Observation
We are lucky enough to live by the sea. In the past two weeks an excess of bird dirt has appeared on our outdoor furniture. We are convinced that the seagulls, having lost their regular food source from people eating fish and chips and picnics on the beach, are coming in to the gardens in search of something to eat. This has however meant that the pigeons have disappeared and our continual battle to prevent them nesting on our balcony has, at least temporarily, been solved.
The usage of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube has surged over the past few weeks and yet their advertising revenues have reputedly plummeted during the same time period.
Just a few short weeks ago I am convinced that few, if any of us, would have predicted or even imagined such outcomes, whether it be the micro impact on sleepy old Hythe or the macro impact on global social media giants. I can’t imagine that predicting the future is going to get any easier and yet as leaders, in order to create belief and equip the organisation for the future, surely we need to create some sense of what that future might look like even though we know we will almost certainly be wrong?
‘In preparing for battle I have always found plans are useless,
but planning is indispensable.’
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Current Leadership Challenge
What Is Your Balance of Purpose, Current and Future?
For me leadership is about ‘ being the purpose, delivering current performance and enabling future success.’
For many leaders the last few weeks have been focused on current survival. I am sure this will continue in the weeks and months ahead. However as leaders we don’t have the luxury of purely focusing on the current, we also need to reinforce our purpose and start building future capability and optionality. Finding the balance is not, and will not be easy, but now is the time that leaders need to ‘be the purpose, deliver the current and enable the future.’
Practical Action
Be Visible
Going into week 6, some of your team are bound to be a combination of tired, anxious, frustrated, bored and probably a bit ‘stir crazy’. They will only be human if they start to ‘falter’. Management by walking about may be leadership lesson 101 but that doesn’t mean it is not valid even in the virtual world we currently inhabit. I’d encourage you to be visible and act in terms of showing:
Belief in the future – an element of ‘fake it until you make it’ probably won’t do any harm.
Humanity – this week I’ve had individual conversations dominated by somebody going through a divorce and another dealing with a close colleague in hospital on a respirator. Now is the time to show empathy.
Normality – setting OKR’s and doing end of year performance reviews may not be sexy but they still need doing and create a sense of normality in a crazy world.
Challenge – of course times are hard but your teams are paid a lot of money and have responsibilities to their own teams. Trust your teams, show confidence in their capability and demand the same level of performance, or higher, than you always would.
Provocation – don’t allow, ‘out of sight, out of mind’ to apply. It’s my overwhelming experience, however good an individual or team, their performance is enhanced by follow through and questioning.
Humour – bringing a lightness of touch to the conversation is particularly needed at the moment, just don’t let humour distract you from appropriately serious conversations.
By now you will no doubt have created your new leadership rhythms, stick with them but also breathe in some energy and spontaneity, using the new cadence and ad hoc interactions (1:1 and 1:many) to reinforce the above.
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