So you’ve been saying you want to lead and now you finally get your chance. Is it really all it’s cracked up to be and are you really committed to the things you’ve said you want?
The election of Donald Trump has shocked the world; a man elected because of the bold commitments he made during his campaign. It’s fair to say though, that there were mixed reactions to his acceptance speech when it wasn’t totally clear if he was actually happy to win or not and the dawning of reality had him gripped - “oh, you mean I’ve actually got to do this now?!”
Perhaps this dawning is something many leaders face when they finally get what they’ve been asking for and the opportunity to fulfil their promises isn’t as much fun as the chase. As leaders in organisations, we have to ask ourselves, not; are we up to it, but are we up for it? That’s said because there is rarely a gap in the skills and capabilities required but in the commitment to the outcome itself and what it really takes to lead.
We have all experienced leaders who come and go, bringing a new initiative, strategy or mantra that they hope will leave a lasting legacy. Sadly, the foundations for such outcomes are what might be causing the mischief – hope. Hope is what you could say causes a ‘trust-drift’, where we all start off fired-up but overtime come to realise it’s not really going to happen.. What is missing, is the brutally straight conversation that every leader needs to have with themselves. “Am I really up for this?”. The leader can hear the words coming out of their mouth as they make another convincing speech about how things will be different, so much so that even they may start to believe it. But, are they really wanting the full reality of what it takes to make change happen?
The phrase ‘actions speak louder than words’, can trick us into believing that it’s not what you say that counts but only what you do. Consider however that the world has been changed on words alone since the beginning of time.. look again at Trump; he hasn’t had the chance to do anything yet but what he has said has changed the face of politics as we know it.
Speech in leadership is an extremely powerful tool and one that when used effectively can disrupt and transform. To make the most of this phenomenon, we must be sure that the declarations and commitments we are making are not in fact just wishes and wants but that we actually intend, and want, to fulfil them. The pitfalls of not realising until it’s too late is that we start to lose credibility. We bring out the worst in others making them cynical, frustrated and most shamefully; they start to lose faith in possibility and change.
Time will tell whether Trump is really up for what he has so boldly declared, for some there is full belief that he is. For others, they are hoping it was all just words and that he will revoke most of his promises at the first obstacle.
What can be said, is that our most successful leaders are those whose spoken commitment and actions are completely aligned and it’s simply a matter of when, not if, they will deliver. When the chase is over and leadership is granted, be sure you’ve given yourself a straight talking to; am I really up for what this is going to take?