Spent some time this week (about 4 hours) building the first of two large process maps. This picture is just a small piece of the process we mapped for the administration of the Remarkable Leadership Learning System.
It was a really good meeting (thanks to Andrea and Barb!).
We got a lot done in a relatively small amount of time. We mapped a fairly linear picture of what seemed to be a very non-linear process. We laughed (probably not enough, but thats OK). We snacked.
I walked away feeling like we accomplished something.
And, I have to tell you, it was hard work.
Matter of fact, I sort of felt like my head was going to explode by the time we were done.
Unfortunately, Im confident my colleagues knew my head was about to explode a couple times during the day. (Note to self, work on acting skills )
You have to understand, I absolutely, 100%, know the value of and appreciate having a very specific, step-by-step picture identified for complex processes. And, at the same time, I get a little persnickety about having to write a post-it note for every single little step of every single little piece of every single thing. Bah!
The take away for me (and possibly anyone trying to develop good leadership skills)?
Get over yourself!
If youre going to lead processes, you must have those processes identified step-by-step-by-step. Only when they are that painstakingly clear will you and your team be able to execute them with ease.
Team leadership requires a clear game plan. Developing process maps helps you create those game plans. It also helps you identify where the gaps are in your current systems and a whole lot more.
If you don’t have your process maps in place, I hope for your sake and for the sake of anyone you lead, that you take some time to get out the sticky notes and get going!
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