unLOCK - Leadership, Organization, Change, & Knowledge Model

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There are four unLOCK elements that can help reveal the magnificent potential within any organization that values hard work and dedication. The LOCK portion is an acronym signifying Leadership, Organization, Change, and Knowledge. The “un” part when combined with the whole can unlock the shackles to liberate organizational functionality. When an organization customizes these elements and internalizes them, there is little it cannot do. Like the four legs of a workbench, all four are needed to provide a stronger foundation than otherwise achievable. Can a table securely stand with one leg? How about two or even three? Sure, it’s possible, but with each additional leg the balance becomes more stable, and the likelihood of support increases significantly. A bench with adequate support during turbulent conditions is more likely to remain stable when meeting and overcoming corporate challenges. Below is a quick introduction to the unLOCK model.

People react to their environments. If the subject is threatening, then a person is likely to react defensively. Leaders play a pivotal role in reducing organizational threats both internally and externally. By helping their people be the best they can be, leaders are more likely to exercise the influence necessary to move the organization to increase modes of greatness. Of course, one may ask, “how is that done?” You will find there are nearly as many opinions on leadership as there are leaders, each with their own unique style and flair. However, there are proven practices that contribute to or take away from the betterment of the organization, stakeholders, and the environment. At Victory Leadership we like to say, “Great leadership leads to victory!” We look at ways to unlock the potential within current and emerging leaders using a multi-facet approach. Since no single solution address all potential solutions, a customized approach is best like a tailored jacket.

Organizational development (OD) looks at building a reliable foundation to build and maintain great work. Positive OD uses strength-based approaches seeking to unlock the best parts of the organization that diminishes weaknesses. This is not to say that problems are ignored, but they are not what we choose to give life to. OD looks at elements like strategic modeling, strategic thinking, systems thinking, coaching, Appreciative Inquiry, sustainability, consulting, multicultural and global citizenship, and industry-specific content. 

Change is one of the most challenging aspects of our lives. Organizational change management efforts fail to achieve all desired objectives as much as 70 percent of the time. How can people struggle so much with change, but experience and deal with it daily? Many people “pick” their battles. With limited amounts of cognitive resources, many look for where they can invest with the best chances of return on investment. I have observed and studies change being stonewalled by elements of fear. Fear in the organization can manifest itself in flight, fight, freeze, and/or faint. We must reduce all four to an acceptable degree if we want to get the most out of our change management investment. By looking into how people develop fear and various methods to mitigate it, we help unlock the ball and chain of hesitation and doubt. When there is nothing to fear but fear itself, the collective organization can achieve great victories.

Having knowledge is like a box of tools. Applying the right tool to take care of the job is wisdom. However, starting with knowledge is where the journey towards wisdom begins and all journeys begin with a single step. 

Organizations and individuals alike are challenged with acquiring knowledge and storing it where it can be found when needed. And just as important (if not more so), categorizing it so others in the organization can find it. Knowledge management must be relevant to the organization and those who access it should be given adequate training on its storage and retrieval. 

Storage and retrieval are just part of it. And as challenging as that topic is, I find it to be a smaller part of organizational learning. Relevancy is a huge part of the learning process, especially among adults. Pedagogy is how most learning environments are constructed. This is how children are taught. Most of what they need to learn comes from the “front of the classroom” in predefined lessons meant to contribute to mental growth. When the student has little to contribute to the educational process, this model is adequate as a starting point. However, during growth into adulthood, the student has more experiences to contribute to the learning process. 

Andragogy is the art of how adults learn. Experiential learning becomes a better tool suited to those who have significant experiences to contribute to the learning process. This is helpful to understand as many adults have established learning methods. When this is considered a new method of knowledge acquisition and retention emerges. When the student links new information with existing life applications, subject matter relevancy emerges contributing to positive learning experiences helping organizations improve the return on investment surrounding training programs, change management implementations, customer service, employee retention, mental prosperity, profitability, et. al.