 Corporate
Leadership - 5 Elements To Achieving Success
By Steve Brewster of Brewster Consulting
In business as well as life, having a world view - a cosmology - is
helpful in order to provide a context for how you interact with others. A
cosmology that I use successfully is modelled after the Dagara people, an
indigenous culture of West Africa. It is based upon the five elements of
Fire, Water, Earth, Mineral and Nature. Each element has a quality and
characteristic which associates with your corporate culture and growth.
Authenticity/Nature - Being real challenges us to drop the
mask that corporate culture expects us to wear. Nature is about
authenticity, about being real. Nature is also about change and
transformation. In order to make decisions which serve your company and your
clients during times of change, you need to be clear, consistent and
persuasive with your messages. The way you do that is by being authentic,
which means being real and being reliable. Being real challenges us to see
ourselves and the world around us as we truly are, presenting ourselves and
our ideas without facade. Your credibility and effectiveness suffer
irreparable damage when you misrepresent the truth about who you are and
what you really want.
Authenticity is about living and communicating your purpose in everything
you do. It is about recognizing what your strengths are, your gifts, and
using those strengths to accomplish your tasks with meaning and enthusiasm.
It is also being honest about what you like and do not like. It is better to
do your own work badly, than to try and perfect another’s.
To be authentic you routinely need to take time to reflect. Reflection
offers an opportunity to review what is working and what is not in alignment
with your values and commitments. The blessing reflection offers is an
opportunity to make better choices which instills greater confidence,
compassion and courage. The strongest advantage making better choices offers
is the opportunity to continually connect with the ultimate meaning and
ripple affect of what you envision.
Vision/Fire - A passionate connection to your vision will be
the difference between success and something else. Fire represents vision
and dreams, and it is a crucial requirement, whether leading a business or
leading your life. A vision is your picture of what success looks like in
five or ten years, with enough detail that allows yourself to know when
you’ve arrived. We have all heard of the importance of beginning with the
end in mind. Yet, as logical as it sounds, it is surprising how many people
skip this foundational element and move on to the day to day implementation
of details. If you don’t know where you’re going, it will be much harder to
get there. If you don’t know what you want, you will get even more of what
you don’t want.
Communication/Mineral - Knowing yourself and trusting yourself
are not the same. Successful communication is the result of how the message
makes people feel. That doesn’t mean that they agree with or even like the
message. It means that their feelings are taken into account with how their
message is delivered. To be empathetic to what others may be feeling, you
must know and trust what you are feeling and communicate accordingly. To see
others requires that you be seen.
Successful communication has its roots in authenticity and vision. Being
clear as to your own values and purpose and how they align with the
company’s purpose and values are necessary to earn the respect of those
being led. Trusting yourself as to which direction the company must go in
order to serve the whole instills absolute trust and a deeper confidence
that entices the stakeholders to want to follow.
Balance/Water - When your inner game is balanced, the outer
game takes care of itself. Water is balance, reconciliation and peace. In
the same way that we distinguish between deep water and shallow water, you
must distinguish between inner and outer balance.
Inner balance is providing an environment for a healthy body, mind and
spirit. Corporately this means caring about your employees as much as
customers (and profit). Personally, this means scheduling time for proper
nutrition, exercise, and a spiritual practice. It means taking time for your
family as well as for yourself. The question isn’t “can you?” - the question
is “will you?” Being the change you want to see in your organization begins
with your inner game.
Outer balance deals with how you spend your time in your business. Business
leaders need to wear many hats. The trick is to not spend too much time, or
too little time (none), wearing any one of the “hats”. You need to wear a
leadership hat, communicating the vision to the stakeholders. At times a
management hat is required, knowing the nuances of your reports and
eliciting championship performance from each. Taking time for tasks and
personal success is also necessary. There is no prescription for how much
time to allot for each “hat”.
Results/Earth - To achieve intended results, they must be
written down. Earth represents abundance. It is about results. It is
critical that goals are written down and focused on the results that you are
trying to achieve. Focusing on results will eliminate wasted action and keep
you focused on achieving your vision. The only way to achieve your intended
results is write them down, focus on them daily, and track your progress. Of
course it is critical to execute your plan.
Spirituality Integrates All Five Elements - Integrating all of
the above 5 elements into your life and your work will accelerate
spiritually profound and profitable results. Isn’t this what you, your
company and the world seeks?
Steve Brewster, a Business & Executive Coach, provides solutions to
frustration, isolation & overwhelm & takes the guess-work out of running a
business. Steve may be reached at 403.283.5706 or visit
www.brewsterconsulting.com |
