Finding Focus

Hi, Welcome to another session on adaptive leadership. In this session, we take a look at finding focus. Adaptive challenges have no known solution and it requires involvement of people in the society who are facing the problem to come up with the solution to their problem. Getting on the balcony and viewing the situation and teams responses helps you to formulate patterns and minimize your own emotional responses enabling you to resist the leap to action. This provides participants with an environment to engage leading to generation of different ideas to solve the problem. 

In coming up with the solution to an adaptive challenge, norms, cultures and beliefs of people will be questioned leading to resistance and conflict. As an authority figure, regulating the heat and creating a holding environment will help you orchestrate conflict which is an avenue of getting more ideas and assessing team commitment. 

Finding focus is finding clarity to the issue, solution and the environment your team will operate in. Clear understanding of the issue, its genesis and the ideal solution based on society engagement is key in leading adaptive change. Major strategic challenge in finding focus is creation of a holding environment that binds people together. Holding environment helps authority figures to contain and adjust the heat generated by addressing difficult issues or wider value differences. This enables authority figure direct creative energy towards working conflicts ensuring the team remains focused on the course before giving work back to them. Holding environment can be created through building lateral trust, shared values and purposes and having brainstorming sessions that encourage people to speak their minds. Finding focus also ensures that work given back to the people is in a manner that does not overwhelm them so that they are in charge of the change they want to see.

Scenario

Alcohol abuse and alcoholism (excessive consumption of alcohol) within society and families is a problem that has destroyed marriages leading to increased number of street children and single parenthood. Alcoholics have been linked to stretch in family budgets, fights and ignoring their children. Alcoholism has also led to health impairment and affected happiness in many families. Statistics indicate 60-70 percent of physical fights between married couples relates to alcohol abuse. Alcohol makers and production companies are aware of the impact of alcohol to the human brain and behavior. Alcohol consumers are also aware of social, economic and health effects of alcohol but they continue to consume the liquor.  

The impact of alcoholism to society has been huge and different countries, societies, communities and families have reacted to this differently. Many governments have increased taxes on alcoholic products with the aim of increasing prices making it expensive for people to afford alcohol. Societies have also ensured alcohol dens are abolished and people who are involved in preparation and selling of alcohol are jailed. Families on the other hand have ensured no money is allocated to alcohol. Despite this people still are finding themselves in this vice.

In leading this adaptive change, you will involve different stakeholders and conflict will arise. Different factions will provide different views of how the problem is to be approached and the expected solution. Government will be proposing further increase in tax and more stringent measures to those who are found taking alcohol, society will be pointing fingers to alcohol preparers and sellers, families will be ensuring no money is made available to alcohol consumers etc. Are these the root causes? What do you need to do? These proposals may provide solutions towards the problem's symptoms and as an authority figure you need not fall into pressure that may make you doubt your capacity and direction. Acting prematurely or wavering may lead to instant loss of your initiative. In exercising adaptive leadership you need to find clarity to the problem and anticipated solution by finding focus. 

Finding and remaining focused in the heat of action is an essential skill in keeping people focused on the work. It ensures work given back to the people is in a way that does not overwhelm them and that the environment is conducive for the team to bring change to the society.

Thank you for watching.