Ruffling Feathers
I was in a meeting this week with an organization that I work with. In that meeting, we were discussing communication, culture, teamwork, and behaviours.
I brought up the point that the culture of an organization is determined by the kind of behaviour that the leader is willing to tolerate. This seemed to ruffle some feathers. It made the leader accountable to not only his actions and behaviours, but to also think about setting the example for the others that he leads.
I think sometimes we don’t think that people are watching, or what is good for the goose isn’t good for the gander. As a leader, you set the tone, the culture, and the example of what is in the best interest of the organization or the cause. If you think about the responsibility and quality of the culture of the organization, and your feathers get a bit ruffled, you may need to reflect on your own actions and behaviours. The culture of your organization is only holding up a mirror, do you like the reflection that you see?
I came across a quote by Steve Jobs regarding leadership, it states:
“The greatest people are self managing, they don’t need to be managed. Once they know what to do, they’ll figure out how to do it. What they need is a common vision. And that’s what leadership is: having a vision, being able to articulate so that the people around you can understand it; and getting a consensus on a common vision. ”
In that same meeting, I talked about the golden pond. What does it look like? How do we get our flocks there? Do we have a flight plan? Are we flying in a V so that it's efficient? Or, are we flying around on a breeze hoping for the best and waiting for Friday?
Good leadership allows for different geese to be the head goose when required, celebrating what each goose brings to the flock, and knowing what the golden pond looks like. When you create a culture where each goose is allowed to be themselves and is understood and appreciated, that’s a healthy habitat. How are you leading? Feel your feathers.