COVID-19 has been like a tornado through our industry. Some areas were hit harder than others, some entities survived because of a strong foundation, others did not do so well. As we start to turn the corner, we are carrying learned lessons with us, we are wiser, we are more connected to our teams, we are ready for whatever comes our way … or are we?
I’ve shared this before, but I love the way that Brené Brown talks about how we are all in trauma response right now and how we all need to practice compassion; lead with compassion. Being in trauma response, we need to be taking extra care of ourselves and each other. It has been my experience that when leaders are developed in key areas, organizations will see improvements to their bottom line, they will be able to attract, develop and maintain talent, drive strategic execution, implement better systems and processes, and have increased success in navigating change.
Self-Development 2.0 is about taking a holistic approach to leadership, making sure that we are ready to meet the “new needs” of our industry. Those needs are all relational.
When I think about what it takes to create an intentional leader, I put together the Five C’s to create “Collective Clarity.”
The Five C’s for Collective Clarity
First stop is “conscious.” How conscious are you? In the book Nine Types of Leadership, they say to draw a line on a piece of paper, then ask yourself if you are above the line (open and curious) or below the line (closed and shut-off). They say that it matters far less where you actually are than if you can accurately determine where you are. A conscious leader can accurately determine where they are mentally and make an adjustment if needed.
Next we look at “concentrate.” How well do you assess what is important and make it a priority to accomplish the team’s goal? We want to develop leaders who are able to concentrate on what is important to the team.
The third C is “cooperate.” You will need to be able to foster collaboration and build systems to move the needle in your area. You will be able to cultivate a process of meeting others’ needs as part of your relationship building. You need to be able to delegate needed information and have good relationships with key people within your department and other departments.
Next we want to make sure that you can “calculate,” that you have acquired a system to achieve results. You are able to adapt to the situation and you can clearly articulate the solution with many different personality types. You can explain your system to others easily. You want everyone to be able to get on board together and accomplish the goals from your direction.
The last, but most important C is “coach”! You bring expertise, curiosity, and a growth mindset to every situation so that people you interact with are able to elevate their careers.
Taking a look at what it takes to create Collective Clarity, you can see that you will need to be intentional with your development. You will need to look at where you are and what it will take for you to get to the next level.
The first place that we like to start is with your health and finances. I have an assessment form for you to evaluate your physical health, mental health, connections, finances, mission, and your development stage.
I’ll share with you what happened this year when I decided to take a look at why I was so sleepy during the day. I have always prided myself as being a great little sleeper. I have never had to take any sleeping aids, nor have I woken up and not been able to get back to sleep. So why was I sleepy? I was told that I should get an app to find out! I thought that was crazy, but I did get a sleeping app. What I learned about myself is that, even at age 50, I need to wear my night guard! If I don’t, then I grind my teeth and I never go into a deep sleep. The nights that I wear my night guard, I sleep deeply through the night! I didn’t realize that I still grind my teeth. This has sparked another goal, which is to find out why I am so stressed.
Self-Development 2.0 is getting personal. We want to make sure that you are taking a holistic approach to how you show up to lead others. How you show up matters.
