Leading, Strategic Why, and Creating the Well-Living Workplace
The world’s three great mysteries:
Crop circles
Bermuda triangle
Leading from the strategic why
You, everybody leads!
However, most people possibly including you would not liken aspects of what you do each day as leading. Therefore, coming to know what it means to lead from the strategic why or leading strategically is the focus of your personal inquiry in the days to come.
To lead is to influence another to commit to a path of action based on (at least) acceptance of shared inspiration.
In practical day-to-day organization terms to lead means to actively participate and influence individuals in being and doing their best for the organization by consciously working from the organizational mission, vision and values. The contribution materializes through fulfilling the goals, objectives and actions each person is assigned via accountability and responsibility.
When leading from the strategy you answer the why question in ways that has you handle answers to the how and who questions. Without a big enough why, people will not engage their hands, heads and hearts in the work. Strategy frames the structures and relationships of work and gives meaning to peoples’ jobs.
In preparing for your personal inquiry of leading from the strategy, the why …
- Know why you guide from the strategy given and/or developed
- Know how you apply Leading with supportive managing
- Know who you engage through mentoring and facilitating
Remember, wherever you work, you are leading at times. And that is your truth!
AND to lead strategically from your employees’ and customers’ responses to your strategic why is what matters most to those you interact and influence each day.
Consider from a mentoring and facilitating perspective
decide when it is better to lead individuals than manage people- value the importance of leading from your organization’s mission, vision and values.
- demonstrate the competencies of being a leader, doing leading and having leadership by asking the question am I competent to:
- focus time, effort and money for actions to position and create success in the future
- think (and feel) deeply about what you want to do
- use creative process to reach your imagined future
recognize the marketplace of activities (the market, customers, and competitors)- identify new trends and situations that may arise
- recognize the signals about the needs and wants of those you influence
- identify your customers and clients with clear understanding of why they come to your organization now and what they will be looking for in the future
- value your competitors by the products, services and experiences they offer and how customers see them
- identify new technology, methods, or approaches that will increase your value and profit, and improve your delivery and sales
- use awareness to lessen your emotional pull and push
- share the mission/vision story
- separate yourself from the maelstrom of daily events, and look at the bigger picture
This list of 12 actions is illustrative. The list is meant to get you thinking. It’s meant to have you list the important actions you remain vigilant in leading from the strategic why in creating the well-living workplace – a place of work where people live and work well together.
Legacy is for giving. It’s in you to share!
Make it a wellthy day,
Moving Forward Together
Here is an invitation to download and read the free 21-page book:
WELLth Movement:
Guide 55-75 year young executives, employees and entrepreneurs who are grandparents
_in the use of ecological literacy concepts and practices
__to eco-create the well-living world by
___creating well-living workplaces with the involvement of their staff, volunteers and/or customers, and
___living their great lives with the involvement of their grandchildren in outdoor activities with trees
Support evergreen funding for 9 children and trees projects around the world via The Minstrel Ways Fund at The Calgary Foundation (my donor-directed fund set up in 2004)
