Key lessons learned about how to stand out as a leader of integrity centered awareness. These are the tools that performers use, transferred to business to help navigate going from beyond good to great to Virtuoso!
- Transparency. On stage if you miss a note, the whole world knows so it is all about playing well and capturing the message! Within a team, building trust so that people can fail is critical so that all involved can and will tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. No exceptions.
- Keep agreements. The big and the small things matter like arriving for meetings and keeping to schedule. I learned this the hard way. Musicians are so punctual for concerts that they almost rebel at being on time for anything else, and I was no exception. One day when I really upset someone, and felt upset I realised, that having and keeping a schedule that is reliable is an integral part of delivering a virtuoso, seamless stress-free concert. It is the same in business!
Make a plan, and keep your word. That includes getting to events, joining calls on time, as well as big things. If (exceptionally) you realise a schedule has de-railed, give advance warning, contact everyone and find a bonus to be offered to deliver what it takes and go beyond.
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4.Listen without judgement, really listen!They suggest 70% listening and 30% speaking. If that is good – go for great with 85% listening and15% speaking.
We are usually rewarded for quick solutions, and so is the boss. At the same time, this limits most of our conversations to transactional ticking off items or positional conversations (I told you so…!) and thinking about what we will say next rather than listening.
Set new rules, and allow a team to find a solution.
This takes longer at first. It also delivers exponential rewards as a team of leaders will canvass more distance, more objections, the opportunities and find solutions that far outdistance the path of least resistance.
This might go beyond your current comfort zone, but don’t most great ideas require this anyway? For real listening, banish all visual tools such as phones, ipads and laptops.
Alright, this sounds fairly generic. So what is the real secret sauce? The quality of how you listen determines the psychology that you let into the space, and ultimately what will be created. Being open to new influences and listening without pre-determined solutions allows others to contribute in far greater ways than they might ever have imagined, and let’s the team leverage their strength and vision.
Kim Walker is Founder and CEO of VirtuosoCEOTM and Resilience2BrillianceTM programs.