Let Their Voices Light The Way

The art of making behavioral change in an organization takes collaboration and uplifting. It takes asking insightful questions and listening deeply. It requires amplifying the amazing-ness of the team through the power of story. 

The previous thespian in me may shout, “I want to be center stage!” The business leader in me, however, pays attention to what works and makes deep waves towards a meaningful impact within an organization. Sadly, for my thespian-self, this approach is everything but taking center stage. 

The beauty, however, is that all the key elements are there—if you just let them shine. 

Your Bright Spots Can Guide You

Chip and Dan Heath’s book, Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard, describes a fundamental principle core to my leadership style: bright spots will lead the way. 

The Heath’s share a narrative about a community struggling with malnutrition. A few poor families, however, have significantly healthier children. Why? Smaller portion meals plus mixing tiny shrimp and sweet potato greens in with their rice. Simple ideas brought into the light by mothers in the community—these women are “bright spots”. 

Our bright spots are many, and each brings an essential nugget. Here are some examples of “bright spots” in our office, and how we’ve been able to position them to shine in ways that make an impact for the whole organization. 

• Lance* ‘gets’ people. He breaks down change into small, not-so-scary bits and uses strong doses of encouragement to inspire change. Action: We put him on stage, and he lit up the room. 

• Mikel ‘gets’ our customers. He challenges himself and his team to break through old habits of selling “at the first sign of interest.” His self-control is second to none. Action: We brought him into our core team to shed light on the best sales process for our industry. He later helped us spread the word about the value of these methods. 

• Rufus ‘gets’ coaching. He knows it’s about patient discussions, thoughtful questions and learning from each other. He knows it’s about trust and adapting to those we coach. Action: We invited him to tell his story at team meetings, and he co-developed our training plan to foster a more nurturing culture. 

• Barb ‘gets’ our sales process. She knows it’s about waiting to quote a solution until you really understand the customer’s challenges. She plans for depth with our customers and helps others go deeper as well. Action: We bring her into tool development to share her wealth of ideas and guidance. And when she wants the stage to train others, by all means, we give it to her.
  
  
  

  *Names changed for privacy.

It’s not about finding one person who is an all-knowing expert. It’s about finding the strengths of the many experts we have around us, pulling out those strengths and letting the team light their own way to deep, lasting change. 

Embrace Recognition and Prepare to Make a Difference

Here is a final, incredibly important point. People who are serving as your bright spots should get credit, and LOTS of it. Their value must be recognized through highlights, gifts and leadership awards all along the way, not just when a particular result is achieved. They are, after-all, doing incredibly challenging and important work.

It’s essential to recognize it takes a village to make the changes our customers need – no one person can do this alone. Find your bright spots, pull together your village, and watch in awe as your team makes a deep, lasting impact on the lives of those you serve.

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Katie Werner (she/her) Last Mile Cold Chain Solutions Project Leader & Inclusion Ally – Thermo King Corporation | Trane Technologies

Katie carries a deep passion for the growth and development of people–in her team, her company, her distribution network, and her customer’s businesses. For 15 years, her efforts have focused on skill-building, change management, and bringing out the best in those she serves in both a training and leadership capacity.