Being a Thoughtful Leader requires more, and less, of you than traditional leadership. While leadership inherently means you need to lead people to fresh results and a transformation experience, it’s also about HOW you make things happen. This means it is essential, as a Thoughtful Leader, to match your demeanor to the circumstances, balance the energy output and be the connector between people, your vision and their transformation with wisdom.
For example, back in my college days, I was an elite athlete. I trained as if I were going to the Olympic trials. I had to create ever-improving results, even if only by increments, using a system of intake, physical training, practice, lots of hard work and rest periods. Amazingly, it was during the rest periods that my body made the most significant positive gains. Recuperation was the key to making all the other aspects of my training come together. Listening to my body’s wisdom gave me the competitive edge.
Likewise, rest and recovery have to be built into your leadership style. You must consider how your tribe members should recuperate to integrate more easily into their new way of being.
Change happens on multiple levels – physical, intellectual, emotional, spiritual and sensual. If any one area lags behind the others, it is running a metaphorical race to catch up. So balance the hard work and growth with time to rest, recover and integrate. This creates a culture of wholeness based on wellness and vitality, which is fertile ground for new ideas and latent with transformation energy.
Go for the Triple Win
A Thoughtful Leader is a triple-win advocate – for their vision, their tribe members and the whole community. How is a Triple Win created? By expanding the view, being the connector, creating a community culture and asking the right questions.
You must give words to the unseen to help others expand what they can see about the larger vision. This is what I call ‘expanding the view’. It’s about being as transparent as possible and appropriate to give people as much of a view as they want and can handle. Sharing a clear and consistent vision through your communications is one aspect of the Triple Win.
Another is being the connector of all the pieces; that is, by facilitating the moving parts to work together and create the collective masterpiece, you demonstrate being a Thoughtful Leader. Naturally, you will run into constrictions and concerns – this is part of the process. Your role is to neutralize, eliminate or clear those limitations to keep the transformation process engaged. Simply by holding the vision and maintaining positivity can be all the support tribe members need to solve problems and handle blockages to achieve the shared vision.
Does that mean always wearing rose-colored glasses? No. But it does mean being willing to take on some of the hard work, to be the visionary, and to use your gift of fresh perceptions to keep your tribe intact and tribe members productive and positive.
It means having honest conversations – with yourself and others – about the clarity needed to maintain momentum. Some of those candid conversations may become an invitation for empowerment – is that tribe member in or out? Their answer will determine the degree of their participation in current and future initiatives in service to the greater vision. If they’re not ‘in’, there is another opportunity waiting for them. In this case, your role is to help them understand that and invite them to explore further outside your tribe.
Create a Culture of Acceptance
By definition, a tribe will inherently have, become and create a culture. Your job as the Thoughtful Leader is to develop a healthy culture by leading conversations that reduce or minimize resistance while enabling and optimizing progress. Why? Because your vision requires other people’s efforts to realize it.
When you discover and then fight for your tribe members’ personal goals and perceptions, you set precedence for finding and fighting for where everyone can agree with each other. When you focus on building from strengths and positivity, others will too.
When you look for people’s ‘inner s/hero’, you will cause your tribe members to look within and around them for those same qualities. The Thoughtful Leader’s job is not to be the s/hero, but to make as many heroes as possible within the tribe.
Combined, all these factors reflect the Thoughtful Leader’s real job – setting the stage for transformation on all levels and making it easy for people to say yes to it. And all the above contribute to a winning tribal culture focused on contributing personal best in service to the greater vision for transformational results.
Your Invitation to Learn More
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© 2020 Donell Hill
About Donnie Hill
Donnie believes business and leadership development are paths for personal and community transformation. Finding and doing meaningful work ignites the soul, creates a positive impact and brings joy daily. He is the Founder and CEO of Life Maximizer LLC, a marketing and business strategy consulting company. Combining his Stanford University education with his experience as a communication coach, business transformation specialist, marketing strategist and sales facilitator, Donnie supports business and community leaders in strategically building their presence and thought leadership platform so they stand out in their industry and maximize their impact, brand, and legacy.