The courage to tell it like it is
In my posting today, I thought it necessary to deal with some leadership issues and challenges that over the last couple of weeks have been popping up on my radar. It is my observation as we lead, that we have to have some type of balance and check system in place to ensure that we are leading with the upmost integrity and are being the most effective as possible. That system or structure should strategically set the leader in a place where she can make intelligent decisions for the organization that will propel the vision of the organization forward.
With the everyday hustle and bustle of leading, business can sometimes allow the leader to loose sight of the vision of the organization. Thus allowing us to miss something crucial that can hurt the organization or business along the way. So it is very important that the inner circles, your board of advisers, are a people of courage. That courage is needed because with any organizations, circumstances arise that challenge the effectiveness of our business. So the advisors, have to have the courage to openly communicate with its leader should they find her getting of course of the overall objective of the organization.
It is a simple act of accountability for the vision you bought into.
So, if you function in a role where a leader looks to you for sound advice, and expertise in your field, you must not be distracted from the vision, worry about hurt feelings, or be fearful about the loss of your position because you have sighted something that needed to be exposed or addressed for the sake of the organization. It is your job; it is your duty, to be forthcoming with anything you see that could cause the downfall of the organization.
I wanted to today give three principles for having the courage to tell it like it is:
- Prayer and Meditation before you speak- Before you actually approach a leader I think it best to get clarity about what you see in prayer, and get a release of peace about the situation. Jot down some notes about what you think is the issue to be sure the nature of the issue is clear to both you and the leader you will be approaching.
- Look at the organization in a macro aspect not micro- Just because you are assigned to one area you should not limit your responsibility or accountability to just your corner of the organization. If you identify that there is issue you need to start a conversation with the leader. The start of a conversation on the matter brings about clarity of the issue, and resolution strategies to bring about change to it.
- Be sensitive to timing- When approaching a leader about an issue, make sure that when you speak on it you are in the proper environment and that the conversation is conveyed in an appropriate tone. Even if your leader has fallen short, you must remain respectful in your confrontation. Be respectful but firm.
My hope is that these principles would be a catalyst for leaders who support other leaders to start a conversation that would take the organization in the direction it was purposefully intended and bring about dynamic change to the leadership cohort. I would love to hear some of your comments on this issue.
