CEOs and leadership teams worldwide have been practicing white-knuckle management for almost four years. Your company may have seen rapid and extreme changes in this time; still, we all look ahead to the emerging "cooling off," and possibly, economic growth.
Is the economy finally getting back to "normal?" And what is “normal” in these turbulent times? All indications are that the new normal may not look at all like what we are used to. Among other things, consumers are likely to remain thrifty and the new appetite for simplicity is not likely to fade away soon. This new paradigm will affect all of us, from part and product manufacturers to service-oriented businesses.
With that in mind, management and leadership will take on a new feel. There's an old saying that you can never go home again, but the fundamental framework of the Rockefeller Habits, (setting priorities, having the right data/metrics, and creating a healthy meeting rhythm) still hold true. Keep these basics in mind as you consider a new view of your leadership environment:
An essential part of your role is to foster new leaders.
Stop taking on all of the issues and challenges yourself. You need a strata of problem solving energy, not yours, but the effort of a team.
Mobilize everyone to generate solutions.
Your energy will be better spent on looking ahead at what is coming down the road or making contingency plans for the business reconstruction zone. You will be best served by letting other leaders take care of your organization’s daily challenges and current best practices while you focus on “next practices” and winning moves.
Streamline development processes.
Even more importantly, should you continue to develop the same products and services at all? Do your legacy partnerships still make sense? How can your organization answer current business needs in this fluctuating environment while growing toward your BHAG?
These are the “someday” questions that are hard to answer when buried in the day-to-day business issues. Make them part of your everyday work. We advise clients to create a healthy rhythm of Think-Plan-Do, and find a way to get thinking time "in their flight path” . It's time to get comfortable with the new normal. Do this in alignment with your One-Page Strategic Plan and leap ahead of competitors.
Here are 3 Adaptive Leadership Action Steps to maximize your implementation of the One-Page Strategic Plan:
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- Let go of the reigns and foster leadership in others. No need to struggle with fear of being left without a role. In reality, you elevate personal influence by fostering the skills of other leaders. What can you do today to get started? How might you influence your senior leadership to do the same?
- Enlist others to generate solutions. At Rhythm Systems we use the approach of village coaching, and you’ve likely heard that it takes a village to raise a child. It takes your whole team to solve business challenges faster than your competition. What approach – and what environment, will you create to include everyone in idea-generation?
- Reconsider the way you (and your team) follow processes and maintain business relationships. What should be reconsidered? How about legacy relationships? Be ruthless in your analysis. Now is the time to reconsider how you and your company gets things done. The One-Page Strategic Plan in combination with the Rockefeller Habits will create a great framework for creating your new normal.