LeadershipLevity

Leaders and leadership teams in organizations deal with a lot of s$#%. The easy-to-solve problems and dilemmas are not the ones that walk into their doors or make it onto their meeting agendas.

Dealing with complex, recalcitrant, even intractable issues (and people) often raises hackles, creates friction, and heightens conflict.

The best leaders I know have learned that a little humor goes a long way in those settings. Adding a little levity in tense environments often raises the level of engagement while lowering the degree of contentiousness. These skillful leaders often employ one of the strategies used by improvisational comedians which is to "never block and always roll." 

"Yes, and...." is a much better starting phrase than "Yeah, but..." Likewise, "How might we..." is a better stem for problem-solving conversation than "We can't and here's why..."

IF we hope to craft impactful solutions, that is. Lighten up!

TeacHer(o)

Most of us have had Teachers who shaped us. The most impactful ones understand that we DON'T need them for….... the content or to rank/sort us. 

Those stellar Teachers know that we DO need them for…

• Relationship 
• Insight (that comes from their experience) 
• Encouragement 
• Direction/Redirection

Not all of mine were professionally "certified" Teachers. Some were …
Parents and Grandparents
    Bosses 
        Colleagues 
            My Students
                Friends

Still, each was or is a TeacherHero in their own right. They have taught me much, and still are.

Gotta run. Time to pay it back/forward...

Engage(d)

I admire immensely folks who are skillful at engaging with others. They have the ability to, somehow, make us feel at ease in their presence. 

These engagement artisans have numerous "tools" they leverage to make the rest of us feel heard, seen, valued, and respected. Here are some of the things these engagemeisters do:

• They ask penetrating questions which invite us to reveal our knowledge, feelings, and positions.
• They display transparency and vulnerability in their own words and demeanor.
• They LISTEN intently as we share our thoughts.
• The exude kindness.
• They offer praise and thanks freely.
• They are fully present during the interaction.
• They seek, always, to build bridges instead of walls.

Just imagine a day in which we might encounter nothing other than these kinds of folks. (Or maybe just a few of them.)

How rewarding might our own days be if we could learn to behave in this way?

InfluencerJam

The wisest leaders I know understand that it takes a TEAM to accomplish significant impact. Thus, those leaders are always on the hunt for, and committed to the development of, influencers. 

How do they do that?

1. Find and connect with 'em - Pay attention to the "landscape," looking for those who not only do good work, but seem to draw it out of others. Get to know them. Talk to them. Listen to them. Learn with and from them. Lean into them. Connect dots with both their personal and professional interests. 
2. Build their capacity - Provide opportunities and access that align with their gifts and talent. Connect them with others in our network. Create mechanisms by which we learn with and from them. 
3. Shape their work - Consistently keep the organizational Vision at the center of our/their attention. Pull and push our Team toward that Vision. De-emphasize or remove elements that impede those efforts. Implement systems that challenge, not threaten, those influencers. 
4. Praise and promote them - Notice, acknowledge, praise, promote, and yes, sometimes "lose" them to their ambitions beyond our organization. Influence is reciprocal in nature. 

Influencers can work with or for pretty much anyone of their choosing. So, why would they pick us to work with?

The "jam" of influential leaders is heavily weighted toward influencing the influencers.

"The road goes on forever, and the party never ends..."

Two-Juice

Most organizational leaders have way too much to do. Too much paperwork, too much homework, too much putting out of fires, too much cleaning up of messes, too many meetings, too much "stuff."

Often neglected are the powerful one-to-one engagements with folks on the team. One-to-one equals TWO.

In my early years as an organizational leader, my lovely bride (now of 47 years) would gently remind me of the following: "Take care of the people, and they'll help you take care of the stuff."

Wise words then; wise words now.

There are huge benefits to spending a little one-to-one time with team players. In each of those Divine Appointments we can:

• Underscore their value
• Express appreciation
• LISTEN
• Laugh
• Empathize
• Clarify vision
• Demonstrate care

Those brief two-way conversations provide positive energy to both parties. And both need it.

Tinker-nacity

Knowledge is cumulative. We build on it one "block" or "straw" or "brick" at a time. Research steadily pushes the boundaries outward, but so does the collective application of that knowledge in science, the arts, crafts, and professions.  

Doubt it? Just do an internet search for hacks on how to change the oil in your lawnmower, or prune your trees, or improve your tennis backstroke, or identify legal tax deductions. 

Never have we had access to more knowledge, more quickly, in a wider variety of formats. Thus, the body of knowledge is expanding at an amazing speed.

Whatever our chosen interests, we can learn more about it and get better at it ... faster than ever.

The first decision, however, is the CHOICE to learn and to get better.

Step #1: GO!

RecalcitranceRemediation

Resistors, slow-rollers, blockers all have well-earned reputations. They often bring organizational improvement to a standstill. But not always...

All organizations have the Cadre of the Recalcitrant. So, how best do we navigate their resistance?

Consider these strategies:

• Seek counsel from wise others outside our organization. Perhaps we're missing something that is giving the resistors reason to push back or credence in the eyes of others.
• Keep communications open, even if painful. Transparency must prevail to keep various factions from digging more deeply in.
• Do our homework. In each meeting and in each individual encounter we are wise to be armed with the best and most current relevant data, and to be prepared to share our highest aspirations for the team in clear and understandable terms. High ground is almost always the best ground.
• Keep our communications clean, clear, forthright, and "on the business." It is never productive for us to attack the character or personality of others.
• Stay focused on the good and the positive. Negativity is a strong attractor, but what it attracts mostly is more negativity. People appreciate a genuinely positive perspective and optimistic voice, even if it's a lonely one.
• Be the change we desire. Integrity is when our words and our actions are highly aligned. Folks appreciate (often admire) it, even if they're afraid to say so.

Breaking through bottlenecks and barriers is a tough slog. 

Let's make sure we're pursuing worthy and noble goals, then engage the challenge presented by the Cadre of the Recalcitrant with vigor and zeal.