Shining Light
A colleague of mine, Matt Cross, recently shared a fantastic analogy: “The great leader uses leadership like a flashlight. She points it through the darkness and illuminates the destination. Her flashlight focuses on what is important and ignores the extraneous information that surrounds it.” This idea inspired me to put together my first ever top 5 list. Here it goes…
Top 5 Business Activities for Leaders to Spotlight
#5: Impact
Shine a light on programs that are bringing about positive results, as well as the people who make those programs possible. How do you know if any given program or activity is having its intended impact?
#4: Vision
Shine a light on the future state of your organization. What will your organization look like 5 years from now? What will it take to get from here to there?
#3: Personal Growth
Shine a light on how much your people are growing, as well as your aspirations for others. What percentage of your people are inspired to grow? What do you see as v?2.0 (or 5.0!) of each person on your team? How are you communicating what you see in them?
#2: Freedom
Shine a light on the degree to which your people have the freedom to contribute their best. How are you encouraging staff to break free from mindsets and beliefs that hinder their impact? What are the barriers to strategic thinking? How often do people feel free to engage in professional play?
#1: Connectedness
Shine a light on the connections between individuals and between groups. How would you describe the nature of connections? In what ways are connections frail, brittle or weak? In what ways are they resilient, supportive and strong?As an aside, I started with a Top 10 list. It felt daunting. Great leaders know that they can’t shine a light everywhere. This is my top 5. What are yours? And what would you need to do differently to invest more time in those areas?
