(This is part 5 of a 6-part series about the T.R.U.S.T. Leadership Model)
“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” – Confucius
In a world getting more complex each day, the most successful leaders find a way to simplify their approach for themselves and, more importantly, their teams. Leadership is not easy, but can (and should) be simplified as much as possible.
“Simplicity: Identify the essential. Eliminate the rest.” – Leo Babauta
Simplicity can be achieved by identifying the right amount of priorities and being steadfast in focusing on those without being distracted by less important items.
If the adage, “if everything is a priority, then nothing is a priority” is true, then it is critical to focus on the absolute top priorities in order to achieve the business results an organization needs to achieve to be successful. Simplifying things to what is truly a priority forces the entire organization to focus on what really matters.
“Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate, and doubt to offer a solution everybody can understand.” – General Colin Powell
How do you do in the following areas? Your answers might reflect the level of TRUST in your organization:
- Communicate clearly and often: How often do you have one-on-one meetings with your direct reports, and larger team/company meetings, in order to keep things simple by ensuring proper focus and to minimize distractions?
- Focus: Is your mission/vision simple and easy to understand? Can everyone in the company recite the top goals or priorities of the company?Do they know how their work contributes to company success?
- Know your people: Believe it or not, showing up to work every day is evidence that your employees are motivated to work. What’s their motivation? What are their career aspirations? What’s distracting them and how can you simplify their lives to allow them to be successful?
TRUST is the foundation of leadership and success. Without TRUST, individuals and organizations cannot reach their full potential and, in the worst-case scenario, are destined for failure. The good news is that TRUST can be developed by focusing on the 5 key aspects of the TRUST Leadership Model. “Simplify” is a key part of building TRUST and the best way to do that is by connecting with your team in a way that allows you to be aware of what is impacting performance through regular, open and honest communication
Do you TRUST your team enough to simplify things to allow your people to focus on what’s truly important? Give me a call and let’s discuss your situation.
