SERVING NOTICE

Once a leader has decided on a developmental goal and has started working on it, a challenge emerges: how can the leader get others to notice that he or she has changed?

Some people who have dyed their hair or shaved their beards have reported that their spouses didn't even notice the change at first. And once the spouses did notice, it took them a while to decide whether the change was an improvement. So imagine the leader's challenge in getting others to notice a change that's more subtle, such as becoming more patient or listening better. If a leader makes progress toward a goal of becoming more decisive yet people continue to think of him as wishy-washy, how does he get them to notice the improvement? And even when others notice that the leader is doing something differently, how can he be sure they will think it's an improvement?

Leaders can not only respond to people's perceptions but also influence them. For example, if you are in the process of improving, you can point out to people that you are changing by using incisive statements, such as these:

I've had a little feedback about being wishy-washy, so let me make a decision here.

Or

I'm working on a goal of making decisions more quickly, so let me see how I do here.

Such statements not only market the intended change by pointing to it but also invite feedback and assessment, which are essential to the developmental process.

People tend to look at others they have known for a while through the same lens they have always used. Leaders need to do something dramatic to get others to notice that their behavior has changed. And because the changes and improvements that leaders are able to make in their leadership styles and communication skills are often small and incremental, the subtleties are often lost on a busy and preoccupied audience.

Leaders have to not only change but also advertise their changes.