Develop A Leader’s Mindset, continued
Distinguishing Characteristics
Distinguishing Elements: These next several characteristics, when combined with the basic competencies, create the kind of leadership excellence that distinguishes good leaders from outstanding ones.
Courageousness: Leaders must exhibit courage to be able to lead their businesses into such uncertain times. Courage isn’t defined by being fearless, but by facing fear head on and acting in spite of it.
Uncertainty is one of the most stressful conditions for human beings, and experiencing fear in uncertain times is a reasonable reaction. It can even be a beneficial reaction, in the sense that recognizing the fear enables one to take care in considering actions.
Proceeding heedlessly into uncertainty isn’t the best strategy for success.
There are a number of ways in which fear works to impair otherwise successful leaders. We’ll look at three of them.
Fear of new learning: Many people have spent a lifetime building a thriving business and at some point, may find that they want time to stand still. They’ve mastered these conditions.
They know what to do as things stand. They become afraid that the game will spin beyond them. They cling to obsolete processes, hoping that working them more efficiently will be enough. They may secretly fear that not adopting new technologies and new processes will make them obsolete.
If they grew the business by knowing how to do it all, their confidence may erode as their business gets farther removed from the work they knew. The new tends to be the province of the young, so they cling to tradition and position.
In the end, they are no longer leading, they are holding on. This isn’t hard to understand, but it doesn’t work.
The antidote is courage. A leader must step forward into the future, confidently embracing what’s coming. Courage is not an absence of fear, but a willingness to do what’s required in spite of one’s fear.
The antidote is to address the source of the fear. On the one hand, continue to learn. If you fear that your knowledge is becoming stale learn what is required. On the other hand, a redefinition of leadership is required. It does not require the one who leads to be the best doer.
The leader is the one who can envision the future and help the people find the path from here to there.
Fear of transitions: In any business a leadership transition is a frightening time (while this is especially true for family-owned businesses, it is equally true for any transition that involves a leader who has devoted him/herself to creating, building and nurturing a business).
Turning over one’s life work requires great trust. In part, it is a fear of the unknown. We all know that feeling. However, there is more.
There is a fear that the legacy will be squandered, that what you built will be diminished. Even if, on an intellectual level, you believe in those who follow you, it is a difficult emotional leap. The important issue isn’t the rational aspect of the transfer; it doesn’t matter how well you’ve prepared legally and financially.
It is the emotional aspect of letting go that requires courage.
The antidote is courage. If you plan to retire, go to it positively. Move toward something rather than away from it. We tend to fear the things that befall us when we are not prepared.
We do not fear the things that we seek. We don’t fear the things that we make happen. Take charge of your life, your direction, and your timing. You have made things happen all of your life and the deepest fear is the fear that you are leaving your identity behind, moving beyond your own value.
You are losing nothing as long as you have the courage to move forward.
Fear of looking foolish: Many people resist putting themselves into a vulnerable position. We don’t want to look foolish, inept or awkward. We don’t want to give colleagues or competitors a chance to mock us, even in jest.
Leading often means submerging personal feelings for the sake of the mission. However, while you can do that in areas where you aren’t particularly insecure or threatened, it is tougher to do it when you are.
The antidote is courage. One of the requirements of leading well in difficult circumstances is preparing yourself to lead. That could include, for example, learning about EVA (Economic Value Added) or CSR (Customer Service Records) software options.
It can also mean facing your fears and resolving your insecurities. Address them. Fix them. Move on. Practice, get a coach, find a mentor, ask friends for help or support. Find a way to grow. Recognize that it is through confronting such fears that we can break out of old restrictions and deliver extraordinary results.
Your people and your company are counting on your leadership.
Leading an organization into an uncertain future requires courage. It is courage that can give others reason to take heart. It is courage that will lead others to do things that they did not believe they could do. A courageous leader is one whom people will want to follow.