by Certified Executive Coach and Leadership Strategist Galen Bingham
Apathy Is On the Rise! Employee Engagement at All-time Low! Today’s Workers Lack Innovation!
Headlines like these cause concern for those in leadership who are accountable to shareholders, investors, founders or consumers to deliver improved ….results, quality, performance or anything that relies on people for success. Every business, non-profit agency and educational institution is learning that employee engagement efforts, diversity councils, parent-teacher associations and town-hall meetings alone are ineffective when it comes to inspiring people to bring their best every day. Those in leadership blame “the turbulent economy”, “the work ethic of a new generation”, “global distrust”, “policies of a political party” or any number of scapegoat excuses.
Desperate for results, embattled leaders roll out yet another….task-force, engagement council, straight-talk end-user process; or worse an organizational “best practice” that has yet to deliver sustainable results. Using these well-intended management tools to fix leadership problems is analogous to hammering a screw into wood (what looks good on the surface; has little long-term value). Their actions actually encourage more of the very disengagement that they set out to solve.
Organizations everywhere are longing for leaders who will empower the best of their people. If only Albert Einstein were here to remind us, “Problems cannot be solved with the same level of thinking that created them.” How about taking a different approach; an approach that focuses on Leadership? An authentic leader addresses three specific areas:
- Who Are You? – Do you know your strengths and weaknesses that impact performance and influence decision-making?
- What Are Your Core Beliefs? – What are the themes that support how you show up and what is important to you?
- Do You Lead Authentically? – Do you have a platform by which others are empowered to hold you accountable? Do you stay on message with words and actions that validate your leadership platform?
A key role of leadership is to make others feel safe; safe enough to bring their best. People need to be able to trust that their discretionary time, commitment, and support will not be mismanaged. These three questions are at the core of demonstrating trustworthiness. Without trust, it is impossible to lead.
To find out what insights and strategies would best benefit YOUR team of leadership professionals and allow them to soar past their competition, I invite you to give me a call today at (314) 884-0653.