Leadership Excellence

Message To: All Leadership

From: Misty Waterspring, Faux CEO

Greetings Folks,

Over the past month, I’ve set minimum expectations for the holders of all leadership positions in our organization:

1. Be an active listener

2. Always cause people to care more, never less

3. Actively develop your team

The final minimum expectation for all of our leaders is this:

Leadership Expectation #4: Progress Toward Leadership Excellence

Leadership excellence refers to a combination of qualities, skills, behaviors, and values that inspire and guide people to achieve exceptional outcomes. Sources of information about leadership excellence are abundant. To achieve your leadership potential as rapidly as possible, read, listen, learn, and apply.

Our organization is in a constant, never-ending battle to win hearts and minds, and our leadership is the most powerful lever we have to pull. But we've only pulled it halfway by expecting management, not real leadership. Have you ever met a talented person who responds well to being managed? Most barely tolerate it, understandably, and there’s plenty of evidence of that right here - 12% of our staff quit us every year, and the engagement of those who remain hovers in the 70th percentile. Horrible!

We regularly explain this away by saying our numbers are “in line with the industry.” But when people joined us they were 100% engaged, optimistic, and excited about our organization and their future here. Something is happening along the way, and that something reflects the difference between being managed and being led. We have to take responsibility for that. It’s time we pull the lever all the way back, do what our titles imply, and start leading!

Authority is for amateurs. The measure of your leadership is the influence you earn in the hearts and minds of the people you lead. Do they genuinely care? Are they loyal? Do they go the extra mile for you and for our mission because they want to? Are they fulfilled, their careers progressing? The state of each of these reflects the quality of your leadership.

Superior leadership is a flywheel. It powers a virtuous cycle and a competitive advantage that delivers a net positive for everyone. You achieve your career potential as a great leader of people, your folks achieve their own career potential, the organization fulfills its mission, and our mission serves the world sooner, bigger, and better because your leadership was the fuel on the fuse.

Looking ahead to year end, expect leadership compensation to begin reflecting leadership effectiveness. Details on this later. In the meantime...

Full steam ahead,

Misty Waterspring, Faux CEO, Waterspring Water Corporation International

Tips for selecting leaders and incentivizing good leadership are upcoming.

Hope you have a terrific weekend,

Dave

Feedback and blowback, hit dave@goodnewsfriday.com

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Written by me, not ChatGPT, with speed assist and blunder avoidance by Grammarly.