As a Peak Performance coach I have been involved in numerous transformation journeys, from facilitating the transformation of a toxic culture to one of positive and exponential growth, from assisting a person to move from a state of depression to a joyous and fulfilling life, and to see people move from poor performance to unleashing their true potential.
Two key learnings for me as a coach has been:
‘The company or business cannot move forward in a sustainable way unless the people move’
And
‘Most businesses are over managed which drains the teams’ energy and passion and under-led resulting in a lack of purpose and vision’
Thus ‘moving’ the people in your business and ensuring that there is a healthy balance between leadership and management are critical factors to build and maintain a sustainable culture of growth.
A business cannot move forward and grow in a sustainable way unless the people move
An uninspired workforce whom in general just view their jobs purely as a source of income can easily become ‘a slow poison’ that eventually causes the death of your venture as a business leader. Move and inspire your teams by instilling a sense of purpose and Vision. When the people within an organisation have found their purpose ( the very good and inspiring reason to do what they do) and that purpose aligns with what the company is aiming to achieve, they can work effectively without supervision and act in the best interest of the company at all times, even when no one is watching…
A shared value system that is not merely a philosophy but rather becomes visible action on a daily basis combined with strong commitment and tenacity in the face of challenges is a powerful tool that empowers your team to be a catalyst for sustainable growth and development of people and profits.
When the team co-creates a Vision that they are really inspired by and when this vision is underpinned by a shared and actionable value system that is not there for show but are guidelines within which every team member operates a nucleus of strong leaders will emerge that can help your business to grow exponentially.
It is a myth that you as a/the business owner can motivate others as internal motivation is a decision that falls upon each individual. It is however very possible to create an environment as a leader within which it is easier for others to motivate themselves. Partly this is done by constantly inspiring others by your example as a leader and by establishing a culture of constant learning within your business. If you are not learning you are stagnating and the undesirable next step after stagnation is inevitably to go backwards.
Peer management where all team members are held accountable can be an effective tool towards exponential and sustainable growth. Personally I am a big fan of ‘stand-ups’ which is an impactful and speedy version of traditional meetings. The length of a stand –up is determined beforehand, everyone is standing during the meeting to create a better chance at an energetic environment. Everyone is notified and given enough time to thoughtfully prepare for the next stand-up. During each stand-up all team members look each other straight in the eyes and hold each other accountable to living the Vision, purpose, and values of the company and very directly tell other team members what they expect and need from them in order to be more effective within their respective roles. Peer management is only effective within a culture of positive action and where excuses is viewed as an ill devised practise to engage in.
‘Most businesses are over managed which drains the teams’ energy and passion and under-led resulting in a lack of purpose and vision’
There is a vast difference between management and leadership that unfortunately is ignored by a large proportion of companies. Leadership is about inspiring people towards the co-creation of a desired future state.
Management is a day to day orientation where activities are closely monitored and measured. Both Leadership and management is sorely needed to be a sustainable success. However if the balance shifts dramatically in the favour of management at the expense of inspirational and servant leadership often ‘the joy of and inspiration behind doing business is just sucked out of people’ and their levels of motivation decrease dramatically.
On the other hand when the balance shifts dramatically in the favour of Leadership at the expense of sound management principles and practises you end up having this wonderful dream of a global and sustainable business without any strong foundations under this dream.
By co-creating an in inspiring vision with your team and always ensuring that there is a strong element of future direction and inspiration within all meetings, systems and processes and that you take action based upon your companies shared value system you can be empowered to create a balance between Leadership and management which indeed is a potent combination.
