Been thinking about one of the signs of that leadership is getting things right and it has to do with what your quality leaders are experiencing.
Typically, there’s no shortage of people that feel alone, feel misunderstood, or don’t feel like there’s been enough communication or process. But one sign that leadership is going a bit wrong is that all of your best people are the ones communicating those things.
By “best” people I’m talking about the ones that best represent the hope of the organization, those leaders that represent most of what you want your community and organization to become in the future. I’m talking about the people that you want to see multiplied and reproduced because they embody your values and vision.
If those people, the ones that embody where we want to go, are feeling neglected, not communicated with, or that there’s bad process and lack of leadership – then the reality is that leadership is missing the mark significantly.
Conversely, if those leaders feel advocated for, fought for, communicated with, honored, and respected – chances are you’re on your way towards your vision of what the future can be.
So what about the “non-best?” Now I’m not using these terms in terms of labels or values. But there’s plenty of people involved in any organization that maybe are driven by their own agenda or own vision and perceptions that don’t always overlap with what will shape your desired future. They are valuable in their contributions in many ways, but they may not embody the desired future at their core.
These folks sometimes can tend to complain a bit more about how the organization is not meeting their needs or not treating them right. These folks, when not getting their way, often are hard to please from a process standpoint because there’s always “bad process” even if the underlying issue is that they aren’t getting what you want. This is why – all feedback is not created equal. It’s important to listen and honor all feedback, but not all feedback is created equal in value.
So it’s first important to identify who are the people that embody the future and our values on that journey into the future?
Then – what is their experience? Are they the ones feeling undervalued or neglected in terms of communication and process? If so – there’s some re-evaluation and learning that needs to take place.
Finally – guard against caving into the demands of those that frequently feel neglected or not valued, but it’s probably more about them than leadership. It’s not about taking sides between who you define as “gold leaders” and other leaders. But it’s about embodying the right things. We can’t please others when they struggle with not getting their way. But those leaders that are at the heart of our future dreams will reveal how well or not leadership is doing right by their people.
This might not be a new thought – but I’m seeing more and more the need to preserve the hope in the future by listening to those who best embody that future. If we’re not doing right by them, then we’re not doing right by the vision and the organization. It’s not about pleasing, but it’s about values and integrity in leadership relationships. I’m observing more and more many big leaders don’t always identify, listen to, and react to the right people. All leaders need to grow in their discernment of who are the best ones to speak into the state of how things in light of the desired future.
Leaders with a failure of nerve will pay more attention to those that complain the loudest or pout the most when things don’t go their way. But to cater to those that don’t really embody the hope of the organization is to choose to neglect the future in your leadership.
