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What if they already know it? Whether it is a team member or a bot as a team member, leaders need help finding their way through what is the truth, potential tools, and triumphs they might experience by leveraging every option at their disposal. If someone or somebot already knows it, let’s think about how we can leverage it in these amazing times we live in.
ChatGPT is an amazing tool that can act as an executive coach for k-12, higher ed, and workforce leaders.
Let’s say you ask it to act as an Executive Coach. I will provide some details about the two team members involved in a conflict, and it will be ChatGPT’s job to come up with suggestions on how they can work through the issues that are separating them. This could include advice on communication techniques or different strategies for improving their understanding of one another's perspectives. My first request is: I need help solving conflicts between a team member and myself. I direct ChatGPT to use unbiased language and be mindful of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. ChatGPT will not get every response perfect, but it will give leaders perspective, approach, insights, and help finding their way.
Bonus Tool: Here’s a long list of “act as” prompts with examples: https://www.promptvine.com/ |
Not to be outdone, people also are amazing multipliers, influencers, and evangelists for what they already know. Part of leaders helping others find their way is unleashing intrapreneurs inside of every organization.
Many millions of people proudly claim the title ‘entrepreneur.’ On the other hand, a title that hasn’t gotten nearly the amount of attention it deserves is entrepreneur’s little brother, ‘intrapreneur:’ an employee who is given freedom and financial support to create new products, services and systems, who does not have to follow the company’s usual routines or protocols.’ - Richard Branson, CEO Virgin Group
How do you find time to develop intrapreneurs, wayfinders, and people who already know it? There's an old joke among the CEOs and the CFOs that goes as follows:
CFO: What if we spend all this money and time to develop our people and they leave us?
CEO: What if we don't and they stay?
This joke can serve as a catalyst for growing intrapreneurs up and out of your organization. Research shows that 87% or higher retention can be obtained if intrapreneurs are given time to innovate and create toward your purposes and some visions that you did not yet see (BCG, 2012). So, how do you manage this kind of creativity and people who already know it or how to do it?
Three things we do at Setser Group that can be helpful for any organization.
Be clear on communication. Some employees are going to be treated differently, and that's ok. Be clear about what they are working on, what the results are, and how often you are making decisions as a leadership team on how all can participate in the scaling effort. Unleash intrarpeneurs to connect with teammates, share their vision, and lead a project. Simply put, get out of the way and clear the path at the same time for intrapreneurs to work in your organization.
Be tight on reporting, loose on how intrapreneurs get to the report. Don't micromanage the intrapreneur. Give them a problem to solve or a set of resources to use - they often already know how to do it. Then set tight milestones to make decisions for your return on investment. Help them understand what to shift, scrap, or scale and give them feedback to fuel their next design process. They already know many things to be successful. Your role as a leader is to help them discover even more about themselves and to help others learn from them by connecting their role to the betterment of your organization.
Finally, hold celebration and recognition events for intrapreneurs. Make it clear this kind of person and these kinds of behaviors are valued in your organization. Feature them on the web, in newsletters, or at a holiday or year-end gala. While everyone in your organization will not be an intrapreneur, you'll get a lot of small wins by developing intrapreneur habits as educators and leaders work together to learn these skills and dispositions to help folks find their way.