Linda Reddin’s Post

🔎 Shifting organizational culture requires adaptive leadership. When coaching our partners, we emphasize applying the principles of adaptive leadership to tackle complex challenges, foster continuous learning, and build a stronger organization at every level. 📖 According to "The Work of Leadership" by Heifetz and Laurie, adaptive leaders help their organizations clarify values, craft innovative strategies, and take proactive responsibility. They encourage experimentation, embrace discomfort, and navigate conflicts to drive meaningful change. "In the course of regulating people's distress, a leader faces several key responsibilities and may have to use authority differently depending on the type of work situation." We pulled out some of these key responsibilities in the graphic below. 🚀 For a deeper dive, read the full article (link in the comments!)

Why Real-Time Leadership Is So Hard Four obstacles and how to overcome them  by Ryan Quinn, Bret Crane, Travis Thompson, and Robert E. Quinn From Harvard Business Review (January–February 2024) “Do you sometimes feel stuck as a leader, while at other times everything seems effortless? The explanation often lies in your own psychological state. When you’re in the zone, you express yourself naturally, venture beyond the familiar to pursue ambitious goals, embody your highest values, and embrace learning—and can accomplish extraordinary things. But four common stumbling blocks can prevent you from entering it: the misperceptions that there are no alternatives, that there is no hope, that there is no time, and that there is no need for leadership. Those misperceptions can be overcome, however, if you ask the right questions and follow a handful of practices designed to open your mind to a world of possibilities.” Summary by author. According to the authors, the Four obstacles are as follows. 1.  No Alternatives   Often people need to adopt new perspectives to break free of this mental trap. Asking the following questions can help: ·      When have people made exceptions to processes or norms in the past? ·      Who might be willing to try something different here? ·      What organizations handle the situation we’re in differently? ·      What could we do that would mitigate people’s concerns while trying new things? ·      How might this situation be like another, unrelated situation?   2.  No Hope When you think there is no hope, try these practices ·      Review past successes. ·      Set learning goals ·      Involve others ·      Break the challenge into smaller parts 3.  No Time Though we are all time-constrained, we can find solutions to that challenge by asking: ·      Which people or processes might I put more trust in? ·      How might I fix organizational inefficiencies? ·      How might I surface and address the activities most fraught with conflict first? 4.  No Need Leadership may not be required, but it could still make these situations better. Thus, we might ask them the following: ·      Who cares about the work you’re doing, and what could you do to inspire those people? ·      How could you transform this from good to great? #WhyRealTimeLeadershipIsSoHard #Leader #Leaders #Leadership #RealLeadership #RealtimeLeadership #HardLeadership #ObstaclesinLeadership #ManagingLeadership #TopManagement #SeniorManagement

This course offered many key takeaways, but I especially appreciated the emphasis on catching people doing things right. The simple act of acknowledging positive actions cultivates a positive and safe environment, where everyone feels happier and more likely to thrive. Just finished "How Leaders Generate Energy and Cultivate Commitment" by Jan Rutherford! Check it out: https://lnkd.in/gdNJQdBY #teamleadership.

Find the answer to this question and time will not be an obstacle to real time leadership: we own our time and we get to choose how we spend it. “How might I fix organizational inefficiencies? Tackling this task instead of just trying to get work done will help you make the most of your limited time. We have found that if we examine managers’ deluge of tasks and meetings more closely, there are often wasteful practices in the systems and processes involved. Many tasks and meetings can be streamlined or even eliminated entirely.”

It is amazing how much fulfilment, visibility and influence there is for people who lead conversations. They engage others with their best ideas, deliver them in a way that truly serves others, and mobilize energies for actions. Now, our culture promotes the idea that you lead when you are on the battlefield. Most of my clients feel ashamed when having to pause 'real' work and prioritise presentation preparation instead. But then they realize that speaking up reveals their leadership. When you consider that speaking is your tactic to grow your leadership, you see every speaking opportunity as an opportunity to lead. Preparing to speak and lead conversations becomes your leadership's core activity, not the extra work. When you dedicate quality time to the hard, brainy work of leadership, not only do you preserve your energy, evenings and weekends, but you have shifted your mindset towards a sustainable leadership practice. You can do it. It is fulfilling. Do you prepare presentations in the evenings and on weekends? Do you gather stuff to talk about and make impossible selections? Or do you craft clear messages and prepare to lead a meaningful conversation? Read the full post here: https://lnkd.in/eDE9e_vw

Leadership has its effortless moments, but also times when nothing clicks. According to top leadership experts Ryan Quinn, Bret Crane, Travis Thompson, Ph.D. and Robert E. Quinn, achieving enlightened leadership involves conquering the notions of no alternatives, no time, no hope, and no need. 👉 No Alternatives: For leaders, maintaining the ability to consider other options can be challenging, given how many things are getting in their way every day, and they can fall into the trap of just trying harder at what they’re already doing, rather than stepping back and considering why the task is important. 👉 No Hope: If you feel like you're facing an insurmountable hurdle, start by reviewing past successes to identify opportunities for progress. Learning goals helps failures become more acceptable, sharing hopelessness sparks creativity, and breaking challenges into smaller pieces leads to small wins. 👉 No Time: Being a great leader can require a great deal of preparation, which can cause them to feel they don’t have enough time. Considering how to place more trust in other people or processes, and evaluating potential business inefficiencies can alleviate this. 👉 No Need: Leaders can feel leadership is unnecessary for their tasks. However, leadership could likely improve their situations. Asking themselves who their work impacts most, how they could inspire these individuals, and what could be done to deliver great quality work can enhance performance. At Mercuri Urval, we are leadership enablers. Let's talk. Harvard Business Review University of Michigan - Stephen M. Ross School of Business Center for Positive Organizations Stephen R. Covey Leadership Center University of Louisville College of Business Mercuri Urval #leadershipdevelopment #leadershipmatters #drivingresultsthroughpeople #leadershipenablers

Successful leaders don't leave their leadership style to chance. They reflect on their self-perception and also gather feedback from others. Enhancing your leadership presence will be essential to transitioning from technical expert to strategic leader. This will increase your team's innovation, productivity, and harmony while remaining aligned with the company’s values. These results don't happen by chance; instead, they result from targeted reflection and a measurable growth plan to accelerate your leadership impact. How many managers have you worked under who only considered their own agenda and weren’t dedicated to team health or development?? How did this affect your productivity? Or did it lead you to look for another position? Now that you are in a leadership position on a team, you have a responsibility to rewrite the script. Foster an environment of innovation and curiosity. Allow space for your team to become true stakeholders in the success of projects. Learn to balance project timelines with new ideas. And, be very clear with yourself about the type of leader you want to be.

Navigating the shift from peer to boss requires a delicate balance. A first-time manager can maintain respect and authority by setting clear expectations, communicating openly about the transition, and demonstrating consistent and fair leadership. It's crucial to address concerns transparently, acknowledge the changed dynamics, and focus on fostering a professional yet supportive relationship. Building trust through fair decision-making and open communication can help maintain a positive working dynamic while establishing the authority necessary for effective leadership.

Policy cant replace leadership. Well technically it can and it often does... But using policy to manage every behavior in every situation is not the type of culture that we should be striving to build. Don't get me wrong, policy is critical to adding structure, but we cannot let policy take the place of good leadership practices. You have to strike a balance between putting enough in writing to ensure that everyone understands the rules of the game and leaving enough room to give your people the space and agency they need to lead. When you add too much structure you end up wringing the humanity out of your organization, but if you get it right you can... 📌 Leave room for individualized consideration. 📌 Empower leaders at every level to make decisions. 📌 Create room for creativity and innovation. Next time something goes wrong in your organization you should resist the urge to add more policy. Instead, sit down and have those tough conversations and give them the feedback and mentorship they need to succeed.

In my experience as an executive coach, working mostly with senior level leaders, I’ve seen plenty of toxic leaders who continue to do harm to their employees and their organizations, despite all our knowledge about what constitutes good leadership. Because toxic leadership is negatively related to employee performance, commitment, and job satisfaction, every effort should be made to reduce these destructive behaviors in organizations. Adequate resources should be dedicated to train and monitor leaders to ensure that they engage in appropriate leadership behaviors. Executive coaches can educate leaders to modify their behavior when they exhibit toxic patterns. Finally, organizations should ensure safe (anonymous and confidential) outlets exist for identifying leaders who engage in toxic behavior.