It’s Thursday already — Wow! Time for a little reflection.
As you’ve taken some time this week to consider your organization’s history and vision, and to talk with and listen to your employees’ thoughts about the history, its significance, and how it relates to your vision, what did you learn?
Do you see any gaps or inconsistencies?
Did you hear something that left you questioning commitment levels to your organization’s vision?
What could you be doing to encourage higher levels of engagement and commitment among your employees?
How could you help them to see and understand the organization’s vision more clearly?
What do you think it would take for them to take greater ownership?
After you’ve spent some time on these questions and their answers, spend some time considering the vision you have for your team.
Have you articulated it clearly to them?
How committed to it do you think they are?
If you think there’s a gap in their commitment to your vision — either for your organization or your team — keep this in mind: They have to buy-in to you first, before they will buy-in to your vision.
Plainly speaking, have you established yourself as a true leader — are you:
- Mature — knowing it’s not about you.
- Intentional — your service to them is thoughtful, not an accident!
- Consistent — you’ve demonstrated over time that people can count on you and know what to expect from you.
In short, you have demonstrated yourself to be a person of integrity. If you’ve done this, and your vision is intriguing to them, they are all the more likely to commit to helping you achieve it.
Thank you for the three bullets: maturity, intention, and consistency. A TRUE leader is/are these things and more. Which are more important in a critical situation? A stressful situation?
Amy: I’ve been thinking about this since you posted your comment, and here are my thoughts. I agree with you — TRUE leaders are mature, intentional, consistent, and have also developed a myriad of other skills/qualities that will allow them to be more effective in a variety of situations. However, different leaders will shine in different situations. I think the key is for the leader to be self-aware enough to know what those situations are for themselves, and to be able to recognize when it’s time to step aside and allow someone else to lead in situations where they (the second leader) is better suited.
What are your thoughts on this?