Resilient leadership from the inside out
Its been a pleasure to lead a leadership module for fast track civil servants that focuses on the internal aspects of leadership, and how they play out externally. We looked at the impact emotional state has on our own performance, and those of the people we lead.
Anyone who doubts this need look no further than the footage of Capello ranting at Stuart Pierce on the bench during the World Cup, and we can only imagine the impact of this tension on the rest of the team (footage now wiped off youtube by FIFA!). So improving our own emotional resilience can result in a strong performance gain for the rest of the team. Capello may again be a vivid case in point - perhaps pre-world cup the architype of macho resilience - the hard man. But true resilience is about the ability to bend and sway in a storm, and come through intact. In the storms of 1987, the older oak trees were blown over, but the younger more flexible trees survived.
So much we learn about resilience and leadership comes from our families. Perhaps the most powerful session looked at 'Implicit Leadership Theory', ie everyone's approach to leadership learnt in their first teams (their families), and their first leaders (their parents/carers). Participants gain powerful insights into their patterns and habits of leading, which are both sources of great strength and limitation. Just raising your awareness of your own "instinctive approach", and when you overplay it, can help you flex more and lead more effectively in the times of stress we are all experiencing.
