Illuminating Your Path to Sustained Performance and Well-being

In today's fast-paced world, success is often narrowly defined by measurable outcomes such as revenue, productivity, and efficiency, often at the expense of the people behind these numbers. As a result, leaders are increasingly recognizing the need for a more holistic approach to leadership that prioritizes the well-being and success of their teams, as well as their organizations.

One powerful metaphor that embodies this approach is that of a lighthouse - a guiding light that illuminates the path ahead. In the context of leadership, the lighthouse represents a set of values, principles, and practices that enable us to navigate challenges and complexities.

In this week's Leadership Learning Newsletter, I emphasize the importance of a multi-dimensional approach to leadership to ensure long-term success, well-being, and performance. I share three areas of reflection that have helped me lately. I have discovered that by implementing these practices, we can achieve our goals, create a better world, and take care of ourselves and those around us.

Starting with Self: Manage Your State with an 11-Minute Walk

It's important to note that taking breaks throughout the day to recharge can actually increase productivity and focus. By taking a mental and physical break, you give your brain a chance to rest and recover, which can ultimately lead to better performance and results. I've been going on many more walks lately, as often as I can.

So, if you're feeling stressed or overwhelmed, take an 11-minute walk and give yourself a mental and physical break. Your state leads your state, so take care of yourself and set yourself up for success.

Manage Your Commitments, Not Your Time: The Importance of Making Clear Requests and Promises

Time is finite, but managing your commitments can help you accomplish an unlimited amount of things. As a leader, I see myself as a manager of a network of conversations and a web of requests and promises. Recently, I've been reflecting on the importance of making promises and requests that align with my commitments, a practice I learned from Peter R. .

For example, through my work, I am passionately committed to the possibility that within five years everyone has the very best possible healthcare for their own personal needs, in the region I operate in. To achieve this vision, I am actively working on enrolling, engaging, and supporting people inside Roche and in the larger healthcare ecosystem in being partners in realizing the “healthcare for all” vision. I constantly make requests and promises to my team and external partners, and I depend on them, and they depend on me, every day to realize this shared goal.

What I've learned is that our well-being is dependent on the trust of a web of relational power that allows us to make dependable promises and requests. By working together and holding each other accountable, we can create a culture of reliability and trust.

Of course, sometimes promises are broken or requests are not met in time. What I've noticed is that it's important not to make these mistakes wrong or bad, but to simply acknowledge them and make a new promise. By doing an after-action review, we can identify areas where corrections are needed in our habits, procedures, or processes and make the necessary adjustments.

In summary, managing your commitments is a key component of effective leadership. By making promises and requests in line with your commitments, you can create a culture of trust and achieve your goals while taking care of your well-being and that of those around you.

More on Promised-Based Management: The Essence of Execution here

Leading with Clarity: Balancing Accountability and Empowerment with a Dose of Fun!

Clarity is key to effective leadership. By balancing accountability and empowerment with a dose of fun, you can foster a culture of clarity and engagement that inspires your team to deliver their best work.

As a leader or team member, it's important to clarify your expectations and ask for clarification when needed. By making it a fun and rewarding process, you can encourage everyone to embrace clarity as a way to boost performance and prevent misunderstandings.

For example, in my current leadership team, we have a playful practice where we add 1 euro to a piggy bank every time someone probes for clarity and gets it. At the end of the quarter, we use the piggy bank to fund a team dinner. This simple but effective approach has helped us build trust, alignment, and engagement in our daily work.

Remember: clear is kind! When you lead with clarity, you create a positive environment where people can thrive, learn, and contribute to the team's success. So go ahead, balance accountability and empowerment, and add a dose of fun to your leadership style. Your team will thank you for it!

Conclusion...

To set ourselves up for long-term success and ensure our well-being and sustainable performance in business and in life, we must approach our leadership with a multi-dimensional perspective. We need to manage our energy, and commitments, make clear requests and promises, and co-lead with trusted allies. Together, we can achieve our goals and create a better world for ourselves and those around us, one step at a time.