Randy Oostra

Innovation is always an interesting leadership challenge! How do you create an innovative culture and inspire people to think in new & different ways? In some ways, it begins with starting with “yes” & make people earn a “no”. That’s not the normal approach but one that can lead to many new ideas and discussions that you have never had before! Creating a culture of innovation begins by inviting new ideas & being open to experimentation and creating space for it to flourish. While many leaders talk about innovation, most leaders kill innovative thinking before it begins! Great leadership is defined by the ability to adapt and thrive in an ever-changing world! Few understand the mind of a startup leader & kill any process before it begins!

Leading change is a key management skill! Change is part of life. It’s inevitable and constant and your approach can help you lead your team to opportunity and growth! It’s imperative that teams talk about change, the need to embrace it, the importance of positive attitudes, and the ongoing need to create urgency! While change can present challenges for many, focusing on the benefits for individuals and the organization is key! Leading teams through the change process is a skill and leaders should take steps to creating an atmosphere where change is accepted and celebrated as a key leadership competency! Creating urgency, gathering support, identifying quick wins are all steps to master!

The key to any good decision is data. Having a well thought out business plan that addresses all aspects of a project is critical. Many times, teams talk about issues, but often do not evolve to creating a plan. The best response to these discussions is “where’s the plan”? It’s at this point, that things often get interesting. Getting someone to take ownership of creating a plan is usually pretty straightforward & the ensuing discussion about timing is always “fun”. How long will it take you to create a plan? 90 days? 60? 30? The balance between creating urgency & being crisp is offset by giving people enough time to do a complete plan. I’ve always been a fan of creating aggressive deadlines, but then being open to give people more time!

Conflicts are inevitable in the workplace. Some are able to resolve issues amicably while others let individual differences become personal. I don’t know many leaders that like conflict or are adept at handling it. But watching the ones who handle conflict the best seem to share a couple common characteristics: 1.They do not make things personal but deal with issues factually and with little emotion. 2. They readily admit that they may be wrong & are adept at articulating their views & how they have drawn their conclusions from the facts that they know. 3. They are clear that their goal is to do what’s in the best interest of the organization & those involved. 4. They take the conflict seriously & ask others to explain their views!

Throughout my career, have always amazed by senior staff who presented ideas that had no clear evidence and lacked detail. The mantra was “we don’t need to see a PowerPoint we need to see a plan.” Try as you will, it is a very difficult task for some to grasp. The art of asking critical questions and not being critical of an individual is an art that can be hard to master. While you can warn your team that if they ask for resources they can expect hard questions, people still do not like to be questioned. The telltale sign was always when people said “ why are you picking on me?” Learning to be a critical thinker and ask probing questions is a lifetime leadership pursuit.

When I was done with graduate school, one of my first mentors put me to work doing business plans. While my first reaction was, this was busy work that I didn’t need, I couldn’t have been more wrong. Having every plan critiqued was an invaluable lesson in critical thinking. Everything was questioned in detail -my assumptions, my narrative, & how I addressed every stakeholders concern. The lesson was clear, this wasn’t personal, but we were going to evaluate a business opportunity from every angle. It didn’t matter who the plan was from, we looked at it from an every perspective including mission, vision, financial, clinical, political, community, educational, etc. it wasn’t personal, it was about creating the best plan possible!