Words have power, what we name something changes the way we see it. I noticed that there are two types of people we follow in the modern world. The ones we name "Boss" and the others are leaders without a title whom we name teacher, community leader, artist, party leader, mother, activist, father of a nation, movement leader. Both lead yet we have 2 different energies we associate with each of them. What is the energy we have around people we name boss? Considering the jokes that I hear in comedy clubs usually not so positive. Yet the energy we have around leaders with no titles is one of admiration and resonance where we follow them voluntarily giving them our time and hearts. The irony is there is a transition that is sweeping the corporate world where bosses are asked to behave more like the leaders with no titles, which for some it could be like learning a whole new language. Observing the leaders with no-title, here are the 5 mindsets that the leaders with no title adopt naturally which is a transition from the way a boss usually leads:
1. Its not only a workforce its also a community
This is a cornerstone especially when it comes to innovating, creating a new product, a new movement, a startup. Communities gather around an idea, a cause, a passion. What comes to mind when you imagine a community? The relations are warmer, the conversations are more transparent, there is a sense of ownership to the community. In creating a community your focus is gathering people who are passionate about your cause who are willing to support you beyond just their financial benefit. The result is a more loyal team that passionately rooting for your success by gathering more following(In this case clients/or other passionate team members). There are communities created around the cause of "just do it", Nike, "thinking different", Apple, there are communities that are being created for new dancing styles, there are communities being created for a more conscious way of doing business, Conscious Capitalism.
Community Example: Ido Portal Movement Culture, a trending method of body training that has a focus on wholistic body optimization. The movement is growing by the different communities created around the world who are resonant with the approach rather than a placement strategy or a sales force.
2. Strategy matters, so does Culture
"Culture eats strategy for breakfast" Peter Drucker.
Creating a clear and effective strategy is essential for sustainable results. Yet strategy works only within the boundaries of the culture. Effective Leaders are conscious of their cultural space, they can identify it, speak about it, develop it and influence it. We experience our corporate culture every day yet in most cases since it does not appear on our income statement or KPI's we could lack the awareness of its impact on our organization or consider the culture as a given that can't be changed. To be aware of the culture consider what is the energy like when you walk in your workspace? What is the quality of the relationship between colleagues? What are the frequent words used? What are the themes of behavior that show up, As a Leader, you can influence the culture and be supported by your team to shift it for a more effective work environment?
Example of Culture Focus: Lee Kuan Yew and fighting corruption. Lee Kuan Yew knew that for a solid government to be established an honest moral goverment culure was needed there for he fought the corrupt system in the Singapore government
3. Speak to the mind with numbers, speak to the heart with values
Digits and numbers are the lifelines of business. Cash flow, profits, costs, and Sales are fundamental numbers to monitor and evaluate to ensure that the organization not only survive but also thrive. Once people feel sustainability a new space of influence opens up which is of passion, of vision, of meaning, of honoring quality relationships. Those highly charged wants and desires are captured through the language of values. As one step to the choice of leadership, he/she needs to be responsive to honoring values. The question to ask when it comes to values: are the core values of our organization/community being met? Do we speak to the values of our clients throughout our marketing? Are the values that make me thrive as a leader being met? It takes looking past the number we receive on a paper to answer those questions.
Example of values focus: NIKE commercials. I personally have never seen an add for NIKE that talks about the prices or the benefits of NIKE shoes. NIKE aspire us to the value of determination with "just do it".
4. Communicate what we are avoiding but also communicate what we are aspiring to with purpose and vision.
Fear and the loss of security are powerful human motivators. The downside of using them as a motivator is that once people feel secure than the motivation effect is gone. Otherwise one needs fear mode the whole time to use the loss of security as a motivator. Using fear as a motivator all the time could be energetically draining and suffocating to creativity. A different approach Leaders adopt is directing their followers towards purpose and vision which evokes their creativity instead of their reactivity. For us human knowing or not having a clear direction and path which we desire to reach has an impact on our creativity and resourcefulness. What if I told a friend to ride my The imperative shifts in mindset needed to transition from a Boss to a leader.
#Leadership,#Coaching,#culture#transformation not telling him/her where are we going and why, wouldn't that be awkward? Yet this is the situation in most organization, employees only see they're part of the system without seeing the bigger picture. An effective Leader keeps the destination(vision) and the purpose (why)clear.
Example of vision and purpose focus: I have a dream speech. All these people gathered for a vision of what is possible. If you heard the speech most what Martin Luther King focused on was his vision. Thousands of people showed up because they believed in his vision.
5. Keep people accountable, also be a role model
Our Boss is the man or woman who checks if we got the work done, he or she counts our harvest, reviews the quality of what we created and monitors how we spend our time. A Leader, on the other hand, is also a role model to what we aspire, a reflection of who we are at our best. If you want to influence creativity it is important to be a beacon of creative behavior, if you want to aspire teamwork, you would want to walk the talk when it comes to team values and dynamics.
"The world is changed by your example not by your opinion" Paulo Coelho
Example of role model, The wise parent: If you had children by now you are aware that in their younger years they are like a sponge that is ready to absorb your actions, emotions, behavior and your communication. A wise parent is always aware of example is setting for his children through his or her behavior.