Through my experience supporting senior leaders, I am convinced that many people "arrive" at the top only to realize that it is a very different role than they ever imagined. In fact, I've surveyed senior leaders and have feedback that proves this theory.
While that is a truth in "normal" times, we are now in an unparalleled place, where we are experiencing both a global pandemic and social unrest. These two things are shifting the way we live life each day, and leaders are at the front lines of this shift in their organizations. The individuals we serve every day are living both of these situations out in a very real and personal way.
So, here we are in a position that is already difficult and now we are navigating an environment that is unprecedented. What do our teams need from us?
Candidness. Courage. Curiosity.
First, we must be candid with ourselves on how we see the world. We must examine the current mindsets we have and understand how that is affecting the way we lead. We need to sit down and be 100% real with ourselves on current habits and embedded, sometimes subconscious, thoughts we have about the world around us. Am I really that open leader I want to be? Do I have detracting behaviors and thoughts that are keeping me from fully leveraging those around me? Do I truly understand and appreciate where someone may need my help and assistance and work proactively to make that happen?
Once you understand those thoughts, then a leader must have the courage to share what he/she has learned. Why courage? Because you may have to admit that you were wrong. That you need help in understanding. That you need education. It takes courage to not only be real with yourself but then to be real with those around you. Courage means being vulnerable at times and openly discussing where you may need help and how you are going to change your mindsets to be a better, stronger leader.
Finally, a leader must be curious. We need to have the curiosity to learn new ways of doing things, opening our minds to how other people live and think. We have to genuinely and earnestly seek out the "anti" view of how we've done things before. It is not enough for us to stop doing detracting behaviors - we have to deliberately act differently based on what we've learned and understood. This is the epitome of servant leadership. I"m going to shed my own past thoughts and actions that were negative and move forward in a way that I am positively impacting the world around me, including my team and my organization.
Let us not waste the transformations we can achieve in the midst of these hardships. Leaders are sharpened in times like these. Use candidness, courage and curiosity to emerge stronger from this moment.
