LEADING

HOW DO WE MAINTAIN THE QUALITY OF OUR LEADING IN AN UNPREDICTABLE ORGANISATIONAL WORLD?

Our work as leaders is getting harder, right?

Seriously, don’t you think our work in schools is getting tougher, by the day almost? Talking to principals as I do – and to their senior colleagues - I cannot doubt their indomitable spirit, nor their commitment to see things through, to maintain their high-quality care for their students and their staff, and to continue to be the best leaders they can be.

But to a person, no-one is telling me leading in schools is getting any easier.

But hey, we none of us became Principals because we sought an easy life! We all love our work; many of us feel we have, or had, the best job in the world. But it is hard. Hard to maintain the quality of our leading as the society we live and work in is undergoing such rapid and unrelenting change.

So, what do we do to enable us to maintain the quality of our leading in an increasingly demanding and unpredictable world?

Forbes contributor Jane Sparrow, who says she has spent her professional life enabling individuals, teams and organisations to perform at their best, offers a number of ways in which we and the organisations we work for can work together to ensure we are better equipped to meet the demands of the changing world in which we work and lead (in Leadership For The Future - Equipping Leaders For Relentless Change, in Forbes, 10 June, 2024).

The world today is marked by instability and rapid changes driven by factors such as AI, climate change and global unrest, Sparrow states, adding that as a result, the leadership landscape has drastically evolved, presenting three major challenges today. First, the world has transitioned from a gradual pace of change to relentless transformation, demanding leaders who can adapt quickly and efficiently, she affirms. None of us would disagree. ?Second, cultures have moved from a command-and-control model to one of empowerment and autonomy, she continues, noting that this constitutes a shift that has outpaced the development of accountability and feedback mechanisms, creating imbalances in many organisations. Thirdly, she asserts, the rise in burn-out, exacerbated by the always-on nature of modern work, has reached alarming levels, particularly among high performers.

So, what does Sparrow suggest?

Leaders must cultivate an inner voice that embraces challenges with a "What if?" attitude rather than succumbing to fear and doubt, she counsels, continuing, a resilient mindset is called for, a fluid mindset to enable them to navigate this volatility successfully. In short, Leaders have to be mindful of their own 'human bank account'.

Managing their human bank account involves leaders balancing work demands with personal well-being. Leaders have to be mindful of their physiological needs, emotional states, focus, motivation and personal growth, Sparrow avers, going to suggest that addressing these areas holistically can help them maintain their energy and effectiveness.

According to Sparrow, organisations that are conscious of increasing demands on their leaders are now investing in their leaders’ personal growth and development, planning and offering activities such as workshops and coaching clinics to ensure their leaders feel equipped and motivated to lead change. For her, this intentional approach to leadership development is crucial in today's fast-paced environment.

Sparrow suggests that one of the key areas needing attention if leaders are to be properly equipped to lead into the future is fostering a culture of high accountability and feedback. Empowering leaders without providing clear expectations and clear metrics of their accountability can lead to confusion and inefficiency, Sparrow cautions. Leaders – at all levels of the organisation - must be supported and assisted both to give and also to receive feedback effectively, thereby ensuring alignment and clarity in their teams. Today’s leaders, she emphasises, must manage their peers and colleagues as stakeholders.

The concept of the Human Bank Account provides a useful metaphor to underpin sustainable leadership, Sparrow claims, and details it is six key interconnected areas that together determine and support the leader’s overall performance and well-being. They are:

1.???? Physiological needs?– Sparrow says leaders need to recognise that adequate rest, nutrition, hydration and exercise are fundamental. Having enough sleep, eating healthily, staying hydrated and incorporating regular physical activity into their routines are all essential. These habits support both physical health and cognitive function. Moreover, those to whom senior leaders, especially CEO-level leaders, are responsible, must do everything they can to ensure their leaders are looking after themselves. If the Board does not show understanding and commitment to their leaders’ overall well-being, imposing ever more demanding requests for endless reports for example, or setting more and more mandated personal goals and KPIs, as well as imposing more and more upon their leaders’ personal and family time, are failing in their duty to offer their leaders crucial time for self-reflection, self-renewal and personal refreshment. ?

2.???? Emotional states?- managing their own emotions and being aware of others' emotional states is crucial among leaders, especially during periods of change. Leaders should strive to continue to develop their own emotional intelligence to navigate their own feelings and understand their team's emotional dynamics. The key to this is a sharpening of the leaders’ own self-awareness, which in turn leads to superior awareness of the needs of others, releasing the leader’s empathy, compassion and understanding.

3.???? Focus?- balancing strategic thinking with operational tasks is vital. Leaders should allocate time for both high-level planning and day-to-day execution, avoiding the trap of constant distraction, instead helping their teams to dynamically prioritise. Crucial to this balance of the strategic and every-day is the leader’s willingness to delegate. The leader who delegates tasks and projects to their subordinates is empowering them and aiding their personal growth and development. Delegating mundane, routine tasks frees the leader to engage more deliberately on their key strategic role.

4.???? Motivation?- knowing one's "why" and aligning it with the organisation's goals can drive motivation. Leaders should seek tasks that fulfil them and understand that some duties are necessary even if they are not particularly enjoyable. Offering lower-level tasks to subordinates again helps them to learn and grow, and enables the organisation to draw more comprehensively on diverse talents and experiences that more junior employees may have to offer. Doing so also affords the opportunity for innovative thinking and creative initiatives to be discovered and applied for the good of the organisation.

5.???? Inclusion?- creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and understood fosters a sense of belonging and engagement. Leaders should both model and promote acceptance and empathy within their teams, so that the most shy, the most junior, and the most recently appointed may feel encouraged to contribute and thus to feel recognised and appreciated within the team and the organisation.

6.???? Personal growth?- adopting a commitment to personal growth and by intentionally seeking continuous personal improvement are essential if leaders are to grow in their capacity to face the future. Leaders should actively seek feedback, invite new challenges, and embrace learning opportunities, and then, encourage their teams to do the same.

Sparrow invites you to imagine a future where leaders are – and also feel - fully equipped to handle constant change, where empowerment is matched with accountability, and where personal well-being is prioritised. In this future, leaders will have the confidence and competence to navigate ambiguity and inspire their teams to do the same, Sparrow enthuses.

But, she warns, the journey to this future involves intentional development and support. Organisations – from Board level downwards, must commit to continuous learning and improvement, ensuring their leaders are prepared for whatever challenges lie ahead.

By nurturing individual resilience, by clarifying and specifying individual accountabilities, by providing systematic and regular just-in-time feedback, and by insisting leaders maintain proper priority in securing their own well-being, organisations can equip their leaders to thrive in the face of an ever-evolving world and provide them with a sustainable approach to navigating and leading through times of radical change.

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