Future Leadership

If we look at the state of business today we notice that it’s experiencing some kind of crisis.  It seems more organisations are being acquired, merging, or dying than ever before.  It’s as if the rules of business are shifting, never to return.  What we’re seeing is the beginning of transformation in the business world, rather than change.  In fact we’ve gone beyond change being the solution to growth, improved performance, and a return to some semblance of stabilisation.

No business can ever outperform its leaders or leadership.  In this transformation or paradigm shift that’s emerging there is a new demand on leaders.  One that says you’d better have character, substance and integrity.  One that’s says what’s required is Authentic Leadership.

Authentic Leadership – Staying true to your identity, your values, your beliefs, following your purpose and creating the space so that others can be do and have the same opportunity.  That is the workforce also gets to be authentic, to live their values, beliefs and their purpose.  It’s about walking your talk and being human.  Authentic is not about being perfect.  It is about being self aware enough to realise who you are and how you impact others.

When you walk in to the room what do you bring with you?

And when you walk out of the door what wake do you leave behind?

Meaning and Fulfilment

There was a time when people looked for job security, for the right remuneration package and the career ladder.  However what’s being sought now is meaning and significance in their work.  When we talk about employee engagement or employee satisfaction is what we’re really interested in them showing up and completing some tasks and feeling OK about it.  Or do we really want them to show up, fully present, committed to the company’s mission, vision and values?  Numerous studies have shown that when an individual has a personal connection to the organisations purpose their productivity, motivation, creativity and resilience increase.  It’s also worth noting that absenteeism, sickness and stress are significantly reduced.

Victor Frankl a psychotherapist and holocaust survivor found that those that survived did so because there was meaning for them.  Meaning to their life, meaning beyond the ditch they were currently digging.  That those who let go of life, lost meaning first.

We all have commonly acknowledge needs, love, recognition, security, we also want to experience growth and be of service.  It is having all of these met that we feel fulfilment.  As a leader we first have to find this within our self and then we are challenged to help others find this within themselves.  It’s no longer a case of providing, care-taking or parental leadership.  Employees should feel responsible and accountable for their own life and career.  However as a leader we need to guide and sponsor them in finding their answers and their path.

Vision, Values, Voice™

As a leader do you have what it takes to help those around you connect to the vision, to understand their values and to find their voice?

Authentic leadership is about “empowering” others to step up and lead.  In the 21st century organizations of empowered leaders will be far more successful than those leaders focused on power, authority and their title.

Where’s the money you might ask.  What about shareholder value?

That’s just it, authentic leadership and creating a workplace that’s infused with meaning and fulfilment gives a level of shareholder value that you just can’t buy.  If someone has a job and things go wrong on the production line, they may stay late if there’s overtime.  If someone has a career and things go wrong on the production line, they may reflect on what caused the problem.  If someone has a purpose and meaning and things go wrong on the production line, they will stay late whether or not there is overtime, they will look for causes and they’ll look for solutions to ensure the problem won’t happen again.

Leadership Legacy

If, like a lot of leaders, you’ve experienced success but it’s come at the price of slowly putting more and more of yourself in a box, take heart it is possible to experience success and be authentic; it’s no longer a question of having one or the other.

Let’s imagine you’ve come to the end of your tenure, or the end of your life and you are asked “what difference did you make to this business and the world?”  How then have you been of service, what have you contributed?  Did you share all your unique gifts and abilities, or did you split yourself in two and leave the authentic you in the car park on arrival at work?

Are you a leader who finds the best in other’s and enables them to step up and lead?

Will you commit to being the authentic leader you are, and do whatever it takes, or will you shrink, play small and hang on?

These are challenging questions, and there in lies the opportunity for growth, both yours and the organisation.

To help you further we’ve put together a short leadership quiz so can measure yourself against the attributes of great leaders.

How can blue pea POD be of service?

Our Leadership Programmes are designed for you.  We do 1:1 programmes and we design and deliver in-house leadership development programmes.  We also run regular Master Classes and twice a year we hold invitation only events.

Oh yes and if you have 5 or more employees then there is a possibility of the Government part funding your leadership development.