The importance of strong leadership
As we begin a new year, many of us are in planning mode, thinking about what we need to do to have a truly successful year. I keep coming back to one key thing: The importance of strong leadership, not only at the top of an organization but throughout the rank and file. After all, a C-level executive cannot direct every initiative or project, making it imperative to create an environment where people at all levels are empowered to lead and achieve results. Whether undertaking an overall transformation, installing a new system or addressing other challenges, Resigility works hand in hand with clients to nurture leadership and accountability so that everyone plays a role in producing positive outcomes.
“You go to war …”
When thinking about leadership, Donald Rumsfeld’s quote comes to mind:
“You go to war with the army you have, not the army you might want or wish to have at a later time.”
For me, this comment reflects how organizations often struggle from a lack of leadership, resources or a combination of both but must persevere toward goals. It’s also why strategic consulting firms like Resigility can help simplify the process and equip “the army” to lead by:
- Delineating each leadership role, identifying who’s responsible for what and holding everyone to the same performance standards.
- Defining and remaining laser focused on results, instead of being distracted with all the noise that can derail a project.
- Developing a simple framework—metrics, dashboards and other tools—to measure progress and create organization-wide visibility and accountability.
This approach allows everyone to do their best work and feel empowered while also preventing dissidents from going rogue and detracting from overarching aspirations.
Emphasizing outcomes
Another common issue we address is leaders having so many objectives that it becomes overwhelming and counterproductive to success. We recommend emphasizing the most important and impactful outcomes—say 10 or fewer—and only when they’re accomplished, moving on to subsequent objectives. Outcomes, and the associated metrics for measuring how you are progressing toward them, need to be straightforward. For example, if your organization is implementing a new technology, the end result is deployment by a certain date. Yes, there are milestones along the way but they’re not outcomes. Keeping your eye on the successful, on-schedule deployment should remain the center of attention and effort.
Clear communication
The value of leadership often lies in clear communication. Senior leaders need to be open and transparent about desired outcomes, who’s in charge and the timeline—and use every opportunity to reinforce the same message. Resigility collaborates with leaders to make sure there’s clarity of process, roles and responsibilities, and authority on strategic priorities. As our own Joe Cruz wrote in this blog, “Pursuing effective communication can be the difference between success and failure in gaining alignment, keeping everyone on the same page and achieving goals.”
Resigility welcomes the opportunity to partner with you on advancing leadership and results in 2023 and beyond!
