Leadership Sustainability
The challenge to do more and better remains ever before the leader. And leadership at the top can be a lonely endeavor. Too frequently senior leaders isolate themselves either functionally or relationally to others in the organization. Below are three self checks for you to consider in your own leadership engagement.
Sharpness of Focus:
Engaged leaders maintain a sharp focus. They are in touch with the direction of the company and the effectiveness of its employees. A focused leader remains connected to key deliverables; timeliness of those deliverables, and successful outcomes.
On the other hand when focus starts to decrease leadership direction becomes cloudy at best. Be concerned if you spend too much time thinking about peripheral issues, over-valuing your personal contributions to the organization, and returning to low level decision making. When micromanagement happens it often signals that leadership has either lost a vision for the future or neglected to develop and delegate as they lead.
Clarity of Communication:
Engaged leaders keep communication a priority. Not just dissemination of information but a bi-lateral open sharing and receiving of necessary information to stay the course through challenges and obstacles.
When communication becomes unilateral or stops completely, leadership ceases to exist…functionally. Titles and positions may be in place, but the acts of directing and supporting are absent. You know yourself. How consistent is your communication? Not only the message you bring, but consistently keeping the lines flowing. Morale rises and falls with the tide of communication.
Life Margin:
Engaged leaders know their limitation. Many want to be perceived as limitless; able to go on minimal sleep, always working the next deal, thinking the next strategy, consistently two steps ahead of the pack. In reality leadership is tiring. It takes time to understand people, gain perspective, adjust trajectory, fulfill obligations. Fresh perspective produces fresh results.
When you routinely describe yourself as tired, leadership is slipping. Understandably, sometimes you must push through. But sustained fatigue results in failure. You need to lead by example. Show your team what it looks like to recharge. Run hard. Run fast. Rest well.
How long do you want to do what you are doing?
How well do you score on the three ares above?
What adjustments do you need to make now?
When will you do it?