Purple Sky Thinking for Leaders - January 2022
Making changes can be good
The Monthly Update is having a re-name, and in future you can expect to see it called - Purple Sky Thinking for Leaders. In future, this will only be available via a free email subscription and to make sure you continue to have access please subscribe here.
That’s what happens when you have time to reflect at the end of the year, you might decide to make some changes. This is especially true when you are starting something new or handling something challenging. It might have been right at the time or maybe it never was, but its OK to make changes, so that they work for you now.
Don’t stick to something just because you worry that people may think you didn’t know what you were doing in the first place (there’s some insight into my self-talk!). I do know what I’m doing, I’m learning and evolving.
So, why the change?
I’ve been asked before about the name of my business Purple Sky and for me, I love the play on words.
To start with, I love purple! It has always been a favourite colour because it is so versatile and pretty (in my opinion) but it also has links to maximum performance. I’m an F1 fan (always had an interest in it but my other half is a fanatic and I have happily fallen for it too - they come as a package!) and peak performance on the race track is symbolised by the time going purple. Therefore, I always wanted to include to word Purple.
I then considered what leadership, careers, performance, development and possibilities meant to me (yes, a bit deep!) and I visualise a big open sky. What I love about this is that it symbolises no limits, look up, endless sky and beyond.
For me and what I wanted to achieve, Purple Sky was the obvious choice. I couldn’t register just Purple Sky, so I added the Consulting.
I now want to change the name of the Monthly Update to Purple Sky Thinking for Leaders, as it better reflects the aims of this resource.
My aim with creating the Monthly Update was to broaden horizons, to widen the thinking on a topic that is of interest and shared as a #FridayShare. The idea was for it to be used as resource for self-development and on-going learning, for anyone in a leadership role or aspiring to be. It was designed as an invite to endless possibilities.
Move out the way blue sky thinking and get ready and involved in Purple Sky Thinking! The aim as outlined above, remains the same but it now has a name that I think works. I’d love to hear what you think and also to hear your own stories of when you’ve decided to change something that wasn’t quite working for you - either comment below or drop me a line if you prefer at anwen@purpleskyconsulting.co.uk.
Welcome to 2022!
Let’s get back to what the Purple Sky Thinking for Leaders resource is designed for…enabling all leaders or aspiring leaders to continue their leadership learning.
For this January edition, I am going to look back at everything that was shared in 2021 and pick some of what I think are the highlights. I published 23 #FridayShares last year and I’ve picked 5 that I think are really important for all leaders.
If you’ve followed all the LinkedIn #FridayShare posts and the previously published Monthly Updates then you can use this as a refresher. If you are new, welcome, see this as an introduction to how Purple Sky Thinking for Leaders will work.
You are all invited to continue your self-guided learning by making use of this resource each month.
You’ll need to subscribe to receive the future editions but the #FridayShare will continue weekly over on LinkedIn, so if you aren’t already following me or the Purple Sky Consulting page or the hashtag, then please do.
1) Friday Share 1 - “Leadership is a practice” – Simon Sinek
Let’s go back to the beginning, the very first Purple Sky #FridayShare!
I’m a big fan of Simon’s work and he has provided me with many lightbulb moments. I find the ideas he shares really do make me think about my own experiences as a leader and as an employee or member of a team.
He has inspired me to think deeper about my own leadership style and the way to enable those I work with, to be at their best. I haven’t always nailed it, especially at the beginning, but he and his ideas keep me working at it because I want to be the best leader that I can be.
Watch this clip - what are the key points you take from this clip?
https://youtu.be/XGQo-Vge-WU
There are some great points in this - “Leadership is a practice” and “nobody is an expert at leadership”.
The reality is, you are never done as a leader, you will never be too developed at leadership, you will never know it all. Great leaders keep learning and evolving. Seeing what you do as a leader as a continual evolution and an ongoing practice is the healthiest way to view what you do and to stay great at it.
As a great leader, a true leader you should continue to be a student. Continue to be curious and inquisitive about who you are as a leader and continue to be open to learning more.
The key take away for me is - keep practicing and keep learning.
Action: Now over to you
Based on the clip and they key points that stood out for you?
What 2-3 actions/mindsets are you going to take to enable you to remain a student of leadership?
How will you stay curious and keep learning?
Make a note of these, maybe add them to your development plan or put them on a post-it on your desk or on a screen saver, so that they stay present for you. Make time to check in with those commitments to yourself and you might want to share them with a close colleague, coach or mentor for some external support.
2) Friday Share 6 - “Lead with Gratitude” - Amanda Gore
If you just need to have a giggle then this energetic presentation from Amanda might be just what you need. I know it energises me every time I watch it but beyond the feel good factor, there is a very important message.
Watch the clip and consider what this means for you as a leader.
https://youtu.be/CHcP7JOimFA
Which type of glasses are you going for then?
This is one of the things I try and practice regularly in life but also as a leader. As well as making someone’s day, it was one of the things I found hugely beneficial for me as the leader, it contributed to be really loving my team leadership role - being grateful.
Recognising what someone has done and acknowledging it in a way that makes them feel appreciated and energised but also leaves you feel pretty amazing - why wouldn’t you want to do that as a leader?
It is one of those things that can feel cheesy and could feel over played - it isn’t. As Amanda says, we are wired for joy! When people in your team experience joy they perform better and a highly effective way of enabling joy at work is through gratitude. Feeling that gratitude from you as their leader is a boost and builds bonds for the relationship they have with you but also across the team.
Action: Consider these questions:
How regularly are you practicing gratitude with your team?
What are the benefits you feel and you see for others when you do this?
What is getting in the way of you doing this more?
Do you see the team practicing gratitude with each other? What are the benefits of this?
Based on your answers to these questions consider whether you need to practice more gratitude and whether there is anything you could do to increase this across your team. Make a calendar entry in 2 months time to review how things are going, what are you noticing and what do you want to change or do more of?
3) Friday Share 9 - “Confessions of a recovering micromanager” - Chieh Huang
This is a great TED Talk from Chieh and is a really insightful look at the impact of being a controlling leader. It highlights the impact that a lack of autonomy has on the energy and creativity of the people you lead. There are some great examples and stories that brings this to life and certainly identify the need for balance.
Have a watch of this clip and which are the lightbulb moments for you?
I love the reflection about “do we let the team continue to fail”, this is such an interesting way of framing it. There is lots of debate over the merits of celebrating failure but I really do get Chieh’s viewpoint in terms of the impact of failure and using that as part of the learning process.
Often, when I’ve seen this with others and I’ve done this myself, control is about avoiding failure or perceived failure. I know that in the past I’ve stepped in or taken over something when I felt it was going wrong or might do. That was either to save myself, my team or the deliverable, but was it really necessary? How serious would it really have been if I’d just let them carry on? You don’t know because you’ve changed what happened. What might have happened by not taking control? What did I, the team or the deliverable lose as a result of me taking control?
What you are demonstrating by taking control is that you don’t fully trust. What is the impact of that? A lack of creativity and innovation, a lack of belief and frustration with you as a leader, missed opportunities and worse outcomes and a lack of learning? Is it worth missing out on these to retain control?
Action:
Consider your current operating approach of control
How much control do you have over how your team are doing their jobs or projects?
How often do you step in or stipulate how they need to do something?
What do you want to do differently as a result of those reflections? What could you practice over the next 3 months to reduce your control and dial up your active demonstration of trust?
4) Friday Share 16 - “Britain is in denial about race” - Reni Eddo-Lodge
There have been very few occasions when I have interacted with leaders (mainly those who have never faced racism), who were confident and comfortable talking about racism. To a certain extent, that is a good thing, racism is not comfortable, but it is especially uncomfortable for those who continue to face it and have faced it all their lives.
This isn’t about helping you as a leader to be more comfortable with racism but is about you becoming more confident in addressing racism. You need to understand what racism is, how it operates and your role in changing it.
As a White, middle class women, I have never known the feeling of being racially abused or disadvantaged, purely due to the colour of my skin. I can’t change that but I can as a human in our society, as well as a leader acknowledge that racism continues to exist and that I have privilege as a result of that.
Having that privilege means that I can continue to leverage that for myself or I can choose to leverage it to influence others and enable change. As a leader there are many situations that you have privilege and what you do with that matters.
Reni has written a great book called “Why I am no longer talking to white people about race”. I found it shameful and painful. The book helped me to connect more with my own understanding of racism and privilege and that’s where the change can come from, really understanding the reality and choosing to do something about it.
Here’s a quick clip on the reality of racism today in Britain, spoken by Reni.
https://youtu.be/rl-1apL8EE0
Do you speak out about institutional racism? Do you do challenge family and friends if they make racist comments? What are you doing to change things? Do you acknowledge your privilege and what are you doing with it?
Action:
Consider how as a leader you want to leverage the privilege you have
How can you lead the change?
What actions can you take to make a difference to really change things in your organisation or your life?
If you feel uncomfortable or unknowledgeable about racism then recognise that and do something about it - reading or listening to Reni’s book would be a good place to start. Review your reflections above and decide what you will do next.
5) Friday Share 18 - “The Autonomy of Trust” - Brené Brown
An absolutely essential pick is the wonderful Brené Brown.
I find her thought provoking and based on the reality of human connection and behaviour. Leadership is people based, it is all about relationships and behaviour. How you are viewed and experienced as a leader is all about how you build relationships and how you behave.
We’ve touched on how trust is a key leadership behaviour and action in pick 3 and I want to dig into that some more by looking at trust in more depth. Really understanding trust and what this means for how you behave as a leader will help you consider if you are truly building trust with your team. If your people don’t trust you, can you really be a great leader?
Have a look at this clip and consider how you behave as a leader, do you lay the foundation for trust with your team based on what Brené outlines as the components for trust?
https://youtu.be/0SqFiTeka_I
You could feel quite overwhelmed by this, it is quite scary as it singles out the importance of you really holding yourself to account. Do you want to be the leader that someone in your team feels that something that is important the them, isn’t safe with you? I am assuming that you are saying no to this, if not, ask yourself why that is.
Preparing yourself and behaving in a way that is BRAVING will enable you to be a trusted leader.
Action:
Consider each part of the BRAVING model and really challenge yourself on where you believe you are.
On a scale of 1 - 10 for each of the parts of the model, where are you?
Be really honest with yourself. You don’t have to share this with anyone, but be really honest with yourself and then consider what you want to do more or less of to continue to build trust with your team and maintain that trust.
By behaving in a way that is BRAVING, you will demonstrate to others that they can trust you and therefore they will be more willing to follow you. You will be able to build stronger relationships with your team and across your team. This will develop truly trusting relationships that will work both ways.
As a leader, accepting that you are never done with your learning and development will enable you to keep evolving.
I hope you gained something from these 5 picks from the 2021 content.
I’d love to hear from you if you’ve learnt something new about yourself and put changes into place that have resulted in benefits for you and your team.
