Responsive Change Torchbearers of Inspired Leadership

Many organizations are facing challenges associated with increasing development productivity, aligning ‘people networks’ to support overall business strategy. This is essential to sustain an agile and flexible organization that can rapidly respond to changing business requirements. Initiatives to improve the alignment of micro initiatives with macro (environmental) developments are commonly hindered by isolated business processes, duplication of decision takers and a fragmented information sharing model. This lack of micro-macro integration causes inefficiency, errors, duplication, and missed business opportunities as the business initiatives address only small parts of the business process continuum. Only a holistic approach to service-oriented architecture — adopted in the design, development, and operation of enterprise-wide micro initiatives makes any organization responsive. Innovative micro-initiatives that map to macro events can effectively act as "glue" that works as an adhesive (local level) strategy and a cohesive (global level) game-plan. While every seasoned manager has experience with the good, bad and ugly of micro planning there are a few core inspired leadership lessons for succeeding in responsive change-management:
* Responsive management looks ahead to new realities
* Responsive management works with focused priorities.
* Responsive management plays for performance impact.
* Responsive management lives with transparency in action.
* Responsive management thinks about its alternatives.
What do these responsive companies and the people who run them teach us? First, inspired leaders must be champions of the customer experience. By example and by emphasis, they must set high expectations for satisfying customers in their organizations. Second, employee empathy is what creates distinctive service. It's not enough to put on a happy face. And while technology is often central to providing a superior interconnects between micro initiatives and macro necessities, it must be used to benefit people, not just to replace the human element.