Focus on What Works to Drive Winning Performance and Build a Thriving Community
Appreciative inquiry has gained traction as a unique sales playbook. This is because it focuses on the customer and their needs instead of the product or features offered. As such, buyers feel they are being heard and understand how the solution will meet their needs. Essentially, it enables buyers to buy with confidence. Appreciative inquiry is a process that asks: “What do our customers value?” and then uses that feedback to drive better results in the future. It encompasses multiple research methods, including observation (watching), questioning, analysis of qualitative data, and observation/analysis of quantitative data. In this blog post, we’ll explore its fundamental principles from different angles so you can get more out of this sales approach by understanding what makes it work well for your organization and teams.
Inquiry – Ask powerful questions: The inquiry process is often initiated by posing a relevant and thought-provoking query. “What problems are you facing?” Inviting individuals to share their experiences, successes, and suggestions for the future and actively listening to their responses communicates that their opinion is valued and respected. This encourages further dialogue and a more open dialogue, helping to identify potential solutions and strategies. Additionally, asking follow-up questions to clarify any misunderstandings or obtain further information is imperative. This helps to ensure that all parties involved have a holistic understanding of the problem and its possible solutions. Establishing a level of trust and respect can foster a productive and collaborative environment conducive to achieving successful outcomes.
Beginning the inquiry process is an important part of gathering meaningful data. It is essential to start by posing a thoughtful query that encourages individuals to express their sentiments, accounts of success, and suggestions for the future. By actively listening to the responses of those sharing their input, it sends a message that their opinions and feedback are valued and appreciated. After gathering the initial responses, it is important to follow up with additional probing questions that allow for further exploration and gain a more in-depth understanding of the issues at hand. It is also beneficial to find out what strategies have been effective and explore what could be done differently in the future. By taking the time to understand the current challenges and considering the perspectives of all involved,
Illumination – Helps People Understand How They Can Best Contribute: It is essential to comprehend the fundamental values, ambitions, and aspirations of your constituents and the issues they confront to bring out their most powerful potential. Fundamentally, it is an exploratory process that allows us to gain further insight into the desires of our customers and what motivates them. By utilizing the method of illumination, one can assist individuals in discovering their strengths and those of others. This practice bolsters their self-assurance and encourages them to take risks, articulate their ideas, and support their peers while they perform tasks to the best of their ability. Illumination entails several guiding tenets, namely Participation, which involves a sense of belonging to a greater cause; and Synergy, which sees to the establishment of mutually beneficial relationships, rather than mere unilateral transactions, for the collective advantage of all involved.
Inclusion – Engage with People to Co-author the Future: Inclusion is a key principle of Appreciative Inquiry. It means being present with your customers, which includes building meaningful relationships with them. This helps you understand their needs so that you can help them solve their problems and reach the future they want. This is achieved through engaging with people in the following ways:
- Creating an environment where people feel valued and appreciated
- Being receptive to feedback
- Listening to and understanding what people say
- Build Trust
The practice of inclusion fosters a sense of belonging, encouraging collaboration and co-creation, thereby creating an atmosphere in which individuals feel connected to their surroundings. This elicits a greater degree of care and responsibility from those involved.
Inspiration – Awaken the Creative Spirit: The power of creativity has been well-documented in recent years as a driver of innovation, ideation, and the conception of new solutions to existing problems. Appreciative inquiry is a powerful tool that can help to awaken the creative potential of personnel and team members, boosting morale and providing individuals with a sense of inspiration. Research conducted in the field has indicated that appreciative inquiry can lead to meaningful, lasting changes within organizations. It is a powerful tool for promoting a culture of creativity and unleashing the unique talents of each individual, which can lead to various positive outcomes. In addition, it can also help to strengthen relationships within teams and create more meaningful connections.
Integrity – Make Choices for the Good of the Whole: This is the foundation of business. Your choices benefit your team, your customers, and your relationships with them. This is what will help you build something greater than yourself. Integrity means doing what’s suitable for the good of the whole, regardless of personal gain or loss. The challenge with integrity is that, in business, it’s not always easy to know when and how to apply it effectively. To ensure that this important principle remains a priority, it should be used as a reliable reference point when navigating complex scenarios and making difficult decisions. Additionally, it is important to recognize when integrity may not be the most suitable tool for the current situation and that it may need to be reevaluated in regard to the respective business. Ultimately, this guiding principle should be consistently observed.
Leading with integrity fosters a culture of trust and hard work, enabling individuals to contribute to the collective good. Your actions are a model for others to emulate, ensuring everyone is held to the same high standards. Demonstrating integrity fosters a sense of dependability that instills confidence in those around you.
References:
Five Strategies of Appreciative Leadership – Corporation for Positive …. http://positivechange.org/five-strategies-of-appreciative-leadership/
Appreciative Leadership: Focus on What Works to Drive Winning …. https://silo.pub/appreciative-leadership-focus-on-what-works-to-drive-winning-performance-and-build-a-thriving-organization.html
APPRECIATIVE LEADERSHIP: Focus on What Works to Drive Winning Performance and Build a Thriving Organization by Diana Whitney, Ph.D., Amanda Trosten-Bloom, Kae Rader