Let's LEAD: Looking Ahead to Clearing Skies

“I hate science.” - - Camille, circa 1975

All I wanted to do was pass the class, much to my father’s disappointment. In my mind, when am I EVER going to use the Periodic Table?

When registering for classes, I tried to sign up for what I thought was the easiest science class to pass. I remember thinking this when I signed up for a meteorology class. How tough can a class about weather be?

I was an English major. Modern literature, English literature…sign me up! I remember reading Bernard Malamud’s The Natural, and when the movie came out…love, love, love!

Back to science…and weather…and the 1970s.

“I don’t have any control over the weather…why do I care if it’s a cirrus or a cumulus cloud?”

Fast forward to this week. As I write this, we’re on Day 3 of one of the strongest rainstorms Southern California has ever experienced.

Suddenly, I can’t get enough science.

Dallas Raines (yes…that’s his real name), our local weather expert here in LA, LOVES to teach his viewers about the weather. I’ve learned…

• We’re in an El Ni?o year, which means we’ll get more rain because the water in the Pacific is warmer on the surface.
• This storm is being fueled by an atmospheric river…extreme moisture that originates near the Hawaiian Islands.

Okay…good to know.

“What do we need to do to prepare?”

As someone who prefers planning over ‘flying by the seat of my pants,’ having insight into what’s coming gives me options. I’ll take responding over reacting any day of the week.

So, what does this have to do with leadership?

Part of our role as a leader is to anticipate the future…to ‘forecast’ what’s coming and its impact. To have vision.

As a new manager, I remember believing that my team needed my help, and that meant digging in and ‘doing’ what got me promoted in the first place: my technical knowledge and expertise.

While I may not have been completely wrong, that’s not a sustainable strategy. Helping with today’s work is great for today, but not for the long term. In hindsight, I can see how I fell short in setting priorities; we said ‘yes’ to everything.

What I learned was that they needed me, with THEIR help, to paint a picture of OUR future…a vision that would become our North Star.

Being more visionary…more strategic…means getting up in the weather. Yes, it may be a bit choppier at the 30,000 foot level, but what a view!

Here are a few tips to be a more visionary leader:

Look up. I had a client recently admit to me that he is ‘more reactive than proactive.’ As an individual contributor, his vantage point was ground-level; doing what needed to be done in the moment. ?

As a leader, he needs to see the ground (today) AND what’s ahead (tomorrow). ?

On a recent walk, I noticed how I tend to walk with my head down…looking at the sidewalk immediately in front of me. Once I decided to look up…to look at what’s ahead of me, I could see what I’ve been missing. What a view!

Look back. Hindsight is 20/20; when you look back on last year, ask yourself and your team:

• ?What went well?
• What didn’t go so well?
• What needs to be done differently?

Are you and your team order-takers? If the answer is ‘yes,’ how can you shift that brand? What brand do you want?

With your vision in mind, how do the answers to these questions impact how you and your team achieve the goals toward where you want to be as a team? This is the opportunity to course-correct.

Look around. If shifting your leadership perspective toward a more strategic one is new to you, who around you seem to have this nailed?

You’re not alone in this. Reach out. Ask for support. Yes, this will require some vulnerability, AND for the cost of a fancy coffee, your colleagues are likely more than happy to share their journey. They’ve been there.

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AND…who knew? There’s a Periodic Table of Leadership!

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