Over the weekend, I was having a conversation with a friend of mine who is relatively new to people leadership. For quite a long period of time, he was an exceptional individual contributor for his organisation, was considered a ‘high potential future leader’, and hence was provided the opportunity to step up into a leadership role approximately 3 months ago. During our conversation, he was sharing with me that he was really struggling to have an impact within his team – it seemed that no matter what he tried, he could not get his team to deliver the results and outcomes he was looking for. He was constantly giving them instructions and direction, and yet the results were inconsistent. It was beginning to frustrate him, and it was certainly frustrating his team. As I was listening to him, I wondered about what he was actually doing on a daily basis, so I asked him the question – “John, what are you doing each day? How are you leading your team? You do know that your team is actually a reflection of you?”

This question came as quite a shock to John – he had been so focussed on trying to be the best leader he could possibly be, he thought he was doing the right thing by providing direction and instructions to his team. However, when he analysed his own routine, what he was Continue reading →