What do you admire?
Over the past few years, I have led a few boards and exec teams through my Strategic Facilitation process to deliver a three or five year Strategic Plan for their respective organisations.
I find it to be energising work while simultaneously being energy-sapping mainly due to...
Operational Busy - today's challenges, pressures, and projects are all consuming. In a world where almost everyone's 'to do list' is longer at the end of the day compared to the start it is easy to empathise with. One of the biggest challenges for senior leaders to think strategically will always be their time pressures and the fires in front of their nose (ironic if you think about it).
Operational Thinking - the most senior leaders are constantly being asked to solve specific-short-term-transactional problems. Executives and Middle Managers more so. Putting oneself in the thinking position to move entire fleets rather than individual cars can feel different, uncomfortable, and confronting.
Operational Politics - the fight and jostle for status, resources and attention can undermine the strategic process itself. Sometimes it is tenure, other times a department's influence is seen to be more important. It is as fascinating as it is unproductive.
But, that is the job - to help these groups move through these challenges, get them thinking, and then finding consensus on 'how' to get to where everyone wants/needs to go.
When figuring out what I call the 'cultural' elements of a strategy, there is one question in my surveys which I always ask. It was inspired by an exercise I often run in workshops and ends up being deceptively revealing.
The question is:
Who do you admire? State why you admire them. (if you prefer not to name them, just state what it is they do which is so admirable)
The question is not interested in the person themselves. It is not about championing anyone or about 'whose your best buddy' nor is it a popularity contest. It is all about the act. The act you notice and makes a difference to you, how you feel and ultimately which acts inspire you.
It has been an insightful study to me for two important reasons:
It ain't about the Biggin!
When you are asked, 'what inspires you'?, there are a few images people tend to think of:
The Braveheart Speech - to be inspiring is to stand on stage and give the most emotive, gut wrenching and powerful speech. To do a mini 'I have a Dream' or 'We shall fight them on the beaches' oration. I remember sitting in an auditorium with 500 other execs from around the world in Amsterdam for a global company gathering where the Global Head of Sales put on Al Pacino's 'inch by inch' clip from Any given Sunday. It evoked a few emotions but inspiration was not one of them (insert cringe).
The Sacrificial Martyr - to be the person that runs across the country Forrest Gump style to raise money for dying children living in totalitarian regimes with human rights violations where there is cruelty for animals and no access to clean water... When we see people in the media doing extraordinary things it is uplifting. But expecting leaders to sacrifice their energy, health, time, or reputation to do out of the ordinary virtuous acts in the aid of motivating people to want to do their work is super weird, if you think about it. I love a feel-good story as much as anyone else, but it ain't going to move the inspo dial in any sustainable way.
The Superhero Act - the hero that performs amazing super human feats in a Tom Cruise Mission Impossible sort of way. I blame Hollywood and see it in kids movies all too often (What does leading boil down to? May, 2023). To lead and inspire others you need to be cut like Thor, have an IQ of Einstein and have the quick wit of Dave Chappell. It is unrealistic, unsustainable and a brilliant way to drive an inferiority complex and imposter syndrome into good solid leaders.
It is about ONE consistent thing
There are so many interesting answers that come back from these surveys. But, one thing pops up every time. I am not a betting man, but if I was to come into your boardroom and ask the 'Admiration Question' to your team I would put a good chunk of change on this one answer being mentioned by at least one person (usually it is about half the group).
It is simple, accessible to the most junior leader and when you look at it as a daily habit doesn't take much time or energy. It is surprising every single working adult doesn't prioritise it when it comes to their work. Here are some quotes from a recent survey I took - see if you can spot the theme:
"Gives and gives in her quiet unpresuming way and without seeking recognition"
"Gives their time to support"
"Makes time for people and is also disarmingly honest"
"Selflessly give their time to improve our business"
"Always there when you need assistance"
"Approachable, supportive and considerate"
These remarks are about different people around the organisation.
Some may call it 'being in service'. Other may call it 'being selfless'. I call it Humility. The reason humility is so effective is that it prioritises the work and the job at the hand, and making life easier/better for others without any need or want for recognition.
It is the opposite of being the centre of attention and taking credit for others work or successes (yurk).
When we see Humble Acts, there is something inside of us that can't help but think, 'that makes me want to be better; that makes me want to help out; that makes me want to contribute'. It is inspiring. We see this mostly when disaster hits and whole communities muck in and help without any sense of hesitancy, reward, or gain.
But, most importantly it is in the ordinary moments when humility has its most extraordinary power. The leader doing the little things to make their customer's and their people's lives easier/better are going to inspire others to do the same. When done intentionally and consistently the ripple effect is real, powerful and impactful.
Often we get confused between sacrifice and selflessness. We also find it difficult to separate subservience from service. But those able to hook into the constructive and correct interpretation to build humble habits into their thinking and daily actions will be the most admired and inspirational leaders.
