Balance and courage
This article was inspired by an article Ranjat Gulati published in the Harvards Business Review. In times of constant change, leaders need to draw on their own and their teams strength and endurance. Flexibility is key because sticking to the rigid old business playbook is rarely an option. All of this requires a fine balancing act that supports the teams needs and delivers unbeatable customer value. To achieve this requires a type of courage only real leaders will understand.
Now is the time for courage
Do you remember where you were when COVID lock down was declared? We were sitting in our Guild Co Working Space (that we had just totally renovated) with a few coworkers sitting round a laptop when our collective world changed forever. During COVID we all had to make courageous decisions to survive and help those around us. Many of us used up a lot of the fuel in our courageous tank. We all thought this was the greatest challenge individual leaders would face.
COVID was the catalyst
We were so wrong. COVID settled into a routine with rules that generally applied to everyone. Politicians tended to just legislate around COVID. The economy was based around ‘essential’ and ‘non essential’ businesses and most new where they stood. Society as a whole all had to deal with COVID first and everything else tended to take second place. Technology focused on halting and curing COVID, with one exception…remote working became a real option.
Post COVID and the time for courage
Post COVID. Long established political parties and norms are imploding. The economy in the developed world is stuttering. Society is testing all assumptions across age, gender and race. Technology in the form of AI is challenging the very meaning of humanity.
Leading in times of constant change requires real courage. Leaders need to draw on their own and their teams strength and endurance. Flexibility is key because sticking to the rigid old business playbook is rarely an option. All of this requires a fine balancing act that supports the teams needs and delivers unbeatable customer value. To achieve this requires a type of courage only you as a real leader will understand.
We see this courage in Kerry and Dom from the Halcyon who are helping us launch BALANCE iT
Ranjat Gulati captures what makes this courage and why it is so important in his latest article for the Harvard Business School.
Bravery is a choice
Ranjat correctly observes that bravery is a choice. He learned this at an early age form his mother . Many family businesses learn bravery from the previous generation and most founders have had learned courage from a significant leader in their lives.
Ranjat’s article (built on years of experience and writing) is well worth a read. Please take time to read it.
In summary people understand brave leaders because they live a positive story and they cultivate confidence in all of those they meet. They achieve huge things by taking small steps and are always making connections. Above all else they stay calm by looking after themselves and their team. This visible bravery requires internal courage.
Ironically the journey of building / rebuilding courage takes courage. We are here to talk , just an email away…
