In last month’s blog (Leadership – Part 1), I identified four key traits great leaders possess; Authenticity, Empathy, Vision, and Resilience. My source of reference is from the book ‘Great Ted Talks – Leadership’ by Harriet Minter. As with the previous blog, I have ended each section with questions so you use as a planning tool for guiding your business..
This blog addresses: Strategy, Collaboration, and Accountability.
Strategy-
Whether you have one employee or a team, as leader your job is not to get tied up with everyday issues but to ensure everyone is working toward your vision which we discussed in the last blog. Your team members must know what that vision is of course, but they also have to know your strategy for that vision
When developing strategy, you might want to start by asking yourself these three questions; what do I want? Why do I want it? How do I get it? When things aren’t going according to plan, refer to these 3 questions to see what is going wrong.
Creating a strategy may feel overwhelming. Break your vision into short-term goals that are tangible. Match each piece of your strategy with these smaller targets. Take the time to write them down. Review them on a regular basis. Adjust as necessary. While working on the strategy, question all the ways in which it could be derailed.
Failure is an inevitable part of success that must be recognized. Confront failure in a positive way. Build time and resources into your plan in the event your strategy becomes derailed. Test, test, test. You may have to scratch the original plan and redesign it. Sometimes we must fail to find a successful conclusion.
Finally, bring clarity of your strategy to your team. Explain why the standards you are setting are very important. Make sure they recognize the value their role plays. Strategy is paramount to the execution required to succeed.
Question: What are my short-term goals?
Question: What is the order in which things need to happen?
Question: What roadblocks could deter us from implementation of our original strategy?
Question: What check points could we establish along the way?
Collaboration-
Collaboration and letting go of the win/lose mentality is key. Though we may think we know the answer, collaboration opens us up to other ideas. Open up dialogue with your team for feedback. Brainstorm the ‘what ifs’ questions. Looking at problems from different angles allows you to create new strategies. Share and seek solutions from within your network. Look to borrow ideas. Someone else may have already faced this same situation and can guide you through.
Ask yourself and your team “what’s working”, “what’s not working”, “what changes must be made”? As the leader it’s up to you to stop and pull your team back and perhaps even change direction when necessary.
There is power in collaboration!
Question: What procedures/processes can I implement to keep the team focused on the goal?
Question: How might your team possibly interpret the vision/goal differently than you?
Accountability-
Accountability and transparency are important in implementing strategy.
Be prepared to admit an issue is bigger than you can handle and that you need help. Recognize when you need others to help you solve a problem. Expect and educate others to do the same. For teaming to work, it requires leaders who easily admit that others might know more than they do.
As a leader you should create a safe environment where you and all members feel comfortable admitting mistakes. Early detection of problems is critical and must be emphasized to your staff.
Question: What is it I need?
Question: What do I need in terms of resources, support and structure?
Question: What support is needed from my family, my team and my network?
Question: Who can I turn to in order to provide these answers?
Question: Is there a way to be collaborative with my competitors?
Only when you have a fully organized strategy, then you can sell it to others to execute and you can then turn your vision into a reality.
I hope you’ve found these ideas helpful in leading your team to greater heights in 2023!
Jan Wallace, Associate ASE Canada.