Are You Ready to Be REMARKABLE? The Synopsis Part 1

It is finally here. My eighth book, if you count the three titchy business books, I wrote for Bookboon.

The book was inspired by my observation of many leaders, from novice to veteran, who firmly believed that what stood them in good stead as leaders yesterday would continue to do so tomorrow. There was a dangerous lack of comprehension that when the world around you changes, you must change too. Otherwise, you become irrelevant.

Be REMARKABLE! Learn to Unlearn: The New Leadership Mindset comprehensively examines the intrinsic qualities of effective leadership in today’s volatile world. The acronym “REMARKABLE” encapsulates the leader who is: Resilient, Empathetic, Mindful, Adaptive, Resourceful, Known, Accountable, Brave, Listening, and Empowering.

Whilst the book guides you through the individual elements of the REMARKABLE mindset, offering insights to developing each facet to its full potential, this newsletter can aspire to no more than a curtain-raiser to the new leadership mindset.

This and my subsequent newsletter, will unpack each of the qualities in the hope that you may be galvanised into buying the book to dive in deeper, or at least acknowledge that you must learn-unlearn- relearn. You must let go of things that may have worked well for you in the past. You must challenge your long-held assumptions and be open to changing your mindset. It is about the courage to change and the humility to admit that what you knew yesterday may no longer be relevant. Unlearning is a process of questioning the validity of what you believe in.

The leader’s journey

The process of learning-unlearning-relearning is a journey you must embark on. It is like the three stages of the hero’s journey: 

·       Separation: leave the familiar world behind

·       Initiation: learn to navigate the unfamiliar world

·       Return: return to the familiar world

The book unpacks each stage of the leader’s journey as illustrated in the following diagram. 

Separation

To embark on the journey, you must not only know you need to change but have recognised the hindrance your current behaviors are to your success and that of your teams and the organization. You acknowledge that your current learnings no longer serve you and that you must unlearn and relearn.

Initiation

Initiation is making the transition to a new leadership mindset. This is where you cross the point of no return and undergo transformative stages. Here, you must practice everything you learn on your journey to overcome the obstacle that forms the story’s climax.

Return

You embark on the return part of the journey after the challenges of a somewhat long and arduous voyage. The learnings are now embedded, and a more empowering leadership style emerges that can be utilised widely. Learning does not end here. You must sustain it.

Resilient         

The first letter of the acronym REMARKABLE is Resilient.

According to the American Psychological Association (APA), “Resilience is the process and outcome of successfully adapting to difficult or challenging life experiences, especially through mental, emotional, and behavioural flexibility and adjustment to external and internal demands.”

Many variations of that definition exist, and a high proportion use the terminology “bounce back from setbacks.” I prefer to use the term “bounce forward.” When you bounce forward, you learn from the experience and are better for it. You are more resilient as a result. Setbacks inform you and help you do things differently the next time. They are opportunities to learn, develop, and grow.

A resilient mindset enables you to:

·       Accept ambiguity and embrace uncertainty

·       Act thoughtfully

·       Manage your emotions

·       Be self-aware

·       Maintain a positive outlook

·       Connect, collaborate, and build networks

·       Operate with empathy

·       Maintain a growth mindset

·       Be confident in your abilities and make good use of your strengths

The benefits to you and your team in being resilient include:

·       Better physical and mental health

·       Improved cognitive functioning

·       Maintaining inner calm in stressful situations

·       Seeing life as a series of challenges, not problems

·       Stability in the face of a crisis

·       Capacity to thrive in conditions of high demand and ongoing pressure

·       Ability to recover quickly from setbacks

·       Embracing failures and setbacks as learning opportunities

·       Reduced burnout

·       Increased sense of community

The book contains a summary of the twenty resilience superpowers for individuals and the twenty for leaders that were contained within the 2020 Unleash The Resiliator books.

Empathetic

Disruption is a constant in the workplace, whether it’s caused by economic headwinds, corporate downsizing, pandemic recovery, accelerating digital transformation, geopolitical tensions – the list goes on and on. Disruption can make people feel uncomfortable, scared, concerned, anxious, and stressed. Organisational success will depend on leaders with an empathetic mindset.

Empathy is the ability to understand and perhaps share the feelings of another person. Compassionate action must accompany empathy. Empathy without action is empty. Empathy is critical to building positive relationships with others. When you possess empathy, you can understand other people’s perspectives, needs, and intentions. Empathy means you care about other people.

In the workplace, empathy is crucial because it creates an environment where employees feel heard, valued, understood, and cared for. It builds trust, increases effective collaboration, and improves communication.

Research by Catalyst found the following benefits of empathy in the workplace:

·       Empathy drives productivity, life-work integration, and positive work experiences.

·       Empathy boosts productivity.

·       Empathy reduces burnout.

·       Employees with empathetic managers and leaders are more innovative and engaged than those with less empathetic managers and leaders.

·       Empathetic leaders respect employees’ life circumstances.

·       Empathetic leaders support both the personal and professional needs of employees.

·       Empathetic leaders foster inclusion.

·       Senior leader empathy reduces employee intent to leave.

Mindful

The mindful mindset enables a leader to be present, in the moment, calm, self-aware, compassionate, and accepting without judgment.

This definition is from mindful.org: “Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.” Mindfulness can reduce anxiety and stress, increase focus and attention, improve relationships, and elevate creativity. It does this by helping you to be self-aware, to self-regulate, and to practice emotional control.

Self-awareness is how you experience and understand your character, feelings, motives, and desires. Self-regulation is about reducing the intensity and frequency of negative emotions. Emotional control is a part of self-regulation. When you are mindful, you take control of your mind rather than your mind controlling you. While self-regulation reduces the intensity and frequency of negative emotions, emotional control looks to remove the triggers.

Adaptive

An adaptive leadership mindset is knowing what to do when you don’t know what to do. Adaptive leaders learn through experimentation and manage the context, not the instruction set. They cultivate a diversity of views to generate a wealth of options. They lead with trust and respect and provide autonomy. 

I like to use the analogy of a shepherd when I describe adaptive leadership. “What does a shepherd have to do with adaptive leadership?” I hear you say. The best description comes from Pope Francis. In an address to his leadership (that is, his bishops) in November 2013, he described how shepherd leaders look after their followers:

“To do so, he will sometimes go before his people, pointing the way and keeping their hope vibrant. At other times, he will simply be in their midst with his unassuming and merciful presence. At yet other times, he will have to walk after them, helping those who lag behind and – above all – allowing the flock to strike out on new paths.” 

Adaptive leaders lead from the front when clear direction is needed, and when uncertainty or anxiety may restrict team performance. They will lead from the core when the team needs more detail, and they need to check in on how the team and its members are faring. They will lead from the back to support those struggling, and let those upfront take the lead and explore their leadership capabilities and competencies. Adaptive leaders move between these positions with agility in response to the needs of the individual, team, and organisation. They adapt to changes in the environment in which they operate.

Resourceful

With a resourceful mindset, you can find efficient and innovative ways to overcome problems and challenges. You are creative and determined to do whatever it takes to complete the job with what you have available. You are persistent and open-minded. You are prepared to change your approach when needed and have a growth mindset.

Resourceful leaders are productive. They know what to do, what not to do, and what to delegate. They know what resources to use, and when, for the best outcomes.

Known

What are you known for? What do you want to be known for? The answers to those two questions are at the core of your leadership brand.

Your leadership brand is what makes you distinctive. It is your reputation. It is not only based on what you do but also on how you do it. It tells people who you are, what your values and beliefs are, and the worth that you bring. It should reflect what you are passionate about.

It showcases your character and your competencies. People know what to expect from you and what differentiates you. Your brand is what makes you unique. When you have a strong brand, people know what you are capable of and can utilise your offerings more effectively. In other words, you’re more likely to attract the right people to work with and get more of the work you like to do.

In contrast, you can go unseen when people are unsure what you are known for. You want to stand out from the crowd. The book outlines the steps to create or reassess your leadership brand.

Coming up

 In the next newsletter, I will introduce you to the five additional mindsets that will make you a REMARKABLE leader.

SPECIAL OFFER – LIMITED TIME ONLY 

Get the eBook for US$0.99 at your online bookstore – yes, only 99c!

The paperback is also available at online bookstores or you can order from my website, and use the discount code MINDSET at checkout for 15% off RRP.

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I am an organisational change management rebel WITH a cause. 

I am the author of eight books on organisational change, workforce resilience, leadership capability uplift and leading remote teams.

I am an international keynote speaker, consultant, facilitator, coach, and mentor.

I am passionate about enabling individuals and organisations to be their best through performance enablement, outstanding leadership, adaptation, agility, and resilience in the face of constant and uncertain change.

I would love to work with you and your organisation. Contact me here.