From my point of view, women and men today are more drawn to asking and answering deeper questions about their own purpose, values and vision than they were, say, 20 years ago. Or at least they are more willing to acknowledge the attraction to these meaningful issues more openly than in recent years past. This change of orientation is reflected in many ways, including the best-seller lists, rising interest in yoga, meditation, and spiritual practices, and sometimes even the political dialogue.

Why the shift? I doubt there is a definitive answer to this question- but I do know some of the reasons why we have changed our conversations (both inner and outer). Perhaps it is because of the uncertainty of the working world. Organizations are not “taking care” of their employees the way they once did. The notion of lifetime employment is an older generation’s anachronism. What about layoffs/down-sizing/right-sizing/off-shoring? Whatever one calls it, it results in uncertainty and unease for those who are let go and also those who remain. What about terrorism? Environmental crises? Overpopulation? One could cynically argue that most of what is seen and heard in the news around the world is discouraging, if not worse.

We can no longer rely on any organization or government to support us. Because of the challenges, worries, and threats facing us in the “outside” world, many have turned inward to find solace, clarity, and strength. We feel the pressure to support ourselves.

Leaders in business and other organizations have the responsibility to support not only themselves but others as well. They need to provide guidance and vision, and act with confidence and compassion, which is no small task given the uncertainties which face them. For leaders to hold their ground they need to know what their ground is- they need to be grounded. They need to know where they are headed as people. The Oxford Leadership Academy calls this “finding your personal compass”.

I participated in Oxford’s Self Managing Leadership program last year, and I was so drawn to the work that I have become a Fellow of the academy.

The Self Managing Leadership program provides the opportunity to find one’s place on the compass and to identify one’s direction- in life, and in our work. It is an opportunity to step off the moving sidewalk of our jobs/roles and consider what is important to us and what is needed of us. We can consider what is most relevant for us and give it the attention it demands from us. Doing this is often uncomfortable (as in any meaningful change in patterns and behavior), perhaps challenging, and usually very fulfilling. Most importantly, it is a necessary conversation for us to have in order to more effectively lead ourselves and others in this increasingly challenging world.

I encourage leaders at all levels to take some precious time to discover, clarify and re-commit to their values and purpose- and to translate and apply those inner compass-points toward focused action. Doing so improves our performance as leaders, enhances our own levels of fulfillment and satisfaction, and provides the opportunity to answer some of the most relevant questions of our time.

I invite you to contact me to talk more about this impactful and fulfilling work. You can also explore the Oxford Leadership Academy website- including my profile- at www.oxfordleadership.com

I was recently involved in a very engaging talk with Kenny Moore, author of The CEO and the Monk: One Company’s Journey to Profit and Purpose. He was talking about leadership and the nature of the decisions that leaders make. First line managers/supervisors face problems, and they are challenged to resolve them with solutions. As they move up the ladder of responsibility, however, leaders face dilemmas. Dilemmas are challenges that are complex and usually cannot be resolved as neatly as the problems they once endeavored to resolve. The resolution of dilemmas, then, is movement; movement toward improved effectiveness, even though all of the problems are not resolved.

Does this sound familiar? It does to me and to my clients. Very often, we want to find the solution and we cannot pick it off the solution tree because it’s not there. It’s just not that simple. More accurately, it’s not as simple as we’d like it to be. We have to look somewhere else for it. Some of the best leaders I know recognize that the best decision- the best option- is less than ideal and they accept that as the reality of the situation.

Not only does this type of leadership require acceptance, it also requires courage. David Dotlich, Peter Cairo and Steven Rhinesmith talk about this in their book Head, Heart and Guts: How the World’s Best Companies Develop Complete Leaders. Part of effective leadership is courageously moving forward relying upon decisions that will not satisfy everyone, decisions that are not tidy solutions and might not be popular with all stakeholders.

Managing these challenging dilemmas requires a steady flow of clear communication and healthy relationships, so as to promote alignment with decisions and minimize misunderstanding. It also creates an environment more conducive to promoting more informed decision-making in the future. Staying on top of this communication and tending important relationships can be the most challenging part of the process for many leaders, in my experience.

These are the challenges that many leaders face, and the higher they go in an organization the more challenging the process becomes; decisions and their resolution become more complex, more courage is required to act, and there is more pressure to communicate and nurture relationships more effectively. It is no wonder that leadership can feel so demanding- it is.

Not long ago, I was providing some coaching to a business leader. After we discussed some feedback she had received from her peers and direct reports, she asked me what I would recommend as an action plan. She seemed quite surprised at the question I then asked her: What are your goals?

Only if I know what someone’s goals are can I make meaningful recommendations. To put it another way: how can I offer someone direction if I don’t know where they’re going? The same premise is true for teams, business units, corporations, or any other entities. Yet it is not uncommon, feeling the pressure to take action, for leaders to make commitments without first considering his/her goals. I’ve heard this referred to as ‘ready, fire, aim!’

The principle of Putting Goals First applies in virtually all settings (except, perhaps, organizational values). Last week, I was discussing this with a client with whom I am supporting in Team Development. We were discussing the establishment of his team’s operating agreements. Again, he asked what I would recommend in terms of how the team would best work together, and I asked him what are you trying to accomplish. We then spent a full hour discussing his objectives in terms of staff development, innovation, resource sharing, team communication, and more.

I have also discussed this approach many times in the context of leadership development efforts. Leaders will ask me ‘what should I be doing to be more successful’ and my response will be ‘what does success mean for you and for your business?’ In other words, what are your individual and organizational goals? Goals must be identified before I can offer my best recommendations and strategies as a consultant.

In another column I might share some ideas about how to effectively set goals. For now, it is important to remember to put goals in front of planning and execution, so as to be sure that what we are doing will support us in reaching the place we want to go.

Working with a cross-functional chemical development team recently, I saw once again a familiar element of team dynamics surface. The context was this: the organization was at a critical stage in terms of the evolution of its business. Decisions needed to be made about what ventures would become or remain the team’s priority projects. The questions were very significant: Where would resources be allocated? What is the market forecast for the team’s products? In what direction are we going? In answering these questions necessary to move forward, people wanted information- statistical and industry data, trends, forecasts, etc. But how much information is enough? How much information must we have to make an informed decision?

What become strikingly clear is that reasonable minds (and the reasonable people who employ these minds) can differ in answering this question. Some wanted a complete and thorough review of all the available information, and were not prepared to express a decision unless and until additional data was gathered/learned. Others on the team had more than enough data and, in fact, became frustrated that decisions were not being made more quickly (Can’t we just make a decision already?).

As the consultant in the room supporting the team in its decision-making process, it was not my role to make any judgments about whether there was ‘enough’ information to decide. However it was clear to me that the team members needed to agree on the appropriate degree of input needed to make decisions if they were going to achieve their stated objectives. So I facilitated a process that enabled them to clarify how much information they needed.

Highly-successful people can differ widely in their views of how much information they need to make decisions. This is an interesting aspect of individual diversity, one that transcends more traditional definitions of diversity (and frankly is more relevant than traditional elements of diversity). As with all aspects of diversity, there is no right and wrong here- only the reality of difference. What should be kept in mind is that answering the ‘how much information is enough’ question is a prerequisite to answering a business most important questions.

© 2007 Lighthouse Consulting, LLC; All rights reserved.

Several years ago, I attended a talk by Patch Adams, physician, health care reform activist, and subject of the movie “Patch” starring Robin Williams. What strikes you about Patch is his passion and tirelessness, particularly concerning improving access to health care. But I remember most about that evening is a statement he made about caring.

“We never care”, said Patch. “Caring is an intensely personal action. We never care. I care.” I believe he is right.

I’ve also heard the expression that “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Although I do not necessarily believe that to be true in all circumstances, I agree with the principle that people generally want to know that you care about them. And that is certainly is true in the context of business leaders.

It may seem foreign to some and quite natural for others, but leaders generally fare much better when they demonstrate caring for their teams. Research has shown the benefits of the ‘affiliative’ leadership style, which features caring relationships between a leader and his/her team members. And numerous authors have written convincingly about the positive impact of trust and caring between leaders and team members in a variety of settings, including performance feedback, challenging assignments, high performance under pressured circumstances.

So whether we can honestly claim that our organization cares about its people (with apologies to Patch Adams), we can always demonstrate that we as individuals care about our employees and team members. Doing so results in a positive impact on our relationships and our team’s performance.