In the course of your career, how often have you heard your colleagues or employees say things like:
- “That’s all very well, but it’s not really practical...”
- “I can see you’ve been away on a course...”
- “It’s just not like that here...”
- “We’ve always done it this way...”
- “That’s been tried before... but it didn’t work...” ?
For more than 25 years, I’ve been bugged by remarks and attitudes of this kind. For me, it has always been important to find a way of achieving the desired impact and, working with my team and colleagues, to create a positive dynamic within the company. These 25 years have taught me that there are three key factors that contribute to the impact of actions, action plans and, above all, the leadership.
First of all, there must be a common language, a common understanding at all levels. The trick is to use the experience and expectations of one’s co-workers as the basis for everything you do. As long as this common language is not imposed from on high, but reflects the expectations and lived experience of your colleagues, you will generate a strong sense of dedication.
Then, you need to ensure coherence within the company, starting with vision and strategy and moving on to individual objectives. Coherence between the three dimensions of communication, staff development and processes/tools is also important so that there is congruence within the company.
Finally, the simpler it is to do things, the easier it will be for people to understand and put them into practice. In this area, positive feelings are all-important. Visual aids can help you enormously: If you can associate a simple, telling image with an emotion, you will anchor it in the other person’s mind and strengthen the impact.
So, to optimize impact within your company or organization, always pay close attention to understanding, dedication, coherence, congruence, simplicity and emotion!
In my case, to have a leadership model that is effective, simple and consistent, I have always, since the very start of my career, asked my colleagues what makes a good boss, be they male or female.
My basic assumption is that the core, the essence of leadership is always the same. We have analysed thousands of answers over the years. They come from several European countries: Germany, France, Britain, as well as the German, French and Italian-speaking regions of Switzerland. We have consulted teams from various occupational sectors: service companies, financial service providers and industrial companies. SMEs and big companies.
The results have confirmed my basic assumption: the essence of leadership is always the same.
Nine different categories have emerged from this research. Generally, it takes only 20 answers for all nine categories to be represented. These nine dimensions are presented in an eight-minute video: (www.lp3leadership.com) vision, value, role model, presence, people management and development, communication, fairness, expertise, organization and, right at the centre, self-reflection.
Bingo: understanding, dedication, coherence, congruence, simplicity and emotion!
I shall be delighted to share my experience of these nine dimensions, help you think them through and give you some practical tools.
Thank you for your interest in embarking on this journey with me.