Mark Sherratt: THE TOP 12 MISSED OPPORTUNITIES OF LEADERSHIP

Sunday 3 July 2016

I’m sure you’re rowing hard - But are you rowing like a leader?

In order to seize opportunities you must recognize them.

Eliminating ambiguity. Lean into confusion and frustration with openness and optimism.
Hearing people’s stories. You can’t effectively lead people you don’t know. In order to inspire, you must know values and aspirations.
Moving people from talk to practical behaviors. What are you going to do?
Identifying and affirming behaviors that generate energy in others. What energizes team members? Enough with complaining all the time!
Clarifying the short-term path forward. Where are we going this week, month, or quarter?
Encouraging team members to reflect on satisfaction/disappointment in their work. What are they learning about themselves?
Providing broader perspective to people lost in the weeds. Long-term perspective often solves short-term frustration.
Eliminating antiquated rules, ineffective behaviors, and irrelevant programs.
Inviting the elephant in the room to dance.
Addressing nagging performance issues. Your team is waiting for you to speak up.
Developing yourself. You still have far to go.
Making *vision ubiquitous. You’re adrift until you clearly describe the destination.

Lewis Carroll wrote, “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.

Vision reveals opportunity. Opportunity for one is distraction to another. For example, eating in a fancy restaurant is distraction the night before an Olympic wrestling match.
Vision defines forward movement.
Vision enables tough decisions.
Vision calls for commitment.
Vision energizes endurance.

Decisions, apart from vision, are personal whim and organizational convenience.

Opportunities emerge after you step forward. They don’t find you when you drifting.
Choose a small opportunity if a big one isn’t available.
Change something. Repeating the same behaviors in the same way yields more of the same.