High Challenge, High Support leaders make people bigger, not smaller.

 
 
 

Our aspirations can only be achieved through deeply human leadership. Our challenges can only be mastered through collaboration. Therefore we believe that leadership as an activity, not a rank.

Impactful leaders operate with a high support, high challenge approach, and we experience that they are particularly good at multiplying the capacities of their people.

Our work is about supporting leaders in becoming multipliers of the capacities of others. We help them become leaders who enable others to be their best. Through their distinct human approach, they activate their organization, build confidence and enable collaboration. They make their organizations better places to work for, and work with.

We co-create development programs with our clients, spar with executives, coach aspiring leaders and work with leadership teams around the world. Our work is evidence-based and practical. We build on strengths, identify gaps, dissolve doubts and help our clients become more impactful.

In our High Challenge, High Support leadership development approach, we empower leaders and talents to redefine their leadership, and equip them with vital competencies to make it happen. We support leaders to be in service of their people, and still focus on high performance.

Our High Challenge, High Support leader approach focuses on three areas:

  • Self-leadership, to be my ”best self”.

  • Leader’s mindset, to be a positive multiplier.

  • Leader’s abilities, to activate the organization.

 

 

What do high challenge, high support leaders do better?

 
 
 

Challenge and support is like Yin & Yang, and leaders must have the mindset and abilities to do both. It’s a question of both/and, not either/or.

HIGH SUPPORT:

  • Empower & enable people.

  • Build confidence, hope and optimism.

  • Build trust & safety.

  • Inspire & dissolve doubt.

HIGH CHALLENGE:

  • Energize people.

  • Challenge with love, for impact.

  • Give clear direction.

  • Hold accountable.

  • Pursue excellence and stretch goals.

 

 

How are employees experiencing and rating their leaders?

 
 
 

We looked into this, and discovered that leaders are rated relatively low in both their ability to support and to challenge effectively.

By the way, female leaders are rated 10% higher than their female counterparts.

You can download our research on these topics here:

  1. How leaders influence engagement, collaboration and psychological safety.

  2. Why a gender balance is good for business.