👋Hi there,
What is happening in Ukraine is horrific and catastrophic for humanity. During these most recent challenging times, COVID, war crisis, enduring climate change, “The Great Resignation”, where do our leaders stand? What has shifted, what is “new leadership” in this new work?
In a recent article on how the Ukrainian Present Zelensky is showing the world how to lead (article below), organizational psychologist, Adam Grant, captures this up perfectly:
This has nothing to do with transactions; It has everything to do with interactions.
Most recently, the bestselfy team was working with groups of leaders on self-leadership after rolling out our new manager journey feature and it was evident that companies are failing people managers of the actual “inner” work needed to lead with intent.
In our new work environment, leaders need to do some self-discovery and simply, be there for their people. In a recent McKinsey study as to why employees are leaving (and my 2022 prediction is that they will continue to leave continuously and more leaders will join what I coined "The Great Reflection"), leaders need to provide the following three core elements below. Let's start with 'Growth' as when leaders have these types of conversations with their team members, they trigger feeling heard and valued and start to create a sense of belonging.
1️⃣ Discover the growth needs of your employee
ASK: What is your growth aim? (e.g., mastering a skill, learning about another area of the business, or something entirely new, taking on a leadership role). Help your employee visualize their aims and help support their growth facilitation.
ACTION: Continuously facilitate growth opportunities. Help them find a mentor, make them part of a cross-functional project, allow them to learn a new skill, recommend them for a leadership development track.
2️⃣ Co-create growth plans
ASK: What does progress look like over a set period of time?
ACTION: Write down the exact plan and keep this visible to both you and your employee; share with HR and with others across the company.
3️⃣ Add growth aim to your 1:1s agenda
ASK: What progress have you made on your growth aim? What have you learned? Any blockers? How can I further support you? What’s your concrete next step?
ACTION: Make sure growth conversations happen in every 1:1. Embed their growth aim as an agenda point to track, recognize, and celebrate each milestone.
We have managers and employees use bestselfy to provide transparency and a framework on how to have these types of coaching conversations - interested? 👇
📕READ: The No. 1 Leadership Lesson From Ukraine's Incredibly Courageous President, According to Adam Grant https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/leadership-ukraine-volodymyr-zelensky-adam-grant.html
🎥WATCH: Effective and Ineffective Leadership Styles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSLq4WZT2AM
Reflection Question of the Month 🤔 “How are you showing up every single day as a leader?”
On a personal note, I’ve just started as a volunteer coach for Ukrainians looking for jobs. Providing a safe space for them to connect, speak about their growth aim, and hope for a better future is what I can personally do to help. It’s up to every leader to give and serve as best as we can. What are you offering? If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, check out more here: https://imagine-ukraine.org/
In hope & peace,
Hilary
CEO & Co-founder