Sustaining Hope - Redux

Late last week I published a blog entry about sustaining hope in a challenging work environment.  It generated it's fair share of commentary - most of it in the form of e-mails directly to me versus commentary directly to the blog.  Much of that feedback related to the positive impact I have had on people throughout my career as a leader.  I was even flattered enough to be compared favourably - if unreasonably - to the Dilbert cartoon, one of my all-time favourites.  Overall, it was clear that this latest entry had hit some nerve. 

Clearly there continue to be a lot of people looking for inspired leadership and believing that a better environment in which to create their potential can be created. 

Interestingly enough, I'm not the leader of these people anymore and, in some cases, never have been. I have no formal leadership role within any organization at the moment.. I've been out of a formal leadership role since February of this year. So why such resonance on this particular topic?

As we talked I was reminded of a recent conversation with my wife. Not surprisingly, she has often served as my leadership sounding board. And not simply because she is my wife. She is also a health care professional and leader in her own right. More importantly we have arrived at particular points of our career via different paths and experiences and sit at different stages of our respective careers. It's these differences in experience and viewpoint that I have most appreciated as I have developed as a leader. She can reaffirm or challenge my perspectives - often times in the same conversation!

In our latest conversation I was lamenting about lost potential. In particular, I was ranting about how great the possibilities were for creating a truly outstanding organization if only we would really tap into and realize the full energy of the people we work with. Unfortunately, too many of organizations seem content to simply compare themselves to some average "benchmark". Or compromises are made along the way for a variety of reasons that might ensure OK results, but not great results. Or worse yet, our leaders themselves fail to live up to their own stated values or the values of the organization. In the meantime, people in our organizations with star potential labour under these constraints and face the consequences of these compromises until they no longer have the energy to make the difference they are capable of. The result - they disengage or leave the organization.

I came back to this theme with my many of my former work colleague.  Many of them are ready and able to give the energy, passion and commitment we want from all of our staff and management.  Their informal leadership and willingness to make a difference in a broader circle of influence has made them more influential than their job descriptions would indicate.  They have taken on - or been given - difficult challenges, managed performance issues, tried to sustain hope, mentored others, and provided inspiration for many beyond their department. In short, they are just the type of leaders we would want to encourage, support and build into new roles for the organization. But while they still believe in the stated vision and values of their particular organizations, they are not convinced that the same level of commitment exists on the part of the broader organization.  They are disillusioned.

For me, some of the fundamental requirements of any leader is to sustain hope, build capacity, and provide inspiration for those they lead. This necessitates an attempt to work towards some higher, shared purpose. If a leader can articulate - and passionately live - this higher, shared purpose, and inspire his/her followers to this goal, and continue to build the individual capacity of each follower to this end the results can be truly amazing. I have had the privilege of working in at least two such organizations at points in their history where we believed in a common vision and worked passionately as a cohesive team to make it happen.

The fact that such a positive state of organizational health and energy can be achieved makes the lack of it all the harder to accept. One might even argue that it's easier to endure a challenging work environment if you've not actually had a good experience to compare it to! But when you have experienced good leadership, a good organizational culture, and seen a commitment to your personal development...well it's tough to deal with the loss of that environment.

So what's advice to my struggling colleagues? Essentially to stay true to their own values and commitments to their staff. From my point of view their leadership compass is pointed in the right direction and they can continue to make a difference in their circle of influence. And they also need to maintain their connection with like-minded individuals. Continue to connect with colleagues who share common values and commitments. Others are feeling equally frustrated and challenged. So continue to support each other and battle the isolation you might otherwise feel. You are not alone.

What of my own personal commitment to my colleagues? Even though I'm no longer part of any formal organization I still remain committed to their personal success and development. I promise to always pick up the phone or answer an e-mail. I promise to be a sounding board when needed.

I can still be a leader.
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Greg Hadubiak, MHSA, FACHE, CEC, PCC
TEC Canada Chair/Executive Coach/Senior Consultant
hadubiak@wmc.ca

Helping leaders realize their strengths and enabling organizations to achieve their potential through the application of my leadership experience and coaching skills. I act as a point of leverage for my clients. I AM their Force Multiplier.