Growing Your Leadership - Foundations for Development - Integrating Philosophy, Psychology, and Practice

6-Week Leader Development Series

1. Foundations - 4 Levels of Your Life and Work

2. SoulWork

3. Self-Leadership

4. Team Leadership

5. Strategic Leadership

6. Leveling-Up - Identifying Threats, Invest in Capital, and the Courage to Lead Well

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Growing Your Leadership - Week 1 - Foundations

John, the COO of a Fortune 500 company, neglected his leadership development amidst the demands of running the operations of a large corporation. Despite numerous growth opportunities, he prioritized operational tasks over personal development. As a result, John's leadership style became increasingly autocratic and disconnected from his team's needs. Employee morale plummeted, turnover rates soared, and innovation stagnated. Leaders like John who neglect their development hinder their effectiveness and risk damaging team dynamics and organizational performance. John's story is all too common. It underscores the critical importance of continuous leadership development in driving success at all levels of an organization.

Sarah, the CEO of a tech startup, recognized the importance of investing in her development to lead her team better. Despite her busy schedule, she dedicated time to attending leadership workshops, participating in executive coaching sessions, and reading books on effective leadership. As she implemented the strategies and insights gained from her development efforts, Sarah noticed a significant shift in her leadership approach. She became more empathetic, communicative, and strategic in her decision-making, fostering a culture of trust and collaboration within her team. Employees felt more engaged and motivated, increasing productivity, innovation, and team performance. By prioritizing her development, Sarah not only improved her leadership effectiveness but also positively impacted the dynamics and outcomes of his team.

Integrating Philosophy, Psychology, and Practical Application

Laying a foundation for personal and leader development demands a comprehensive approach that transcends traditional boundaries, integrating elements of philosophy, psychology, and practical application. Philosophy provides the conceptual framework and guiding principles that underpin one's understanding of self, purpose, and ethics, offering timeless wisdom to navigate life's complexities. Psychology delves into the intricacies of human behavior, cognition, and emotions, equipping individuals with insights into their psyche and interpersonal dynamics crucial for effective leadership. Practical application bridges theory with action, empowering individuals to translate knowledge and insights into tangible behaviors and habits that drive personal growth and leadership effectiveness. By embracing this holistic approach, individuals embark on a transformative journey of self-discovery, continual learning, and meaningful impact, laying a solid foundation for their development and that of others they lead.

What makes the difference between John and Sarah?

In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, the success of organizations hinges on effective leadership at all levels. From self-care to self-leadership and team and strategic leadership, cultivating strong leadership capabilities is essential for driving innovation, fostering collaboration, and achieving sustainable growth. Recent statistics underscore the tangible benefits of leader development on organizational outcomes, highlighting the critical importance of investing in leadership growth initiatives.

Self-Care (SoulWork) - Intentionally Paying Attention to What Matters Most

The phrases "human being" and "human doing" highlight different aspects of the human experience. John's story indicates a bent toward doing while Sarah prioritizes being without compromising on getting work done. Both phrases are integral to the human experience; the significance lies in striking a balance between being and doing, recognizing the importance of self-awareness and action in leading a fulfilling and purposeful life. Recognizing the significance of spiritual vitality, holistic well-being, moral character, alignment of values, living authentically, and working purposefully is crucial for fostering a fulfilling and meaningful life. Spiritual vitality provides a sense of connection to something greater than oneself, offering solace and guidance in times of adversity. Holistic well-being encompasses physical, mental, and emotional health, emphasizing the importance of balance and self-care in achieving overall fulfillment. Moral character serves as the foundation for ethical decision-making and fostering healthy relationships, contributing to a sense of integrity and trustworthiness. Alignment of values ensures congruence between beliefs and actions, promoting authenticity and inner harmony. Living authentically involves embracing one's true self and values, leading to empowerment and fulfillment.

Working with purpose gives meaning to one's endeavors, fostering motivation, resilience, and a sense of contribution to the greater good. Together, these elements form the pillars of a life imbued with purpose, meaning, and fulfillment. Too much-being leads to inactivity and apathy. John's emphasis on human doing led to valuing tasks over the welfare of people, misaligned priorities, burnout, and putting secondary things first. Sarah's aspiration demonstrates a holistic tension in life and work that requires attention and intentionality.

Self-Leadership - Efficacy of self-direction, effectiveness, and growth

At the foundation of effective leadership lies self-leadership—the ability to understand oneself, manage emotions, and drive personal growth and development. Leaders who prioritize self-leadership exhibit resilience, adaptability, and a growth mindset, inspiring confidence and trust among their team members. According to a survey by Harvard Business Review, 65% of respondents believe that self-awareness is the most critical capability for leaders, emphasizing the significance of self-leadership in driving organizational success. By investing in self-leadership development, individuals can enhance their ability to navigate challenges, make informed decisions, and lead authentically and purposefully.

Team Leadership - Guiding a diverse collective effort toward a common purpose and shared goals

Effective team leadership fosters a culture of collaboration, empowerment, and high performance within organizations. Leaders who excel in team leadership understand the dynamics of group behavior, leverage diverse talents and perspectives, and create an environment where team members feel valued and motivated to contribute their best work. Research by Deloitte reveals that companies with effective team leaders are 50% more likely to outperform their peers in revenue growth over three years. By investing in team leadership development, organizations can unlock the full potential of their teams, driving innovation, productivity, and competitive advantage.

Strategic Leadership - Executing a compelling plan by leveraging the organizational potential for growth and the good of all the stakeholders.

Strategic leadership involves setting a compelling vision, aligning resources, and driving organizational change to achieve long-term goals and objectives. Leaders with strategic, solid leadership capabilities can anticipate market trends, identify growth opportunities, and navigate complexity with agility and foresight. According to a study by McKinsey, organizations with strong strategic leadership are 2.2 times more likely to outperform their industry peers in terms of long-term value creation. By investing in strategic leadership development, organizations can adapt to changing market dynamics, seize emerging opportunities, and maintain a competitive edge in today's dynamic business environment.

The Impact of Leader Development on Organizational Outcomes

Recent statistics highlight the significant impact of leader development on organizational outcomes, including increased productivity, employee engagement, and financial performance. According to research by the Center for Creative Leadership, organizations that invest in leadership development experience, on average, a 15% increase in employee engagement and a 14% increase in employee productivity. Moreover, an Association for Talent Development study found that companies with comprehensive leadership development programs are 84% more effective at delivering financial results than those without.

In conclusion, growing leadership across four levels—from self-care to self-leadership to team and strategic leadership—is essential for unlocking organizational success in today's dynamic business environment. By investing in leader development initiatives, organizations can cultivate a pipeline of skilled and empowered leaders who drive innovation, foster collaboration, and achieve sustainable growth. As recent statistics demonstrate, the value of leader development extends far beyond individual leaders, positively impacting organizational outcomes and driving long-term success.

Next, we will explore the focus on the elements of Soulwork, touching on philosophical origins, psychological theories, and self-care practices.

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The Grow Your Leadership series articles require me to stretch my literary legs over the next few weeks and settle into a pace of topic- and theme-focused writing. These posts parallel my Ph.D. dissertation in Industrial Organization Psychology and my book project on Mentorship.

Please comment in the comment section if you have additional thoughts or stories. If you have questions, feel free to message me directly at russell@leaderadvance.net

Culture Eats Strategy For Breakfast! 3 Competencies To Strengthen Your Soft Skills

Culture eats strategy for breakfast. What a big idea, right?

As a leader in your organization, you proudly celebrate the wins. On occasion, it doesn’t work that way and during a loss, you may ask yourself whether it was you, your team, or the organization as the root cause. With each examination, you may see a pattern within your company culture itself, through discussion, surfacing time and time again.

“Culture Eats Strategy For Breakfast!”

— Peter Drucker

Two areas of tension leaders in any organization must balance daily are that of hard and soft skills. Most leaders excel greatly in hard skills. They know their product or service inside and out. They understand delivery and execution in order to promote and provide markets for their product or service. It is then not surprising that with leaders focused so strong on hard skills, many lack what amounts to be the equally, if not of greater importance, the soft skills needed to manage the people of the organization.

Through many years of coaching leaders, it has become clear to me that there are three primary areas of competencies needed within any organization. They include:

1. Effective Communication
   Great leaders are effective communicators. What are we communicating? What are the questions we’re asking? Are we taking time to actually listen to understand what’s happening? And then being able to turn around and explicitly share those ideas with a broader audience and making sure it lands and hits its mark so that we know that we’re communicating clearly and effectively that engages the rest of our people. (We recommend leaders start by answering 3 questions).

2. Creating Connection
   We are wired for meaningful relationships. Sometimes, when we meet with people, there’s just a disconnect. And sometimes we just don’t even know why. It’s often this place of just connection with those key people. We really want to understand what’s happening there, and what can we do to build stronger levels of trust and unity so that we can have a healthy working relationship? (We recommend the Conversationalist for building stronger connection).

3. Change Management
   Change is necessary for continued growth. That’s a big idea in terms of a leadership sense of expectations. Are we moving too fast? Perhaps we’re moving too slow. Somewhere in there is finding that cadence of what is the rate of change where we work well and thrive within. Change is hard and if we don't change, then things won’t happen as we expect, and our results will suffer.

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What is Culture?

Values + Behavior = Culture

To deep dive into your organization, your team, or even the culture that you live as a leader, look at those values. What are the things that are core to who you are? Are you moving them from implicit ideas to explicit? When you do, then, you can begin putting a plan together on how to live those ideas out.

Culture is a complex idea because we’re dealing with the soft skills. If you want to improve your culture, start there. What are those values? How do we live them out? 

Communication - Connection - Change

I would encourage you to look at those three areas of communicating effectively, being able to make strong connections with your people, and then, finally, look at your expectation around change management.

Final Thoughts

When you do the above suggested actions, they will strengthen your culture. When blended with your strategy, suddenly you’re going to see your results successfully executed, positively affecting your bottom line. Hope this has been helpful.

If you need help with your leadership skills the Advance team provides one free complimentary coaching session. It will help you clarify your answers and give you a plan to lead more effectively. (We provide a professional coaching experience, not a sales pitch!)

If you want to be a more effective leader select Start Now!

Making the Right Move for Wrong Team Member…and the Cost if You Don’t! Part 1

The number one issue I have seen among leaders and the issue that carries the greatest emotional weight that often clouds objectivity is letting go of a key leader on your team. As an executive coach, I’ve had a front row seat to seeing the most brilliant strategists and effective leaders who have lost themselves under the emotional weight of losing someone who is critical to their team, or at least their role is critical to the team and the organization's success.

Most leaders know the enormous weight of the responsibility and need for patience when allowing a key leader to settle into their role. Yet, after an undefined appropriate amount of time, the key indicators are not trending positive, or projects are under performing, it becomes evident this is the wrong person for the position. Most often we hire somebody who performed with excellence and delivered exceptional results in their discipline in one or more organizational settings. For a variety of reasons they have failed to gain traction in our environment.

The weight of this issue for most leaders, more often than not, comes from the loss of confidence in the individual in whom they had personally placed so much trust and hope. Leaders hire people in the confidence that they have all that is needed to be successful in the position. Having been so persuaded, we adopt them into our corporate family, nurture them into the culture, and give them the tools and resources needed for success. We have personally sponsored the new hire into the organization. The idea of cutting ties with a member of your team brings a sense of personal loss. Facing the daunting task of replacing any high profile leader carries with it a heightened sensitivity to utilize an improved vetting and decision making process. The thought of having to find the replacement and start the process all over again with the prospect that the next person hired may not work out can be overwhelming.

I have found, in hundreds of hours of coaching and working with teams in off-site settings, a leader instinctively knows when it is time for a transition to happen. Certainly, there are protocols that determine the appropriate amount of time to allow for the individual’s performance to improve or for adjustments to be made to his or her role and/or responsibilities.  Yet, in the end, I have seen again and again, that leaders have an instinct for when it's time for a transition. The question becomes what will that leader do when they know what the right decision is and when will they take action?

When a leader delays in doing the right thing, the weight of the issue grows with each day, week, and month, making it harder to step forward and act objectively. This leads to our emotional malaise as leaders and allows the dysfunction within the organization to spread. Delay could also cost the organization critical leadership talent at the lower levels as those people lose confidence that the matter will be addressed. We can be confident in the fact that if we're seeing nonperformance, it has already been the subject of water cooler conversation in the organization. At some point, this emotional weight and lack of decisive action creates a toxicity that is felt throughout the culture of the organization.

If you are that leader who is in that place and know you need to let one of your key team members go, then let's get grounded. First we need to evaluate the cost of this decision or your indecision. As a leader, ask yourselves these questions:

• What is the cost of the emotional and mental energy that is likely preventing me from moving forward strategically in the department with the under performing leader?
• What is the cost for the rest of my team who is having to tiptoe around the issue rather than being engaged as a highly performing team?
• What is the cost within that specific department where that leader is not meeting their goals or objectives?

Take a Step in Right Direction

Take time to think! Spend a few minutes thinking through these things will bring clarity.  Writing down a note, even if it's on a napkin, gives you an opportunity to evaluate the time, money, and resources the delay in this decision is costing you. Find a person or peer group that is a safe place to verbally process and gain feedback .

After you've had to time to count the cost, seek clarity, and the perspective someone you trust you're ready for action. Part 2 of Making the Right Move will give 4 Steps towards a healthy transition.