A leader may be a manager, but a manager is not always a leader.
A manager directs and monitors people and the work they do. A leader sets the vision and creates opportunities for people to contribute to the achievement of that vision.
Why is leadership more important than ever? Because while the future may be looking brighter, it's still uncertain. The workplace may be more active but people are still anxious. Normal routines have been turned upside down.
What if this is the new normal?
The leader's role
The best leaders define reality and inspire hope.
Life is not a multiple-choice test. And leadership is not always black and white.
So while leadership does not come from a checklist, the following guidelines are timely reminders of things you can do to sustain a healthy, productive culture in your organisation or department – which, after all, is the only thing within your sphere of influence.
- Remember that you're always in the spotlight. Be mindful of the verbal and non-verbal signals you send. Be transparent – the truth in tough times is more important than ever.
- Live your values. Make your values visible. Your culture is the invisible hand of your values made visible in behaviour. Does your culture match your values?
- Work from a written a plan. If you don't have a plan, develop one. If you need to recalibrate your plan, do it. Be specific about defining success and be specific about every person's role in helping to achieve it.
- Leave your foxhole. Walk around to stay in touch with colleagues by asking questions and offering encouragement. Visit with customers and suppliers. Not everything that's important is found in a report.
- Monitor and measure performance. How do we stack up against the competition? Are we satisfying our customers? Are there opportunities to upgrade our talent? You can't improve if you don't measure. Where are we coming up short? Fix it. Where are we winning? Replicate it.
- Shift accountability. Growth is stymied by leaders' inability to delegate. Invest others with the personal responsibility to deliver results. Recognise and reward success. Address underperformance.
- Make changes fast. We have asked more than 150 different leaders to name their biggest mistake last year. Their answer? Failing to act more quickly on a decision.
- Balance the present and the future. Is your vision inspiring? Are your growth goals realistic? You can have your eyes on the top of the premier league, but you can only get there one game at a time.
- Celebrate wins. In tough times, it's particularly important to recognise organisational and individual successes. Doing so acknowledges progress and encourages those achieving high levels of performance to continue pushing forward.
- Acknowledge that we don't control it all. Let go of baggage that may be holding you back or getting you down. Lighten up (see point 1 above). We don't control it all. We do, however, control our responses.
- Keep things in context. No matter how bad you may have it, there are hundreds of people who would gladly trade their problems for yours.
- Don't go it alone. It's lonely at the top. Have a trusted advisor whose only agenda is your success. He will question your answers, offer encouragement and provide accountability so that you can continue to lead those who look to you for these same things.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
