As a team, functional or even whole organisation leader, the success you achieve is very much influenced by your ability to achieve results through others. In many ways you are the facilitator who ensures that you create the conditions for success.
Of course to lead and achieve through others it’s vital that you have people who want to follow you. Some less experienced leaders can fall into the trap of believing that time served is all that matters.
But if you think about it this is rarely the case. If I compare how things are now to when I started out in the early 1980’s people are being offered and accepting responsible roles at a much earlier stage in their career.
Wherever you are on the leadership journey, two vital roles you have to fulfil in my view are:
1. Providing clarity of direction
2. Getting the buy in of others
When you read this it might seem simple. On the other hand what I have noticed over the years is that simple does not necessarily mean easy.
For example, if you are leading how much time have you really spent thinking about purpose and where you are working towards?
When I pose this question in workshops or masterclasses it surprises me how few people actually allocate to this.
I guess for professionals this might not be so much of a surprise. After all they usually end up in a leadership role because they are good at getting things done.
Of course getting things done under your own steam is very different to getting things done through others.
Whether we like to admit it or not we all, to some extent, are tuned into our own personal radio station called WIFM (What’s In It For Me).
So if you are going to get the buy in and support of others to achieving anything, you have to understand their perspectives. You have to understand their aspirations. You have to understand their motivations.
Leading at any time is tough. Unless you can provide clarity of direction and get the buy in and support of others, making any significant progress is always going to be a challenge.
Duncan Brodie helps accountants and professionals become effective leaders and managers. Learn more here.