Leadership: Finding The Vision

We know that a leader is someone with vision, as well as the drive, determination and commitment to achieve that vision.

So, in order to lead, the leader needs a vision.  The leader has to perceive that something needs to be fixed or a goal needs to be reached. That “something” may not be recognized by others or it may be so challenging that no one else has the courage and confidence to tackle it. But it becomes the focus of the leader’s attention. The leader can imagine what the world will be like when the goal is reached or the problem solved. The leader can see it in bright colors.  That means they can set out on the path towards it with eyes clearly focused on the goal.  

The clear vision in bright colors in the leader’s mind is key to success. But the vision does not have to be one with all the detail filled in. Generally good leaders are not focused on details. What the leader needs is the ability to see the big picture. Leaders have open minds and feel comfortable asking open questions about that bigger picture. They know the detail will be filled in on the way.

Leadership and developing a vision requires creativity. And creativity is there somewhere inside each one of us. You may have to work quite hard to find it, of course. But it is there. If you don’t think you are creative, then go out of your way to do something new, go to new places and meet new people. You may be surprised by the new ides that spring up in your mind as a result.

Remember, it is finding the vision which stirs the passion, the inner sense of drive and the commitment that is required to be a leader.  

Wendy Mason  is a Career Coach and Life Coach helping you to solve difficult problems at work and at home
wendymason@wisewolfcoaching.com 
http://wisewolfcoaching.com

Are you a resilient leader?

 

Resilience is the process of adapting well in the face of adversity.  We need it in our personal  lives and we certainly need it at work! It means we can “bounce back” from difficult experiences.

Research has shown that resilience is ordinary, not extraordinary. People usually show resilience but that doesn’t  mean they don’t experience difficulty.

Resilience isn’t necessarily something you are born with it – you learn how to show it.  Relationships that create warmth and trust, that provide role models, and offer encouragement and reassurance help bolster a person’s resilience.

Several additional factors are associated with resilience, including:

• The ability to make realistic plans and take steps to carry them out
• A positive approach and confidence in yourself
• Communication skills
• Problem solving abilities
• The ability to handle your own emotions

Not everyone reacts the same way to challenges.  An approach to building resilience that works for one person might not work for another.  A person’s culture probably has an impact on how he or she communicates feelings and deals with adversity

But here are some strategies for building your own resilience and encouraging it in those you lead.

1. Develop strong connections with others!  Good relationships with other people mean that you can support each other.  This is particularly important in organizations going through difficulties – sometimes it is only team work that can pull you through!
2. Avoid seeing crises as insurmountable problems. You may not be able to change what has happened but you can change how you respond.  As the leader, this will affect how others respond. Keep your eye on the bigger picture and look beyond the present to how future circumstances will be better.
3. Accept that change happens. Certain goals may no longer be attainable as a result of adverse situations. Accepting circumstances that cannot be changed can help you focus on circumstances that you can alter.
4. Move toward your goals. Develop some realistic and short term goals and start to move towards them.  That will inspire confidence in your ability to move towards your bigger goals and towards a time beyond the present problems.
5. Take decisive actions. Act on adverse situations as much as you can and take decisive actions.  Don’t let people detach completely from problems and just wish they would just go away.
6. Encourage people to look for opportunities for self-discovery. People often learn something about themselves in difficult circumstances and may find that they have grown in some respect as a result of the challenge.  Many people who have experienced difficulties have reported better relationships, a greater sense of strength (even while feeling vulnerable) and an  increased sense of self-worth.
7. Encourage people to nurture a positive view of themselves. Developing confidence in their ability to solve problems and trusting their instincts helps build resilience.
8. As the leader keep things in perspective and maintain a hopeful outlook. An optimistic outlook enables you and them to expect that the good times will come back.  In turn that probably will speed the time it takes to resolve the problem.

I am Wendy Mason and I work as a personal and business coach, consultant and blogger.  I have worked with many different kinds of people going through personal  and career change. If you would like my help, please email me at wendymason@wisewolfconsulting.com or ring ++44(0)2084610114 or ++44(0)7867681439.  I will be very pleased to hear from you.

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Becoming a Leader Today – Manifesto for a Servant Leader

In his essay The Servant as Leader, Robert Greenleaf said of servant leadership:

“It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material possessions…The leader-first and the servant-first are two extreme types. Between them there are shadings and blends that are part of the infinite variety of human nature.”

Larry C. Spears, who has served as President and CEO of the Robert K. Greenleaf Center  for Servant Leadership since 1990 determined 10 characteristics that are central to the development of a servant leader:

• Listening: A servant leader wants to listen to others and supports them in wanting to communicate.  This means in particular paying attention to what is unspoken. The servant leader relies on the inner voice and finding out what the body, mind and spirit are communicating.
• Empathy: A servant leader wants to understand and empathize with others.  Those the leader works with are recognised, respected and appreciated for their personal development. As a result, leadership is seen as a special type of human work that invests in others which in turn leads to advantage for the organization.
• Healing: A great strength of a servant leader is the ability to heal themselves and others. A servant leader tries to help people solve their problems and resolve conflicts in relationships as they develop their skills. This leads to a working environment which is dynamic and fun without fear of failure.
• Awareness: A servant leader needs self awareness and a more general awareness of others with an integrated, holistic approach that includes ethics and values.
• Persuasion: A Servant Leader does not coerce or threaten but tries to convince. This distinguishes servant leadership most clearly from traditional, authoritarian models and can be traced back to the religious views of Robert Greenleaf himself.
• Conceptualization: A servant leader can see beyond the immediate for the organization  and its day to day operations  A Leader constructs a vision of the future than be developed into goals and  strategies for implementation
• Foresight The leader needs the ability to foresee the likely outcome of a situation.  The servant leader should learn from the past to understand the present and identify consequences for the future.  This requires the leader to be blessed with good judgment!
• StewardshipThe servant leader holds the organization in trust for those with an interest in it and for the wider society.  The servant leadership understands the wider obligation to help and serve others. Openness and persuasion are more important than control.
• Commitment to the growth of people: A servant leader nurtures the personal, professional and spiritual growth of employees and involves them in decisions about the future of the organization
• Building community: A servant leader builds a strong community within his organization and is committed to contributing to the wider community beyond.

I would welcome you views on the servant leader and your experiences. Have you encountered a true servant leader to whom you would like to pay tribute?

I am Wendy Mason and I work as a personal and business coach, consultant and blogger.  I have worked with many different kinds of people going through personal  and career change. If you would like my help, please email me at wendymason@wisewolfconsulting.com or ring ++44(0)2084610114 or ++44(0)7867681439.  I will be very pleased to hear from you.

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Becoming a Leader Today – What is Leadership?

 

“Leadership is ultimately about creating a way for people to contribute to making something extraordinary happen.” Alan Keith, Genentech

“Leaders sell the tickets for the journey” Anon

I believe leadership is influencing a group of people to achieve a common goal.

But if you ask a group to define leadership, you will probably get as many different answers as there are people in the group. And most of those answers will probably be about what a leader does, not about what leadership, itself, is.

Conventionally leaders take charge of groups, be that group a large corporation, a country or a small team charged with delivering a project. Until quite recently, there has usually been little or no distinction between leadership and management.

But leadership is not about managing people.

Leaders promote new directions! Leaders sell tickets, but managers drive the bus!

Traditionally, leadership has been based on power; military, economic, religious etc. Occasionally leadership has been based on the power of personality to dominate a group. But there has usually been some loss of free will.

In this modern knowledge-based world, this traditional approach seems less and less appropriate. Richard Florida‘s book, “The Rise of the Creative Class” argues that in the modern world, more and more work requires creative thinking. So the leader becomes the one who generates a creative idea that can be delivered in a convincing vision for the organization.

In this knowledge based economy, the idea that leadership comes from someone who just happens to sit at the top of the organization chart becomes redundant. A new direction can emerge from any point in the organization where critical knowledge can be combined with creativity to generate an influential vision for the future.

So, the leader becomes a facilitator who can create conditions in which new visions can be generated and developed.

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