I often hear organizational leaders talk about the need “to create a leadership culture.” That statement always strikes me as a curious one. Every organization has a leadership culture. The question is not whether you have one, it is what type of leadership culture do you have? And that question must be followed by “What type of leadership culture do you desire?”
Let’s look at the four primary shared elements of any culture: attitudes, values, goals, and practices. These shared elements make up the cornerstones of any leadership culture.
Attitudes: The mental position regarding the calling or mission of the organization. Do the current leaders actually believe that the mission of the organization is able to be accomplished? Do they portray a positive, hopeful energy and feeling about the purpose of the organization? Or do they come across as cynical, fearful, or doubting?
Values: The relative worth or importance placed upon certain critical elements seen as pathways toward the mission of the organization. Does your organization have stated values? Are they the right ones? Are they embraced by your current leadership? Or are they given only token acknowledgement? Are the organizational values on display for all to see, but regularly subverted by what everyone feels or experiences on a daily basis? Is effectiveness trumpeted but efficiency rewarded? What values to your people actually experience?
Goals: The measurable ends toward which regular efforts are directed to see progress toward the mission of the organization. Do your leaders set the right goals? I don’t mean numerically. I mean categorically. Do they set goals that matter toward the fulfillment of the mission? Are the rest of the staff motivated by the stated goals and see clearly how reaching them can move the organization ahead towards accomplishing the mission? Do followers understand how their contribution really matters as they accomplish the stated goals?
Practices: The habitually performed works that lead to true effectiveness in accomplishing the mission of the organization. These are the day to day strategies and activities that leaders encourage, monitor and reward among their followers. These could range from out of the box innovation groups to the most mundane necessities. But it must be the reinforced strategies and actions that are meaningful to the mission. And the leaders of the organization must be involved in the creation and implementation of those practices.
A leadership culture that can tie these four pillars together in tangible ways, and connect them to a worthy mission, will capture the voluntary will of all who work there.
Do you want to know the state of your current leadership culture? Genuinely ask. Then listen well. If you create some safe space people will inform you about the true expression of your leadership culture. Then along with a team of leaders, determine what you desire for your leadership culture to become.
Here are some further, but absolutely critical, elements of a desirable leadership culture:
What is the mission of the organization? The leadership culture that you want to create must serve the ultimate reason your organization exists.
How much change are you willing to tolerate? If you don’t need things to change you don’t need good leaders. Good leaders will institute change somewhere. Do you truly want innovation, incremental change, or status quo? It matters. If you are serious about the mission, and good leadership is necessary to take you there, then you better implement an empowering environment that embraces change.
What are your thoughts? What would you add to the topic of leadership culture?
The post Creating a Leadership Culture On Purpose appeared first on Gary Runn.