Creating the Enabling Environment for 100-Day Challenges
Creating the Enabling Environment for 100-Day Challenges
Challenge Strategists and Team Coaches are in a position to create and reinforce the enabling environment that inspires the three hallmark behaviours that emerge in 100-Day Challenges: intense collaboration; rapid innovation, and disciplined implementation.
The events of the 100-Day Challenge and the way these are facilitated are designed to create this enabling environment. The way Challenge Strategists show up and interact with the 100-Day Team can reinforce this enabling environment or undermine it.
The elements of the Enabling Environment in the diagram below did not emerge from academic research or a theoretical framework. Rather, they are the distillation of decades of experimentation and observation, working with real teams and leaders tackling real problems in vastly diverse contexts. These are “work in progress” as the community of 100-Day Challengers continues to uncover other elements that enable 100-Day Teams to perform at exceptionally high levels.
Elements of the Enabling Environment
Reinforcing these elements during 100-Day Challenge sprints.
Sense of Urgency
At the Start-up Workshop, when the team presents its 100-Day Plan, ask what new things they will experiment with in the first 30 days—reminding them that time goes very fast…
Commitment to Unreasonable Goal
At the Start-up Workshop, after the 100-Day Team presents its 100-Day Goal, ask how the Goal compares to what was accomplished in the past. If there is a huge leap in performance, express your appreciation for their commitment to achieving a goal that looks so unreasonable.
Equalised Power
At every occasion possible, and especially when the Team asks you to make a decision, remind them that for the duration of the 100 days, they are in charge and that you are here to support them.
Power of Peers
When a problem is presented by the Team, always ask “what do others think about this”, before offering your perspective. And where possible, build on the responses of others rather than “revealing the right answer” after everyone else has spoken.
Autonomy and Self-Governance
If a team member comes to you directly requesting support or advice, ask them if they discussed this with their 100-Day Team mates and Team Leader.
Transparency about Performance
If and when you join a 100-Day Team meeting, ask the Team how they are doing against the 100-Day Goal. Remind them that it is always important to know where they are in terms of the goal, even if they are not particularly thrilled about progress: “The sooner we know that we are behind, the more time we have to catch up!”
Clarity of Purpose
If and when you join a 100-Day Team meeting, early on in the meeting ask them to remind you about their 100-Day Goal. At times, 100-Day Teams get so caught up with the activities in their 100-Day Plan that they begin to lose sight of their 100-Day Goal!
Trust in Local Expertise & Leading with Confident Humility
These two elements go hand in hand and are at the core of what makes 100-Day Challenges so powerful. Team members gain confidence in themselves when they feel that leaders trust their expertise and are confident about their ability to achieve the impossible. How can this be reinforced by Challenge Strategists and Team Coaches? Here are some ways to do this:
- Never miss an opportunity to remind 100-day Team members that they are in the best position to find the solutions: “You are closest to the problem; your solutions are more relevant than mine or anyone else’s.”
- Do not hesitate to say, “I do not know the answer. I will research this or ask other leaders and come back to you”.
- Where possible, ask questions that inspire team members to think for themselves, rather than advocating for a position. Ask open ended questions, with genuine curiosity, rather than yes/no questions that might come across like an inquisition.
