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There is a life cycle to Developing Your Unique Leadership Style and what most LEADERS know is that this cycle repeats itself. LEADERS must experience many of the challenges and obstacles in order to effectively develop their unique style. The best LEADERS are those who have weathered the storms and experienced the sunrise with the rainbow on the other side.
While LEADERS can learn about themselves in the good times, it is the challenging and hard times that shape LEADERS’ essential traits. Each time a leader experiences a setback, obstacle, or failure a new skill or competency is developed. Over time with each hardship comes the opportunity to grow and develop more proficient as a leader.
The three Ps of Perseverance are simple and to the point, in an effort to have the top of mind as LEADERS endure the hardships. Preparing for the challenge, like when watching the safety demonstration on an airplane, is one of the best strategies for successfully coming through the event.
The three Ps are Proactive, Positive, and Persistent. Proactive in preparing for the disruption to business as usual. Positive in dealing with things that may be overwhelming. And be Persistent in staying in focused action. All of these will support LEADERS as they move towards success in the midst of a disruptive experience.
Being proactive can sometimes be confusing, it is only proactive is there have been preparations made before the event actually happened. Doing something in the midst of the catastrophe is not being proactive, it is reactive. The event caused reactive behaviors. Preparing for an imminent threat in advance is being proactive. For most people, this is evident when a weather warning about a hurricane has been announced.
While it may look reactive in some stores as people run all of the supplies out before the arrival of the hurricane, this is a proactive approach to preparing for the worst-case scenario. This is critical to a leader when a forecast or prediction indicates a significantly higher volume of work is coming in or the operation is going to experience higher attrition as the result of a new business entering the market. The time to act is when the warnings and red flags are first observed.
Finding the positive in the challenges will differentiate the good LEADERS from the great LEADERS. The great LEADERS have the where with all to remain upbeat in the face of change or transformation. They know to craft the message of change alongside creativity and innovation as they are all cousins in the workplace. People seemingly have a positive view of creativity while with change it is more negative.
Being positive is all about mindset, it requires LEADERS to remain present and aware of their own triggers and emotional intelligence. When LEADERS appear positive in the midst of a frightening experience, they set the tone for others in the workplace. Positivity is a safer strategy in the workplace no matter the challenge.
Persistence is simply getting up 9 times when you have been knocked down 8 times. It is the tenacity that drives the persistence, never underestimate the power of motivation. Stying persistent requires LEADERS to have a vision that is so tightly held that they will do whatever it takes, within limits, to achieve it.
Being persistent comes from the drive for the finish line. LEADERS have the vision for success firmly in mind as they weather the storm. In the midst of the black clouds, lightning strikes, and deafening thunder, they can see the sunrise, rainbow, and clear skies. Being persistent with that vision and sharing it with others will get them all through the darkest times.
Perseverance is something that every leader will need to draw on at least one or more times throughout their career. With this in mind, it is essential to develop a unique leadership style that creates successful outcomes as a result of the challenges and obstacles. Every leader has the ability to do that with or without the support of a mentor or coach, those with support historically develop and grow deeper skills and competencies than those who go on the trail without a guide.
Perseverance can be massive and overwhelming as an experience when it supported by the three Ps it becomes much more manageable and achievable. LEADERS want to build the strongest tool kits possible with the best resources, including the 3 Ps aligns with that goal for most LEADERS.
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