Written by: Terrence W. Cavanaugh, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
As I sit in my home study on a soggy Memorial Day weekend after weeks of social distancing and spousal relationship renewal, I am collecting my thoughts on my favorite subject – leadership.
As we all have weathered the pandemic, I have witnessed across the globe moments of great leadership, self-awareness, and strong execution. I also have seen missed opportunities, poor communication, and weak delivery.
Reflecting upon both examples, I am once again compelled to highlight the importance of effective leadership. Much has been written on the subject during this troubling time and it is clear no one author or organization has the ultimate “secret sauce.” If you search leadership at AmazonBooks you come up with 90,000 titles, 40,000 more than exercise, and just short of the 100,000 books on religion! Clearly, leadership is a topic that is complex, difficult to master and many are thirsting for insights and skill improvement.
My take on current leadership moments:
Do not cheerlead – this is platitudes without a plan. I have seen too many examples of misplaced opinion, hopeful stories, and artificial feel-good moments. Crisis leadership requires appropriately optimistic, realistic straight talk with a vision of success and an executable path to get there. No shortcuts – just collective execution with demonstratable results.
Do not be a scorekeeper – while it is important to provide some basis for current positioning everyone keeps track of the ”score.” People hide behind numbers/statistics and they are easily manipulated. Do not dwell on the numbers – focus on the future success and the plan to achieve. Revamp your message with figurative language, not stark numbers and metrics.
Do Listen thoughtfully – speak clearly – Absorb the input both formal and informal, digest it and use it to formulate your communication to all constituents.
Do create Personal accountability – yours and others. Focus on future execution not previous failures – Leadership is about gathering expertise and resources then executing.
Do the greater good no matter how hard. This effort requires a leader respected by all (peer leaders, team members, competitors, community). This “greater good” encompasses moving from a present state to a better future state with active recalibration.
Recognize great leaders are imperfect but self-aware – they not afraid of their imperfections but lead through intellectual curiosity, appropriate passion, a positive attitude grounded in reality, a bias towards action and unwavering focus on the goal. Great leaders always balance purpose with passion.
Explain the Why – Define the How – Over the past several months, I have witnessed many “leadership moments” where the individual spends lots of time discussing the “why” (many times deflecting problems and using doublespeak) but never gets to a complete picture of the “how”! These leaders need to focus on the future and how their plan will work. Great leaders spend 20% of their time explaining the why to provide context but 80% of their time defining the how of the mission. Great leadership is about improving the future state, not recreating the past.
Onward! – These thoughts are not new but are hard to put into practice! I believe great leadership is a combination of personal DNA, intellectual passion, developed emotional skills, and a hefty dose of self-awareness that helps craft communication, vision, action, and results! Enjoy the summer as we grow as individuals and communities through this COVID landscape. We all have the challenge and obligation to be better people and leaders going forward.
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Terrence W. Cavanaugh, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Terry Cavanaugh founded his Executive coaching practice (Accretive Consulting) in 2017 as he transitioned from a 40-year career in the insurance industry. He retired as CEO and President of Erie insurance – a $7 billion revenue property, casualty, life, and annuity provider in 2016. In his current role he helps C Suite executives hone their competitive edge and build new skills and awareness through dialogue, questions and observations based on his real-life experience, academic training (Rutgers Leadership Program and International Coaching Federation membership).
He blends this practice with continued board work (both private and public organizations), nonprofit volunteer work, and world travel.
As one of a few Fortune 500 CEO in the coaching field, he looks forward to helping others achieve personal and professional success and fulfillment.
