Igniting Leadership

Designing of workshop to Ignite Leadership – Kick off for the year

As CHRO’s most of us have the responsibility to help support senior leadership ignite commitment and passion to deliver the new year. How could one possible go about designing the event for top Leaders in the business?

To start with:

Setting the Context:

CEO to kick off and remind everyone about the Organization Purpose, for us at Diageo (to Celebrate Life Everyday, Everywhere) its ambition to be the Most Trusted, Respected and Best Performing CPG in India. To remind each one, of the journey over the year, in particular the previous year, and gains made and losses.

From there, to confirm the Strategic Vision of the Organisation and what it wishes to Shape aligned with ask from multiple stakeholders. Clarity on Where to Win, and How to Win. And clear battle grounds. Ensure time is spent on getting voice into the room. Identifying early who is the decision maker is critical. Clarify, Many Voices, But One Vote for Speed, Smartness, and Simplicity to pave way for clear Accountability and Decision making.

Business Growth through People Growth

Confirm that all of this would get done through People who are passionate and committed. CHRO to talk about the Leadership Standards all Top Leaders must demonstrate and would include:

·      Winning in Execution

·      Future Focus

·      Inspired in Purpose

·      Investment in Talent.

Clarify what this would mean in the context. Offer Personal Context. Tell Stories from real life. Make it personal. Connect with the audience. Use of slides, are meaningless to do this. Use of theatre could be very useful here. Have team create the AS IS now world, through non- verbal theatre and the desired world where these leadership standards are demonstrated.

Through processing and engaging and reflecting on this Experience, participants see connections between what they do as a result of their Leadership style and the climate they create in their teams and in the environment. What Leadership Standards show up more often, what less, which ones do we struggle with. By function, which requires more attention.  How does each Leaders relate to each of the standards. How do we measure success on these. For what we treasure, we must measure, and review and with consequences and rewards positive and otherwise.

Connecting the parts to the whole

The third stage is to connect the vision of the functions and the functional strategic journey to the whole. One smart way to do this is by setting up a bazar, in an interactive way showing the progress made by each functions, previous year achievement, goals for upcoming year, support and inter-dependencies with others. Through gaming, quizzes, clips, and creative ways one can do this smartly. Imagine having a Kuan Banega Crorepati, for Compliance related questions, or building the 4 pillars of a house (strategy) with bricks denoting initiatives, with clear colour codes related to Sales, Margins or cash or better still having a Dragon’s Den to giving a pitch for ideas around Simplification.

Making this Fun, Interactive and engaging is critical to get past this stage and to ensure every participant is signed on.

Support Leadership Effectiveness for Leadership, Not Management

In the final module one needs to help support Leaders to live their Leadership Standards by investing in people and support amplifying personal purpose. Performance Coaching and real practice sessions help make that happen.

Conclusion:

Ensure every leader leaves the room:

·      Clear about Performance Ambition for upcoming year

·      Clear priorities and owners

·      Inter-dependencies

·      Commitment to Leadership Standards

·      Commitment to lead self and others with Purpose.

·      Clear understanding of Business Results expected.

·      And more importantly, what’s in it for each one.

Closure could be a ceremony, a ritual around self commitments made in public to honour and abide.