Here’s the email I wrote to leaders in Reno County this AM:
Yup, we’re back on the weather again. While last week, I spoke of taking the temperature as a way to diagnose the situation, today, I want to encourage you to raise the heat. Now, raising the heat affects things (even here in KS where we bemoan the cold weather and hope for warmer temperatures knowing that it will inevitably produce those tornadic May storm cells). Raising the heat in our civic environs may be a risky adventure. That’s why our raising of the heat must be purposeful and skillful.
Here’s one installment and simply a portion of the KLC’s Raise The Heat resource which gets at how we can raise the heat:
■ Use silence. Don’t jump in and answer the question for others. Let them do the work.
■ Allow more time. Tough issues will surface and progress will be made if you allocate enough time to let a group stew.
■ Grab the bull by the horns and declare a way forward after receiving input from others. Movement often raises the heat and gets people to engage more fully.
■ Lay out the consequences of inaction.
■ Define the roles of individuals and organizations, thus formally placing responsibility where it is needed most.
■ Use humor.
■ Provide an external reality check on the situation.
■ Identify the elephant in the room.
■ Ask open-ended questions.
So, as you consider how you might engage in an act of leadership by raising the heat, do it skillfully, purposefully and creatively so that we can make progress on those areas we care about deeply.
Hopin’ for a heat wave…