More Challenges

Getting people to understand the boundaries
There are times when people think with this new style the door is wide open to do whatever you please, however you please. There are boundaries, however, no matter what type of leadership style you use. The most important aspect here is that you communicate the boundaries clearly to the team.

A couple of suggestions to help people understand what the boundaries are:

- Ensure your company clearly states its values. If your company does not, then develop team value statements. Value statements help people make decisions. The boundary is denoted when decisions that contradict with the companies values.

- Ensure expectations are clearly communicated. By communicating expectations, goals, targets, objectives, whatever you want to call them, helps to define what the boundaries are.

- If your company has a mission or vision statement, then talk about what this statement means in relation to the bigger picture and in relation to the teams' role. Again, if there is no mission or vision statement then develop a team statement.

Developing trust
Getting people to say what they really think' having them be open and upfront is quite ana unique challenge. Previous leadership styles disciplined people for speaking up. So to expect people to change overnight and truly believe it is okay to say what you think may take time. You may find they are saying one thing but thinking another.

You have to put the issues on the table rather than letting the issues go undetected.

People who are stuck
Some people are stuck in old ways and refuse to change. They think if they ignore this latest fad long enough it will go away. They influence those around them to resist this latest change. This can be frustrating, however, a good coach is able to identify those with that type of mindset and work with them to move forward.

There comes a point, however, that when a person refuses to change, then parting company may be best for both parties. It is important to realize that not everyone will adapt to this new philosophy no matter how hard you try.