John C. Maxwell
If you can't make them, you can't
lead.
Good leadership is not a popularity
contest. One of the most important days in my career was the day
I realized that leading well was more important than being well-liked.
Anyone who has had this epiphany
know it’s a tough moment: We’ve all wanted to be the “cool kid” since our grade
school days. Now we sometimes find ourselves sounding like the principal.
But our careers are filled with
difficult, sometimes unpopular choices, and our success rests on how we handle
them. I once heard Colin Powell say, “Trying to get everyone to like you is a
sign of mediocrity. You’ll avoid the tough decisions, you’ll avoid confronting
people who need to be confronted, and you’ll avoid offering different rewards
based on different performance because some people might get upset.”
We’re tempted to postpone and avoid
tough decisions and hard conversations. The great American financier
T. Boone Pickens once cautioned: “Don’t fall victim to what I call the
‘ready-aim-aim-aim-aim syndrome.’ You must be willing to fire.” Decide. Act.
That’s your job as a leader.
How do you find the motivation to do
what you wish you could avoid? How do you learn to do what others don’t want to
do and say what others don’t want to say?
In a nod back to that grade school
analogy, I’m giving you some homework. This worksheet will help you identify
the decisions you have to make and the steps you must take in order to make
them. Ready?
Step 1: Take Responsibility.
The bottom line is this: Nothing
changes if nothing changes. Procrastination kills leadership effectiveness
today and leadership potential tomorrow. Whatever is your biggest problem now
will be your biggest problem next week and your biggest problem next month
unless you do something about it.
List three decisions you’ve been
putting off:
1.
____________________________________________________________
2.
____________________________________________________________
3.
____________________________________________________________
Step 2: Prepare Yourself.
Are you feeling anxious about those
looming choices? Let’s do some research to boost your decision-making
confidence.
Pick one of the above problems. List
the information you need to move forward and the experts and colleagues who can
offer insight.
Info needed:
___________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
People needed:
_________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Step 3: Reflect.
Once you’ve completed the first two
steps, consider where that knowledge takes you. What insights did you gain? Did
you discover things below the surface?
List your realizations:
1.
____________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
2.
____________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
3. ____________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Step 4: Determine your action plan.
What do you need to do before
you take action? Should you meet with key influencers? Write a step-by-step
strategy? Consult with an expert?
List your next moves and give
yourself a deadline to make them.
Action:
______________________________________________________________
Deadline:
____________________________________________________________
Action:
______________________________________________________________
Deadline:
____________________________________________________________
Action: ______________________________________________________________
Deadline: ____________________________________________________________
Go through that four-step process,
and I promise that decision-making will go from overwhelming to
attainable. (Notice, though, I’m still not calling it easy!) Repeat that
process for the additional situations you listed and the countless others
you’ll face in your personal and professional lives.
Let me offer a few other strategies
to make the process easier.
Act immediately. Although it is your responsibility to deliberate options and
make educated decisions, you’ll also encounter situations in which you must
think on your feet. Great leaders act with limited information. Don’t hedge!
Take action using your knowledge and instincts to guide you.
Be confident. Don’t waste time and energy second-guessing yourself.
Someone once told me that I have no rearview mirror. I believe that’s true: I
have little desire to look backward. I make decisions and move on. You should,
too.
Think payoff. Your motivation to act comes from the benefits you
envision. Is your team morale likely to improve? Will productivity
increase? Will you see an impact on the bottom line? Focus on those positives.
It’s like going to the dentist—you may not look forward to the process, but the
outcome is highly beneficial.
Change can be hard, but
uncomfortable changes often lead to breakthroughs. In every challenge lies the
opportunity for growth. One of the most difficult decisions that I ever made
was leaving the organization my father led—the place I had committed 10 years
of my life to. That decision was painful and a little frightening, but it was
also the move that changed my career.
No comments:
Post a Comment