The best leaders cultivate a climate that is both comfortable and intense. They remove fear and provide the security that invites people to do their best thinking. At the same time, they establish an energizing, intense environment that demands people’s best efforts.
If you want the people on your team to venture beyond artificial job boundaries and do what’s needed, help them see what’s most important at any given time. You can help your team know where to focus by defining the W.I.N. (What’s Important Now) and keeping it front and center.
People generally need two types of information to achieve top performance. The first is clear direction: What is the target, and why is it important? (In other words, the W.I.N.) The second is performance feedback: Am I hitting the target? Am I doing it right? Think of feedback as critical information—data that people need in order to calibrate and adjust their approach—rather than a critique. When feedback is simply much-needed information, and not a personal judgment, the feedback is easier to both share and receive.
Read the article at Strategy+Business.