Leadership Principles - Part 3
In a recent post, I listed three leadership principles that drive and frame entrepreneurs hiring employee #1. In the next few posts, I will consider each principle separately and how leaders bring each principle to life in their world of leading others in their businesses or at work. These principles are included in a much larger body of work I now call “thoughtful leadership” as leaders are only as effective as they are reflective in trying to understand, apply, and improve their leadership style. Today’s blog highlights:
Principle #2 – Leaders Lead with and Communicate a Compelling Vision…
In previous posts, it has been stated that if you’re a leader, then someone must be following you. Most likely, those followers don’t have the same vision leaders that the leader does for the work, the business, and how work gets accomplished. A company vision, like a personal vision, drives future goals, helps clarify decision-making, and provides a road map for leaders to know what’s expected of them. Visions must be clearly written and somewhat aspirational, giving the organization purpose and direction. When you lead you accept the high calling of putting yourself out there. With that call comes a privilege and a responsibility to communicate a vision with confidence and clarity.
…in small parts
Everyone knows that people communicate differently. Because we all have our unique story, our POV impacts the words we use, what we hear, and what we value. That means lots of differences are at play when leaders communicate a vision. Recognizing these differences is the first step to communicating well. Because a vision could potentially contain numerous parts, leaders are most effective when those parts are broken down into smaller, understandable concepts that can be translated into behaviors demonstrated at work. Painting a picture of what the vision looks in action makes it easier for followers to “get it”. In short, the vision is only as good as the leader is in describing it to others.
…in multiple ways
“Know your audience” is a common refrain. This refrain is critical as leaders attempt to clarify a company’s direction and strategy defined in a vision. Leaders must be able to tailor messaging in ways that followers can hear. Considering the amount of “noise” in today’s workplace, there should be no surprise that communicating isn’t as easy as leaders want it to be. As a result, leaders must lead by altering their message, choosing different words than what might be normal, and working to acknowledge the challenge in the moment by asking what more needs to be said and what is still not clear. Once again, leaders must set aside their ego and replace it with humility to focus on the follower’s mindset when attempting to clarify vision.
…in empathic expression
I’ve been thinking a lot about empathy in today’s culture of me-ism. While I believe it is impossible to truly walk in someone else’s shoes, leaders need to get close. Setting aside judgment that comes from misunderstandings and miscommunication can instead be replaced with interest and curiosity to understand from a follower’s perspective. When this happens, leaders can more quickly assess what is missing from their messaging. This means quieting the noise referenced above. Additionally, leaders have to acquire skills needed to appeal to someone’s values, reasons for working, and their motivations.
Once this appeal is done, followers can decide if the vision is something they can easily support, contribute to, and benefit from.
Since it takes numerous team members to chart an organization’s success, getting them to support the vision is obviously critical. The leader’s ability to communicate that vision in a compelling way creates the organization’s story. When leaders engage team members by helping them to see themselves in that story, organizations succeed.