Leadership Coaching Mentoring Connections

Invisible; maybe no makeup but I’m up and dressed. Whew! Let me get my cup of coffee and get going.

Wherever you turn the news says the office work environment is changing.  Leadership will be even more important to ensure both performance requirements and peoples’ needs are being met.

Sometimes people rely on their previous training that said very little about the new “work from home environment”.  It’s different today, because children may be home schooled, and spouses may have to share space.  You have to be careful that you don’t become consumed with what is happening at home that you miss what’s going on with your employees and maybe even your colleagues.

It may be time to take a look at your leadership style.  What’s popular changes over time.  I submit that the servant leadership approach never goes out of style.  Even though you are leading from home, the work is still the work.  Many have focused on proving the words that work is wherever you are but this doesn’t necessarily equate to effective leadership.

What must today’s leaders do to rise above today’s global challenges?  Their role is bigger than what it used to be.  Global change happens at a rapid pace which adds another layer to leadership.  Change is needed.  The pandemic has made many rethink how to teach which requires looking at how we learn.  That’s a topic for a future blog.  It’s crucial that you lead for long-term purposes not just to meet a quarterly performance goal.  

The Servant Leader Manifesto¹ is a great read for those who need help connecting with their team and motivating them to achieve company goals as they are inspired to perform more effectively.  How often do you really check with your employees to make sure they have the tools and resources necessary for their tasks?  “Out of sight” often becomes “out of mind”.  An employee may be struggling but never tell you.  Is your organization multi-diverse?  Consider how you are leading in this environment.  Do you need training?  Today’s employees consider their diversity is important and therefore a servant leader style is desirable to ensure relevancy while keeping performance at a high peak.

Hopefully, you aren’t a leader that asks What’s In It For Me; “WIIFIN”?  Leaders are often sandwiched between senior leadership and their employees; between work and home.  They love their employees but figuring out how to manage has become one of no boundaries.  Working from home has benefits but it also can lend itself to you as a mother or wife, doing more of the heavy lifting e.g. helping with home schooling.  When our child or pet needs our attention most of us will respond.  Some of these internal thoughts, working longer hours as you try to cover all the bases, can lead to stress.  CBS Morning Show recently reported on “Deadly Work Hours” stating psychological stress and other stressors from working 55 hours a week led to 745,000 deaths a year! This is where faith at work can come in for some of you to lean on.  When Moses was encouraged to share the workload with others (co-worker leaders) he accepted the help and the community benefited².  You can trust God by asking for help as well as offer to help someone in leadership.

Vogue Issue, September 2020³ spoke to leadership views on hope.  One of the overall views centered around ‘future hope’.  Well almost 8 months have come and gone and in some ways we no longer live in the future; we live in today.  This article also identified worldly effective leadership by women. They are transformative because they asked questions based on seeing the possibilities.  So why not see the change when anything is possible.  We can act on what is needed today.

Some of my favorite insights are provided by John C. Maxwell⁴.  He has written several devotionals which provide daily inspiration.  Given the challenges of global leadership AND leading from home, one of the first things one needs to do is learn the difference between “managing” and “leading”.  I personally loved “casting vision” and being on the receiving end of catching the creative ideas from people I influenced.  What does this look like?  A leader who models this behavior will be followed by people who respond to the casted vision.

Another favorite insight is a combination that exhibits dependability and an enthusiastic attitude.  You know those people, right?  We are drawn to them.  Teams feed off their leader’s enthusiasm.  You can still be that person over Zoom or FaceTime and even a phone call.  Just because you are leading from home, you have to be this same person at home as you are in the office.  Don’t get distracted by the home life so much that your employees no longer connect with you. 

Some of My Favorite Thoughts that Affected My Actions:

“It’s the Little Things”; “Start Out How You Want to End Up”; “Promises for Everyday”.  The latter quote has to do with leaders who believe they are meant to help others become the people God created them to be.  These things were true yesterday and are still true today while leading your workforce wherever they are.

Random Thoughts to Reflect On:

I Do, I Will, I Shall,…Be Hopeful,…When You See Something, Do Something,…Bear Witness to the Truth,…It might be easier to hide out at home but your accountability and integrity will show up.  You will have times and opportunities to reflect and go into action, or not!  

1. The Servant Leader’s Manifesto, Omar L. Harris, April 30, 2020

2. The Bible, Exodus, Chapter 18

3. State of Hope, Vogue Magazine, September 2020 

4.  The Maxwell Daily Reader, John C. Maxwell, Harper Collins Leadership, 2007

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For comments, questions; contact Cecelia Benford at cecemb@gmail.com