Insightful Leadership Strategies for an Intentional Future
Be resilient. That has been the message since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Adapt, pivot, sustain; these have become rallying cries for business leaders over the past eighteen months.
Resilience may have gotten us this far, but at Bright Wire, we believe it’s time to consider what comes after resilience. As leaders, we must actively and intentionally frame the conditions for success in 2021 and beyond. To do so, we work with our clients in partnership to enable key strategies that include a readiness mindset, responsive approaches and effective resources.
Readiness
When leaders adopt a readiness mindset, organizations become agile and capable of responding rather than reacting. There are three key features of a readiness mindset: 1. Tolerance for uncertainty. Be comfortable making decisions with imperfect information. 2. A willingness to let go of what was. The status quo or how it was ‘supposed to be’ are no longer. Letting go of what was requires shifting the conversation from “what happened,” to “what is now possible.” 3. Focus on what matters. Understand what is critically important for you, for your team and your organization. Stay focused on those enablers of success.
Responsiveness
Responsiveness is the execution of readiness. Work effectively with ambiguous information by re-prioritizing in real-time and applying critical learning from today to a future state. The ‘new normal’ presents an opportunity to continuously challenge the status quo because the status quo is constantly shifting: What about the temporary ways of working should become permanent? What is in danger of becoming permanent that should be temporary? Understanding the potential and possibilities, even in uncertain times, builds capability for whatever comes next instead of waiting for a return to predictability.
Resources
A readiness mindset and a responsive approach are intentional practices. A focus on leadership and the skill to develop these practices within your people is critical. The experienced and credentialled team of executive coaches and leadership development experts at Bright Wire can equip you and your team with the resources, tools and proven strategies to lead beyond resilience and create the future with intention.
Published on August 16, 2021 Originally written for Business in Calgary October 2020
