Abstract

It is so obvious: “People are the most important assets.” But good intentions are not good enough to win the game in today’s complex, uncertain, and knowledge-driven environment. The task is to make it real. First, this means getting people to collaborate and provide the means to find the purpose, rather than command and control. Second, to enable leadership teams to provide choice, to raise the awareness for what is important, and to help people to remain focused on the things that matter most. Leadership, systems, and culture frame the performance triangle. It offers both a diagnostic tool to help leaders decode and design the routines, rules, and practices for superior decision making, and a coaching approach with three parts: observation, response, and success. The insights from ten years of research with the diagnostic tool help leaders build organizations for superior innovation and growth. This paper will engage readers in a diagnostic with 10 observation points and 7 questions to help them coach leadership teams and build a working environment where people use their full potential to translate knowledge into action.