Shedding Some Light on Leadership Excellence in Your Organization

I’ve always been fond of lighthouses. I’m not really sure why. Could be because I’ve always been a “water boy” and love being by if not actually on or directly in the water. Maybe it’s because I like the comfort of knowing that the guidepost of the lighthouse always comes back around every 30 seconds or so to show me the way to my desired destination.

For years, I’ve actually used the lighthouse as a metaphor for leadership excellence. To me, the lighthouse represents the purest form of feedback one could ever ask for. The lighthouse doesn’t judge you for falling off course. It doesn’t yell at you or call you stupid for going the wrong way. It simply reminds you of your desired destination such that you can get back on course before it’s too late.

Excellent leaders are capable of and skilled at doing the same thing for their direct reports and the teams around them. They remain calm and supportive when delivering constructive – note I didn’t say bad or even critical – feedback, and they serve as an ever-present beacon reminding us of our desired destinations.

As we turn the page on a new year – literally, not just figuratively, for those of you still adorning your walls with print calendars – I invite you to take a moment and pause to define your desired destinations for 2012. Where is your lighthouse, and even more importantly where is it taking you? If you don’t know where you intend to go this year, you are far less likely to ever get there. In fact, getting “there” oftentimes depends on dumb luck or the right set of circumstances coming together if you aren’t disciplined in defining your destination. Think of it as driving “somewhere” with your navigation system without ever entering the address of where you are going!

As you set your final coordinates for 2012, be sure to use a balanced approach – similar to a balanced scorecard you might use in any business – when defining your intentions. This year, I’ve set individual goals for my Personal Relationships, my Health, my Finances, and my Business. It’s a more holistic approach than simply setting a sales target or defining my intended weight, and I trust it will serve me well if I encounter any fog along the way while cruising across the waters this year. I now have multiple lighthouses to look for in 2012, so I am confident that I will not steer off course or lose my way!

Can Plus Delta help you enhance leadership capacity in your organization? Give us a call at +1.310.589.4600 (or 866.PLS.DLTA within the US) or email us at info@plusdelta.net to see how we can shed some light on your current leadership practices. We also invite you to visit the Leadership & Team Development section of our website for more information on our proven approaches as well as some great articles on how to inspire improved performance and achieve greater successes in the year ahead.