Leadership: verb or noun ?
There has never been so much written on, about or how to, regarding leadership as there is now.
As an example between 2008 - 2013, there has been an increase of 458,564 books written about leadership or 437%.
This year alone, 2019, 1236 leadership books have been published...four new books per day.
Regarding training & development forum's, during the same period, there has been a rise of 47%.
Point being, we are overwhelmed by the term and not the active education and accountability, organisational leaders are actively looking at association with the term, not necessarily implementation.
Regarding Leadership transition or succession models, studies by McKinsey & Co show that two years after an executive transition, anywhere between 27 - 46% of them are regarded as failures.
10yrs ago leadership was referred to as ‘Change Management’, now loosely becoming a fashionable-term, together with Coaching, Vulnerability and Digital Marketing. All enormously significant, essential, measurable and growth oriented, however also unregulated and prone to mis-use.
Traditional leadership imparts a focus on doing as one is told, not as one may think. Consider the great Military Leaders who were emotionally disconnected from soldiers dying in hundreds of thousands for an unknown cause. Consider the great Political Leaders who utilised marketing to gain their position, only to hold disregard for the people they were elected to serve.
Modern Leadership aligns more to Sports Performance Leadership, whereby all operate as a single team, a united front, each understanding with clarity and conviction a cause, each able to perform the other persons tasks, each operating from a replacement strategy focused solely on achieving the goal and celebrating wins and losses as opportunities for growth.
Leadership is far from a new term, awareness or education with international authorities like John Maxwell, Ken Blanchard, Zig Ziglar amongst many others having been integral in its development and staged presentations over the past 30yrs.
So where lies the difference between Verb and Noun ?
Surely it is Accountability ?
Why is it we see so many people jumping on the “yes I agree; leadership is consideration, attitude, adding value and action not words” bandwagon, and still presenting the same positional attributes as before.
You may recall Gallup surveys in 2018 presented 71% of the Australian workforce is disengaged (not Vision, Values compliant), 14% actively disengaged (actively undermining the Vision, Values) and only14% engaged (actively pursuing the business' Vision, Values).
Workplace retention is poor, cultural consideration and succession development low or provided to a select few based on politics, convenience or credentials.
Engagement levels are at an all time low since records began in 1976: 4% ie: 86% of employees are actively disengaged, disgruntled due to management and leadership practices.
So how are you demonstrating the verb, the action of leadership ?
How are you using your position (noun) to develop others, all others not just a select few and avoiding politics, credentials, convenience or longevity.
What benchmarks are being utilised for accountable, measurable conversations, engagement, external modelling and internal mentoring, measured accountability and feedback that identifies, enables and grows an individual.
How are you embracing this yourself ?
Leadership does not claim to be a leader, it Serves.
Leadership in essence, appreciates, provides and develops all those who step forward and offers to those uncertain or quiet. Positions held contrary to this reflect positional leadership aka management, not people development, results oriented, humility and growth focused leadership. Therein lies an enormous difference, albeit one which may be learnt, and leverage natural tendencies, passions and knowledge.
Leadership does not provide the space for disengagement; rather it actively identifies the disengaged, listens, learns, languages then leads.
When we see stats on cultural issues in organisations generating high turnover, growing assumptions, disengaged or unqualified HR teams, heightened role expectations, reduced or no training and departure justification by profiling, blame, shame or “not the right cultural fit” as a template response: in these moments, we also see opportunity for growth.
Leadership is an attitude. An activity. A scientific and natural trait which may be taught and embraces doesn’t step away from fear and uncertainty. It does not point fingers, deflect, distort or isolate.
Leadership holds regard for all people and sees all moments as opportunities for growth.
A business survives by growth. People advance by growth. Success arrives by growth.
People do not leave companies, they leave people.
Leadership: verb or noun
How are you demonstrating thishow is your organisationhow may you influence a shift in any gapsis less acceptable or “does your cup runneth over”
The stats presented hold enormous merit when they may be used positively not begrudged or avoided to sit in silence or fear.
How would you wish leadership to be demonstrated to those you love.
Is your knowledge or your active attitude toward leadership acceptable for those same people or just those you ‘don’t love’ ?
Perhaps you could consider them in the same way ?
Let us remember why we seek to lead in the first place. Why we seek to hold a position. Why we seek to 'know better'
Verb (action) or Noun (title)
How would you like your workplace to be ?
What could you Be, Do, Have, Create
What would that give you - what would it give others for you that you would like to change ?
A quick conversation offers nothing to lose, ‘everything’ to gain:
www.calendly.com/flicktheswitchcoaching
If it matters to You : it matters to Me
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