See the Big Picture: Some changes are here to stay

An American recently told me that his leisure business expected some of the new behaviours we learnt during the Covid lockdown to be “here to stay”. They prepared for “post lockdown” and tried to understand and prepare for how consumer behaviour may have changed permanently.

We will have practised some new behaviours for so long that they will become habits and “new norms”. It takes about six to seven weeks to form a new habit. Covid gave us much longer than. So what are the behaviours and trends that were here to stay and how have they changed our future?

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Sharpen your 2024 Vision – seven questions, seven tips

So what is going to be different for you in 2024 and 2025?

Well, the good news is … you have a choice!

Of course, we can’t predict the many unpredictable things that will happen, but we can definitely choose how we want to plot and navigate our course through 2024 and beyond.

To create your 2024 Vision you need to see the whole picture and not focus on one soundbite. There are seven questions in Leaders’ Map to help you work it through. Aim to make it your best year – best decade – ever.

And here are the 7 tips to help you make the most of it:

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What is your leadership style?

Sounds like a rather lazy interview question that we have all been asked at some stage … or worse, that we have asked others!

Why is it such a trite question? Because we ALL use different styles in different contexts …. albeit not always as skillfully or appropriately as we might like, at times.

Very helpfully and clearly Daniel Goleman has identified six leadership styles springing from different aspects of emotional intelligence.

Each style has a different impact on the culture and results of an organisation. The best leaders do not rely on just one or two styles. Just as a golfer is proficient with a selection of clubs, the most effective leaders switch flexibly between the styles as needed by the situation. The best leaders may use all six leadership styles effectively within a single meeting.

The challenge is that some of the styles will be quite foreign to your personality. And it takes courage to step out of your comfort zone.

The best leaders adjust their styles to get the best results. Look at the Board Table below and work out where you most frequently sit.

In a crisis, or to kickstart a turnaround, the coercive style may come into play. In most other situations, or used as a dominant style, it will have negative effects.

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Developing the mindset of a successful leader

There are three scenarios that all leaders face.  If you’re a leader – if you’re leading– you will have faced all three.  And if you haven’t yet, you will.

Scenario 1: “I’ve lost my direction. I’m off course and not heading where I intended.”

Scenario 2: “I know my priorities, but I don’t feel effective. I’m not getting the results I want.”

Scenario 3: “My work-life balance is out of sync. Sometimes the most important things get hijacked and I am like a hamster on a wheel.”

Sound familiar?  These are critical moments for the leader.  They play to the core of what it means to be successful.  The effectiveness of your enterprise is at risk.  You’re at risk of running aground.

How can you address these and avoid the ship wreck?

Successful leaders do three key things:

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What is the single biggest issue for every organisation?

single biggest issue

What is the single biggest issue for every organisation?

Having the right people.

Without them you really are stuck!

Knowing what to do is not the biggest challenge – finding the person to do it is. So find the right people.

If you appoint the wrong people at the top of an organisation, they can destroy it in no time at all. This applies to all key roles in any enterprise.

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How can I get a better Work/Life balance?

Life Direction Wheel

That question was posed to me recently as I was coming to the end of a coaching session with a senior executive.

Trying to balance life and work priorities is something that we all face. But is it the right question? Are “work” and “life” on the opposing scales, competing against each other? It can certainly feel like that at times.

Perhaps it is better to view it as “Life Balance”, rather than “Work/Life Balance”, as work is part of life, rather than in opposition to life. Why not look at all the segments of your life – relationships, family, health, recreation, work etc – as a whole?

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What separates successful from unsuccessful leaders?

The Five Mindsets

Doing the right things.

But what are the right things?

They are the things that are fully aligned to your values, your vision and your goals. If they are not in line … then don’t do them. Don’t be busy doing things, do the right things. It is your choice.

So how do you do the right things?

It’s all about your mindset. It’s about the way you look at each decision or action – each conversation, event, meeting, task or even your leisure time.

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