Getting Better in Isolation

If you are #socialdistancing and I hope you are, a great read to pick up to develop your individual skills and create personal ‘to-do’ list for improving your #leadershipskills is a book by William Cohen.

It is not new. It is in fact, timeless (IMHO).

For anyone who has been part of my #mentoring in the past, it is a required read.

I want to highlight 4 of what Cohen calls the ‘Universal Laws of Leadership‘.

  • Declare your expectations
  • Show uncommon commitment
  • Expect positive results
  • Take care of your people

During combat, individuals go through many emotions on top of constantly changing and evolving environments, disruption to personnel and unexpected and unforeseen events. Cohen’s Leadership Laws are derived from learnings in these environments as well as modern business.

They are applicable today.

The pace of changing events is accelerated by the current global conditions.

Declare your expectations: Set daily goals, while maintaining a vision for weekly outcomes.

Why? They will create small victories, and learnings on which to build stronger teams and team cohesion, with more #Endurance  Teams that can follow a vision, and make their own path tend to be more successful, but also build stronger character and cohesion, because they trust each other.

Show uncommon commitment in the book this refers more to the mission but is equally applied to your people.

Why? By keeping the team focused on the vision, they are focused on things they can control.  Their ability to control the influences from the external world are minimal, but they can control their actions and their outcomes. Further, by keeping them focused on an attaining the outcomes daily, you are helping them cope better with the unpredictable outside world.  In short, you are leading them well.  Make sure you are checking in with them, #Equip them to be successful daily and weekly. Help them #Envision their success, then achieve it.

Expect positive results As a leader, if you are setting realistic and achievable goals, even in failure, there should be valuable learning.

Why? Expecting positive results, combined with Declaring your expectations, creates an environment for your teams where you have let them know what you want, and you believe and trust in them to get the results.  This is the power of many agile teams, and an inherent component of many of our top military units.

Take care of your people Fundamental to all leadership, your people are your greatest asset, and will ensure the future of your organization.

Why?  Few, if any companies can say they had a business plan for, or a risk mitigation strategy for, a global pandemic and then an almost near total economic shut down.  There were no plans. Companies People, that work for companies, have adapted and the companies have benefitted.  If you are not sure how to take care of your people in this environment, I recently posted a short guidance here.

We are all in this together!

#BeSafe

#Lead

#Mentor

#Investinpeople