LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT ANGELA BINGHAM
Enabling or unhelpful: what can we learn? Angela Bingham, Executive Director People and Capability at the Open Polytechnic, shares tips and observations for when it comes to identifying and growing leadership behaviours.
discovered the deep reach of the identified behaviours into all aspects of leadership. Here, I go through these behaviours and pick out practical tips you can incorporate into your leadership practice. Before we do, let's look at the unhelpful behaviours.
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1. Micro-management
ometimes, in our busy lives, it’s easy to lose sight of the individuals who make up the team. My challenge to you is to really see the individuals in your team and understand their strengths, development areas, contributions and wellbeing. This way we support our commitment to diversity and inclusive practices. By the way, you’ll also be enabling your people so they can be creative, innovative and empathetic; therefore resilient. Dr Esme Franken’s research is the cornerstone of the Leadership Development Programme at the Open Polytechnic. It has created a different type of conversation and expectation from leaders. Franken’s research came from the perspective that resilience is a developable capacity and the enabling of resilience starts with leaders. As we unpacked Franken’s research and partnered with a neuro-leadership expert (Jenny McDonald), we 22
HUMAN RESOURCES
SUMMER 2020
Takes away self-esteem because it creates a perception that leaders don’t believe in the ability of their kaimahi.
2. Doing things only to please the boss
Justifying tasks as a way to please up the chain; not what is right for the organisation.
5. Assuming one size fits all
This is not really seeing the individuals in the team, for example, calling out positive feedback in a public forum. The reality check here is that, as leaders, we are mortal irrational human beings who don’t get it right all of the time. So when you reflect (or get feedback) and identify you’ve been displaying one of the five harmful behaviours, act quickly!
Resilience is a developable capacity and the enabling of resilience starts with leaders.
The way to take the sting out of the 3. Having low social and career disabling behaviours is to call it. For example, “Can I be directive?” or support “I know I am reacting now, I have People like to know they will get to deal with XYZ”. Or challenge help if they ask. This becomes a yourself to pause. If you reflect and lot easier if active (‘as and when’) realise you’ve displayed a disabling conversations are held about behaviour, apologise as soon as development and competency. you can. “I wanted to mention to 4. Reactive leadership you that I reflected on XYZ and I realised I was not providing you clear The sense that work is sporadic and career support.” not strategically joined can leave individuals feeling like a strobe light As HR practitioners, our role in with little purpose. supporting leaders and individuals is to incorporate the language into And Jenny McDonald and I added our daily dialogue with people in one more:
