Personal Power. What's Yours?

Have you thought about power? How does it connect to your leadership capability? Personal power helps us navigate through the challenges and opportunities.

Click through to Jill's video.

Goals. Linear or Divergent?

Setting goals should stretch us. What process do you use - linear or divergent?

Click through to Jill's video.

The art of listening

Communicating isn't that easy. So, how can you increase your listening prowess?

Watch the video below for some simple tips.

Understanding the elements of listening

1. Stop physically
2. Stop mentally
3. Compartmentalise
4. Completely attend to the other person
5. Quiet your mental acrobatics

Values and courage

When I think of courage I think of having a strong sense of purpose. But what underpins that courageous purpose?

Well what we know is the basic building block for all of that forward motion is values – personal values.

Values that may not be apparent but nevertheless are part of our decision-making processes.

My values comes from many areas of my lived experience, my parents, my sisters, people I have admired, responses to knowledge gained and experiences had.

What are your core values? Where have they come from? How do your values connect and mesh with those you share your life with?

Essential steps

There are seven essential steps that we have identified to assist you surface your values.

1. Understand a simple values framework and consider where your values tend to fit.
2. Reflect on the history of your values – who has given you all or some of your values.
3. Identify your core values.
4. Review the “appearance” of your values during times of disruption.
5. Understand how your values are a “coverall” for your day-to-day activities.
6. Examine the connection of your values to other’s values.
7. Develop a communication process that allows for discussion of values.

​​

Values

What are values?

Values are the principles that help you to decide what is right and wrong. These principles, in turn, guide your actions, behaviours and thinking in various situations.

The most useful starting point when surfacing and sorting your values is to find the words that match the principle.

Words like these:

If you choose not to join the online workshop I encourage you to surface your values, develop some conversational processes to share, and discuss your core values with those who share your (COVID19) life.

It will assist you to get through this challenging time – and beyond.

Finally, and repeating something mentioned above, what I know is the basic building block for all of that forward motion is values – personal values.

By identifying your values you will have a strong foundation to move courageously forward.

Courage & COVID19

Giving Yourself Some Slack

Written by Heidi Mumme, Affectus Facilitator and Researcher

Have you thought about going easy on yourself?

What are your expectations of yourself ?

These are completely abnormal times, unprecedented circumstances, terms we are all becoming more familiar with since COVID-19 first reared its ugly head. These are times we are all navigating through on a day by day basis. It can be stressful and scary; it is uncertain and there is no handbook to help us. 

What is your new normal?

The reality is that there will be people who no longer have jobs, people who are now juggling work under a new set of conditions, and there will be some for which life hasn’t changed too much. Whatever your new norm is, there will be continuous readjusting to what that means for you. The reality of what your new norm looks like has/or is possibly still kicking in - this new normal will become normal, at least for now.

Goals and standards drive us as individuals whether in work or your personal life, but COVID has shifted many goals posts for almost all of us.

What happens when the goal posts are shifted?

For most of the population working from home is not the norm, let alone trying to work at home with your partner and/or children all trying to function in the same space, throw home schooling into the mix and each day can be a definite challenge – give yourself some slack.

Yes, we are going to make mistakes – big ones and small, and that is OK. Making mistakes is part of life and they are important to learn from. If something didn’t work today, try it differently tomorrow and see what happens – Have you given yourself some slack yet?

Our "Give Yourself Some Slack" Tips.

• Don’t compare yourself to others – your situation and current set of circumstances is unique to you. What works for your best friend may not work for you and that is OK.
• Understand the goal posts have shifted and this may mean you need to reassess the expectations you would normally put on yourself – you need to find a happy medium in your new situation.

 AND

Ask yourself these questions each day

• What are 3 things I am grateful for?
• What are 2 things I did well today?
• What is 1 thing I would do differently?

Recognise when you need some time out for yourself because you will!!

​More than ever we need to take care of ourselves, look out for each other and be considerate to each other.

Be generous and be kind to yourself and those around you.

Courage and stress

Written by Katie Scutt,  NSILP Graduate 

How stress influences how we lead

In global crises like we are experiencing now, we are all likely to be experiencing higher levels of stress than we normally do.

This is on top of the stressors we already have. But what is stress, really? And how does it affect our ability to be the strong leaders that we need now more than ever?

​“…stress arises when individuals perceive that they cannot adequately cope with the demands being made on them or with threats to their wellbeing.” 
Lazarus, 1966

To explain this further, for us to feel stressed, we first need to perceive that what is happening is a threat (e.g. there is a t-rex in front of us) and then we need to perceive that we don’t have the resources to cope with that threat (e.g. it can run faster than us).

What is important to note here is how we perceive situations and our ability to deal with them is key to whether we feel stressed and overwhelmed or calm and clear headed.

It’s also part of the solution.

A lot more information on what stress is can be found here and ways to cope with stress here.

Stress, leading and good decisions

So how does stress affect our ability to lead and make good decisions?

Leadership 

For better or worse, stress influences our leadership behaviour.

It can turn us into great leaders in or we can unknowingly become part of the problem.

This in turn, has a significant impact on the stress levels of those who we are trying to lead.

Consciously cultivating positive leadership behaviours in times of stress, such as maintaining a strong vision, communicating a positive outlook and forming strong connections with our team members will focus our leadership skills and also reduce stress for ourselves and others.

Decision making

Leadership takes a lot of brain power, even in the best of times.

To make good decisions we need to address problems and make decisions all the while thinking about the big picture and keeping a watch out for threats to our progress.

When we are under stress, our ability to do this is reduced. This is ok and normal.

Remember, we are stressed when we feel like we don’t have the resources to cope with the demands placed on us. So, if we can find ways to increase the amount of resources we have, we can free up brain space and clear thinking.

Some ways to increase your resources include:

• delegate, remember you are part of a team and getting through tough times is a team effort
• remember its ok to ask for help
• prioritise and cull things off your to-do list that aren’t immediate priorities; what are you trying to achieve and what will help you get there, everything else can wait
• learn how to say no – when you say no to one thing you are saying yes to another
• get enough sleep and take care of yourself – remember you need to put your oxygen mask on first
• think about the positives, take a moment each day to reflect on what is going well

The bottom line

Stressful situations are going to affect us in different ways, including our ability to lead and make good decisions.

The good news is that if we take conscious, simple measures we can be the positive leaders needed to not only survive, but thrive in a crisis.

We just need to keep sight of our vision, bring our teams along with us and free up resources where we can so we can focus on achieving that vision.

Finally, if you or someone you know may be interested in delving deeper and exploring more tools and resources to deal with stress, click here for a free evidence-based e-course. 

Courage and difficult conversations

~ The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right place, but to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment ~
Dorothy Nevill

For each of us, the world has temporarily changed as we know it.

What this means and how this looks will be different for each person and family. 

Particularly at this time of uncertainty, we are regularly confronted with difficult situations that need us to have confronting, difficult conversations. Conversations that require courage.

A courageous conversation requires you to speak up and express how you feel about the issues that are weighing you down.

Being able to articulate your thoughts and opinions is not always easy and they can be misinterpreted leading to more awkward situations.

Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable

At Affectus we regularly ask people to “get comfortable with being uncomfortable”.

What does being uncomfortable look like for you?

For me the “unknown” manifests all sorts of levels of uncomfortable, but more importantly having conversations about what the unknown means and looks like is daunting.

How do you start these tricky conversations?

How do you find your voice?

The decision that a courageous conversation is needed is the first step…..well done!!!

Courageous tips for courageous conversations

• Fear and Ego can get in the way. Let them go
• Know why you want to have the conversation. Be clear
• Discomfort is highly likely. Be prepared
• Have realistic expectations
• Be calm and in the right frame of mind especially if it’s a sensitive issue
• Don’t talk too much. Listen. Conversations are two way. Talk with people, not at them
• Be vulnerable

It’s time to be brave and start having those courageous conversations; start being open, transparent and honest…you will become more resilient and it will have a wonderful effect.

~ What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything? ~
Vincent Van Gogh

Courage - some thoughts

The ability to do something that frightens you. I like that definition of courage.

I like it because it is your ability, your fear. It is you that is assessing your ability, it is you that has turned to face something. It takes others out of the picture. It is you and yours.

At Affectus, we spend a lot of time asking people to look in the mirror and be bold. Often about personal traits and behaviours; levels of understanding and openness to change.

In fact, as I write this, I know that eighteen courageous individuals are on their way to meet us as part of the National Seafood Industry Leadership Program that we facilitate.

And, again, we will be asking them

• what do you know about yourself?
• what are you willing to step into to make the change that is needed?

At no point will we be asking them to measure themselves against one another. They may do this but we are not interested in that.

 What we craft is an environment where people see situations that may be scary. They have a good look at it. And they take a step toward it.

We courage will we see?

We have been specialists in the area of leadership for well over two decades. That means that some of what we see and hear will be familiar to our team because others have trodden similar paths toward their fear. But it will be different and inspiring…I am positive about that. In fact, we often talk about awakening tigers! And that takes courage.

So, what does courage look like?

For one person it could be willing to start a difficult conversation…or any conversation.

For another it could be to address a room full of strangers…or another person.

Or, it could be a young person speaking their mind surrounded by faces with decades of experience.

Perhaps it’s a quieter person chairing a meeting.

Or, an experienced participant sitting and unearthing a deeper, hidden, unexpected wisdom and sharing it with others.

A couple of years ago I was asked to do some work in an unfamiliar setting. I hesitated, I felt my heart lift a few revs and I bit down and stayed quiet.

I found my Third Space, dusted off my courage and agreed. Now as it turned out the dates didn’t match my calendar (mores the pity) but at that moment I realised a couple of things:

1. It had been long time (2 ½ years) since I had done something way, way out of my comfort zone. I hadn’t had to bite down on my fear for a long time. I realised how inappropriate that was considering nearly every room I walk into that is precisely what I expect others to do. So, I am dusting off my courage more regularly now. When I feel the revs go up a notch or two, I pause and consider more actively; does it connect with my purpose? Yes! Well turn and have a look and move toward it. Step into that new leadership space.
2. I also realised that courage takes practice. Once you know it there is a familiarity to your responses. However, we can get out of the habit of being courageous.

What about you?

How do you know when you need to be courageous? When was the last time?

I wonder, as I write this out, what percentage of my day/week/year is spent being courageous? And then I wonder about the person sitting next to me on the bench at the gate? Sitting next to me on my previous flight?

And then I pause and consider courage at a more intense level. Fleeing; facing aggression; looking at rage and it takes on a completely different hue.

When will you be courageous? Tomorrow? This week?

How will our amazing eighteen inspire us again as they demonstrate courage and then build deeper self-knowledge?

Don’t let your courage get dusty like mine did.

Have a wonderful courageous day. 

Awaken the tiger.

Juggling you - self care

Do you wonder about juggling you? Do you think “when will I have enough time”? Does your to-do-list feel a little/a lot/just plain crazy?

During periods of time in your life juggling time so you can find care for yourself can be elusive.

Some of you may be married and that becomes part of the juggle. Others of you have a terrific leisure life and that becomes part of the juggle. And for others it is the community expectations and kids wants & needs.

Yep many of us can tick off all of those and think..golly there it is in a nutshell…juggling and me…well actually it is just juggling.

Our last blog talked about knowing yourself, your distractions, your type and team.  This blog is just for you and it comes as a story.

Now I am not a great story writer. I am a little more skilled with the talking part. But nevertheless I want to tell you a story. It is a story of juggling and self-care.  I hope you will find it useful rather than just another dose of “suck eggs”.

My juggling story

I took myself away last weekend. I went to a place with people I love and who help me be open and vulnerable.

The opening up element I find ok. On the other hand, the vulnerable part I can find challenging. But when I connected with the people that I shared this weekend with I was able to step into vulnerability.

This probably has something to do with safety. 

So, over the weekend this is what I found out.

Learning 1 - Away 

By taking the time away from the day-to-day I discovered more about myself.
I unearthed a more practical side of my nature and I found out some more about my responses to others.

Some of those are trivial and some immensely valuable.

Learning 2 - Vulnerability

For instance, I can knit squares for refugee bedspreads while I am talking about loss and grief. And in doing this for the first time I didn’t cry.

I found out that when the conversation got a bit heavy and intense I feel the vulnerability rise and so I project and assume others are feeling the same and I lighten the mood.

So a personal learning is to take something to do with my hands when deep conversations might happen. And next time don’t lighten the mood; leave that to another and go into that place that I sometimes avoid.

What about you?

When was the last time you paused long enough to get to those places of self-knowing? And why is that important?

I can’t help you with the answers to those two questions. But I do know how valuable it was for the 18 other people I was with. It was really valuable.

Learning 3 - Distractions

Something else I found was the importance of distraction. You might think I am contradicting myself. But I don’t think I am.

Last blog we talked about juggling in a more practical functional way. So when I am talking about distraction that means suspension/pause/off-button.

Last weekend, like similar weekends I have attended, helped me suspend my life for 56 hours.

Yes there are others who attended this retreat who wanted action at the end. But for me the distraction, the suspension allowed me to be with others. And hear their words, understand their drive and direction.

Through the suspension of my day-to-day I was able to be more present. I was able to access more appropriate responses.

And the true loveliness was that none of others stuff had to become part of my juggling. At the same time it did add understanding to the items I am juggling.

Being in distraction (perhaps suspension is a better word) to ensure you can be more present allows you bring your whole self to a conversation.

Know your distractions 

A logical next step is to think about what distracts you?

Perhaps it is a time of day or a type of task.

Do you get distracted very easily when doing certain activities? Or there other activities where you can concentrate really well and maintain focus through all sorts of noise?

Is the latter because you place high value on that task or activity? Such high value that you don’t hear people talk. Is the former because you haven’t placed high value on that activity.

Knowing your distractions and how you value them can help you work out (juggle) when to work on what.

I want to let you in on a secret, I get distracted very easily when I am doing certain activities. And it is always hose activities I don’t place a high value on.

Know your type

At Affectus, we have this amazing personality assessment tool called The Big Five. One of the most robust conversations we have with clients who use this tool centres around conscientiousness.

How is your level of conscientiousness related to juggling and time?

Well I think that highly conscientious people are often more wired for getting things finished. They tend to know the task and where it finishes.

Whereas for someone with low conscientiousness gets distracted and finds something more valuable to bounce onto before finishing what they have started.

Yes, yes I know I know I am generalising here but the point is…knowing your type it is hugely liberating.

Another not-so-secret-secret. I am not very conscientious. It’s funny because even my teachers use to say that about me! But knowing I’m not conscientious makes me more conscious of juggling my time and commitments effectively.

Know your team

This seems an inconsequential concept but it can been liberating to really know who is in your various teams. And how can the team be effective time managers?

You may have many teams in your life. And if you know the team’s strengths you can then see their juggling habits.

What do they do well? How can you tap into that strength to assist you with your juggling.
Going back to the image of the bicycle-riding, tightrope-suspended, ball-juggling aerialist in Juggling and Focus,she is part of a team. A whole team that makes up Cirque Du Soleil.

Understand your juggling in relation to others surrounding you and draw on their abilities.

How to juggle time and commitments

Knowing yourself is a good starting point.

To assist you with knowing yourself it is valuable to get a bit of a snapshot.

Here is a link to a simple inventory.

This will assist you in establishing your time wasters. And, from that point of knowing, you will have some insight into you, your distractions, your type and your team.

A final secret.Just to let you know this is not how I juggle.

​“I'm always trying to show versatility. I'm juggling, and I'm flipping fire, and I'm chewing gum and rhyming at the same time... on a unicycle, while playing the drums.” ~ MF Doom

Juggling and focus

Have you seen Cirque Du Soleil?

I watched the performance with a couple of young people. We were entertained. We were amazed. And one of us cried halfway home because he wanted to stay there with all the circus people. Quite the impression!

I found one of the acts was particularly impressive. A women on a bicycle with an umbrella juggling. Juggling lots. So many objects.

It was incredible to watch. Such skill. Such concentration. Whenever I think of juggling that suspended artist on her bike with her umbrella comes straight to mind. How did she do it?

What is juggling? 

Well the definitions read like this

“continuously toss into the air and catch (a number of objects) so as to keep at least one in the air while handling the others.” and/or “cope with by adroitly balancing (several activities).”

How does juggling overlay with opportunity and leadership growth?

Well it depends on what you are trying to juggle doesn’t it?

So back to my mental image. Do you have lots of balls going at once? Are you:

Well what happens when we have too many balls going? 

As I watched my suspended juggler maintain a cloud of ping pong balls I did watch her face. And particularly her eyes. They appeared to be glancing through the swirl using her peripheral vision to track flashes.

I have tried to juggle and a modicum of success was achieved through not looking at the individual object. But to predict and then manage my movements in anticipation.

Perhaps someone who juggles may have a succinct description of what the brain and body does. My point is that in the act of juggling perhaps we are not focusing. Well, not focusing on the objects.

And when we manage the complexities of our lives, what do you juggle?

My life can be very complex, as can all of ours. And I have to be candid here. I am OK but not great with juggling. And I have discovered that the way I juggle doesn’t connect to my espoused values.

Does your juggling reflect your life values? 

​I have found that it is people in my life that are dropped when the everything I’m juggling becomes too:

So what can we do about this?

Well, perhaps its the following

I am going to keep talking about juggling over the next couple of weeks. Feel free to share if you know someone who is thinking through the concept of juggling. 

And, if you have someone in your gang who knows how to actually juggle ask them give you a demonstration and watch them.

What leadership are we looking for?

Looking for leadership. Is it too soon? Can I dive in? Have I mulled through my thoughts enough?

Emotions (deep, raw, grief-filled), mine, family, friends, and my network aired over the last 17 days.

 Should I wait until after the next wave of heat and wind that could leave more devastation?

I think it is time to dive in. It is time to look in the mirror and have a good think.  If not now when?

One of my graduates put a comment on social media last night that suggesting that it is time that Affectus (my company) develops and delivers a leadership program for all politicians entering parliament. Wouldn’t we love to. I wonder who might attend?

Now to the questions that have been racing around in my head for months, if not years;

Leadership questions

Because they are us.

Really, they are us. And we all know that feeling when we are put into a space that we are completely seen – warts and all.

If we want to avoid going around in Einstein’s circle of insanity (and I know that there is some speculation about the validity of this concept) of thinking then we need to be brave enough to say leadership is not about a hero leader. Leadership is about me and I need to step into my space and be the leader I need. 

I have also read lots of commentary about what we didn’t get during this time of national need. So, I am going to really stick my neck out here and have a go at what might have been useful.

What might have been useful

A clear picture of leadership

When I think about those questions and more, I get a clear picture of leadership.

It's many people stepping into a leadership space.

I believe this, not the hero leader, is the truth about leadership.

As I ponder my questions further I sit here in my office, knowing that tomorrow and the next day, and the many days after, will be dangerous days in my part of the world.

I know that many people have sacrificed so, so much.

I understand that sections of my part of the world will possibly never recover.

But I do ache for leadership. A new leadership where we all understand (including those at the top of the hierarchy) that someone should not feel compelled to be our hero. Instead it is about us stepping into that leadership space that we all see.

What leadership do you want?

More importantly, how can we build a leadership style in our community that saves us from a hero leader who can never do it all?

On 6 March 2019 four leaders presented to the National Seafood Industry Leadership Program 2019 Participants in Hobart. The theme of the panel session was "Leadership and Your Sector of the Australian Seafood Industry".

Here is the link to hear the panel presentation to the team. https://youtu.be/ERJ2Rw4tXa8

You may also be interested in watching each of the speakers individually.

Emily Grilly - https://youtu.be/QQz90DwXwkM
Cam Shield - https://youtu.be/lza9feOljiU
Heidi Hansen - https://youtu.be/Yhyex3aXYyY
Sarah Ugalde - https://youtu.be/cCHWN1yPW14

As we move through “graduation season” at Affectus it is a great time to reflect on “what next” for our graduates.

We spend time providing them with personalised “Exit Letters” and part of that communication is to encourage them to understand about re-entry.

The understanding that Affectus has developed comes from researching institutes such as NASA and Universities. We have gathered information about international exchange programs and astronaut re-entry procedures. And from our reading, we have been able to develop a short document about how to leave something familiar and comfortable and life-changing (such as your time in space or our leadership programs) and return to something that once was familiar.

We spend time discussing how to leverage those life-changing, new-direction-setting leadership experiences to courageously alter your world for the better.

Our facilitators ask people to make a commitment and to publicly state what they are going to focus on now. And we are also committed to continue this conversation through the idea of leverage.

What is leverage?

The use of something to maximum advantage, or the power to influence people and get the results you want, or positioning your feet on the ground and pushing (cue smiling images of kids on seesaws).

More seriously, it is

to influence in a manner that will multiply the outcomes without having to increase the effort or input.

What does that mean for people moving beyond Affectus?

Archimedes is credited with saying

“give me a place to stand and with a lever I will move the whole world".

Leverage is here to assist us.

Many, many objects are raised through the process of leverage.

How do our graduates leverage their leadership experience to aide and raise.

Recently the Queensland Seafood Industry Association interviewed four of our graduates about their experience in one of our programs.

The interviewees continually to refer to the power of the team and how coming together ensured powerful outcomes for the industry.

This is leverage in a team setting. Understanding the value of individuals and working as a group to jump on one end of the seesaw.

What needs to be pointed out here is that the individuals in the group maintained their autonomy and independence from each other. However, they were all moving toward the same goal. Eventually, at the right time, they all came together and put downward pressure on the lever to “unlock the value of our seafood”. And the result was the seafood community of Australia seeing themselves and their value in a very different light. This would not have happened if the team hadn’t co-ordinated and decided how and when to press on the lever they were grasping.

Why use leverage?

If we go back to the seesaw image we can see the reason to leverage . That is because it raises “things” while expending less energy. It raises that which may remain stuck otherwise.

When I think about the simple seesaw model I think about being raised by the person on the other end of the plank. But I also think about the position of the fulcrum (the bit in the middle of the plank). If the pivot point is too close to me as I push down then I have to use a huge amount of energy to raise the opposite end of the seesaw. But if the pivot point is too far away then I can’t get my hands on the end of the seesaw. Remember having to ask your parent to grab the end of the seesaw? Remember the pivot point.

What else is leverage?

Leverage is also about the pivot point and getting that right so the lever can do the work.

Therefore, the thinking about leverage isn’t just about thinking about the end (of the plank) and raising something. It is also about understanding the positioning (and repositioning) of the pivot point.

It was wonderful to see the power of understanding emerge during the final stages of the recent national leadership programs.

The understandings about:

• What are we really trying to raise in this meeting with the Federal Minister?
• How do we present our ideas in a way that will increase our impact?
• How can we represent our ideas and outcomes in a manner that will efficiently provide downward force on the lever?
• What difference will our work make?
• Can we position the people of the industry who understand our ideas and are on board (the pivot point) to make the change we see?

Great thinking was done about these concepts.

Who can you put pressure on lever?

Affectus has explored this concept of leverage to efficiently use the combined effort to maximise affect. And we are totally convinced that everyone can identify and use the lever.

Remember…

• Being a young child and wanting something; the hissy fit that got you what you wanted (possibly only once).
• As a teenager working out how to manage parents with the assistance of “everyone else is allowed to”.
• As a young adult succeeding, and then understanding, that you need to work really hard to get the effect you want. And then acknowledging that it was a combined effort not just your force that got you there.

These lessons, however they appeared in your life, teach about:

1. The raising of an idea (the person on the other end of the seesaw)
2. How to position the pivot point (close to you or a long way away from you)
3. The amount of pressure applied (once or over and over again) to get the result.

Everyone can and does use leverage but we can be smarter about it and think about

• What needs to be raised
• What effort will be required
• Where the pivot point should be to minimise the effort and maximise the affect

This week I spent a couple of minutes talking with Libby Gorr and Cameron Schwab about the language of leadership. We spoke about the importance of understanding the difference between leader, leadership and management.

In the work that we do at Affectus, the language of leadership matters and matters a lot.

There are the conceptual words that swirl around leadership.

And then there are the overarching words that frame leadership.

When talking about the overarching these are the key ones that we need to get our head around.

Leadership

Leadership is the decision to act and affect with a group of others. This group, generally, have an understanding of and an agreement with the direction being taken or the endpoint that has been established.

Leader

A Leader is an individual who commands the group and usually has a title. This title is often bestowed by the group.

Management

Management, generally, is about the process of dealing with and/or controlling people or things.

Leadership and Leader

In my conversation with Libby and Cameron, we talked about the importance of understanding the difference between leadership and leader.

Cameron and I agreed that leadership is a decision and an action and done with others. While leading is about a title which comes and goes.

We also discussed management being very different to leadership. That leadership is about finding a direction and moving there. Management, on the other hand, is much more focused on achieving results.

Of course, it is clear that these two concepts can be undertaken by the one person. However, different thinking is required when demonstrating leadership or providing management.

See, the words are important because they change our way of thinking and therefore our actions. Language is incredibly important.

Words

And then there are the other words…

The words that swirl around leadership; the decision to take action and then to act with a group of other like-minded people.

Words like:

• courage
• direction
• vision
• passion
• empathy
• knowledge
• teams
• insight
• capacity
• humour
• creativity
• inspiration
• awareness.

These are the most common words our people, participants and graduates mention when leadership is reviewed at the conclusion of our programs and events. And this is what you and I seek when undertaking leadership action.

A new level

What leadership do you see demonstrated around you?

I see people being courageous, communicating their vision and living and speaking their passions. We work with people who understand that empathetic, open, insightful leadership is what they are striving to demonstrate.

So how do we (you and I) get to a new level of leadership?

1. Understand that leadership is always undertaken with others. You may have the idea but it will remain an idea, an interesting activity until you gather others around you to move.
2. Find a way to grow your understanding and capacity around leadership. Do this by working with a leadership mentor, a mentor focused and experienced in the leadership space.
3. Identify what your vision is, big or small; immediate or long-term and start talking about it.

Read our other leadership blogs here.

Is it a leader or leadership, and does it matter?

Is it self-leadership or just leadership? Is it about me or others?

Leader or leadership?

Affectus believes it is all about leadership and everyone understanding that they have the potential to undertake leadership roles.

Leader or Leadership? Leader is about the individual whereas leadership is about the ability, behaviour and action of an individual and or a group.

The title Leader vs demonstrating leadership

The title Leader is often bestowed by others on an individual. "She is our leader; he is leading us”.

Whereas demonstrating leadership is a choice of an individual or a group.

From our research and observations, the role of leader can be transient and can disappear quickly as seen through the demise of Malcolm Turnbull. This doesn’t mean Mr Turnbull can’t go on and demonstrate leadership or claim the leader crown in another role. However, if we, individually or as a group (or party, committee or team), put our focus on the leader rather than leadership then the activities similar to those of 20–24 August can consume our energies. And as a result, those who we might assist become less important or invisible.

Of course, organisations need people in roles and responsibilities. BUT, if individuals are focused only on the role they can occupy then the strategic focus is blurred or can be hijacked. For example, Bill Shorten’s jump in popularity when he has been lagging so badly.

Why does the language of leadership matter?

At Affectus, we believe language is incredibly important.

The University of Washington has a concise paper on the choice of words.

To contextualise the faculties information this is why effective language and words are important.

Choice of words assists with sorting the following:

• Concrete and specific or vague and abstract
• Concise or verbose
• Familiar or obscure

Reflecting on the leadership machinations in the federal sphere the words that were used publicly framed the leadership position of the individuals. (We will never know what happened privately.) Think on Peter Dutton’s press moments; on Malcolm Turnbull’s public statements; on the lack of words from Morrison. What leadership did we see demonstrated?

There is a whole heap of material that we can imagine. However, all we could really count on was what was coming out of mouths in the public sphere. It framed our thinking and gave us insight into future leadership behaviour.

Historically, Australia has witnessed public figures speak words that have gone on to define them, frame them forever. “The Real Julia”, “God Save the Governor General”, “I didn’t inhale”, just to quote a few.

It is so important to consider our words, both written and spoken. Specifically, when we are thinking about leadership and our leadership aspirations.

The concepts of self-leadership and leadership

Therefore, the concepts of self-leadership and leadership are worth considering.

How do self-leadership and leadership differ?

I can remember having a valuable discussion about these two concepts a number of years ago when I was consulting with a number of under-grads about moving through their studies and finding their leadership space. The group of 80 students came to the same conclusion as I had a number of years earlier.

That conclusion was the same leadership principles that I hold as important apply whether I am leading myself or occupying a leadership role within a group.

What do we find when we transfer that thinking to the federal political sphere?

What happens when we extend that concept?

Well, in the words of a retired Federal politician...

"They (the politicians) appear to be morally bankrupt."

How can this be? How could it have come to this?  These are actually all good people…I am completely sure of that. While I don’t agree with them I am sure they are thoughtful people.

I will get off my soapbox in a moment, but actually, I think the understanding of self-leadership and what we all bring to that space and the leadership roles we occupy cannot be separated.

Therefore, if you are motivated only by you and what you can get then perhaps reconsider stepping into the public sphere.

Or, potentially, if you are going to step into a public representative role, find someone to be your compass and keep your ambitions for ambition only in check. Because the people you are representing are reading you... all the time.

You may be wondering why organisational health is important.

From a personal perspective

I have been investigating organisations (for years), individuals who make up these organisations and now organisational health. I respond to the concept of organisational health from the personal perspective, with a leadership overlay. That is, why do I do this? It's because my mantra has always been “it starts with me (you) and leadership is for everyone and all the time”.

Organisational health and the individual

Our recent Alumni newsletter explored the idea of organisations and organisational health, but let’s start with you and me.

What is the link from individual to organisational health?

And how can the individual impact positively on organisational health?

Observation

Many months ago I was having a mentoring conversation with one of Affectus’ mentees. We were talking about how he felt at work and how he felt about work.

The conversation went included questions like:

• How do you know that “work” listened to you?
• Did they listen to you?
• What will assist you in getting to the next stage in your process of leading on this matter?
• Has this changed your feelings towards your workplace?

The conversation the mentoring session prior to this had been:

• Why are you working for them?
• Do your values align with your workplace values?

Conversation value

Both these mentoring sessions were valuable to the mentee and me. Why? Because it assisted in understanding more about the impact of the individual on organisational health and vice versa.

The value of the conversation was that the mentee during the first conversation was clear that either he had missed the goals, vision and values of the organisation or that there were none.

Understanding these options would have assisted him to be less reactive about his feelings about the workplace. As well as being more proactive and display personal leadership. And that would then have a positive impact on the organisation and organisational health.

Outcome

The first conversation allowed him to step back into the workplace and ask some questions of his line-manager about goals, vision and value. Leadership conversations then ensued about organisational communication and autonomy.

This simple “what are we all about and what are we achieving” brought forth important thinking and discussions. Those discussions allowed my mentee to feel significantly more connected to the workplace and the goals. Why? Because the goals were there and the vision was there; the communication just hadn’t been.

Further down the path, it allowed the mentee then to think through:

• What is my value?
• Does the workplace fully understand the value I bring to the business?

It was clear that his value was not being demonstrated to the organisation. The autonomy and goal-kicking he was doing were not well observed. His leadership allowed him to bring this to the attention of the managers.

At Affectus, we consider organisational health very important. We understand the impact it has on the organisation and the individual. And we also know that the leadership required to undertake these conversations is considerable.

We encourage you to think about how healthy is your organisation? And what can you do to improve the current state?

We can all bring organisational health onto the agenda.

Organisational health, as defined by www.organizationalhealth.com, is an “organization’s ability to function effectively, to cope adequately, to change appropriately, and to grow from within.”

There is some sense that organisational health is comprised of a number of areas. Some suggest there are many areas that Affectus deals with but let’s have a look at a few:

• Goals. The organisation having a goal, a vision and for everyone to buy into that goal or vision.
• Communication. Clear channels and clear messages – up, down and across with and from everyone.
• Power. To understand power and equalising (or evening out) the power within an organisation structure.
• Cohesion. People within the organisation understanding where they fit in and how to influence the organisational direction and outcomes.
• Edge of Chaos. The flexibility in the organisation to ensure people are working on the edge of chaos to ensure new concepts are in circulation.
• Team. A state of security and satisfaction for the people who are part of the organisation.
• Autonomy. Organisational understanding of and personal opportunity for autonomy.
• Resilience. A high tolerance for coping with stress, and a leadership responsibility to support and oversee the personal resilience of people connected to the organisation.

Why is it important?

When Affectus considers the above areas we understand again the importance of our work in the leadership space. However, it is really valuable to consider why it is important to review and lead in the area of organisational health.

We have collected many anecdotes over many years that illustrate organisations who take organisational health seriously. Also, unfortunately, those who haven’t. We are not sure about the direct connection with financial benefits. However, it goes without saying that in our years we see organisations who consider these aspects have more engaged and rewarded people.

A couple of examples.

About four years ago Affectus was invited to be part of a business review. We attended as thought leaders to assist the organisation move beyond their current market position. It was a fascinating day asking “why” “what else” “really?” “how about this left field idea?”. However, as we drove away, our debrief and reflective conversation concepts where:

• That team is clear about its purpose: all levels of the business were sitting in the room and they know where they are heading.
• They are all clear about each of their roles: the employees, contractors, and Board all know what they are there for.
• Who were the supervisors in the room: it was hard to identify who was more important as nearly everyone spoke candidly.
• They have clearly been through challenging times but are also not afraid to go to the edge of chaos and see what else is out there.

Outcome: At the time the company was at the leading edge of the industry. Currently, they are a long way ahead of the pack.

At precisely the same time and by coincidence, Affectus began mentoring a couple of employees within another organisation in a different industry. Both mentees self-identified as middle-level supervisors.

We heard stories that concerned us for the future of the business. Therefore, key areas we encouraged the mentees to action were:

• Discover the vision/purpose/why of the organisation. Then integrate their individual work.
• More fully understand the flow of communication within the organisation. Attempt to relieve the “roadblocks” to ensure more effective decision-making and action.
• Discuss the senior management understanding of autonomy and team. Get a sense of how to build both these areas for the overall building of workforce resilience.

Outcome: This business, as highly regarded as they were, lost key and “edge of chaos” staff. One staff member exited the businesses and specifically mentioned the need for the business to think through autonomy, communication and team. It is also clear that this organisation has disengaged with leadership skilling of staff.

What can you do to influence organisational health?

It is important to understand how valuable it is to review organisational health. In early 2019 Affectus will be developing an organisational health program. This program will provide further opportunity to get a better handle on your organisational health.

If you are reading this and wondering what steps can I take now to get a better handle on my organisation's health we encourage you to review the workshops you have attended. We are sure, through our evaluation processes, that our workshops and programs have a very positive impact. Sometimes the knowledge and information we provide need to be looked at again.

If you have attended an Exploring Your Why Workshop or a Chaos workshop, relook at your thinking. Consider how can this be relevant to my organisation. Plus, what action can I take to assist “us” regarding this area of organisational health?

If you have attended a 3 or 9-day program with us we encourage you to go back and look at the areas of:

• communication
• goal setting
• power
• teams

and find ways to action greater change in the organisations you are part of.

Stay tuned and get involved in our single workshops. They may spark great organisational health. And as mentioned above we will be developing an organisational health concept in 2019.