“It’s the others!” A deeper look for The Bright, The Bold & The Board.

“It’s the others!”

No, I am not talking about my brothers, in our shared childhood bedroom, when Dad came in to see what all the noise was about. Although I could be. More on that below.?

I am talking about the leaders within the organisation:

• the one’s critical to today’s service and the sustainable transformation for the new strategy.?
• the Executive leaders.
• the Board Directors.?

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All of these leaders, working at our best, integrated with each other, are necessary for effective Business Transformation. We know this intellectually, yet we find it harder to practise. Particularly at the challenging points in a transition. Particularly as we all carry deeply embedded patterns we don’t often really look at. Patterns that are often reinforced socially.

In this article, we are not discussing the toxic workplace we would all recognise if we were conducting an Organisational Change-fitness Assessment.?

We are talking about regular workplaces, that need to build change-fitness to embrace their potential, leverage opportunities, and shape the(ir) future.?

Have you heard yourself, or those around you, say anything like:

• “The Executive team are disconnected from the work we do. They don’t actually get it.”
• “It’s the frozen middle that are holding us back.”
• “The Board are out of touch with today’s market and technology.”
• “These leaders will move on, and we will be chasing the next fad.”
• “We cannot find the people with the skills to make this work.”
• “The employees / youth of today don’t know how to work like we did.”?
• “We will need to switch this CEO/ Executive out.”

These narratives are supported in the literature, read by the respective leaders too. In the documented ‘success stories’ (usually told by outsiders) there’s often an inferred solution where ‘the others’ finally got out of the way:

• “We finally got the right CEO for our strategy.”
• “We cleared out all of the old guard.”
• “The Board got out of the way.”

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It’s fascinating to me how deeply embedded blaming others, and highlighting our good intentions are in our ways of working. In case you feel I am pointing the finger at you, I will just share and talk about myself for a moment.?

As a leader, I have had the mantra for many years about not blaming others as a foundation for building great teams and work environments. Those who know me know I share and practise the insights captured by Jim Collins, author of Good to Great, as Looking in the Mirror versus Looking out the Window, for who is accountable for the results I am experiencing.

The Misguided Mix-up of Celebrity and Leadership

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Yet, as I examine my life, or if you were to examine all my interactions, you would see subtle (or perhaps not so subtle and I just like to tell myself its subtle???) moments where I shift the focus and energy from myself to others. Sometimes it’s reflexive. Sometimes I join in on a social norm that allows me and those I am with to shift the focus and energy from ourselves to others.?

This closer examination of my patterns is not comfortable.?It’s definitely not the story I prefer to tell myself.?

In those moments where I catch myself shifting the focus of an arising issue, I am not feeling blaming of others, I am feeling relief.?

Relief from what??

Relief from being held accountable for the situation. Relief by diffusing ‘the buck stops here’ energy of others. The deeper feeling is not against others, it’s more my seeking safety.?

In my reflection, I can sense that deeper feeling in situations throughout my life, a strategic review of my team’s role in the organisation’s current outcomes, career defining moments as an Executive, existential crisis discussions within a Boardroom.?

I also sense it in my shared childhood bedroom, that moment Dad flung the door open, we all knew this wasn’t a courtesy visit, he had already said good night. He worked big days and was raising 7 children, and we were disturbing his sleep.?We had ignored the warning. We all knew that, as an old school disciplinarian, his leather strap was a likely consequence.?

We all have our own unique stories.?

?Have you reflected on yours?

Can you see subtle signs you, and other leaders in your organisation, diffuse the energy of accountability?

Where do you need to Elevate? Where do you need to Integrate?

Bernie

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Are you a Bright Spark, bright with a spark for today and the future, seeking reconnection with what matters and the capability to lead with intention without being limited by your past, even if the world around you is constantly disrupting?

Are you a Bold Executive Leader seeking shifts in yourself and your organisation’s outcomes without compromising relationships, self-care, and meaning in work, even if the conundrums are mounting and deep down you doubt this is possible across your team?

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Are you a Board Director seeking to maintain or achieve industry leadership through periods of disruption, without disrupting shareholder confidence or Executive commitment, even if others in your industry say it is not possible?

Where do you need to elevate and integrate?

Bernie is known for building capability and confidence in leaders who need to transform organisations that are continually reshaping to survive and thrive.

His career began in whole of enterprise and cross-organisation shifts, followed by 10 years in Business Transformation Diagnostics, Training, and Mentoring across Australia and SE Asia.?He currently works with leaders who are focused on accelerated development and re-imagination of industry value systems. He loves working with the Bright, the Bold and the Board to successfully transition to the next phase, creating a positive ripple effect.

In 2020 Bernie authored Traction: Building Change-fit Leadership Teams.

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Contact Bernie via LinkedIn or Email or Phone: + 61 421 915 608

Or check out his website at BernieKelly.com

#leadership #transformation #management #businesstransformationleadership

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