We as coaches and our clients as leaders share a powerful and important responsibility and that is…to create virtuous cycles. Because virtuous cycles create lasting, more expeditated, and sustained growth for the individual, the team, and the business. Those leaders who look to purposeful create them are the business leaders who can sustain growth.

We have experienced these virtuous cycles in highly functional organizations, that have built safety, with leads to trust, then healthy conflict, and so on. (As written by Patrick Lencioni) But how do we as coaches and as leaders work to create those in our organizations with our leaders?

Step 1 - ID the ecosystem. We need to observe and identify the sources that are impeding the virtuous cycle.

Step 2 - Map the causal relationships in the system. In essence, map the cycle of how one behavior or action affects the other.

Step 3 - Identity specific behaviors and actions that need to interrupt the current cycle and have the potential of creating a virtuous one.

Step 4 - Create positive reinforcing mechanisms for both the effort and progress made.

Step 5 - Nurture or prime the next stage in the system, then move to Step 3 and Step 4 and repeat.

Next time you have a team member who lacks confidence, is not strategic, or lacks judgment please don’t tell them “You need to be more ______.” Rather look to address the system that is cycling to impede one’s confidence, strategic thinking, and judgment. And yes, development areas as fundamental as these can be improved by addressing the system with a virtuous cycle approach.