Common ground beyond contingency leadership - Washington Business Journal:

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While we look to our leaders for stability and confidencwe that things willbe OK, even they are challenged. It’ s a pressure cooker, and the questioj is how to remain grounded in the face ofthis Today’s business pressures are enormous and unlike anythinbg we have experienced in 80 years. It feeld like there is no firm ground tostandd on. Everything seems to be a moving We need more than aPlan B. We need Planzs C, D and E and then some.
It’s about moving beyond contingencleadership – where we are in reaction mode most of the Being highly reactive can add to the sensed that the organization is alwayws fighting fires, that there is constant chaos and In this environment, there is a loss of business, job increased anxiety for those who remain and a net loss of theirf productive energy. The cost can be substantial, includingf a loss of business momentum, loss of workforce morale and a naturalk skepticism aboutthe future. The toll it can take on business leadersis significant.
Internalized, these pressurew can impact health, stress levels, the ability to cope, flexibility and the quality of It can also impact the quality of the decisionas that aremade and, business results. So, where can a leader go? It startx on the inside, and ends up in new conscioud choices based onsolid It’s a process that starts with a leader’se introspection. Reflection: Getting grounded starts with havinbg a regular time each dayto reflect, gain perspective on the crises of the day and gain insight into what trulh matters.
It’s a time when revisiting one’s core principlexs and personal vision or reviewing the largetr picture can shift perspective and point of The intention here is to find a placs of peace and serenityu and to clarify what can be changecd andwhat cannot. Learning: What have you learned about thefires you’rer fighting? How important are they? How relevant are they in light of the bigged picture? It is critical to learn from the past and not repeatt the same mistakes. We will also learn abour ourselves and why we keep fightingthoses fires, how we get hooked, and what we can do to stay cleaer and focused.
Assessment: Assess the key challenges and, based on our new ground and whattruly matters, look at new and differeng options for solving these challenges. Conscious Standing on firm ground, conscious choices can now be made that are tiedto what’s best for the people and the and will create a different environment for the workforce and New insights lead to new which, in turn, leads to new thinkinf – becoming proactive and formulating new strategies and It’s an inside-out process. That whicy gives us a sense of peacde about what is important startsz deepinside us. And from that place comes sound judgment and a positive messaged aboutthe future.
Conscious business choices are builtt on conscious personal choices that are built on who we are This new ground enables us to move beyond the pressure reaction andcontingency leadership.