How can a leader inculcate the purpose?

 How can a leader inculcate the purpose?

(Emotional Management for Personal & Professional Growth Series)

As we have discussed the importance and method of creating PURPOSE at an individual level, let us discuss how effective leaders are inculcating the PURPOSE to the organization's employees.

As an individual, the benefit of knowing the purpose is to elevate our energy and focus on a higher cause, which will also help us navigate the challenges easily. Similarly, when the team in the organization also knows and aligns themselves on the higher purpose of the organization, the focus and interaction would be on a higher cause than isolated or distracted working.

Since people come from different values and personal needs to the organization, bringing the people together is very significant for organizational growth and internal harmony. Getting that alignment is one of the responsibilities of an effective leader.

As I observed, some of the below practices by effective leaders.
 
1.Sharing the value of the organization to the team frequently
2.Keep the team engaged with new possibilities or targets
 
Sharing the value of the organization to the team frequently:

This is one of the practices some effective leaders adopt to keep the people on an elevated level. They use to share the organizational values frequently with the team whenever they interact or through forums.
 
For example, in one of my previous organizations, the Managing director of the company frequently mentions “Trust building with the customer through service.” Eventually, when the people are exposed to the repeated value's expectation, their actions and interactions with others are also in line with their organizational values. As long as the person is working in the organization, he is bound to work with building trust with others.

Keep the team engaged with new possibilities or targets.

This is another method I had observed with some of the leaders. They engage the team by showing new possibilities or business targets. This will make the team to work on an elevated emotional level as the future possibilities eventually tap out their potential. As human beings, we are always excited to look forward to new things that we have not seen earlier.

For example, a few years back, Ratan Tata conceived the idea of the low-cost car, which no one ever thought of before. That new possibility might have created a positiveness and drive for Tata motors' internal team to work together to see it in reality.
 
The key point when you are aligned with higher-level purpose, your energy, emotions, managing the challenges, and achievement orientation would be to a higher degree. That is applicable for the individual and the organization as well.!

Some leaders are good at inculcating those purposes in the team through their consistent effort, which i think is one of the leader's primary responsibilities!
 

Developing the team's big picture thinking

Developing the team's big picture thinking

Having discussed the process of developing big picture thinking at an individual level, let us understand how smart leaders teach the big picture thinking to the team.

As I observed some leaders and their method of developing big picture thinking among the team in the organization as follows

1. Sharing the big picture perspective frequently to the team.
2. Briefing the context when delegating the task 
3. Helping the team to see the meaning in the work

1.    Sharing the big picture frequently to the team:

I know one CEO of a social organization, whenever, he conducts a meeting with his team, he makes a point to share about the prime purpose of the organization as "Making positive Impact" to customers. The team also articulate the same purpose and behave inline with the big picture perspective during in any business transaction with the customers and stakeholders. 

2.    Briefing the context when delegating the task:

Most of us tend to give a checklist or to-do list to the junior colleague. Effective people use to delegate responsibility and brief the person about the context of the job.

For example, instead of merely asking your salesperson to prepare the next three months' sales projection, if you give the context of sales projection to manage the plant capacity, mobilizing the working capital and so on, that will make the person more careful on the accuracy of the sales projection. (The point is wherever possible, brief the context as this makes the other person understand the big picture!!)

3.    Help the team to see the meaning of the work:

When anyone knows the meaning of his / her work, it will enhance their big picture thinking and contribution. As we are predominately organized ourselves as a department or function, most of the time, the team's thought process will be confined from a functional perspective. The leader's role is reminding the individual or team how the work is aligned with organizational objectives or how their work is helping the customers.

The effective leader is continuously striving to develop 360 perspectives both at self and at the team's level.

Let us discuss when we need to switch over between big picture thinking and micro detailing next week! 

Dealing setback -a leader's mindset

A few weeks back, i  met the CEO of a firm whom I know for many years. He is looking after many businesses, apart from his passionate activities. A few years back, he ventured into a new business, and he had been consistently growing since inception.

When I asked him about this year's performance of his new venture, he replied that performance was not up to the expectation and indicated some no's. I wondered about his coolness and asked about his mindset to manage through this slowdown setback.

His reply seems to be the real testimonial of authentic leadership.

• My senior team is continuously working hard, and I am not finding a problem with them except the external environment
• Despite the external reason, we are working on our initiatives, and this will help us when the external environment turns positive
• Now I am spending more time with the team  to share  more insights about business and their development
• I am optimistic that the initiatives will bring more business when the external environment turns favorable 

The responses reflect the right leadership behavior. As we discussed some time back, leadership is all about mindset, thought process, and actions that impact others positively.

It is essential during tough times the leader should maintain coolness, not getting into negativity or blaming everything, believe in non-permanency, work for the long term, and hope for the future. More than that, taking personal responsibility to turnaround within the individual or team's capability is more critical.

No wonder that his team regards him as a role model.

Sometimes as a leader, we forget our balance during setbacks!

Motivate your team with “Why.”

One of the challenges most of the managers/leaders have today is to keep the team motivated towards their work. Many factors are contributing to people motivational level, and there is no single universal solution which caters to all people’s motivation problem. One of the solutions, as a leader/manager, you can inspire the team is through your communication about their work, effort , contribution to result.

For example, the person has to be communicated why his work is important to the organization in terms his contribution to the organization’s wellness. (Instead of merely explaining his job description of what and how part)

Similarly, when you are asking for some information, you can communicate why this information helps you will motivate them to add value in their working rather than just asking for a report.
Likewise, when you are initiating any new changes, tell them why this initiative is important for them and their role on the result.

Personally, it is working well for me when I work mostly on project based environment where just dictating won’t work.
People are relatively inspired if they knew the purpose of their work and inclined to put extra effort when they know their work can add value to the others. 

Be aware your communication process by explaining WHY part and test it yourself with your team. It may initially require patience and ego aversion . Once you practice, whenever you communicate, you tend to explain with WHY part, and it likely improves the motivation level.

How to become a best boss ever ?

Irrespective of any profession, each one will always admire someone as his best boss or inspiring mentor in his/ her life.As you recollect all the people under whom you have worked, finally, you conclude one or two people as your best bosses or inspiring role model.

What could be the significant factors to admire someone as best boss or role model?

You may list down a lot of attributes of role model or inspiring boss like charisma, functional competency, managerial competency and so on.However, research shows that among so many attributes, only a  few attributes  contribute to conclude someone as inspiring boss or role model 

Those attributes could be the person who had given you a lot of opportunities to learn more or the person who brought out your hidden potential or who made you believe or make you do something extraordinary which you ever thought as impossible.

Since now you are managing a team of people under you, answer yourself for how many people you are the best boss by demonstrating those attributes.

It is a moral responsibility of every manager and leaders to bring out the potential of others!!