LEADS – 20 Questions to ask during change

The LEADS framework provides a comprehensive overview of dimensions of leadership.  There are many ways to use the framework.  One approach that I find very useful is to create reflective questions from the capabilities.  I rarely use questions from all 20 capabilities as that would feel overwhelming.  More often I go to the framework with a particular question or challenge that I’m facing and see which capabilities stand out as potentially useful in sorting out the challenge.  I then turn those capabilities into questions to ponder.  I’ve often found new insights this way, using the capabilities to stimulate my thinking, particularly to ferret out any aspects of the issue that I have not considered.

Listed here are sample questions developed to support reflection when approaching any change.  Find 3-5 that interest you, and reflect on how you might improve your approach to a change by focusing on those questions.

1. What strengths / limitations do I have with respect to dealing with this change?
2. How does this change relate to my values?
3. What learning do I need to do to be effective during this time of change?
4. How does this change challenge my resilience and confidence?
5. Who can I support or challenge to develop by participating in the change?
6. How can I meaningfully engage people in the coming change?
7. What communication plan /methods will be essential as we deal with this change?
8. How can we use this change as a vehicle for building collaboration?
9. What outcomes are important for us to achieve with this change?
10. How does the change align with our organizational values, mission and available evidence?
11. What implementation challenges do we foresee when working through this change?
12. What criteria will we use to measure our success?
13. What partners do we need to include in this project?
14. What are the needs of our customers and how will this change improve the quality of our service?
15. What knowledge / information / intelligence do we need to base our change decisions on?
16. What political forces will bring opportunities or threats during this change?
17. What impact will this change have more broadly on the people, processes and services with which we interact?
18. How can we support innovation and creativity during this change?
19. What are some of the emerging trends that we can leverage during this change?
20. Which stakeholders will champion this change?