There are three main areas that we've found to have a tremendous impact on leadership performance.
Everything in business today is about how we respond to change
It is no wonder that it is the first item on our list. We tell our clients to be open to new experiences. Executive leadership places a high value on the ability to maintain adaptability. They reward flexible leaders who can consistently adjust to and welcome change. Those who oppose change are frequently perceived as being too set in their ways and are passed over for leadership positions. When change-resistant leaders are sidelined or let go, it is often easier for others in the organization to understand the importance of the necessary changes and their desire to embrace those changes vastly improves. Change resistant leaders affect lots of people in negative ways.
High-potential leaders are adaptable in the face of organizational change and take ownership of their own growth and improvement. They, like everyone else, make errors, but it is their ability to learn from those mistakes that distinguishes successful executives from those who fail.
Many executives fail because they are incapable (or reluctant) to adapt. They may resist change because their previous accomplishments indicate that they do not need to change, and they are afraid that making any changes will result in failure. However, becoming more adaptable is critical to maintaining a career path, and a leader's resistance to change affects not only them, but their direct reports as well, possibly impeding their ability to advance.
Here are some suggestions to increase your ability to accept and adjust to change:
- Shift your mindset to better adapt to, learn from, and accept change.
- Take more calculated risks.
- Put yourself in unfamiliar situations or roles.
- If you fail, make an effort to bounce back.
- In the midst of change, uncertainty, and setbacks, maintain your optimism and resilience.
- Concentrate on becoming more adaptable by learning how to persevere through change.
Create stronger alliances.
Managing collaboration is difficult. A good team leader must select, develop, engage, and motivate a group of individuals to work toward a common objective. A team leader is accountable not only for their own outcomes, but also for the outcomes of others.
Leaders who struggle to create teams may fail to deliver the results they promised. Their team members may feel undervalued, which can contribute to dysfunction and, eventually, team departures. Furthermore, these leaders may acquire a reputation as poor people managers, impeding their advancement to leading more senior-level teams.
Here are some suggestions to create stronger alliances:
- Develop your ability to form and manage a collaborative team.
- Volunteer to lead a workgroup or manage a large undertaking that requires collaboration.
- Make a concerted attempt to help others grow.
- Assist in identifying and retaining top talent for your company. Smart managers invest in the growth of their immediate reports' talent.
Produce results.
Leaders who are results-oriented are critical to the success of their organizations. The ability of an executive to achieve key objectives decisively has a significant impact on how others perceive their performance — as well as the bottom line of their company. However, even the best intentions can backfire when leaders fail to meet performance standards due to a lack of follow-through on promises or being overly ambitious.
Failure to deliver on promises can lead to a breach of confidence. Leaders who are on the verge of failing because they fail to deliver on their promises may have exceeded their current level of competence without recognizing it. Even if a person is excellent with people and well-liked by supervisors, peers, and direct reports, if they fail to drive results toward business objectives, they risk falling off the leadership ladder.
High-potential leaders drive results rather than simply facilitating them.
Here are some suggestions to produce more results:
- Coordinate more activities with other groups and individuals
- Improve your ability to communicate a future vision.
- Engage team members, and work to create changes that benefit the organization.
- Be skilled at managing expectations so that you are not perceived as someone who over promises but under delivers.
DiBona & Associates offers leaders, at all levels, the opportunity to build better leadership through communication training, engineering team dynamics, and building influence in your organization. Our methods are based on the application of neuropsychology, people analytics, and peer-to-peer training methods.