Putting the Essence of Leadership into Practice
It's often said that the definition of leadership is the ability to transmute a vision of the future into a reality. In today's changing workplace, visionary leadership will be the key to keeping up and thriving because it tells the story of why the culture is changing and how your organization can embrace the change.
For a leader, this is a tall order. However, any leader of any size team can use three crucial, foundational leadership skills to deploy her strategy. They are:
Creating her vision
Building alignment for her vision
Championing her vision
To put it another way, this is where the magic happens! Each ability builds on the next and requires leaders to test their vision by pitching it to their team or organization as they work out kinks and plans.
Creating a Vision – regardless of the size of their team, every leader is responsible for the direction of their group. But there’s far more to it than that; the direction you lead should have a mission in line with your organization’s values. So what does your team need to do today to meet the goals of their changing workplace in the next quarter? Or year? Or deadline?
Keep an open mind as you challenge long-held assumptions about your industry or organization. Consider the perspectives of the people on your team and seek to understand everyone’s role. Once your vision begins taking shape, consider the implications of your idea by planning for relevant research like market data, prototyping, or concept testing.
Building Alignment for Your Vision – this is where you bridge the gap between your vision and reality by getting others on board. Embracing clarity, as much transparency as possible, and welcoming dialogue from your team members will go a long way toward building alignment for your vision.
Embody your vision and strengthen your team by leading by example. Your words will echo longer if your team sees you putting your words and drive into practice. You’ll garner more respect and cooperation from your team if they see you walking the walk. Additionally, seek counsel and advice from professionals with relevant skills or experience.
The goal of building alignment is to ensure that everyone on the team understands the vision and their role in bringing it to life.
Championing the Execution of Your Vision – successful execution of your vision will not happen without your deep commitment to championing. Successful championing begins with your team; support them by providing a plan for every member to follow and use as a reference. Similarly, provide sincere praise, and actionable feedback as your team begins executing. Even if everything is going to plan (we wish!), schedule regular check-ins with your team to assess what's working and what could be improved.
Of course, championing your vision also extends to the rest of your organization. The messaging should come directly from you and, ideally, be so inspiring that others in your organization will prioritize your vision. Messaging should be clear and to the point so that others can immediately see how their work connects to the new future.
All three of these foundational skills have in common that they require leaders to be active at every step of the way. These can take years to master, but every day is an opportunity to practice. Moreover, practicing these skills of vision, alignment, and execution will help you learn a great deal about your leadership style and where your strengths and weakness lie. Curious to understand more about how your leadership style is view? Contact us today, we have a plethora of ways to assess, plan, and execute change.