Step away! It’s time for a reality check
Sometimes our view of the way things are doesn’t quite match the reality. Sometimes as leaders we get so carried away with delivery that we are too busy to see what’s happening around us. It’s like leading with blinkers on. How can you lead your team effectively if you don’t stop, listen and give yourself a reality check?
In this blog we focus on how understanding your current reality enhances personal and team performance. We explain what may happen when leaders fail to reflect and understand the bigger picture, and share useful practices to help you move into reflective mode.
Growing pressures leave little time for reflection
With increasing workloads and expanding responsibilities, it’s easy to get caught up in the doing and not realise the impact your actions and behaviours have on your team. While you have your head down and tunnel vision switched on, your team could be floundering, desperately in need of direction.
I was reminded of this fact recently, after delivering module one of our Exceptional Leadership Makes Sense programme. At the end of the first day, one of the participants approached me and confessed, “I’ve realised why my team aren’t performing well. It’s because I don’t give them enough of my time and attention. I now know where I need to focus.”
To say this after just one day of learning was a real breakthrough moment - and she still had five days of the programme to come! I am excited by what this person might achieve.
Every leader needs a reality check every now and again. It keeps us grounded, focused and heading in the right direction to achieve our goals. There are always new things to learn.
Benefits of allowing yourself time to step away
It is good leadership practice to regularly step back and reflect on your own performance and that of your team. Holidays often lend themselves to this practice, but we also need that personal space away from thinking about work.
The most inspirational, high-performing leaders invest in personal development. They understand the value in taking time away from the day to day. Consider how you can sit for hours in a coffee shop or a pub putting the world to rights. We do our best thinking when we step away. Allowing yourself to do this can be transformational.
Reflective practices to help you move forwards
Are you clear on your purpose?
Great leadership starts with understanding where your organisation is heading, and why. Your team are relying on you to make their work purposeful. You can’t do this without understanding the purpose of your own work.
What is it that you are there to achieve? What outcomes do you need to happen to get there?
Ask for feedback
Feedback is a two-way process: you give and you listen with the intention of fully understanding. This is active, two-way listening. It will guide your thinking and help you make well-informed decisions. You might even find a gap between your own reality and that of your team.
Keep it real
Honesty is always the best policy. If your service scores are low and customer feedback is poor, don’t paint a rosy picture for others. Tell it how it is. That’s the only way you will improve. Even when a team is performing well and getting exceptional customer feedback, you have to work hard to maintain this level. Otherwise, the only way is down.
Ask the awkward questions
To really examine your current reality, you need to hear feedback from all angles. Would your team recommend working here to a friend or family member? Satisfaction at work is one of the key drivers of employee engagement.
Put your own mask on first
When leading change, process what is happening and accept the change yourself before you can support others through the process. If you don’t understand it, how can you communicate the information confidently? Change isn’t always comfortable to manage, but being clear on the reasons behind the change will help.
The dangers of failing to reflect
Improvement comes when you challenge the current reality, commit to making changes and follow them through. If you carry on doing the same things you will get the same results, or worse, performance will start to decline. This is what happens when leaders fail to step back and reflect:
Productivity dips due to lack of direction and unclear expectations
Chinese whispers and miscommunication
Team morale weakens and relationships become strained
Motivation and engagement declines
Team members start to leave
Attracting new recruits becomes more difficult
Customer service levels decline.
The potential impacts show that regular check-ins are invaluable - both with yourself and your team. If you don’t take the time to step away and reflect, the consequences could be huge. A habit of thoughtful, reflective practice leads to more intentional actions and more effective leadership and team performance.
Exceptional Leadership Makes Sense
Module two of our Exceptional Leadership Makes Sense programme gives you the opportunity to reflect on your current leadership reality. You will challenge yourself to assess how you are actually performing, consider the foundations of effective communication and successful ways to share information with your team.
The programme includes six full days of fun, interactive learning with a mix of open and facilitated discussions, group activities and personal reflection. You will leave the session having experienced the reality check you need to improve your own leadership capabilities and your team’s performance. This is ideal development for new, developing and aspiring leaders.
For more information on this Institute of Hospitality endorsed development programme, visit our Programmes page or book a Tell me more chat with Sally.