If you’re like most people, you want to make an impact, leave a legacy, or build something bigger than yourself. But that’s easier said than done. Many can rattle off a list of helpful ideas and systems to help achieve this: improving delegation, better communication, coaching, and understanding what really motivates your team. You can probably add several more ideas to this list, and even still, you aren’t achieving the same level of success you aspire to. Why?
Think of the last time you had a headache. Maybe it was severe enough to take Panadol, drink some caffeine, or massage your temples for a few minutes. These things may help reduce the pain, decrease throbbing, or release tension, but when another headache strikes, you’ll be stuck in the same cycle of treating the symptom. If you want lasting relief, you need to get to the root of the issue, which takes a great deal more effort and work, and likely the help of an expert to help guide the process.
Your doctor may run lab tests, make changes to your diet, or encourage stress-reducing activities to help identify the cause. There’s a little trial and error, and a lot of patience to really make a lasting change. Once you’ve identified the root, you really have the opportunity to improve your quality of life by preventing those symptoms from occurring. Leadership isn’t really any different. If you want to be successful, you need to treat the root of the problem, not just the symptom. Often, that means considering the leadership philosophy of your organization.
More traditional styles rely on a hierarchy of power. Those at the top of the pyramid are the most senior, most powerful, and therefore most feared. The focus is often on themselves, and doing what best serves them or their success in their role above and beyond the team or organization. Obedience and submission are frequently a by-product of this style, however, that can stifle creativity, problem-solving, and innovative thinking. Leadership matters - the very things your organization needs to be successful, may in fact be hindered by the way you lead.
Recognizing the importance of this, BME has developed a unique model, The Generous Leader, whereby an organization advances as a direct result of individual advancement. We believe when others flourish, we all flourish, including the organization. Instead of relying on power or authority to inspire a team, the generous leader intentionally seeks out opportunities to better their team and organization. By engaging and empowering your team to be successful, the organization is able to be more effective, impactful, and better achieve its goals. Through collaborative endeavors with various clients, this model has undergone refinement and evolution, establishing a track record of success.
In future emails, we’ll help you put this model into action by unpacking four areas of tangible, intentional opportunities, which we call leadership postures:
Be Present
Clarify Purpose
Share Power
Support Progress
Maybe this is revolutionary for you, and likewise a little scary. If so, remember you don’t have to do this alone. We regularly help guide our clients through the process. And if you’re feeling skeptical of just how much of a difference leadership philosophy makes, that’s okay, too. We’ll unpack more of the specifics in future emails, and even give you some great strategies to try. As someone once said, ‘If you want something you’ve never had, you need to try something you’ve never done.’
Leadership matters. If you’re ready to change the way you lead, there are 3 ways we can work together:
1-on-1: Executive Leadership Coaching
Team Development: Offsites, The Generous Leader, Working Genius, etc…
Organizational Consulting: Culture strategy, Succession planning, & more
Message us now to book a no-obligation discovery call to see how our team of leadership specialist consultants can best serve your team.
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