Question of the Month:  In a growing and living organisation, how do you ensure that Legitimate Leadership is maintained?

Answer:  Rolling out Legitimate Leadership in an organisation usually begins with a two-day introduction followed by a set of application modules, to the leadership group. In bigger organisations roll-out is normally done in layers of reporting structures, going downwards. This may take 18 months to two years.

In a growing and living organisation, a number of resignations and appointments will happen during this time. To create a positive continuation of roll-out and application of the Legitimate Leadership Model, you need all on board.

The challenge is to keep new staff in the loop of the Legitimate Leadership Model and to replace the people lost and roles they played.
To not lose momentum, the leadership must review the gaps on at least a 3-6 monthly basis. New appointees must be ‘brought into the fold’ regularly. Otherwise there will be puzzle-pieces missing and this will produce a brake in communication and application of the principles and practices.

This will require repeats of the two-day introduction for new appointees, and the application models.
In general it is also important to:

Create a “community of practise” where people can report on their achievements and challenges with care and growth

Assess all decisions on the basis of how they measure up to the Legitimate Leadership criteria.

Highlight good leadership actions and review bad/not-so-successful actions in the light of Legitimate Leadership principles – and learn how to do it better next time.