Leaders Know the Value of Pruning
Pruning is important in the natural cycle of growth experienced by healthy organizations.
Leaders that neglect pruning eventually find themselves leading unbalanced, inefficient, and ineffective institutions ill equipped to meet the changing needs of their clients.
How can we prune in ways that improve the future of our organization?
Try the following to start . . .
Cutting back on the unproductive:
This might appear callus, but it needs to be done. Leaders make the hard choices to cut off the unproductive parts..
This includes individuals whose behaviors are contrary to the organizations' purpose, those no longer aligned with team values, and those who don't show ability to do the work even after training.
A good leader cannot afford to let the toxicity of individuals corrupt the organizations' reputation or hurt people.
Cutting back on the good:
We know that pruning does not feel comfortable. It is my least favorite part because I resist throwing away anything that has value. Don’t you?
That said, we know every organization has a finite capacity to produce. By cutting back on the good opens the door to new growth and nutrients to flow to our most important priorities.
The best leaders challenge teams by saying 'no' to some good ideas to make room for the great ones.
Move people around:
Moving team members around can be a catalyst to new growth. Providing individuals with new opportunities can produce the remarkable. People need new challenges to spur growth. Leaders are not afraid to take calculated risks that can strengthen their teams.
Actions to consider:
Assign a successful leader to a new assignment outside their area of expertise
Make a hard decision to move an unproductive member off of your team; it may be a blessing for them in disguise
Say ‘no’ to one good idea and see if a better one doesn’t present itself.
Looking for a way to grow your leadership capacity?
Check out Liz Wiseman’s book, multipliers.
