Melissa!!! The image of the feet freezing on a sheet of ice to represent the frozen middle is memorable! Even more memorable is your proposed solution to this problem. Changing the narrative with clear guarantees and incentives in writing is a great first step to enable middle managers to embrace innovative efforts. And just imagine how this empowers their teams not to mention the morale boost. Sustaining this strategy is the next step. I know you have thoughts on this as well!!
Charlene, thanks for seeing the heart of what I’m trying to say. The air cover piece matters more than most leaders realize (and it’s often what’s missing when people get labeled as 'resistant').
You’re right about sustainability, too. Guarantees and incentives get things moving, and backing people up when things get messy keep things going in over the long haul. Thanks for weighing in!
Melissa!!! The image of the feet freezing on a sheet of ice to represent the frozen middle is memorable! Even more memorable is your proposed solution to this problem. Changing the narrative with clear guarantees and incentives in writing is a great first step to enable middle managers to embrace innovative efforts. And just imagine how this empowers their teams not to mention the morale boost. Sustaining this strategy is the next step. I know you have thoughts on this as well!!
Charlene, thanks for seeing the heart of what I’m trying to say. The air cover piece matters more than most leaders realize (and it’s often what’s missing when people get labeled as 'resistant').
You’re right about sustainability, too. Guarantees and incentives get things moving, and backing people up when things get messy keep things going in over the long haul. Thanks for weighing in!