideas, and innovation, but practice.  Weeks of intensive offsite leadership training often cannot replicate a little practical experience*.  Let them take their initiative, and when their idea becomes bigger than themselves, let them lead — give them some resources, and let them run with it.

You don't need to be the boss to lead a project, you don't even need formal authority.  All you need, is a little wiggle room, and a team to back you up — a team for you to back up.

Question for the crowds:  What would help you to lead, or to become a better leader in your organization?  Or your life?

-Alexander Cook MEng, MBA, PEng, PMP

*Through the use of the Leadership Check Ride assessment, Leading in the Fast Lane creates conditions that closely mimic practical experience, while providing a safe environment for learning.