Too often people know the right path to follow, but what is right may not be easy, may not be as profitable or sometimes isn’t popular. It is however right.
The difference between knowing the right path and taking the right path is often integrity.
Integrity isn’t always easy, doesn’t always generate the most money and doesn’t guarantee popularity.
Integrity does matter though.
Never compromise your integrity, the price you pay is never worth it.
Remember, you become stronger whenever integrity is your motivation.
I’m currently reading “The Fish Rots from the Head, Developing Effective Board Directors” by Bob Garratt.
It’s a great book and something every director, or aspiring director should sink their teeth into.
One of the many points I’ve taken note of is how simple strategy really is. While I personally love a one page strategic plan, organisations tend to spend a lot of time pondering, planning, writing and in reality, complicating strategy.
Garratt argues that there are only five strategic directions to consider:
Advance
Retreat
Hold your ground
Make Alliances
Withdraw totally
This made me stop and think. Strategy is a wonderful opportunity to think and create, but we can still keep it very focussed.
As Amelia Barr said, “It is always the simple that produces the marvelous”.
A period of reflection this afternoon reminded me of the time I had my first midlife career tangent. When you receive support, even though you had no prior knowledge that you needed it, it can have a profound impact. Suddenly giving back becomes really important to you.
It’s more than just being thankful. It might sound cheesy, but it absolutely is an awakening. Something that builds from within and consumes you.
The wonderful irony is that you become grateful for the opportunity to give back.
It’s tough out there at the moment – we all know that.
If you’re purpose driven, you see it from both sides. The need has increased while funding and/or sales are difficult.
We want to do more, but it feels like we have less.
It’s OK, saving the world takes time.
It might sound counterintuitive but now is a good time to ensure your strategies, plans and systems are all serving you well.
Our natural reaction to tough times is to work harder, chase the income and support others as much as possible. Nothing wrong with that but at a fundamental level, there is one question we need to ask ourselves. If this climate continues for say another six to 12 months, do we know for sure that we still be here doing what we’re doing?
We’ve seen some great organisations close their doors or significantly downsizing due to these tough economic times. Something I’ve learnt lately is that doing great things, over a long time and having a great national profile does not guarantee your sustainability.
As I said above, saving the world is a long game. Please take the time now to ensure your organisation will survive.
Dear LinkedIn, please be assured I really do love you, but I think we need to have a chat.
We’ve known each other for a long time, and I feel we can be honest with each other.
What were once endearing and informative traits are now becoming a bit repetitive. Do you think we could, you know, mix it up a little bit? A bit of adventure, something outside of our comfort zone and even something to challenging each other?
I need to come out and tell you straight that I really do understand that:
I was idly looking through my notebook from the CELF* course I undertook a few years ago. On the first few pages, two quotes stood out for me:
If you have great understanding of your values, you can be totally committed to an organisation – even if that organisation itself may not be clear about its values.
Without direction, our thoughts have no impact – and – Without emotion, our thoughts have no power
Next came the personal mission statement I created:
“To enable a world where business is a resource for doing good”.
Sometimes it good to look back, so you can refocus on the path ahead.
* Community and Enterprise Leadership Foundation, Elevate Leadership Programme
Thanks to the great folks at Impact Hub Waikato for sharing this quote in their newsletter. We do need to remind ourselves that the little things do matter…
“You make an impact in the world around you every single day. Whether it’s how you treat the tired grocery worker or how you react to the rushed person who cut you off, you are always sending your energy out into the world. And what’s often forgotten is that the little ripples we make on the world every day aren’t little at all. They are the acts that make the biggest difference” – Nikki Banas
So make a difference today – even if it’s just through being nice to someone.
We know how important it is for leaders to build effective teams. It seems every second post on LinkedIn touches on this subject, and we have courses coming out of our ears on this topic. We need to remember though, it’s not the only team we need to have working effectively. Now don’t get me wrong, this is obviously extremely important, in fact you could say it’s vital but it’s not the only show in town.
My latest role with the 2023 Census project provided me with a first in terms of working with a team.
I was fortunate with the Census to be given the opportunity of recruiting the team leaders I believed would fit the role. I didn’t recruit skills, I recruited people for who they were as people – and I hit the jackpot with all of them. They were immense. Simply speaking, it was their mahi the glued everything together and got the job done. The six of them deserve so much respect – and I really hope they head into their own futures filled with pride for what they achieved.
I also had a manager who enabled and supported me to do my role. Knowledgeable and a real people leader, she trusted us to get the job done while supporting but never micromanaging. Another jackpot for me.
What was significantly different for me with this project was the team of my peers.
Having worked as a leader in small organisations, or as a leader in non-standard roles in bigger organisations, it was a unique experience for me to have a cohort of people undertaking the same role as myself. Of course, I have worked in teams previously, but this was a team of senior leaders and that was unique for me.
The situation was different from the word go, with 35 Area Managers all starting the project at the same time. It kicked off for us with three days training together in Christchurch. This naturally enabled a bond between us – like new kids on their first day at boarding school. Forget technology, starting off ‘in person’ is simply the best way to set the scene for new staff – and this is coming from an introvert! This team of 35 were open, supportive, and sharing throughout the project. The combined knowledge and passion enabled us to be strong leaders, both for our staff but also in supporting those above us (as well as being very influential).
What I really want to talk about though is our regional team of five Area Managers.
Our Regional Manager set the scene and spent the time to build a great team spirit. She did everything right and as we got to know each other; we built a strong bond. As experienced leaders though, we didn’t just leave it up to the manager, we all knew the value we could provide and receive from each other. We all worked proactively to ensure that we were genuinely a team.
The results from having a committed team were amazing. We supported each other, shared information, and experiences, sent our teams to help where needed, helped each other learn, had a laugh together and totally had each other’s back.
Best of all, we were there for each other. Sometimes we don’t need help or advice, but a hug or smile still goes a long way. This wasn’t simply ‘what is expected from managers’, I’m talking about what is longed for from people.
I’ve written before about how leadership needs to focus not just on our teams, but also external of our organisations. I also recommend that true leaders should take responsibility for ensuring that they proactively support the team culture amongst their peers.
We talk about our teams doing this, but we also need to do it ourselves. Most of us will be doing this subconsciously but we need it to be stated more, thought about more and definitely expected more.
The Optimistic Cynic 