By Donna Howes, CHRP

“Overall, HR functions in the province of B.C. are focused on increasing their leadership capability and ensuring their staff groups perform. After a year of change in 2009, the majority of organizations are focused on getting the best contribution from the leaders and employees they have.”  BC Human Resources Management Association – HR Trends in B.C. Survey Report (2010)

Today, success is all about everyone being on the same page—pulling together—and in tight alignment with the organization’s business objectives.   Scan the management literature and you’ll find that creativity and innovation, both byproducts of fully engaged employees, are accepted as sources of business value. Buy a few more books and you’ll see that leadership itself has been redefined as: emotional intelligence, presence, authentic, fierce, from the inside out, strength-based and primal.

No wonder there’s been a significant rethink in how we measure the effectiveness of our leaders. To be successful today, leaders must have courage, commonsense, commitment; and most of all, communicate ‘beyond the babble’. Not only do they have to deliver bottom line results, they now have to do it with passion!

A look inside some of BC’s foremost organizations illustrates that leadership doesn’t just happen, it’s nurtured and grown.

City of Abbotsford: LEAD & LEAP

Leadership development is the cornerstone of the City of Abbotsford’s people and organizational development strategy to engage, inspire and support an effective, service-oriented workforce. “We are committed to increasing our leadership capacity and a new way of thinking through LEAD—Leading with Excellence Abbotsford Development,” says Monica Affleck, people and organizational development advisor.

LEAD, a 14-month leadership development program with five modules of 11 instructional days followed by a final assessment report and presentation, covers foundational knowledge and skills that help people to be their best, regardless of their role in the organization. Monica believes that when you create a space for people to learn at work, learning can take place every day. Moreover, people will apply what they’ve learned to make a tangible difference and “lead from wherever they stand” in the organization.

“The feedback so far has been fantastic,” Monica says. “Through the cohort model of learning together, participants are developing relationships with others across the organization, which is so important to break down silos and barriers and help us become more effective. The LEAD program is a great opportunity for change in how we do our work, how we relate to each other and ultimately change in how leadership is defined at the City, right now and in the future.”

So successful is the LEAD program, that City of Abbotsford is about to introduce LEAPS—Leading with Excellence Abbotsford Program for Supervisors—for employees who lead the work of others and are looking toward career progression.

Vancity: Banking on Trust and Appreciation

As a financial membership organization that has made corporate social responsibility an integral part of its identity, Vancity is often showcased as an organization that lives its values in the way it does business. Its ideals are secured in the well-being of members, employees and the communities they serve. It is a culture where extraordinary leadership is measured by delivering on human values, as well as return on investment.

Enhancing values and providing stewardship throughout the organization is Mark Jeffrey’s passion. In his role as special projects advisor, and with the valued support of CEO Tamara Vrooman, Mark is taking a whole-systems’ approach, coaching groups as well as individual managers and team leaders. By opening up meaningful conversations about core values such as ‘trust’, Mark is facilitating new ways of working together between employees through greater awareness and self-leadership.

“We have opened an authentic new dialogue about trust, about being valued, and what it means to be member of the Vancity family,” says Mark. “The goal has been to grow a shared understanding about personal responsibility and about ‘being my word’ when dealing with colleagues and the people we serve.”

Appreciative Inquiry is the starting point for many of Mark’s workshops. He’s found that employees have greater awareness of what motivates them as individuals when they feel appreciated and supported in their efforts. By voicing appreciation for a colleague and for what’s already working in the relationship, it becomes easier to request what is needed for things to work even better.

“There is something simple, and yet powerful and transformational about helping people to find their voice and inspire others to find theirs,” says Mark. As a result of these meaningful conversations, there is a greater awareness of the real ‘Vancity way’ and the results that are possible when everyone brings the best of who they are to the workplace.

Problems get solved by people working together; participating, collaborating and creating new connections. Trust, along with some other very positive human values is what true leadership has always been about; we just weren’t ready to have the conversation on such a personal level. We are now though, and one reason is that we do have a new language that allows us to engage in meaningful conversations about our shared experiences within the workplace.

Humanity at Work’s Donna Howes, CHRP is a coach and organization development consultant devoted to creating confident leaders, strong teams and proud, productive workplaces.  She is a Certified Executive Coach, VP of the BC Organization Development Network, and a proud champion of The Minerva Foundation for BC Women.

(PeopleTalk: Winter 2010)