Let go - an important leadership principle

Leaders in DNB have been given a single leadership principle to navigate by and that is to "Let Go". Why is it perhaps more important than ever?

Written by: Katrine Kalelic and Hilja Smedstad Touri, DNB.

Over the past six months, we have increased our ability to change quickly and achieved what few of us thought possible. We now work mostly via digital platforms, and this is where the development work takes place. Many would argue that everyday management life has not become particularly easier since the pandemic hit, which is why we have put an extra spotlight on management skills and the actual interaction between manager and employee.

Good management is crucial

We notice that tasks are becoming increasingly complex, the pace is accelerating and there are many options for action. The increased need for interaction requires good relationship skills and is an absolute necessity. Few answers can only be found in a head - it is the interaction between skilled, competent people that builds the organizations of the future. It is crucial that we work well together and are willing to put team goals ahead of individual goals and play each other well. This is not a "one-man show". We need extra-role behavior, prosocial motivation and a strong dose of self-management on all sides. And good leadership is crucial.

Introduced management principle in 2017

As early as 2017, managers in DNB were introduced to the leadership principle Let Go. The aim was to reduce inhibitors and thereby increase efficiency, collaboration, creativity and execution. The belief that if managers let go to a greater extent, they will let go of their employees and give them tasks and access to arenas that were previously only reserved for managers, was the guiding principle behind the new leadership principle. And when managers let go, there is a consequence. That's why we have introduced the employee principle Seize opportunities. One cannot do without the other, and we have focused on the binding interaction between manager and employee and the interdependence of the relationship.

In the same year that Let Go sees the light of day, Gallup publishes its research showing that employee engagement is low across countries and industries. In Norway, it turns out to be 17% compared to 15% internationally. These findings give us clear signals of the potential for increased engagement through leadership that works.

Leadership principle that is constantly evolving

Through leadership at DNB that gives employees a sense of self-determination, mastery and team belonging, we seek to optimize the potential at individual, team and organizational level. This also means increasing the number of employees who are actively engaged and willing to change. This means that leaders should help break down silos, reduce control mechanisms and remove constraints. It is exactly this leadership principle that Gi slipp intends to promote, and with the associated identified leadership skills, it is the foundation for the exercise of leadership in DNB. The leadership skills we build capabilities around are team building, communication, sharper priorities and increased execution power. This is essential to ensure DNB's operational and dynamic capability.

Coordinated management development, which provides systematic and inspiring employee follow-up, will ensure that we develop the people and culture in DNB. We have also changed the way we deliver leadership development by fully digitalizing our service offering in a short period of time. Today, for example, we gather management teams digitally to establish the framework for becoming high-presenting teams. The learning curve has been steep for both organizational developers and leaders, and this is now our "new normal".

We wouldn't have gotten any more out of this if we had done it physically. We're ready to embark on a more digitalized development journey.

The competence offering focuses on raising awareness and training of leadership skills, both through concepts for new managers, management teams and talent programs. Leadership development takes place in context and we therefore have internal resources to ensure that the effects of the development initiatives are implemented and turn into lasting performance improvements. To ensure that we are always up to date with the latest research and at the forefront of organizational development, we have joined forces with two skilled partners, the Norwegian NGO Future leaders and IMD (International Institute for Management development). Together we optimize the next steps for effective strategy implementation and sustainable organizational development.