Recently I caught up with Dan Reiland to talk about his new book, Amplified Leadership. Check out the interview below:
TONY: You wrote that giving apprentices real responsibility allows them to experience the reality of leadership. What can organizations do to create a path to help young, gifted leaders grow and gain responsibility and authority?
DAN: I think there are at least three components involved in that process. First is leadership development. We call it the 2X factor – investing twice as much in as we expect back. In some ways, that’s a metaphor of sorts, because it is difficult to measure. But it creates a clear picture of the culture we strive to have. It’s a leadership culture that drives us to commit to investing in our people, especially the next generation. We have a large number of twenty-somethings on staff and we love their talent, energy, ideas and potential! Second, is an environment of experimentation and learning. I often say, “Make mistakes, make lots of mistakes, even make big mistakes, just don’t make the same mistake twice!” If they make mistakes and learn, they are growing. That’s a good thing. If they repeatedly make the same mistake, they are not learning! Not good. The third component is empowerment. Without true empowerment (trust, responsibility etc.) there is no true growth path.
TONY: Many organizations are stuck because they resist change. How do you inspire people to change and teach them how to adapt to it?
DAN: We teach people that change is not an option. We make change fun. We communicate the positive results of change and we also tell the truth about the price tag of change. But the real truth is that lack of change always carries a greater price tag! At 12Stone we want everyone to “take the journey” with us, but we won’t stop the train if they don’t want to go. (more…)
