When Graham* took on his new leadership role he initially spent quite a bit of time discovering how people viewed the viability of the organisation. He asked them what they saw as the predictable future if nothing changed. It seemed obvious to him that the successful parts of the business would be sold off and the groups that were not doing well would gradually decline.
People said that they more or less knew where things were headed but that the organisation would probably limp along for another few years. They had not fully confronted the personal impact of the inevitable demise of the business.
Graham stepped out the phases of the predictable future for them. The company reputation would suffer and talented people would leave. New talent would not be attracted to work with them. Those people who were left would be in survival mode waiting for the business to be eventually sold. This death of a thousand cuts did not seem like a future that would get them out of bed in the morning.
The leadership team confronted the reality that there would be no satisfaction or fulfilment in drifting along toward an eventual demise. They were then galvanised into creating and aligning on a vision for a new future for the organisation. They were also inspired to take the next step and set themselves stretch objectives to achieve it.
This was not a vision that had been thrust on them by Graham but rather it was something that they owned. He had helped them shift the way they viewed what was possible for the organisation. Graham knew that he could not transform the organisation himself and that he could multiply his results with an aligned leadership team.
The organisation became a model for transformation in their sector and was soon attracting interest from like-minded organisations.
Photo: Tyler Lastovich
Aligning a leadership team and unlocking their leadership potential takes finesse. In the book, The Three Laws of Performance the authors suggest that, “Leaders have a say and give others a say in how situations occur.” Graham was happy that he did not always have to be the ‘sharpest knife in the drawer.’ He had surrounded himself with good leaders who were willing to grasp the opportunity to create a new future.
How could you align your team on a new future?
Best regards, Brian
*Name changed to protect the innocent
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