Nothing will build your brand as a successful leader faster than earning the reputation of someone who leads teams that execute the WHAT (the organization’s strategies, plans or priorities). Demonstrating the skill of HOW is where successful leaders differentiate themselves from amateurs.
Developing the skill of HOW requires understanding two core fundamentals:
- The principles of cause and effect. A spark to gas causes an explosion. Water on soil causes plants to grow. And, how a human thinks largely determines how they will act.
- It’s the leader’s responsibility to shape and develop the focused thinking of your team that will cause the actions required to accomplish the business imperative.
Frankly, it is stunning how common it is for people in positions of authority to think employees will show up for work and automatically think and act in ways that are productive for the organization. It results in an entire workforce thinking about the person humans think about the most: Themselves.
If a leader is not intentionally developing collaborative mindsets among their workforce they forfeit the right to complain about their organization not operating in aligned, productive manner.
How will your team operate under stress? When they’re distracted? When they’re shocked by abrupt turns in economic cycles?
Leaders who model the skill of how understand this: Until you intentionally identify and develop the thinking and actions required for your team to succeed – you can predict that the thinking and actions of your team will be unpredictable.
