Welcome to Article #3!
create unachievable expectations, breed fear, ‘hiding’ mistakes and stifle collaboration and innovation. Innovative growth relies on a work environment where everyone feels safe to contribute ideas and acknowledge errors. This is where your integral yet imperfect human vulnerability comes in. Vulnerability does not mean treating your team like therapists. It means setting expectations and standards that you hold everyone accountable to AND admitting when you are wrong, asking for support and owning mistakes, because ultimately, isn’t that what you want from your team?
Whether it’s directional changes that acknowledge the current approach is not working and a pivot is in order. Or recognizing that ‘Day 1 Die Hards’, those team members instrumental to the early success of the company,’ are no longer a fit for the business.
New here? Check out Articles #1 on the importance of dedicated timeblocks for visionary and strategic thinking to chart the optimal path for the organization’s growth. And Article #2 outlining three key concepts to put yourself firmly on the road to being a strong leader capable of designing and executing the optimal strategy, and leading your metaphorical village to success. In this article we’re stepping it up a notch, tackling the nitty gritty of occupying the highly scrutinized role of business leader. If you want to build a great company, these three skill sets will see you through the good times and the bad…
As a leader, you have to own them all.
To do so, ensure you have the required information, create the space to properly assess the situation, risk and any mitigation planning required, leverage experts or mentors… then make the decision. Once you know what you need to do, don’t stall. Delaying the inevitable doesn’t help anyone and often introduces further costs, damage or risks. You want to communicate quickly, from the correct source, with clarity, so that the appropriate actions can be taken and the business can move forward.
Difficult Decisions
The evolution of your role as the company grows will require shifting your focus from tactical tasks to more decision-focused responsibilities, and while we love a bit of control, decisions can be intimidating, paralysing and downright difficult.
Imperfection is part of Integrity
If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a million times, ‘Culture flows from the top’, and like most cliches, it’s cliche for a reason. As a leader, your role comes with many implications. You are the penultimate example setter for your organization and hypocrisy doesn’t look good on anyone. You need to walk your talk as a cornerstone of integrity and establishing the trust foundation necessary for effective leadership. But, don’t mistake integrity with perfection. Presenting a facade of perfection is counter productive. It will alienate you from your team,
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