“The single biggest way to impact an organisation is to focus on leadership development. There is almost no limit to the potential of an organisation that recruits good people, raises them up as leaders and continually develops them." -John Maxwell
As we continue to navigate the challenges and opportunities our businesses face, I find many leaders working hard to keep focussed, stay strong and believe in their own abilities and the ability of others. I believe it is good practice to regularly step back, reflect and consider the impact of our own Leadership and indeed our sincerity as we lead. I call this “Head up” leadership. Taking time to stop, observe, notice patterns and themes emerging inside and outside your business. Taking time to ask questions such as:
Am I doing the right things and is what I’m doing working?
How are people responding to our current circumstances?
Am I creating clarity and do people know what’s expected of them now?
What do I notice about the energy, creativity or innovation within the business?
What do I notice about the opportunities, challenges, patterns and themes emerging locally and globally?
Are we ready for our next opportunity wherever that comes from?
What am I missing? And my favourite question:
What am I pretending not to know?
We have lived in this very turbulent world of more uncertainties than certainty for some time now. I’m often asked, what is the most effective leadership style for now? Of course, there is no one style that works for every person or indeed every situation. The answer to that question will often be clearer having asked the above questions. I find truly great leaders make time to reflect, to think and find a way to be authentically themselves, flaws and all, whatever the circumstance. They take courageous decisions and have a genuine interest in enabling others to lead though uncertainty.
What is an effective style? The definition of style is simply a particular way of doing or saying something and when it comes to leadership definitions, well there are many. Mine is “leaders instill confidence in their people, belief in themselves and empower them to accomplish their goals”. I also believe the first role of a great leader is to create other leaders. However, the simplest definition is Leadership is Influence. Leadership itself is not about power, authority or title. We all know people who are influencers and lead from social power, not position power. We also know leaders who have position power, but few willingly follow – they follow because they have to, not because they want to.
I still find many confused around the difference between Leadership and Management – both equally important, not mutually exclusive, but require different approaches. I believe one of the traits of great leadership is knowing when to lead and when to manage. In my work with Leaders and Peer Boards I use this tool and ask leaders to self-assess, assess their team member or ask their team members to assess them. A type of mini 360 feedback.
Rate this person on his or her demonstrated capacity to:
Management Rating (1-10 high)
Create Order
Seek Compliance
Create Structure
Control Motivate
Eliminate Risk
Supervise
Total Average
Leadership Rating (1-10 high)
Disrupt order
Seek Commitment
Vision Direction
Take Risk
Inspire
Total Average
(Ref John Kotter).
If you have a relatively stable Organisation, then the requirement is more Management.
However, if you have a rapidly changing Organisation, the requirement is more Leadership.
Ultimately both are required. Success lies in having the right focus for the right moment and right circumstance. Complete the tool, map people against what is currently required and identify gaps.
As we continue to navigate stormy waters, the need for clear impactful leadership has never been more apparent. Organisations have been in continuous rapid change with even more to come with the return to some level of office working. While remote working has worked, people have missed sense of connectedness, relationship and synergies that only happen through people being together in a room. At the moment that requires impactful Leadership and effective Management.
Three quotes I want to leave you with are:
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." John Quincy Adams
"The true mark of a leader is the willingness to stick with a bold course of action — an unconventional business strategy, a unique product-development roadmap, a controversial marketing campaign — even as the rest of the world wonders why you're not marching in step with the status quo. In other words, real leaders are happy to zig while others zag. They understand that in an era of hyper-competition and non-stop disruption, the only way to stand out from the crowd is to stand for something special." Bill Taylor
"The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails.” John Maxwell
Keep adjusting our Sails, with impact!
Kate Marshall
Coach, Mentor, Speaker, Author