“BE QUIET, USE YOUR EARS, SHUT UP YOUR MOUTH, you then may find out that you learn something”. Obama´s advice at Bits19 to men in meetings to address issues of diversity. This is what he said at the White House when he realized that meetings were diverse with experts women in the room who were not be listened to.
“How many bosses have you had? How many would you willingly work for again?”
“30%” was the result, provided by Adam Yearsley at Bits19.
As a #leader, would you be satisfied with this feedback? I certainly wouldn’t!
To be a good leader you need to start by asking concrete questions: What do your people in your organisation want and need?
If you can really answer this question, you can create the right working environment – paving the way for motivated employees & organisational success.
“If you want to create true change and have some type of meaning, you probably end up getting a lot of resistance.” True words from Jessica Alba at Bits & Pretzels!
Change might be uncomfortable at the first view. But it is worth fighting for your ideas and engaging others to step out of their “comfort zone”!
This is how you make a difference. This is how you create real impact.
IMPACT includes the word ACT, as the founders of Bits & Pretzels – Felix Haas, Bernd Storm van’s Gravesande and Andy Bruckschloegl – pointed out during their opening speech at Bits19
“ImpActing” includes two dimensions for me:
1. “Acting” as a LEADER: Actions speak louder than words. Truly, our actions make a difference and I encourage you to “walk the talk” and take bold decisions.
2. “Being” a leader: Your mood, your attitude, your (un)conscious behaviours – they impact your surroundings, whether in a positive or negative way. You communicate, even when you don’t intend to. Silence is communication, too. You are casting a shadow – the “shadow of a leader”.
Thus: Be conscious of how you ARE in the moment, check if you are sending the messages you want – and spreading the SPIRIT needed to make a difference.
I am so eager to hear and share Inspirational thoughts from Obama on leadership in the bold sense! The words I most heard in the first hours: courage, determination, impact, common purpose, values, energy and of course leaders for change. The underlying one was clearly passion.
The summary tip I would put on this article is as simple as this: BE EXPLICIT! What I mean by that is: SHARE EXPLICITELY.
Be explicit within your team about objectives and desired future state; be explicit on priorities within and for the team; be explicit about why you may say no or need to differ a task or challenge the deadlines.
Thank you @MAmusing for this midyear call to stop and ask these powerful questions to yourself. With curiosity and courage.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/mid-year-musing-1-master-small-mary-alice-arthur/
Make this your daily objectives ! No need to wait for the yearly / quarterly national conference or Town Hall gathering. Very simple, in daily behaviors sharing vision means also STARTING WITH THE END IN MIND, eg saying :
“When
we will have closed this project /
make this decision /
sign this contract,
then
we will be in the position of… /
then xyz will be possible/
then you’ll be able to… “
So WHEN…. THEN.., that’s the formula for sharing what you see and envisage for the future.
5 minutes of fresh air, wind of courage and inspiration in the middle of the week. Enjoy, even if you’d already seen it, worth immersing again and then, get up!
While you are reviewing business achievements, are you also holding a leadership team review and feedforward together within the team? What did this team LEARN over the past 6 months ? How can this team strenghten its COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP in the second half of the year?