15 May ARE YOUR EXECUTIVES READY FOR WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
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The universe is telling me something. I have been receiving a theme of readiness from many directions over the last few months.
This came together for me when a great speaker colleague, Michael McQueen, recently referenced something he himself had heard in an interview with a professional tennis player about the difference between a good tennis player and a great tennis player. The player reflected it was the ready stance. How ready a player is to play the next shot. The great players are more prepared, more balanced, more focused. They are actively ready.
The penny dropped.
You might recall that shortly after the Middle East conflict began, I shared an article about the four stages of emergency. And, as a leader, what you need to focus on. The second stage of emergency leadership is preparedness. To be ready to respond.
Another blog I shared, based on my research into leading through significant change, transformation and emergency, talked about 3 keys to great leadership in these situations. One of these keys is building capability. Ensuring your people are ready to contribute.
Incredibly important today, and in the future, because things keep on changing. We need to make sure our people are ready. Ready for what else, ready for what next, ready for the unknown, ready for uncertainty. Ready to respond.
When I was developing the key concepts to include in my latest book, Confluence, one of the key ideas that kept coming up was the need to have leaders who are ready. Our leadership talent pipelines are fragile because we simply do not have enough real leaders who are ready. Ready for the next opportunity. Ready for the next challenge. Ready for the next obstacle. Ready for growth. Ready for a change in direction. There are simply not enough leaders who are ready.
And just yesterday I was chairing the executive round table for WomenTHAT in Sydney. We were fortunate to have a young leader join us and share her experiences and insights from a recent mentoring session with one of our executive members. One of the key messages she shared is she learned about the importance of building her network now, so it is ready for when she needs it later.
From my own experience, this is so true. You need to be investing and preparing your network now, for the time when you might need to lean on it for support, advice, challenge, insight, opportunity.
So, a consistent theme of being ready.
The obvious question, what is your state of readiness?
This is something I will be reflecting on for myself and with my team.
Here are a few key questions I am going to be asking myself:
- How ready am I for what’s next, for tomorrow, for next week, for next year?
- How ready am I for the challenges that might be ahead?
- How ready is my team?
- How ready are our systems?
- How ready are our processes?
- How ready is our client experience?
- How ready are my clients?
… And so many more.
Borrow some of these questions for your own reflection for yourself, your team, and your organisation. Be proactive about becoming ready.
I’d love to know your thoughts.
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