As a business leader you can’t go throughout a day without some piece of communication coming at you either in an email, a flyer, a conversation, or any number of other input sources about leadership. The latest techniques, latest insights, latest gurus etc. all have something to say about leadership. The fact that you are reading this weekly Promise Guidepost just ticked the leadership discussion point in your mind. There is such an abundance of leadership materials and workshops and any number of vehicles to enhance leadership that it amazes me that leadership is not a well understood and well executed part of our daily lives. Unfortunately, access and availability do not translate into actual useful practice and execution.
I recently was told about a situation where leadership failed a team of typically successful people. During the course of the workday a set of events played out and required the team to apply the predefined processes and procedures to bring a productive resolution to the situation. Although the team did as defined by the standards set forth in the processes and procedures, the third party influence took hold and through various inaccurate statements caused leadership to support the third party rather than their team. The lack of support for the team and supporting the third-party input without any investigation or validation of the facts caused a typically contributing team to radically become disenchanted with their leadership. This scenario is becoming more and more common in the workplace.
Leadership takes the initial time to put in place the best possible processes and then align the best people in their organization to execute the procedures. So far, the organization is running like a well-oiled machine. This is where things can get out of tilt. When nonstandard situations present themselves, leadership must remain emotionally balanced. They cannot jump to conclusions or take directive action or sides unless or until they have given the situation the proper time and attention. They must work from a place of facts and data and not various emotional prompts. In a society where everything should have been done yesterday, situations require pause and thoughtful approach to keep clam minds and clear thought processes. When this does not happen there are plenty of people that get hurt or wounded in the process. Some will heal but others will simply eject themselves from the organization in pursuit of an environment they feel is not so hostile.
Leadership loses again because now not only do they have a broken team and broken confidence in leadership support, but they are also redirecting time to the recruit/hire process again and again. Turnover in the organization is directly linked to the environment leadership provides or causes challenges too. The environment is not just a break room with any number of amenities. It is the genuine care and leadership demonstrated to and toward each individual staff person on the team. This is especially true during nonstandard operation challenges.
This week, take the time to look at your leadership. Are you providing an environment which builds positive culture or tearing it down. Are you being supportive and building confidence in your team or simply going through the motions to get another day under your belt. When you were given the responsibility that comes along with a leadership role you need to step up to the accountability of your actions to insure it adds to the culture and not subtract from it.
Want to better understand your leadership style? Give JKL Associates a call and let’s discuss how we can bring understanding and appreciation for all members of the team. Call (313) 527-7945 in Michigan or (407) 984-7246 in Florida
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Celebrating 30 years of Delivering on “Promises”
