In this day and age, I propose
too many leaders have become risk aversive and are leading just enough. It is far too easy to point out examples in
government, industry, and certainly education of how leaders work hard to
maintain the status quo or only make those changes when they are digestible by
the vast majority. One of my former graduate assistants and aspiring leadership
author and speaker, Sean Ryan, recently quoted physicist Kurt Lewin, “You
cannot understand a system until you try to change it”. This has me thinking
out loud that if you are leading just enough, you are not leading near
enough!
The point is “systems” resist
change. The inevitable result is stagnation at best and extinction at worst.
Recent examples in the news include a toxic culture of sexual harassment that was
allowed to permeate the entertainment and media industry to legacy retailers
like Sears that are closing their stores in accelerated numbers. And don’t even
get me started on how local and national government gets bogged down in partisan
gamesmanship that turns young undocumented dreamers, medical care for our veterans,
and a strong economy into a political football.
Now I know there are brave men
and women that speak out about what they see happening. The problem is that when
some young (or not so young!) leader steps out and up to call for a new way of
doing things, the “system” pushes back and those leaders are censured,
minimized, removed, or leave on their own out of frustration. When the status
quo is more important than innovation, then what you are left with is a group
of leaders who lead just enough to
maintain, but not near enough to
change! In other words, these “just enough” leaders may try to push the organizational
envelope just enough to poke at the problem or situation but stop short when it
becomes too uncomfortable, inconvenient, or disruptive.
I would propose that is no
longer sufficient. If we want to see the changes we desire in our society,
communities, organizations, businesses, and families we need leaders understand
they are not leading near enough! They have to lead beyond what is comfortable
or convenient. Here are some tough but doable ways to lead more than enough!
Address
Toxicity – in just about every organization, there will be toxic people
or conditions. If you have the authority to do so, then you are obligated to
address them as opposed to placate them. To not do so lowers the moral of those
that are trying to do it right and limits your credibility. Start with basic
conversations that address behaviors versus character. If that does not help,
then enlist the aid of human resource or mediation professionals. If it is a
matter of a toxic belief system or conditions in an organization, then
highlight it and gather data as to how it is negatively impacting your enterprise.
It matters less how it evolved, it
matters more that it is dissolved!
Take
Risks – I cannot not think of any example of important change that
has occurred in industry, medicine, education, or society in general that did
not involve someone taking a risk. From Christ to King, Jobs to Musk, or Curie
to Salk, it has been the innovators and risk takers that have advanced all of
us. These individuals understood that the rewards were greater than the
personal risk.
Make
Tough Calls – I have often said that anyone that anyone
can be a “successful” leader. In other words, it is easy to be a success when
you have the resources you need, the timing is perfect, the stars are aligned,
and people in place. It is a far different story, however, to be a leader in
challenge. In those times some leaders lead just enough, not near enough, or
more than enough. It is the latter that we remember the most. I recently saw
the movie The Darkest Hour (http://focusfeatures.com/darkesthour) that highlighted the first few weeks of Winston
Churchill’s assumption of the role of Prime Minister of Great Britain at the
outbreak of World War II. Granted, Churchill was a flawed individual in many
respects, but he was determined to lead more
than enough even when some members British aristocracy thought they could
tolerate Nazi rule. Churchill knew that whereas some of those fortunate individuals
would still enjoy their comfortable lifestyle under Hitler, the vast majority
of the citizens would be brutalized under such tyranny. He had the make the
tough call that Great Britain would not capitulate even in light of terrible
costs.
Finally, be brave. I have been
there a time or two and know this is not easy and it does not mean to not be afraid
either. It simply means to decide that some things and people are more
important than personal comfort or gain. Here’s the thing, I do not need you to
be brave now when things are going well. I need you to be brave when the toxic person
hurts others, when the unhealthy behaviors or attitudes emerge, or when change
is necessary more than just a novel idea. But don’t try to be brave alone or carry
the burden for everyone else. Find and secure allies and other supporters that
will have your back when you step out front and proclaim “this . . . will . . .
not . . . stand!” Such leadership will be more
than enough!
As always if I can help you and
the people you associate with Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD, I would
invite you to email me or to visit my website below and see if any of the
training or coaching experiences I offer can provide an impact, especially when
it comes to creating organizational values that stick! I am also pleased to
announce the launch of my first book, Leading Out Loud: Strategies for Raising
Your Leadership Voice! available on Amazon.com. Also, as a bonus, if
you go to my Out Loud Strategies website (www.outloudinc.com)
and enter your contact information, I will send you a FREE guide to
establishing a mentoring initiative program in your organization! Such an
initiative would be critical to add value to your organization!
Yours in Leadership,
Bill Faulkner
Principal Consultant – Out
Loud Strategies
Independent Coach, Speaker,
and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team TM
Email
= bill@outloudinc.com
Visit our website at: www.outloudinc.com
For more information on the
John Maxwell Team, please visit
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