Why 92% of Leaders Need to Change Their Focus
Want to hit your target? Shift from goal-setting to growth-setting and change one thing about how you lead.
Did you know that as many as 80% of people fail to keep their New Year’s resolutions by February, and only 8% stick with them for the entire year? This statistic isn’t just about personal goals; it reflects a broader truth relevant to leaders everywhere.
While setting company targets isn’t the same as making New Year’s resolutions, there’s a lesson here: Merely focusing on goals, without a deeper understanding of what holds you back and what needs to change, rarely leads to success. With February just a week away, let’s explore a more effective path to driving your business forward: changing the way you lead.
“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”
This insight from James Clear sets the tone: it’s not about discarding goals; rather, it’s about focusing on the underlying beliefs and habits — your systems — that ultimately determine your success. By aligning one core belief with its corresponding leadership behavior, you can pave the way for achieving the specific goals and milestones you set for the business.
Let’s dig in as I walk you through the process for systemic change, provide actionable tips, and share a case study from my practice to bring to life how you stay on target with your leadership objectives.
Reflection: What’s Not Working?
Take a moment to reflect on an area of leadership that needs improvement.
Consider these prompts to help identify the issue:
What feedback have I received? Reflect on recent constructive feedback from peers, mentors, investors, or team members. What common theme emerges about areas for improvement?
Where do I feel most challenged? Think about aspects of your leadership role that feel particularly difficult or stressful. What specific behaviors or situations are contributing to this feeling?
What impact am I observing? Consider the effects of your leadership style on your team’s morale, productivity, and overall success. What negative outcomes or feelings are you noticing?
Although a few issues may have come up, choosing only one to work on allows for greater focus. By identifying and articulating the issue, you make it more tangible and set the stage for targeted development.
Now, let’s break down the process of change.
Framework: Process for Systemic Change
Using the insights from the reflection section, you’re ready to engage in the process of change. These steps are designed to guide you through understanding the challenge in detail, observing how it manifests in your leadership, uncovering the deeper reasons behind it, and then actively working towards changing your approach.
Follow this five-step process:
Identify the Issue (The What): Reflect on your leadership style to identify one specific challenge you're facing. Consider recent feedback and reflect on situations where this issue has impacted your effectiveness. Example: "I am quick to make decisions without team input."
Observe Patterns (The How): Notice how this issue manifests in how you lead. Look for recurring behaviors that contribute to this challenge and their impact on your team and goals. Example: "This often shows up in meetings where I notice the lack of contributions from others, and my tendency to dominate the discussion and dismiss ideas quickly."
Understand the Cause (The Why): Explore the root causes behind these behaviors. Dig into your beliefs, fears, and motivations driving this issue. Example: "I value efficiency over collaboration due to a fear of slowing down progress, which could lead to failure — and failure is the worst possible outcome."
Transform and Implement (The System Change): Envision a positive shift in the way you lead and commit to one new behavior that directly addresses the root cause. Integrate this action into your routine, ensuring it aligns with your vision. Example: "Instead of being driven by the fear of failure, I want to be driven by the belief that diverse perspectives lead to better results. To foster a more inclusive and collaborative environment, I will dedicate time in meetings for team input and practice considering these contributions in decision-making."
Set Success Metrics (The KPI): Define clear criteria to measure the effectiveness of this change. Regularly assess how well the new behavior is working and be ready to adjust your approach as needed. Example: "Success will be measured by full team participation in meetings, ensuring I’ve heard from every member, and track feedback on our decision-making process."
Case Study: Bringing It To Life
I’d like to share an example from my coaching practice so you can see how the process has worked. I’ll present it in second person as you may be able to relate to this leader.
Overcoming The Need To Control Everything
Identify the Challenge (The What): You recognize that you're feeling constantly anxious and stressed, with emerging signs of burnout due to the perceived need to oversee every detail personally.
Observe Patterns (The How): This challenge manifests as a significant difficulty in delegating tasks. You find it hard to trust team members with responsibilities, leading to frustration with their lack of accountability. There's a recurring pattern of dissatisfaction with their performance and a sense that tasks are not up to your standards. Consequently, you notice a decline in team morale and motivation, likely stemming from a sense of being micromanaged.
Understand the Cause (The Why): Upon introspection, you realize that your need for control is driven by a deep-seated fear of failure. There's an underlying belief that any mistake or shortfall could have severe negative consequences for the business. This fear is the root cause of your tendency to micromanage.
Transform and Implement (The System Change): Your vision is to be a leader who empowers and trusts their team. You decide to focus on one key behavior change: you commit to actively seeking opportunities to delegate tasks to team members, while providing supportive guidance.
Set Success Metrics (The KPI): To measure the effectiveness of this change, you decide to track the frequency and effectiveness of your delegation. You note the tasks you delegate, observe how your team members handle these responsibilities, and reflect on the level of support and guidance you provide. Success will be evident in an increase in the number of tasks successfully completed by your team without direct intervention.
After diligently applying this process over three months, the outcome was transformative for my client. She successfully inspired greater ownership and accountability within her team. This shift not only alleviated her stress and anxiety, steering clear of burnout, but also significantly developed her team. Members experienced more trust and autonomy, gaining confidence in their capabilities. As a result, team morale noticeably improved.
This shows how focusing on one key behavioral change can lead to profound improvements in both leadership effectiveness and team dynamics.
Tip for Implementing a New Leadership Habit
To enhance this process, I recommend applying The Habit Loop. This concept, elucidated in Charles Duhigg’s The Power of Habit and further expanded by James Clear in Atomic Habits, provides a framework for creating and maintaining effective habits. It breaks down habit formation into four key elements: cue, craving, response, and reward. It’s a cycle that explains how habits are triggered and maintained.
Let’s apply this to the issue of needing to control everything.
Recognize the Cue: Identify the trigger that initiates your desire for change. It could be a situation, an emotional state, or an environmental factor that signals the need for your new habit. Example: Feeling overwhelmed could be your cue to start delegating tasks.
Understand the Craving: Acknowledge what you truly desire from this habit change. It's not just the action itself, but the outcome it brings, such as relief, satisfaction, or improvement. Example: The craving might be for a more balanced workload or trust in your team's capabilities.
Perform the Response (Your New Habit): Take action. This is the habit you've committed to implementing. Ensure it's manageable and within your capability. Example: Delegate a specific task to a team member, providing clear instructions and support.
Appreciate the Reward: Recognize the satisfaction and benefits that come from this new behavior. This could be a sense of relief, achievement, or team growth. Example: Notice the reduced stress from sharing responsibilities and the positive impact on team morale.
Repeat and Refine: The habit loop of cue, craving, response, and reward needs repetition to become automatic. Continuously refine your approach based on the feedback and results you observe.
Problem and Solution Phases: Your leadership challenges can be divided into two phases. The 'problem phase' is recognizing the need for change (cue and craving). The 'solution phase' is taking action and reaping the rewards (response and reward). Keep this in mind as you work on embedding your new habit.
Every habit serves to solve a problem you face, either by obtaining something beneficial or relieving discomfort. By following these steps, you can effectively integrate your new leadership behavior into your routine, making it a natural part of your leadership style.
Recommendation: Check Out Atomic Habits
For a deeper dive into the power of habit formation and its impact on achieving your goals, I highly recommend Atomic Habits by James Clear.
This book masterfully breaks down how small, incremental changes can lead to remarkable results over time, aligning perfectly with our focus on refining the way you lead to drive your business forward.
Challenge: Make a 90-Day Commitment
Now, I challenge you to dedicate the next 90 days to consistently practice your new behavior. This time frame is long enough to allow the habit to take root and become a natural part of your leadership style. Commit wholeheartedly to this journey, and I promise you'll witness a transformative change in both yourself and your team.
Final Note: Shape Your Leadership Legacy of 2024
The behavior you commit to developing over these next 90 days will shape your leadership legacy. By focusing on and consistently practicing your chosen behavior, you're not just enhancing your leadership skills for the immediate future — you're building a foundation for lasting change and influence.
I'd love to hear about the specific behavior you've committed to. Reply to this email or share in the comments what you've chosen to focus on. Let this commitment guide your path to embodying the leader you want to be.
Let's make 2024 a year of meaningful growth!
Amanda