Paint & Pipette: The Art & Science of Innovation S3E11: Navigating Organizational Culture and Unwritten Rules with Liz Wiseman
Understanding and adapting to unwritten rules and organizational culture is a continual process. It's essential to strike a balance between fitting into the existing culture and bringing in new perspectives to drive positive change. In today’s episode, we sit down with Liz Wiseman, a management expert and CEO of The Wiseman Group, to discuss the challenges of controlling idea flow and the problems it might cause in leadership roles. Liz is a renowned researcher and best-selling author who empowers global organizations with her groundbreaking insights on leadership development. In our conversation, we cover a range of topics, from leadership challenges to the use of AI in idea generation, and the importance of recognizing, owning, and addressing critical, unassigned issues within an organization. We unpack understanding organizational culture, identifying impact players, the role of context in performance, and maintaining an impact player mindset within different work environments. She also shares insights into the challenges faced by idea-rich individuals in leadership positions, the importance of leaders asking questions to enable problem-solving by the team, the concept of "hot spots" within an organization, and much more! Join us as we unlock the secrets to thriving within the complex tapestry of organizational culture and harness the power of the unwritten rules with legendary management guru, Liz Wiseman!
Key Points From This Episode:
- Controlling the overflow of ideas she generates and its impact on her role as a leader.
- Her approach to channeling ideas effectively.
- The power of shifting from offering answers to asking questions as a leader.
- Examples of using questions to draw out creativity from a team.
- Clarifying the difference between hard opinions and soft opinions.
- Developing multiple solutions rather than settling for the first idea.
- Learn about AI’s impact on idea generation and the quality of solutions.
- Steps for identifying the job that needs to be done and “hotspot” areas.
- Why you should take ownership of unresolved or unassigned problems.
- Making important issues for your team a personal priority.
- How to learn about the unwritten rules as a new or remote worker.
- Why understanding a company’s culture is so crucial.
- The power individuals possess in shaping their work and environment.
- Tips for identifying impact players when hiring.
- Essential takeaways that Liz has for listeners.
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
S3E7: Judging The Experiment Not The Outcome with Dr. Astro Teller