Is Leadership a routine?

What routine do you have as a leader? Do think about your regular routines, or, just get “caught up” in the busyness of life and then realise how quickly time goes by. Then, one day you may realise “you could have done something different.” It’s never too late and the time to start can be right now. Research shows that leadership is a routine: by fine tuning your skills and working with a team with a common purpose, you can create amazing outcomes.

“If you can dream it, you can do it.” – Walt Disney

Gaps and Weaknesses in Australian leader routines

The SAL Report “Do Australian Leaders Have what it takes” shows that Australian organisations should be concerned about the state of leadership and management capability. One of the important aspects is leadership routines. Section 2 of the report “Why leadership at work is important” shows yet another way of thinking about leadership, often referred to as ‘process models’ (Yukl, 2013), which focuses on how individuals interact with organisational systems – meaning the collective capability endowed in groups of individuals and the systems and routines they use to perform ‘leadership work’ (Pearce & Sims, 2002). This work seeks to understand how leaders across a whole organisation operating within complex environments can collectively implement strategic change by establishing effective routines and decisions that change the focus of behaviours (Denis et al., 2001).

4 “EFFECTIVE” Leadership Behaviours

Chris Nichols, Shoma Chatterjee Hayden, and Chris Trendler outline in HBR “4 Behaviours That Help Leaders Manage a Crisis.” The roles and responsibilities of business leaders have dramatically changed recently. Before COVID-19, CEOs and other executives in high-growth companies were focused on fostering innovation, driving revenue, and gaining market share. Today, many of those same leaders must make rapid decisions about controlling costs and maintaining liquidity. They may encounter unforeseen roadblocks — supply chain issues, team shortages, and operational challenges — that drastically alter the scope of their roles and priorities. All the while, they and their teams are navigating health and safety concerns, working remotely, and supporting their families through the pandemic. This is not an easy transition. Those in charge will be tested in areas where they have not fully developed their leadership muscles, and the learning curve will be steep. Having conducted more than 21,000 leadership assessments among C-suite executives, our CEO Genome research team at ghSMART has learned that to move forward in a crisis, leaders need to cultivate four behaviours in themselves and their teams. They must decide with speed over precision, adapt boldly, reliably deliver, and engage for impact. The tactics below can guide you as you coach your leaders in these key behaviours:

·     Behaviour 1: Decide with speed over precision

·     Behaviour 2: Adapt boldly

·      Behaviour 3: Reliably deliver

·      Behaviour 4: Engage for impact

As a leader of leaders, you are navigating new and ever-changing priorities with limited time to react. Moments of crisis reveal a great deal about the leaders below you. Once the immediate fire is under control and you have a moment to catch your breath, think about who rose to the occasion, who struggled, and why. Consider how roles will change in the post crisis world and whether your key executives are positioned for success. Last and most important, ask yourself whom you want at the table both in the current crisis and in the longed-for tomorrow when we emerge to a new normal.

Behave “LIKE” a LEADER

A December 20 Indeed Career Guide outlines “10 Ways to Build Effective Leadership Behaviours.” Adopting positive leadership behaviour can motivate your team to be more effective and increase its ability to reach goals. It also helps you to retain top talent within your department, as team members will value the opportunity to work alongside you. Learning how to behave like a leader can take practice and a strong sense of self-awareness as you monitor your own actions. Good leadership behaviours are crucial to become someone who inspires and leads people to maximize efficiency and to achieve the goals of the organization. Leadership behaviours are essential to:

·     Increase the productivity of a team: Consistent leadership can motivate a team to greater performance

·     Retain people: Employees are less likely to leave if they receive great leadership and mentorship in their current roles

·     Nurture future leaders: Leadership behaviours are integral to develop and nurture future leaders within an organization

Here is a list of ways you can behave like a leader:

• Be honest
• Be confident in your decisions
• Be approachable
• Provide objective feedback
• Lead by example
• Create a reward program for staff members
• Change how you approach your work
• Address potential issues before they become problems
• Pay attention to the needs of individual employees and try to meet them
• Encourage creativity by keeping lines of communication open

FAMILY LEADER = BUSINESS LEADER

My Blog “Leading our children with Kindness AND Courage” may make you wonder what being a parent has to do with being a leader – after all, leaders are usually talked about in a business or civil/social setting, aren’t they? But if you think about it, what we should strive to do as parents is also what great leaders aim for. Leaders lead organisations and the people within, and isn’t that what you’re doing as a parent? You’re working to mould your children into successful people, inspiring them to unlock their inner greatness. Without leadership, things go off the rails and potential is squandered. The key to being an effective and great leader for your children is to be one for yourself as well. Here are my tips for improving your leadership, both parental and personal:

·     Work On Your Self-Awareness And Personal Growth

·     Practise Communicating Positively

·     Look At Problems As Learning Opportunities Instead

·     Learn And Practice Emotional Intelligence, And Teach It To Your Children Too

·     Strive For Balance

·     Bring Out The Best In Your Children To Bring Out The Best In Yourself

·     Be The Best Family Leader You Can Be

Change your Leadership Behaviour NOW!

LeadershipHQ are excited to be working with Veriskills where our Leadership Essentials Program where you are awarded for Collaboration outcomes. The Leadership Essentials Program is either a self-paced (not Veriskills) or a group and one on one leadership program which takes 6-9 months and gives participants the human capabilities, tools, skills and resources to be the best person and leader they can be. The Human Capability outcomes you will be awarded on completion of our Leadership Essentials program are as follows:

·      Initiative and Drive (Level 3)

·      Communication (Level 3)

·      Collaboration (Level 3)

·      Empathy (Level 3)

Click here to learn more about Veriskillsâ„¢, and the Human Capability Framework.

This program and coaching will take your leadership skills to the next level!

Leadership isn’t easy and sometimes we need help. I am always here.

And, remember, Leadership starts from within, so grab my latest book FIRST COMES COURAGE!

Get in touch today to learn more about building leadership skills and set yourself up for success!

Stay Kind. Stay Courageous.

Sonia x