Calling all business owners, micro, small or large it makes no difference....you will all need great leaders within your business - including yourselves - if you are going to bounce back with strength following this turbulent period of time.
One of the things that I am noticing is the demand for high quality Leadership within businesses and teams at the moment.
I have lost count of the number of times I have asked "Managers" and "Supervisors" what training they have received with regards to Leadership skills and heard the response - None.
People are being promoted because they are very good at their job and because of that fact alone...this doesn't necessarily mean that they are going to be good Leaders.
They are given the title of "Managers" and "Supervisors" and that is what they do, they either "Manage" resources, people or both or they "Supervise" people....but neither of these are Leaders. They are not capable of making informed critical decisions, coming up with solutions, implementing them and influencing their colleagues to adopt to the new changes...
A Leader is a high quality individual who has an eye for detail, but also has enough emotional intelligence to see the big picture and identify those around them, but is that enough in this modern day workplace.....particularly with regard to the current situation and an impending global depression looming up fast?
It is being proven world wide that Leaders these days need more that just Emotional Intelligence. They need to be even more aware of their people. They need to move away from the "Role" based Leadership styles of the past which are your "Managers" and "Supervisors" and move more towards the "Relationship" based Leadership styles.
I served in the Royal Air Force for 26 years and for 20 of those years I undertook Leadership training at least once a year. One of the things that I noticed was the move away from "Autocratic" Leadership (screaming, shouting and demanding) and a strong move toward "Collaboration" Leadership (as the name suggests, collaboration with your team members).
In my final years of service it was moving towards an even more intimate style of Leadership and was taking into consideration the Human Beings involved.
Now I am seeing that effective, meaningful and efficient Leaders are adopting a more Emotional based approach to Leadership.
I am not saying for a second that Emotional Intelligence is not useful, it still has its place, but it is essential that it is blended with Emotional Intimacy.
Emotional Intimacy is the ability to be aware of the entire Emotional Spectrum and to be able to fully experience all Emotions within the spectrum to completion. Because it is only when we are able to be Emotionally Intimate with ourselves that we can experience Emotions without fear, dread or anxiety.
Women are excelling in Leadership at the moment because they have the ability to be Emotionally Intimate with themselves and others, whereas men are still stunted and have a stigma about Emotions "being for girls". The number of times I have heard "stop crying" "put your big boy pants on" "stop being weak" "emotions are for girls" "man up" and the list goes on.
I too used to be of that mindset and that is why I was diagnosed with Cumulative Post Traumatic Stress Disorder approximately half way through my military career. I had to learn about Emotions, I had to learn what they were, how to recognise them, how to allow them to be present with me and how to experience them....through doing this, I am now able to fully experience the entire Spectrum of Emotions and still remain very high functioning and achieve great results.
What has all of this got to do with Leadership? I hear you ask
Well, Leadership is all about Human Interaction and getting Humans to follow us and do what we need them to do....and a good Leader is able to do this without any dissent.
How do we do this? By understanding and relating to the Human Being in front of us...
Ok, that sounds great, but what does it mean?
We need to really connect, understand and grow trust with anyone before we earn their respect and they accept us as a leader, someone who is safe to follow.
Let me ask you this....how do you grow trust in your relationships? Think back to when you were dating a new partner.....how did you grow the trust?
By being present, by listening, by seeking to understand the other person, by keeping to your word, by bringing certainty through your joint values and beliefs....and so much more.
You were basically "Emotionally Bonding" with the other person...
This is exactly what we need to do when we are becoming a Leader....
Now, do your "Managers & Supervisors" Emotionally Bond with their "staff"?
I would imagine, not very often....where as a good Leader will and this doesn't mean that it is all "Tree Hugging" "Kumbaya" and "sitting around the camp fire" either.
My personal Leadership style is strong and compassionate, and I have been able to turn around plenty of dysfunctional teams and create an environment where it was safe to make mistakes, grow, learn and become the very best we could.
This is the key, to learn the so called "Soft" skills (Which by the way are the hardest to learn and then Master) and then blend them with an effective Leadership style.
So how is this going to help you or your business recover from COVID-19?
Because, if you have the very best leaders you can within your business you are going to grow and develop a workplace culture where people are going to want to be. Even more, where people are going to have pride in what they do.
We will no longer have people turning up for their pay-check, doing the bare minimum and going home again, because the culture will be inclusive, supportive, caring, nurturing and safe. Because your Leaders will be exuding these values in everything they do....and when this culture is present people want to be part of it.
I am sure you can think of workplace cultures that you have been part of before. Which ones really inspired you and which ones sucked the living life from your bones?
Now ask yourself....who was responsible for creating those workplace cultures?
It was the Leaders!
Now do you want Leaders that create the inclusive, supportive, caring, nurturing and safe workplace culture?
Do you have them already? Are they really performing as highly as an Emotionally Intimate Leader?
Perhaps you want to excel in the workplace and are looking for a way to "shine" to stand "Head and Shoulders" above your colleagues?
I have developed a 12 week Leadership Training program that will enable anyone who completes it to be a highly effective Leader, if they apply what they are presented with in the training.
If you want yourself or your business to excel and grow despite the looming global depression that will follow COVID-19 then you are going to need the very best Leaders you can have.
Now is the time to train these Emotionally Intimate Leaders, to upskill them, to give them the necessary tools to be able to drive your business forward.
If you don't do it now, you will miss the bus and be in the same sh!t fight as everyone else.
Act now and train your Leaders, you don't have to use my method, but if you are interested in learning more ....
Visit this link now or reach out directly and speak with me. I am more than happy to answer any questions you may have.
Email - steve@iamenoughcoaching.com
or call 0499 152 552
I look forward to chatting further with you and if I don't hear from you, all the best for your future, I hope you get through this in the best way possible for you.
Take Care
Steve
I am Enough Coaching
