Successful leadership myth busters 👊

This post is part of LIFT's 7 part #ConnectionKindness series 
For Tip #1, click here | For Tip #2, click here | For Tip #3, click here
For Tip #4, click here | For Tip #5, click here

So we’re into week 5, give or take, of this “new world” which, for many of us, could become — in part or whole — The New Normal.

Tip 6 in my #ConnectionKindness series is all about leaders seeking new ideas, encouraging innovative thinking and modelling agile behaviour.

In previous weeks, we’ve been rushing to meet the demands of the new restrictive measures and ensure our team members and the people we provide a service to, are safe. And while that’s still Priority No.1, we’re now a little less frazzled and able to stop and realise that some of the changes may need to be in place for longer — and some actually do work better than our old ways. So, what does this mean for us as leaders?

In the current environment (now slightly post-crisis), seeking new ideas is essential and timely. Changes have now been in place long enough for us to review 3 KEY QUESTIONS:

1. What do we still need to start doing? 
2. What should we keep doing? 
3. What should we stop doing?

This creates an agile environment, one that changes and pivots, through innovative thinking. And the key to agility, is seeing that your leader is willing to NOT know all the answers; but eager to listen to your thoughts, crazy ideas, and concerns of what isn’t working. And put all that together into open courageous discussion that connects us in one direction: agility!

Yes, that direction can be unclear or imperfectly mapped out (AKA, uncertain) BUT what successful leaders do well in times like this is concentrate on their team’s circle of control and influence (refer also: Stephen Covey!)

So, whose job is it to encourage and facilitate this courage to connect, thinking innovatively and being agile? Yes, you got it. As the leader, it’s yours!

What leaders DON’T have to do is come up with all of the ideas; maybe any of them. That part is actually a successful leadership myth. In fact, many leaders I coach will readily admit that they’re not that “creative” and some of the best ideas they made real, didn’t actually come from them!

What they are good at is creating an environment where they and their team think creatively together. These leaders ensure that the best ideas can be resourced and are actioned, moving from thought to reality, quickly (and most often, imperfectly), ready to review, adjust and learn to improve regularly.

Successful leaders are great at inspiring courage, facilitating connections and engaging us to act together. They are not necessarily creative.

Which brings me to my dentist, a fantastic example of agility and co-design! (Check out the video at the start of this post if you haven't already).

Rewind your thinking to the start of 2020 when, before “Rona,” we had a pretty Standard Operating Procedure at dental surgeries and healthcare services.

You arrive, take a seat in the packed waiting room, pick up a magazine from the table. There’s “stuff” (on tables, on shelves, in all kinds of places) and no hand sanitizer in sight (unthinkable now!) Once finished, you lean on the reception desk, use their pen to sign any papers and pay using cash or card, the receptionist taking your cards, paperwork and doing most of the heavy lifting here.

But as Australia went into non-essential services restrictions towards the end of March 2020, my dentist had already pivoted.

One person in the waiting room at a time – me!  No magazines and all non-essential stuff (displays, equipment, supplies) gone from their tables, benchtops and shelves. And, perhaps crucially, they had communicated this via clear signage so I was informed about what they were doing and why.

Once finished, I noticed the EFT machine had a screen cover and I pressed all the buttons (with the friendly receptionist’s guidance) to process my private health and payment myself.

Then the receptionist removed and disposed of the EFT screen showing me — without a word — that my hygiene and safety were important to them and they had made obvious changes.

As I left, they asked if there was anything else they could do to make me feel safer, medical or administrative.

How did all this make me feel… at a time when the fear of being overrun of COVID-19 cases was imminent? I felt really confident they were ahead of the game, that they’d reviewed their practices and it reinforced that they’d really thought about their patient’s journey and my safety. This business created so much trust and comfort for me that I’ve told everyone I know! I felt so connected with them (still do) and that is smart business.

But as a developer of leaders and teams, what really made my heart sing, is that ALL their staff were the same, seeking feedback and being open to new ideas. They knew they couldn’t know it all; that a patient may spot an improvement that they didn’t/couldn’t see from their view point and to seek these ideas would not only improve their safety but also grow trust with their patients – so smart!

Most of this may sound to you as pretty standard yet I still go into organisations where the receptionist wants to handle the single item I’ve just bought or take my card instead of me swiping it. I’ve seen lines of people that are not physically distancing because the floor markers or process is unclear.

What I’m hoping my dentist story demonstrates is the importance of NOT knowing all the answers, NOT thinking you have all the solutions. Instead, it’s about constantly seeking ways to create new ideas because post crisis, our “new normal” now needs to be maintained.

So, this is the time to lead your team to create!

You create the space for your team to stop, think innovatively, regularly as part of your weekly “teamwork”.

Talk to them about what’s working well; what you need to stop doing; what you need to keep doing; and what you want to start doing (or start doing differently).

Then, set the boundaries on what can be changed, and what can’t as there’s nothing more draining on creativity than not knowing the parameters in which you are free to think up new ideas.

From that melting pot of thoughts and goodness, the best ideas bubble up 🌈

When we put all our thoughts together, it creates trust, and that can feel so empowering (something often in short supply of late).

This is the time to facilitate innovative thinking, lead with the courage to connect diverse thoughts and welcome imperfect solutions we can trial. It’s a new world; we don’t have a pre-written path. The most successful leaders will be agile.

PS: Remember to join our FREE Courage Creators Community on Facebook. You don’t want to miss our next Live on Tuesday 28 April at 8 pm, where we're talking about Listening to your Grandmother: How to build a sense of safety, unity and trust by talking less. (Plus we’ve got another exciting announcement coming for this community).

Also in this community, we'll be starting our new uplifting weekly review of two bestselling “old” classics that are super-relevant to you and our courage to lead at work and at home in our “new” world right now! These two books are, by far, the most influential that I’ve recommend to senior leaders in coaching sessions:  Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers written in 1987 and spookily relevant for today, and Brenē Brown’s Rising Strong (this is the less famous of her books but… I’d say holds the key to crisis resilience, mindset, story rewriting and more).

PPS: If you’re a leader feeling tired, overwhelmed, and a little confused on your purpose in this new world, reach out for a super-fast battery recharge of clarity, calm and courage, in a 30 minute online session (read: very little downtime, massive ROI 💪), sign up for Connection Wellness Coaching. Don’t lead alone; find out more here.