3 Powerful Words With Profound Influence In Effective Leadership
1. Trust (confidence), the bedrock of successful leadership to foster environments of open communication, connection and collaboration. Trust empowers individuals to take risks, it helps calm fear, allows bonds to form, and build strong and stable environments. Leaders install confidence by being reliable, transparent, and consistent. Those that don't trigger a stress response. The amygdala (part of the limbic systems) can take over when team members don't feel secure in their guidance. Survival can go into auto-pilot. Of the 7 states of consciousness (service, cultivating communities, internal cohesion, transformation, self-esteem, relationship building, and stability), survival or safety is the lowest. It engages ME vs WE mentality. Our Palaeolithic hunter-gatherer brains that helped us survive in the wild, are less helpful when trying to survive at the office. We need a different part of the brain to engage. When trust is present, the higher-up cerebral cortex engages. It is where executive decision making, creativity and complex problem solving is performed. It is also involved in healing, restoring, learning and growth. Without trust we guard, protect and defend, create more resistance and friction instead of developing connection and innovation.
We are in a constant state of natural orderly chaos. That may seem a contradiction, but isn’t. Things may look chaotic, but when looking back at the past, we can see a perfect order of things. Although, at the time, it may not seem perfect nor orderly. [Check-out Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford Commencement address about connecting the dots]. Chaos doesn't mix well with trust. A constant state of change will exasperate trust. Some (knowingly and unknowingly) are sacrificing trust to force change and stimulate growth. It is the least efficient way. Living systems need equilibrium, balance and stability (homeostasis) in order to grow. Trust shouldn't be sacrificed. Lack of trust causes a Herculean amount of effort and energy expenditure to try to resist force and maintain stability. The effort is killing us. Higher rates of stress, depression and anxiety are a direct reflection of creating instability by forcing change. As a coping mechanism, some are choosing to disengage, withdraw, detach, or isolate thereby sacrifice growth to protect themselves. Distrust is the backdrop behind most of the global conflict today.
2. Faith (belief) is a catalyst of motivation. It is twin sister to trust. You generally don't have one without the other – often used interchangeably. Faith and law go hand in hand. Whether it's faith in God, the Universe, a higher power (how ever that speaks to you), or faith in policy – they all interlock. Belief dictates trust. Faith is what is needed when we don’t have proof. But we have become conflicted, because we are taught not to trust anything that cannot be proven. In this way, science has almost put faith out of business. Leaders inspire by expressing faith in individuals and collective capabilities. Faith fosters a sense of purpose and encourages innovation. In systems of chaotic change that seem random, unpredictable and disorderly, trust can easily be broken. Whereas faith tends to be deeply rooted in values and a belief system that doesn't easily break. It is much harder to detach from the bonds of faith that are entangled with a belief system created by a stable culture that is strongly change resistant. Lack of faith often lead to a feeling of hopelessness, despair that continues to spiral downward.
3. Freedom (autonomy) breeds innovation. It is the ability to make decisions within a framework. It is the most interesting of the three because it is often listed as the most powerful, but is it attainable? Most organizations use command-and-control to operate (information primarily flows out), even within a network (information primarily flows in). Freedom isn't about anarchy but rather empowers individuals to bring their unique perspectives and experiences to enhance overall efficiency by reducing the need for constant supervision. Leaders who provide autonomy enable creativity and innovation to flourish. Freedom in decision-making encourages a sense of ownership among team members, which can lead to a more engaged and innovative work environments. Effect leadership encompasses confidence through reliability, belief in the team's potential, and grants autonomy as a way to foster creativity and responsibility.
The opening line in the show "Gypsy" stated: "There is a force more powerful than freewill – our unconscious." It implies there is a natural order, of which we are part of but have little control over. We only control our response. Trust is a choice. When the metaphorical flashlight acts like a spotlight, it obscures or shadows the holder. To illuminate a network, the flashlight needs to be turned inward. There is an element of vulnerability in order to do it that requires internal work to be comfortable and avoid triggering a stress response. What is given is often reflected back.
LifeStrong Consulting - Higher Results Faster
Business Coach Professionals
