Organizations are undergoing constant and rapid change in how they must do business in our challenging times, necessitating strong and agile leadership, perhaps like never before. If leadership were such an easy skill to train, we’d all be able to generate positive and meaningful change in the workplace without the need for leadership in the first place! But in our imperfect and flawed world.

How can you inspire leadership in your organization? Below are five helpful tips:

Keep Your Eyes on the Prize

The only sure things are death and taxes – for everything else, nothing can indeed be sure. Nobody could have likely predicted the economic fallout from the tumultuous start of 2020, nor can anyone say with certainty when (or even if) the ‘old normal’ will come back.

Whether it’s a global health crisis, massive economic downturn, or the knock-off effects these have on employees and their families, it’s crucial to face reality and focus on the future, where you envision the organization realistically in the coming weeks, months, and years.

Every Challenge is an Opportunity

Diversity of opinion and debating over how things ought to be can certainly be productive, but only provided that everyone involved in discussions is open-minded to the challenges that await. These challenges present new opportunities for leadership since a point of view that may not have been previously considered could very well be the right path forward.

A true leader must practice reflective listening and truly be committed to welcoming points of view that may not be mainstream or popular within the organization. Naturally, to keep matters civil and constructive, this means entertaining pertinent discussion points over trivial ones, but keeping an open mind empowers others to share their concerns freely.

Build Solid Relationships

Every good leader must understand the importance of our interconnected nature as human beings. Social isolation is undeniably hard on us, even those who are more naturally introverted. Feeling that we are socially accepted is one of the foundational levels of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. We need to belong, and organizations certainly must foster an environment of positive relationships.

Develop Mental and Physical Discipline

Discipline includes the ability to control our animalistic urges, to delay gratification for the future, and to ‘un-cloud’ our judgment when tensions, stress, and/or emotions would get the better of us.

Keep active and consume a healthy diet to promote better physical health and self-discipline, and train your mental discipline by curbing destructive behaviors and promoting good ones. The weight is even more burdensome as a leader as others look up to you for the example you set.

Look at the Big Picture

Similarly to ‘keep your eyes on the prize,’ looking at the big picture involves stepping back every once in a while to square the progress you have made through leadership (or the challenges faced along the way) with the overall goals of the organization.

At the end of the day, cui bono (who benefits)? Have you lost touch with your customer base and why they love your product or service in the first place? These fundamental questions must be justified to remain a successful leader.

InspireTribe

Develop your EQ and leadership capabilities with courses and workshops from the friendly team at InspireTribe today.