CEO Leadership Best Practices Journal™

"What's Right" Leadership®

While selecting a topic for the March/April issue of CEO Leadership Best Practices Journal, we resisted the temptation to offer suggestions on how leaders—especially those at the top—could more effectively cope with the often overwhelming amount of negativity being driven by current economic woes and related business challenges.

As a senior leader, your individual resilience and ability to cope is but the tip of the iceberg. You must also be aware of and consider employee concerns that extend well beyond the boundaries of the organization. These concerns compete and often interfere with your employees' abilities to perform productively and effectively, let alone at their best and highest potential in these challenging times.

Most people are exposed to a constant day-to-day barrage of what's wrong in the world.

So what can a leader do to make a difference to employees in the context of the organization as well as the broader context outside the organization? We suggest considering a "What's Right" Leadership® approach.

Imagine a "what's right—what's wrong" continuum. Where do you think your employees would place themselves on the continuum today? As a leader, where would you place yourself? No doubt individual positions on this continuum would likely change from day to day based on changing circumstances. However, if you could shift yourself as well as your employees, teams and organizations toward the "what's right" end of the continuum, would that not encourage and perhaps make for a more positive and potentially more productive work environment?

We are not suggesting that leaders withhold the truth, deny the facts or sugar-coat reality. Instead, leaders might consider taking a more deliberate approach to identify, communicate and maintain a focus on what's right.

Remember, your employees—including executive-level direct reports—are constantly watching your every move (e.g., what is said, what is not said, intonation, body language) in looking for the truth. The truth may be disconcerting; however, surely we, as senior leaders who are stewards of the organization, can find more of what's right while pointing out, celebrating and encouraging greater optimism in the process.

Gallup researchers recently published a research-based explanation of why people follow leaders. The research suggests that people follow leaders who help them fulfill four basic needs: trust, compassion, stability and hope. Participants in the research included over 10,000 followers in a broad array of organizations including the private and public business sector, social networks, schools, communities, churches and even families. We considered these needs and evolved an approach we define as "What's Right" Leadership®.

These same needs—trust, compassion, stability and hope—are also values and tenets that are woven securely into the fabric of healthy organizations as well as exemplified by great leaders.

A few suggestions for an effective "What's Right" Leadership® approach:

• Identify a high-profile issue within your organization that is currently viewed as a negative on the "what's wrong" end of the continuum (e.g., mounting fears based on unfounded rumors or assumptions). Openly acknowledge this view, including the rumors and assumptions, and then suggest a different perspective, perhaps a similar situation that eventually was transformed into a "what's right" outcome. The benefits of a senior leader acknowledging, although not necessarily being able to change, a situation is comforting and reassuring to employees while also inviting a change in perspective.
• Identify a current problem (what's wrong) in the organization and gather the stakeholders together to discuss it. Rather than focusing on how the problem was created or who created it—which only focuses resources and energies on the past—redirect employees to focus instead on how the organization needs to go about fixing the problem (what's right) and building on the positive. This approach is future-oriented, optimistic and focused toward group problem-solving.
• Identify a concern that is beyond the influence of the organization. Acknowledge the concern; however, suggest that employees consider focusing instead on something that can be influenced. Recall Stephen Covey's Circle of Influence and Circle of Concern Model, the larger circle representing the Circle of Concern (issues beyond the direct influence of the organization) and the smaller circle representing the Circle of Influence. Model the focus and invite others, especially your leaders, to focus on the Circle of Influence and offer some suggestions to jump-start the process.

Good leadership and business results are simply no longer good enough. CEOs, other senior executives and young professionals aspiring to be tomorrow's top leaders must learn how to distinguish and elevate themselves to greatness by performing at their best and inspiring the best from their people.

To learn more about how we can help you perform at your best and inspire the best in your people, visit www.hp-strategies.com.

Kindest regards,
Larry & Melinda

HUMAN PERFORMANCE STRATEGIES, LLC
Executive Offices, Austin, Texas USA
www.hp-strategies.com

DID YOU LIKE THIS PUBLICATION? Please forward it to your associates and friends or anyone else who you think would appreciate it. Subscribe to CEO Leadership Best Practices Journal™ Now.

If you prefer not to receive future issues of CEO Leadership Best Practices Journal™, you may unsubscribe.

Privacy and Confidentiality: Human Performance Strategies (HPS), LLC is firmly committed to protecting your privacy and confidentiality. This applies to all existing and prospective clientele. We will not disclose, sell, or otherwise distribute to any third party any information that you disclose or breach our commitment to protect your privacy and confidentiality under any circumstances. Any and all information that you share with us is assumed and managed as private and confidential. Information disclosed will only be used in the course of serving an existing client business relationship or while we are exploring a potential business relationship together. Please contact us with any questions or concerns.