Observation
‘Leaders are more tired and yet it is
getting tougher!’
A number of my clients have recently described themselves as ’running on fumes’. Of course many of us have been tired from the first weeks of lockdown but probably had a reservoir of energy to draw on. I suspect the energy level in the tank is now getting very low for many leaders.
I also observe that the leadership challenges are getting greater; the choices are more complex (as discussed last time), the people being led are themselves tired, the future remains far from certain and false dawns are undermining credibility and mental wellbeing.
Clearly there is no simple answer but in my experience two areas are key; your role and your wellbeing. With your role, are you focusing your personal time and energy on those things that will really move the dial, as opposed to being sucked in to solving the continual fire hose of day to day problems? With your wellbeing, are you treating it as a business imperative and not just a nice to have? I suspect that booking in a meaningful break is a priority for many leaders.
Current Leadership Challenge
'Finding Time To Think'
I have recently been hosting a range of forums for business leaders where they have had the opportunity to connect, support and learn from each other.
They have worked well but I have been shocked by some of the feedback. When asked what reflection they have on the conversation, several have said a version of ‘it’s been great to think about these issues, we never normally get time to do that.’ What has jarred with me is that we have been talking about issues which are core to the future success of the business. If the CEO, or CFO or HRD are not taking the time to think about the future – who is?
In my experience, the future of the business is not something that can be put in neat little boxes, subsumed into the budgeting process and relegated to an item on the weekly agenda. It needs serious time and air for the ideas to breathe, for a shared view of the future to emerge and the options to be wrestled down in to action. However urgent the current tasks, if they are allowed to continually drive out what’s important for the future, then the business will probably have no future.
“Rarely are opportunities presented to you in a perfect way.
In a nice little box with a yellow bow on top.
Opportunities – the good ones – are messy, confusing and hard to recognize.
They’re risky. They challenge you.”
Susan Wojcicki CEO Youtube
Practical Action
'Structure Your Communication'
I am not a fan of politicians and am wary of pointing to them as examples of great leadership, however Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand’s Prime Minister does seem more impressive than most, particularly in her ability to communicate.
As a leader finding the right narrative, tone and frequency of message is far from straightforward but it does seem that we can learn from Jacinda Ardern in terms of what makes great leadership communication ie:
Give Direction – be clear on what great looks like, what you expect and what the follow up process will be
Make Meaning – help people find purpose and belief in what they are doing
Demonstrate Empathy – show you understand and care about the individual and their context
Frame the questions and key issues – shape the context so that you help people have better quality conversations which generate action that makes a difference
Help people take collective responsibility for collective problems – acknowledge that the answers don’t just lie with the leadership but that individuals need to take responsibility as well.
NB The only Kiwi business leader I know is sceptical about Jacinda Ardern and we know that the situation has recently declined in New Zealand, albeit I suspect most of us would be happy to swap the UK challenges with the New Zealand ones - which all goes to show that nothing is easy in leadership!
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