Years ago, while in a leadership role, I discovered some important things about my individual uniqueness and where I am most effective. I was working under a leader who spent most of his time doing what I discovered was my personal strength in which I excelled. This leader put great effort in his task but with mediocre results. In other areas of his life, it was evident that he had excellence that was far greater than mine. I had respect for the things that he was great at doing, yet recognized that most of his time was not spent using this excellence. I gently approached this leader and requested a small percentage of time increase allocated to my job that would enable me to invest more in developing and engaging my personal strengths. The words that came out of his mouth shattered my development. He said, “No, the others in our organization expect me to fulfill that role”. This devastated me, set me back and instilled in me several unhealthy things.
As a Developing Leader
- It taught me to not expect that I would often be allowed in my job to do the things that I do well.
- It taught me that personal excellence was not important, rather what matters most are the expectations of other people.
- It taught me that being excited about my job is not expected, rather performance is what working is all about.
And lastly,
- It taught me that leaders don’t fight for the best in others, rather they are more interested in protecting the position that they currently hold.
These are terrible lessons to learn. In my own leadership development, I was learning how to be a leader according to an unhealthy culture. I rapidly became a leader who contributed to the problem instead of being a catalyst of change in the world where I lived.
Years later I was confronted with the reality that to become a great leader I was going to have to change. I had learned my early lessons well and sadly, very well. But I eventually came to realize that I was not a great leader. A great leader “brings out the best in others”. I needed an overhaul and I needed to embrace my need to change.
Initially, this was not obvious as I was well cultured in this unhealthy culture. However, I now have an entirely different perspective of leadership. Thankfully, I became willing, I embraced my need for change and change has happened!
My definition of a Great Leader is,
Great LEADERS are those who create a culture that brings OUT THE BEST in their PEOPLE and INSPIRE them to achieve MAXIMUM results.
Look at the words, “who create a culture”. We have all been cultured whether we like it or not. If we evaluate how our current culture is doing, we see economic loss, huge absenteeism, mental health struggles and survival mode. For many the workplace doesn’t represent relief from these problems but instead adds to or is even the cause of many of the struggles in their lives. As a leader, these challenges can become a great motivator, first to recognize them and then to ask the question, “How are we going to address and solve these problems”?
What Are The Steps?
First, we have to be willing to be honest about the challenge. For many, things are not going well. Ignoring it or continuing on with business as usual will not make the challenge go away. We must face the fact that we need to create a new culture in the workplace.
Second, it is imperative that we ask the question, “As a leader, how can I begin to create a new culture that makes my place of leadership a place where people want to be”? Simply being willing to ask this question is a major step for many leaders to be willing to take.
Third, as a leader, after assessment, being willing to embrace personal change is the greatest challenge of all.
Are you willing to do internal assessment and, where necessary, to change in your approach to leadership? If the answer is no, regardless of what this change looks like, then the culture of your organization will never change. Why? Because as leaders, we are the rudder that determines what culture our organization will have. Believe it or not, some leaders simply are not interested in acknowledging the fact that they may need to change. If your answer is yes, then you are on the edge of a cultural transformation right where you lead.
I didn’t realize it, but as I continued to fulfill my own leadership responsibility, I had a deep seeded resentment toward leaders. This came from situations like my story above which greatly influenced my leadership. Rather than putting dignity into others, I took it away from them.
My troubled heart enabled me to help fortify an organizational culture that was completely opposite to the outcomes that I desired. Things did not get better for me, they got worse. This will always be the case until we embrace our need to change.
This brings me to an important question. Do you hold on to your position or status in fear of losing it? Or, do you want to be a leader that shifts the emphasis from yourself to creating a culture that brings out the best in those you lead?
If you are open to answering yes to the second question, then you face the greatest challenge.
That challenge is what change is required in you! It involves asking the question, “In what way am I contributing to the culture that is currently holding people back from succeeding at what they are designed to do?”
The thought of change may seem scary, but when you set your sights on this target of becoming a great leader, change can open the door to the greatest ride of your life.
I end this article by asking you to answer within yourself these simple questions.
“Do I want to be a leader who creates a new culture in the organization where I lead?”
“Do I want my leadership to be about me or do I want it to be about pulling out the excellence in others?”
And lastly yet very simply,
“where necessary, am I willing to change to become that kind of leader?”
Our world needs leaders like you who embrace their willingness to change right in the place where you are currently leading.
Dr. Steve McEvoy has his doctorate in Leadership and Organizational Development. Dr. Steve with his partner Randy Linzel are co-founders of byDesign Group. ByDesign Group is a team of specialists who are committed to “Leading organizational transformation for breakthrough results.”
Great Leaders Embrace Change