5. Focus on How We Do Things Instead of What We Do
LEADERSHIP AND CULTURE
Creating More of the Results You Want
Introduction
I have been putting my thoughts about leadership and culture down on paper in a series of short, easy-to-digest essays. This is the fifth essay in a series of six. If you’d like to know a little about my background and inspiration, my website includes a section that summarizes my experience and key influences (http://www.2m-spaces.com/about-michael-p-mack/).
5. Focus on How We Do Things Instead of What We Do
At some point, I am sure that some of you have said, “But I have tried to change things many times, and I am not getting anywhere, not getting the results that I want.” And this can be discouraging and frustrating. Let’s consider a different way to look at how we get things done.
The vast majority of the time when we are seeking a particular result, we take an action that we believe will lead to success. If we don’t get the result we want then we generally take another action, maybe a variation of the first or perhaps a previously discarded option. This is a great way to manage people and things with the leadership capacity that we have and will often lead to success in terms of getting the desired result. It is not an approach that will lead to preemptive purposeful disruption.
What is left out of the equation is our self. Contained in self are all our fears, concerns, frustrations, dreams, aspirations, conscious and unconscious intentions. In addition, we each bring a lens or narrative for viewing the world and everything we do in it. All these elements create a significant impact on any action we take and, therefore, affect the result and our success. Attention to self allows us to see all these influences and permits us to see “how” we do things, which has more impact on results than “what” we do (which generally gets the most focus).
We all currently lead from self to some degree—that is not the issue. To further develop our capacity to lead, influence culture and create purposeful disruption, we must further develop our skills with the foundational tools of:
Self-Awareness: Know myself and my impact on others.
Conscious Accountability: Acknowledge my responsibility and my ability to choose.
Intentionality: Maintain clarity and the commitment to keep my attention on the outcome.
By developing our skills working with the foundational tools, we can better see the opportunities to manage our relationship to whatever we are trying to accomplish. Think about it. If you know yourself and your impact on others a little better, if you were clear about your responsibilities and the choices you have to get things done and if you were clearer about what outcome you want create and better at keeping your attention on it, doesn’t it make sense that you would get better results?
There are a lot of books on leadership and culture. Many offer exciting new theories and approaches and, unfortunately, are mostly focused on mechanical things, the “what” things for you to do. These can be helpful but usually fall flat without the clarity and authenticity that come from self-awareness, conscious accountability and intentionality. The exciting part comes from the results you are able to create.
Suggested Next Steps
Get clear about what you want to be different in your organization and your role in making that happen.
Understand what shift in attitude, perspective or behavior will best support your desired outcomes.
Find a mentor, coach or trusted colleague to be a resource in your mission.
Practice.
Contact information:
Michael P. Mack
M: 619.990.5300
W: 2m-spaces.com
