Raising Adults in the Workplace

Think about it. The vast majority of us in the workforce lead our lives independently outside of work. We make decisions around what to buy, where to live, who to socialise with, and personal goals we want to achieve. Some of us are responsible for making decisions with, and for others, as well.

So when it comes to the workplace:

• Why is there so little room for independent decision making?
• Why do we need to be told not only what to do, but how to do it?
• So how can leaders inspire the needed change through effective leadership?

In today’s world knowledge work is ever-present. Most of our outputs aren’t physical products anymore, rather, a series of ideas and interactions where innovation and creativity are essential to remain competitive. Where our assets are now people who bring insights to the table, and where the speed in which ideas and data travel is unprecedented and will only continue to increase. Challenging us to behave differently in order to adapt to this evolving environment and change at work. But to be able to adapt at work requires good leadership.  

Raising adults in the workplace enables leaders to give people the creative freedom to bring their ideas and insights to the table. Because the reality is, none of our brains work in the same way. This is why the shift from command and control management towards managing to outcomes has presented an opportunity - empowering (and maybe even burdening) people to be adults in the workplace.

Activity-based working (ABW) has been a powerful lever for our clients in shifting the management paradigm. A huge signal of a powerful change in the physical environment, that directly supports these new behaviours - adult behaviours - to be able to work time, place, and paper independent. In other words, an overarching independence which we have adopted in our personal lives yet have been slow to adopt in our professional lives. 

So let's inspire change through effective thought leadership! As a leader, start by helping people think for themselves again, and encouraging independence, with the following 5 steps:

1. Set HIGH ASPIRATIONS that matter to your organisation and to you. 
2. Invite your team into the DIALOGUE so that it matters to them too.
3. Give people enough rope to figure out HOW TO ACHIEVE those aspirations. Ask more questions, give less answers. 
4. Allow SPACE FOR FAILURE to create space for learning. 
5. Celebrate and reflect on the learnings to EVOLVE. 

In conclusion...

It’s not rocket science. So let’s break down the boundaries and create the freedom to integrate our everyday adult behaviours, from our personal lives, into our professional lives. There's no reason why they should be any different!

If your leadership team is looking for inspiration into how they can reimagine the way people work, to support your future strategy and vision, give us a call on +61 2 8064 7671. Or click here for more information.

- Allison Tsao

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