External uncertainty as a leadership opportunity? Sounds counterintuitive right? That’s why not many grab it.
But if you want to set your leadership apart in these dark and difficult days, now is the perfect time to inspire and engage your people towards a brighter future and better performance.
Destabilizing political upheaval; bills up, the economy down; covid stubbornly evolving – all accompanied by a non-stop negative news cycle.
Negativity breeds negativity. People are rightly unsettled. And let’s be honest, you’re probably among them.
The trouble is, it’s hard for anyone to give their best against this backdrop, so productivity stalls and results suffer.
But positivity also breeds positivity and it’s within a leader’s gift to turn the tide, to make work a respite from what’s happening ‘out there’ by making it meaningful – a refuge where people positively engage.
Are you a dementor or a genie?
A leader’s attitude sets the tone. You either become what dementors are to Harry Potter – energy sucking, or what Will Smith’s genie is to Aladdin – energized and hope granting.
If you are happy to be a dementor, you can stop reading now.
But if you want to let your leadership genie loose and reap the rewards – here are four ways to do it.
1. Acknowledge the situation.
Listen to how people are feeling. Simply acknowledging that the macro environment continues to be uncertain, that you understand it’s unsettling, and that you’re not immune either – without making everything about you – will help you connect. People want to be heard, to know they aren’t alone in what they are feeling.
2. Project confidence and strength.
But people also want a leader who can project confidence. Remind them that while much ‘out there’ is beyond our control, which can lead to a sense of hopelessness, what happens ‘in here’ is within our circle of influence.
We choose what we consume, where we invest our energy, and our attitude. Ultimately, our mindset determines our mood, our actions, and whether we make a difference. We can choose to be positive – and that is a strength.
3. Paint a big picture strategy to inspire hope in the future.
Successful leaders visualise the end goal, paint a vivid picture so others see it, then guide them towards it.
To inspire, the end goal must be about more than profit. It’s about understanding your team and your organisation’s ultimate reason for being, then creatively bringing that story to life.
One of the most compelling ways we’ve found that leaders do this, is by using metaphor and literally drawing a Big Picture to share with their people. Blending storytelling with imagery is a proven way to effectively engage across language barriers and literacy levels.
4. Join the dots so everyone sees how their contribution fits.
Having a compelling vision is critical but all too often leaders assume that sharing it is enough. It isn’t.
To give someone’s day-to-day work purpose, the boss must help their people ‘join the dots’. Showing how someone’s work contributes to their organisation’s vision gives their work purpose, which engages and uplifts.
Remember JFK’s visit to NASA? Upon asking a janitor what he was doing, the janitor famously replied:
“Mr President, I’m helping put a man on the moon.”
Purpose is that feeling that you are a part of something bigger.
Leadership is showing people their work has purpose.
5. We not me. Celebrate and share success.
“A person who feels appreciated will always do more than is expected.”
While the quote is difficult to attribute it’s easy to recognize its truth.
Giving credit where it’s due makes people feel appreciated and keeps them engaged.
Celebrating wins shows that today’s work makes something better than it was yesterday. And particularly in difficult times, that’s engaging and inspiring.
Positivity leads to progress. Progress leads to positivity. Positivity and progress become a self-fulfilling prophecy. People want respite from our uncertain external world, which is why now is the perfect opportunity to engage them and set your leadership apart.
Axiom has been helping leaders engage and inspire their people to better performance for more than 25 years. If you’d like a hand capitalising on this opportunity to set your leadership apart – then we’d love to partner with you. Contact us today.
