How well does your team understand coming changes in the external environment?

Leading People
Written By Stacia Aylward

The Challenge

Make a list of five important external factors currently influencing your organization, such as changing regulations, competition, customer demographics, etc. Write two questions for each of the five factors. At your next staff meeting, ask your staff these questions so that they can learn from the discussion and so that you can gauge your team's knowledge and understanding. Schedule a 15-minute discussion in your subsequent team meetings on each of the factors, especially the ones about which the team seemed to be the least knowledgeable.

Why do this?

Help your staff become proactive and good managers of change. High performing teams are aware of factors--internal and external--that are impacting the work and mission of the organization.

This act is part of your long-term effort to develop your team by helping them understand and adapt to changes in the external environment.

What’s next?

Repeat this act periodically to ensure your team has a full understanding of the external forces in your environment and can be address them proactively.

Stacia Aylward

Zelos CEO Stacia C. Aylward is an executive leader and lifelong learner with broad professional experience in envisioning and leading programs, projects and teams; facilitating and teaching adults; conducting research; and developing client relationships using proven methodologies in many government and technical fields, including economics, education, healthcare, housing, non-profit governance, IT and law. Stacia holds a master’s degree in Communication and Information, a bachelor’s degree in English, a Six Sigma black belt certification, and a Coach Approach to Leadership credential.

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