Observation
Nothing is as straightforward as it seems!
“Miracle fixes often come with unforeseen circumstances.”
James Rebanks
Lake District Hill Farmer and Author
Earlier this month we spent a glorious week in the Lake District and my enjoyment was significantly enhanced by James Rebanks’ English Pastoral.
Reading this wonderfully eloquent book, surrounded by the glorious countryside he writes so evocatively about, was almost a religious experience. I also found it deeply thought provoking as he told his story of engaging with the mass farming methods of the 80’s and 90’s and the devastating consequences upon soil quality, wildlife, the local community and the long-term sustainability of his farm.
I am not enough of a scientist to further develop his arguments but his core premise, that we need to be sceptical in engaging with any ‘miracle fix’ rang very true.
Most, if not all, of my clients are currently grappling with the relentless charge to flexible working. Despite the immediate practicalities of sorting the logistics and gently, or not so gently, easing colleagues back to the workplace, there is an overwhelming belief that flexible working will miraculously address many contemporary leadership challenges, not least diversity, talent and engaging with a more environmentally and socially concerned workforce.
I too share much of this optimism, but I also wonder about the unintended long-term consequences, particular in terms of creativity, social cohesion, developing meaningful cultures and employee well-being.
In twenty years, when we look back on the post covid history of leadership, I hope it will be seen as a turning point in enlightened leadership. Somehow, I suspect it will not be as simple as that.
Challenge
Until you can articulate your core challenge, little else matters!
I have a particular long-standing client who I think is a fabulous leader. Yet if you look at her career, except for the last 12 months, you might well struggle to come to a similar conclusion. A year ago, she led a business with a long-term declining top line, terrible margins, a disengaged staff, laughable systems and a dysfunctional leadership team. In 12 short months, she and her team have turned around every one of these indicators.
How has she achieved this?
As usual, it is not rocket science. It is a combination of luck (we all need some), hard work and applying the basic leadership principles of : dealing with reality, making the main thing – the main thing, leaning in to the tough issues and engaging with all the key stakeholders. However, given that she has always applied these principles, what I find particularly interesting is that when I asked about what made the most difference, without hesitation she said:
“Understanding our core challenge and acting upon it.”
What she meant by this was the ability to describe the current business context in a few key statements (in her case four short paragraphs) which was then used to drive all other action.
For me, the key difference over lots of well-intended statements I have seen (and often helped create) was what she said next:
She started with first principles, not expectations of the shareholders or historical commitments.
These were not just priorities, they also set out the context to help people understand why.
Articulating the core challenge was created over many conversations, not just in a brainstorming offsite or an amended ‘aunt sally from the strategy director’. It was done when it was done, not because an artificial deadline was reached. As CEO she owned it, but others had significant input.
It was brutally honest, including past failures, lessons learnt, current challenges and realistic opportunities.
It was created as a vehicle to generate understanding and commitment, not as a marketing communication tool.
She believes it will make the priorities and necessary actions clear – time will tell, but so far, the results suggest this is the case.
Like many things that are simple and succinct, I suspect it is much harder to achieve than it looks. However, if the experience of my client is anything to go by, then being clear on your core challenge is an essential starting point, however complete your set of other leadership capabilities are.
Practical Action
As a leader you have a responsibility to invest in yourself.
I recently listened to an interview with the CEO of a well-known global service business. If I had been his coach I would have been embarrassed.
At first, he sounded articulate and certainly very confident, but he had an uncanny ability to undermine everything he said. Of course, diversity was important, but they already had a very diverse work force! Wellbeing was of paramount importance, but their workforce was one of the safest in the world. I turned off before listening to anymore!
However, it did get me thinking about how leaders can practically respond, without being overwhelmed, to an ever-changing world where larger and more frequent shocks to the system become the norm.
In addition to not being arrogant, here are three other areas I’d encourage leaders to act on:
Create time and provocations to help you think about the future – this almost certainly means spending more time external to your own organisation.
Shape your role to maximise your leverage as a leader – be ruthless about what you focus on, delegate proactively and build great support around you.
Value people around you who think differently and challenge your thinking (doing this and still having a cohesive leadership team is one of the leaders’ tougher challenges).
For my more detailed thoughts, please see investing in yourself.
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