I’ve gotten into the habit of cycling at the weekend, enjoying the trails around the city.  One of the best pieces of advice I received when I started cycling, and the first time I was knocked off my bike, was from an Orthopod fixing my shoulder “Maeve, on a bike you are invisible to a car, any car.  Remember this and you will stay safe”. His advice has stayed with me and I believe saved me from any further serious interactions with cars and their drivers!  However, while I enjoy my weekend adventures, I would also add to that advice that you are invisible to ‘some’ other cyclists and pedestrians, particularly those joining the main walking/cycling thoroughfares.   

On Saturday, twice, cyclists burst from a side trail without looking behind to see if there were any riders coming down the main path.  One in front of me, I had seen him coming and had slowed down, he didn’t look behind at all and shot out of the side trail, if I hadn’t noticed him, we would have very easily collided.  Then I watched as a cyclist squealed to a halt as a family appeared from the side trail, no one checking to see if anyone was coming on the main route.  Luckily no one was hurt however it reminded me of how sometimes in life we go blindly forward without thinking about those around us and the impact we, and our decisions, might have on them.   

We constantly make decisions, or choices as I noted in my last blog, and our decisions often impact not just us but others too.  Many decisions, even those we think are small or insignificant, can have a significant impact on our organizations and in worst-case scenarios can lead to loss of revenue and more.  When we make decisions, we need to consider all the options, look at the data, and sometimes even when we think we have all the information, we have to take a chance and use our intuition to decide what route we take.  One of the best things a leader can do is to know when to reverse a decision, or change course.  Unfortunately for some, changing course is seen as a weakness, that the first decision was a poor one and therefore they believe that they will be seen as a ‘failure’.  This is far from true, a leader or manager who can admit that ‘they got it wrong, are more likely to grow an organization by their recognition and correction than a leader who forges ahead with a bad decision that negatively impacts their organization.

I work with individuals, each of them a leader, whether it is in their job title, or not.  Each of them leads a team, supervises others, or manages a project with other individuals.  They spend time worrying about their leadership and decision-making skills, we work often on collaboration and communication.  They are concerned about their colleagues, wanting to help them, and sometimes feeling intimidated about the task ahead.  They worry about team engagement, or how to develop trust among older or longer-tenured colleagues.  They recognize that their decisions will impact their teams and other colleagues as well as how they will be viewed by these individuals.  And they seek coaching to help them build teams that produce results while supporting each other.  

They are not the people I worry about.  It is those who go into positions of leadership and trust blindly, unaware or uncaring of how their decisions impact others down the line.  They don’t concern themselves with the challenges others might face, whether it is increased workload or anxiety about individual performance.  They see only the goal that needs to be achieved and how, if not reached, it will impact them.  They don’t know how to mentor, nurture and support their colleagues and don’t worry about doing so.  They don’t recognize how their behaviour can impact the productivity of their organization.  They think words like empathy, active listening, and humility are for those who are weak. Rather than seeing their teams and colleagues as partners, they see them as competitors to be beaten.  Rather than create vision and inspiration, they create a culture of fear and dog eat dog…  

Great leaders build teams of individuals who have different skillsets and knowledge bases, they are okay with not knowing everything, they are flexible, able to adapt to different systems and methods, and they believe in collaboration not control. Good leaders are constantly striving to be better, they celebrate success with all, and then move forward to the next goal, they never stay in the same place.  They look to see best practices, hire people who aren’t afraid to challenge them, and they, in turn, support their team’s growth.  Good leaders look inwardly to learn more about themselves, about how their biases and other influences might affect their decision making and how they can use this information to be better leaders.

In today’s VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous) world, leaders are faced with complex challenges.  Challenges that are often new, with endings that are unpredictable and which seem to have no right answers.  Here leaders who are flexible, open, and honest with their colleagues about the uncertainty their organization faces, look to them for options and solutions will be the leaders that thrive.  I believe each of us has it in us to be a good leader; we just need the courage to be vulnerable, admit when we are wrong, and look to others, even those we lead for support, and make the tough decisions when necessary.  

Are there other traits of good leadership or bad leadership that I have missed?  What do you need to change in order to step up your leadership?