Why do organizations fall short of maximizing its potential?
As an inexperienced leader I did not know what I did not know. I commenced to lead as best as I could with hopes of becoming a successful leader. I jumped in with two feet with excitement and enthusiasm. However, over time I was met with challenges that I had to navigate without the experience of what I faced. I admit I made mistakes on the journey. In retrospect I realized that my leading those I lead was shooting in the dark with hopes that we would survive and achieve our key performance (metrics) indicators. If you are a seasoned leader, you know what KPIs mean. Thus, I spent effort and energy on how my team could meet our KPIs. Fast forward with thirty-six years of leadership experience and now leading leaders I am convinced that my journey was necessary to bring me to this point as I collaborated with leaders. Therefore, I summarized that leaders must lead with a conviction to a cause. If you do not know your cause and if you do not have a strong conviction in why you do what you do, then you will lead as drifting sand. What I mean is that you will vacillate and lead as I did initially shooting in the dark hoping for success. As a leader you must have a cause that is worthy of your conviction. Your conviction must be grounded in a cause. Your cause is your why? It is why you exist that drives your organization culture, decisions, and people. “Start with Why” by Simon Sinek means that when communicating your message, whether as a leader, company, or individual, you should always begin by explaining your “why” – your purpose, belief, or core reason for doing what you do – before diving into the “how” (your methods) and “what” (the tangible results), as this is what truly inspires and motivates people to connect with your message and take action. “
Thus, when you lead with a clear conviction for a cause this becomes your organization’s cause. Before you decide what you will do in life or the products or services you will produce, what you are most convinced about first is the question. For me personally I wake up every morning with a cause of assisting leaders to become superior leaders through becoming superior people. The bottom line is to become a better leader by becoming a better person through growth and development. As John Maxwell stated everything rises and falls on leadership. Therefore, leaders are the engineers of the organization, and it is my cause to educate, enrich and elevate leaders personally in hopes they will raise their leadership capacity and effectiveness. Our world and organization need leaders that lead with a conviction for a cause that will produce a better world to live in and a better organization to work for. When this happens then lives can be better and organizations can maximize their potential and still reach their KPIs.
The question becomes are you leading with a conviction to a cause or are you more focused on meeting your KPIs? I know you may say meeting my KPIs is important but when you do not have a cause to rally your effort behind then your target could be the wrong target. When you come to a fork in the road what will be the one thing that will ground your decision and if you are unsure of your cause then you could make the wrong decision. When you lead with conviction to a cause it is having a clear understanding of why you do what you do from there you decide to do and how to do what you do. And this becomes the method in which you lead and live your life.
If you need assistance or support feel free to reach out to E3 Leadership Institute, (www.e3leadershipinstitute.com) we are here to serve you. Inspiring leaders to lead with purpose and passion!
References:
Start with Why by Simon Sinek