I recently came across this HBR Article : How Internal Entrepreneurs Can Deal with Friendly Fire. This article speaks of a simple diagnostic framework that helps you identify the best approach in implementing the ideas that you have.
If you have high Ideation or Futuristic or perhaps even Learner, chances are you would probably want to implement some new idea or new learnings in your organisation. But implementing new ideas can be challenging at times.
This HBR Article teaches us to identify whether we ourselves, our bosses, and our organisations are in one of these 4 modes:
- MAKE it happen
- HELP it happen
- LET it happen
- KEEP it from happening
The most toxic of the 4 is obviously KEEP, where either your boss or your organisation keeps new innovation or ideas from happening. Many organisations speak of innovation, but the ones that put the money where the mouth is, are the ones who are truly committed to innovation. So what do you do when you encounter a boss or organisation that is in the KEEP mode? Well, HBR recommends that you will “probably be better off moving either to a more supportive boss or outside the organisation.”
This probably will be an uphill task if your boss or organisation is in the KEEP mode, but one way is to see if there’s a way to influence them into the LET, HELP or even MAKE mode.
You can do this by identifying a pain-point, felt-need or goal of your boss and organisation. And helping to link how the idea would help them with their objectives. If you know what your talent themes of your boss this, this may make things easier. Learn to see what would engage someone with your boss’s StrengthsFinder Profile.
If the person is high on Analytical, prepare lots of data and information for him to read, help him boil down the information by presenting trends, and patterns from the data.
If the person is high on Significance, identify what is the legacy he wants to leave behind, and link the idea to how it contributes to his legacy. Help him see how he will be perceived in the eyes of others who are important to him will be enhanced.
Once you have influenced them to switch modes, you have managed to open the door somewhat. Then you may wish to adopt the recommendations from this other HBR Article (Act Like an Entrepreneur Inside Your Organization):
- Bring others along – Build an internal network of supportive peers and bosses.
- Use the ACT-LEARN-BUILD cycle
I would add, from the Strengths Perspective, to build an interdependent team to push your ideas forward. After all, if you are high in Strategic Thinking Themes, you may wish to have someone with high Activator (for example) to help get things off the ground.
