One of the most transformational deliverables of the HR professionals is to help transform the behaviors of its key business leaders in response to the changing business requirement. The systemic leadership behavior transformational approach is based on the basic science of how and why people change behaviors in a workplace setting. It helps us answer the following questions.

1. What should be the process of leadership behavior transformation?
2. What types of development interventions should be used to make such transformation happen, and in what sequence?
3. Are external interventions sufficient to cause sustainable behavior change?
4. How do we ensure that the learning gets translated into on-the-job performance?
5. What role does the environmental factors such as rewards and recognition, measurement, culture etc. play in the process of behavior transformation?
6. Changing set patterns of behavior is often emotionally and mentally taxing. How can leaders restore their depleted energy?
7. How do we ensure that leaders are continuously motivated and engaged in the process of behavior transformation?

Leadership behavior transformation approach attempts to answer the above mentioned questions. It is primarily based on the following three premises.

• First, the brain continuously reorganizes itself to form new neural pathways based on the learning experiences leaders go through in our lives. These experiences can be provided by internal or external interventions
• Second, the leader should have the intent to assimilate the learning from these experiences and be willing to change behaviors
• Third, the environment should encourage the leader to demonstrate the new set of behaviors

Thus the approach presents a series of interrelated learning experiences which the leader goes through and learns from. These experiences are provided by the external and internal interventions. External interventions are triggered by the events in the external environment. Examples of such interventions include creating baseline of behaviors, passive observation, active observation, passive experimentation and active experimentation. Internal interventions help self-regulate the leaders by practices such as meditation, healthy eating, regular exercise, investing time in blissful activities etc. These practices replenish the depleted energy in leaders and also help in managing the stress associated with behavior change.

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Leadership Behavior Transformation Approach

Leadership behavior transformation approach presents a series of 5 sequential experiences which help the leader to transition from her ‘As-Is’ behavior state to the ‘To-Be’ behavior state. Each of these experiences provides unique learning and progressively builds on the preceding intervention. Personal energy management techniques are deployed alongside to restore the depleted energy in the leader as she goes through these experiences. Continuous coaching, from start to finish, is also provided to assimilate the learning and to ensure its translation into behavior change. Thus leadership behavior transformation approach consists of following 7 interrelated elements – five experiences, personal energy management and coaching.

1. Creating baseline of behaviors
2. Passive observation
3. Active observation
4. Passive experimentation
5. Active experimentation
6. Personal energy management & Coaching

Step-1: Creating the Baseline

Before the leaders go through any structured behavior change intervention, they should clearly understand their ‘As-Is’ behavior dispositions and ‘To-Be’ behavior inventory. This also provides the clear understanding of the start point and the end point of the behavior transformation process. Techniques such as assessment/ development centers and 360 degree evaluations help the leaders in this regard.

Step-2: Passive Observation

Under passive observation, the leader gets to observe the application of the ‘To-Be’ behavior inventory in a secondary context. The secondary context is defined as any general context which is outside the realm of the organization or a context which is not connected to her work environment. Such a context may be created through a case study, a movie or a story book.

Step-3: Active Observation

Under step-3, the leader observes the application of ‘To-Be’ behaviors in the ‘primary context. Primary context is defined as the actual organization context. This helps consolidate the learning of the leader with respect to the behavior observation in a more direct and immediate surroundings. There may be already people in the organization who may be demonstrating the ‘To-Be’ behaviors in their respective roles. The key here is to connect such people with the leader who is to be developed. This provides a great opportunity to the leader to directly observe the application of ‘To-Be’ behaviors.

Step-4: Passive Experimentation

Passive experimentation is an opportunity provided to the leader to start the self-application of ‘To-Be’ behaviors in a simulated or pilot environment. The opportunity may be put into practice in three ways, namely through special assignments, through on-the-job experimentation and through business simulations. The objective of the interventions is to encourage the leaders to start applying the “To-Be’ behavior inventory in a low risk and amenable environment. Leaders, on the other hand, must reflect on their experiences and device better ways of applying the learning in their existing or potential role.

Step-5: Active Experimentation

Under step-5, the leader is put into a full-fledged feeder role. Feeder roles are those roles which help develop specific leadership competencies required in high level leadership roles, also called pivotal roles. This is a huge investment which the organization makes to groom leaders for higher and more challenging leadership roles. Thus these feeder roles act as a great training ground for those who may eventually take up the pivotal role.

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Personal Energy Management

Changing the set behavior patterns in the leader is quite a difficult task and requires lot of perseverance and commitment on the part of the leader. She expends a lot of energy in continuously stepping out of her comfort zone. Personal energy management techniques help restore the energy balance in the leader as she goes through the above mentioned external interventions. Multiple studies have shown that we derive energy from three basic sources of energy, namely, physical energy, emotional energy and spiritual energy. These three sources of energy are strongly interrelated and depletion of any one source strongly impacts the others. Personal energy management is all about maintaining the right balance among the three sources of energy.

Coaching

As the leader goes through multiple external and internal interventions, it is important that all the experiences provided by these interventions get converted into learning, and further this learning gets translated into behavior change. Coaching is a great support in this regard and helps the leader in the following two ways.

• Helps the leader to assimilate and internalize the learning
• Helps the leader to translate the learning into behavior change

Key objective of all the above mentioned experiences, put together, is to help the leader to transition from her ‘As-Is’ behavior state to the ‘To-Be’ behavior state. One of the most important conditions to bring about a successful behavior transformation in leaders is to simultaneously provide them with the supporting environment. Supporting environment is marked with two distinct features. First, it encourages the leader to wholeheartedly participate in the above suggested interventions; and secondly it also encourages the leader to start demonstrating the ‘To-Be’ behaviors. We have seen many effective and powerful interventions fail because of the absence of the supporting environment. It provides the necessary tailwind to the entire initiative. On the other hand, absence of the supporting environment is a sure shot guarantee for failure. Supporting environment is defined in terms of having in place a legitimate business case for behavior change, rewards and recognition, top management commitment, measurement mechanism and learning culture.

Author Information:

Bhrigu Joshi is an alumnus of TISS (batch of 2007-09) and is currently the Head – Talent Management & Development at Makemytrip and very recently he was declared as one of the winners of the prestigious ‘India’s new emerging HR Leaders’ award by People Matters & DDI Sources