Appreciative Inquiry

As we strive to develop our ability to lead, we typically focus on what we are doing wrong and what needs to be “fixed.” This focus on problems generates a keen awareness of what is not working. What gets lost is an awareness of what is working.

Appreciative Inquiry is a generative change process that begins with identifying what works and then analyzing how to do more of the same. AI operates from the assumption that in every society, organization, or group something works. We can apply this at the individual level as well. All of us are doing things in our lives that are working.

Following is an AI inspired approach you may take to improve your own performance as a leader. Start by inquiring about your own successes. These questions can help you explore what you are doing well:

1. What attracted you to be a leader?
2. Describe a specific time or situation when you felt most alive, involved, excited about your role as a leader.
3. Locate a time in your leader role when you felt most effective and successful. Describe how you felt and what made the situation possible.
4. What do you value most about yourself as a leader?
5. Based on your answers to the above questions, what are some key factors that if present, could replicate the peak experiences from your past?

Taking the key elements that emerge from your inquiry, write an affirmative statement that describes the idealized future as if it were already happening. This statement is to envision you performing at your best. It depicts the future you want to create. This is no idle dream disconnected from reality. Your future vision is based on the best from your past performance. You have already proven it is something you are capable of. And as you grow toward your ideal, you will discover that you are not only capable of more but you are more than who you thought you were. As you appreciate your past, you create your future.