5 Principles for Bar Raiser Leadership

Embarking on the leadership journey isn’t merely about steering a vessel; it's about crafting a narrative that every team member resonates with and sees a reflection of their aspirations in.

True leadership dances gracefully between steadfast determination and the fluidity of inclusive participation. But how does one navigate through the delicate balance of holding the reins yet allowing enough freedom for collective, creative blossoming?

Learn the principles and tactics that have not just shaped businesses but have molded leaders:

1. People support what they create.  This is the defining leadership principle of my life. If you want people to follow you, they must create with you and feel enabled, trusted, and rewarded in creating that shared vision. Create a culture of openness, accountability, and one that supports the outcome of the shared vision that you and those around you have. We live in a participative, global culture now where people want their voices heard. Allow diverse voices to come in and have perspective and opinions about the decision-making. Your job as the leader is to hold that space and allow others to have a voice. When people work for something they’ve had a hand in, they fight for it.
2. The Vision Decision The delicate dance of leadership is about the leader taking the authority to make the vision decision — where you want to go on the journey. Too many voices lacking aim and decision is the ruin. Have open ears, but also make the hard decisions and be the most dedicated person to holding it all together. You are entrusted with the vision and the decisions. 
3. The Two Tools Principal
   • Alignment: How do you align others towards your vision? You must align all of your decisions and your lifestyle with the truth and purpose of your mission. You are creating a cultural expectation so you need to assess if you and those around you are aligned. 
   • Autonomy: You give other people decision-making authority to do stuff! Allow people to be who they really are and put down the control stick. 

4. Embody The Expectations. You have to stand for the thing that you believe in — the vision. Make sure there is no break in congruence in your team or in your relationships. As a leader, you have to constantly be asking yourself, “Am I in congruence with my vision? What am I embodying? What are the cultural values?” 
5. Leaders Need To Manage Energy and Resilience. You need to use all of the tools from above and be responsible for the energy that you are projecting on the people you are collaborating with. You want to instill resilience into your team to keep marching forward despite the difficulties that you will face along the way. Don’t poison the team's ability to bounce back. As a leader, you must uphold the vision and standard for the company and its culture. 

Tactical Tips for Leaders:

1. You must establish the rhythm on the teams (both internal and external). These roles and rhythms will be different depending on what aspect of your life you are applying them, but they all lead back to teaching point #1: people will support what they create. Be aware of that rhythm and be constantly establishing and implementing things into your company or team to reach that vision. 
2. You must constantly repeat what the vision is. You need to know what you believe in, what you are working on, and what is working/not working in your rhythm as a team. 
3.  You have to ensure mindful striving as a leader. You have to know when to hit the gas or when to slow it down. Prioritize your projects and know how to achieve things while avoiding burnout. Build in the pit stops, build in the celebrations. You hold the heart of the organization as a leader and you have to know when to ask for patience and understanding of your team in order to have high performance. Mindfulness means to be attentive to the awesome things that are happening. So be appreciative of all the little things going on because you and your team are making an impact! Establish peace, harmony, and consciousness to the moment and enjoy the moment. 
4. Evaluate habits over outcomes. Improve those habits and the outcomes will come. How do you summon the best of who you are together?
5. You have to teach the teams the importance of recognizing your oneness and sharing love along the journey. Leadership is a function of loving other people. Find a way to share and spread the love in your rhythm.

Ynot Raise the Bar?