Leadership, comfort zones and related rant!

Anyone recognise these traits?

• Too many (and overpopulated, and too frequent) meetings?
• Decision by committee (or not)?
• Constantly, redoing the strategy but nothing changes today?
• Objectives that people know will be met - after all we all deserve our bonus for just turning up?

I could go on, however most of you will know the kind of organisation I mean. Inertia has struck hold, mediocrity is seeping through the floor boards and no one realises it. The leaders don't have parking, they have comfort zones that they pull their cars into on a morning....

Mmmm maybe you can tell that this is a subject close to my heart :) Well, it is because I think we forget the role business plays in society, the role leaders and managers have with their teams lives....business is incredibly important and if we as leaders don't keep pushing the boundaries, challenging our working practices, inspiring new ideas, developing talent...then people become disengaged. The effect is felt in society both through disengaged employees and consumers who feel the lack of passion.

So, I proffer this idea...a comfort zone is only allowed when we understand that standing still is uncomfortable because we know we are falling behind the competitors....a comfort zone is when we are doing what feels comfortable for successful leaders - that of expanding the minds of our consumers and of our internal talent.

Feel better for that rant...:)

Comments

[Peter A. Mello]

Anna;

"if we as leaders don't keep pushing the boundaries, challenging our working practices, inspiring new ideas, developing talent" are we really exercising leadership?

Fair Winds,
Peter A. Mello
Director of Institutional Advancement
Northeast Maritime Institute

[Anna Farmery]

Peter - lol great point! I think though many people forget about the forward sounding ..."lead". They think leading is making decisions from within their comfort zone...Anna

[Holly Schwendiman]

Yup and yup. You nailed the very things that make me nuts too and they always result in a lack of productivity. I value my time and resources too much to waste them that way. Great post.

Hugs,
Holly

[John Blackwell]

Hey Anna,

I would like very much for us to have a chat........

Meanwhile i stumbled the following:

Hmmmm well what can i say - i spotted this talented lady following my Twitter. 'Having a nose' as you do, I found what she called 'a rant' and discovered it to be a perfect constitutional ammendment to 'Freemarket Socialist Principles' - I'm not sure if that was her intention BUT................... well take a look for yourself - HERE IS a lady who obviously knows what she's talking about when it comes to branding and appears to know how to apply it.

BRAVO

[Anna Farmery]

Thanks John and Holly - the worrying aspect is so many of you recognise what I am talking about! I feel that if we each day check our own comfort zone and push our own boundaries then we can help change the culture...

P.S John would be happy to connect!