For many leaders, the path to success becomes hindered by rigid problem-solving and the fear of imperfection. For individuals navigating management, where decision-making complexities abound, mastering nonlinear problem-solving and leadership lessons is essential.
Enter Kate Walker, a seasoned HR expert certified in SPHR and SHRM-SCP, with experience spanning more than two decades in corporate leadership. Through her executive coaching, HR consulting and online educational platform, Walker empowers individuals and teams to transcend conventional managerial problem-solving and embrace nonlinear approaches to leading a successful professional and personal life.
In her book, A Candid Conversation: Lessons in Life, Love & Leadership, Walker shares how conducting a “values audit” in her 40s propelled her toward life-affirming decisions, including leaving her “secure” corporate job serving billion-dollar companies to starting her own coaching and consulting business. Her transformative journey offers leadership lessons and a road map to innovation and adaptability that can lead to profound growth and success in both your career and personal life.
Nonlinear problem-solving tactics
Below, Walker outlines some nonlinear problem-solving strategies to embrace.
Brainstorming
“Brainstorming encourages creativity. It’s embracing uncertainty and listening, especially if you’re the type of person who likes to go right to a solution or solve a problem,” Walker says. All ideas are valued, encouraging the exploration of new and innovative concepts that might not otherwise be developed or shared for fear of appearing foolish.
Creating moments of inspiration
Unlocking inspiration that fuels actions, momentum and innovation is the ultimate aim of leadership. Changing scenery—whether through museum visits, team-building activities or outdoor excursions—unwinds the chaos and stagnation of our rote workflow and rejuvenates thinking, fostering creativity.
Visioning via pros and cons analysis
Envisioning yourself pursuing new endeavors and tuning into how resonant they feel supports better decision-making. Utilizing pros and cons lists allows you to assess multiple potential paths before embarking on a particular one.
Safety first
Effective implementation of these strategies hinges on leadership’s commitment to creating a safe and inclusive environment. Skilled facilitators like Walker play a vital role in creating and maintaining this atmosphere, empowering teams to cultivate it independently.
Feedback and recognition
Walker champions feedback as indispensable for personal and professional development. Good communication is critical for smooth feedback delivery and reception.
Here are Walker’s top ways for delivering effective feedback:
- Communicate expectations clearly: Unclear role expectations often lead to dissonance. Before criticism or termination enters the conversation, clarify expectations.
- Set achievable goals: Overly ambitious targets can demoralize. Collaboratively divide larger goals into achievable milestones to promote motivation and progress.
- Offer support and resources: Without proper support, we can get stopped at the start. Providing quality guidance and resources empowers individuals, cultivating initiative and sustained progress.
- Recognize and reward achievement: Ensure that feedback includes celebrating successes and rewarding the efforts of all team members. Acknowledging contributions bolsters morale and fosters a sense of purpose.
- Cultivate accountability: Accountability starts with leadership setting the precedent for organizational culture. Accountability thrives in a work environment that values transparent communication and ongoing learning.
Navigating values
In her book, Walker introduces the “values audit” exercise, drawing from The Leadership Challenge, guiding readers through an introspective exercise to identify their core values.
Once identified, these values serve as touchstones for decision-making. Walker emphasizes the importance of aligning choices with one’s values. It’s not an overnight process, Walker cautions—it’s a continual process of growth and refinement guiding both professional and personal endeavors.
Walker’s nonlinear approach brings values to conscious awareness to support better decision-making. “There is a fluidity in values,” Walker says. “We’re not always honoring the same values in work as we are in our personal life, but it’s good to know what values you anchor to because, then, you understand what drives you.”
How to foster an open dialogue
Central to effective coaching is the art of fostering open dialogue without imposing solutions. A one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work. Meeting each person where they are in terms of communication style, strengths and motivations is essential.
Listening
Instead of rushing to provide answers, prioritize listening and asking open-ended questions. As Walker notes, “It feels like we should give answers and move on, but what it’s really about is asking, ‘How can we nurture supportive interactions?’ Getting into playful, creative conversation and opening up the dialogue to hear their points of view. That is powerful.”
Validating individuals
Acknowledging and validating individuals’ feelings is essential in defusing tensions and nurturing healthy relationships. Even if the interaction isn’t one of conflict, the tenets of conflict resolution are a guiding light: mirror, validate and empathize.
Transforming leadership: Kate Walker’s New Manager Academy program
A hot topic in corporate leadership is managerial training that encompasses the entire hierarchy from CEOs to frontline supervisors. However, executives often seek Walker’s expertise once an issue becomes urgent, prompting a reactive response rather than a proactive one.
To address this gap, Walker built the New Manager Academy program, a collection of her accumulated wisdom, offering both linear and nonlinear problem-solving methodologies that equip managers with comprehensive skills to cultivate a proactive approach to leading teams at the highest levels.
The New Manager Academy includes:
- Digital on-demand training modules covering the complete employee life cycle, with a focus on enhancing the employee experience.
- Live group coaching sessions, facilitating collaborative problem-solving among managers and providing direct access to Walker’s guidance.
- Practical solutions and tactics for common managerial dilemmas, ranging from conducting effective meetings to navigating difficult conversations and inspiring team engagement.
Leadership excellence: self-development for success
Effective leadership is not accidental; it’s the result of actively seeking feedback, mentorship and coaching from seasoned experts. This is how leaders cultivate a diverse toolkit of skills and strategies essential for success. At any stage of your career, investing in self-development gives you that competitive edge.
“If you get the information early in your career, you’ll benefit that much more and you won’t be behind the eight ball and reactive,” Walker says. “The people [who] are growing and evolving and have a growth mindset are more respected, more admired and more sought-out.”
This article originally appeared in the September/October issue of SUCCESS magazine. Photo courtesy of Kate Walker.
