2020 – The New Leadership Challenge

The Leadership Challenge, written by James Kouzes and Barry Posner, was one of the first comprehensive books I read on how to become a great leader. Today, the impact of Kouzes and Posner’s leadership principles still stand at the top of my list when it comes to recommended reading for new and experienced leaders alike. For those unfamiliar with this work, the authors focused on five practices of exemplary leadership; Model the Way, Inspire a Shared Vision, Challenge the Process, Enable Others to Act, and Encourage the Heart. 

I have dedicated my leadership life, both personal and professional, to improve daily in each of these practices. For those who have heard me speak, it is a 24/7 commitment when you set out to lead others and since none of us are perfect, the intentional strive to grow and learn each day is critical to any success you want to achieve.

The Leadership Challenge had a great influence on my very own Impact Leadership Model as did Bob Burg and John David Mann’s The Go-Giver with the five laws of stratospheric success. In both reads, the principles of leading centers on values and serving others authentically. This approach has never been more important than it is right now.

2020 started off just like any other year for me as I am fairly sure it did for you all as well. Johnson Health Center was off to a great start and I enjoyed two great speaking and leadership engagements through my Impact consulting venture. This was going to be a great year all-around. Of course, in mid-March everything changed. 

Fast forward to now. We have seen unprecedented challenges all come together at once; from COVID to social injustice to the highly divided and emotionally charged political landscape. The toll it has taken on people may not be known for months if not years. The more immediate impact is reflected in an erosion of resilience as people struggle to cope with life as it is now. The same applies to the workplace and I am not saying anything you don’t already know. 

The leadership challenge today is to engage people on a completely different level and with a degree of enhanced visibility that fosters safety and transparency. COVID in and of itself has demanded we do better with our people and handle them with care. 

One thing we did quickly at Johnson Health Center was initiate bi-weekly town hall meetings to keep our employees informed on how we were handling the pandemic. During these calls, which are still going on today, everyone has a voice and the dialogue has led to better communication and smaller focus groups to address opportunities to improve. 

Leading up to these meetings, we do a COVID taskforce call with representatives across the organization to make sure we address any and all concerns ahead of the town hall. On a recent call, we suggested that our Behavioral Health team be on point and ready to help struggling staff. The leader of that department was quick to point out that his team was struggling too. It became crystal clear at that moment there is no playbook for this. In other words, no one is immune from the challenges we are experiencing. This includes us as leaders.

So, what do we do to make sure our people are taken care of? First we have to take care of ourselves by acknowledging we need help too. What has helped me was building a network of my leadership peers across the Federally Qualified Healthcare Landscape (FQHC) landscape in Virginia. We are vulnerable with each other and the fact we can share challenges, concerns and offer help to each other is invaluable. It is a safe place and we need safe places at this time.

Next, we have to put our values on display and establish a tireless effort to connect with our people. They need to see us either through virtual meetings or by walking around. It does not matter what role you play in the organization as long as you exist to provide value to others. Wondering exactly how to provide this value? If you do nothing more than practice empathy, extra patience and listen intentionally, you will deliver more value than you know.

Finally, don’t bring frustrations home to share with family as they are struggling too. Practice the same level of empathy, patience and listening with those closest to you. I have had to check myself countless times and am thankful I have a spouse who puts grace above all else.  

For those leaders who subscribe to the Kouzes/Posner and Burg/Mann principles, the toll is amplified. We deeply care about others, it’s as simple as that. I can only speak for myself when I say 2020 has been the most challenging in my twenty-plus years in leadership. Just keep this in mind, we took on the leader role for a reason – to positively impact the lives of others. The approach you take will determine your impact, destiny and legacy. In this new leadership challenge, it is important to model the way for others. Stay positive everyone!