Being an enabler
I know a COO who is highly competent at leading through the storms and challenges of his business. He is the go-to voice on managing tricky problems and mini-crisis. He’s a safe pair of hands and will roll up his sleeves when things go awry. But as a leader, he feels stuck; stuck in operational mindset.
Being at operational level is vital from the perspective of being a competent and credible leader. But when we stay at operational level 24/7, we cease to meet our team’s needs and expectations. In a journey to conscious leadership, when we start to shift from producing results to empowering the people around us, we must change from being a ‘do-er’ to being an ‘enabler’. Our team members need us to be at strategic level, giving them the balcony view on what is happening and what needs to change to unlock progress and success. It’s our job as a leader to lift ourselves up from shop floor to balcony level to enable others to rise.
There are steps we can take to shift from operational mindset to enabling others to fulfil their highest potential.
Be strategic in your thinking
Shift your focus to developing people, processes, procedures, and goals based on long term, sustainable objectives to succeed. This means ensuring that information is relevant, transparently communicated and shared with the right people. Prioritize skills development within your team, particularly in areas of new learning critical to the future of your business. Demystify knowledge and systems and put primary emphasis on training and development as markers of high performance.
Communicate vision
Express organizational vision in ways that resonate with each team member; connect everyone’s heart and mind to the vision to empower and engage them to achieve it. Take deliberate steps in explaining how the organizational vision translates into departmental vision, goals and objectives. Also, explain to each team member how their efforts contribute to achieving these visions, goals and objectives to ensure each feels connected to their higher purpose.
Be future focused
Rather than being preoccupied by quarterly financial results and business targets, prioritise creating long term growth, profits, and purpose for the businesses you serve. Think about sustainable legacy and the impact you can have on the people and performance. And try to shift focus from being the best, to caring about impact. This means taking a longer-term view of success; even at short term cost to financials.
Be courageous rather than strong
Using courage – strength from the heart – take responsible decisions. Care about what is right and take decisions from a place of curiosity rather than fear. Connect to your consciousness and tap into the power of intuition, instinct, and experience to make the decision that is right for others and the business overall, rather than just you.
Lead through change
Take risks, step into the unknown and follow your beliefs. Rather than fear uncertainty, embrace it; make choices based on what you will learn. Find out what an optimum environment for creativity and innovation looks like and create this around your teams. Though risk may come from experimentation, make reasoned judgement calls, and hold yourself accountable for these, regardless of outcome.
What difference does this make? It influences team members to change their mindset, direction, and behaviour. It can transform team performance from orderly and controlled to unique and exceptional. In doing so, the conscious leader unleashes unlimited potential in the people around them.
If you want to up-level your leadership to be a Conscious Lawyer, reach out to engage in C-Success Coaching at https://www.kiranscarr.com/coaching.