Slowing down just isn't an option in these days of "Internet time." Or is it??? Perhaps it is only by taking time to reflect deeply and learn new ways of thinking and behaving that an organization can truly prosper in these challenging times.

Book Notes:
Deep Change: Discovering the Leader Within
by Robert Quinn
Jossey-Bass, 1996.
Quinn describes a different level of personal and organizational change in this book. Perhaps we can best describe it through the concept of conditional confidence and unconditional confidence. With conditional confidence, a person has faith that she will perform well as long as the situation is consistent with her assumptions about it.

However, with unconditional confidence, she knows that she can discard any assumptions that don't fit or strategies that don't work as things are unfolding, right in the middle of the action! Deep change, as Quinn describes it, is about developing unconditional confidence, both individually and organizationally.

Breaking the Tyranny of the Task

Let's get practical. What can you do to break the tyranny of the task and develop your leadership at a deeper level? Here are three ideas to get you started:

• Bold experiments
• Focused reflection
• Systems perspective

Bold Experiments

Life is an equation with an infinite number of unknowns! OK - maybe not truly infinite but certainly an unknowably large number. So, it's not possible to figure it all out. Just try something bold and innovative, and assess the results quickly.

The tracking of outcomes is key to learning. If, for example, you decide that your staff meetings are dull and unproductive, think about what you could learn about your leadership, your organization, etc. by trying a radically different approach to staff communication. Notice the impact it has on you personally as well as on your organization. Be bold, not incremental. And look for more than just superficial results. Really notice the impact on your energy, your commitment, and your engagement with your staff.

Which takes us to. . .

Focused Reflection

Spend some time each week looking inside. Notice when you feel energized about your work and when you are just going through the motions. Think about what matters most to you and how it is connected to your work. Play "what if" about your role in the organization, your work, and your impact on others. Use this reflection time to gain insights from your recent bold experiments and to dream up the next wild idea.

Systems Perspective

To develop the ability to abandon assumptions or strategies that aren't working, you need a larger view. Practice the discipline of seeing the whole system.

For example, when someone makes a significant technical breakthrough, of course you want to appreciate that individual for his contribution. And, you also need to take a step back to see what else in the system contributed to the break through.

Look at the way the team is organized, the physical space, the way customer input is communicated, etc. Focus on the big picture. See this event as part of a larger pattern of successes. What forms the pattern?

The Tyranny of the Task

Sometimes the shortest path to success isn't just plowing through all those things that "must" be done. We hope these suggestions help liberate you from the tyranny of the task.

Note: If you'd like to discuss your organization's ability to learn and innovate, email us at Info@OptimaConsulting.com.

Leadership Reflection: On a scale of 1 to 10, how passionate do you feel about your work? Identify 5 ways your level of passion is reflected in your organization or your employees.