Q&A With Professor Damian Hughes

When facing change, the 2 attributes which people demand from leaders are:

1. Transparency: tell me what you stand for.
2. Consistency: apply it.
This creates trust and safety, 2 essential factors to successful change.

There are 5 STEPS to creating a compelling vision:

S: simplicity – the one most important point.
T: asking questions and getting people to think.
E: emotional intelligence.
P: practical and accessible. No jargon.
S: stories which capture the required behaviours.

There are four things which leaders must do to stop others being overwhelmed by change:

1. Create a sense of belonging.
2. Ensure people feel psychologically safe.
3. Reinforce the value which people can offer.
4. Offer people real control and empowerment.

There are 3 traps:

1. Ego: creating a culture is about how people behave when you’re not there.
2. Complacency: assuming the creation of a high performing culture is done after a bit of success.
3. People first: people are your most important asset so prove it to them. Regularly.

Economists have estimated that a leader only really influences around 10% of a group’s performance. The leaders who inspire are those who role model the cultural behaviours and act through integrity.  They maximise their 10% impact.