Here’s a little research that caught my eye.

It may not seem relevant, but stick with me….. It matters.

This research is about curiosity.  I think you could substitute innovation, creativity, problem-solving, initiative and more.  And you’d get similar results.

That means:

• When you’d like your team to be more innovative, have encouraged that, but see no improved results - check for a gap.

• When you’ve been encouraging leaders across the organization to show more initiative without seeing any changes - check for a gap.

• When you’ve invested in training teams to work together more effectively…… with no demonstrable change - check for a gap.

And how to check the gap?  An informal discussion in a team meeting. A short survey.  Keep it simple.

If this resonates for you, check out the first half of the article.

This is a skill set you won’t read or hear much about. But to me - it’s a winner.  A competitive advantage. I mean - how many leaders do you know that do this? Who make it a habit?   

I don’t know the name of it - or if it has one, so I’ll call it “Mind the Gap.”

Wrapping up:

Leaders who mind the gap - between their perceptions and the experience of the people on their teams and across the organization…… Those are leaders who go beyond good intentions. They’re the leaders with a head start on creating real change.