How to challenge practice positively
Challenging practice is often a contentious issue for many organisations. I am regularly surprised how even quite senior leaders within their organisation can struggle to challenge practice which they witness and believe to be inappropriate…
So, how do you do it effectively?
Well ,the first step is to do it! This might sound contrite; however, in life and when learning we all need to be prepared to have a go and learn from the experience… it’s all about attitude.
Excellent communicators have the belief that there is no such thing as failure, only feedback! They actively seek feedback and enter experiences with the knowledge they will learn something which they can use for the future. This relates to challenging practice too.
They see receiving feedback as a fundamental cornerstone of their own development and therefore feel completely comfortable when giving feedback to others – even if they do not hold the same belief. In fact, they hold this personal belief about the importance of giving feedback so dearly that they ensure they communicate in a way that guarantees their message gets through to the other person (even if the individual resists initially).
The excellent communicator sees this as part of their personal contribution at work, helping and assisting others to gain the feedback that they themselves desire.
So once you begin to approach feedback in a different way, what is then the best way to challenge current practice and behaviour?
Firstly, develop rapport, using body language and tone of voice skills….
Secondly, ask the person about the situation you have just witnessed and enquire how they thought it went (you may be surprised how often people know what they could have done differently, or their inbuilt ability to see solutions to their own problems).
If they are unaware, then ask them how they could have handled the situation differently or more appropriately. Acknowledge that the alternative approach would have worked better, and then add further suggestions for them to consider…
If you feel you are experiencing resistance at the start of the challenge, then make sure you are in rapport and then suggest an alternative approach that they might like to consider.
Challenging a behaviour might be between colleagues, or between manager and employee, or employee and manager – depending upon the circumstances. Although the circumstances will change, the same framework applies…
- Become calm and collected yourself first….
- Build rapport quickly…
- Ask questions…
- Deliver your feedback shaped to the response received…
And remember, there is no such thing as failure, only feedback!