During my career in learning and development, I’ve worked with some fantastic leaders. I’ve also worked with some bad ones too because, let’s face it, leadership isn’t always easy. Throw a global pandemic into the mix – with redundancies and restructures, virtual and hybrid teams, and people reprioritising what’s important to them – and it’s hardly surprising that many leaders are struggling to navigate the disruption successfully.
In the past, leaders could draw on previous experiences or use established leadership models to manage disruption. But we remain in uncharted waters, so it’s hardly surprising that many leaders can’t find their ‘true north’. With that in mind, I wanted to share a few tips that I hope will help leaders recalibrate their leadership compass and successfully navigate the ongoing disruption.
Stand in your strength
A few years ago, I was introduced to the phrase ‘stand in your strength’ and it’s become part of my leadership philosophy ever since. Standing in your strength means knowing what you’re great, playing in that space as often as you can, and sharing those skills with others to help them develop.
The flipside of this, of course, is that it also means being sufficiently self-aware – and humble – to know what you’re not good at and surrounding yourself with brilliant people who can balance that out.
So, if you’re good at engaging people, sharing a vision, and securing buy-in, but not so good at process, focus your energy on people engagement and find someone you trust who is strong on process and entrust them with that part of the project.
Trust in your people
Leadership isn’t a solo gig. It’s about surrounding yourself with brilliant people who can offer a different perspective, who are able to challenge when it’s needed – and listening to them. It’s about encouraging people to push boundaries – and empowering them to move forward at pace when the time is right.
As a leader, you’re there at the front of the ship, setting the course and direction. If something goes wrong elsewhere, have the basic knowledge to know how to do something about it – but know that there’s someone else with the expertise to develop the right solution and pass it to them when you can. Know when to say, “I’m no good at this, but you are. Can you do it?” and get to where you need to go, together.
Look for the learns
If you look hard enough, there are learning opportunities everywhere – in success and in failure. My advice here is, create space and look for the learns. At the very least it will liberate you. It may even help you discover the very innovation that enables your business to become the business of the future – in the here and now.
Encourage the ‘disruptors’ and ‘change agents’ in your organisation to come forward with their ideas; and take every opportunity to shake off bureaucracy and red tape; to improve efficiency and speed up innovation.
Use ‘towards’ language
The way we talk to ourselves – the language we use and the way we frame it – can have an enormous impact on our health and wellbeing, and our success. What we choose to plant in our minds through self-talk can – literally – create our reality.
Instead of feeling powerless, ask ‘How can I stand in my strength?’ Instead of feeling lost, ask ‘What’s the one thing I can do to make the biggest difference right now?’
If we choose to talk to ourselves in ways that are positive, full of possibility, towards what we want then we are more likely to manifest that reality. The opposite is also true.
The framing of the questions we ask ourselves can often lead to different qualities in the answers we find. And it can make all the difference in setting a course towards a more positive outcome.
Be a servant leader
Servant leadership is leadership without ego. It’s about understanding what your people need from you and delivering on that. Ask your people, “How can I best serve you?” and listen, truly listen. Then, be agile in how you respond, in service of your people. This will show your people that you care, it will enable you to collaborate and achieve better outcomes – and it will increase the trust and loyalty within your team. It will also help you grow as a person and as a leader.
Be vulnerable
American academic, author and speaker Professor Brene Brown says, “Vulnerability is not winning or losing. It’s having the courage to show up when you can’t control the outcome.” I’m with Brown on this; vulnerability isn’t sharing your deepest fears, it’s about knowing what you’re afraid of and doing it anyway to advance your cause. It’s about understanding what’s at stake and taking the calculated risk to get from A to Z.
There’s a great phrase I learned in Australia a few years back from an ex-Olympic sailor, he said their team mantra was, “It’s not what happens to you, it’s what you do next.” I draw on this all the time. As a leader, take calculated risks that will propel your business forward, just don’t be the one jumping into the unknown without a parachute.
Be still
Change is the only constant, goes the adage. During the past two years, we’ve all experienced more change – and at a greater rate – than during the past two decades. So, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and helpless. My leadership advice is, ‘be still’. When chaos is all around you, be the calm at the centre of the storm. When your people look to you and see that you’re still, they’ll calm down. That makes it easier to understand the problem you’re dealing with and make good, rather than rushed, decisions.
Invest in self-awareness
Everything flows from self-awareness. Because, when you understand yourself, your strengths and weaknesses, and how you are perceived by others, you can adapt your style to better connect, build stronger relationships – and achieve the outcomes you seek. Self-aware leaders give themselves the best chance of future success.
These few tips, consciously applied until they become habitual, should help leaders recalibrate and be successful in a disrupted world.
