I’ve always wanted to bottle up a definition I discovered (some while ago now) of what do great leaders do. Not who they are, not where they came from – but what they do that makes them ‘great’.
And that definition is ‘great leaders excite others to exceptional performance’. Think of leaders you’ve worked with, at work, at school, in sport – in fact in any walk of life. Did you feel excited to be alongside them? And if so, I bet you willingly gave the best performance you could to whatever you were setting out to achieve.
You see, good leaders don’t just give exceptional performance themselves – although that’s critical. They find ways to extract voluntary effort (often called ‘discretionary effort’) from those around them.
How? They get really clear both on what’s important – to them and to the organisation they’re in – and why it’s important. Calling home from the office after a particularly long day and saying “I’m working late to increase shareholder value” doesn’t really do it! But in the same job, “I’m sorry I’m late, I’ve been helping to find a cure for cancer” excites me a good deal more.
So set aside some time early this year to remind yourself not only what you’re asking of your team and those around you, but why?
And ask them how they’re excited by the Crazy goal you’ve set out…it can only help others build trust in you and your leadership.
