Facing up to the challenge
Often the external world can seem so volatile and downright confusing that we struggle to make sense of it and the temptation as a leader is to hold our hands up and not even bother trying. But leadership is about taking the initiative and managing change in a way that empowers team members and makes them more resilient to the challenges ahead, as Sharath Jeevan explains
Perspective is what gives leaders legitimacy with people. A powerful perspective that is grounded, distinctive and authentic enables others to see a problem with new eyes. It means we don’t need to ‘push’ change onto others. If people are energised by our perspective, they’ll ‘pull’ us instead. We will end up running behind our people as leaders – guiding them as they build on our perspective at a hundred miles an hour.
I think perspective, like habits, can also be atomic. If we start – however hesitantly – to articulate our perspective, the insight and motivational momentum compounds each day. Every time our perspective shifts, it gives us new energy and insights and it allows us to see parts of a system afresh. That then in turn allows us to sharpen our existing approach or adopt new ones; it’s a virtuous cycle.
The first step is to have the courage to articulate a strong perspective statement. This is a simple tool for us to express our unique vantage point as a leader compared to what conventional wisdom dictates. It needs to be distinctive and fresh but also aligned with how others see the problem.
To identify the best perspective statement that will point your team in the right direction, ask yourself these three questions:
· Who really needs to be supported?
Often this means going back to redefine who is integral and core to realising your perspective. For instance, if you are leading a bank or a retail business, the store or bank manager is likely to be the ‘engine room’ of your business. They’re the people who should really be there for your customers during their ‘moments of truth’ ie when they are sold a faulty product or are a victim of fraud.
· What really needs to be done to support them?
As leaders, we often assume it’s us that needs to do more. But many times, leading is about stepping out of the way of those we support. This may be about letting others around you take responsibility and accountability, aligned to the perspective you set. This is what really makes an organisation future-proof and able to scale.
· How can that be achieved?
Hopefully, we’re now clear on who needs to be supported and what we must do (or not do) to support them. Now we need to think about how we do it. In the bank example, it may be about creating alignment and giving our teams the right level of autonomy with some guardrails. For example, making sure the branch manager immediately calls a victim of fraud and that they have the time and budget to solve their problem quickly.
The key is to realise that you probably have a lot of that perspective already in the back of your mind. The next step is to channel it so it can help you as a leader and, just as importantly, can help others.
Bear in mind that perspective statements don’t have to be final. The best ones have an explorer mindset; they provide a starting point but they also enable leaders – along with the people they lead – to discover and refine their aims and intentions as they go. Let’s embrace perspective as one of the key elements of leadership today in the face of ever-evolving challenges.