(or how to think big even if your team, department or organisation is small)
If you are a leader in a smallish organisation you know you need to be a master of many trades. You are expected to handle high level strategic and
So how do you balance the big and the small in role and still come out on top with a top team? By knowing where and how to invest your energy, that’s how. To be a high performance leader when the pressure is on (and when is it not on nowadays?), knowing when to lead and when to manage is a key skill. In a job where everything is urgent, it is easy to lose sight of what is really important -what will make the difference to your work and move you closer to your goals. Being brave enough to do what is important is where leading comes in.
Urgent tasks (often where management features) still need to get done, but sometimes not in the order you have been doing them. Stand back for a minute/go hide in the loo/do whatever you do to get five minutes peace and ask yourself if it is worth risking missing a deadline in favour of a doing something that will really take you forward in the long run.
Relationships are also key. It is said that 85% of all problems at work are to do with relationships. The number may be debatable, but you can’t disagree with the sentiment. Relationships matter in these big roles so define the ones that matter most – both internal and external – and throw yourself into developing them.
And finally – okay not finally but before the space runs out – never, ever stop learning. Developing yourself and your team is every bit as important as bringing in the results. In fact it’s largely how you bring in the results in the first place.
To talk to us about how you think big even when you’re leading small, just add it to your Important Things To Do list and get in touch.