Essential Leadership Shifts for Today’s Environment
Essential Leadership Shifts for Today’s Environment
Decades ago, as a teenager, I completed my final driver’s training class, eager to put my new skills to use. This rite of passage marked my readiness to navigate the open roads with my permit and a parent by my side. My father met me outside the building in his Ford Pinto wagon (yes, I’m dating myself). He moved to the passenger seat and told me to drive us home. My excitement quickly faded when I realized the car was a stick shift, while I had only learned on an automatic. Undeterred, my father explained how to use the clutch and coached me through every jerky, stalled moment on our way home. (more…)
0
Read More
The news media frequently reports on new leadership appointments across various organizations. Regardless of how these leaders are chosen, stakeholders can anticipate changes. The new leader will bring fresh perspectives, priorities, processes, and their own authority to implement change.
Helicopters are known for their unique ability to hover, take off and land vertically, and move in ways that traditional fixed-wing aircraft cannot operate. They are the air vehicle of choice for emergencies and crises. They transport people and things to locations where airplanes can’t land. They aid up-close sightseeing, aerial videography and photography, and agricultural work. They can maneuver into hard-to-reach locations, hover close to, or land on the ground. This makes it easier to off-and-on-load resources, observe the terrain, or support land operations. 
Several months ago, in mid-July, I noticed an untimely phenomenon in our backyard. A tree that towered high above our two-story home began dropping brown, dead leaves. And while the annual cycle of falling leaves wasn’t uncommon, we were used to it happening in October and November instead.
How exciting! You’re about to start your new role — a promotion, a new organization, a new team. You know the first 3 to 6 months will be intense as you get your bearings and try to figure out your new environment. And if your work responsibilities are remote or hybrid, you’ll have to employ some different strategies to acclimate to the position.
“What if we’re wrong?” That was the question a senior leader asked his CEO as they were discussing business strategies and plans. “We probably are,” she replied, “but let’s move forward nonetheless.”
Pat arrived at the office early. She hadn’t slept well the night before because she was wrestling with an important decision that needed to be made in her Executive Committee meeting that morning. They had been evaluating the development and launch of a new product for the past six months. Today they needed to make a final decision on whether they were going to move forward. The discussions had been thorough yet difficult with wide ranging opinions on what they should do. There was significant risk associated with the launch, but the potential reward could be a greatly improved market share. As CEO, she needed everyone to make a full commitment to the decision, and while the objective analysis appeared to lead the team to adopt it, a number of other issues had arisen, and there was a LOT of debate. 
Imagine that you’ve just joined a new organization or department or been appointed to lead a significant new project. You’re excited about your new role and have been given a charge by your new leader regarding specific outcomes and metrics to achieve. You took some time to evaluate the challenge ahead and get to know the team, and you’re ready to make some “quick wins.” There are obvious areas for improvement that will impact organizational metrics favorably. As you meet with your colleagues and team members to introduce your plans, their responses are muted. They don’t seem to appreciate the value of these initiatives. You continue to meet with key people one-on-one to gain their support and probe for issues, but you keep hitting a wall filled with excuses, pushback and noncommitment. What’s wrong? You’ve entered a “no wake zone.” 
Think about a time when you’ve been in the midst of an important challenge, working on a major project or slogging through solving a pervasive problem. Then you hit a wall. Your burst of energy and creativity has dissipated. Your initial accelerated progress has slowed to a snail’s pace. You and your team are stuck and find it difficult to break through to the next level of innovation and advancement. How do you move forward? You need a new perspective. You need to look at the challenge from a different angle, using a different lens, with a fresh set of eyes.