In the rush and nervous haste of life, we mostly don’t have time to stop and think about what we see.
We just react.
We look for simple answers, even to complex problems.
But simple isn’t always best.
Strong leaders don’t follow formulae, they seek balance when it matters.
On important issues they take the time to focus and solve actual problems, not just rush to give answers.
Where it matters they live in the grey, not black or white.
Where it doesn’t matter they’re happy to shortcut.
The habit of looking for the right answer for the right questions, once ingrained, becomes a superpower.
The habit of seeking simple answers to every problem, once ingrained, can destroy organizations.
So too can analysing everything…
The choice of which habit you build is yours.
The secret to finding the time to find balanced answers is another habit – to select a few key priorities – so you know what you should spend time on. Shortcut unimportant things. Don’t waste time on trivia.
The habit you build of setting priorities combines with the habit of seeking the best answers to create magic.
We call this habit stacking.
One good habit creates the foundation for another.
Strong leadership can seem like magic but it’s actually good habits stacked on top of each other.
Are you in the habit of rushing to give answers?
Do you ever look for simple answers to complex problems? Do you ever seek “best practice” as an answer to your situation, as a way to avoid working it out for yourself?
Is that because you don’t have time, or because you don’t see those problems as priorities?
Your team knows what’s important to you because they know what you spend time on. What you ask questions about is what’s important. The issues you want simple answers for are not.
Where there’s a difference between what you say is important and what you spend time on, you have a credibility problem. Don’t be surprised if your team doesn’t engage.
Taking the time to get balanced answers to important questions that align to your objectives is a strength.
Wasting time on unimportant things is a weakness.
“…the secret to finding the time to find balanced answers is to select a few key priorities…”
Do you ever ask ever your team to bring solutions rather than answers? Is that to develop their capability, or to save you from thinking about that problem?
Are you building self-reliance or avoiding something you don’t think is important?
Do your stated priorities get the lion’s share of your time, or does the time you spend on things betray your real priorities?
Do you take shortcuts on decisions that aren’t critical to your mission, or are your shortcuts random? Maybe you just like taking shortcuts?
Do you spend time to understand the complexity of your priorities, do you flex the rules for them?
If you’re in a stable situation where priorities don’t change much, do you keep them alive by always challenging practices, or allow them to become formulaic too?
It’s easy to be rule breaker when you’re starting out, or an issue is new. The leadership challenge is to be still balancing and adjusting important things years later.
That’s a symptom of strong leadership.
Do you look for easy answers or use balance as a tool for improvement?
Is Balance your Strength?
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“I might be wrong, but at least I’ve thought about it…”