Well, the elections are over and there was a definite change in power, but is it possible that the change in power wasn’t as much about politics as it was about LEADERSHIP (or the lack thereof).
If we look back over the past 2 years with the democratic majority in the both houses of Congress and a democratic President, you may ask, how could ANY agenda they wanted to pass not get through?
Well, ask any successful leader and they will tell you it’s not enough to have power, you sometimes have to give power to others and then trust them to do the right thing to gain support. Believe me, I’ve seen many a manager in my time that has come into an organization boasting of their power only to crash and burn shortly thereafter because they didn’t understand some basic leadership principles, including:
1. Vision – To be successful a leader you have to establish a compelling vision that motivates your team.
2. Communication – Communicate, Communicate, Communicate – don’t leave anything to chance when making changes. Remember, in the absence of good information, people will make it up.
3. Timing is Everything – Identify a problem in the marketplace and then provide the right solution at the right time. Even Netflix had to wait years before a great idea was a “blockbuster”!
4. Engagement – For any change to be successful, not only at implementation, but also sustainable over the long haul, you have to ensure your team is engaged. That is, that they have buy-in to your vision and are willing to extend discretionary effort to ensure its success.
5. Creativity – Don’t just look for the 1st right answer, sometimes you have to look for the 2nd right answer or the 3rd, or 4th. If a leader gets too emotionally tied to the 1st right answer, they may miss a true breakthrough.
It’s about the leadership, stupid! Had the President and Congress utilized these leadership principles, the outcome may have been different. Americans are generous, independent, and innovative people, but don’t underestimate them – whether they’re your constitutes or your employees, or you may just experience a change in power too!
