'Ultimately leadership is about turning a vision into reality; it's about producing real results in the real world. And that is only done through people doing what it takes to make it happen'... writes Henry Cloud in Boundaries for Leaders. A great plan needs people to make it work, and leaders need to be able to invest time and energy into people in order to get results and create thriving teams.
Cloud suggests that 'when leaders lead in ways that people's brains can follow, good results follow as well.' He states that two essential components of leading people relate to the boundaries of 'what you create' and 'what you allow'. As leaders we create direction, vision, goals and strategy, which help establish healthy guidelines and clarity for people work within. People work better when they understand the parameters and focus.
For me personally, the concept of 'what we allow' in relation to leading people has been a helpful and very timely reminder. It is an obvious concept when it comes to children and parenting. For example, no we don't allow tantrums when little Johnny doesn't get his own way. Yet in the workplace we allow negative behavior to take place, that goes against our stated values, without addressing it. If our organization has a certain culture or negative behavior we don't like, it is because we as leaders have allowed it to develop without dealing with the related issues.
It is very empowering to be reminded that as a leader we get what we create and allow. We don't need to allow behavior, or a culture, that is destructive or goes against what is important to us, our team, or our organizations values.
Question to Ponder - What kind of team or organizational culture have you created or allowed? What needs to be different?