Strategic Leadership Ventures MAHAN TAVAKOLI

4 STEP FRAMEWORK TO
UNLEASH YOUR TEAM’S
FULL POTENTIAL

HOW YOU CAN DRASTICALLY

IMPROVE YOUR LEADERSHIP AND
ORGANIZATION’S RESULTS.
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INTRODUCTION
“Be a learn it all, not a know it all”
-Satya Nadella, Microsoft CEO

Having a growth mindset means you thrive on challenge and see failure not as
a lack of intelligence but as a heartening springboard for growth and stretching
existing abilities.

And this growth mindset is the foundation to great leadership and great
organizations.

With a growth mindset, Satya Nadella took the helm of a declining organization
and led the turnaround of Microsoft, to again becoming one of the most valuable
companies in the world.

Change and disruption have always been part of the human experience, and that is
something that every great organization will have to overcome, Microsoft or not.

However, change has come more rapidly and in larger doses recently, and with quick
change comes volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA):

● Volatile: Frequent and fast change in business, economic, social and political
conditions.

● Uncertain: Events and outcomes are unpredictable, limiting the value of

planning.

● Complex: Many interconnected forces, issues, and factors create cause-and-

effect confusion.

● Ambiguous: Lack of clarity on what key information is telling us, demanding

rapid experimentation.

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In a VUCA environment, it is imperative that leadership, learning, and growth are
put at the forefront of our intentions and actions.

In order to properly move through a VUCA Environment, there are four key
elements to a framework that will drive optimal organizational performance:
Purpose, Strategy, Execution, and Culture.

I will dive deep into all four elements, while also providing room for you to create
space to assess your organization, ask yourself critical questions, and engage in a
robust conversation with your team.

As you reflect on the framework’s application to your organization, don’t hesitate

to reach out.

I can help clarify application of the concepts in the framework and share with you
what other leaders and organizations have done to address similar issues.

Looking at the infographic of the framework, you can see that there are four main
components. Purpose is in the center of the diagram, which means the root of all
decision making should be grounded in and driven by purpose.

Once purpose has been solidified and aligned upon, you then move into strategic
planning, culture development, and execution. It is imperative to understand that
while all of these elements are essential individually, they must work in tandem for
you to fully move forward as a leader and increase the performance of your team
and organization.

One by one you can dive into each of these areas and discover how to
operationalize them.

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MAHANTAVAKOLI.COM
PURPOSE
One of the biggest traps that executives and organizations fall into is creating
strategy and process without having a clear and defined purpose that the entire
organization is aligned around. Many times only the highest level executives are
clear on the purpose, and as it trickles down the purpose becomes more and more
diluted.

And without the purpose defined, teams are running forward with different
assumptions, goals, and creating processes that are misaligned.

Therefore, defining a purpose is the first, and most critical part of unleashing your
team’s full potential.

In this stage you will work to develop a meaningful and well-defined purpose that
every action in the organization can be tied back to. This will energize employees
to know what they are working for and what they are working towards.

STRATEGY
Determining the right bold strategy becomes critical. Key factors to strategic
success include focus, talent and embracing disruption:

1. Developing alignment and focus throughout your team

2. Identifying the right talent required for executing the strategy
3. Preparing for the disruption and change that is inevitable

To create a comprehensive strategy, all three of the above components must be

explored.

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FOCUS
Once you have a bold strategy, you need to have laser focus on that
strategy. Knowing what not to do and focus on is as critical as knowing
what to do and focus on. From Morten Hansen’s studies on organizational
effectiveness to Warren Buffett’s 25-5 rule, the best have a disciplined focus
as part of their strategy formulation. It is crucial that you use a critical eye
when reviewing all opportunities and say no to initiatives that are outside
the focus you have created. By having a maniacal focus, you and your
team will be able to easily define what is helping achieve the organization’s
ultimate purpose and strategy, and what is a distraction.

TALENT
A strong strategy and purpose are nothing without the people on our
teams executing those strategies. People generate value, not organizations.
Therefore, getting the right people into the right roles with the right tools
to succeed is imperative to a successful strategy. When reviewing the
potential on your team, consider their skill sets and how they map to the
greater initiatives. While going through this exercise, understand where
there are critical skill gaps. From there you will have a clear picture as to
how your team is enabling success, and where they also might be falling
short.

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DISRUPTION
By most estimates in the next 10 years over 50% of the Fortune 500 companies will
be displaced. Fortune 500 company or not, the reality is that all those same forces
creating that displacement, are at play in all industries and at all levels. The only
way to ride the wave of disruption is for the organizational strategy to embrace
and even seek disruption. Organizations need to constantly renew their strategy
not only with an understanding of disruption but with the intention of disrupting
themselves before being disrupted by others.

CULTURE
Culture helps serve as guiding principles for team members to make decisions that
align to the strategic goals, without having to constantly validate these decisions
through their leaders. This removes blockers and empowers employees to make
decisions on their own. Research also shows that organizations that focus on
creating an intentional culture are more successful and deliver better results.

However, culture is constantly tossed around by companies, and rarely understood.

Simply put, culture is defined by each individual employee through what is seen
as acceptable in the organization, and ultimately unacceptable. The best leaders
make a point to create an intentional culture through their own behaviors and
through what is prioritized in the organization. This sets the standard, and example
for other employees to embody. But if the culture you aspire to is not what you
see reflected by your employees, then the culture of your company needs further
nurturing and development.

There are three main components to developing an intentional culture: Embodying

a growth mindset, creating psychological safety, and practicing partnering
leadership.

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GROWTH MINDSET
Having a growth mindset is the belief that you are constantly evolving and
learning as an individual, while also embracing all the change and disruption
that occurs in the organization. To encourage your employees to adopt a growth
mindset, as a leader you must adopt this mindset first. You need to show your
organization how you are continuously learning, and adapting to change, while
also creating the space for your employees to learn and take chances.

By incorporating a growth mindset mentality into your culture, team members

will embrace change and the opportunity to take on new projects and
experiences.

PSYCHLOGICAL
SAFETY
As you push for disruption in your organization, train your employees on new
skills, and encourage a growth mindset, failure is inevitable for you and your
employees. While most know that failure is a part of the process, feeling safe to
fail is not always common.

Psychological safety is creating an environment where your employees feel safe

to fail and know that it is accepted. As a leader in your organization you are
encouraging your team to take risks, which can sometimes result in failure. And
that is okay. But it is important to differentiate failure for attempting to take on a
new initiative which is positive, and just quick and sloppy work which is negative.
In addition to feeling safe to fail, employees also need the space to speak openly
about challenges and things they are observing. It is important to remember that
employees are on the ground constantly working with customers and other team
members, their feedback is crucial to launching the organization forward.

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PARTNERING LEADERSHIP
To develop a thriving culture, your teams need to feel empowered to make decisions, practice
a growth mindset, and work in a psychologically safe environment. And depending on your
leadership strategies today, you might think you are encouraging this behavior, but you might
ultimately be squandering your attempts.

Many leaders and companies pride themselves and hold value in the “servant leadership” style.
However, many of these same leaders still practice traditional command and control. This is
seen by most employees as yet another example of inauthentic leadership which in the end
thwarts the overall mission.

To advance the conversation and most importantly forward-thinking leadership practices, it

is important to recognize that leadership should truly be a partnership of the leader and their
team. It is not one group or person serving the other, rather a mutually beneficial relationship
where both parties bring value to the partnership.

Working in partnership with your employees can create a thriving culture. By allowing your
team to make decisions with you, be a part of the discussion, you will not only be teaching
them valuable skill sets, but also making them a part of leadership.

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EXECUTION
An HBR study that consisted of a global sample of 1,854 corporations, showed
that 7 out of 8 failed to achieve profitable growth, even though over 90% of the
companies in the study had detailed strategic plans that projected significant
profitable growth.

In most instances, it is not the strategy that fails but the execution of said
strategy, which is why more often than not, strategic planning initiatives are
dismissed by many in the organization as wishful thinking exercises.

Effective execution and driving results can be done by following set systems,
structures, and utilizing OKRs.

SYSTEMS
Without systems, execution becomes unfathomable, especially as your
organization continues to scale. Systems in the sense of executing a strategic
plan help create communication and alignment. However, today your
organization has an array of systems already in place. It is critical that you review
the current business model and evaluate the systems that exist today and ensure
they are still aligned to your strategic goals.

Systems need to serve the people and ultimately make their jobs easier and
execution more flawless.

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STRUCTURES
Organizational structures matter. While there is a tremendous need for
cross-functionality, it is just as important for teams to understand the proper
dynamics and boundaries.

At the same time, rigid structures can impede creativity and initiative.
Therefore, when you’re evaluating and establishing structure, you should align
around organizational priorities rather than functions while providing the space
for employees to partner on broader initiatives.

OKRS
Inspiring objectives and measurable key results that matter are one of the most
powerful frameworks for organizational change, transformation, and progress.

OKRs enable teams to execute on critical parts of strategy one quarter at a

time.

The quarterly focus on outcome-based goals, allows teams to have directional

autonomy while maintaining alignment. This goal clarity unlocks rapid
adaptability without requiring top down interference.

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CONCLUSION
With the deeper understanding of each of the critical elements to create organizational
success, now take the time to assess your organization in each of these areas.
Additionally, make sure to partner with your team and have them go through this same
exercise.

There is a rubric below where you can evaluate where you and your organization stand
today and reflect on those strengths and opportunities for improvement. Purposely look
closer at areas where viewpoints of different team members show the greatest variance
and keep an open mind.

The best leaders approach this assessment and the conversations that follow from the
perspective of someone that does not know the answers but has all the right questions.

Upon completion of this exercise you can then move on to applying your
learnings. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

1. The first step is knowing what to focus on.

2. The next step is acting on that knowledge.
There is a huge difference between knowing what you are supposed to do and actually
doing it. So, make a commitment to act!
3.And of course, getting feedback from your team members can be of tremendous
value.

Everyone has blind-spots and everyone views different dimensions of what is working
and what is not in the organization. Encourage your team to share their perspectives
with you and reward their honesty. That by itself will have a significant positive impact
on your culture and results!

WISHING YOU MUCH SUCCESS IN UNLEASHING YOUR TEAM’S POTENTIAL!

P.S. As you go on this journey of learning and growth, feel free to connect with me
with any questions.

I am here to support you! Email: Mahan@MahanTavakoli.com Schedule a

complimentary 30 minute strategy conversation: https://mahantavakoli.as.me/initial-
strategy-conversation

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 1 2 3 4 5

ORGANIZATIONAL HEALTH BENCHMARK Strongly

Disagree
Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly
Agree

Purpose - Our organization/team has a clear and

motivating purpose

Strategy - Our organization/team has a clear and

well communicated strategy

Disruption - Our organization/team embraces and

when necessary seeks disruption

Focus - Our organization/team maintains focus on

a few key priorities

Talent - Our organization/team values talent

(recruit, retain, train)

Culture - Our organization/team has a healthy

culture

Growth Mindset - Our organization/team has a

growth mindset

Psychological Safety - Our organization/team

embraces psychological safety

Partnering Leadership - Our organization/team

operates with all team members as partners

Execution - Our organization/team focuses on

effective execution of strategy

Systems - Our organization/team has systems in

place to promote alignment

Structures - Our organization/team structures

promote effective execution

OKRs - Our organization/team has clear objectives

with measurable key results that matter

Biggest opportunity for improvement as you see it:

Action steps:

Biggest opportunity for improvement as your team sees it:

Team conversation on action steps:

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MAHAN
TAVAKOLI
Mahan Tavakoli is a highly accomplished executive
with a multi-faceted background in US and global
operations management. Over a 20+ year career at
Dale Carnegie Training, Mahan was instrumental in
launching, marketing, revitalizing, and turning around
underperforming operations on five continents. He is
also credited with building the fastest growing, and
highest performing operations for Dale Carnegie out of
90+ countries.

He transformed a money losing operation into a profitability center in less than one year,
expanded Dale Carnegie’s global footprint on four continents, and led a stagnant global region
to achieve double-digit growth for four consecutive years. Mahan eventually became the
organization’s Chief Diversity Officer and Chief Strategist.

Mahan leveraged his diverse experience to launch a consulting practice focusing on

organizational leadership. Partnering with leaders across organizations and various industries,
Mahan has significant experience working with executives from large divisions of multinational
companies, mid-sized organizations, government agencies, and SaaS startups.

The industries and size of the clients he works with vary, however, the needs are similar. The
organizations Mahan partners with all have great leadership, believe in the untapped potential
of their people, and want to get the winning edge as they align the entire organization towards
more effectively achieving their purpose.

Mahan is also a published author, co-author, and contributor to industry leading publications.
In addition to Mahan’s business and consulting experience, giving back to the community
is also a top priority. Among his many awards, Mahan was honored for demonstrating
outstanding community leadership by The Greater Washington Board of Trade and was
awarded The Golden Links Award. Currently, Mahan serves as Board Chair of Leadership
Greater Washington and has helped lead the board and the organization through a pivot to
greater relevance, purpose, and impact through crisis.

Email Mahan at: Mahan@MahanTavakoli.com

Schedule a complimentary 30 minute strategy conversation:

https://mahantavakoli.as.me/initial-strategy-conversation

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