Jason MacKenzie: Unlocking Leadership Potential with the Power of Appreciative Inquiry
The ability to drive exceptional results, foster engagement, and create positive organizational change are key competencies every leader must develop. Jason MacKenzie is a seasoned expert with a deep understanding of leadership and the Appreciative Inquiry Management System (AiMS) co-developer. Over his career, Jason has trained over 1,000 leaders to achieve better results by leveraging the power of Appreciative Inquiry, a tool for driving strategy, elevating culture, and engaging people.
Jason’s path to becoming a leader in Appreciative Inquiry was not linear. Starting as a software developer in the automotive manufacturing industry and moving into management roles, Jason faced significant challenges. His early promotion to management, for which he admits he was “woefully unprepared,” led to a setback when he was demoted. However, this experience became the catalyst for Jason’s growth and exploration of new leadership philosophies.
Through his work with AiMS Institute and as an instructor with Unique Training and Development, Jason is committed to unlocking human potential and helping organizations harness the collective wisdom of their teams. His approach moves beyond traditional leadership methods that focus on fixing what is wrong and centers on recognizing and building upon what is right and what works well. Jason was a recent guest on the Accelerating Operational Performance podcast with Greg Schinkel; you can watch it here or listen to their conversation here.
Transformative Leadership
Success is seldom a straight path. The inevitable challenges and setbacks, often seen as the less desirable parts of a career, are in fact, crucial elements that contribute to long-term success. These experiences shape our growth and resilience, teaching us invaluable lessons that pave the way for future achievements. This perspective is central to the philosophy of Appreciative Inquiry—a transformative leadership approach that shifts the focus from what is wrong to what is right.
Appreciative Inquiry is about recognizing and building upon the strengths and successes of the past and present to shape a better future. Rather than obsessing over problems and deficiencies, this approach encourages leaders to seek out and amplify what is working well. By asking positive, generative, and open-ended questions, leaders can uncover past successes and current strengths, using these insights to inspire and guide their teams toward achieving their goals.
Jason states this method is more than just expressing appreciation; it is about strategically focusing on excellence. The idea is simple yet profound: what we focus on grows. By consistently studying and highlighting excellence in individuals, processes, and teams, leaders can learn powerful lessons that help create the future they envision. Appreciative Inquiry changes the dynamic of leadership, transforming how problems are approached, team meetings are conducted, and goals are set and achieved.
This philosophy can be practically applied in every aspect of leadership, from one-on-one conversations to strategic decision-making. By embedding Appreciative Inquiry into the fabric of leadership practices, leaders can foster an environment where positivity and success are not just encouraged but are foundational to the organization’s growth and innovation.
Key Insight: Appreciative Inquiry offers a transformative perspective on leadership by shifting the focus from what is wrong to what is right. This approach emphasizes recognizing and building on past and present successes to shape a better future.
Strategy: By asking positive, generative, and open-ended questions, leaders uncover past successes and current strengths, using these insights to guide their teams. The strategy involves consistently focusing on excellence and leveraging it to drive future achievements.
Impact: Implementing Appreciative Inquiry transforms leadership dynamics by changing how problems are approached and goals are set. Leaders who embed this philosophy into their practices create environments where positivity and success are foundational. This approach fosters growth and innovation, making it a powerful tool for achieving exceptional results and driving organizational progress.
“What we appreciate, appreciates, or another way of saying that is what we focus on, we find, and we get more of.”
Beyond Problem-Solving: Transforming Challenges into Opportunities
In some traditional management techniques, the focus often revolves around identifying problems and fixing them—a concept known as “managing by exception.” This approach, while effective in addressing immediate issues, can lead to a constant state of stress and frustration as leaders find themselves stuck in a cycle of troubleshooting. However, there is a more transformative approach that goes beyond merely solving problems: Appreciative Inquiry.
Jason says this is not about ignoring problems or sugar-coating reality with toxic positivity. Instead, it encourages leaders to reframe challenges that open the door to new possibilities. For instance, rather than focusing solely on a technical issue, such as a machine breakdown, leaders are encouraged to explore the adaptive opportunities within the situation. This might involve asking, “How might production and maintenance teams collaborate more effectively to ensure exceptional performance and exceed customer expectations?”
One practical application of this approach Jason shared is the “Name it, Flip it, and Elevate it” technique. This method involves identifying a problem, flipping it to its positive opposite, and then elevating that idea to create an even more inspiring goal. For example, if team members are consistently late to meetings, rather than simply addressing tardiness, leaders could flip the issue to envision a scenario where meetings are so engaging and valuable that team members are eager to attend. By involving the team in designing this ideal meeting experience, not only is the original problem resolved, but the team also creates a more innovative and connected environment.
Key Insight: Traditional management often focuses on problem-solving by identifying issues and fixing them, which can create a cycle of stress and frustration. Instead of managing by exception, Appreciative Inquiry offers a more transformative approach that reframes challenges into opportunities for growth and innovation.
Strategy: The “Name it, Flip it, and Elevate it” technique helps leaders turn problems into positive outcomes by envisioning inspiring goals that drive engagement and creativity.
Impact: This approach transforms the way teams address challenges, moving from mere problem-solving to creating value-driven solutions. This not only resolves existing issues but also inspires greater commitment, collaboration, and forward-thinking within the team.
Empowering Teams Through Collective Wisdom and Inclusive Dialogue
One of the most liberating shifts a leader can make is moving away from the “lone wolf” mentality—where they feel the pressure to generate all the ideas and solutions themselves. Instead, they can tap into the collective genius of their team, leading to not only more diverse and innovative ideas but also significantly higher levels of commitment to those ideas.
This shift recognizes that the collective wisdom within a group far exceeds what any single individual, regardless of their position or title, can offer.
Jason says sometimes the most insightful ideas come from those who are less inclined to speak up in a group meeting. By actively creating space for everyone to contribute, leaders can uncover valuable perspectives that might otherwise go unheard.
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“Fundamentally, appreciative inquiry, people describe it as the search through questions for the best of the past, the best of the present, and the best of the future.”
The key to unlocking the collective wisdom of your team lies not only in the questions you ask but also in how you structure the conversation. Jason says a practical method to facilitate this is the “think, pair, share” approach. It starts with giving team members time to reflect on a set of carefully crafted questions individually. They then share their insights in smaller, safer groups where everyone has a chance to speak. This process ensures that all voices are heard, especially those who might be more reserved in larger group settings.
Once ideas are shared within these smaller groups, each group is tasked with identifying the two or three most important concepts that should be incorporated into the next version of a team initiative, such as a meeting agenda. By bringing these ideas back to the larger group, teams can quickly co-create a prototype—be it for a meeting agenda, a new process, or a set of team values—that integrates the best of everyone’s contributions.
What makes this approach particularly powerful is its efficiency and adaptability. In just 30 to 40 minutes, a team can collaboratively design a prototype solution that reflects the collective input of the group. This method isn’t limited to any single type of issue; it can be applied to almost any scenario, from process improvements to goal setting and beyond.
For operational leaders who might worry about the time investment, it is important to note that this does not require a lengthy retreat. Instead, a focused 45-minute session can be sufficient to address persistent challenges. If a problem keeps resurfacing and traditional approaches are not yielding consistent results, dedicating this short amount of time to a structured, collaborative process could be the key to finally unlocking a sustainable solution.
This approach is about shifting from merely managing people to truly leading them—fostering a culture where everyone’s input is not only welcomed but is critical to the team’s success. By embracing this approach, leaders transition from being the sole source of ideas to becoming facilitators of conversations that unlock the potential within their teams. This is not just about getting more ideas on the table; it is about engaging everyone in the process, ensuring that even the quietest members have a voice.
Key Insight: A powerful shift in leadership is moving away from a “lone wolf” mentality and embracing the collective wisdom of the team. By engaging every team member, especially those who are less inclined to speak up, leaders can uncover valuable insights that lead to more diverse, innovative ideas and greater commitment to these ideas.
Strategy: A structured dialogue technique is the “think, pair, share” approach to facilitate inclusive conversations. This method involves giving team members time to reflect on questions individually, share insights in smaller groups, and then collaborate to bring the best ideas forward.
Impact: This approach fosters a culture where every team member’s input is valued and critical to success. It leads to more effective decision-making, stronger team cohesion, and innovative solutions that address persistent challenges.
“Appreciative inquiry posits that when you focus on what is working well, both in the past, and right now, there is an incredible amount of gold you can mine from those experiences to build the future that you most want.”
Empowering Leaders Through Hands-On Appreciative Inquiry Training
One of the most powerful ways to drive meaningful change within an organization is by empowering leaders at all levels to harness the talents of their teams. At AIMS, they are deeply committed to not just facilitating these transformative processes for their clients but also equipping them with the skills to carry this forward independently. The goal is to develop internal capabilities within organizations so that leaders are fully equipped to foster collaboration, creativity, and effective execution.
Whether it is for strategic planning, visioning, or setting organizational values, Jason’s team approaches everything through the lens of Appreciative Inquiry. This methodology is not just about generating ideas—it is about unlocking the insights that every individual within the company, from the frontline worker to the executive team, can contribute to the strategic direction of the organization. One of their guiding principles is that everyone, regardless of their position, has valuable input that can shape the future of the company.
For those interested in learning more about how Appreciative Inquiry can accelerate your operational performance, we encourage you to reach out via the website aims-institute.com and explore how Jason can support your journey toward a more collaborative and effective workplace.
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