🇬🇧 Between Momentum and Focus – What’s on My Mind as a Leader Right Now

00:00:03: Isn't it ironic that in order to drive a car, you need the license?

00:00:07: But in order lead people.

00:00:09: You don't.

00:00:10: good leadership is priceless.

00:00:12: There was evidence that leadership is great investment for your business not just for well-being and soft skills.

00:00:28: Hello and welcome dear Lightwolf podcast listener.

00:00:32: Today I'm doing something little different than i normally do.

00:00:38: I would like share with A few things that are going through my mind these days when I reflect about the work that my team and i are allowed to do which is terrific.

00:00:53: There are a few things just our work for us in the positive sense, they still sometimes bother me And...I hope you'll find out during this conversation why I'd be curious to learn whether any of these thoughts in my mind resonate with your thoughts and if there are any observations that i make on our client base or beyond, they're similar to the observation experiences you have.

00:01:28: So let's start from the first observation.

00:01:32: One thing is not a soft skill.

00:01:38: An astonishingly high number of people, both among our clients but also amongst others we see on social media or in events seem to assume that leadership is a soft skill and optional.

00:01:56: Right?

00:01:56: So it's the softer side as the emotional side has the well-being side while all these are included really humans.

00:02:07: I miss In some senior leaders the conviction and understanding how profound good leadership is to drive your short, mid-and long term business performance.

00:02:29: For still a number of CEOs leadership is still secondary maybe not in what they say but in from our work in those last couple of months.

00:02:47: A CEO of a mid-sized company in Europe, wonderful human being I really like him as a human spent six months with us and four other leadership transformation providers.

00:03:11: There were pieces of information shared, there were conversations to get to know each other.

00:03:20: They were first offers... ...there were meetings on their side without us selecting so the list went down from five two four three and ultimately one.

00:03:33: And we are very happy to have won the pitch To be the provider of choice against some strong other vendors, but we don't have an order yet.

00:03:47: And that is because after this process... ...that I think was very informative and educational for both sides.

00:03:57: the CEO concluded in current more than usually difficult business circumstances it would be hard to guarantee The time resources required, the capacity required to take this culture change work.

00:04:17: This cultural leadership transformation work as seriously as it deserves and For that reason they want to do it but they postponed until further notice now.

00:04:32: No time no budget is a message And I find it astonishing because no time, no budget for the most important job of a leader.

00:04:48: In business that in European markets where it operates apparently never really had opportunity for an integrated systemic leadership development For leaders whose primary role is to lead.

00:05:06: and if there is no time to learn that job, If There was No budget To finance the learning then That Is something that really bothers me now.

00:05:15: I'm not naive right?

00:05:17: so And i know that you need to find The Time.

00:05:20: You Need to free up the money?

00:05:22: To invest into such an external initiative.

00:05:26: But i Know from every single day in my own life especially In My work Life priceless, that good leadership drives employee engagement very directly.

00:05:42: There is X-fold differences in motivation and performance and business results between people who are led by a great leader and those who are lead by poor

00:05:55: leaders.".

00:05:57: I've been in business for thirty five years.

00:06:05: And in addition to all those experiences that I've made myself, there was ample research proving the point.

00:06:12: There is a direct relationship between the way leaders lead their people how engaged these people are How productive they are as a result and how profitable The business is As a result of all this it's proven.

00:06:30: Let me share just one example that I like a lot as one evidence and i have more.

00:06:56: The nutshell is strong, consistently strong leadership more than doubles profit growth of your company.

00:07:11: So it's a huge return on investment.

00:07:13: if you do invest.

00:07:15: and If you're interested in reading now this is one of the few books called good to great from Jim Collins.

00:07:21: It's One Of The Few Bixen Books In My Life.

00:07:23: I Read Twice because how Good It Is And How Interesting The Question Raised Because the question that Jim Collins and his consultant team raised probably twenty-five years ago was, has there ever been a business?

00:07:38: That turned from good defined as annual seven percent growth to great.

00:07:44: Defined is five times that growth or more and sustained over at least fifteen years.

00:07:51: so really high bar in terms of definition of grade.

00:07:54: And they analyzed one thousand four hundred forty companies And they did find eleven companies that made the move from good to great, increased growth fivefold and sustained at five-fold growth increase over at least fifteen years.

00:08:10: Amazing!

00:08:11: One of them we work for so we can look a bit inside into those leadership practices that significantly drive a company's sustainable performance... ...and guess what?

00:08:23: Factor number one was between the eleven that turned to great and there are many others that stayed on good.

00:08:29: Factor number one is leadership, when they dig deeper in Jim and his team spent ten consultancies really going deep understanding why these companies made it at the bottom of their analysis.

00:08:44: those companies just before or after the turn took great results had level five leadership meaning leaders who combined two seemingly contradictory skills in one person.

00:09:01: On the one hand side, strong willpower to get the right thing done – not a comfortable thing!

00:09:07: Will power to get that right thing down and on the other hand sheer endless personal humility which is the harder bit for those people with strong will power coming across as humble... ...and not ego-focused.

00:09:21: That's this magic combo revealed in his book.

00:09:25: That's at the heart of turning companies from good to great, increasing their profitability and growth rates fivefold.

00:09:36: And sustaining that growth rate for fifteen years or more.

00:09:39: amazing.

00:09:40: So there is evidence that leadership Is a great investment For your business not just for well-being.

00:09:49: soft skills.

00:09:51: so if it resonates with you either Book a call with me and we exchange.

00:09:56: If you have doubts, go book a call With Me And We Exchange Even More.

00:10:01: But if You feel this Resonates With You Then Help Us Spread The Message.

00:10:07: Leadership Is Not A Soft Skill Only It's This Skill The One Skill Leading With Impact Leading with the Impact You Want is one Core Skill That A Leader Should Leverage To Lead her or himself to lead others in order for them to lead the business and For The Business To Become Much More Successful In Countable Currency.

00:10:33: So Help Us Spread The Message.

00:10:36: The Second Thing On My Mind These Days Is Leader By Accident.

00:10:42: Maybe You Have Heard About The Phenomenon, maybe you have seen the phenomenon around you.

00:10:48: It's Called Leader by Accident.

00:10:51: Imagine the following situation.

00:10:54: There was a group of technical functional experts, say ten experts led by someone and that's some one.

00:11:00: that woman or man retires And there is an need to promote Someone Or To Get Someone Installed.

00:11:07: Quite Frequently The Responsible Leaders In The Company Then Decide To Promote The Best Expert To The Leadership Wall Oftentimes Without Asking Themselves To what extent that leader is willing to lead a group of ten?

00:11:29: And whether the person has ever had an education in how to lead.

00:11:34: Isn't it ironic, That In order drive car you need license?

00:11:38: But in order to lead people You don´t.

00:11:41: I find it ironic!

00:11:43: You first need to assess Whether The Person Is Willing To Lead People capable to lead people and willing to learn it because leadership is life long learning that never ends.

00:11:56: I'm by far not ready with me, uh...I love the topic.

00:12:00: i've learned a bit but i will learn even more in future right?

00:12:05: So its a learnable and teachable skill.

00:12:08: But you need make sure That You have People in Leadership roles who want to lead and are able to lead, right?

00:12:16: Not having someone there by chance or by accident.

00:12:19: And I've seen this phenomenon time-and-time again Right now.

00:12:23: just a pick three of our own current clients one in the steel industry One in banking In one in software company.

00:12:33: Then all three i am aware because we support their leadership transformations have never been trained to lead, who has not really raised their hand.

00:12:49: They were just encouraged and promoted.

00:12:53: maybe they felt mixed or attracted by the benefits because often times being promoted into a leadership role gets you too more money for higher compensation.

00:13:05: Maybe there was intrigued with social status of it.

00:13:10: in the eyes of some also goes along with social status.

00:13:14: Maybe they just were afraid to disappoint their bosses who needed to fill a vacancy, all these things might be motives and I think that are legitimate motives.

00:13:24: but if you have someone like this on your team where either doubt whether person wants to lead or evidence.

00:13:33: he doesn't help people out from those roles.

00:13:39: it's an accident.

00:13:41: And just help them with pride intact and was dignity to find different spots.

00:13:48: already years ago ten years ago when I had this first time as a consultant we consulted the bank The leader.

00:13:56: We worked with decided to offer these people Different jobs more suited to their strength profile into they interest, and yes at twenty percent lower compensation.

00:14:08: But eighty percent of them chose to accept the other jobs.

00:14:11: They were relieved because they never really felt well in a leadership role, so if this again makes you think then reflect what's right?

00:14:23: If you have the impression that around you there is someone who became leader by accident and intervene in the right way...if it's your own direct report has the right analysis of the right exchange or conversation.

00:14:38: maybe all their need training Basic fundamental training.

00:14:42: give them a few days of training and the right toolkit.

00:14:44: Maybe that's all they need.

00:14:46: maybe They need a good conversation to become aware Of what it actually means to be a leader of people or?

00:14:52: Maybe they wait for though For a conversation with you where they can finally get out off their wall because they don't like It at all, alright All of this is possible but This right thing can only happen if you take the lead If you initiate the right conversation, which is what I actually recommend.

00:15:10: How you could help the topic of leadership have the right conversations and make leadership development a priority?

00:15:18: Leadership is a teachable skill.

00:15:22: Leaders are not born.

00:15:25: they're made by their companies and themselves.

00:15:29: so help your leaders be better leaders by making this whole topic of leadership development a conscious and targeted priority.

00:15:39: And the third topic that's bothering me these days, or... That is a topic for conversation at least because there was more companies coming around in the corner getting convinced about their need for it or requesting it inbound themselves.

00:15:56: we are glad to write offers and engage with first conversations.

00:16:00: Just doing this, Tanya next door is just finalizing a massive offer for company who after many acquisitions wants to establish one united leadership culture.

00:16:11: For the future.

00:16:12: they have almost twenty thousand employees.

00:16:15: They are more than a thousand leaders and want their massive program To really define one framework And we're very happy to make that offer.

00:16:24: Now The headline of his third thought Is No Systems No results.

00:16:31: What does that mean?

00:16:33: I grew up in a company where only over time and, In fact, only in hindsight... ...I really understood the leadership system That i was living and working on.

00:16:47: This leadership system looked like this bus And had four wheels.

00:16:53: There were role models So theoretical role models being A leadership guideline, a leadership principle.

00:17:02: Leadership behaviors the way they should be and of course The Living Role Models your direct boss And the senior leaders in the company.

00:17:10: role models second wheel was purpose.

00:17:14: Why it's not just Company Purpose but also why Should I lead this Way?

00:17:19: Why is This way Of leadership right for our clients or company and For me as an individual leader turning them us around?

00:17:25: the third one Is development support because even if i could contribute to the definition of guidelines.

00:17:32: And even if I understand why this way is good for me, it might help because maybe i have learned different old-fashioned top down management techniques which are now need to undo and learn contemporary quick modern leadership on eye level right?

00:17:51: So that's my point systematic measures no system No results.

00:18:00: Because only what gets measured, get done!

00:18:04: As long as leadership programs are just an offer and there is no measurement or link to personal decisions they remain a optional offer forever.

00:18:15: If you really want leaders' tools to change then you need complement the right offers with the right expectations.

00:18:23: It's not just an option that leads well.

00:18:26: it's the expectation of leading well And the best companies I've seen measure their leaders on two KPIs.

00:18:34: Not just a business result, but it's key – no doubt about that!

00:18:39: The financial results, commercial results and functional results are key…no doubt.

00:18:47: But equally highly they also measure and rate how effectively those leaders lead themselves and lead and grow the people all around them.

00:19:01: That's called leadership, so they measure business performance and leadership performance on equal weight?

00:19:07: And that is a system!

00:19:09: Only once you have that system in place... ...and use help-people to develop themselves with measures….

00:19:16: …you also help people assess their own leadership performance with leadership measures – THAT'S THE MOMENT when the whole thing ticks from optional offer to consistent expectation And that's why this third thought is bothering me.

00:19:31: Why there are still so many, they just make nice offers somewhere and it's always good to think and work on leadership but you get so much more if you expect from your people If you measure how well they do it.

00:19:45: So thats' why no systems nor results.

00:19:48: That's my encouragement for you.

00:19:51: Wherever you're whether a first time leader an experienced executive or a top manager, maybe you are global CEO.

00:20:00: Wherever you are in your organization I encourage you to establish the right leadership system for your company and then help everyone understand and use this system because once the system is there it can help every one everyday just become better at leading themselves.

00:20:22: And if any of these topics resonate with you, and you would like a quick personal exchange with me on your situation in your company or maybe the one thing that prevents you from doing what's right.

00:20:38: The barrier you perceive.

00:20:40: I have seen many of those myself both in my corporate career i've been in corporate for twenty five years made many of these mistakes myself.

00:20:54: I'm far from being perfect, but i've seen a lot and would be happy to use all have learned in our mini diagnose call say twenty minutes To see what the root cause is your case?

00:21:07: And whether with one or two suggestions...I can help you instantly!

00:21:13: The barrier removed into get leadership in place.

00:21:16: that want-to-see new system..that wanna see in company.

00:21:20: So thats A little bit of an unusual Lightwolf podcast today, I hope you've enjoyed it.

00:21:26: And should you be interested don't hesitate.

00:21:30: the link into my calendar is in the show notes book your call and i look forward to seeing you soon for an exchange!

00:21:38: Otherwise I wish you a terrific week and i Look forward to welcoming you again very soon here at The Lightwolf Leadership Podcast.

00:21:47: Thank You