How leadership is like HGTV: what kind of show would you host?
One pandemic lesson we will take with us long past this time is: everyone in my family can get behind watching HGTV. While preferences for exact shows vary, there’s something to be said for watching something transform in front of your eyes.
As a CEO, I had the same opportunity everyday as I led my organization. I came to think of my role as facilitating the HGTV scale for change that can be used with any challenge. There are four levels:
Reset
Revamp
Reno
Demo
A reset means that there’s no need to redecorate or purchase: it’s about making sure that all those beautiful pantry baskets with artfully decorated labels contain what the labels say, not just what was thrown in there during a cleaning binge.
A revamp is the home version of a tweak. My downstairs bathroom just got a new mirror, vanity, light fixture and paint. It was a revamp--it has a whole new look, but nothing super expensive was done: no wiring or plumbing work or walls were opened up. A revamp at work is something that gives a lift, a refresh and a new feeling: it doesn’t take a lot of time or energy and makes a nice impact.
In a reno(vation), in addition to new fixtures and paints, you are also opening walls, getting into some plumbing and wiring. It’s a more time-consuming and expensive process: that said, your impact is greater as you can finally create that open living space you’ve been dreaming about, or build a two-story deck that will add so much to your life. Renovations take more time and energy, but also yield more of an impact.
A demo(lition) is tearing everything down. There’s very little to save of what exists in that case: maybe some materials you can repurpose in the new place, but a demo means “it’s time to start from scratch.” For a myriad of possible reasons, it’s time for an entirely new way of doing things.
Here’s how this scale looks when it comes to work--for example, let’s say that recent experiences have made it clear to you that your hiring practices need to change. The following are examples that will get you where you want to be, and acknowledge a variety of possible root causes:
Reset: Facilitating trainings to improve consistency
Revamp: Refining one part of the process, like replacing the activity, or overlaying a few elements to make the overall process more welcoming.
Reno: Overhauling the process using the materials and processes you have as a starting point.
Demo: Overhauling the process from beginning to end, starting mostly from scratch.
Any homeowner knows that even a minor improvement can still be a decent commitment of time and energy. As a leader the question you need to ask is: what is the level of time and commitment that will get my organization where it needs to go to reach its mission?
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What level of leadership change are you thinking about now, and why? Leave a comment below!