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What Does it Mean to Dare to Lead?

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What does It Mean to Dare to Lead?

The Fantasy of Leadership

Talking about ‘brave leadership’ sounds awkward and feels a little elusive.

While I have not personally seen a job description that says the incumbent should be brave per se, most position descriptions are weighed down by a long list of angelic sounding qualities such as able to demonstrate an ability to challenge the status quo, lead change effectively, deliver business results; drive innovation; and build strong relationships with stakeholders, among others.

Oh, and by the way, while doing this you also need to ensure that you are authentic, values-driven, emotionally intelligent, empathetic, and self-aware. Basically, leaders need to be awesome, almost faultless humans. This is the fallacy of leadership.

“Basically, leaders need to be awesome, almost faultless humans. This is the fallacy of leadership.”

We know however that we are not faultless, in fact, we are fundamentally flawed. This is not a criticism, just a reality. Its what makes us all so different and special. We carry with us our parents’ DNA with all its wonder and challenges, our experiences, fears, feelings, shame, values, ambitions and vulnerabilities. Is it any wonder that – in the moment – we may struggle to respond in a constructive way to a bewildering number of scenarios that might challenge our sense of self. And therefore it shouldn’t be a surprise that every one of us learn a multitude of ways to protect ourselves – at least that’s the assumption.

The irony is that what seek in our leaders – a long litany of qualities, skills and experiences – requires bravery. Not the hair-raising, clenched fist, seat-of-your-pants warrior energy, but the type of bravery that puts us out on a limb. It’s the kind of bravery where we will feel vulnerable – at risk, exposed, and uncertain.

Real Leadership is Risky

In my book, Leadership Without Silver Bullets, I wrote that leadership is risky. And while there are many languages and cultures with an interpretation for the actual word ‘leadership’, I have a favourite: the Indo-European root of the word leadership is leith, which means to go forth, to cross a threshold, or to die (Gerzon, 2003).

Vulnerability and risk come with the job, or at least should if we’re exercising real leadership and not what Dean Williams calls counterfeit leadership. This is the kind of leadership that looks like we’re leading but in fact, our actions and behaviours are benign at best or destructive at their worst. Leadership without ‘daring’ smacks of leadership that is, well, not leadership. It is anything other than leadership. We could provide a generous interpretation of leadership that is not ‘daring’ and call it management. But even that would be doing a disservice to the important function of management. Leadership without ‘daring’ is managing the status-quo, polishing the china if you will.

The Heart of Daring to Lead

Brené Brown has spent two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame and empathy. By her own admission – Brené has said that she spends 10 x more time studying what gets in the way, rather than ‘the way’ (our aspirational leadership behaviours). For example, Brené set out to study connection and empathy and ended up studying shame, and she set out to study courage and ended up studying vulnerability.

The book Dare to Lead is based on 7 years of research, starting with one key question: 

What, if anything, about the way people are leading today needs to change in order for leaders to be successful in a complex, rapidly changing environment where we’re faced with seemingly intractable challenges and an insatiable demand for innovation? 

A strong theme emerged in the research – we need braver leaders and more courageous cultures. However interviewees struggled to identify specific behaviours, rather, they could describe behaviours that get in the way, including avoiding tough conversations; low trust; not acknowledging fears and feelings; getting stuck when we fail or fall; perfectionism; and too much shame and blame in organisations.

Four Skill Sets emerged from the research:

  1. Rumbling with Vulnerability
  2. Living into Our Values
  3. BRAVING Trust
  4. Learning to Rise

In this series, we will examine what it means to ‘Dare to Lead’. The series will provide a narrative that aims to draw together the threads around the why, the what and the how. Far from being a rehash of Brené Brown’s work, it will be a narrative as I see it, both as someone who has spent a large proportion of my career as a leadership and team development specialist – as well as a Certified Dare to Lead Facilitator. We will also be taking a deeper dive on each of the four skill sets, again, from the lens of a practitioner (not that Brené Brown is not).

So, Why Dare to Lead?

The principles of daring to lead speak directly to who we are, and who we are matters enormously in how we lead.  Leaders are never quiet about things that matter. They have difficult conversations, they attend to people’s fears and feelings, and they continuously build trust with and through people. They are connected to their values and encourage others to live their values. They ‘dig in’, meaning that they take action or say what they think needs to be said in a thoughtful way, despite the perceived risks or outcomes. These leaders create real change because they understand people and systems. Those who continue to work on themselves, who continue to rumble with vulnerability, and continue to practice the skills of daring leadership will be those best placed to lead effectively in an increasingly complex world.

Those who occupy important positions of power in government, our institutions and organisations are those who must dare to lead. The consequences of not doing so are dramatic, costly and come with a huge human toll.

Find out more about our Dare to Lead™ Program.

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What Does it Mean to Dare to Lead?

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Five Reasons You Should Invest Time In Building Your Team’s Skills

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5 Reasons You Should Invest Time in Building Your Team’s Skills

In a recent article, we spoke about the Five Benefits of Leadership Development You Need to Know About. We’ve already taken a closer look at one of the benefits outlined in that article – better communication. Now we will continue to explore how leadership development plays a pivotal role in the creation of each of the five benefits, with the second theme to be discussed being Recognising Talent.

One key to any company’s success is having the right people in the right roles. But how do we know who that might be? And how do we avoid overlooking someone who doesn’t appear to be the obvious choice?

Here are five compelling reasons to invest in your team:

1. Demonstrate Commitment to your Employees

Offering leadership development opportunities shows your employees that you are willing to go the extra mile to help them progress in their careers and within the business. It also signifies that you are dedicated to the betterment of the business as a whole by choosing to invest in your team rather than seeking to fill roles externally.

2. Nurture Future Leaders

A primary objective of any leadership development program is to provide employees with the opportunity to expand their skills and grow their career opportunities. Perhaps the perfect candidate to fill an important leadership position is already working within the company but doesn’t ordinarily get the chance to step into such a role. By investing in the potential of your future leaders, you support succession planning and ensure that your teams are built upon a strong foundation.

3. Diversify Employee Skillsets

Similar to what we’ve mentioned above, ‘up-skilling’ your employees to be able to perform in leadership roles will help to grow the effectiveness of your business. When each member of your team is well adept in a variety of areas – or ‘multi-skilled’ – they are able to perform better within those areas. This is vital in ensuring that they are capable of understanding different aspects of the business and can transition into other roles with greater ease.

4. Promote Employee Engagement 

Engaged employees have higher levels of enthusiasm and commitment to their work.  When we feel supported by our leaders, we are more motivated to work better and continuously for them. By providing support in the form of leadership development training, employees can see that there are opportunities for growth and upward mobility.

5. Creates Consistency

By providing the same leadership development opportunities to all employees, your entire team becomes more knowledgeable about tasks, processes and productivity. This increases the efficiency of the entire company when everyone has a clear understanding of how to best get tasks accomplished. It becomes easier to identify areas of concern, reach goals and meet targets.

When managers make an effort to provide all employees with opportunities to develop their skill set beyond the basics of their current position, the benefits are far-reaching. Not only does this create a more engaged team, but it also allows leaders to identify those people who are deserving of greater recognition and opportunity. In doing so, you are able to build and cultivate a strong team with aligned goals and motives.

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Five Reasons You Should Invest Time In Building Your Team’s Skills

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How to Improve Communication Between You and Your Team

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How to Improve Communication Between You and Your Team

In a recent article, we spoke about the Five Benefits of Leadership Development You Need to Know About. Over the coming weeks, we’ll be delving a little deeper into each of the benefits outlined in that article and exploring the integral role that leadership development plays in creating them. The first theme that we’re going to discuss is Better Communication.

Often, when there are issues facing any team or business, the key to finding – and then implementing – a solution is improving communication. We need to have the tools to be able to hear the concerns facing us, as well as the know-how to introduce long-lasting change.

Why communication is important for leaders

Building Trust – Communication is one of the best possible ways to build trust among employees. This is a two-fold process of not only being able to effectively get our own ideas across but also having the ability to listen to the ideas and concerns of others. It is in doing the latter that we begin to see trusting relationships form.

Fostering Unity – When we make the effort to communicate clearly with each other, the chances of being misinterpreted are far less. This is especially important for those in leadership positions. It alleviates the need for clarification and thus ensures that the whole team knows and understands the common goal.

Better Negotiators – Being able to negotiate in a fair and informed way makes for excellent communication. They are informed, consistent and receptive.

How to develop better communication

#1 Listen

Often overlooked, listening is an essential skill to focus on when developing our communication skills. Most people are sometimes too focused on what they want to say next that they don’t pay as much attention as they should to what the other person is saying. By listening closely and asking questions, we show the person or people, we’re speaking with that they have our respect and that their ideas are valued. Also, practice listening ‘beyond the words’ by listening for the real meaning behind what they’re saying. What values seem important to them?

#2 Over-explain

While at first, this may seem counterintuitive to the idea of communicating effectively, when we are talking about communicating clearly, repetition can be a vital factor. This can include repeating the important points to ensure you are being understood. You may also find repeating or rephrasing the other person’s ideas in the form of a question, to be a useful tool in securing your own understanding of them.

#3 Know Your Audience

We wouldn’t speak to our colleagues, in the same manner, we speak to our families. We tailor the way speak to different groups of people in a way that is appropriate for the relationship we have with those people. You may have a well-developed shorthand way of communicating within your team that allows you to communicate complex ideas quite concisely. However, with a new team member, you may have to take more time to carefully explain yourself in order to get the same message across. And avoid jargon!

#4 Mindfulness

Similar to listening and knowing your audience, mindfulness in a communication context is about being aware of how you are being perceived. What kind of tone are you using? Is this the appropriate time and place to have this discussion? What is the intention behind your message? Ask yourself these questions before jumping into the conversation.

Remember that communication is about much more than just what you say. It’s also about how you say it, why you say it and when you say it. It can even be about what you don’t say. We are communicating all of the time, so be more mindful of what you are communicating, even when you’re not speaking. Lastly, be open to hearing the opinions and ideas of others too. Effective leadership communication is fertile ground for long, trusting relationships.

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How to Improve Communication Between You and Your Team

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Getting Ready for the ‘Planning Season’ – Part 2 (Your Team)

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Getting Ready for the ‘Planning Season’ – Part 2 (Your Team)

Part 1 – creatively titled “Getting Ready for the Planning Season – Part 1” – discussed that for many organisations, the annual cycle of planning and strategy formulation is uppermost in their minds in an endeavour to set themselves up for the coming year. However, traditional strategic planning (and the yearly round of off-sites) often fails to deliver intended objectives.

Here are the five ‘antidotes’ we discussed in Part 1

  1. Create a ‘Collective Ambition’
  2. Make the process robust
  3. Make it agile
  4. Be real
  5. Balance performance and health

The article also provided an overview of the concept of organisational ‘health’ or what McKinsey have defined as “the ability of an organisation to align, execute and renew itself faster than the competition so that it can sustain exceptional performance over time.”

The concept applies equally to teams, and in fact it could be argued that without healthy teams (particularly senior teams) the chances of your organisation being healthy are slim.

A Way to Help Create Success

In our work with various senior teams over a twenty-year period we have seen a lot of things that work and DON’T work!

Based on evidenced-based principles and our own experience in working across many industries, we have formulated a framework to help your team focus on the things that matter – the things that will help you engage in the strategy planning process in a fruitful way. By focusing on the key elements of the canvass, you will also give yourself the best chance of implementing the strategy and creating a sustainable and high performing organisation or unit.

Team Charter Canvass

Creating a high performing organisation starts with creating a high performing senior team that knows where it’s heading, how to get there, and importantly, who they are as a team.

Our Team Charter Canvas (TCC) helps guide senior teams to do just that. The framework helps ensure that teams engage in crucial conversations that will lead to long-term success, starting first with clarity about the organisational vision and purpose.

               Figure 1: Team Charter Canvass

Those familiar with Simon Sinek’s work will be familiar with his tenet of starting with why may recognise the flow. Row 1 describes the WHY first, Row 2 the HOW and finally Row 3 is all about the WHAT.

This is in contrast to many planning processes that rush to the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ and don’t do justice to the ‘why’.  I have yet to meet a team that is sufficiently clear about all nine areas of the canvass and the detail that sits behind each. This can have serious consequences on achieving short and long-term objectives.

“I have yet to meet a team that is sufficiently clear about all nine areas of the canvass and the detail that sits behind each.”

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Management solutions closing the gap to a business challenge as a businessman lifting a three dimensional cube to complete a wall with a group of organized objects as a project metaphor for leadership expertise.

This simplified version (the full version has some key diagnostic questions in each square) is linear and prescriptive in that a team should start with box 1 then move to box 2 then 3, etc (of course you may need to circle back to earlier boxes as you progress).

Any planning process needs to be firmly linked to the organisation’s vision and reason for being. The ‘how’ helps teams examine their operating rhythm, their values and how they will celebrate and recognise achievements while enjoying the journey along the way. And finally the ‘what’ helps the team achieve laser-like focus on what needs to be achieved and by when, including the current shape of the team (strengths to be leveraged and weaknesses to mitigated).

How Do I Use the Canvass?

There are many ways to leverage the power of the framework, however all methods should lead to the same outcome – creating a robust dialogue that creates new learning and new possibilities.

At a more practical level, here are some tips:

  1. Ask each team member to rate each box between 1 (Poor) and 10 (Excellent) live, calculate the average score and then focus on the three lowest rated boxes.
  2. Using the same rating system as above, conduct a confidential survey before the session.
  3. Start at box 1 and gain agreement on what it is, then move to box 2, then box 3, etc.
  4. Don’t skip any boxes because you think you have them nailed without an explicit agreement on what it actually means (assumptions are like termites in your strategy).
  5. Invite key stakeholders and even customers to enter in to some ‘box conversations’.
  6. Pressure-test your outputs with people who matter (i.e. people you need to be successful).

In order to have the type of robust, honest conversations needed, you will need to work on creating high levels of psychological safety.

Last November, Google published the five traits of its most successful teams – the first and most important was psychological safety, which has been described as a ‘‘shared belief held by members of a team that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking.’’  Psychological safety is a necessary pre-condition for meaningful planning.

Implementation is the Achilles Heel

We know that around 80% of change fails and that globally a high percentage of Chief Executives are dissatisfied with their strategies and the results they create.

While it is relatively easy to produce a beautiful looking strategy document, it is how those ideas are realised that makes the difference. By default, ‘implementation’ means that change will be necessary (unless you have a no-change strategy that has already been implemented in which case you should be updating your strategy!).

Implementation and change leadership is out of scope for this article, however it needs serious attention as part of the overall planning and strategy process. This is where the real work begins.

Find out More

We are specialists in working with senior teams to bring the Team Charter Canvass to life. We do this through working with leaders and teams to create high performing and healthy teams and organisations.

If you’re interested in learning more about these programs and how we may be able to work with you to achieve outstanding results, then you can:

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Getting Ready for the ‘Planning Season’ – Part 2 (Your Team)