Feel like you’re walking on eggshells?
You’re not the only one.
I was with three CEOs this week.
One leads 20,000 employees.
One leads 600 employees.
And one leads 100 employees.
Goodhearted, forward-leaning, and award-winning CEOs are tiptoeing around their teams’ feelings.
We all know that prioritizing mental health, flexibility, and emotional intelligence is key to growing a thriving organization. Those are table stakes and nothing should change that.
BUT…
In a lot of ways, the last few years have opened Pandora’s box for many organizations. Dare I even mention the Great Resignation?
“It’s the employees' way or the highway.”
Instead of being able to inspire their people to move in a faster or different direction, leaders are trapped – feeling beholden to an increasingly precarious executive-to-employee relationship.
It doesn’t feel balanced. No one is on the same page. It feels like a losing game for everyone.
So how can you propel your organization forward if your team isn’t in it to win it with you?
Here’s what I’ve been hearing recently from other CEOs:
- “Employees are more sensitive these days, but I could never say that without being canceled or fired.”
- “They complain they are overwhelmed, constantly behind, and can’t keep up with the pace and pain of change.”
- “People rarely own or take full responsibility. Instead, they point fingers and have no interest in helping collaborate on a solution.”
- “Whenever I suggest a new idea, it’s met with resistance and a myriad of reasons why it’s not possible.”
Yikes.
Realistically, we all have complaints – leaders and employees alike.
No one is immune to pain and frustration.
That’s why we have to ask ourselves what am I going to do about it?
Thanks to my dad, I always try to embrace the power of a “get to” mentality.
It’s the idea that we don’t have to do anything. We get to do a lot.
Imagine if you and your team rallied around this common ideal of “get to” instead of “have to.”
This simple reframing can unlock what’s been holding your entire organization back.
A “get to” mindset focuses on opportunity and choice rather than the dread of circumstances you feel like you can’t change.
Would you rather your team feel like they get to be the change versus have to dread the change?
It all boils down to inspired action.
Think about your rockstar A players… the ones you wish more of your team was like.
They’re the ones who embody the values, vision, and essence of your organization. They proactively seize every moment and go the extra mile because they choose to.
Do you spend more time with them OR are you more focused on the C players who don’t seem to get it?
I want you to try something.
Take a breath.
Now take a backseat from the next moment to inspire and bring your A players into the fold.
Empower your A players to put their own spin on how to inspire the team to become a cohesive and unstoppable force.
We all talk about modeling the way and this is one example of what it can look like…
Rallying Cry From One to Many
There’s nothing better than witnessing inspired action from your team.
It's like when one person starts dancing... then another joins in... and then another. The energy is palpable and it spreads like wildfire.
Before you know it, you have a full-blown dance party.
It only takes one person to create a movement.
Now let’s explore how this takes shape within organizations.
Here’s an example of how one rockstar teammate can have a ripple effect…
Kristen took to our Latch platform to share a story with our entire SHIFT team.
Her story starts with how she began the year thinking about what she wanted to learn on her own time to level up and be a better version of herself.
She wasn’t told she had to do this. She went in this direction because she wanted to.
This spark of inspiration was the ember that fired our team up – in a good way.
The meaningful back-and-forth conversations that ensued between teammates in Latch would be hard (if not impossible) to have when bouncing between Zoom meetings.
Latch offered the space for everyone to reflect on the last time they committed to learning something new AND to take action by sharing what new skills they want to work on this year.
This could be your moment to unleash your A players and see how they can make a difference in a new way. It’s a chance for the rest of your team to either be inspired and reinvigorated… or decide this is not the place for them.
More often than not, it’s the former and not the latter that happens.
Ready for a different approach?
It’s time.
