- October 31, 2013
- Leadership, Mindset
I was discussing with a current client the other day the essentials necessary to move from the second tier of leadership in her business to the highest level, and the importance of doing things differently to achieve different results.
What are the changes necessary in mindset and behavior that will enable her to take that jump, and how many of you know top executives who have not done that? You may even suspect that you yourself need to expand vision and connections but do not know how, or have not found the time when so many immediate things are calling.
Expanding your Leadership network, as well as creating strategic partnerships can be important steps. Often these network connections can occur outside of your organization, and once you establish those, it becomes easier to find connections within the organization.
How often have you been called upon to lead an internal project that involves two or more functional units of the business? Have you noticed how difficult communication about the simplest things can be stymied by lack of understanding, almost as if you were speaking different languages?
Another client of mine decided to contact the other Vice Presidents in his organization and schedule a lunch that could be repeated once a month or even once a quarter. What happened for him was that he created a totally different perception of the other senior leaders and began to communicate more effectively. His mindset altered because they were seen as resources for him in his own work and he could visualize the possibility of joint endeavors with them as a reality.
My current client is part of a large organization that has a myriad of community connections. For her, creating a leadership network in the larger community will increase her profile, increase the profile of the business, and create opportunities for joint ventures and innovative opportunities.
Often this kind of activity sits on the back burner as internal needs and crises take the energy and time of top leaders. As you create time for these activities, there is an opportunity to develop your team to interact and communicate as leaders with each other. Are you the hub of your team wheel or do the team members interact and partner together?
Developing your leadership team is an activity that takes some time and focus. I bring it up here because that activity goes along with creating time for your leadership network both within and beyond your organization.
With focus on collaborative leadership, leadership behaviors within your team can be expanded. The development of partnerships and projects can evolve so that you do not have to be involved in the everyday detail and trouble shooting.
Once the communication and connection is established your ability to delegate with confidence increases and there is an increased sense of ownership and engagement. The intra team partnerships can create an opportunity for accountability support so that when they report in at meetings they can give a good picture of what is working, what is not working and the plans for moving forward.
Your action plan for the week: Make a connection with another leader either within your organization or outside and plan a lunch or coffee.
Have a good two weeks and if you have any questions, challenges, or successes you would like to share in the meantime, please be sure to leave a comment. I would enjoy hearing from you! – Patricia
