May Leadership Insights ??

Leading in large complex organisations isn’t always easy.?And then layer that with the fact that we still experiencing the reverberations from the pandemic era; teams reconnecting, making hybrid working work, and individuals dealing with their own stuff as a result of the last couple of years.??

It’s not all rosy.

But it doesn’t mean we can’t make life easier for ourselves and for those we lead.?This newsletter focuses on three key things we can be doing to help us do more than just survive this period of bumpiness.?And in the interests of walking the talk, I’ll cut to the chase and keep them simple.

Three important lessons we learnt as leaders

1.Let go.?In times of uncertainty the natural inclination is for leaders to want as much control over their environment as anyone else.?And right now, perhaps the best way to own your space and at the same time be present for your people is to release your grip.?So, ask yourself; “am I controlling or guiding?”, or, “am I constraining or empowering?”.??

2. Embrace the “Critical Path of Least Resistance”.?We know that the Critical Path is often the most efficient way to an outcome.?It contains the stuff that needs to get done.?But the Critical Path still needs humans to make it work…so be prepared to work out on your journey when the Path of Least Resistance will be more effective.?When are those moments when, despite knowing how something should be, we are prepared to ask “what’s the worst that could happen” in the interest of achieving the bigger picture.?When do I need to park my ego at the door to advance an outcome?

3. Value sustainable relationships as a genuine path to an outcome and not just a box-ticking exercise.?Relationships are the glue that binds us together, that makes it easier to get information, to give information and create an environment where people can speak up.?Think of your relationships through the long-term lens and not just ‘in the moment’.

Two podcasts we listened to this month

'Hidden Brain Podcast – “Less is More” 4th April 2023

In keeping with the theme of this newsletter, this podcast explores simpler approaches to gaining buy-in from others. This conversation with Niro Sivanathan of the London Business School explores how to make a convincing argument when seeking to persuade or influence.

On Purpose Podcast with Jay Shetty – “The importance of being disciplined with our ambition and how to get comfortable with change” 7 May 2023

A thoughtful conversation with Ryan Holiday exploring discipline and how we are often misaligning our idea of discipline with who we really are.?But once we get that alignment – we may need to adjust our behaviour and ways of thinking to leverage this alignment…so how can we do this?

One thing from us...

Catch up on our past Leadership Break Livestream events here: https://www.pontevalle.com/leadership-break-series.html Thoughtful conversations and explorations of topics that are impacting leaders today.